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Other Wanderings
Chapter 6
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You can expect a lot of events to change your itinerary or timetable on a long trip. The trick is to be easygoing and make sensible decisions when changes or problems arise. Mechanical problems can be solved, by asking for the best place to repair your rig. Auto club and RV clubs are a good source of information if you belong to one. Other clubs, such as The American Legion, will get you good advice from members or call around to get answers that you need. A local business owner usually will recommend someone they know to be trustworthy. Local people in your own age group are the best strangers to ask to direct you to a good mechanic. Your own good instincts will tell you when you are dealing with an honest professional. The Good Sam Lifetime Members directory can also be a local source to find out the best shop for repairs
.Good Sam Logo
We were heading through Missouri on US 63 when we began to hear a banging noise in our exhaust system. I was concerned that it might be the manifold and very costly. We were fortunate to find an honest mechanic that told us the baffles had blown in the right muffler and referred us to Haney's (a specialized repair shop) in nearby West Plains. On the way we stopped for coffee and the restaurant manager also told us to go to Haney's. The mechanics at Haney's were very professional and we were driving out, within an hour with a new muffler and at a very reasonable price. They gave my wife a small sewing travel kit and then directed us to a nice local RV park that was comfortable and allowed us to stop early and get plenty of rest before continuing our journey.
One of the nicer campgrounds managed by the US Army Corps of Engineers can be found in Harlan County Lake, Nebraska. By and large, their campgrounds have some of the nicest facilities and at a very reasonable price.
If you have a "Golden Age Passport" (available at most federal parks for seniors 62 and older), you only pay half price. The campground, Patterson Harbor, is located off US 136. When you arrive check the campsites first to pick one that has hookups, since not all of their campsites have them. They operate on a first come, first serve basis. If you get in early in the day you should have a good choice. Even though directions can be found in the US Army Corps of Engineers brochure (District 2), Patterson Harbor was difficult to find. As you travel north on US 183 into Nebraska from Kansas you will arrive at the town of Alma. Make a right turn at Alma at US 136 (it is not clearly marked). Travel to Republican City then turn south to the dam. Cross the dam to get to Patterson Harbor and turn right towards the marina. Be sure and stay to the right when you see the fork in the road and you'll see the campsites. In general all the US Army Corps of Engineers brochures bring you to the general vicinity of the campgrounds; but they don't get you all the way there. The campsites are truly worth the extra trouble of looking for them.
Alma Campground
When you consider driving on rough roads forget about keeping to a timetable. Caution and sensible speeds must be exercised. We have witnessed damage to other RV's simply by taking too many bumps going too fast along a rough road. Often the wilderness roads are made of dirt or gravel and you just have to take it a little more slowly. They're definitely worth the extra time. On one occasion, driving on a well-maintained highway, I hit a pothole traveling at 55mph. The jolt caused the furnace that was screwed down to the floor to jump up and land on the water pump wire. The furnace cut into it enough to cause it to short and blow a fuse. It took two days for us to get that problem fixed since all the mechanics in town were booked up. I learned two things on that trip. One, I know where my fuse box is located and two, I now carry with my tools, a 12-volt tester, and extra fuses with me. Vibrations and bumps from potholes and bad roads are probably the initial cause of more minor repairs required on RV's than anything else. (I-70 from St. Louis westbound still owes me a front wheel hubcap. I avoid that route west now.) If you like the scenic wilderness you will just have deal with them as part of the route sometimes.
Welcome Sign Pot holes on road
In RV traveling you will talk to other campers and meet many people, especially with a pet that needs a walk. Many of those people will be from other countries. It was at Jackson Lake, Colorado that we first met some folks from Germany. We shared stories about our travels and exchanged information over drinks and a campfire. A few years later, we found ourselves visiting others in Germany that we met at another campsite on our RV travels. It is the people you meet, as much as the campsite, that makes camping enjoyable. We have encountered people in our travels that are not friendly and sometimes show a little hostility with an "I can't bother with you" attitude. Thankfully, they are few and far between and they remind my wife and I to be especially nice to all the people we meet. All you have to do is visit 7 or 8 countries in Europe with different languages and you will better appreciate helpful local people.
Jackson Lake State Park is near Fort Morgan, Colorado. It has 180 campsites and provides showers, toilets, and drinking water. Individual hookups were not yet available when we were there, but that may have changed. They do have a dump station and a boat ramp. Many of the sites are located on Jackson Lake. From the east take I-76 to Fort Morgan. Exit at Fort Morgan and travel on US 144 west to Goodrich. From the west, take I-76 to exit #66 and go north on State Road 39 to Goodrich. At Goodrich follow signs and County Road 3 to Jackson Lake Park Office.
We caught up with about 10 days of laundry at Fort Collins, Colorado. A navy sea bag thrown on an unused bunk or left in the tub during the day makes a good laundry bag if your RV does not have a hamper. Even if it does, a canvas bag makes it easy to carry your clothes to the laundry. Commercial RV resort parks and college towns are our top choices for places to do laundry. They usually have plenty of machines. Mid mornings, during the week seems to be the best time to find empty facilities.
Map reading and campground familiarity is necessary when you travel. At first my wife would panic a bit when we got lost, but eventually she began navigating like a pilot, only better. Following her directions from Fort Collins, we were soon driving through some tremendous canyons. We found ourselves alongside the Paudre River waving to white water rafters as we followed the river along State Road 14 through Roosevelt National Forest.
Whitewater Rafters
There are plenty of campgrounds along State Road 14. We chose a new campground managed by the National Forest Service called Mountain Park Campground. The campground is in a rustic setting. In fact, the campground borders the town of Rustic. They have very nice campsites with electric and a central water and dump station. After my morning aerobics I took Tigger for a walk in the woods. We found deer tracks and the view of the mountains was absolutely spectacular. To get to Mountain Park go northwest from Fort Collins on US 287 to Bellevue, then head west on Highway 14 for about 22 miles.
One of our more photogenic stops, along the way, in Flaming Gorge country, was in southern Wyoming and northeastern Utah. You get there, from I-80 at Green River, Wyoming, take US 530 South. You can drive the entire loop of the Flaming Gorge area by taking Utah Highway 44 southeast from Manila over the line in Utah, and US 191 north from the Flaming Gorge Lodge. The entire trip back to US 80 is about 145 miles. Campgrounds are available at Buckboard Crossing, Lucerne Valley, Firefighters Memorial/Greendale and Firehole Canyon. They have dump stations and there are other campgrounds in the area, which are excellent if you are self-contained. Some of these can provide water, but not electric or dump stations.
A herd of Elk. We turned around to take this picture.
Al thought I might have just spotted a herd of cattle...
We stayed at the Canyon Rim Campground, which was beautiful. We saw herds of elk on our drive there. The campground has a nice trail with a lookout platform overlooking the canyon. I promised myself that I would return here and spend a few weeks to see the entire area. We were there the first week of June and it was a little rainy and cold. Even with the rain we had a lot of nice walks on the trails along the canyon rim. Tigger wore his yellow slicker and really stood out in the pictures
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Canyon Rim Flaming Gorge
Another campground that we like in Utah is the State Line Silversmith RV Park near Wendover on I-80. This is a full hookup RV Park with nice concrete sites. The park is affiliated with the State Line Silversmith Casino and Hotel. It offers access to the spa, swimming pool, restaurants, and casino. Pets are allowed in the RV Park, but a leash is required when walking your dog. This campground is close to Nevada if you happen to be heading in that direction.
Zion National Park is an easy ride from Las Vegas going north and east on I-15. Utah SR 9 will take you east to Springdale and to the entrance of the park. The people in the visitor's center were absolutely delightful and we could tell the park was well managed. The campground host knew exactly what was available and where; and was pleased to offer recommendations. The signs were accurate, well marked, and easy to follow. It was such a tremendous contrast to the city street attitudes that we found at some other campgrounds that we stayed an extra day. The host will direct you to your site, answer questions, talk about trails to walk your dog and explain which areas are best to view the canyon from. The best site was 9D at Weatherman Campground overlooking the Virgin River. We watched people tubing down the river all day long. You can wash your dog in the river, but be careful of seasonal changes in the currents. This is one of the best-run parks that we have encountered.
Going north on US 191 in Montana from West Yellowstone for about 48 miles there is a campground south of Bozeman run by the National Forest Service called Red Cliff. Just adjacent to the campground is a mountain with red cliffs and pine trees. It just starts at your feet and goes right on up into the sky. On a sunny day, the color is gorgeous. The campground hosts, Neil and Norma shared their campfire with us. The river rushing by is about 50 yards away from the campsites. The good camping and crisp pine air made us feel great to be alive and to appreciate the RV lifestyle. Tigger was in doggie heaven, taking lots of time on his walks to sniff around. This is bear country, so although the bear usually stay high up in the mountains, keep your pet on a leash. When we put Tigger on a line outside the RV, we kept an ear out for the rustle of a bear and kept a good eye on him. The campground is nestled between two mountains and, located in spectacular wild country. It did not have any hookups. Be sure to have full fresh water tanks and empty holding tanks before you get there. You will find a dump station as you travel north to Bozeman.
Red Cliff CG
Bozeman, Montana is a great place to stop and supply your RV with groceries and make any repairs you need. We had a little trouble starting our generator in the higher elevation and colder weather. We stopped at Big Sky RV Service and they made a minor adjustment and gave us some advice on how to operate the generator in different conditions. They refused to accept any kind of payment for their services, since the repair was so minor. On the main street in Bozeman we were able to shop for groceries, do our laundry, have our dog groomed, ate breakfast and went to the bank. As we headed north out of Bozeman my wife said, "look at those mountains, they don't look real." "It looks like someone painted them on a canvas!"
Downtown Bozeman
Halter Lake campground is located 36 miles north of Helena, Montana off US 287. Head north for 2 miles at the town of Wolf Creek and than turn east for three miles to Halter Lake. The campground is run by the Bureau of Land Management and has full hookups. We were late arriving that day and all the sites with full hookups were taken. The lodge has boat ramps and some marine services. The sites are occupied by fisherman and their boats. We were able to fill our fresh water tanks and use the dump station before parking at an unimproved campsite. The spot we found was up near the top overlooking the mountainside with plenty of privacy and room for Tigger. We had a nice campfire and enjoyed the view. I was playing, "Frisbee", with Tigger later that evening and he stopped dead in his tracks while he was bringing the "Frisbee" back to me. He did not bark or move. He just looked past me. I slowly turned around and was looking at a large deer right behind me. I reached over and grabbed Tigger's collar. Tigger, "woofed" and the deer slowly turned away and made his way out of the campsite and along the ridge. He did not run or bound away, instead he nibbled and grazed occasionally as he wandered back into the forest. Halter Lake is a dream spot for fisherman, but it is not ideal for larger units. It is surrounded on three sides by mountains and requires you to dry camp unless you arrive early enough to get a developed site with hookups.
Al looking at deer... This is what he was seeing!
As you head north on US 287 from Halter Lake you join US 89 at Chateau Mountain. This takes you to Glacier National Park. If you follow US 89 north to the town of St. Mary, you will reach "Going To The Sun Highway", in the park. The road heads west out of town, but you can only travel the entire highway if your vehicle is 21' or less. Nothing larger is permitted on the winding mountain pass. However, before you reach the restricted access part of the highway you will arrive at Rising Sun Campground. Rising Sun is a well-maintained campground, but it does not have hookups. You can get water and there is a dump station at the entrance to the campground. Often, that is all we need. They have a general store within walking distance and a lodge and restaurant. While driving to Rising Sun we saw two elk and after establishing our campsite we saw a herd of elk heading up the mountainside. My wife counted 59 before they disappeared into the woods. We also saw a few deer closer to the road. Rising Sun also has a lake nearby and, in season, boat rides around the lake are available. We just enjoyed walking and hiking. If you have a pet, keep your dog on a tight leash at Rising Sun due to the close proximity of wild animals. One early morning a deer meandered into our campsite while I was walking Tigger. I circled around him with Tigger and the deer just look up and continued to graze. I put Tigger back into the RV and my wife and I watched the deer from the front of the RV. It continued to graze and moved right up to our kitchen window. My wife said, "I never knew deer had such long eyelashes." We were about 3' away from the deer. The deer finally moved off. To my surprise and to Tigger's credit, he obeyed me when I spoke my commands and stayed quiet and moved slowly without startling the deer. Observing Tigger on other occasion, I have concluded that if the deer, elk, moose, etc. remain calm and don't "bolt away, Tigger remains calm to. It was a learning experience for both of us.
Deer ushered to our RV Our Campground in Many Glaciers
Coach that takes you up the Rising Sun Highway Entrance to Glacier National Park
While we were at Rising Sun Campground, we had a pressure leak under the kitchen faucet. We were able to turn it off at the water pump, but we headed back to St. Mary to look for a mechanic. We did find a mechanic at the hotel complex. The hotel repairman fixed the leak in about an hour and very inexpensively, too. My wife spent more money shopping in the gift shop than it cost us to have the leak fixed. When you are looking for a plumber in a town without a plumber, you might try a local resort hotel. They always seem to have a handyman around.
A little farther up the road from St. Mary is the town of Babb. There is a nice campground west of Babb, called Many Glaciers Campground. There are also two other commercial campgrounds along this road, but Many Glaciers Campground is about 10 miles west from Babb. Near the campground is a hotel, which offers a beautiful view of the mountains from it's parking area. We had a hot chocolate at the hotel and walked through the lodge. The park ranger had an evening program for the public, this time on "Bird's of Prey". The glacier views by the river are breathtaking and the hotel itself seems to have been built in the very best location to see them from. When you select a campsite at Many Glaciers try to choose one with a view of the mountains unobstructed by trees. This view offers a better opportunity to see wildlife. I sat in a chair with my feet up on a tree stump for hours watching bear and mountain goats. One morning we were walking with Tigger up a road and we heard an animal moving in the woods. I could tell that we were moving in the same direction and thought it was a deer. I handed Tigger's leash to my wife and ducked into the woods to see if I could drive it out a little to get a better look. It was moving a little to fast for me, so I gave up and rejoined my wife. We approached a bend in the road and saw cars parked along the road and people pointing and taking pictures. When we reached the bend we saw a cinnamon colored bear moving across a meadow about 50 yards away. We quickly brought Tigger back to the RV and returned to the meadow. We were able to snap off quite a few pictures before the bear turned and headed up the creek away from us. A few minutes later two young men came down the road from the creek. They had been sitting on a rock ledge by the creek when the bear meandered by about 3 feet from them. They said the bear didn't even look up at them. They could tell the bear moved with a purpose as if he knew exactly where he was heading. Since a large crowd had gathered the park ranger came to make sure that the bear's path along the road remained clear. Traffic was stopped for about a half -hour before the bear finally turned into the woods. We heard that a grizzly bear entered Many Glaciers campground, early in the morning on the day we left. A woman walked out of her tent, saw the bear and walked right back in. When it was gone she reported the sighting to the ranger. Most national parks request that you report any bear sightings to them.
Looking for the bear
Here he is...the Cinnamon colored bear
From previous trips to Alaska, we learned that bears have very poor eyesight. They do, however, have a good sense of smell. We have been told that if confronted by a bear, one should join hands together and hold them over his or her head while talking in a normal voice and backing slowly away. The purpose is to give the Bear room and not threaten his space. Continue making sounds as you back away from the direction of his path. Bears do not often attack, groups of people, but they are unpredictable. Black and brown bears are said to be the most unpredictable and dangerous, while grizzly bears are more passive. It is always suggested that you discuss the nature of area bears with rangers before you go on any hikes in the woods or mountains. The appropriate action to take when encountering a bear is different depending on the locality and the season, but in all cases, backing away and giving them space is #1.
Near Libby, Montana off Route 2 there is a campground called Hook U Up. It is near Libby Dam and offers full hookups (obviously), a recreation hall, and on Sunday they have dinner and a social. Owners, George and Lynn allow their Labrador to run loose in the campground and allowed us to do the same with Tigger. The two dogs got a lot of exercise and enjoyed playing with each other. We saw a few deer roaming around as we drove around the lake to do a little sightseeing. The area is very pretty and the lake and river is full of fish.
We made our way back to Route 2 and headed east to see the West Side of Glacier National Park, entering at West Glacier. We had to turn back, however, since our RV was longer than 21' and we could only go as far as Avalanche. We found this side of the park to be very populated and "touristy". We toured for a few hours then turned around and headed south.
We always turn off our refrigerator and our propane when we gas up and we began to have difficulty re-lighting it. We stopped at Kalispell, Montana where Route 2 and US 93 meet and pulled into Rick's RV Repair. He was just closing, but he was kind enough to take a look. He pointed out to us that the igniter was working fine, we just could not see the blue flame because a big bug had crawled in and died in front of the mirror that allows us to view the flame. He cleaned it out and we were all fixed up again, no charge! If you ever need service in that area, Rick is the man to see.
About 25 miles south of Kalispell is West Shore State Park Campground. It is located on a very pristine lake in the middle of a forest. The sites are level and have grills and picnic tables. Water is available to fill your tanks, but there aren't any electric hook ups or dump stations. The campground has a nice walking trail along the lakeshore and in the woods and roads that overlook the lake. The more remote "B" section is close to the lake. Tigger enjoyed a much overdue bath in the lake and we exchanged paperbacks with the campground hosts.
Happy Wanderer (tra la la, tra la le)
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