Touring Montana Via Some Stays at Harvest Hosts

It was cool (58F degrees), rainy, and foggy as we departed North Dakota.  In fact, the fog was so thick, it was impossible to get decent photos.

 

Welcome to Big Sky Country!  We overnighted at Holmes Farm, our Harvest Host in Rosebud, Montana.  The 2 miles of access roads are gravel, but they are in excellent condition—better than many of the paved roads on which we traversed.  The parking area is big enough for us to keep Big Boomer, Suite Retreat, AND my Rambling RV Rat Pack Rubicon all hitched up AND to make a U-turn for departure.  Mark is an excellent host.  He is accommodating, and friendly—as is his dog and all the adorable feral felines (I counted at least 8) who followed us around as we strolled along the roads to get some exercise.  Mark’s wife was out of town, so there was no sourdough bread to purchase, but we were more than satisfied with making beef purchases, with which Mom wrangled up a nacho skillet dinner, sending Mark over a plate. 

Just 2 of the friendly felines who welcomed us.

Some of Mark's cattle herd.

There were lots of animals around.  In addition to these two, I spotted deer, a variety of birds, and even a couple of raccoons who were foraging.

We were treated to a beautiful sunset at Holmes Farm. 

The weather was a bit dismal the next morning, so we were glad we had a short commute to Canyon Creek Brewing, our Harvest Host in Billings, Montana.    

Since we arrived before the brewery opened, we decided to unhitch the Jeep and visit Little Big Horn Battlefield National Monument.  The Visitor Center has been demolished, and a new building is being constructed.  Hence, there was no film available.  Luckily, however, they have a Junior Ranger program, so I was able to complete my mission of earning another badge.     The Battlefield represents the conflict of June 25-26, 1876, between the U.S. Cavalry and the united efforts of several American Indian tribes determined to save their homelands and their culture.  Though the American Indians subsequently lost their “war”, they were successful in this battle along the banks of the Little Bighorn River under the leadership of Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse (Lakota) and Lame White Man and Two Moons (Cheyenne).  General George Custer, along with the majority of his regiment, was killed in this battle, hence its moniker “Custer’s Last Stand”.  Interestingly, Custer’s final resting place is at West Point Cemetery.  I find this ironic since his academic record there was pitiful (ranked last in his graduating class).  He was known to be far more interested in having fun and making mischief than in studying.  This landscape once embodied death and destruction, yet I look around now and see natural beauty and tranquility.

 

How apropos that wild horses roam these lands.  To me, they represent the spirit of the American Indian to save their homeland and their culture. 

Grave markers dot the landscape...

..representing the lost lives of Indians (red) and U.S. Cavalry (white).

The Memorial for the U.S. Cavalry on Last Stand Hill. 

The Indian Memorial at the Battlefield.

The wisdom of the Indians is engraved on the Memorial Wall:   "In order to heal grandmother earth, we must unify through peace."

Custer National Cemetery at Little Bighorn Battlefield includes the graves of scouts and civilians who were killed at frontier forts during the Indian Wars.

Based on the disgraceful treatment of the Indians by the U.S. Government, this stuffed Rambling RV Rat is quite perplexed why humans believe ANYTHING that the government says.   In 1869, Custer smoked a peace pipe with Cheyenne leaders, vowing he would never kill another Indian.  Yet he did just that.  Furthermore, the Indians were promised reservation lands, from which they were removed immediately after gold was discovered.  My Mom worked with a Lakota gentleman at Crazy Horse Memorial who wore the shirt “Trust the Government?  Ask an Indian”.  ‘Nuff said.

We were going to visit Pompey’s Pillar National Monument.  This rock formation along the Yellowstone River contains petroglyphs and the signature of William Clark of the famed Lewis and Clark Expedition.  Clark named the outcropping for Pomp, the son of his guide Sacagawea.  But we learned the site is only accessible Thursday through Saturday.  Furthermore, the Interpretive Center, (a 5,600 square foot building to service 50,000 annual visitors for a rock formation whose base is only 2 acres, and its height is only 150 feet!) is only open when adequate staffing is available.   Well, that stinks like a chunk of Limburger cheese!  Realizing the odds were not in our favor of gaining access, we nixed the idea of visiting.

I took this photo of Pompey's Pillar as we drove along I-90, hence it is a bit fuzzy.

We returned to Canyon Creek Brewing where we found 3 more Harvest Host guests had arrived for overnight parking.  We indulged in a few craft beers and called it a night.

It was a glorious day with temps in the low 60s when we arrived at Bear Canyon Campground in Bozeman, Montana.  It is a lovely campground, complete with a sparkling clean pool, tidy laundry, landscaped gardens, and wonderous vistas.  It comes with 2 drawbacks—tons of campers packed in tightly and a hefty price tag ($92/night).  But it put us within 5 minutes of the reason for our visit: getting together with Quartzsite friends Chrissy, George, and Barbara.  Bozeman has expanded considerably since our last visit to the area in 2006.  But Chrissy was a wonderful “tour guide”.  We so enjoyed our time together, and we feel blessed to have such wonderful friendships.

Our tour of Bozeman included a hike to Palisade Falls in Custer Gallatin National Forest...

...and a visit to Hyalite Lake.

We witnessed magnificent panoramas as Chrissy showed us the sights.

We had fun perusing the shops...

...visiting the local Farmers' Market, and strolling along Bozeman's Main Street.

The Pickle Barrel, where "the locals" go for lunch! 

 

We enjoyed a delicious dinner one evening at Bozeman's Urban Kitchen.

And we hosted dinner at the campground one night... 

...as a thank you to Chrissy, George, and Barbara for an absolutely wonderful visit together!

Now that we pumped, dumped, and did laundry, we looked forward to boondocking again.  This time at Wild Rye Ranch, a Harvest Host in Deer Lodge, Montana.  Before arrival, Maggie the Host sent us a note apologizing for being too busy to greet us.   But she indicated we could park anywhere we felt comfortable.  Good thing, because many of the areas designated for Harvest Host parking had sinkholes, ruts, and tight access--not suitable for a set-up of our size.  We ended up parking along the exit road, right next to the Mama cows and their offspring.  There were plenty of goods here from which to make our obligatory purchases—meats, honey, sundry items, and eggs.  Maggie graciously granted our request to stay a second night, which cost $30 in either cash, check, or Venmo.  Personally, I think it is a bit steep for no hookups, but my parents paid the fee to facilitate getting together with friends who are work-camping in the Butte area.  We enjoyed our visits with Stephanie and Sylvia, and we wished them well in their summer endeavors.

Despite the lack of amenities and the less-than-stellar parking conditions, Wild Rye Ranch comes with some magnificent views of Mt. Evans.  Furthermore, it is only 12 miles from Anaconda, an old mining town that has changed little in 125+ years.  We stopped to see the smokestack to Anaconda smelter.  Said to be the tallest surviving masonry structure in the world, it stands at 585 feet.

 

Most of the Harvest Host parking areas contained mud, ruts, and sinkholes.

So, we parked along the exit road next to the cows.

Storms were brewing one day...

...while the next night offered clear skies and a hint of the Northern Lights.

A luncheon with friend Stephanie.  Good times!

After a luncheon at our place, friend Sylvia joined us for a tour of Anaconda.

This smelter smokestack looks tiny in this photo, but it stands 585 feet high.

We departed Deer Lodge via an easy drive along I-90 and US-93.  We arrived at East Shore BBQ in Poulson, Montana, a terrific Harvest Host near Flathead Lake.  It has a huge, dry field, and it is easy to access/exit.  It has a rustic cabin atmosphere, a varied menu with reasonable prices, and, most importantly, outstanding food. 

Some REALLY BIG bunnies live on the property.

The cherries are coming soon!

Well, it is time for me to sign off.  Tomorrow, we begin our visit to Glacier National Park.  I’ll talk to you again soon! 

Visiting Theodore Roosevelt National Park - North Dakota

To facilitate our visit to Theodore Roosevelt National Park, we arrived at Buffalo Gap, a 35-site campground operated by the US Forest Service (USFS).  About a dozen sites are reservable, including 6 that are specific to RVs/campers.  Unfortunately, the USFS website indicated none of these were available for the dates we needed (but we did notice at least 1 tent set-up on an “RV/Camper only" reservable site during our visit).  So, we were limited to the sites available on a first come first served basis.  No worries—the campground is underutilized.  We found a level, private spot that fit Big Boomer/Suite Retreat without the need to unhitch, and we squeezed in our Rambling RV Rat Pack Rubicon, too.  The sites have no hookups, but we had ample open sky for our solar panels.  There are clean toilets (some flushable, some pit) and showers in the campground, should you need them.  There are also potable water spickets and a trash receptacle on site, all for $20/night ($10 with the Senior All-Access America the Beautiful Pass). At the time we did our research, the USFS website indicated there is a dump station.  However, we learned upon arrival at the campground that it was not operational.  (After registering our complaint to the very helpful, friendly campground host, we noticed the website has been updated with this fact).  There is a private campground/RV Park (also called Buffalo Gap) down the road that allows non-guests to dump tanks for $5, but access was a bit tight for us.  We came in with our waste tanks empty, so we waited to dump until after our departure from Buffalo Gap USFS Campground.  (We visited a Cenex fuel station enroute to our next destination, which offered free use of their sanitation dump.)

 

 

It was a tight squeeze, but we fit!

We witnessed a beautiful sunset from a nearby hilltop that overlooked our campground.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park is comprised of 3 separate units (South, Elkhorn, North).  Though all units are connected by the flow of the Little Missouri River, they are all at least an hour’s drive away from each other.   We began our visit by strolling along the quaint western railway town of Medora, founded in 1883 and located right outside the entrance gate to the Park’s South unit.

 

The stage set for Medora Musical.

The remains of a meat packing plant built by the French nobleman Marquis de Mores.  It was destroyed by fire in 1907.  The town of Medora is named after his wife.

Multi-colored zinnia adorned this garden.

At first I thought this storefront was the extent of Roosevelt's Presidential Library.  I was relieved to learn that this was just to showcase the models of the proposed Library.  The structure is still a work in progress, sitting high up on a hill near the Medora Musical site.  Theodore's Library is scheduled to open in 2026 as part of the 250th anniversary of the U.S.A.

Yours truly and Dad with a statue of the Rough Rider himself.

As we entered the Park, our first stop was the Visitor Center so I could pick up my Junior Ranger booklet.  Though this book was much more complex than most, I am happy to say I completed my full assignment by the end of our visit, and I was duly deputized as a Junior Ranger at Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

Meet B-VO, a gift from dance friend Willi and latest member of my Rambling RV Rat Pack (though clearly he is not of the species rodentia).  But B-VO helped me earn my latest Junior Ranger Badge.

I learned much from the film and the Ranger Program I attended about good ole Theodore (he did NOT like to be called Teddy).  He arrived in North Dakota in 1883 a young, non-athletic, eye-glass-wearing cosmopolitan New York lawyer and State Assemblyman—certainly not what one would envision as a bison hunter.  But realizing bison were going extinct, he pursued his dream of big game hunting.  He left with his wall trophy and a love of the area.  As a son and husband grieving for his mother and wife who died on the SAME DAY in 1884, he returned to the Dakota Territory searching for solace and tranquility.  He purchased Maltese Cabin and then built Elkhorn Ranch, named for the antlers he found on his property, the product of 2 bull elk fighting.  He invested in cattle, though the winter of 1886 brought such severe weather, 75% of his cattle died (as well as those of his fellow ranchers in the Little Missouri Stockmen’s Association that he founded).  Theodore went back to New York, remarried, furthered his political career, and served in the U.S. Military including his stint with the “Rough Riders” during the Spanish American War before becoming the 26^th President of the U.S.A.   In subsequent years, he would return to North Dakota’s Makoshika (the Lakota Indian phrase that translates to “badlands”).  Though cumulatively, he would spend less than 1 year in North Dakota, he credited his time here as the catalyst for his many conservation efforts, including the establishment of the US Forest Service (USFS) and the protection of 225+ million acres of public lands.

 

Over the course of our 4-day visit, we visited all 3 Park Units, traveled every mile of their scenic roads, and hiked along several trails.  We were amazed that we had a good Verizon cell signal through many parts of the park.  Furthermore, we were surprised by how many visitors were within the Park during our visit, though their annual visitation averages 600,000.  Come along with me for a "tour".

Theodore Roosevelt's Maltese Cabin is now located within the South Unit.

We made some new friends, fellow New Jerseyans and RVers Skip and Terry.  We all bonded as we kept running into each other at various points within the Park over the course of our visit.  We are enjoying hearing from them as they are now traveling through Alaska.

The South Unit has its share of prairie dog colonies.

The views from...

...Wind Canyon Trail in the South Unit.

Wild horses roamed through the South Unit.

The rock formations are muti-colored, with every color representing a different mineral/natural resource.

You must travel along 35+ miles of dirt roads to reach the Park's Elkhorn Unit, where Roosevelt built his Elkhorn Ranch.

There isn't much along these roads except cattle...

...and oil rigs...

...and spectacular scenery.

We hiked the trail to see the site of where Roosevelt built his cattle ranch.

The gate represents the location of Roosevelt's ranch.

There are magnificent views in all directions...

...and the Little Missouri River flows nearby.

Elkhorn Unit has a remote USFS campground at which to stay, with several big sites that could fit our setup.  It is a pack it in/pack it out facility, though a pit toilet and a water spicket are available.  Not a soul was there--I guess traversing 35+ miles on dirt roads with an RV to a no frills camp- site isn't that appealing to most people.  But we sure enjoyed utilizing a site for a picnic lunch.

I spotted a pronghorn deer in Elkhorn Unit.

Some fine examples of petrified wood can be found at Elkhorn Unit.

These "cannonball concretions" are visible in the North Unit.  They represent ancient sand grains cemented together by the dissolution of minerals found in groundwater. 

Rock formations we viewed when hiking the Caprock Coulee Trail.  A coulee, which means "flow" in French is a steep, narrow valley formed by water erosion.

We viewed this creek that feeds into the Little Missouri River...

...and these rock formations as we traveled along the Little Mo Nature Trail.

This overlook structure, built by the CCC in 1937, takes its name from the bend in the Little Missouri River.  The beauty viewed at the River Bend Overlook became the catalyst for preserving these badlands of North Dakota. 

We hiked through the meadows of South Achenbach Trail and spotted a wild turkey. 

We continue along the South Achenbach Trail...

...which transitions to a higher elevation...

...and culminates into spectacular panoramas...

...including this awesome view from Sperati Point of the oxbow turn of the Little Missouri River.

On the return hike, we noticed the storm clouds rolling in.

Thankfully, we made it back to the parking lot before the storm actually hit.

Visiting Theodore Roosevelt National Park had been on our bucket list for a while.   It surely was worth the wait.