mshumlas

[mshumlas]

Day 30 - 32, June 21-23

We are making the final pushes home and frankly, not stopping for much! We woke up in Lyman, Wyoming exit 44 rest area on I-80 East without any issues. As I mentioned yesterday, Shanna was a little nervous about our rest area overnight stay. I have stayed in rest areas many times before, by choice, and haven’t experienced any problems so my confidence level in this decision was high. It was a quiet stay with the occasional semi truck pulling out to get back on the road. Once we settled in last night at about 11pm, I put Quinn on the leash, strapped an open carry sidearm to my hip and walked around the rest area. When we were done with our walk, I passed by the trucker parked behind us and he gave me the “thumbs up” as I waved to him. It’s good to have friends!

Searching for a breakfast spot now on June 21 before we left the rest area we found a spot directly across the highway from us. The Cowboy Cafe was excellent. We were the only family in there, it was filled with truckers and cowboys. The kids have experienced a lot on this trip and we’ll add this breakfast stop to the list! We are now motoring for North Platte, Nebraska for our overnight stay at Holiday RV Park. Not a lot to see barreling through Wyoming on I-80 East but admittedly, we will miss the West. Wyoming is still one of our favorite states and it sort of saddens me/us to be leaving. We make it to our nightly stop in Nebraska just as a major thunderstorm rolls in. You could see it to the North chasing us down, bummer because the kids had hoped to swim tonight after a long day of central plains state driving.

A quick breakfast on June 22 in the RV and we’re now making our way for Iowa. I wish I had more details to share with everyone but we are focused on making it home. Mile after mile passes by with no major excitement, that’s a good thing. We arrive in Newton, Iowa for dinner and set up the RV for the night one last time. The boys played basketball after dinner and then we went to bed. We are now 5 hours from home!

On June 23, our 32nd day on the road we cross the state border and back into Wisconsin. It’s hard to believe that we made it to the Oregon coast and back. We talked about our trip during the finals hours of the drive. The whole adventure seems like a long time ago we departed for the start of it and yet feels like just yesterday we were packing up to leave for South Dakota. We were blessed with health, safety and friends on this once in a lifetime trip. I’m super proud of our family and their adventurous spirits. This trip will never be forgotten and we will forever hold onto the pictures and memories created.

[mshumlas]

Day 28-29, June 19th & 20th

We departed Coos Bay, Oregon on June 19 and made our way east to Burns RV Park in Burns, Oregon. I tried for the Burns family discount but they weren’t buying it! The route we took had very little highway for the 371 miles this day. We went up towards Eugene, Oregon and then jumped on State Route 58 through the Umpqua National Forest cutting east. We almost decided to take the highway the whole way this day but that didn’t seem very adventurous. As we started out on State Route 58 we were searching for places to grab lunch. Choices weren’t many but we settled on Rattlesnake Barbecue in Dexter, Oregon. Trust me, the choices weren’t numerous! It seemed like everything on the menu was “sorry, we’re out of that”. It turned into ‘tell me what you do have’ and then we’ll make our selections. They couldn’t have been nicer about it. The staff said the pandemic has delayed normal operations and normal delivery of certain items. The daughters owner came out at the end of lunch and gave us free desert and it was the same desert as what she had at her wedding! We know this because she told us....it was actually really good. So with lunch behind us we bounded up and down SR 58 towards Bend, Oregon. We called ahead to Burn RV Park and were warned to get gas before you leave Bend. I have to say, Bend was the first “normal” town we saw in Oregon. In all honesty, we didn’t love Oregon. Towns are very weird, I’ll leave it at that in case I ever run for political office.

We get to Bend, ahhhhh, normal people! Hello normal people! We fill up with gas and then jump on State Highway 20 towards the Idaho line. Early on in the trip I said Needles Highway in the Badlands was my favorite drive. A close second was Highway 20. There were miles and miles of nothing, no houses, no cars, no people. Just cattle and wild animals. It was astonishing. I think Shanna and I said a dozen times to each other “can you believe this?” Literally, not a sole out there. The amount of land and miles of highway with no one...I have never seen anything like it. Even in the Midwest, you drive a country road for 20 minutes through corn fields eventually you run into a town. This was different, you felt really insignificant out there. I could drive that over and over, loved it! We make Burns, Oregon and before we go to the RV Park, I ordered the kids blizzard from Dairy Queen drive through. Only difference compared to home was I didn’t have a car and I was ate alive by mosquitos while I stood in line.

Nothing exciting overnight at Burn RV Park other than we killed 1,000 mosquitos in the RV. Wow, those suckers are bad there. We woke up on June 20th and made our way for Idaho. Stopped for breakfast in Juntura, OR at a roadside diner called the Oasis. It was excellent. They had a sign on their door welcoming visitors and how they appreciated your business. That was nice to see and such a change from coastal Oregon. We took our sweet time and delayed our trip quite a bit. The stop was worth it, we ate like kings. So now on toward Boise. This leg was pretty much all highway. Nothing excited until we get just outside of Boise, Idaho. We’re in a construction zone and three lanes, go down to two, with a traffic patter shift right before a bridge. About five or six cars in front me there is a pick’em up truck (Brooks and Dunn shout out there) towing a travel trailer. I see the travel trailer bounce and then start to sway, apparently I said “uh oh” out loud because Shanna peered up just in time to witness this rig crash. I was watching the trailer whip back and forth as the driver tried to counter steer the swinging trailer. Eventually the momentum of the swinging trailer was now yanking the rear end of the truck back and forth. It became too severe of a sway and the travel trailer dumped onto it’s side jackknifing against the truck and sending the truck down into the right side ditch. Everyone braked, I had already started slowing down watching this unfold right in front of me. We pulled over, put in park with our flashers on, Shanna called 911 and I ran up there. This man in his 70’s got out of truck and I asked him if he was okay. Classic response “I’m fine, she just lost control of it.” Clearly he’s alright, he’s pissed at his wife. So I go around the front as she steps out and I ask her if she’s okay, “I’m fine, I’m just angry that I ruined a week’s vacation”. What are these people talking about!?!? Other people are now around them so I head back as it looks like it’s under control. We boogie on to Ogden, Utah for dinner with a gorgeous Wasatch Mountain Range backdrop and settle in Lyman, Wyoming for the night....at a rest area. Shanna likes this rest area slightly more than my driving through the mountains at night. We get setup, lock and load and enjoy a beverage before we go to bed. Long day, 600 miles but back in Wyoming!

[mshumlas]

Day 25-27, June 16-18 *PHOTOS*

I have not had very good WiFi connectivity, so here are photos from our time in Coos Bay, OR. The majority of these are on the drive from Cannon Beach to Coos Bay. We stayed at Oceanside RV Resort near Coos Bay on Bastendorff Beach.

[mshumlas]

Day 26-27, June 17th & 18th

Spending these days at Bastendorff Beach in Coos Bay, OR has been very relaxing. We are staying at Oceanside RV Resort, a short walk over a sand dune to beach. The kids have anchored most of their day riding bikes and swimming. They must be developing cold blooded traits because the wetsuit use is less frequent. It makes me cold just watching them go in the water.

The Oregon coast continues to push wave after wave, every minute, every day. I’m more familiar with the Atlantic Ocean where you have days that are so flat it looks like a lake. It’s non-stop waves here which make it dangerous and mesmerizing to watch. There is a huge fishing industry in the area. A lot of commercial fishing boats are docked in town with signs of a watermen’s life everywhere. Crab pots, buoy’s, netting, seafood shops line the downtown area.

Bandon Dunes golf resort is ninetine miles south of where we are in Coos Bay. I called them to squeeze in a single player and was sort of surprised at the amount of availability. I took an early tee time at Pacific Dunes and the weather was perfect. Very cool course, reminds me of Whistling Straits in Wisconsin honestly. While I was out golfing, Shanna and the kids were at the beach. Our friends hadmade an early charter fishing arrangement and came home with plenty of fish and crabs. So that became our dinner plans on our final night in Coos Bay, OR. Tomorrow we are packing up and starting the journey back home. It’s been a great time with life on the road. We are now ready to stear this rig in a different direction!

[mshumlas]

Day 25, June 16th

It looks like the weather has finally turned as we enjoyed our first Oregon afternoon with no rain at the beach. We traveled about 100 miles south to Coos Bay, OR yesterday from Yachats, OR. A couple recommended a place to us called Oceanside Resort here in Coos Bay so we booked it. The beach is great and there is a lot of room here.

We arrived in Coos Bay around 3pm after we took our time heading south on U.S Route 101. The Oregon Coast Highway as it’s called runs from the border of California/Oregon to the border of Oregon/Washington. It’s 363 miles in total length and I would estimate that 90% is right along the ocean. Some amazing views of the water and mountains with plenty of area to pull off for photos or exploration. It’s also designated as the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan and Iraq Veterans Memorial Highway.

Once we arrived and checked in, I noticed three crab pots on the deck so I asked the office if they rented them. They said they’re ours to use, just bring them back. Supposedly another family with little crabbing experience caught thirteen the other day. So it looks like I need some dead fish and chicken parts to recreate our version of Deadliest Catch. The kids quickly wanted to get down to the beach so we hurried up and went down to the water until dinner time. The waves and power of Oregon coast are pretty spectacular. The waves never stop, I’m sure they do but this entire trip the Pacific has been pumping. We watched them take a few over the heads and then went back for dinner. I have to say the RV, if you only have one or two people in it, is very easy to cook in. Propane oven, three-top burner, microwave and full size refrigerator are great conveniences when traveling like this. After dinner we took chairs and beverages down to the beach to watch the sunset. Excited to have a full day here tomorrow we were asleep by 1030pm. First night with no rain? We will see!

[mshumlas]

Day 23 - 24, June 14th & 15th

Spending the past two days in Yachats, OR has been exactly what we envisioned when we thought about camping on the Pacific Ocean. We are Sea Perch RV Resort. There are only 30 sites here and the farthest one is fifty yards from the beach. The days have been spent dodging a little bit of rain and that continued here in Yachats as well.

We rented the usual wetsuits, bodyboards and skimboards for our stay here. This time I mixed in a surfboard and wetsuit for myself. I went out with the kids yesterday and swam for a few hours. The wetsuit is a game changer if you’ve never wore one. Complete pain in the ass to put on, but once you’re in the water, it’s great. So I’m paddling out to surf and Teagan is standing waist deep a little behind me, I take a few strokes and then a head pops up in front of me. We’re the only ones in the water, a few people walking the beach, maybe six total. It’s a seal. Whitish/grey head with dark spots on his face and whiskers. She yells, Dad did you see that?! I sure did, I take a few more strokes and he pops up again. I haven’t seen much wildlife in Yachats, but Seals are definitely in the water with us.

Beachfront fires are a nightly routine for us here. Interesting about Oregon beaches, the State owns them. So if you have a beachfront house, you own to the beach and then the State owns the beach to the water. This essentially gives you the ability to make a fire or walk on any beach unless posted due to some environmental conditions prohibiting activity. Last night we caught the sun setting for the first time at the beach. You have to understand the amount of clouds and rain here! I’ll say it again, rainiest state we have ever been to. We are heading for the southern Oregon coast tomorrow for what might be our final destination of this trip.

[mshumlas]

Day 21 - 22, June 12th & 13th

After the restful night at Oceans Lodge, we moved our RV down the road to Tovola Beach. It’s a great beach in the town of Cannon Beach, OR. The kids rented bodyboards, skimboards and wetsuits to combat hypothermia in the 52 degree Pacific Ocean. I had to look and find out the exact water temperature at Lake Coeur d’Alene because the Pacific feels colder. Sure enough, the water temperature at the lake was 59 degrees. With full wetsuits zipped up, they were off. They loved the waves and spent a solid five hours in the water.

Cannon Beach is a nice town, more of our speed/style than the town of Seaside. A bunch of coffee shops, bars, restaurants and your obligatory tourist trinket traps. Cannon Beach has a thriving colony, is what you call it?, of domestic rabbits living throughout the town. Supposedly there was a family that released their domestic pets thirty-five years ago in the area and the rabbits took hold in the mild climate. There are black, brown, white and tan rabbits littered throughout the greenery in the town and at the beach. On the way from the beach back to the camp site, we picked up salads and pizzas for dinner from a local place in Cannon Beach. It was great to be back at the camp site picnic table having a hot family dinner that we didn’t prepare. We affectionaly named our campsite the “pasture”. As the name implies, there was not a lot there. A bunch of RV’s, mostly from Oregon, parked fo the night. Everyone huddles around fires, trying to stay dry. I have to say Oregon is the rainiest spot we have ever been to. It has literally rained every day at some point while we have been here. I’m not sure I understand the Allure of Oregon just yet.

The next day, we did more of the same at Tovola Beach except for this time in the rain, all day. As luck would have it, we left the beach at 430pm and it became really sunny. I mean, the nicest part of the day sunny. We showered up at the beach and headed off for a dinner that I wish we would have had two nights ago! The same group that owns Oceans Lodge has a restaurant in Cannon Beach, The Driftwood. For those of you in Wisconsin, think Palmers Steakhouse in terms of menu/style/service. It felt great to sit there and order dinner, one that we didn’t have to make. After dinner we walking around downtown Cannon Beach, kids got ice cream and then we headed back to our camp for one last night in the area. We are heading to Yachats, OR tomorrow. It’s pronounced YAH-hots, took me a while to figure that out.

[mshumlas]

Day 20, June 11

We decided to make today a longer drive day in order to get to the coast of Oregon. Not how I originally perceived my birthday to be, but I was happy to just get there and then enjoy the night. Once we left Coeur d’Alena, ID we passed through Spokane, WA so we made a quick detour to see Gonzaga University. Tanner loves basketball and Gonzaga in our mind makes us think about basketball. It was a nice campus and the kids begrudgingly stood still for photos.

Back on the road, the drive through Oregon had us winding along the Columbia River. It was beautiful with S curve after S curve winding you through the Columbia River Valley. Lots of boats fishing presumably for salmon and cliffs lining the way. Just before we reached Portland, OR I thought I saw a giant cloud. As it came into focus I quickly realized it was Mt. Hood. Mt. Hood is actually a stratovolcano that the U.S. Geoligical Survey gives the chance of an eruption in the next 30 years at 3-7%. It is the only year-round lift serviced skiing in North America.

With Portland, OR behind us there is nothing between us and the Pacific Ocean! Except for miles and miles (80) of woods with giant pines and clear cut sections where loggers had been. The two lane, 55mph road leading from Portland to the coast surprised us. One its length and two its composition, seems like a long way not to have an interstate zipping you there. The drive was scenic; some cool little farm towns, lots of elk signs though we saw none, blueberries for sale, strawberries and cherries also.

This is where it gets sort of funny...While driving we were researching best restaurants in Seaside, OR. This is where we are staying for the next few days. We decide on a restaurant and called ahead. No reservations needed, that should have been a sign. From the exterior it looks alight, we then go in and are hit with an overwhelming smell of fish. Not like fish cooking in a nice kitchen, bait shop fish smell. Wow, it’s really strong. You know how sometimes you say just don’t think about it and you’ll forget about it? Well this left mouth breathing as the only option to avoid the smell. The kids new something was up when they all gave their drink orders, water please. Then one of them asked, Dad, we’re not staying here are we? It’s 815pm and the restaurants all close at 9pm. We are unfortunately staying here, just make sure you order something basic and fried. I figured less chance of a food-born illness if you had something that was fried. Not scientific in the least, but that was my reasoning. Here’s how it went; two beers, three waters, three buttered noodles with meatballs, a BLT and a burger. Done, out, no one was ill, check please!

So now we’re faced with the not so thrilling idea of going to a new RV park, in the dark, finding our spot on the map they give you and setting up for the night. It’s not that big of a deal, it’s ten minutes away. Shanna says oh wouldn’t it be nice if we just had a hotel to go for one night. My mind starts rationalizing the day; drove 8+ hours, had a terrible dinner, now am going to set up the RV for the night. What comes up when I search ‘luxury hotel near Seaside, OR.’ I’m now speaking with Daniel at The Ocean Lodge who tells me they are pet friendly and have a suite for our family. It’s 9 miles down the road, we are in! Call it cheating but after 19 nights in the RV, this feels like heaven. They write Quinn’s name on the dog guest board, give us cookies and her a bag of treats. I go back out to the RV and they tell me to just leave in front, no sense trying to find a parking spot. Sounds good to me, we are going to live it up tonight! By living it up, I mean that we are going to all take a long, hot shower and everyone has a bed. All good things come to end and so did our stay The Ocean Lodge. It was a great break and Shanna may have had watery eyes when we left the beachfront suite after breakfast the next day.

[mshumlas]

Day 19, June 10

Happy birthday to my Dad! It’s always been fun having our birthdays so close to one another. He golfed as usual which is perfect for his special day.

As the weatherman promised, he delivered on the sunny, mid 70’s forecast. We woke up and headed into town to walk around, shop and have lunch. Everyone enjoyed their lunch on the outdoor patio overlooking Lake Coeur d’Alene. Very cool downtown, second favorite so far on this trip behind Bozeman, MT. Skate parks, cafes, microbreweries, boutique shops and restaurants, it’s easy to like this place. After lunch the kids grabbed ice cream and we headed back to camp to pick everyone up for our afternoon boat rental. The kids are stoked to be heading out for the afternoon on the water.

With coolers packed and life jackets ready, we pushed off from the boat launch right dowtown. Water temps are mid-50’s in Lake Coeur d’Alene, not great but an improvement over what we have already swam in this trip! We tubed, relaxed, swam, listened to music, putted around looking at the homes (there are some incredible ones) and then headed back at 6pm for dinner. It was great to see the sun and be out enjoying it.

One of our main goals on this trip is to get to the Pacific Ocean on the coast of Oregon. Tomorrow we are going for broke with an eight hour drive to push through to the goal!

[mshumlas]

Day 18, June 9

What do you do on a rainy, mid 50’s day in Coeur d’Alene Idaho? That was our primary thought upon waking up today. First thought, we can sit in here and play cards, stare at each other and eventually end up with someone dead or critically injured. Second thought, what about resurrecting our Wyoming UTV (side by side) off-road adventure from 2018! We made a few phone calls and quickly had UTV’s waiting for us to explore the Idaho Panhandle National Forest!

We are lucky that the UTV rental is only a ten minute drive from us in downtown Coeur d’Alene. We pile into one truck and head for dowtown. Aside from the weather, it’s a gorgeous little downtown. Lined with shops, bars, restaurants it must be fun when it’s sunny and warm out. We arrive, sign our lives away with waivers and release of liability forms, get outfitted with helmets and receive a quick walk through. In the end, you need to know gas, brake and turn...essentially it’s a beefy golf cart that goes 70 mph on the edge of mountain roads with certain death below you in the canyons.

It’s almost comical as we make our first stop to look at the trail maps. Our friends UTV is a Razor, open door, no windshield fun machine! We are in a Ranger with a full windshield, doors and zip up windows like an old Jeep. They are covered in mud and water, we look like we just left the golf course! There are no words, both groups erupt in laughter. Clearly there is two different experiences going on here. Of course, we make an agreement that if anyone wants to switch or warm up we will gladly do that.

After two hours of riding the kids are hungry for the lunches we packed and everyone wants a warm up. My friend and I had a little surprise for everyone, we packed hot dogs and a lighter to make a campfire along the trail. There is nothing and no one out here, only logging roads and scarred earth from where the logging crews harvested timber recently. The fire and hot dogs were a big hit with the kids who said “oh no, we forgot to bring our roasting sticks!” They are learning to be resourceful and prepared. We told them to go find sticks on the ground, we are in a 3 million acre forest after all, and then we will sharpen them up to roast dogs.

Long story moderately short, we made it back to town wet, muddy, slightly scared and full of memories. Dinner was had back at camp and then we retired for the night. Anxious to see the forecasted sunny, mid 70’s that the weatherman had “promised” for tomorrow and the next few days.

[mshumlas]

Day 17, June 8th

We made breakfast as we packed up one more time, in the rain, from The Nugget in St. Regis, MT. It’s a cute little town but not a lot in terms of activities. Which is odd because the billboards along I-90 indicated otherwise. Kudos to the people running the marketing for that municipality.

The one thing that everyone said we need to check out is the Hiawatha bike trail. It’s an old railroad bed that was created in 1909 by the Milwaukee Rail line. The history is amazing when you look at the terrain of the Bitterroot Mountains and how they did it all in 4 years time. From surveying possible routes in 1906 to the first freight car rolling through in 1909; 9,000 men working year round (yes, through the brutal winters) and establishing several new towns along the way. The Hiawatha trail today is 15 miles in length, 2% downhill grade the entire way so you more or less don’t have to work that hard, 10 tunnels with the first one being 1.6 miles long from Montana into Idaho, 7 trestles that give you incredible views of the surrounding mountains. Some of the trestles are over 200’ above the ground, taking you across mountain valleys and depositing you on the next mountainside. It took us about 3 hours to complete the trail. The first tunnel as I mentioned is the longest and you need a flashlight to get through it. If you don’t have a light, you can’t see your hand in front of your face. It’s misty cool and smells like earth in there with the constant drip of water from the carved stone walls.

The fun part of the Hiawatha bike trail was at mile seven, my friend says “I lost my truck keys.” So somewhere between parking lot and mile seven is a set of key to a brand new GMC Sierra diesel truck! No way we were going to backtrack up through the mountainous trail, so we decided to finish the ride and then hunt for keys. At the end of the trail you are shuttled back to the 1.6 mile St. Paul tunnel that you first exited. You then bike back through the tunnel the opposite way you started to the parking lot. We had the shuttle workers radio in for a lost set of keys, if they were on the trail someone would likely pick them up and turn them in. No keys turned in. So we form a line across the tunnel and begin to walk back through with eyes fixed to the muddy, wet tunnel floor. I mean if you don’t stare down at every inch of the tunnel you pass over, you are not getting the full experience of the Hiwatha trail! We decide to send the boys ahead of us and check the parking lot. We are now about three quarters of mile through the tunnel when the boys make it back to us and say “The keys were in door of the travel trailer!” All relieved, we hop on the bikes and enjoy a cold beer in the parking lot before we head out for Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

We left the parking lot of the Hiawatha trail and drove about an hour and a half to arrive at Blackwell Island on Lake Coeur d’Alene. Upon checkin we asked about eating and were given the recommendation of The Cedars. It’s a floating restaurant within walking distance of our set up. So we made the kids dinners at home and then the 6 adults went out to dinner. Shanna ordered halibut and I had mahi mahi. Both were excellent and a nice change from our routine!

[mshumlas]

Day 15-16, June 6th and 7th

We have had a pretty quiet few days here in Montana recently. Montana is a really long state east to west. On June 6th we went wheels up from our post at Spring Creek and headed for Missoula, MT.

The drives are some of best parts of our trip. I’m amazed at the vast amounts of land, trees, mountains, rivers. Most of my pictures are now starting to look the same I feel. But when I say to myself, that’s incredible take a picture of that, it feels like it’s the first time seeing mountains or water.

We made it to Missoula and people said if you like Bozeman, you’ll love Missoula. Well, we were the opposite. Missoula was nice but prefer Bozeman. We went to Draught Works brewery for a quick pint and then headed off to dinner at Tamarack Brewing. Everyone enjoyed their dinner and then we headed off to our spot for the night just up the highway ten minutes.

The morning of June 7th we pushed off for St. Regis, MT. We were going for the Nugget RV park. About an hour and a half later we were there. One reason why I think Montana has been a long state for us is that we are only moving sixty to ninety miles a stop. There is just a lot to see here. The kids enjoyed the heated outdoor pool to themselves and we settled in for the day. Lots of mountain biking as they looked for “gold nuggets” said to be lost around the property. One hundred and sixty acres is a lot of ground to cover. After dinner my friend and I took the boys on a mountain bike ride through a ranch and onto to Federal Land. We encountered one herd of grazing cattle and created mini-stampede when a calf decided to bust through our bike group. Momma cow and a few others darted across the dirt road in front us and through us. The kids were amazed at how the cows free graze out here. We ended the night with some drinks around the fire and have plans to bike the Hiawatha Trail tomorrow. And after that we will start heading for Coeur d’Alene, Idaho in our next stop.

[mshumlas]

Day 13-14, June 4th -5th

Second attempt at writing this due to WiFi issues so it may be abbreviated.

We had a final morning in Bozeman, MT before we headed out to Deerlodge National Forest near Anaconda, MT. There is a camping spot in Warm Springs Creek area that we are going to explore. Hoping to be able to fit two 30’ rigs and a 40’ rig in there! We have a tape measure if we need it...

Before we head out of Bozeman I made a tee time at Bridger Creek GC for 830am. Play a quick nine and try out my new irons! It was great to be out there drinking coffee and making birdies with the mountains in the background. For the record, I made no birdies, two pars and the rest...well let’s just say they’re new irons that I need practice with. After golf we packed up the RV, had plans to meet Shanna at the car rental return but I was detoured. I had Tanner call her to say meet us at MAP Brewing Company for lunch outside. Beautiful view of the mountains right on a lake. After lunch we returned the car and headed for a two night stay in the mountains.

We arrived at Spring Creek around 5pm and yes, fit the rigs in the sites no problem. One guy said I didn’t think you guys would do it, especially with the 40’ motor home. I don’t want to say we’re pros, but pretty darn close. We had dinner and fire going in the middle of woods at 6,200’ elevation.

On June 5th we woke up and explored the Georgetown Lake area. Huge lake, lots of summer homes, lots of UTV’s with people riding trails and enjoying a gorgeous day. That night Harold made jambalaya on the fire for the adults and hot dogs for any of the kids that didn’t want the rice/chicken/shrimp/sausage entree! Dinner was fantastic.

[mshumlas]

Day 12 - June 3

Super pumped about a full day in Bozeman! Please get out here if you haven’t ever been.

We had no morning plans so the kids swam, Shanna worked out and then went to town to re-stock our supplies. I caught up on emails and ran Trace’s bike into town to get some work done on it.

The big plans for the day was our afternoon white water trip down the Gallatin River in Big Sky, MT. We had our friends in one boat and the Shumlas crew in another boat. It was amazing! Water level was at 6,000 cubic feet per second, which is about as high of water as you can get. The warm weather has caused a rapid snowmelt in the mountains driving water through the rivers. We went a total of 10.2 miles in just over an hour! Water was 35, brrrrrrrr. Everyone was outfitted with wetsuits and the guides wore drysuits. Keeping with our cold water adventures my friend and I wore wetsuit bottoms only. The guides said “Suns out, guns out!” Such a fun time. We opted for no wetsuits back in 2018 at the Snake River, WY raft trip so maybe we’re getter softer.

Fun story, our white water raft guide asks where we are from? We tell him Wisconsin. He says really me too, I’m from Oconomowoc. Come on!! He graduated from Arrowhead in 2005. Special thanks to Cole Stanwyck for a great, safe trip on the river. He did an amazing job walking us through the basics and putting us square in the rapid sections! I look forward to sharing pictures with you of my 2021 Montana elk!

We headed back to camp, made dinner and caught a great sunset with elk and deer feeding in the meadow below us. Tomorrow we are off for the Beartooth National Forest near Anacanda, WY. We will be boondocking for a few nights. They are calling for snow on Monday in the higher elevations so we will see how long we stay out in the woods. We are loaded up with food, water, fuel and friends!

[mshumlas]

Day 11 - June 2

Started the day off with the usual routine in our family. Shanna ran and worked out, kids got up and ate breakfast before beginning their schoolwork, I made coffee and then worked out while the snow covered peak of Mt. Ellis overshadowed me. How I don’t live here will continue to be a mystery to me.

After our morning routine, we spent some time online trying to figure out where and when we leave Bozeman. We’re not one hundred percent sure yet, but we’re thinking of heading further North and West towards Butte, MT or Missoula, MT. The issue with that is Spring is just starting up there. Temps are 50’s and 30’s with much of the backcountry trails still covered in snow. Kids spend most of the day at the pool, opening day of pool season at Bear Canyon!

I called Enterprise and rented a car for the week in Bozeman. It’s just easier to get around with a vehicle versus unhooking the RV every time you want to do something that requires a drive. So many RV’ers pull a car behind them, now I understand why. So with a car in hand we awaited for the “special guest appearance”. Right on cue, about 5pm MST, Harold rolled into the Bear Canyon Campground! We celebrated our reunitement with a beer and hugs. I think it’s been 25 years now since I’ve known him. He bought the “legendary” 512 Hillcrest house in East Lansing, MI that we all lived in at Michigan State. I’ve camped with him, golfed with him, fished with him, snowmobiled Wyoming with him, planned his son’s bachelor party with him...I consider him a great friend and am glad he and Sandy are joining us for this leg of the adventure! Side note; Harold has been full timing it in an RV for 17 years now, me 11 days. It’s good to have a pro with us.

We headed into town for dinner. Put our name on a ninety minute wait list and strolled Main Street. I read an article on a place called Bozeman Spirits Distillery. They have a bar/store front on Main St. I was anxious to try their 1889 Whiskey Old Fashioned that was written about. I can confirm, it’s a very good old fashioned! We grabbed a table in the back and very friendly guy with a big belt buckle said welcome, you’re going to be a part of my Facebook live broadcast that starts in a few minutes. When I read his buckle it said “NFR 2004”. Some of you don’t know my past but I had a huge interest in everything country through the mid-90’s and early 2000’s. You name it; rodeo events, tractor pulls, boots, wrangler jeans, Clint Black concerts, CB’s in trucks! I asked the man if he was in fact in the National Finals Rodeo in 2004? He said “not only in 2004, but for 8 years in a row”. There’s an old country saying that goes like this “it ain’t bragging, if you’ve done it!” Pretty darn cool to have met Flint Rasmussen! According to the internet when googling Flint, “....perhaps the most famous ‘rodeo clown’ in the sport of professional bull riding.” Another cool event at Bozeman Spirits Distillery...like many breweries and disterillies during the pandemic, the good folks at BSD supported the U.S. by making hand sanitizer with their distilling equipment. After quick inspection, turns out the bottle that BSD used for the hand sanitizer was a bottle from my friends company. So he and the owner of BSD, Jim Harris, started talking production and bottle sales. After a bunch of laughs and a shared drink with Flint and Jim’s crew, we received a text that our table was ready.

We broke bread at Cafe Fresco last night. Super nice spot in Bozeman with outdoor seating on a stream. Food and wine were amazing with all three families. Kids at one table and the adults at another. We shared old stories of a crazier time in our lives, reconnected and set a path forward for whatever this trip brings our way.

“It’s a good day for a good day.” -Anonymous in Bozeman, MT.

[mshumlas]

Day 10 - June 1

We spent the night in Billings, MT as a stop over from our remote camp in the Bighorns to our next destination of Bozeman, MT. Home of another MSU, Montana State University. I need a sweatshirt so this might be the place to pick one up. I only packed the thin Jackson Hole sweatshirt that you see in EVERY PHOTO! That’s a miss on my part for sure. There was so many things we had to do in order to prep for this trip, the sweatshirts slipped my mind.

Today was a nice, quiet day back in civilization. We stayed at the KOA in Billings, America’s first KOA in 1962. KOA’s are nice in that that they all the facilities you need; showers, laundry, close to town. The kids swam at the pool while Shanna and I completed some chores. Our plan was to spend the day getting ready to head back into the mountains for most of this week.

The RV has been without heat for the past few days, I can’t figure out this furnace. The blower motor runs but then quits before igniting. It’s not getting a spark to light the propane. The other issue is the auxiliary batteries which power the cabin. They are draining even when hooked up to “shore power”. Fancy RV talk for you being plugged in to a massive 30 amp outlet powering all your appliances and outlets. Shanna found a place online with good reviews called Kurt’s RV Repair in Billings, MT. It was about 10 minutes from where we were. I called Kurt when he opened at 8am and told him the issues. The furnace he told me not to worry about “you have two options, snuggle more or drink more.” Can’t wait to meet this guy! Fast forward, kids are swimming, Shanna is doing five peoples laundry (thank you babe) and I head off to Kurt’s. He finds two wires that are faulty, fixes them and we are back in business with full power off of the auxiliary batteries and a working furnace. That’s going to be important later this week as the night temps are going to be 30’s in the mountains.

We pack everything up after I make a run to Costco to restock our fridge and cabinets. Pushing off from Billings at 4pm we make Bozeman, MT at 630pm. Easy drive and the scenery is incredible. We pass the Beartooth Mountains to our South and then enter the Helena-Lewis and Clark Mountains as we shoulder the Yellowstone River. If I could do that drive every day I would. I think we had a Pearl Jam playlist going which made it even better. After arriving and setting up at Bear Canyon Campgrounds we jutted over to downtown Bozeman. What a town! Super cool, super hip, outdoorsy, trendy (yes, they have a Lulu store on Main St.) and super friendly. I had a flight of beer with my buddy and the girls had a few pomegranate martinis while we waited for our to go dinners.

Looking forward to our time in Bozeman, MT and a special guest appearance soon.

[mshumlas]

Day 9 - May 31

More Cloud Peak Wilderness Area photos, snow at 9,000’ on the trail and Montana!