Lima Montana Tour
We woke up to most sunny skies this morning and a cool 42 degrees F. It is now 53 with an afternoon forecast in the lower 60’s.
As promised we will go back to day where we spent the night in the Lima Montana rest area and take a tour of the Lima business district.
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Today’s Mileage: 197
Total Miles to Destination: 1487
We arrived at our destination for the summer at 12:38 Pacific Day Light Time. We had a tour of the RV park were setup by around 2:30 PM. Mik no sooner got his walk, discovering that there are tree squirrels here, when it started to rain. The current outside temperature is 42 degrees F. The rain is steady and looks as if it will continue for a while.
Currently we are planning to stay here three months. I will not be posting everyday but check back from time to time to see our day trips. Also I will be posting more on Lima Montana in a few days, sooner if the rain continues.
Today’s Mileage: 238
Total Miles to Date: 1291
Remaining Miles to Destination: 195
Today’s drive was a little trying due to strong crosswinds and rain. Outside temperature started out 44 degrees F and made it to 58 degrees F.
At lunch, I had to change into a warm long sleeve shirt and long jeans.
We will be spending the night at Bretz RV & Marine dry camping as it is free. We filled propane tank for 99 cents a gallon, the main reason for stopping here, plus purchased a few RV supplies.
Last evening I spent more time documenting the town of Lima. I should get around to editing the video next week so look for it in an upcoming posting.
Today’s Mileage: 255
Total Mileage to Date: 1063
Revised remaining mileage to destination: 422
We left Willard Bay, Utah around 9:10 AM this morning and arrived at Lima, MT around 2:30 PM. We had left the last of the big cities, Salt Lake City, behind and within a half-hour we were finally in the sparsely populated northwest.
We had originally planned to overnight at Clark’s Canyon Reservoir; however we encountered a strong cross wind as we crossed over the Idaho / Montana border. Lima, a town we have stayed at before was just 15 miles up the road, so we decided to check out the new rest area that we observed from the highway last year.
The rest area is in town with ample parking to spend the night dry camping. It is far enough from the interstate so road noise should not be factor. Of course we could end up with an eighteen wheeler beside us running its engine or reefer all night. We do have the rain CD if that happens.
Lima is what I describe as a typical Montana town, several blocks long, a main street and one street running parallel to the main street plus a railroad.
Lima is on the Red Rock River fifteen miles from Monida Pass, which separates Montana from Idaho. The community was originally called Allerdice; then, when a station of the Utah and Northern (Union Pacific) was built there, it was called Spring Hill. The name Lima was chosen by Henry Thompson for his home, Lima, Wisconsin. The first post office was established in 1889 with William Bernstein as postmaster.
Lima is Montana’s first railroad town. Established as a division point on the Utah & Northern Railroad in 1880, the town included a substantial depot, roundhouse, machine shop, and a vibrant business district along the tracks that consisted of hotels, restaurants, stores, and saloons. Two churches ministrant to the community’s spiritual needs. In 1889, the Utah & Northern and the Oregon Short Line railroads merged. The Union Pacific absorbed the railroad in 1935. Lima also enjoyed an important position on US Highway 91 in the twentieth century. Along with the old establishments of the railroad era, new businesses, such as motels and service stations, joined them along the highway.
Downtown Lima
The old and somewhat new
Today we are taking a driving break and are just relaxing in the Willard Bay State Park.
Willard Bay rests atop the Great Salt Lake flood in northern Utah. The lake’s 9,900 acres of fresh water provides boating, water-skiing and year round fishing for crappie, walleye, wiper and catfish.
There are two RV Parks one at the south end of the lake and the other at the north end. The RV parks have full hookups and are shaded by cottonwood and a few other species of mature trees. The only down side is that the parks are located along side of I-15. Traffic noise is on the side 24 hours. Fortunately we had a CD of rain falling that we played during the night to mast the traffic noise.
Our Camp site
Eagle Beach
Willard Reservoir
Marina
Today’s Mileage: 285
Total Mileage to Date: 808
Miles to Destination: 566
Well I guess it is safe to safe that we that we have left summer behind in Tucson as we woke up to 28 degrees F this morning.
We arrived at Willard Bay State Park around 3:10 PM. The current temperature is at 4:30 PM is 69 degrees F. Willard Bay is 15 miles north of Ogden Utah, close to where our son was stationed at Hill Air Force Base, more on Willard Bay State Park tomorrow.
We will spend two nights here. This will provide me with a driving break, allow us to observe the solar eclipse tomorrow and ensure that I have TV reception to watch the latest Jesse Stone movie Sunday night.
Days 1 & 2
Our summer travel this year will be somewhat different from our past travels. This year we plan on staying three months in one place near Coeur D’Alene Idaho. We left yesterday and spent the night in our usual first stop Cameron, AZ located on the Navajo Reservation. Cameron and the trading post have been well covered in our previous travels so I will not bore you with repeat dialog.
We are spending the second night at another usual stop, the junction of US 89 and Utah State Route 20. It is the sight of an old trading post. There is a large parking area and fellow travels often spend the night as the price is right, free.
The current temperature is 41 degrees F, a far cry from the 101 degrees F that we left in Tucson. We most likely will need to run the furnace tonight.
So far we have covered 523 miles of 1500 miles to our destination. Now that we are in the cooler weather, we will slow down the daily mileage.
We have traveled this route many times before on our way to points north so this year’s travel blog will be somewhat abbreviated especially since we will be spending many days in the RV Park just relaxing which translates to burning much less diesel.
Our goal is to arrive at the RV Park no later than May 24th in order to avoid the Memorial Day holiday three day weekend traffic.
Last night’s dinner was at the Cameron Trading Post. Raija had her favorite, Navajo stew with Navajo fried bread. I had Navajo beef with gravy, a large green chili served on Navajo fried bread. The portions were large so we will be having the leftovers for diner tonight.
Crown King Fire taken from Sunset Point Rest Area I-17
Fresh Snow – May 18th
We arrived at US 89 and Utah State Route 20 around 2:30 PM. We completed setting up by 3:00 PM when the sky darken and the wind started to rock the coach and then we were in a driving rain. About an hour and half later the clouds lifted and mountains to the west of our camp site that were bare when we arrived were covered with snow.
At least the rain cleaned the bugs off of the windshield saving me the effort of having to clean it in the morning.
Today’s Mileage: 148
Total Miles: 4088
The final leg of our trip was uneventful and the traffic home was very light even going through Phoenix. We arrived home around 11:30 AM, started up the house, had lunch and then started unpacking the coach.
Trip Summary
Total Miles: 4089
Total Diesel: 510 Gallons
Average Miles per Gallon: 7.5
Total Trip Cost: $3928
Average Cost per Day: $58.62
Average Cost per Month: $1964
Today’s 65 Mileage: 166
Total Miles to Date: 3941
Miles to Home: 148
Yesterday’s traffic from Cameron to New River was fairly light however the traffic in the opposite direction was full of campers and vehicles pulling boats.
Today will be our last relaxing day of doing very little before arriving home tomorrow. Hopefully, we will be in between the holiday traffic and we should have the highway pretty much to ourselves. We should arrive home in time to empty the motorhome and startup the house before day gets too hot as Tucson day temperatures are still over 100 degrees.
Some people thought that we were in an accident when they read that we were having the windshield replaced. The actually reason for replacing the windshield was due to a rock strike several years ago. The rock created a fairly large star burst in the lower right section of the left windshield. I filled it in using my repair kit and all was well until this trip. A crack started to grow a little each day. I tried to stop drill the crack and inject more glass repair resin. That stopped the growth for a couple of days but then the crack continued to grow. So while we were at Camp Charlie’s I had the windshield replaced.
Today’s Mileage: 293
Total Miles to Date: 3775
Miles to Home: 315
We are now back in Arizona. We are spending the night on the Navajo Reservation across from the Cameron Trading Post. As many of you know, this overnight stop is frequently use by us both outbound and inbound from the north.
I am happy to report that all systems are running normal since leaving Charlie’s Service.
Tomorrow we will make our way closer to Phoenix and spend two nights north of Phoenix to wait out the Labor Day traffic.
Tonight we will have dinner at the trading post. Raija will most likely have a favorite green chili stew (with mutton) and I will have the Navajo Taco.
I have written many times before about the Cameron Trading Post in our previous travels therefore I will not bore you again by repeating it.
Today’s Mileage: 204
Miles to Date: 3482
Miles to Home: 609
The windshield was installed yesterday around 5:00 PM, which enabled us to get back on the road today. It took a while to settle the account with Charlie’s Service as there is always a hassle with the insurance company on what they will cover. We were finally able to depart Camp Charlie’s around 1:00 PM.
Today’s drive was both a challenge and tiring as there was a strong, gusting crosswind and several long stretches of interstate construction where the lanes were narrow and switching back and forth.
Normally our overnight stop is at the junction of Utah 20 and US 89. Due to our late start we did not make it that far. The next normal stop is Cameron Arizona. We are in striking distance to make it there tomorrow from our present position. That will but us back on normal stop overs from Camp Charlie’s to home.
We should also be a good position to maneuver around the Labor Day Holiday weekend traffic problem. Tomorrow is Thursday and hopefully we will be ahead of the boaters going to Lake Powell for the long weekend.
Friday, the traffic should be in the opposite direction for people getting a head start on the weekend as the holiday traffic most likely will consist of Phoenix people heading north to the high country and the lakes.
The current plan is to position ourselves between Flagstaff and Phoenix on Friday and then wait until Sunday morning to make the final run to home. The thought is that the outbound holiday traffic will be Friday and Saturday, Sunday will be very little traffic and Monday will be the mad rush home.
Raija’s birthday flower bouquet from our son’s Jimmy family was delivered to our coach at Camp Charlie’s.
Raija now has received three bouquets for her birthday, one of which has been eaten as it was a fruit bouquet from our son Mark and his wife Cindy.
Fruit Bouquet from Mark & Cindy
The third bouquet is from me, the one on the right.
We just received word that the new driver’s side windshield has arrived. It is now 4:22 PM here so it is somewhat questionable if it will be installed today.
Today was not a total lost. Mik was groomed at the local Pets Mart. He feels a lot better now that he received a close hair cut as he was getting hot on his walks. He no longer is seeking a little spot of shade like he did on Antelope Island.
Raija also cleaned half of the coach’s carpet. We are pleased with the results using a dry rug cleaner. I will do the rest of the carpet when we return home and the weather becomes a little cooler.
There is a slight chance that the windshield will show up tomorrow but it will most likely be Wednesday.
I rose early in the morning to go shopping for blueberries, a card and roses. I was back before Raija woke and arranged the card and roses for her to find. Raija’s birthday breakfast was blueberry pancakes top off with an egg and bacon.
After breakfast, we were off to Antelope Island as it is too far to the Grand Canyon to celebrate Raija’s big birthday there.
Looking east from Antelope Island towards Salt Lake City
Raija’s Big “XX” Birthday on Antelope Island
More than 6000 years ago, the area’s native people inhabited Antelope Island. Later local Indian tribes used the island until the arrival of the white men.
Antelope Island, with an area of 42 square miles (109 square km), is the largest island of 10 islands located within the Great Salt Lake. The island lies in the southeastern portion of the lake, near Salt Lake City and Davis County. Antelope Island was discovered by John C. Fremont and Kit Carson in 1845, when they did their exploration of the Great Salt Lake. They shot a Pronghorn Antelope on the island and in gratitude for the meat they named it Antelope Island.
Antelope Island has natural scenic beauty and holds populations of Pronghorn Antelope, Bighorn Sheep, American Bison, porcupine, badger, coyote, bobcat, and millions of waterfowl. The bison were introduced to the island in 1893. The bison do well because much of the island is covered by dry, native grassland.
Mik discovered that there is at least one snake on Antelope Island.
American Bison Relaxing in the Sun
The Garr Ranch is located at Garr Springs, one of the strongest and most consisted of the 40 springs on the island. Both indigenous and wildlife used this water source long before Garr built the ranch.
The Mormon Church operated the ranch until the mid-1870s. During the era, ranching operations encompassed the entire island. The church herds supported the Perpetual Emigration Fund that assisted Mormon members from Europe in making the trek across the Great Plains to Salt Lake City.
As only improvements on the island were around the ranch, the Federal Government opened the rest of the island to homesteading. By the turn of the century most of the homesteaders had failed to prove their claims and John Dooly Sr. purchased the entire island for one million dollars.
The focus of the ranch soon turned to sheep and the operation expanded to more than 10,000 sheep to become one of the largest and most industrialized ranching efforts in the western United States.
In the 1950s sheep ranching became unprofitable and the operation turned to cattle. The island ranch continued to function as one of the largest commercial operations in the state until the island became a state park in 1981.
Old ranch barn used for shearing sheep
View from ranch yard
Ranch Yard
Old Corral
Main Ranch House and Bunk House (Right)
(Left to Right) Main House, Bunk House & Spring House
Mik Cooling Off
This morning we were busy doing coach chores when to Raija’s surprised a florist delivery van showed up at the coach’s door. The delivery was a very beautiful fruit bouquet from our son and his wife, Mark and Cindy.
Raija’s Birthday Bouquet from Mark & Cindy
All of the preventive items (oil change, filters, lubrication, etc.) were completed on Wednesday August 24th.
Yesterday authorization was received from the insurance company to replace the driver’s side windshield. The windshield was ordered with an expected delivery of Tuesday or Wednesday next week. Once installed, the coach will need to sit 24 hours so as to provide time for the sealant to set. Currently the windshield is the item pacing our departure for home. Today the new washer/dryer was installed and is currently undergoing a test run.
That leaves just the dash A/C. During the process of locating the leak, one hose on the compressor slipped out of its coupling. The coupling has been replaced and the system is currently being tested to see if the coupling was the culprit.
Camp Charlie’s is four days travel time to home. The windshield replacement may put us into the Labor Weekend so we may have to find a place to wait out the holiday weekend.
Today’s Mileage: 144
Total Mileage to Date: 3278
Miles to Home: 811
We arrived at Charlie’s Service in Sunset Utah around 11:00 AM. Gil quickly parked our coach and little Gil started the preventative maintenance immediately after lunch. The easy things are just about completed. Tomorrow the washer / dryer will be removed so it can be determined what went wrong and mostly likely the dash air conditioner will be looked at.
Sunset Utah is just north of Salt Lake City and is directly across Interstate 15 from Hill Air Force Base. Hill Air Force Base is where our son served two assignments ago and is where he was promoted to full colonel.
We had hoped to depart Camp Charlie’s Friday morning but most likely we will be spending the weekend here waiting for parts.
It is a shame that our son and his family are not here as they could have helped celebrate Raija’s important birthday, especially since it looks like we will not be able to celebrate it at the Grand Canyon as she had hoped. The Finnish tradition is that this particular birthday is very important and would be a very special celebration in Finland.
Today’s Mileage: 230.6
Total Mileage to Date: 2863.1
Miles to Home: 1228
The low temperatures for the last several nights have been hovering at 31 degrees. After an enjoyable visit with our friends in Marion Montana including attending the Kalispell rodeo, it is time to head south before the snow begins to fall.
We are spending the night at Deer Lodge that is about 20 miles or so west of Butte Montana. We are parked in a large parking lot behind the Sinclair Station. Trucks spend the night on the south side of the lot and RVs spend the night on the north side. That puts just enough separation between the trucks and RVs so one does not notice the truck engines / reefers running all night. One cannot complain about the price, zero dollars.
The population of Deer Lodge is about 3,400. Deer Lodge is best known as the home of the Montana State Prison, a major local employer. Deer Lodge was also once an important railroad town, serving as a division headquarters for the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad ("the Milwaukee Road") before the railroad's local abandonment in 1980. Deer Lodge is also the location of Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site, dedicated to the interpretation of the frontier cattle ranching era. This site was the home of Conrad Kohrs, one of the famous "Cattle Kings" of Montana whose land holdings once stretched over a million acres (4,000 km²) of Montana, Wyoming, and Alberta, Canada. The Grant-Kohrs ranch was built in 1862 by Johnny Grant, a Scottish/French/Metis fur-trader and trapper who encouraged his people to settle in Deer Lodge because of its pleasant climate and large areas of bunch grass prairie, ideal for raising cattle and horses. The city's name derives from a geological formation known as Warm Springs Mound which contained natural saline that made for a natural salt lick for the local deer population.
Today’s Mileage: 200
Miles to Date: 2633
Miles to Home: 1461
Today’s route was along US 2 from Post Falls to Marion Montana where we will be staying five days with our friends on the shore of McGregor Lake.
The drive was very scenic today but unfortunately we did not stop to smell the roses or take any pictures.
I was finally able to upload the video of our passage through the Northern Cascades on Washington’s State Route 20. It can be viewed by going back to Day’s 46 blog.
Updates to our travel blog will be fewer as we will be traveling the same route that we have traveled many times before on our way home from here.
Today’s Mileage: 195
Miles to Date: 2432
Although Washington was interesting, I am sure glad to be out of Washington State. It is the first state that I have been to in a long time where there were so many places without TV signals, poor internet and high fuel prices. Plus Washington charges for everything including river access parking areas and then adds tax on top of it.
We made the mistake to refuel at the Flying J in Spokane Washington. The diesel price was $4.35 per gallon. We then cross the border into Idaho and the Flying J at the Cabela’s exit on Interstate 90 was $4.04 per gallon.
Tonight we are staying at Cabela's in Post Falls, Idaho. At Cabela’s one can camp overnight for free in their parking lot for up to four nights. There are even pet cages and a horse corral for use by campers. Best of all we can receive the major network TV stations so we can catch up on what has been going on in the world.
Today’s Mileage: 168
Miles to Date: 2237
Today we turned east on Washington State Route 20 through the Northern Cascades. We are spending the night in the little town of Carlton Washington. We are again without any TV signal and have to rely on the internet for news.
The North Cascades are a section of the Cascade Range of western North America. They span the border between the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. state of Washington. The US portion of the North Cascades and the adjoining Skagit Range in British Columbia are most notable for their dramatic scenery and challenging mountaineering, both resulting from their steep, rugged topography. Most of the peaks are less than 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) in elevation. The North Cascades are sometimes referred to as America’s Alps.
The day started out with low clouds and periods of light rain. The low clouds persisted through lunch.
Lunch Stop
Skagit River running alongside our lunch stop
By the time we had finished our lunch, it appeared that the sun might come out so I set up the camera for the next leg of today’s journey. The rain held off and Raija was able to take footage of our trek through the Cascades.
About half way through the Cascades, the sky cleared and the outside temperature made it to 80 degrees.
