While we were in Oceanside, the girls and Coco stayed with their best friend and family. Tom and I split our time between a friend’s house and a friend’s neighbor’s second home. It was a weird relaxing freedom to not have children for a week. After a busy week with no children, we headed back to Montana to pick up our home on Thursday, August 19th. Because we wanted to just get home, we took the fastest route and didn’t stop for any sightseeing. We arrived in the Flathead area around lunch and enjoyed a delicious BBQ lunch at Cowboy Up in Somers, MT, on the North end of Flathead Lake. The place was adorable. A Tuff Shed turned into a restaurant with 5 tables and all cooking done in a trailer out front. The wife serves, and the husband cooks. We all loved the vibe of our lunch spot.
Shortly after we finished lunch, the mechanic called to let us know our home was ready. We picked her up and went back to Swan Lake Campground for a few nights. Since we had a couple more days in the area, we decided to check out a few of the sites we hadn’t checked off the list and stop again at a couple we enjoyed the first time around. Early one morning, we set out for Goat Lick and Upper Two Medicine Lake. We didn’t see any mountain goats; I think it’s the wrong time of year. We did see beautiful scenery. We stopped at Memorial Square at Marias Pass and read about the different people who have traveled the pass and what they called it. After one last stop at Big Mountain Ciderworks, it was time to move on. We had reservations in Denver to keep.
We stopped by Old Montana Prison & Auto Museum on our way to Denver. We’d seen it on our way to Montana the first time. Then, while in Oceanside, I spoke with a man who highly recommended we stop by and check it out. So we made it a stop on our way. We parked our 38′ beast with tow car attached in a dirt lot a block-ish away from the museum. We entered the gift shop and paid our entrance fees. The prison entrance led us to a courtyard and the sun beating down on us. This prison is the Montana Territorial Prison and was first used in 1871 to house prisoners. They put the prisoners to work building the prison as more buildings were required. Seeing the old, crumbling buildings was fascinating. The heavy feeling in some of the buildings became too much for me. The Auto Museum entrance is located across the gift shop from the Prison Museum entrance. The cars are immaculate, there are a gazillion of them, and they range from the earliest of cars to 1970’s muscle cars.
We found a delicious family-owned and run BBQ spot in Craig, CO, called The Seasoned Brisket on our way to Denver. The food was some of the best BBQ we’ve had, the service was very polite (we were served by the children), and it was a super cute place. We will definitely stop by next time we are through Craig. We made it in time for our reservations at Cherry Creek State Park on Wednesday, August 25th. On Friday, August 27th, my best friend since high school came out, and we celebrated her birthday for the first time in who knows how many years. She said we were the only ones to sing to her on her birthday. We checked out and headed for Boyd Lake State Park the following day.
Living at Boyd Lake State Park gave us Rocky Mountain National Park access. As usual, when visiting a National Park, we were up early and driving up Old Trail Ridge Road when the sun rose. Old Trail Ridge Road is a one-lane, one-way dirt road up the mountain that takes you to the visitor center at the top. Rutting season was just beginning, and we were treated to the bugling of the males. We were followed by one big guy who came up on the road from the side of the mountain. We watched a large female moose chase off what we believe was her young female calf. Old enough to be weaned and on her own, it seemed the more senior was telling her. We watched a bald eagle fish in a pond with an osprey. We drove alongside moose who were walking along the mountainside. We watched male elk sparring. These large animals sound like kittens mewling while sparring. We saw marmots and pikas, even a coyote, and some of the most breathtaking scenery. It was hard leaving all the wildlife, but there is always more to see.
Stevens Creek Campground in Curecanti National Recreation Area is a beautiful place to camp. I feel like I am always saying this place or that place is the most beautiful. And that’s because each place is. Almost everywhere we go carries its own unique beauty. We went from the mountains of Colorado, 12,183 feet at the top of Trail Ridge Road, to a dry, high-desert lake at 7,540 feet. Since we were close, we decided to hike Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park – North Rim at sunset. First, a drive to see Crested Butte. When we returned home from Crested Butte, our awning was tied down to the picnic table. As we started untying it, our only neighbor came walking over. He explained how the wind broke our awning, causing it to beat the crap out of our AC unit and roof. The AC unit was damaged, but it didn’t work and was scheduled to be replaced anyway. The roof was dented but not punctured. The neighbor helped us remove the awning and slide all 21 feet inside our RV through the slide window. We thanked him profusely. The whole thing could have been much worse without his help. By the time we finished taking care of the awning problem, it was time to leave for our sunset hike on the North Vista Trail. Pictures don’t do the views any justice.
Saturday, September 4th, we booked the Ouray (pronounced yur-ay) KOA to drive the Million Dollar Highway without having to worry about where we were going to sleep. There are multiple stories of how the Million Dollar Highway got its name. One of them was that when they were discussing building the road, someone exclaimed it would cost a million dollars to build. It’s also been said that the views were worth a million dollars, and that is how it got its name. Either way, the views are amazing, and I cannot imagine the cost of building a road on the side of a mountain that requires avalanche tunnels. We weren’t sure where we were headed next, but the North Rim of the Grand Canyon was on the list. I texted my friend who lived in Page, AZ, figuring we could see him and the North Rim. We booked the Monument Valley KOA to visit Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park when I didn’t receive a response.
We left Ouray semi-early to have time to explore a little after we got to Monument Valley. It was only a 4-ish hour drive. While driving through Mexican Hat, Utah, not far from where we were staying, I received a text back that my friend wasn’t home that weekend. They were staying in Mexican Hat, Utah, for the night. SAY WHAT?!?!? When we arrived at the KOA, we decided to chill for the rest of the afternoon because I was feeling a little beat up. We set up and were relaxing when I decided it wasn’t that hard to ride in the car, which is mostly what I’d be doing. So we set off for some sightseeing. We had Mexican Hat rock formation and Valley of the Gods on the list. We got the picture proving we’d been to the Mexican Hat rock formation and were turning out to get a picture from a turnout with a colorful view we’d noticed on the way. Right after turning off the rock formation road, my phone rang, and it was my friend from Page, AZ. He wanted to know if we’d just left the Mexican hat rock formation and told me to turn around and meet him there. Of course, we did. We spent a few minutes chatting at the rock formation base before going our separate ways with plans to meet up later in the evening.
We continued to Valley of the Gods and a 17-mile drive through gorgeous rock formations. I’d read that it was a loop, but we didn’t come out near the same place we went in, so I’m going to say that isn’t a loop. After completing the drive, we met my friend, his boyfriend, and his cousin at the San Juan Inn, where they were staying the night. Tom and the girls grabbed a 6-pack of beer and sodas before settling into the outdoor seating. We spent the evening laughing and talking, reminiscing, and catching up. At one point, we heard and spied a wild-ish donkey. The story is he was rescued by the owner’s son and lives free to roam on the land. We saw other wild donkeys in the area, so who knows.
Monday, September 6th, we woke up and set out to explore. We tried visiting Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. When we got to the gate, we were told it was only open to the sheriff and their horses. We were free to explore the gift shop, but we wouldn’t be allowed to go any further. Dang, it! We turned around and went to Gooseneck State Park, where the river snakes through the land leaving interesting land formations. Like Big Bend, only multiple bends. Next, we drove up the Moki Dugway and over to Natural Bridges National Monument. The Moki Dugway is one-lane switchbacks up the side of a mountain. Any time a car is coming from the opposite direction, someone has to wait in the wider turn section of the road because it isn’t wide enough for 2 vehicles side-by-side.
Natural Bridges National Monument surprised me with how interesting and cool it is. The natural bridges were created by streams cutting into the sandstone. We’re always amazed at what the Earth does on its own. With the dog in tow, we were limited in our hiking. Mostly we stuck to the short trails on the scenic drive pull-offs. Tom stayed in the car with the dog while the girls and I hiked Horsecollar Ruins Trail. We love cliff dwellings, and we take it any time we get a chance to see them. Then it was a crazy drive down the Moki Dugway.
With the second Thursday and Friday of the month looming, it was time to get back to Oceanside. Leaving the Monument Valley KOA was hard because the moment we arrived, a stray dog won over Liv’s heart. Liv named her Maddie and made sure she had food and water. Both Tom and M had seen Maddie early Tuesday morning, but she was gone when Liv went to say goodbye. We were unaware of how many people will leave their dogs at KOAs, but the employee said this was definitely not the first stray. We imagine someone took her home with them. There were so many families taking care of her and talking about keeping her; I just wouldn’t allow another dog to move in. We made one more stop at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. We found a roadside spot to park and unhook to take the car and drive the scenic drive through the North Rim. We had the dog and no time to hike, but we could take in the views from a different perspective than we’ve seen on the South Rim.
While driving through a Flying J parking lot in Mesquite, NV, some guy backed into us. I saw his reverse lights; I made a sound because it happened too fast for words, and he was backed into us. Tom stopped, we hopped out, and he had pulled his van forward, getting out apologizing. Admitting he looked, messed with the stereo, and didn’t look again before backing out. We had about 12 inches of damage to our storage doors from the hinges on his van, and he had a broken taillight lens. He gave us his insurance and took off in a bit of a hurry. With no more excitement, we made it to Oceanside, and this time we were scheduled for a 2-month stay.