We Had a Visitor

Henry's Fork

Island Park, Idaho

I had Beans with me and was unable to move in closer for better photos.

Although she could not see it she sensed something and hunkered down in the grass unwilling to move even after the moose had moved on downstream out of sight of me.

Beans Dancing

Henry's Fork

Island Park, Idaho

Wildflowers in Our Yard

Henry's Fork

Island Park, Idaho

Watching Fish

Henry's Fork

Island Park, Idaho

When not hunting mice there is always fish watching.

Hunting Mice

Henry's Fork

 Island Park, Idaho

No mice were injured or died in the making of this post.

The mouse hunting is good here for Beans.

The stand-off

The thing is she will drop them and as long as they don't move she ignores them.

This one made it back to the grass and she lost it in there, probably since it sat still which is the case most of the time.  Sometimes I help them escape too.

Henry's Lake

Island Park, Idaho

Before when we were here I never made it over to view the lake.  Now that I have Gracie the Honda Trail 90 I can venture further and see more.

This is from the south shore. On the other side is some residential area, 

vacation homes and a State Park with camping.

Henry's Lake is eight square miles (21km) of surface area with and average depth of only two to nine feet.  Imagine that.  The altitude is 6,472 feet (1973m)

Supposedly there is good trout fishing to be had here.

Return to Camp Perfect

Henry's Lake

Island Park, Idaho

We returned to a camp Beans and I stayed at two years ago this month.

The name is one I attached to it for it is just that.

The water is just right, not too cold.  But it is a bit lower than before. 

We were here earlier in the month last time where the water was higher but cold.  

Long time followers may recall this scene where 

I got pictures of a moose wading down the stream at sunset.

Also I had some pictures of three women fly fishing here.

What will we see this time?

Dialing for Dollars

Bozeman, Montana

We made a stop at Walmart in Bozeman to resupply.  Leaving the store I see this machine.  

I would never of imagined you could drop off your phone for money in a machine someday.

Meanwhile I see this in the parking lot.  I first ran into them in a Walmart parking lot back in September 2017 somewhere in Wyoming.  We visited for a while and I said good-bye. 

 "See you in a Walmart down the road a couple of years from now."

They've been on the road traveling the world since 2009

Oh, and I asked where they are off to next.  He said "The wife wants to go to the Montana Fair."

Glad its him and not me.

Goodbye Itch-Kep-Pe

Columbus, Montana

We're on the move today.  

Of all the city operated parks and campgrounds I have stayed at around the country Itch-Kep-Pe made the top five on my list.  We stayed the ten days allowed here and now its on to new places.

Besides, I got tired of the tree spirit staring at me.

Beans will surely miss her jungle safaris. 

The Green Rock

Columbus, Montana

Sitting by the river one day I saw this green rock.  I've never seen a green rock before.  

Its not algae or stained by moss or anything, just plain green stone. 

Maybe someone might know what kind of rock this is.

I'm keeping this one.

An RV For You?

Columbus, Montana

I came upon this on my way to the trash dumpster one morning.

You probably cannot see all the bugs plastered on front.

  He had driven all through the night from Nebraska arriving here at 5:30 in the morning.

I liked how he made the carrier for his bicycle.

Oh yeah, he made the entire vehicle.

This is the second one he has made and currently building a third one.

Yep, three wheels plus a spare.

Look closely, besides the brake pedal you can see two gas pedals. When one leg gets tired he can switch over to the other leg.  Yes, he straddles the hump in the middle.  If it is raining he has wet weather motorcycle riding gear.

Beans Gets One

Columbus, Montana

She will all of a sudden leap four or five feet into this tall thick grass for a mouse.  I don't know how she can possibly hear it in there.  I've seen her take as many as three leaps in.  That's fifteen feet!

Thinking about how she dropped the mouse and let it get away.

Afternoon Thunderstorms

Columbus, Montana

We get them everyday and they entertain me. I will sit along the river and watch the lightning. 

 I got to wondering It would be neat to have an app that showed where lightning strikes hit.

I looked.

There is!  

This app is so cool.  

Boating on the Yellowstone

Columbus, Montana

I sit along the shore and watch the rafters go by.  Rafting companies put in upstream and pull out at the boat ramp a hundred yards downstream from our camp.

Kayakers do likewise.  One kayaker came by late in the day and asked me where the boat ramp was.  He had put in at Livingston in the morning, 87 miles away!  He was ready to call it done!

I don't think I'd be comfortable sitting like that in a kayak.

My back would be hurting.

Occasionally a dory style boat will pass.

But I did not ever expect to see this.

I asked her how far she had come and she said they just went in at the upper end of the campground.

I've since seen people just float by wearing only a life jacket.  They get in upstream and ride the current down to the boat ramp, walk back up and do it again.

Now that I would like to do more so than in a boat.

At least on a board like this pooch.

Itch-Kep-Pe Park

Columbus, Montana

We crossed into Montana and resupplied at Walmart in Laurel, Montana west of Billings.

I've stayed at a lot of Walmarts and this one makes the top five in being the nosiest. 

I-90 was right outside our door.

I was planning on continuing north from there but just couldn't find any places to stay.  So I looked west.  Less than an hours drive away was Itch-Kep-Pe a camp park run by the city of Columbus.  This park sat on a mile long stretch along the Yellowstone River and was free, donations gladly accepted.  We can stay for ten days and that is the plan.

Homesteader Park

Powell, Wyoming

A lot of small towns across America have places in their city parks for travelers to spend the night.  This is a good idea for they may spend a few dollars in the town while there.  Most of the time they are free but gladly accept donations. Texas is littered with these small town over night park stays.

I am surprised more small towns don't do this. 

Homesteader Park was probably the nicest one I have ever stayed at and with that the most confusing.  The brown sign in the distance states No Overnight Parking.  When I pulled in that is what greeted me.  The next day when I took these pictures it wasn't until I was preparing this post that I saw what the nearer sign read.  At any rate, I didn't see it for I was far forward beyond that when I arrived.  It's okay.  I would have only been even more confused.

So I made a loop around the round building and saw these signs.  I ended back to where I started, sat there and called city hall.  She said I could stay.  "Just go on around to the back."  Where is the back of a round building?  Remember these signs were back there.

So I parked where all the car slots were for the rest area building.  Behind the RV is more No Parking signs.  I asked an old guy walking his dog about staying here and the signs I saw.  He said he sees semis parked there all the time.  He went and looked at the signs and became as confused as I.  So much so, he went home, couldn't stop thinking about it and called city hall himself.  He then drove all the way back and found me telling me how perplexed he was about it and that he called.  What he was told was that the signs meant they didn't want people parking right there at the sign blocking the thoroughfare.  Goofiest signage I have ever seen.

 I went the extra twenty miles past Cody to come here for the water fill-up.  At the dump station which is an added treat for city parks there was no water fill-up.  All dump stations have fresh water fill-ups.  The only water here was the hose to rinse out your poop tube.  I'm not using that!

I walked all around the park. They had a huge aquatic swim center, a fishing pond, water drinking fountains, lawn sprinklers but not one water faucet anywhere.  The strangest thing.

I walked part way around the fishing pond and finally saw one fish swimming around.