June 15th, the official beginning of the 2019 SMART Alaska Caravan

June 15, 2019
It's finally here, after planning, making reservations, checking them over and over again, we have finally arrived at the beginning of the caravan!!

We had our Welcome dinner at the Arvon Hotel, downtown Great Falls. Before dinner, the owner of the building gave us a tour, before dinner. The hotel used to be a stables, shipping warehouse and hotel with small rooms. The rehabilitation, after practically gutting the entire building, gives birth to three different areas. The Irish Pub, Celtic Cowboy, was the first to be finished and they did a fantastic job of mixing the old flavor of an Irish Pub with a new modern look. Next was the Darkhorse Hall and Wine Snug. The Darkhorse Hall is where we had our dinner. The food was great, served hot and we had a very enjoyable time.

Lastly was the hotel. Luxury rooms await your pleasure, more like suites than hotel rooms, each room different, no cookie cutter standard hotel rooms here. Everything is spotless!

Our group as we prepare to go into the hotel for our tour

After the tour, some of our group enjoyed a cocktail while we waited for the Darkhorse Hall to be ready for us.

The Darkhorse Hall

Sign for the Celtic Cowboy

Lewis & Clark Festival in Great Falls, MT

June 14, 2019

We took a day off and checked out the Lewis & Clark Festival. This was a re-enactment of the winter in Great Falls. We listened to an interpretation on the methods used by Clark to map where they went. Considering the primitive methods they had available, the maps Clark produced were not far off the mark in accuracy. There were several pelts on display, as well as rifles from the time. One guy was actually skinning a recently killed beaver.

 A re-creation of one of the cabins the Lewis & Clark men may have built to prepare for a winter in Montana

Some of the examples of tools Clark may have used to measure distance to help him make his maps of the expedition.

A sample of weapons

On the road to Great Falls, MT

June 10, 2019

On the road again, the last leg in our journey to meet up with our fellow travelers for the 2019 SMART Alaska Caravan.

We left Billings about 10:00 am, with Jim in the lead. We headed north on Hwy 87, west on Hwy 12, then north on 191, then west on 87 again into Great Falls. This part of MT is rolling grass lands, mixed with craggy rocks and snow capped peaks off in the distance.

Our campground, Dick's RV is more on the west end of town and sits along the banks of the Missouri River.

 The snow capped mountains would have the sun shinning on them for awhile, and then the clouds would hide them for awhile. But, I managed to get a couple of good shots of them.

Front of the rig, decked out with flags and banner for the Caravan

Buffalo, WY to Billings, MT

June 5, 2019

We arrived in Billings in the afternoon, about 3 pm. Had to make a pit stop at the tire store to have two tires on the rig replaced, one had a chunk out of the tread. Then we checked into Billings RV Village. Our caravan Tail Gunners, Jim and Theda were already here, and our spot is right next to them.

We spent the first couple of days with our friends from the 2015 Alaska Caravan, Gary and Jean Schneider. Jean fixed dinner one night and we played 6 hand, 2 teams Hand and Foot. Ladies won that game!! Second night we went out to dinner to a German place that was pretty good. Played cards after dinner, and Ladies won that one as well!!

The next night we met Phil's brother in law, Eric and his wife, Connie, at a Mexican place for dinner. That was really good as well. Then, Eric and Connie made dinner for the four of us the next night at their house. A nice relaxing evening outside in their back yard, and no bugs!!

We had a great time in Billings, but all good things must end, the next day, June 10th, we were due in Great Falls, MT to get things ready for the 2019 Alaska Caravan.

Our site at the Billings RV Village, Jim and Theda's Motor Home is next to us

This is the office, this park is laid out exactly like the park we used to stay at when we visited Phil's sister Norine, when she still lived in Chatsworth, CA.

The park has a collection of things from back in the day...

See the bears peaking out of the top of the wood?

More of times gone by











 Gary & Jean, Nita & Phil, Jim & Theda









Phil & Nita, Theda & Jim, Eric & Connie

From Wall, SD to Buffalo, WY

June 4, 2019

A long day of travel today from Wall, SD to Buffalo, WY.

Along the way we found the Vore Buffalo Jump site. There are several of these sites scattered throughout the plains and up into Canada. Buffalo was the primary source of food and blankets for the plains Indians, but killing enough of them to make it through the harsh winters was a challenge. This was solved by herding the buffalo towards a cliff, where they would fall to their death. The entire village would then begin the task of butchering the buffalo, taking care to save the entire hide. The scull would be smashed in to obtain the brains which were used to soften the tanned hides used for clothing. Some of the bones were used for tools. The meat would be smoked, then everything would be transported back to the villages, leaving the unused bones behind.

The Vore jumps were found during the construction of I-90 when they uncovered thousands of bone fragments.

The entrance sign

This tells the story, if you can make it large enough to read

 We got the abbreviated tour, so we didn't get to see what was in the teepee

Shortly after discovery

This is the cliff the buffalo were run off of. The building is the site the archaeologist are using for their digs. 

The little visitor's center

Obscured by the clouds are beautiful snow topped mountains

Our campsite at Indian Camp Ground in Buffalo, WY, We are in the very back, in what they call the 'satellite sites', the only ones in the campground that aren't covered in trees. 

We see this sign as we leave campgrounds a lot. What's really funny is watching to see how many actually stop to roll the antenna down, or put the steps up. Phil has never left me behind yet...

From the Badlands to the Minuteman Missile National Historic Sites

June 2, 2019

After leaving the Badlands, we headed west on 90 again to the Minuteman Missile NHS. At the Visitor's Center there is a film on the cold war, how it came about and the reaction to Russia's aggressive nuclear program. I remember the 'duck and cover' drills we did at school. Hindsight says that 'duck and cover' would have been entirely ineffective against a nuclear bomb. Those drills only lasted for a couple of my early years in elementary school. In the early to mid 60's I can remember a panic rush to have fall-out shelters built in front yards, we were not a household that participated in this. Personally, after seeing the films made after the nuclear bombing in Japan, I don't think I would like to be one of the few who survived a bomb.

Entrance to the Visitor Center for the Minuteman NHS

The Visitor Center

A little play on advertising

Missille under glass

We drive through the Badlands

June 2, 2019

Today we took a drive through the Badlands, they cover a whole area, just south of  I-90, from just west of Wall, all the way back to Mitchel. The last time we were here was in 2002 and it had been raining and everything was muddy and slimy. Today was perfect for a drive, in the high 70's with a nice breeze.

The Badlands are a work of Mother Nature, with the help of the wind and rain and the hand of time, there are gullies and valleys and twists and turns. Look closely and you will find soft colors in the rock and you may even find a toadstool or two. The Badlands are not void of life, many animals call the National Park home. There are several colonies of prairie dogs, mule deer, pronghorn deer (sometimes known as antelope), bison (often called buffalo), coyotes and bighorn sheep.

About 75 million years ago there was a shallow sea covering this area, stretching from the Gulf of Mexico to Canada and from western Iowa to western Wyoming. This sea was teaming with sea life and there were land animals as well. All of these fossils can be found in the rock of the Badlands.

Pictures do not do justice to the formations of the rocks in the Badlands. The pale color of the rock becomes washed out in a picture, but Phil took hundreds and I have picked those that I thought best for showing here. Nothing can beat seeing it for yourself.

We enter the park

A map showing the size of the Badlands National Park

This rock has color in it, but it doesn't show up well in a picture

The stark bareness of the rock against the rich green of the grass is a stark contrast. The grass, over many years has adapted to the harsh climes of this area. Freezing cold in the winter to blistering hot in the summer, it is a hardy variety that makes it perfect for the grazing animals that call this land home.

Our beast

From rolling almost smooth appearance to crags, you will find it here.

Like fingers reaching out

Funny shapes

To spires

To poky things

To toadstools, sometimes called hoodoo's. This is where water and wind have washed the softer rock from under a harder rock, which ends up balanced on top.

Grassy valleys

Outside of the park is this original sod house, still standing

Perhaps the barn

The historical plaque tells the story