July 29, 2021 - Campfire Lodge Resort

Our travel time today was just under two hours with no stops. We are still in Montana. Drove through Big Sky and even clipped the corner of Yellowstone National Park getting here. We wove in and out of Wyoming too. Gorgeous scenery! 

Campfire Lodge Resort is in West Yellowstone, Montana. It’s still located 25 miles northwest of the town of West Yellowstone. And probably 35 miles from the West gate entrance into Yellowstone. This is a cute campground! There are super adorable cabins here. Some right on the Madison River. Even though we have full hook-ups, bathhouse and laundry room here there is no cellular service. If we step outside we can get one bar. The lady in the camp office said … no internet, no cell service. Guess I better not tell them I get one bar on my site or half the campground will be over. Hah! 

Anyway I have found it’s just enough to text. Most pics take five plus minutes to send so I will hold off sending anything unless we drive back over the pass closer to Hebgen Lake. There seemed to be better service there on our way in. 

Speaking of Hebgen Lake we started getting word in Bozeman about a harmful algae bloom up here. At our check-in there was information posted about it. This means no swimming for Jett here. We can’t even let her wade in the lake or river. She could either drink it or lick the water/algae off her paws and get extremely sick from the high risk of toxin exposure. 

Tim and I spent the evening taking care of Jett. No matter what we did … walk, snack, water … she continued her whining. By the time we got in bed we figured it out … she had been so use to swimming every day, the habit was formed and she wanted a place to go swimming! 

July 28, 2021 - Part II

As it turns out today is our last day here at Langohr Campground. Tim and I absolutely loved it here. There is so much more to explore here. This only means a return trip. 

Clouds moved in late in the evening after our return to basecamp and Jett’s last swim giving me another great photo op. Tomorrow, Thursday, brings another traveling day. Our journey won’t be too far. Maybe a two hour drive. We are excited about the drive and to explore another gorgeous location here in Montana! 

July 28, 2021 - Iron Maiden Welding

Working with fire! Today I had the most amazing and fun day. Just a little something different to do on vaca. I took my sister to Iron Maiden Welding where we got to make a few fun little projects. 

Brenda, the owner, I have followed for a few years on social media. Last year while in the area I met her at her shop. Today we got to spend time with her in her super new cool shop. 

My sister, JoAnn, who has never welded had the opportunity to both plasma cut and weld. Neither of us knew what we going to make. Neither of us knew that we had to make the decision. Brenda is a fun hands on teacher who also makes you think outside the box. Both my sister and I came out with a great experience and memories that we won’t forget. 

Now I can wait to get back home to dust off both my welder and plasma cutter. I’ll get to see Brenda again next month. It will be another fun event!! 

July 27, 2021 - Lick Creek Loop Trail

Beautiful! Another gorgeous location here in Montana. 

Today my sister, JoAnn, came out to basecamp here at Langohr Campground to hike and hangout. 

This is a trail she has wanted to do for awhile. The trailhead for Lick Creek is just a few more miles deeper into the canyon from our basecamp. Tim and I decided to take Jett along for the hike. 

There are several trails near this parking lot so we did a few short sections of each. Both beautiful with easy to moderate terrain. She now knows how accessible it will be to bring her horses here. 

Back at basecamp we drank a few cold beverages before she needed to head back home. Tim and I then did our usual evening down on the creek’s edge taking Jett for her last swim of the day. 

Tomorrow, Wednesday, will be a fun and interesting day. We will be going back into town to meet-up with one amazing Montana business woman in Belgrade! Then possibly do some shopping in Bozeman and of course eating somewhere. Plans will then be to get back to basecamp with enough time to take Jett for her last swim here at Langohr. 

July 26, 2021 - Forty-Five

Yeah! Forty-five!! 45 degrees is what we woke up to with all the windows open at about 3AM. That’s when I had to let Jett out to go potty. It was still 45* inside the Airstream just after daybreak. Not sure how cold it really got outside. The cold brew coffee was still tasty in the cold temperatures!

I had gone to bed with my robber cap on being the rear window and drape was open when we got in bed. The morning warmed up quickly as the sun came over the mountain peaks. The high was probably in the mid 80’s. 

Spent the day chill’n! ‘Hanging’ out at basecamp. My hammock stand comes in handy when you don’t have available trees where you need them. Later on in this journey I will be spending a week sleeping in it.

Jett had at least four, if not five, swims today. 

Took a short hike on Creekside Trail that leads to all of the fish landings on the north end of the campground. 

Once back to our basecamp we carried our chairs back to the creek behind the Airstream to drink a cold one and again let Jett have her last swim of the day in. 

We ended the day by grilling our T-bone steaks that we bought from the Ranch in Wyoming along with some fresh asparagus. It was so delicious! 

Jett was so tired again at the end of the day that she could not keep her eyes open.  

July 25, 2021 - Langohr Campground

Uhhhh … wow … OMG! I’ve wanted to camp here for quite awhile. I’ve passed it at least a half dozen times on previous visits to Montana for either hiking or horse back riding. When I made this reservation I had been so disappointed. Disappointed because I was not able to get the campsite that I wanted after researching. Disappointed because this was basically the last site left for the most amount of consecutive days that our rig would fit in. Then when we pulled in a host questioned if we would fit in this site. 

Langohr Campground is located south of Bozeman, Montana in the Custer Gallatin National Forest. It takes about thirty minutes to get here from town and is completely off grid. No power hook-up. No water hook-up. And definitely no cellular service which is why you are getting this so late. As soon as we get back into town I will upload the days missed! 

So back to this campsite. First off we did fit on its drive with room to spare. Then the grassy tent area is huge! My sister JoAnn, who came to visit for a few hours after our arrival,  helped Tim and I put up our fly shade. We will need it for the afternoons once the sun gets to the west side of the Airstream. At that point we loose all shade from our main awning. Once all this was set-up basecamp was looking really good!

However I have not told you about the most exciting, most beautiful surprise about this site. Hyalite Creek! I knew our site was on the water but when we arrived you can’t see the creek. But wait … there is a path! A nice narrow lush overgrown path that leads you to …

It’s so beautiful! We have a private flat rocky beach. There is a small log dam and Jett even has an area to swim in! She enjoyed several swims today!! We might even get to fish! Tim and I sat on the beach to enjoy an adult beverage before dark. Jett got her last swim of the day in. Tim brought the binoculars down to watch a big buck and doe in an upper distant meadow. And Hyalite Reservoir is about four and a half miles deeper into the canyon. 

Our dinner consisted of chips and salsa and birthday cake my sister brought me. Than you!!! The evening could not have been any more perfect! 

She was so tired from swimming! 

July 24, 2021 - Bridger Brewing

It’s just not a good visit in Bozeman, MT unless you make a stop at Bridger Brewing.  

After Tim finished the toilet repair and then installed the additional temporary exterior dump valve the plumbing on the Airstream is now good to go! We then met my sister at the brewery. Had a few cold brews and some delicious pizza! 

Bridger Brewing has the most unique variety of award-winning hand-made pizzas around. Tim and I wound up getting The Perfect Combo Pizza. It’s got garlic and toasted pecan pesto, mozzarella, caramelized pear, goat cheese, pecan crumbles, bacon and a balsamic reduction drizzle on fresh pizza dough. We also split a yummy Caesar salad with my sister. 

The beer, best in town, is just as unique. The three of us tried different ones. They rotate out the different beers depending on the season and consumption. Bridger Brewing does growler fills that seems to be a hit with the students across the street at MSU. There is also a grocery in the same building that has a balcony near the brewery. They have a nice selection of beer too! 

Tomorrow, Sunday, is a travel day. The drive is a short one. I’m hoping the higher elevation will bring slightly cooler days. Although for a Floridian it’s not Florida hot! Might be off grid for the next 4-5 days. It all depends on what our cell reception is. Either way my daily posts will still get uploaded when we get back on grid. 

Happy Sunday!!! 

July 23, 2021 - Foxglove Flower Farm

Part of today’s adventure was stopping by Foxglove Flower Farm. I have purchased from them from afar in Florida and my sister bought my bouquet from them the other day. First we stopped by my sisters work with Jett and followed her out to the farm on her lunch break. 

Foxglove is a small business run by Dylan and his fiancé Alyssa. Dylan, who knew me through Instagram, was kind enough to take time out of his day to give us a tour around the farm. The flowers are gorgeous and their passion for what they do is evident. 

Tim and I love supporting and learning about these small businesses both at home and in our travels. It takes everyone together as a community to keep them going. The more people who discover them the more they can continue to grow. 

My sister went back to work and Tim and I finished up the tour then went shopping. Jett met Manny Quinn! We needed a few more items plus the ordered parts that I had shipped to my sister’s to fix the Airstream. Problem? We have two! One the interior spring valve broke on the toilet. Second … we think when problem one took place a piece of that interior valve fell into the holding tank. Then when he went to empty the tank that piece got lodged in the exterior dump valve preventing it from closing. Ugh. 

 

Of course on our return to the Airstream with repair  parts two guys from the motor home next door are hanging out on their picnic table that is right next to our exterior dump valve. They sat their ALL afternoon until we had to leave for dinner. Hopefully tomorrow an early try at the repair will get us in good shape. Uggggh!

Dinner at my sisters was fun! Jett came along and did fairly well. She got fussy a few times but we worked through it. We brought the fixings for Moonarittas! They grilled elk burgers for us and those were delicious! We got to meet her newest horse Chelsea. While eating we watched a deer come across the fields behind their house with her three fawns. And on our way home the full moon … WOW!!!