The Big Punkin Mine

We had breakfast with Frank and then drove to Helena and COSTCO again. I dropped Hardy off at McDonalds so he could work on the computer.  We did some geocaching around the capitol.  Frank is busy with the excavator so we went down and inspected his work.

Montana State Capitol

Frank the Excavator

COSTCO Membership

It was 45 this morning and cloudy but dry and very windy.  We dumped our tanks and filled the water tank.  Hardy checked the fence wheel and found that it needed  stop ring and washer.  We had lunch with Frank at Penny's then were off to Helena for shopping and geocaching with Shila.  Hardy had worked on some bottle cap geocaches yesterday.  We took the Nexus to Helena and found a good internet at Penney's so he got it set up for me.  He also downloaded a camera app for it and some books.  We went geocaching and found a good pipe maze cached.  We also went to COSTCO and bought a membership and did some shopping.

Heat Wave

It was warmer last night at 49 and raining again today.  We had breakfast at home but had lunch with Frank and Bonnie after doing the laundry.  The library is closed until the end of May so we have no internet connection through them but we were able to connect at the Mint and at the WiFi Park on Front Street but they were basically unusable.  We took a ride around the lake and had dinner at McCauley's Pub near Canyon Ferry.  We found a small cache at yacht Basin which was a cute little vial with a rusty bottle cap glued on it.

Hair Cut Day

It was warmer last night at about 47 degrees.  It rained off and on all night with a nice little drizzle which should green things up quite well.  We had breakfast at Penny's with Frank then then went to Helena for a haircut and geocache at the Helena Mall with Shila.  We found three at the mall.  I got a Nexus computer while in Helena and Hardy got his prescription filled after a bunch of horsing around between the doctor and WalMart.  I also checked on some fencing prices for Kelly.

Lillianna

Lillianna Peters

Hardy and Shila went geocaching and we later had dinner at Carino's with Frank and Shila, Gary and Doreen and Michelle and Lillianna.  Lillianna is a very good little girl who looks just like her mother did at that age.  She is a sweetie!

Gary's Camp

We arrived at Gary's Camp on Indian Creek.  The goal was to cut down the elm tree at our house in Townsend which we did.  It was quite a project with Gary and Hardy sawing and Frank running the tractor to hold the tree steady.  Some guy came along and told us we were going to fall the tree on the house so he proceeded to try and shinny up the tree.  He was too fat, too old and couldn't make it.  He came by later after we had the tree down to see our progress.  By that time we had the tree down and the limbs picked up and hauled out to the ranch.

Mountain View RV Park

Hoosegow

We left Kelly and Shonas and headed on toward Townsend.  We stayed at an RV park near Columbus before and really liked it although it is a bit windy there.  We did some more geocaching.  We did Golden Valley, Petroleum and Carver counties while camped in that area.  This little jail was interesting and had a cache inside on an old bed frame.  There was a little robin doing her song and dance while we were there and she had a nest inside the bars on the window to the left.  She was really excited about us being in her space.

Wolf Point Bridge

Yellowstone River Bridge

Yellowstone River Bridge

Kelly and Shonas went with us geocaching and Kelly took us around the area showing us the oil wells and his work place.  We went to an old bridge that crosses the Yellowstone River and then goes through a tunnel.  We looked all over for a geocache but I had given Hardy the wrong coordinates.  The highlight was the huge bull snake that came off the hill and across our path.  We then went to Culbertson and had dinner at a nice local joint and then went over to Gary Turney's to see his place.

Kelly and Shonas

We made it to Kelly and Shonas's house in Sidney, MT.  We drove around Richland County and did a bit of geocaching while waiting for Shonas to get off work.  They have built a nice hiking/biking trail and hooked it into this bridge.

Medicine Rocks, MT

My geocaching hero

Sunset at Medicine Rocks

Carter County, MT Courthouse

We drove 400 miles today to Medicine Rocks State Park near Baker, MT.  This was a very nice park and primitive but quiet.  Basically this was a Forest Service CC with pit toilets and a hand pump for water.  We were alone but it cost $20 per night.  We drove to Ekalaka, the count seat of Carter County.  We are trying to finish up the geocache challenge in Montana buy caching in all 56 counties.  There isn't much in Ekalaka but a few bars and the Wagon Wheel Cafe which had a super good steak, baked potato and salad for $8.  Hamburgers were $1.40.  We found the geocache.  For millions of years the wind has sculpted the soft sandstone into many strange shapes.  There is also quite a bit of non-wind erosion with strange shapes.  Choke cherries provide browse for the local deer.  There is also a rock with a hole in it. 

Snake Creek, SD

We were on the road at 6:40 and drove 550 miles to Snake Creek , South Dakota off SD 44 and Missouri River.  We had stayed at this campground before and found it quite nice but a little more expensive $18 camping fee plus $6 entrance fee for an electric site.  There was a huge party with an ice cream reefer truck that ran all night.  They also have hooded street lights but no outside light at the rest room.  Missouri is still the best bargain but 550 miles is too long.

On the Road Again

We left Rolla about 9:40 and had lunch with Stacie in Columbia at IHOP.   We arrived at Long Branch State Park near Moberly, MO.  The park is really nice and we were in Site 2 with a cost of $19.  We got five new counties geocaching with the last one in the Moberly City Park about dusk.  There were a few mosquitos but still nice.

Getting read for the trip

Earlier in April we had the wheels bearings repacked on the Casita in preparation for our trip back to Montana.  We are going earlier this year as we have benefit in Ronan, MT for my cousin Karen Campbell Linderman.  She needs knee replacement and eye surgery.  Hardy pulled out the Casita to flush the tanks and sanitize the water system.  He ran the pump and filled the hot water tank, flushed the black water tan with two gallons of water and two of treatment.  He stated sanitizing at 2:00 p.m and filled the 16 gallon tank.  He checked the lights and fridge to make sure everything was working.