Garnet Ghost Town, Montana

We took our visitors to the Garnet Ghost Town just north of Missoula. It makes a great day trip from Missoula, especially if you take the small road south of the town south back to I-90. Very scenic drive.

Watching The Bears From Many Glacier Lodge Patio

One of our favorite places in Glacier National Park is the Many Glacier Lodge. we have visited many times and have never failed to see bears from the patio overlooking the lake. On this day, there was a good sized Grizzly who did not want to leave the lake shore and the nearby trails. The rangers had to move him away with some loud noises and intimidation.

National Bison Range North of Missoula

Carmel's brother Juan and his son Nick are visiting us in Missoula. While here, we visited the National Bison Range and got to see the Bison up close, as well as some other range inhabitants. We then had a picnic at the range picnic area.

Missoula Day Trip - Ovando, Montana

Yesterday, we took a trip to Ovando, about an hour north of Missoula. I love this little hamlet. It has just a few businesses and only about 80 full time residents. Maybe 250 counting the surrounding ranchers. The drive there is great .

We had lunch at the Stray Bullet Cafe. GREAT sandwiches and equally great homemade pie ! The sandwiches are very original and huge.

For a great day out of Missoula, we recommend this drive. You can drive a little farther and visit Lincoln also. On the way back, we took the Ovando-Helmville Road to 271, then to I-90. It's a great drive back, with beautiful rolling, lush farmland.

Koolatron Cooler Review

I have noticed of late that Koolatron coolers are being advertised on my blog. As you may know, we bloggers really have little to say about what ads are placed on the blog.  In this case however, just wanted to state that long before the ads on my blog, I wanted a Koolatron to take in the Jeep as we roam around during our stays at various locations. So, last week, I purchased one at a local large truck stop for $129.  The ad on my blog sells them for less than $110, including shipping ! I just did not want to wait.

Anyway, just wanted to pass along that the one I purchased, the Model P-20 does work. On the first trip in the Jeep with it, I made a mistake and hooked it up to heat instead of cooling ! Well, it worked great to the surprise of my wife when she started to prepare our sandwiches !  I corrected my mistake and it started cooling.

I set it up in the coach and plugged it in with a thermometer in it. It actually cooled and stayed in the 40 degree range, just like my Norcold fridge. Ideally, I should plug it in to the 12 volt in the coach and let it cool to the 40 degree range and then load it from the Norcold for roaming around in the Jeep. I'm advised it will not run the coach batteries down as it cools.

One recommendation: If you get one, and use it as we do, I would unplug it when the vehicle you're traveling in is not running !

So, bottom line, it works; it's made in Canada instead of China, and it's a "cool" device !

Missoula Day Trip

Yesterday, we took a drive north and west of Missoula and found some interesting sights and small communities. Montana is just GREAT !

Magnificent Idaho

From Monument Valley we worked our way north through Utah to Stanley, Idaho. We picked up Highway 75 in southern Idaho to Stanley. If we can't get to Alaska, we'll settle for Stanley. This very small town sits at the base of the Sawtooth Range and the Salmon River flows right through town. The lush green landscape with the yellow and white flowers reminds us of the alpine lake areas in the Swiss Alps.

We parked our Dutch Star at the Elk Mountain RV Resort. Elk Mountain Resort is just outside of Stanley on Highway 21. They have a great cafe, friendly staff and it's well situated for touring the area.

We took the Jeep Liberty well up into the mountains on some of the many National Forest roads. We went up where four wheel was used and until the road ended near the summits. The views were magnificent.

If you visit Stanley, be prepared for some mountain driving on two lane roads with very little shoulder. However, there are many turn outs, and traffic on most segments of the road is very light. It's well worth the drive. When you leave Stanley, take 75 north to 93 and follow 93 into Montana. The drive is great with many small historic towns and sites along the way. It's a great route to Glacier National Park.