Montana to Idaho and Back To Henry's Lake State Park

We are beginning to wonder if we have over-stayed our welcome up here in God's Country.  We think maybe the God's are trying to tell us something!  Just look at that snow on the mountain viewed from our RV park in Ennis, MT.  We have had a couple of warmer days that have melted the snow but we might get more this weekend.  Burrrr.

We really enjoyed our short stay in Ennis.  Ennis RV Village was one of my all-time favorites and the town is very special.  Here are some of my favorite pictures from that stop.

Are we lucky or what?  Right there is town we spotted a Distillery open to the public with free samples.  I expected Bourbon but no, it was Moonshine!  When we lived in Mexico there was a company that flavored Tequila with everything.  This was very similar.  They had all different flavors of Moonshine.  We sampled a couple and then decided to have one of the cocktails that they prepare.  (too bad the cute copper mug wasn't included! They sell for $35 so I didn't take it home with me!)  We had fun visiting with other customers and with the serving lady who also guided fishing tours.

Hot Springs right there in the middle of no where!  Can you see the steam?

The Madison River

Ennis has statues of cool fish all around town.

They also have wild animals in town!

After a few days in Ennis we packed up and moved about 60 miles south back to Henry's Lake State Park.  This really is one of our most favorite places ever!  And this time we knew where we wanted to be located and were able to reserve it.

Just look how alone we are?  And I don't mind not having trees because I get the great big view.  The lake is right behind us and the views are incredible!

This is Henry's Lake viewed from right behind where we sit.

This is honest to God the way it looked when the sun set during the rain.  I did nothing to this picture!

We took a drive-about yesterday and just wandered around the area.

Bridge over the Madison River

I think this may have been a wonderful little settlement in it's day.  The house on the left has a sweet little stream running right behind it.

And just look what we found!

We will be staying here through the Labor Day weekend and then head to Idaho Falls for a shopping fix.  Hopefully we will have a bit of good weather over the weekend.  I want to get in more hiking as the trails here are so nice.

I know, too many pictures but what can I say?  I like taking them!

Henry's Lake State Park, Idaho

This is the campground at Henry's Lake State Park and we are in love with this place. OK, there are mosquitoes at certain times and the wind can howl but when those two things are gone, this is perfect! There is hiking and limited biking. We don't fish but there sure are a lot of fisherman out there all the time. The campground has a boat ramp. Most of the camping sites are water and electric but there are eight with full hook-up and we have one of them. The new section has paved sites and are wonderful!

So, yesterday when we took our hike I remembered my camera! I was stopping constantly because it was so beautiful!

I am not certain of the purpose of this cool looking gate because one could just go around (through the brush) but it makes a nice beginning to our hike.

Jake likes to lead and he was busy sniffing when Kirby passed him up.  He had to rush to get back to his spot!

This is a badger hole.  We saw quite a few of the holes but no badgers.

It is a fabulous hike and and easy one for old ladies like me!

4th of July 2014

We are finally moving west.  We are on highway 90 in Minnesota and it turns west in Wisconsin.  We had been moving north since we left Charleston.

I must tell you that I really, really do not like holidays.  Memorial Day wasn’t too bad but 4^th of July this year was the worst.  Everyone everywhere gets their camper out of mothballs or goes to Walmart and buys a tent and they head out for a long weekend at the campground with all the family.  First it makes it hard for me to find a campground to stay because I have to know where we will be staying and that is NOT easy.  The good ones fill up weeks and weeks in advance.  THEY know where they will be staying – they have been planning it for months.  It seems that these northern people do this more than southerners or westerners.  Maybe because of their long winters.

By the time we knew when we would be leaving Kentucky all the government campgrounds were filled up.  Our route was to take us right by the Wisconsin Dells and I sure didn’t want to go there!  It is all about kids and waterslides.  You should see that place – amazing!  Huge indoor water parks!

We ended up at a place in Wisconsin that even Jake didn’t like.  He got all worked up the first day and had an upset stomach for the next two days.  Poor Jake.  I don’t know what it was that set him off but something did.  Kirby had found this place because I was getting so frustrated trying to find something that I liked.  Well, we didn’t realize until we got there that we would have no sewer.  Now there is nothing wrong with not having a sewer.  We do it all the time, but not when we are paying $44/night!

Sky High Camping Resort has over 350 camping sites, not lots, but sites.  Sites which are really close together.  Each site was full for the holiday.  Each site had an average of five to six people on it, most children.  Do the math.  That is TOO many people and dogs in a small space.

Children running and screaming. Dogs barking. Golf carts going by all the time and radios blaring.  This place made me crazy!  It made ME crazy.  It didn’t seem to bother the folks that just do this once or twice a year.  They took tracker rides, played basketball and volleyball, swam in the pool, played miniature golf and drove the golf carts which were for rent, all over the campground.  It was pretty scary to me to be walking Jake and see a golf cart racing towards me with an eight year old driving it!

Actually it gave me a feeling of what a refugee camp would feel like.  Just way too crowded.  And we PAID to get to be there!  Are we dumb or what?  Next year we will plan our whole trip around where we will be for 4^th of July!

The only picture I took the whole time we were there is of our rig on our site.  It was a nice site and we enjoyed the day playing cards at the picnic table and we had dinner outdoors….watching all the people!

Here is the link to our holiday last year.  It was much better.

Change of Scene

 Can you believe that the picture above and the one below are from the same RV park? 

 When we arrived at Whispering Hills in Georgetown, Kentucky we planned to stay here one week and they gave us the pull through by the pool which we did not like.  Today we have extended for about a month and we got to move to this beautiful quiet spot in the trees – with grass for Jake.  First thing he did was lay down in it and roll around.  I call it “worming”.  He was so happy!  This site is not at all level and it took major work on Kirby’s part but we are nicely leveled up now and tucked in waiting for some weather to pass by tonight.

To back up a bit, when we were in Charleston Kirby had the opportunity to be examined by his former dermatologist since we were in town - just a normal annual exam.  She found a spot on his leg and did a biopsy.  Then we left and they never called with the results so we assumed it was fine.  Please folks, don’t ever assume that.  It appears that the results got “lost” and weren’t found until Kirby called to tell them that the spot where they took the biopsy did not look good.

Fortunately Lexington is a city full of good doctors and one agreed to see him on a day’s notice.  He is now scheduled for some surgery this Friday and we will need to remain here for two weeks after that.

We do love this area and now we get more time to explore it, drink more bourbon and ale and enjoy the countryside and the quaint downtown!

Full Hook-ups!!!

We have full hook-ups!  Yea!  It has been a month since we have had it all.  For you landlubbers, that means that we not only have water and electric but we have sewer and don’t have to use our limited holding tanks. It opens up a world of possibilities - like long showers, really clean dishes and a clean microwave!

We left Lake Hartwell this morning and took the wonderfully scenic drive through the hills from Greenville, SC to Lake Powhatan Recreation Area in the Pisgah National Forest which is just south of Asheville, North Carolina.  It was just a short two and a half hour drive although by the time we got checked in and found our way to our site it was almost three hours.  We had reserved a dry camp which means NO water, No electric and No sewer because that was all that was available for our size when I made the reservations.  But when we got here we were offered one of the host sites as they won’t be here to use it for another two weeks.  (no, we are not going to stay for the whole two weeks!)  And that is how we got our full hook-ups!

Usually it seems that the host sites are pretty much the worst sites in the park but not this time.  We have absolutely no one on any side of us.  No one we can see or who can see us. Just stately oak, maple and elm trees and lots of underlying brush.  Everything is so lush and green just like Lake Hartwell was.  The outdoor area is skimpy but we don’t plan on being out there too much for a couple of good reasons.

Reason number one is that it is cold!  It got all the way up to 56 degrees this afternoon.  Brrrr.  We have the heater on.  Reason number two is that we plan on visiting Asheville and checking out some of the local brews. We visited once before a few years ago and fell in love with the town.

Lake Hartwell State Park - Day 1

This is our campsite!  All the fresh green trees are amazing.  I don't think anyone can see into our picnic area - it is so private.  I will try to keep my clothes on anyway....my body is pretty old!

I noticed yesterday when we arrived that there was a trail from our site towards the water but I didn't explore it until today.  We have our own little beach where, if we had them, we could launch canoes or kayaks.

It is cloudy out today so the pictures aren't too good.  I will keep trying to get good ones.

And speaking of good pictures, here is a favorite.  I was afraid Jake would go into a funk when we left Buck Hall but he seems to really like it here.  And, yes, there are some squirrels for him!

My grandson, Casey is graduating today from Clemson University.  That is the reason we are here.  We will be gathering with the family later today to celebrate!!

Arrival at Lake Hartwell State Park

The trees are too thick.  I couldn't back up far enough to get a good picture.  That is not a bad thing!!

We departed Buck Hall this morning and were rather sad to leave to say the least.  But our trip to Lake Hartwell State Park was uneventful although bumpy.  It took about five and a half hours which included two stops at rest areas and a fuel stop.  Oh and one almost U-turn when I had Kirby exit the freeway one exit too soon.  Easily fixed by just getting right back on!

Our campsite here is beautiful.  I opted for the privacy of the forest rather than a view of the water so our site is quite large.  The park seems a bit old, the roads are paved but skinny and tight.  Kirby did an awesome job of getting us onto this narrow pad.  We have a picnic table and a fire ring.  There is firewood available at the office for almost $6 a bundle!  Highway robbery!  But we will probably buy some.

My sister and brother-in-law are coming tomorrow and will be one site over from us.  I can’t wait to see them again!  We will enjoy a barbeque and campfire.

It was getting pretty warm out in the hot sun while we were getting all set up so I offered to share my Coast Bull Bay Oyster Stout with Kirby after we finished.

These little flowers sort of took my breath away when I spotted them right behind our camper.  It looks like little stars painted right on the leaves, doesn't it?