Billings visitor

Rear view of Billings site

Billings site, front view

The gang in Rapid City

Relaxing after dinner

Buffalo, WY to Billings, MT

We have enjoyed the last day and a half here in Billings, MT. Our site is really special and this is the world's first KOA that started the chain. We see deer almost everytime we come and go from the park in the neighboring field. We saw a mom and two fawns yesterday in a backyard that adjoins the park. Last evening a beautiful Peacock visited the site next to us and we got a few good pictures.

We had a nice drive from Buffalo to Billings on Friday but we did get a scare when I noticed the big awning coming out while we were driving down the road. I stopped and got it fixed, I thought, and we were off again. Before I could get up to speed I saw it coming out again and had to pull over again. This time I decided to tie the awning so it couldn't come out. We were on the shoulder of the road and it tilted toward the edge of the road quite a bit so I needed to have Tippy hold the ladder so it wouldn't tip over while I tied each awning arm to the support. Fortunately there was a small hole at the top of each arm so I had a great place to tie the rope and we were on our way without further incident. I have added this onto our growing list of work while we are in Missoula next week. We saw several herds of Antelope on the trip and the countryside was really quite beautiful.

Tippy and I made a run to Walmart today and to Costco yesterday so we are pretty well stocked up at this time. We took Alex to Petsmart this morning and she really had a good time. We got some of the things she needed and she got to see some other dogs while we were there. I watched some of the golf this afternoon and was sorry to see Craig slip a little but the two birdies he made at the end helped a bit. He needs to play well tomorrow and get a big check so he can move from number 151 into the top 125 before the end of the season.

Tomorrow Tippy will go to Mass and then we will go to Best Buy in the afternoon to look at TV's for our new home, assuming we find one. We are committed to the Bose Family 48 system and need to find a good TV to go with it. I look at east Texas homes on the Lakehouse.com website from time to time but it is difficult when you can't do anything if you see something you like. I will work a bit this evening to clean up the outside of the coach and try to get it to a truck wash after all of the work is done in Missoula. More later from here or Bozeman, our next stop. Be safe.

Two Big Horn Sheep

Timber Wolves

Mt. Rushmore

Elk resting

Dahl Sheep

Part of the Black Bears

Black Bear by the car

Big Horn Sheep

Alex looking at Elk.

Rapid City, South Dakota

We had a long 348 mile drive from Sioux Falls to Rapid City on Monday. It was very windy and rainy most of the way which only complicated the driving. We arrived safely at the Happy Holidays RV Park which is about 15 miles from Mt. Rushmore. The park was a little tight but we were able to get parked after unhooking the cars. Mike and I shared a casita which was between our sites. His coach faced west and ours faced east which had the doors opening toward each other with the casita in between.

We went out for dinner at a place called the Powder House and had another terrific dinner. I had a filet stuffed with garlic, Patty had halibut, Tippy had shrimp, Jerry had walleye, Mike had fettuccini alfredo, and Jackie had a steak. Everyone enjoyed their meal and then we all shared a creme brule.

It rained Monday night and Tuesday morning so we mostly hung out at the coaches in the morning. Tippy and I drove into town with Alex to mail a package and had lunch when we returned. It started to clear up in the afternoon and everyone took off to see the stuff in the area. We ended up at Bear Campground USA and then on to Mt. Rushmore. The Bear Campground was truly amazing!! The park was set up so that you drove your car through the different habitats for the animals. We saw Elk, Artic Wolves, Big Horn Sheep, Dahl Sheep, Mountain Goats, Timber Wolves, Black bears - must have been a hundred of them, Bison, and Reindeer. The animals were always very close to the car and we got some wonderful pictures. Alex was with us and she seemed to enjoy seeing the animals as much as we did. The Black Bears were awesome and several walked right next to the car qand some crossed the road right in front of us.

We then drove through the town of Keystone, very cute, and found our way to Mt. Rushmore. We saw the monument from the road and pulled off to get our first picture. We then drove into the parking area and I was able to get some pictures from much closer. The monument was really impressive as was the entire area as you walked up to the viewing areas. We stopped for an ice cream cone on the way home and of course Alex needed to have some.

The evening continued to improve and we decided to eat in the casita. Tippy made pasta with a meat sauce and Patty made appetizers and salad. We also did a campfire which we enjoyed both during and after dinner. Jerry and Jackie were heading for home tomorrow so it was our last dinner together. I have been very impressed with how everyone has gotten along on this trip. We did a lot of stuff together but didn't feel badly if someone wanted to do something by themselves. Once in Williamsburg we ended up in the same restaurant as Mike and Patty for lunch. Its a small world.

We got up early to see Jerry and Jackie off and then got ourselves ready to head out. We had a short 200 mile drive today all on Interstate 90 from Rapid City to Buffalo, Wyoming. The weather was perfectly clear and we had a wonderful trip while enjoying a very scenic landscape. We made a short rest stop at a rest area in Wyoming and then drove the rest of the way to the Buffalo KOA RV Park. We got settled and Tippy did laundry while I washed the bugs off of the front of the coach and vacummed the inside of the coach. We are having some work done on the coach while we are in Missoula, MT and I finalized the appointment with the folks there.

Tippy and I will stay here for two nights and Mike and Patty will leave tomorrow for Powell, WY where they will see their friends Tom and Elaine Bushey. They plan to spend five days there and then head to Billings, MT to have some work done on their coach. We plan to meet up with them again in Polson, MT by Flathead Lake. We will head for Billings, MT on Friday for three nights then on to Bozeman, MT for two nights and then to Missoula for five nights. From Missoula we will drive to Polson for our last week of the trip. My mom will be glad to hear, SURPRISE, that we are heading for Las Vegas so that we can be there for her 90th birthday. We have been planning this for quite a while and we should have quite a family reunion the weekend of August 19-21. More later, enjoy the pictures and be safe.

Tippy at Sioux Falls

The Upper Falls

The Middle Falls

Remains of the Queen Bee Mill

Relaxing at Detroit Lakes

Lower Falls

Detroit Lakes - Follow-up

Our time in Detroit Lakes was truly terrific!! The cool weather change on Monday was welcomed by all. It was a good feeling to wear long sleeves and to feel the chill in the air. I am sure all of you in southern Nevada would give a lot for a cool day or two. On Tuesday we played golf at Forest Hills G.C. with Larry. The course was pretty tight but we had a great time. Larry and Jerry came out the winners on the round robin team bets and I lost my individual bets to Mike, Jerry, and Patty. Oh well, there is always another day.

On Wednesday Jerry and I went fishing with Larry. Larry has access to a 28 foot pontoon boat and we had a good time fishing. We caught about 100 small sunfish, perch, and bass but nothing of any size. At one point I caught 6 fish on the same worm. Later in the afternoon we all, except Tippy who was doing laundry, met Larry for a sunset cruise on the lake to look at homes on the water. The trip was wonderful and we saw numerous homes that were simply gorgeous. It sure made me want to go house hunting in Tyler, TX.

On Thursday we played gold at the Wildflower G.C. but unfortunately Larry was called away on the third hole because his mom was taken to the hospital. Fortunately they were able to help her and she was sent home later in the day. The rest of us continued the round and enjoyed the prairie golf course. On Friday Tippy and I took Alex to be groomed. We went for breakfast and did some shopping while we waited for her to be done. The groomer did a great job and Alex really looks cute with the shortest cut yet.

On Saturday Jerry and I were going to play at the Detroit C.C. but the weather was bad so we canceled. I worked on the coach rubbing and buffing and just about wore myself out. Golf would surely have been easier. We had a cocktail with Larry and then went out to dinner. Tippy and I ended up at the Shorewood Bar and Grill where we enjoyed a great meal.

Today, Sunday, we traveled from Detroit Lakes to Sioux Falls, SD. The 300 mile rtip was marred with a bit of rain and some road construction but we arrived safely and on time. Tippy and I joined Jackie and Jerry for a quick trip to see the falls in town and we wern't dissapointed. There was a series of three falls that dropped a total of over 100 feet and had the remains of an old mill next to the river. Patty did dinner tonight - salad, swiss steak, mashed potatoes, noodles, and fresh sweet corn. Believe me when I say I was full when I got up from the table. I will pick up our mail here tomorrow at 8:00 and then we will head for Rapid City and Mount Rushmore. The company we use to forward our mail, Alternative Resources, is based here in Sioux Falls so going through town will allow us to pick up our mail instead of having them forward it to us at some future location. More from Rapid City, be safe.