Got to hotel in Lincoln between 10-11pm last night. 10am and the girls are still sleeping. Got to drive about halfway home today, wherever that takes us.
Iowa. We are stopping for the night in Davenport, Iowa.
There are Buck-ees. There is Wall Drug. And then there is this place… 😬. I’ve been here twice and I’m good for the rest of my life.
Well, Josie and I woke up at 3:30am to the sound of someone or something walking around outside our truck. We were too scared to even look out the tent flaps. At one point we thought maybe we was putting the rain fly in his tent and I yelled out to him. The crunching stopped but did not quietly retreat, which was confusing. I tried calling Ed’s phone no less than ten times; we could hear it ringing in his tent, but he didn’t hear it. One of the only times ever I did not have my purse and keys up there, or I would have double locked the car for the horn beep and lights flash and scared away anything out there. Lucy woke up around 4:30am and was freaked out that we were awake freaked out. She listened with us for a while. At around 5:15am the sun was rising and we bravely looked out the back of the tent and saw nothing around us. Bear spray in hand, I jumped out the back of the truck and got my purse, scanned for any footprints animal or human (nothing obvious) and climbed back up and locked it. I fell back asleep for a couple hours.
More pics from this campsite:
Josie and I climbed around on the rocks.
And then a last drive around
Camping in the National Forests usually consists of driving along rough, unpaved roads looking for fire circles and clearings that indicate an available site, almost always free. We spent over an hour driving this road looking for a good spot. It was after 6pm and we were still planning to head into Red Lodge for dinner so we settled on this site and quickly set up our tent to stake claim. We went back to the same pizza place as last week and then headed back to the campsite. We saw a black bear foraging around very near our site so Ed elected to pass on the tent and sleep in the truck cab while the girls and I were up in the truck tent. Here were our morning views. We got some drone footage, too, will add that later.
Passed through Laramie and now on the way to Medicine Bow National Forest where we have no idea at all if we will find a camp site. And it’s about 9pm here and getting pretty dark.
We found a campsite. Totally in the dark so tomorrow I think we wake up to a big surprise.
Woke up in Cody, drive back through Yellowstone, and the super scenic drive on the Beartooth Highway, which is similar to the gaping to the Sun Road, with crazy hairpin turns and switchbacks up over 10,000 feet in high Wyoming winds. At one point we were met nearly head on by some brave (read:idiot) who probably messed his pants 💩 while driving a full size touring bus (because he must have either missed or disregarded the 40ft length recommendation). I was dining with the 360 camera 10 feet over our car and sure hope we got that!) Then we drove around for over an hour in the Custer National Forest looking for a campsite. We quickly set up our tent to claim the spot and drive back into Red Lodge, MT and back to Red Lodge Pizza Company again for dinner before we head back to that spot to finish setting up camp.
Leaving the campground a day early. It’s very loud and chaotic here. A boy across the way talked and screamed all night long. Ed doesn’t normally get very bothered by neighbors but he was packing up his tent already before I woke up.
However I did hear wolves at 4:48am. 😍
As we were packing up to leave, the aforementioned boy managed to discharge a bear spray canister inside their car in his own face. Quite a bit of drama as everyone is donating water to splash on his face.
Heading back towards Cody and Wapiti. Wapiti and the Buffalo Bill Reservoir area are among the most beautiful places on earth I have seen with my own eyes. At this moment we are taking a long break to watch a grizzly bear mother and cub down in a valley. Local guides here say she is “Raspberry” and I guess the cub is “Deli”.
Cowboy Village
Cody Nite Rodeo
Ed originally had this big plan to head back home through Idaho but I wasn’t quite up to dramatic ordeal of off-roading that entailed. We were able to get completely last minute campsites for two more nights back at Yellowstone before we begin the scenic adventure homeward.
Shopped in West Yellowstone
Back at Yellowstone, Bay Bridge campground, which is a pretty basic parking lot sort of campground
Last night a rain and windstorm blew into camp. Sounded like a tornado. Surprised tents are still standing today. It’s not as scary on land as it was up in the tent and I was preparing for an emergency evacuation. Our next destination is yet to be determined!
Nevertheless, the scenery was beautiful. And I actually like the sound machine of wind once I realized we weren’t going to end up in Oz.
Rain is back. We packed up like mad. Scratching our last Glacier campground: St Marys. We were underwhelmed and well, rain is rain. Heading to Bozeman for a hotel night before we get back on the road and head back with plans to dispersed camp in national forests.
Bozeman. Homewood Suites. And Olive Garden.
Going to the Sun Road, all the way to St. Mary, out of the park and back in through Two Medicine.
overCLEVElanders blogover America 