The Start of Something Big

We slept in late today. It rained quite hard all night long. This did help with the snow pack a bit. Today looks like the first really nice day since we arrived. It is partly cloudy with lots of sun and the temps are coming up. Of course we have a big day of driving ahead of us.

We have a lovely pancake breakfast and prepare for our trip. There are a few things we haven't had a chance to see and that is bugging us a bit. It is such a great day we want to give this park another chance. Who knows? Maybe we will catch a glimpse of a bear today!

We leave the campsite and head out towards Old Faithful. We want to see some of the paintpots and the Grand Prismatic Spring. The trip is a quick one and we see some classic Yellowstone sights under a warming sun. It is a great way to remember this park after several days of disappointment.

We don't get started on our 200 mile drive until 4 p.m. We gas up in West Yellowstone, MT. We drive through Montana in about 30 minutes before we enter Idaho.

Impressions of Idaho: lots of farms, huge sky, and long, straight highways.

We are making good time, a 75 mile an hour speed limit helps, and we are about 30 miles out of Massacre Rocks State Park, our stop-over, when we decide to restock the RV at Walmart. By the time we leave Walmart it is 8:15. We know the park employees' day ends at 8:00 so we will have to find our site on our own. We enter the park and head toward the campsites. Now here is where RV'ing has its benefits. First, you are never that worried about finding a place to camp for the night. If nothing else, you can always park in a Walmart knowing you have everything you need to get through the night. Second, almost every park RV camp has a host. These are made up of mostly retirees who stay at a site for a week, a month, a season, and are there to assist all travelers that stay at that site.

We drive into the campsite and find a sign directing us to the campground host. His name is Dick and he and his wife are retirees staying here for the summer. He takes our voucher, shows us our reserved spot, "the pick of the litter," tells us about the area, warns us of the dangers — rattlers and strong river currents "We lost a 22 year-old two years ago when he tried to swim across the river," — and tells us to get in touch with them with anything we need. It is reassuring to know that there is someone familiar with the area and with RV'ing just a few sites down from where you are spending the night. It is something I didn't know existed until I tried this myself and I think it is great. There is a camaraderie between RV'ers. Part of it is a shared vulnerability, I mean there is only so much security built into these things, but everyone looks out for each other and we have met so many people just out enjoying the sights with their families.

We are just above the Snake River and have a great view. the moon is full and lights up the entire valley. The weather is finally warm enough that I don't think we will need the furnace tonight. The first time in about ten days that we can say that. Tomorrow brings another long haul, about 250 miles, and then another 350 miles on Thursday. This is the longest stretch of driving on the trip but we have three days of relaxation after this.

It is hard to believe we are halfway through the trip. It seems like we have been out for a while but I am starting to feel the end drawing closer. The kids and I threw the football tonight while Teresa made dinner and they got along so well. They were complementing each other and helping each other all night. Teresa swears they are going through a growth spurt and Sam's hiking pants do seem to be getting a little shorter. I think they are growing in ways we can't even perceive.