Over The River and Through the Woods!

After spending three nights in Missoula it was time to head west on I 90 and set up camp at another Davis residence.  Todd and his family have a shop and five acres in Pinehurst, Idaho where they summer out of Mississippi.   They got there almost a week before us.  They graciously let us stay at their place and hook up to power.  Of course the best part is seeing our granddaughter and them too of course.  While we are here Dan usually has some “father work jobs” that Todd needs help with.  The traffic over the pass was light and we had no issues towing uphill or braking downhill.  The weather has still been a little unpredictable with a shower here and there and wind with dark clouds. But it beats triple digits in Arizona and gives us a chance to wear long pants, socks and coats!  

We parked at the grocery store in Pinehurst waiting for them to come escort us. Their lane is single traffic and it helps to have a pilot car ahead soon one blocks our route. 



Sone little person was excited to see Nana and Papa and so were we!! 

Dan successfully backed the 40 footer into his driveway and we set up camp for about two weeks. 

Someone showed me a sweet face out of her tree house which last year was rented out to Mrs Robin and her nest full of eggs!

And she carefully took her girl dog down the slide as a responsible parent would do :)

Dan helped Todd string sone outside party lights under the side wing roof for nighttime ambiance!

And then of course we celebrated Fathers Day and Dan brought his own shirt, his Okra hat, and red suspenders he bought at the thrift store to show he still has it and can be a tough dude!  Ha ha 

Strike a pose “dad”!

Wallace had a carnival while we were here and it was a great day to partake in the small town charm and events. Zoey had a super time making new friends and running literally from ride to ride! Of course that is after she got out of the space capsule. 

Dad bought her the all day wrist band and it was all day!!

She loved the house of mirrors!

Such a sober look from a pilot!  I guess she’s taking it seriously. 

And Todd found his famous bookstore and coffee house!


Mom and Zoey find the Ferris wheel and the dark clouds move in 

A new friend with cool socks!

And she’s in there with him. She must have ridden that 10 times!



Another new friend letting her drive!!!  

The community offers mining tours here and we saw signs saying the Rhodes Scholars had been there for a few days on tour!  

Keep flying high Zoey!!!

Our Old Stomping Grounds

In 1971 Dan and I came west to go to the University of Montana.  Even then it was a fairly large town and the sprawling had already started toward Lolo, Alberton and Hamilton.  Rent was high and to buy was very expensive.  The only part of that that has changed is that there are twice as many people and more and more buildings and stores.  We got married here in the Methodist Church on December 31st, 1971 as we were trying to pool our money together so we could stay in school. Dan was avoiding the draft and trying to finish his Wildlife Biology Degree in Big Game Management.  I was a freshman and thought I was headed toward a teaching degree in music.  That didn’t really work for me but we did stay in school and eventually we both got our degrees even though we left Montana. 

The trip from Darby to Missoula is relatively short compared to sone of our days.  We got a site at Jim and Marys RV Park outside of town off the freeway headed west.   It was really a very nice park and one I highly recommend.  The sites are large and grassy and there is plenty of shade.  They have their own greenhouses and grow their own annuals!!  Each flowering section is unique and well manicured. There is a nice laundry, a cute store with ice cream and gifts and a dog park.  Most of those parked there seemed to be older folks rather than families.  There is no pool or playground but the park was full every night we were there. 

The first day we set up our camp amd did a little grocery shopping. Day two we toured the Bison Range and packed a picnic lunch.  The last day we did laundry and Dan fixed a few things that needed attention.  We stayed three nights before heading over to Idaho to Todds place in Pinehurst.  

This is the backside of the laundry. Lots of cute artistic things they have made out of recycled items!

Another interesting flower pot!!

The old barrel with petunias from their green houses.

This gives you an idea of the spaces , grassy areas and another unique flower station 

More flowers mixed in with interesting paraphernalia!

We also toured the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation exhibits and offices. There’s a trail too that we walked along the creek side. 

Lots of wonderful taxidermy and information.  

The next day on to the Bison Range. These are wildlife crossings they have constructed to help wild animals go back and forth without harm.   They are very costly to build but have made a difference in mortality rates. 









We took the red road which was over two hours. 

The visitor center here had wonderful exhibits also and information about the tribes and their efforts to reacquire their lands and protect the natural resources and wildlife. 

Some  of the beauty we saw along the drive… 



Not a great photo but it’s a Lazuli Bunting!

And we saw several of these although most were far away from typical viewing 

The wildflowers were just coming on. 

Possibly a wild crocus.  The area we found this in was covered with these beauties 

Interesting lichens to behold

Lichens and mosses 


More wildflowers 





A rock cairn at one of the highest points of our drive. 

Buck deer in velvet 



It’s lush and green there now but probably not for long. 

The road coming down was so windy

Sone of the smoke from Canada could be seen in the distance from their fires 


And at one time this whole valley was covered by a huge glacier lake.  When it burst it was a very powerful force that left debris clear to the ocean!

Sone of the birds we have seen along the way… kingfisher, woodpeckers, Lazuli Bunting, and more!