TD2 2021 Adventure - Week 3 - "Water is Life"

Hello again,

Here's your fourth installment of Thistle Dew Too's (TD2) 2021 Adventure.  Week 3 completes a loop of sorts that will bring us back through Montana, Idaho, and small sections of Oregon and California before we end up once again at my B-I-L Dave's house.

Things were heating up temperature-wise, so I thought we'd head up to Glacier National Park at the top of Montana, thinking the farther north we go, the cooler temps will get (spoiler: it doesn't work that way ;-)  We were surprised to learn that park's altitude is much *lower* (3,215 ft) than where we had been traveling before, and it was pretty darn hot.   

Long-story short, we found a nice boondocking spot nearby after I "oopsied" the side of a tree backing up a long dirt road, but then gave it up to enter the park after 5:00 PM, when those without timed-entry tickets (who knew?) could enter.  Had a quick dinner along side a river, as the mad-dash of evening cars jammed up the still-closed Road To The Sun road.  I then high-tailed it out of there, vowing to listen to Carol's advice to avoid National Parks during post-COVID/peak-tourist periods.  

Oh yeah, and in all the hub-hub, I missed capturing Thistle Dew Too's unique odometer setting of 111,111 miles.  I captured the one before, and the one after ... so it was gonna be that kinda day! 🤣

But all was not lost.  We meandered back through Montana and stayed at a familiar campground, and then changed direction and headed west over the Lewis and Clark trail (RT 12) through Idaho and into Oregon.  That's a beautiful drive and we found an amazing campsite along the Clearwater River (and I've got the pictures and movies to prove it ;-)  This was an magical place, with direct river access and stepping stones that could get you right out in the middle of all that meditative water!  

But wait, there was more excitement yet to come.  Now into Oregon, I was once again looking for boondocking spots.  I found one that sounded promising heading up a forest road on Quartz Mountain. But oh my, the road was very narrow, and there was occasional two-way traffic, which was quite "exciting." 😳  When we reached the designated location, there were no suitable parking spots, so I was looking for a place to turn around when Carol whispered these magical words:  "I wonder what's at the end of this road?"  

Always game for an adventure, we continued up the mountain.  When we came to a crossroad, we decided to follow the trickle of traffic and low and behold, as we crested the ridge we see a beautiful lake with a white pelican swimming it!  And yes, there is a campground up here!  But it's Father's Day weekend, and kinda late in the day, so surely all the spots would be taken?  Well, actually, no -- we found a great spot (cost us $3 ;-) and went out for a beautiful walk around the Lofton Reservoir!

So this pretty much reinforced our lesson learned this week, that we should avoid large popular tourist spots (especially now), and seek back roads and hidden gems (which, as with mining, are not always found where you are looking, but are surely treasured whenever they present themselves).  Oh yeah, and seek out the Water!

 

Anyway, here are some preview shots:

Even the insects are smelling the roses!

Steven finds a meditation retreat in the Clearwater River

A colorful Carol adds to the beauty of this magical reservoir

Did I mention the white pelican?  There were actually three!

Please click this link to access the full set of photos for Week 3 ("Water is Life") of our TD2 2021 adventure.  As you move your cursor over each photo, you will see a descriptive caption, and place the cursor on the caption itself to read the whole thing, or just double-click the photo.  

And for you RV cooks that have patiently waited to find out what sort of whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) and low-added salt, oil, and sugar (SOS) meals we are eating (and photographing) on this adventure, here's where you can find the Ramen recipe or the Salad  recipe:

Carol's steaming "Ramen for the Road"
and Steven's "Good to Go" Salad

Until next time ... wishing you all the best and hoping you are having fun! 

 

TD2 2021 Adventure - Week 2 - "Falling Water"

Hi Everyone,

Here is your third installment of Thistle Dew Too's (TD2) 2021 Adventure.  This time we are actually heading to places we’ve never been before, but still not yet heading back East, as we have a bit longer to wait before re-uniting with other family members for a weekend camping adventure. 

 

Week 2 includes a visit from northern Nevada into Idaho and onto Montana, and what a glorious route we found.  Beginning on RT 225 in Nevada traveling through the Humbolt forest we found a great little boondocking location right next to the river.  Then taking RT 51 to RT 20 to RT 75 in Idaho, we entered the Sawtooth forest, and snabbed the last free boondocking spot in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area – what a great area!

 

After that we continued up RT 93 along the Salmon River and into Montana.  We stumbled upon the Charles Walters Campground in Florence, MT.  And we enjoyed so much, we returned to it again, with some lovely hikes along rivers and creeks. 

 

Then we continued on into Missoula, to have dinner with Susan’s son Julian, who we had met back in Nevada in 2019.  There we stayed just outside the wonderful and natural Greenough Park.  What a lovely spot, within walking distance to downtown Missoula!

 

Finally, based on a brief comment by a visitor center lady, we headed north out of Missoula to a place called The Garden of 1000 Buddhas, in Arleen, MT.  We found it to be very peaceful, and quite interesting.  I hope you’ll enjoy some of the pictures and movies from that location.  Who would expect to find such a place in Montana?

 

Anyway, here are some preview shots:

This sure beats the I80 Rest Area!  Check out those River Nostrils!!

Some beautiful scenery from a pullout along the road!

Did I mention the "falling water" theme for Week 2?

A very surprising find, in Montana, of all places!

Please click this link to access the full set of photos for Week 2 ("Falling Water" theme) of our TD2 2021 adventure.  As you move your cursor over each photo, you will see a descriptive caption, and place the cursor on the caption itself to read the whole thing, or just double-click the photo.  

Finally, in keeping with the Falling Water theme, I wrote a short poem based on the visceral experience I had moving out of the desert and into areas replete with falling water.  You can find that on one of my other blogs by clicking the link above.

 

And for you RV cooks that are curious what sort of whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) and no-added salt, oil, and sugar (SOS) meals we are eating (and photographing) on this adventure, we'll include recipes in future blog posts -– really, I promise!

 

Next up will be the second half of our whirlwind tour to some parts of the Pacific Northwest, with an somewhat aborted venture into Glacier National Park, and an enjoyable trek through more of Montana, Idaho, and a little bit of eastern Oregon and northeast California.  It's always an adventure when going to new destinations, especially when we're just following our noses.  

 

As always, we like to keep Thistle Dew Too's motto in mind:  

 

Until next time ... wishing you all the best and hoping you are having fun!