U.S. Northwest - Day 6

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Day 6:

This morning we were in no rush to leave because Manoli had to call Glacier National Park at 8am to see if we could get entry passes through the "lottery", first-come first-serve. Unfortunately, even though she was signed in by 8am, we didn't get them. Glacier National Park is part of the reason we planned on stopping at Missoula, to either spend a day at the park, or go there on our way to Spokane. We left the KOA and awesome Yellowstone behind and hit the road on our way to Missoula, about a 4-hour drive, with no special places to stop along the way. Since we already knew there was a WalMart near our destination, we didn't both stopping in Livingston or Bozeman. We did stop for gas and a coffee after we passed through Butte, but that is a story by itself.

We already knew that in Montana and even Idaho, that there were often long distances between gas stations, but I figured there would be one right after Butte. Well, there was, I think. We got off at an exit that said there was gas, and followed the road for several miles with nothing until we reached a Convention Center, in the middle of nowhere. My wife asked an employee that was outside for a break and he told her that yes, there was a gas station, sort of, in the nearby RV Park, but it was 15 percent higher than anywhere else. So, we drove back to the interstate and continued until we found another exit that said gas. This time, we drove a number of miles with no sight of anything commercial. We finally stopped at a ranch where a guy was working outside. My wife asked him about a gas station and he told us yes, there was one, about another 7 miles down this road, but we'd be better off getting back on the interstate and taking the second Deer Lodge exit where he assured us there was a Conoco station right near the exit. We thanked him, got back on the highway, again, and drove a number of miles to Deer Lodge, where we quickly spotted a Conoco, and Sinclair gas station just off the highway.

After a refill and some fresh coffee, although there were a couple places to eat lunch, we decided to continue on to Missoula, another 40 some miles along. We got to Missioula and used the KOA's directions to take exit 101, where we'd find our KOA and a number of places to eat. Little did we realize just how commercial the area around our KOA was. Between the exit and the road to our KOA, and beyond, there was one shopping mall, restaurant, or large store, after another. We pulled into the KOA just after noon, checked with the KOA and they told us we were too early to check in, so we decided to find the nearby Panera Bread for lunch. We both had half a chipolte chicken and avocado melt sandwich, and I had cup broccoli and cheddar soup while my wife had a small salad. After lunch, since it was still early, we easily found the local WalMart, about 2 blocks away, and browsed around, ending up with a resupply of frappuccino and a couple of other things.

Since it was almost 2:30, and check-in was 3pm, we headed back to the KOA. When we asked about checking in, they told us sure, but it would be a $15 surcharge! We decided to save money and just wandered around the store and KOA until 3pm. We checked in, got a pleasant surprise when we found out the give a 15% discount to military instead of the 10% for our KOA Rewards membership, and found our Kamping Kabin, no K13. It was a little better than the last one, with A/C and heating, but no refrigerator or TV. We were both a bit tired from the trip here, so we took a little nap. After our nap, Manoli checked out the sights in the area, then did the laundry while I bought a Burrito Supreme from the KOA-located food truck. The burrito was pretty good, and very filling, but 9 bucks. We decided we wanted to visit Wild Horse Island, on Flathead Lake, but had to choose between renting a kayak for the 3.2 mile trip, or take a shuttle boat. We opted for the shuttle boat and made reservations for noon tomorrow. I'm not sure what else we'll do, but that should be a lot of fun and take a good bit of the day. Before bed, I decided to try their hot tub. hmmm, hmmm, sooo relaxing. See you tomorrow.

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Photos

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Missoula KOA main office

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The pool, hot tub, game room, and food truck at the KOA

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Our cabin at the Missoula KOA

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Manoli posing at the KOA selfie spot

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A cute bunny that hangs around our cabin