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Published: July 14th 2010
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I woke up bright and early this morning in Missoula, Montana and began my day with a trip to Wal-Mart. I went to make me a bowl of cereal and we were out of milk so I grabbed my wallet and off I went. I left Tim sleeping so he could get a little extra rest but when I returned he was already dressed and ready to go. He stood there counting all the other motorhomes in the parking lot and said there were 16 others besides us. That's probably comes close to being the most ever. It's so weird because it's like we're a little club or something......"The Wal-Mart RV Club" ! Often we'll see the same people from town to town and get to know each other. We were having some trouble with the Verizon internet card so after breakfast we found the nearest Verizon store and headed that way. After about an hour or so, they finally got everything resolved and we were back on the road, internet and all ! Tim hopped on Highway 93 Salmon River Scenic By-Way for a long drive across Bobcat Gulch and the 4th of July Creek. Before I knew it we
were crossing the Idaho state line. I need to take a look at the map and see how many state lines we've crossed this trip. I usually try to keep up with it along the way but I forgot this time so I'll check and let you know. We rode along the Sacajewea Highway for a while until we reached a little town called Salmon, Idaho. It was time to fill up Bertha and get some lunch so Tim filled up the tank and we went in search of food. I know it's Sunday afternoon but goodness, every single store in this little town was shut down, just like in the old days when nobody worked on Sundays. We ended up back at the gas station having to eat at the Burger King that was attached to it. This was literally the only place in town open. Even though I had to eat Burger King today, I have to say that it was kinda nice to see a small town that still honors the Sabbath. Our tank and our bellies were full and soon we were back on the road. Tim drove us across the Peaks to Craters Scenic By-Way
all the way to The Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve in Arco, Idaho. We had read about this place in the book and some of our friends had told us about it too so we decided to check it out. We entered the park, got our map and began the tour. We drove through for a little while before stopping to get a closer look at the lava fields, spatter cones and cinder cones. It was really cool and has been described by a geologist as "The surface of the moon as seen through a telescope". We walked around for a while, taking pictures of all the interesting stuff and then we made our way over to the lava tubes and caves. Here is where Tim got the bright idea for us to go caving because he wanted to see what the heck was in the lava tubes. We grabbed the "cave" maps and off we went like two crazy fools down into the Dewdrop Cave. Tim went first because he had the flashlight and I slowly followed. It was cold and creepy so I wasn't really feeling it but I went along anyway. As we made
our way into the cave a bunch of birds, not bats, but just some weird birds came flying over our heads and scared the living day lights out of me !!! Well, I was done.......I had to get outta there. Tim helped me back out and then he messed around inside the cave for a little bit before we headed on over to the Indian Tunnel. Once again, I went in for a minute to check it out but that was enough for me. I waited outside while Tim scrambled over large rock piles and climbed through the small openings to see what he could find. Luckily he wasn't gone too long because the sun was setting and it was beginning to get dark outside and we had a long walk back through the lava fields to make it back to Bertha. Before it got completely dark, we finished up our visit at Craters of the Moon checking out the Devils Orchard and the Inferno Cone. I will have to say this place is very interesting and is a haven for geologists and cavers. We exited the park and headed for the Wal-Mart in Idaho Falls, Idaho. It gets really
dark on those long late night country drives and we always have to keep our eyes open for wildlife. We passed a few deer along the way and thankfully without incident but two out of the many owls that flew out in front of us weren't so lucky. We have never seen so many owls. It was like we went through this little spurt and there were these beautiful owls everywhere but they obviously were not very smart. They kept flying out in front of us and it was like playing a game of "dodge the owls", it was so crazy !! I felt so bad but there was nothing we could do. After a long, dark and strenuous drive, we finally made it to Idaho Falls and settled in at the local Wal-Mart. Tim and I both were really tired so we headed straight to bed. Although I'm really missing my family and friends, it's so great to be on the road !! Take Care ! :-)
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