Our RV Adventures

My first chore after getting up this morning (well, after coffee, anyway) was to figure out where the heck we’re staying for the next 4 days. But after thinking about I decided to go ahead and lock down our park in Billings, MT where we’ll be staying after we leave Cody, and right before we head to Gillette for the Escapade on the 29th. And I’m glad I did.

As it turned out I got the last site at the Billings Trailer Village RV Park, where we’ve stayed 5 or 6 times since 2008. Then it was back to finding a spot for us in Cody starting tomorrow.

And as it turned out, I lucked out on the first call, well partially. I was able to reserve 3 nights at Yellowstone Valley Inn & RV Park about 20 miles out of Cody, back toward Yellowstone. Because of that it will cut 20 miles off our trip tomorrow. And the guy said he has some construction people that are supposed to leave tomorrow so he thinks he will be able to give us the 4th day. So we’re good to go tomorrow at least.

After lunch I tackled something I’ve never done myself, but have always had someone do it for me. I washed and waxed our rig. Oh, and the truck too.

I decided to try Turtle Wax Zip Liquid Car Wash and Wax since I’d read good things about it. I just put a couple of ounces in a bucket and added water. Then I would pick an area about 8 feet wide, hosed it down with water and then used an extension brush to swab the coach sides. Then after letting it soak for a few minutes, I rinsed it all off and used a soft cloth to dry and polish the area.

It only took me about two hours to do the coach, and only about 30 minutes to do the truck. And they both turned out pretty good.

After finishing up and stowing all my cleaning stuff away, Jan and I headed into Victor to have our last meal here at Big Hole BBQ. We’d eaten here our first night, and because it was so good, we wanted to eat there again before we leave.

It doesn’t quite live up to the ‘Big’ name, however. It has 3 tables inside, as well as 7 chairs at the bar, two tables out front,

and three tables upstairs on the deck.

Jan had a couple of delicious Shrimp Tacos, and I had a really good Pulled Pork Sandwich. It must have had a pound of meat on it. And of course, some of their great beans, and all of it topped off with their spicy BBQ sauce.

A really good finish to our visit here.

After dinner we walked next door to a small grocery store to get some buns and a few other things to have for dinner in our rig tomorrow night. That way we won’t have to drive into Cody for dinner.

We’ll probably head out around 10am tomorrow for our 180 mile trip up to Cody, passing through both Grand Tetons National Park and Yellowstone National Park.

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Thought for the Day:

“Laws that forbid the carrying of arms…disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes…Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man.” ~ Thomas Jefferson

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Well, got his nose pin-cushioned anyway.

I had let Mister out on his leash this morning and then went around to the other side of the rig to close our grey valve. While I was doing that, I got to talking with the guy in the Airstream trailer next door. They had just arrived this morning and were getting set up. Mister heard their kids and came underneath and out on that side of the rig to see what was going on.

The kids of course went over to pet him, and Mister was in hog heaven. About this time, Lewis, their 50# yellow lab came shooting out of the Airstream, barking and heading for Mister. Mister just sat up and yowled. Lewis runs right up to Mister, and as soon as the dog’s nose was in range, Mister went ‘slap’, ‘slap’, kind of a one, two punch.

Lewis sat back on his haunches, yelping and shaking his nose. Mister then started stalking Lewis, belly to the ground, and hissing. Lewis apparently realized this wasn’t working out quite like he’d planned, so he turned and ran back into the camper, whining all the way.

Mister immediately went back into his “I’m a happy kitty, pet me” mode and all was well. Lewis however never came back out of the RV the rest of the afternoon.

A little after noon Jan and I headed back over the Teton Scenic Route to do some shopping in Idaho Falls, 60 miles away. This time, since I didn’t have to concentrate on getting the rig safely up and down the step grades, I had a little more time to enjoy the view.

Our first stop was at a Fred Meyer’s, mainly for the Chase Bank located there. But of course Jan found a few things she needed.

Our next stop was a Sam’s Club, for our prescriptions, and a few other things. Then after a quick stop at the Home Depot next door, we drove over to a nearby Wal-Mart for some more stuff. Strange how we never seem to have enough stuff.

By now we were getting hungry so we headed over to the Snake Bite Restaurant, a place that Jan had found highly recommended on the Internet. Unfortunately it closes at 3pm. So after checking out a couple of other places, we ended up at Smitty’s Steaks & Pancakes, a traditional American food place. We both had the Fried Chicken Dinner and it was very good. And it came with a free Strawberry Shortcake dessert.

A really good meal.

While we were eating, I realized that we are supposed to leave here on Friday to head up to Cody, WY, and thought I would call the Absaroka Bay RV Park where we stayed two years ago and get a site for four nights. But they only had an opening for Friday and Saturday nights. So I guess I need to get on the phone tomorrow.

Coming home about 6pm, we stopped off at a convenience store for cappuccinos before heading back over the mountain, getting home a little after 7pm.

Tomorrow is a ‘work around the rig and get ready to travel’ day. And maybe a last night’s meal at Big Hole BBQ.

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Thought for the Day:

"When you look at yourself from a universal standpoint, something inside always reminds or informs you that there are bigger and better things to worry about." — Albert Einstein

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