River Front RV Park

 

We arrived here Garrison, Montana on July 18 for three nights.  While we called for reservations ahead of time, this was the only unreserved stop on this trip.  Our level site was full hookup with 50 amp electric.  However, the 50 amp service was not working and power to the motorhome was turning on and off every 20 seconds.  It worked fine on 30 amp but since the temperature outside was 100 degrees, one air conditioner was not enough to cool our rig and all other sites were reserved.  Our neighbor also had power issues and as it turned out their 50 amp plug was defective.  The next day they replaced his plug and we were back in business with 50 amp service.  The park staff was very helpful and even when you check in a scout directs you to your site and someone comes around the evening to collect their fee.  This was a converted mobile home park and most pull through sites were 101 feet in length.  They were separated quite nicely too.  The open areas were watered and green, but individual sites were dry dead grass.  Only two rules in the park were to pick up after your dog and do not put mats on the grass.  We were one site away from the laundry so we did wash our clothes while there.  Aggie inadvertently dropped a sponge into our black water tank.  I flushed the tank several times and it finally came out.  Certainly don't want to block the sewer line.  Many visitors to the park are regulars and everyone seemed friendly.  There was a clubhouse with free DVD's to borrow.  There was no over the air TV.  There was also free internet which was slow but I did upload my pictures for the blog there.  I rate this park P***.5.  

We visited the Old Montana Prison & Auto Museum, a separate post while there and also toured a working ranch one day.

Big Arm State Park

 We arrived here in Big Arm, Montana on July 22 for 6 nights.  We were lucky to snag a relatively level 65 foot long waterfront site and we planned our whole trip around this stop.  This is a dry campground, but there are plenty of water faucets throughout the campground.  No dump station.  You can moor your boat or jet ski in front of your site.  It is really convenient to park your kayak or canoe on your site for use at your discretion.  There is a central bath house with flush toilets and hot showers in the park.  Showers cost $3 extra for 6 minutes.  In addition to the bath house, there are 4 pit toilets of which 3 are now closed.  They say they are full, but we checked one before they closed it and it was nearly empty.  I don't think they want to replace toilet paper and clean the bathrooms.  We typically don't use any of the campground facilities as we prefer to use our own.  I guess the tent campers and day use visitors will relieve themselves on the trees or in the lake.  We paid $28 per night plus $10 reservation fee for our site.  I rate this park F****.

Shortly after arriving and got set up, I was working on my laptop when Aggie noticed the carpet was wet.  Our water line to the ice maker sprung another leak.  Not just one but two pinhole leaks.  The last time I repaired the line I replaced it with a new line.  Fortunately, I left about 8 extra inches in the line for future adjustments.  I turned of the water to the ice maker off and went into the nearest town, Polson to get the replacement parts I needed.  Could not find the parts anywhere, so the next day we drove 40 miles into Kalispel, where I purchased the parts.  Since they were less than 50 cents I bought two sets.  When we returned I slapped it back together and turned water back on again.  Now I find a third leak.  Good thing I purchased another set as the washer that stops water from leaking was crimped and unusable again.  I cut the line once more and now no more additional adjustments.  It is now working leak free.  

One day we drove into Big Fork on the Lake to visit some friends who moved out here from our home town two years ago.  They treated us to lunch at the Flathead Brewery.  The beer was really good and we had a great view of the lake on their back patio.  Only problem is we had to wait over an hour to be seated.  We took a two hour cruise on the lake in a 65 foot boat.  Here is Captain Aggie steering the ship.  The captain informed us of many facts about the lake, the unusual homes, and history of the area.  Aggie and I took out the kayak once apiece and went on a couple of bike rides.  By the time we return home, Aggie will be popping wheelies.

Square Dance Campground

 

We arrived here in Lolo, Montana on July 21 for one night.  We had a nice long level pull through with water and 50 amp electric.  Some sites had sewer, but they did have a dump station, which we used,  on the way out.  We needed empty tanks and full water for our next 6 days dry camping on Flathead Lake.  Although I was able to pull into our spot connected to our toad, I would not be able to navigate the trees while connected to get out of our site.  As it turned out, we arrived early and disconnected to take a day trip into Missoula, Montana.  This is a 20 acre park with 60 campsites and they do square dancing in the pavillion which Aggie went down to observe in the evening.  Great camping in the forest and pines and left pretty natural with the exception well maintained grass throughout the campground.  We paid $36 for the night and I rate this park P****.

We went into Missoula and visited the downtown historic section where we visited Cara Park which has a carousel built by volunteers in 1917.  The downtown area was all metered parking for $1 per hour and some spots were limited to 2 hours maximum.  In addition to the carousel, there was a supervised playground for a fee and the river runs along the park where people were jumping in to cool off.  They had live music and food trucks at the park the day we visited, but we must have come after it was over as they were breaking down their instruments from the stage.  

Old Montana Prison and Auto Museum

 

We toured this prison and auto museum in Deer Lodge, Montana.  The entrance fee is $15 per person and seniors get a $3 discount.  We have toured several prisons and brigs across the country, but never one this large.  On Thursdays, they give you a tour guide, but the rest of the week it is self service.  It was interesting to see, most of the people during WW1 were imprisoned here for speaking up against our government.  What really excited me was the huge auto museum with 167 cars from every decade since the late 1800's.  

Trail Creek Campground

 

We arrived here July 13 for 5 nights, located 6 miles west of Wilson, Wyoming; a stones throw from the Idaho state border.  Our reserved site was very private along the creek but the pull through was very tight and trees needed to be trimmed.  We managed to level the coach with blocks on one side and use of leveling jacks.  The front jack slipped of it pad and bent the shaft.  Fortunately, I was able to retract it but will need to be replaced or repaired.  Did get a small gouge in my roof from the tree.  The campground host commented that he wondered if a 40 footer could fit in the site.  This site would be good for tents as there were several spots to place a tent on the site.  This was site #3 and the other sites were more level and large enough for our rig.  This is dry camping and had access to water and trash.  We stayed here to visit Jackson Hole, Wyoming; which was only 20 miles into town.  We paid $38 for the 5 night stay which included an $8 reservation fee.  That also included our 50% discount for our senior pass.  That said, the rates increased since we reserved our spot and it is now $16 per night or $8 with senior pass now.  This park is very small with only 11 sites and I rate it F****.

We only went into Jackson one day as the traffic and parking were unbearable.  We lucked out for a parking spot close to downtown, but took us 45 minutes in bumper to bumper traffic to leave town.  Houses in this area are advertised for $15,000 per month and that was not a misprint.  Several restaurants and shops were closed due to not being able to hire workers for $18 per hour.  We took a day trip the opposite direction past Victor, Idaho and took a detour off a dirt road which brought us along a little creek where we stopped for a little picnic.  Really peaceful and there were several dispersed campers along the river.  I had to use my four wheel drive to get out of the site we stopped in as the gravel was very soft.  This is where we came across this group of cows alongside the road.  

Buffalo Meadows RV Park

 

We arrived here on July 12 at a Casino at Fort Hall, Idaho for one night.  Signage was non existent so we had difficulty finding the campground which was attached to the casino on the side.  Not really visible from the street.  No instructions on how to choose site, so we pulled into the last larger site and set up, then went to check in and pay.  You had to check in at the hotel lobby which was located on the opposite side of the casino.  One person in front of us and we waited 20 minutes to check in only to find out that the site we chose was reserved.  When I called months earlier, they said they did not take reservations.  We moved to the site next door and our sewer hook up was located under the steps of the fifth wheel next to us.  The sites were all pull throughs and very narrow.  I strongly recommend paying the extra $5 for a premium site.  We chose not to hook up the sewer and we dumped in another open site on the way out.  

The one restaurant open inside the casino was too expensive for a casual diner, so we chose to dine in our motorhome.  We did have a level site with full hookups including 50 amp electric.  The sprinklers were on all afternoon and evening in the center of the park where tents were camping.  The water was running down the street and one RV site was completely submerged.  There were signs posted throughout the park notifying campers to conserve water because of the drought.  The only RV sites that had green grass were the premium sites, the others had dead grass and dirt.  Everyone qualifies for a 10% discount: AAA, Good Sam, or Veteran.  We paid $36.26 for the night.  Many casino's allow RV's to dry camp in their parking lot for free, not here.  I rate this park P**.

Valley View RV Park

 

    We arrived here on July 11 for one night in Elco, Nevada.  We had a level pull through site with full hookups including 50 amp electric.  We dumped our tanks and refilled our water and washed our clothes in their laundromat.  The park was filled with mostly RV's that rent by the month.  It was quiet and the $15 cash I paid for the night was fair.  I would stay here again for one night, but there were no amenities other than the laundry facilities.  The park was alongside a major highway and train tracks.  We slept well and rate this park P**.

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Fallen Leaf Campground

 

Arrived here for 6 nights on July 5, 2021 in Lake Tahoe, Ca. after spending the night in a rest area on July 4.  No hookups in this park for paid campers.  Campground hosts have full hookups.  But dry camping in a federal park does not get any better than this.  A dedicated dump station would elevate this campground to my top rating of F*****.  Nothing has changed in this park except the camping fee continues to escalate.  It is now $36 per night and we paid $18 with our senior pass.  Sadly, because of all the fires on the West Coast, no campfires or charcoal barbeques were allowed while we were there.  Traffic was horrendous, visitor parking for beaches are full before 9:00 AM in the morning.  Free parking seems to have disappeared at the state line where the casino's are located.  One grocery store converted half their parking lot to parking for $20.  We did enjoy riding our new E-bikes around the campground.  Aggie is slowly building up her confidence riding her big toy.  There are many beautiful bike paths around the lake, but they were very busy and Aggie was not quite ready for that yet.  I did take a few trips by myself and crossed this creek which empties out of Fallen Leaf Lake.  Her Escape is much more fun to ride on dirt and gravel paths due to her hefty suspension and lower center of gravity to the ground.

We had a really nice dinner at the Chart House restaurant in the hills above the lake.  When I called, they were completely booked for the week end.  The only opening was Friday night a 4:30 PM so we nabbed it.  We were escorted to a window table overlooking beautiful Lake Tahoe and Aggie enjoyed a Fillet Mignon while I worked on a perfectly cooked slab of prime rib.  We went out to breakfast at Bert's Cafe and the food and service were great.  The only bad part was the 35 minute wait for a table.

Still rate this campground F****.  Sadly, we probably won't be returning due to the traffic and huge number of people.  

Summer 2021 Vacation Itinerary

 Hi folks,  We are heading out for our summer trip on July 4 and will return home on Sept. 5.  Our whole trip is reserved with the exception of three days before we arrive at Big Arm State park in Montana.  With more RVer's on the road now it is less stressful finding campgrounds to stay.  Hope we don't have any breakdowns.  We are sticking to the northwestern states this year.  Fuel prices are high this year.  July 5 - 11 Fallen Leaf Campground, Lake Tahoe, Ca., July 13 - 18 Trail Creek Campground, Wilson, Wy., July 22 - 28 Big Arm State Park, Polson, Montana, July 28 - 30 Sam Owen, Hope, Id., July 30 - Aug 2 Riley Creek, Laclede, Id., Aug. 2 - 8 O'Sullivan Sportsman, Othello, Wa., Aug. 8 - 13 Travel Inn, Elma, Wa., Aug 13 -20 Seaside, Oregon,  Aug 20 - 30 Battleground State Park, Battleground, Wa., Sept. 1 - 5 Morro Strand State Park, Morro Bay, Ca.