Week Nineteen and beyond~ Alaska Trip August 14-21

                   Eureka MT to Pincher Creek Alberta to Montana

Sunday morning we were ready to head on down the road from Libby MT. We traveled back on Route 37 north toward Eureka MT. We had done part of this road last week. It was a beautiful drive. After the Libby Dam there was Lake Koocanusa which runs beside Route 37 all the way to the Canadian Border and beyond before it becomes a river again. It provided some beautiful views and made for a memorable drive.

At this point there were people all over the rock formation to the left. They were climbing this outcropping of rock to take pictures and to get a better view. Not me!! Made my stomach funny just to see them out there.
We traveled to Eureka MT where we had made a reservation by phone for the night. We pulled into a campground that had the same name as the one I had called, to find out it wasn’t. This one was not an RV park, but a trailer park. So, we unhooked and went searching. Phil even went to the local Police Department and they had never heard of the campground. They called the campground number for us and the number was not a working number. So, we settled into their small city park to boondock for the night, $5.00 fee. It was a nice little park right by the river and there was a small museum and such next door.









We had a good time watching the locals enjoy the river and the park. There were also two couples tenting in the park. When we got up the next morning we discovered that a truck had pulled in after we went to bed and they had strung up three hammocks for sleeping. What they DIDN’’T know was that the sprinklers to water the grass come on automatically in the morning. We got the windshield of the truck washed, but they got a little more! They were rudely awakened by their uninvited morning shower and quickly packed up to leave!
We were not far behind them, heading north to Canada again. This time we were heading through British Columbia to Alberta for the Chapter 44 Escapee Rally. Again, we encountered some gorgeous scenery along the way.

 
The most remarkable site that we encountered was after Crowsnest Pass, known as Frank’s Slide. In 1903 there was a tremendous avalanche that buried most of the town of Frank in about 100 seconds. Somewhere between 70 to 90 people were lost. All of the granite boulders are still there and there is little to no vegetation growing in the area.

I would encourage you to just do a Google Search on Frank’s Slide, Alberta Canada and read about it.





You really need to see the site in person to begin to comprehend the vast area of devastation that took place. The Canadian government is still monitoring the mountain because it is still considered to be unstable. It makes me think back to all of the areas that we have driven through that were labeled ‘Slide area, do NOT stop!’.

We arrived at Pincher Creek just after noon and set up. We then went up to register for the rally and the fun began! We had a wonderful week of food, fun and fellowship with people that we did not know, but soon they all became good friends. We were at Heritage Acres in Alberta. There was a museum on site and there was lots of interesting things to see. Cars, tractors, a grain elevator, windmill, etc.  Check out the Picasa Web album to see all the pictures of neat things.
 

 

It was Chapter 44’s Fifteenth Anniversary so we were treated to a delicious Anniversary Dinner with Prime Rib and all the fixin’s. There was entertainment. The next night we feasted on leftovers and there was entertainment again. On Friday morning the gentlemen treated the ladies to a Hitch Up Breakfast. The ladies all dress up, including hats, and the gentlemen escort us to the tables and serve us coffee and breakfast. The men also did all of the cleanup. What a treat.

Maitre D and waiter…..








Thankfully I had a hat and boa with me! What fun.
We soon gave SKP hugs all around and began the next leg of our journey.









We ventured toward  Saskatchewan, but spent another night in Alberta. We found a campground in Medicine Hat that had Wifi, so that we could check email and see what was happening in the rest of the world. We had a super dinner at a buffet nearby that had both Chinese and American food. The next day we did travel into Saskatchewan and down into Montana. As we traveled south toward the US border from Swift Current, the road just kept getting more narrow and poorly maintained. We wondered several times if we had somehow gotten on the wrong road, but that would be difficult because there was only ONE road. We traveled very slowly and had no problems. There were only a few farms on the whole stretch of road. One has to wonder where these people shop and send their kids to school. They were truly in the BOONDOCKS!
We stayed at a small RV park in Malta MT. We had encountered a plague of grasshoppers and the front of the RV was COVERED. Phil (and everyone else that pulled into the campground) spent quite a bit of time cleaning the windshield and the front of the rig. What a job. The next day we traveled to Billings MT. Whoopee! They had a Sam’s Club.
We traveled on until we settled in Buffalo WY for two nights. This will give us time to catch our breath, do laundry and get ready for the Escapade.  We are looking forward to seeing a lot of friends and making some new ones.


Montana and Wyoming are pretty much high plains. There is a lot of hay and grass area for cattle to feed on. The mountains in the distance look like they have been painted on the sky.
  
Heading toward Gillette Wyoming and nine days of Escapee fun. I’ll keep you posted in a while……