August 21:Glacier Park to Paradise Valley

Starting trip mileage 5660 miles.

Heading out at 5:30 we went down 89 and then took the straight Hwy 2 over to I15. Route 89 was mountainous but nice in the early light. Route 2 was flat and straight with grassland and some wheat. With the boys still asleep we rolled smoothly down I15 through big-time wheat land. There were interesting wide strip patterns where they were apparently doing some kind of rotation with the wheat. We saw combines in the field and on the road.

We stopped at a rest area next to the Teton River and had breakfast. I was still enjoying blackberries we picked in Oregon with my cereal.

The wheat land persisted through Great Falls but then we got rolling forested hills and started down the valley of the Missouri River. The Missouri River gorge was very beautiful - a recreation area.

We dropped off the I15 at Boulder and had lunch at a small park. After that stop the new starter wouldn't crank us! We rolled it off and headed out, planning to take 69 across to I90. Having had some bad road experiences, we stopped and hailed a guy doing some work on a house and asked him about 69. He said all the truckers went that way, and the I15 toward Butte was torn up, with construction stops.

Highway 69 followed the river valley, but it was not a serpentine river track like some of that in Idaho. It was a wide open fast road in view of the small river. There was open pasture and hay land and the rising hills - beautiful country.

We hit I90 to Livingston and drove about 10 miles south on 89 to the KOA at Paradise Valley. It really looked like a paradise - a fabulous mountain background. We went through 2 miles of pasture, crossed the Yellowstone River on a steel frame bridge built in 1910 and entered the campground in full view of the mountains.

It was a very smooth 400 mile trip and we reached the campground about 4 PM and so got to relax a little. I was happy to have some good photo opportunities with the mountains, river, clouds and grazing livestock. The boys were happy to have an indoor swimming pool which they were in before we got the camper placed.

Later a dramatic thundershower rolled over the mountains. We prepared for rain but it didn't come until after we were bedded for the night.