Leaving Bass Creek – July 2019

July 25, 2019November 6, 2019 Carol Carnicom1 Comment

Wednesday July 24: I spent last night at my my daughter Ang’s place, sleeping in Terry, the 30-year-old travel trailer that we gave her when we got Cougar a year ago. Ang makes coffee for us and we sit outside to enjoy the freshness of the morning. I help with a few chores around her place before she makes lunch using fresh beets and greens from her greenhouse.

Mullen blooming at Ang’s place
The first morning cup of coffee

Although I’d like to stay longer, Clifford and I have to get ready for our next move. In the mid-afternoon, I head back to our campsite in the Bass Creek Recreation Area, enjoying the peaceful drive through the mountains. In the evening, Clifford and I organize and pack up as much as possible for an early start tomorrow.

Thursday July 25: I am up earlier than usual this morning and take time to go to Bass Creek, following the path that leads out from the back of our camp. I want to get a couple more photos and spend some quiet time there before we leave. As I walk back toward our campsite, I can hear my brother Rollie’s dog barking, and it turns out that a moose walked right alongside the motor home on its way to the creek. I must have just missed it!

Our destination this morning is the Hardtimes Bluegrass Festival south of Hamilton, Montana, in the Bitterroot Valley. We get a later start than planned, but enjoy the drive down through the valley. The Bitterroot Mountains are impressive, to say the least.

We arrive at the Hardtimes location in time to choose a spot in the parking area with its boundary of round straw bales. Although it is not one of the pretty spots we’ve been able to find in previous years, this time we have Cougar and need more space, so we have decided to park where it is level with less wrangling and leveling involved. I’m grateful for the tall Ponderosa that will provide shade part of the day.

Cougar and friends in the parking area at Hardtimes Bluegrass Festival

After we get set up, I find Rollie camped almost exactly where we were last year. I am glad he has such a nice spot.

As the afternoon goes on, many other folks arrive and the parking area is side-by-side RV’s. Bluegrass tunes fill the air as musicians get out their instruments and begin jamming. A nice group of folks gather at Rollie’s motor home, and I join them for a bit, but mostly I don’t know the tunes that they play, so after awhile I head back to Cougar to make dinner for us and for Rollie. We sit outside in the shade of the awning to eat, and tonight it is my turn to win at cribbage. Later, I walk out away from the RV’s at dusk to take photos of the mountains and the evening light.

The scheduled on-stage music starts tomorrow, but tonight jamming continues until the wee hours.

Fun with Family Days – July 2019

July 22, 2019November 3, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Wednesday July 17: This morning my brother Rollie and his little dog Ninja come out to the Bass Creek Recreation Area (Charles Waters Campground) in the Bitterroot Valley of western Montana where Clifford and I are camped, as of yesterday afternoon. After he arrives and gets his motor home set up, he takes me to our sister’s place where my car has been stored all winter. All we are doing is getting the battery out to trade in on a new one. I say all, as I stand and watch as he wrestles with the tight space and the difficulties of getting the battery out.

Back at camp, we get out our instruments to play some bluegrass music. I’ve gotten better with playing fiddle tunes on the viola, so it is a lot of fun to get together. For dinner, we sit at the picnic table at our site, and I almost get skunked at cribbage.

Thursday July 18: Clifford and I make a trip into Missoula to get a new battery for my car and we go to Barnes & Nobles for our bookstore fix. Back at camp, Rollie and I play music again, dinner at the picnic table again, and I lose at cribbage again. LOL

Friday July 19: Rollie puts the new battery in my car, so now I have wheels. In the evening, several of my siblings and their spouses come to our campsite for a potluck dinner. So fun to chat with all of them, and I am so busy talking and eating that I don’t take enough photos!

Saturday July 20: Today is Alberton Railroad Days, a money-raiser for the town of Alberton, Montana. My daughter, Ang, is the president of the non-profit that puts on this event. Vendors, music, a parade, an Antique Auto show, and a shoot-out are among the activities. Rollie and I play bluegrass music as our contribution. After he and I play for our allotted time, he goes off to play with the Old Time Fiddlers, while I join up with another daughter, Merri, to look for the Golden Spike, which has been hidden with tricky clues to its whereabouts. No one finds the Golden Spike, so the pot will be bigger next year. It is late by time Rollie and I return to camp at Bass Creek.

Sunday July 21: Today good friends come to visit. Ken and I have been friends since we were in 7^th grade orchestra together. Ken, his sweet wife, Shelley Anne, and I hike up the Bass Creek Trail to a lovely calm section below a waterfall. It is so enjoyable to spent time together, having known each other for many decades.

Flowers along…
Bass Creek Trail

Monday July 22: Today Rollie and I drive out to see our sister, Lillian, who lives not far from where our dad grew up, and about fifteen miles from where we are camped. We have lunch on the patio, appreciating the time together. While Lillian and I do some of my mending, Rollie plays fiddle tunes for us on his mandolin.

Back at camp, our sister, Nancy, comes out and we hike up the trail, enjoying the sounds of the creek tumbling alongside us. Back at camp, while I make nachos for dinner for all of us, Rollie and Nancy play their mandolins. What fun family days!

Bass Creek: We Have Arrived – July 2019

July 16, 2019November 2, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Tuesday July 16: It is a beautiful morning at Divide Bridge Campground, near the small town of Divide in southwest Montana, but Clifford and I are continuing the journey north today. We have a little breakfast, make tea and lemonade for the thermoses, and are on our way by 10:00 a.m. We travel north on I-15 to the junction onto I-90, then northwest all the way to Missoula.

Morning light on the trees at Divide Bridge Campground

Jet trails mar the sky, so I don’t take many photos, but I am happy to catch a glimpse of the Clark Fork River, a very important waterway in western Montana. This portion of the journey is pleasant with enjoyable scenery, as well as not much traffic and not so windy as earlier segments of the trip.

Arriving in Missoula, we take Highway 93 south down the Bitterroot Valley, with the great Bitterroot Mountains to the west and the Sapphire Mountains to the east. I feel a connection to this valley, as my mother was born and grew up here, and my father’s parents moved to this valley when he was a child, so he also was raised here. Two of my sisters, as well as cousins, nephews and nieces, still live in the Bitterroot Valley.

Our destination is the Charles Waters Campground in the Bass Creek Recreation Area in the foothills of the Bitterroot Mountains about 25 miles south of Missoula. We arrive early enough to have a good choice of spots and are pleased to find a pull-through site that we especially like the looks of. It is a roomy spot with a mix of sun and shade, a view of the woods, and a path to nearby Bass Creek.

Our campsite at Charles Waters Campground

Blossoms at…
Charles Water Campground

We get set up and then Clifford works with his ham radios while I go for a walk to explore our surroundings. In the early evening, we leave to meet up with a couple of my delightful daughters for dinner at the Lumber Jack Saloon north of Lolo, Montana. It is a bit further than we thought and there is much traffic on highway 93, so we are a bit late getting there, but once we arrive, we have an absolutely marvelous time with my girls!

We have tasty steak sandwiches, good Montana beer on tap, and dance to music from the jutebox. The lighting wasn’t great for photos, but that is a small matter compared to the great fun time there. As Clifford and I head back to our campsite, we catch the last of the sunset over Lolo Peak.

Back at camp, while Clifford works with his ham radio setup, I edit photos to send to my girls, then read “Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe” until bedtime.

Montana We Are Here – July 2019

July 15, 2019November 1, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Monday July 15: Today is a long day of driving as we leave southern Idaho and cross into Montana, traveling north on I-15, arriving at Divide Bridge Campground in the mid-afternoon.

This is a lovely BLM campground in a very scenic area alongside the Big Hole River, just a few miles from the little town of Divide, Montana. The campground is well-maintained with lawns and flowers on one loop, and left more natural on the other loop. Clean restrooms and good water are much appreciated.

Flowers at….
Divide Bridge…
Campground

We are happy to have arrived early enough to get a spot by the Big Hole River, in fact it is the spot we had the very first time we stayed here. It is not so hot here as it has been thus far on the trip, a pleasant relief. The mosquitoes aren’t too bad when we first arrive, so once we are set up, we sit outside for awhile, happy to be here with time to relax this afternoon.

When it starts to rain, the mosquitoes become problematic, so Clifford goes inside to take a nap and I walk about to take photos of the river and the flowers. Back at the campsite, since I didn’t have coffee this morning, I make a French press coffee and do some editing before starting dinner. After dinner, dishes are done, awing is in, herbs are in. We are mostly ready for leaving in the morning. We like this campground and wouldn’t mind staying longer, but we have places to go and people to see…. Family awaits in northwest Montana.

Big Hole River at Divide Bridge Campground

Diamond to Southern Idaho – July 2019

July 14, 2019October 31, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Sunday July 14: As soon as we get up, I make tea and coffee for the thermoses. After yogurt and fruit for breakfast, we pack up the little that needs packing – we weren’t here long enough to really unpack much. Everything is in place and we are ready to leave Diamond Campground, south of Spanish Forks, Utah, by 9:00 a.m. This was such a beautiful spot, I am sad to leave.

Packed and ready to leave Diamond Campground, south of Spanish Forks, Utah

Heading north on Highway 6, we soon enter I-15 and everything is good until we get to Provo. Without warning, we enter a construction area where the lanes narrow and curve this way and that, and the speed limit does not slow traffic down nearly enough. We are nearly side-swiped by a semi trying to come alongside, but he pulls back and we make it through okay. After miles and miles of fast-paced traffic, it is such a relief when we finally make it through the Salt Lake City complex.

We stop for lunch at Tremonton, Utah, then continue on north, still on I-15 until we reach the Devils Creek Reservoir, north of Malad City in southern Idaho.

Southern Idaho landscape north of Malad City

We pull off to check out boondocking here, and driving past the marina and the RV park, we find a fishing access at the far end of the reservoir. We park here and while Clifford naps, I walk down to the reservoir to take a few photos. The water is low, but the hills are very green for this time of year. I talk to a nice family of grandparents, parents, and kids playing and fishing at the water’s edge.

Clifford is refreshed from his nap and we continue on.

A big thunderstorm near Pocatello, Idaho, cools the air from upper 90’s to mid 70’s, but once we are out of the storm, the temperature climbs again.

The landscape changes as we near Idaho Falls

Beneath the sagebrush are glimpses of great lava fields

We are grateful to arrive at the Idaho Falls Walmart and find a spot to park along the edge of the lot where there is strip of grass, a few trees, and thistles blooming on the ridge above. We stock up on supplies and sundries at Walmart, then walk to the nearby Panda express for dinner.

Back at Cougar, we sit outside to enjoy the lovely sunset and the pleasant coolness of the evening, chatting as we watch the moon play hide ‘n seek with the clouds.

Great sunset seen from Idaho Falls Walmart parking lot

A hiss gives us but a second warning before the sprinkler system comes on. Our backsides are soaked by water hitting us full-blast as we dash inside, rescuing cell phones and books as we go.

It is not a restful night, as each time the sprinkler comes on, the water hitting the side of Cougar is deafening. There is also a lot of traffic, lights, and city noise – but it is convenient and free.

Diamond Campground-Utah – July 2019

July 13, 2019October 30, 2019 Carol Carnicom1 Comment

Saturday July 13: Clifford and I are spending today camped at Diamond Campground off highway 6, south of Spanish Forks, Utah. This is a beautiful campground and a day here is a day of restoration before we continue the northward journey for the summer.

For a morning walk, I hike to the bluff above the campground, walk the length of it, enjoying thistles in bloom and various meadow grasses that live here. In the distance are the mountains of northern Utah.

Grasses and…
blooming thistles

Mountains of northern Utah in the distance

Eventually I find a trail that leads down off the bluff, coming out at the far end of the campground. As I walk back to our campsite, I notice the great variety of trees that grow here, providing beauty, shade, and privacy for all of us who are camped here. After breakfast, Clifford and I hike a ways on the Discovery Trail, which runs along the creek and parallel to the campground. Kiosks along the way provide the history of the area, as well as describing the plants and animals that live here.

A trail off the bluff to campground below

A creek runs…
along the trail…
and flowers…
are in bloom

In the afternoon, while Clifford works with his ham radios, I edit manuscripts for the authors I am working with. Sitting outside, Clifford plays his dulcimer and I review photos taken this morning. A thunderstorm with wind and rain causes us to take the awning in and move our activities inside. However, after the storm passes, we are treated to a most gorgeous double rainbow.

Right at sunset, I head out for one more walk, taking the Discovery Trail up an incline to a different bluff. My feet and legs are thoroughly wet from the grasses along the trail, but it was well worth the effort for the view.

On the Road Again – July 2019

July 12, 2019October 29, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Thursday July 11: I am up early this morning for last preparations before leaving on our summer trip northward. I make coffee, write in journal, and prepare thermoses of tea before Clifford gets up. After smoothies, we finish packing the last minute items, making sure bathroom, kitchen, and lab are in good order.

The to-do list has been very helpful, as most everything has been taken care of ahead of time and what’s left is on a check list so we don’t get down the road and wonder if we remembered such-and-such. It is 1:45 p.m. by time we finally pull out of base-camp, as I like to call our place here in Monticello, Utah.

I take photos as we travel, saying good-bye to the southeast Utah canyon country. It is 100 degrees by time we reach Moab and hot all the way to Price. Increasing winds make the last portion of the journey harder and we are very grateful to pull into the Walmart parking lot, driving around to the far side to park out of the way. Although it is still hot here, it is not as windy in town.

Castle Rock – Highway 191 north of Monticello, Utah

Wilson Arch – Highway 191 north of Monticello, Utah

Approaching Moab & LaSal Mountains in the distance – Highway 191, Utah

Southeast Utah Canyon Country – Highway 191

I’m too tired and hungry to feel like shopping, but after taking time for a late lunch, I go in to buy supplies while Clifford naps. It is dark but still warm outside when I finish up in Walmart. I put perishables in the fridge, but let the rest go and head to bed.

Friday July 12: This morning we pick up a few more supplies, and after fruit & yogurt for breakfast, we are on our way. The wind is not so bad this morning, but there is a crazy amount of traffic on highway 6, and we are very relieved to get off this busy winding highway at the turnoff to Diamond Campground, south of Spanish Forks, Utah.

Diamond Campground is one of our favorite overnight places, being located in a scenic valley off the highway. The downside is that most sites are reservation only. We consider ourselves fortunate to find a really great spot with shade on a Friday. It is one of our easiest set-ups with the pads being level enough to not even need the levelers.

After lunch, Clifford gets his ham radio set up and I spend most of the afternoon walking around the campground, hiking the Discovery Trail, and hiking to the bluff above the campsite near sunset.

A creek runs through the campground and it so GREEN here

Thistle in bloom
Something pretty

View from the bluff near sunset with Cougar below

After dinner I edit today’s photos, grateful that we will be here another day, a day to relax before the big push to Montana.

Return to Base-camp – May 2019

May 9, 2019October 19, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Tuesday May 7: Clifford and I have enjoyed our time in New Mexico the past couple of weeks, but it is time to head back to “base-camp” and the lab in Utah. After making tea for the thermoses, we say good-bye to our friends here in Santa Fe where we have been parked the last couple of days, and we are on our way by 10:30 a.m.

The wind is not a problem today, which makes for easier and safe travel. I take lots of photos of the New Mexico landscape along the way, and we arrive in Farmington in the northwest corner of the state by mid-afternoon.

On the road from Santa Fe to Farmington, New Mexico

After parking in a far corner of the Walmart parking lot, we go in to buy what we need for a good lunch.

Then naps, although I finish reading Erica Elliott’s book, Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert first. Later we go back into the store to stock up on groceries and sundries that we will need in the upcoming weeks.

We have leftover Dions pizza for an easy and tasty dinner. I do some photo editing, but am too tired for much of anything else. Clifford is up late with his project – writing tablature for his dulcimer music.

Clifford works on tablature for dulcimer

We are keeping an eye on the weather forecast, as strong headwinds may make travel tomorrow very difficult. We will check again in the morning.

Wednesday May 8: It is windy and raining here in Farmington this morning as I start packing up after a little breakfast. After checking the weather forecast, we decide to stay put. We are somewhat reluctant because of the Walmart policy on overnight parking, but it is not a good idea to drive in the strong wind and rain, either. We do a bit more shopping, take naps, and while it is not a very productive day from my side, we are both relieved to not be traveling today.

Thursday May 9: It is calm this morning and after making thermoses of tea and snacks for the road, we head west from Farmington to Shiprock, north to Cortez, Colorado, and west to Monticello, Utah, traveling through three of the four states that make up the Four Corners. Jet trails crisscross the sky on much of this journey, turning it a drab grey, so I don’t take many photos.

New Mexico formation near Colorado border

Before we reach Dove Creek, it starts to rain and sleet. I had planned to buy us lunch at Wild Coffee in Dove Creek, but we are disappointed when we get there to find that it has been closed and replaced with a liquor store.

So, on to Monticello, arriving in early afternoon to a rainy and chilly 38 degrees. Everything looks to be in good shape here. We only unload the herbs, our instruments, and enough food to make lunch. It is a good day for a long nap. Tomorrow will be soon enough to shift gears and settle into the home-base and lab routine.

More Days in Santa Fe – May 2019

May 6, 2019October 19, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Sunday May 5: Clifford and I visit with our friends as we pack up, and then we say our goodbyes before we head back to Santa Fe. The wind has come up, but luckily it is not a long drive.

We find our way to our friend Diana’s house and park on the street. It is not a wide street, so we can only have the slide-out out just enough to barely squeeze through from the front room to the bedroom.

Diana fixes us a tasty tortilla lunch, and then Clifford and I go with Diana and her housemate Martha to a lecture being given by a doctor of alternative medicine. It turns out that it is Erica Elliott talking about her beginning years teaching in a Navajo boarding school in Chinle, Arizona. Erica was one of Clifford computer clients when we lived in Santa Fe. We didn’t know that she had had an earlier career as a teacher. She has an amazing life story and it was so fun to listen to her talk of that of time in her life.

After the talk, we bought her book, Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert, and she gave Clifford a big hug. Our friend John is also there, and we all head back over to Martha and Diana’s house after the talk for a delicious chicken dinner and great conversation. Later I start reading Erica’s book and stay up way too late. It is so interesting, it is hard to put it down.

Monday May 6: This morning Diana and Clifford work on a CI project, indexing his notebooks, as Diana is going to participate in this somewhat tedious job. While they are working, I walk along the nearby arroyo.

In the afternoon Clifford and I run our errands to the bank, Trader Joe, and a couple other stops, including the Violin Shop, as I hope to get a different chin rest for my viola. It turns out they don’t have the chin rest that I need, but I buy a better bow, so it was not a wasted trip. We also go to the Santa Fe Baking Company, which has been renamed and improved under new ownership, but what is the same is the apple tree by the outdoor patio seating area, and it is at the peak of its bloom.

Apple blossoms
The New Santa Fe Baking Company

For dinner, Diana, Martha, and I go to Dion’s Pizza. Clifford is napping, so he misses out. Later in the evening, Clifford plays his dulcimer and I stay up reading until midnight. Being in Santa Fe and doing stuff with friends sure has been fun, but tomorrow we start the final leg of our journey back to Utah.

A Hidden Valley – May 2019

May 4, 2019October 17, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Saturday May 4: Clifford and I are staying another day to visit with our dear friends near Las Vegas, New Mexico, as it is not often that we get to see them. After sharing a potluck lunch, they take us on an outing to a place they call Hidden Valley. It is a fun drive into the deserts of New Mexico.

Rocks and …
and a stone pathway designed by Nature

Later afternoon, back at their place, we watch a documentary on some of the relatively unknown, but very interesting, aspects of secret societies and other such stuff. We visit while sharing dinner, then Clifford and I return to Cougar. Clifford works on his music project and I edit photos before packing for an early start tomorrow, hoping to beat the wind as we head back to Santa Fe. It has been great visiting here with these special people, but it is time for us to continue the journey back to the CI lab in Utah.

Apple blossoms nurtured by our friends,
and wildflowers,

Quiet Walk Photography

Portfolio and Travel Blog

Category: RV Camping