Wallace Idaho – Quiet Walk Photography

July 5, 2023April 19, 2026

Road to Montana – July 2023

Thursday June 29, 2023.

We leave Willow Creek Campground at Wards Charcoal Oven Nevada State Park as soon as we finish packing. Seems like we have more to do this time, maybe because we have been at this location for three weeks as we waited on the repairs to the Suburban at a mechanic shop in Ely, Nevada.

It is approaching noon by time we get going. We are heading north on US highway 93, the main north/south route through eastern Nevada. Nevada is very green, especially for a desert state. We arrive at the pullout north of Wells, Nevada, near the wildlife bridge in late afternoon, about 160 miles, a long day’s drive for us.

Cougar at the Pullout North of Wells, Nevada

I pick up trash so we can enjoy sitting outside for a snack before napping. We have spent the night at this spot before. It is convenient, but always trashy. It has the convenience of being on our route and there is decent cell service, which is always a plus. And it is scenic in a Nevada desert sort of way.

Sunset at the Pullout North of Wells, Nevada

Friday June 30

We are up and on our way after a quick breakfast of fruit and yogurt. I take a photo of my favorite tree here at this pull out with the East Humboldt Range in the background, with snow still on the peaks.

Today is another 160 miles to reach Burley, Idaho, Walmart. It is quite a hot day, so it is nice to shop at Walmart in the coolness as we pick up some groceries and supplies. Our time in Nevada has been devoid of big towns or Walmarts, so it is quite the sensory experience to go shopping. Panda Express is within walking distance and makes an easy dinner for us – someone else to cook and clean up. Later, while Clifford naps, I check text, email, and do lots of duolingo. Having cell service again is quite the treat. I just don’t have the time or energy to work on the bigger project of preparing the next blog.

Saturday July 1

We have an even longer drive today from Burley to the rest area at Dubois, Idaho. As we are leaving Burley, we discover the differential is dripping oil. We stop at a Maverick station before getting back on Interstate 84 to check it and check again at a rest area, and since it doesn’t seem to be worse, we keep on going.

Today is in the 90’s with no air conditioning in the vehicle, so we are glad for evening and cooler temperatures when we reach Dubois. Luckily, our favorite spot on the edge of the parking lot next to the grass median is available. We check the dripping oil again, but it still seems stable. As usual, I pick up trash before we sit out for a while.

Dark clouds build to the north and the wind picks up. The wind becomes stronger with rain and we head inside. Cougar is rocking and rolling and we are glad to be parked right next to a semi that is blocking the wind. After a while, the wind calms down, the rain stops, but within a few minutes the wind hits from the south. Very odd. It is as though the calm moments were the eye of the storm. Sure glad we weren’t still on the highway, as it would have been very dangerous. We have nachos for dinner, glad for a safe place to spend the night.

Sunday July 2

We leave Dubois, Idaho, mid morning and only have to drive 135 miles to reach our next destination, Divide Bridge Campground south of Butte, Montana. We plan to stay long enough to get through the 4^th of July holiday.

After spending the winter in Arizona, it is nice to be back in Montana.

We arrive at Divide Bridge Campground in mid afternoon and there are several sites available, including one by the Big Hole River. This well-maintained BLM campground is always a good stop for us. The river sites are my favorite, but one has to deal with mosquitoes. Well, maybe they won’t be too bad this time!

Campsite at Divide Bridge Campground Near Divide, Montana

After we get set up, I walk up to the tree line on the hill behind the campground, as I can get a bit of cell service there, enough to receive and send text. That is helpful, as I can let family know how our itinerary is shaping up. As I walk, I pass by a grave marker in this scenic location. It is old and I am curious to know who Dennis O’Boyle was. I can only barely make out the letters of his name and the date.

Monday July 3

It is not so hot today, which is great. The morning starts with puffy cumulus clouds, but becomes overcast by afternoon. Today is kind of a catching up day after several days of travel, catching up with journal and going up the hillside to catch up with text and email.

Rock Outcrop Dominates the Landscape at Divide Bridge Campground

The mosquitoes aren’t driving us crazy (yet), and Clifford even felt well enough to sing and play outside, which he hasn’t been able to do for a while.

Tuesday July

Today there is a mix of cloud and sun with a cool breeze, so much nicer than the 90’s we experienced on the drive here. The mosquitoes are not around in the cool morning, but they come out in the warmth of the afternoon. I try burning coffee grounds as a repellent, as I had heard that works, but either I am not doing it right, or the mosquitoes didn’t get the memo. I walk about for a few photos of the river and flowers, but mostly I stay inside to enjoy the view out my big window away from the mosquitoes.

Wednesday July 5

We make the decision to leave Divide Bridge Campground today because of the mosquitoes. Leaving today wasn’t the plan, so I didn’t pack anything last night, but we are getting to be quite efficient with packing and are on our way by 10:00.

Despite the mosquitoes, this is one of our favorite campgrounds and we will no doubt stay here again some day.

September 23, 2022December 21, 2024

As Autumn in Montana Approaches – September 2022

Wildfire Smoke at Sunrise in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana

September starts with a family reunion hosted by my sister Nancy and her husband Dick, a memorial to our Uncle Ted. Our Aunt Doris is there, as are nephews, nieces, and their families. It is really enjoyable for me to see my aunt as well as numerous cousins. My sister-in-law Sheryl kindly shared some of her photos of the family that are posted in this blog.

A few days later I head over the mountain to visit my daughter Ang for her birthday and to continue fixing up my RV to make it more homey. It’s starting to look like a sweet cozy home.

When Nancy and I went to Wallace at the end of August to visit my daughter Katie, the sky was a beautiful blue, but wildfire smoke moved in right after that and it is now exceedingly smoky from wildfires near Salmon, Idaho, Flathead Lake in Montana, and Oregon. Looking at photos taken on morning walks, it is hard to discern whether it’s mist or smoke, and unfortunately, it is smoke.

Some mornings I don’t seem to have much energy – maybe the colder temperatures, maybe the smoke, but I have been neglecting my usual morning quiet time sitting outside with inspirational reading and journal.

Happily, a few days later there is a reprieve from the smoke and the sky is once again a beautiful blue. Nancy and I walk to the Bitterroot River where I enjoy taking photos of the reflections on a slow moving side channel.

Reflection on the Bitterroot River Side Channel

Since Clifford and I will be leaving Montana soon, I take a few days to visit Ang, as we still have some editing to do on the last book of her epic fantasy series, Novels of Shannon (now Saga of Sha’ha’non). While I am there, I enjoy having coffee with Ang in the mornings, harvesting herbs, and sitting by a campfire in the evening.

Clifford and I make final trips to Missoula to get the supplies we will need for our journey south for the winter. Day by day we are watching the weather. We have modified our plans to go to Wyoming as it is already too cold there. Instead, we will take a new-for-us route through eastern Nevada. One afternoon before leaving, we take time for a brief outing to the Bitterroot River for photos.

I am grateful for the time I’ve had with my kids and my siblings and their families this summer. They are all dear and special people in my life. It will be several months before I see them again, but I will be wishing them well-being at all times.

October 27, 2021November 26, 2022

Montana to Black Rock – October 2021

Autumn colors in the Bitterroot Valley of western Montana

After the trip to Wallace with my sister Nancy, the next few days are spent reorganizing Suburban and Cougar in preparation for leaving Montana. Clifford and I want to be on our way before the weather turns colder than it has been. The autumn colors are at their best in the nearby woods. Nancy and I walk to the side channel of the Bitterroot River one more time.

Thursday, October 21, Clifford and I finish packing and leave Florence a little after noon. The autumn colors along the Clark Fork River are quite striking as we head east from Missoula toward Butte.

Although we usually stop at the rest area south of Butte on I-15 or at Divide Bridge Campground, this time we push on through to the rest area at Dubois, Idaho, arriving at sunset, 284 miles, a very long day for us.

The next day is windier, so not as easy driving, and we stop at the Devil’s Creek RV park in southern Idaho around 3:00. We set up on the far end of the reservoir rather than in one of the RV sites. I have time to post photos to the RV Bunch on FB, play fiddle, and make dinner before heading to bed. A good productive day despite the hours on the road.

Drizzle and rain in the night and the misty morning provide some photo opportunities for me.

Misty morning at Devil’s Creek Reservoir

We take time to repair the rear view camera and leave Devil’s Creek about 2:00 in the afternoon.

Construction as we approach Salt Lake City slows us down, but we arrive at the Perry, Utah, Walmart about 4:00 and are happy to get a spot along the median with grass and a tree.

The next morning is Sunday, October 24. We always plan our drive through SLC on Sunday so there isn’t as much traffic. We are up early enough to do a bit more shopping and leave by 10:00, but we are disappointed that the rear view camera is still not working despite our working on it. Driving through SLC is taxing enough, but doing it without a camera makes it even worse. As we drive through Salt Lake City, we feel the wind starting to pick up.

By time we get to Beaver, 200 miles to the south on I-15, we pull off and find a place to park in a trashy dirt lot behind the Flying J. It is very windy now and we are both glad to be off the highway and parked for the night.

Monday is much too windy for travel and despite putting down the stabilizers, which we don’t usually do for an overnight stop, we are rocking and rolling in the wind all day. We bundle up against the wind and walk to nearby Denny’s for a meal. We keep busy the rest of the day with our various projects.

Working on projects on a windy day in Beaver, Utah

Our friend David calls to see if we are still in Montana. He informs us that the campground in the Virgin River Gorge where we had planned to go, which also happens to be where we met him several years ago, is closed. That is disappointing to us, but David encourages us to go to Black Rock Road and camp there near where he is set up.

When I open the door the next morning, I am surprised and delighted to see a landscape covered with snow. Trash has disappeared under white fluffiness.

As the sky clears, snow on the nearby mountains is quite scenic.

We are not traveling today, waiting for the roads over mountain passes to clear. Cell service is good here, so both Clifford and I work on our projects, mostly editing for me, and for Clifford, whatever he has going on.

By Wednesday, the 27^th, the snow is mostly gone and the highways are clear, so we leave Beaver and head south through St. George, and cross the border into Arizona.

With David’s directions, we find our way to the spot he has suggested for us on Black Rock Road. There are desert views in every direction and gently rising hills in this valley basin, sloping down to a wash and upward to nearby mesas, but not a single tree. The acres and acres of creosote are green and alive, but without trees, it feels kind of exposed and barren to me.

I appreciate the views, and how peaceful and private it is here, but coming from the mountains, trees, and rivers of Montana, Black Rock will take some getting used to for this Mountain Girl.

Late afternoon sunlight on creosote with mesas on the horizon, peaceful and private

October 16, 2021November 18, 2022

Wallace and the Pulaski Trail – October 2021

Despite the chilly nights, I spend a couple more days visiting my daughter Ang. The western larch turning gold and a dusting of snow is a reminder that winter is just around the corner.

A dusting of snow on Lolo Peak and surrounding hills.

In mid-October, my sister Nancy and I make a trip to Wallace to visit Katie. The drive to Wallace is quite beautiful with the cottonwoods along the Clark Fork River and the western larch on the mountainsides all dressed in their autumn colors.

Travel to Wallace, Idaho, over Lolo Pass

Western Larch on the mountainsides turning gold

Upon our arrival in Wallace, my daughter Katie shows us the apartment that she has renovated for her family above the historic Metals Bar, which she now owns.

We have a tasty lunch at the Blackboard Cafe and stroll around Wallace admiring the autumn colors and the historic buildings, many of which were built out of brick after the infamous forest fires of 1910 destroyed part of the town.

Wallace buildings date back to the early 1900’s

Trees tower over the buildings on Bank Stree

Then Nancy and I go for a hike on the Pulaski Trail. That trail was one of my favorite places when Clifford and I lived in Wallace. Nancy and I hike a half mile to the waterfall that I used to call Fairyland Falls.

View from the bridge over Placer Creek on the Pulaski Trail

After the hike, we say good-bye to Katie and head back to Florence.

Nancy and Carol on the streets of Wallace, Idaho

A stop at Elmer’s Fountain, a natural artesian well just a few miles from Wallace finishes off a full day-trip and we arrive back in Florence just before dark.