Springtime in the Rockies

We left southwest Florida on April 12th and started our cross country trip to British Columbia. One of our biggest concerns of travelling at this time of year was the weather. Spring weather can be a wild mixture of leftover winter to April showers and even tornadoes in parts of the country.

Sunny, warm days accompanied us through Florida, Alabama and Louisiana. Shorts and T shirts all the way. Once we made a slight turn to the north and got into Texas, the clouds began to appear on the horizon and the nights were cooler. Time to put some heat in the motorhome at night and haul out the blue jeans.

The bluebonnets of Texas welcomed us to spring but the April showers also moved in. First showers, then downpours, then severe weather warnings of wind and rain. Approaching Amarillo, we checked on overnight stays at Walmart. We pulled into a large Walmart lot, one of three in that city, early in the afternoon and positioned the RV to take the brunt of the storm. Before long we were joined by others who wanted off the road. By late afternoon we had 16 RVs, by morning we had 20. A car, a truck and a van also joined to temporary campground.

The following day we travelled through small towns with flooded streets and intersections. They didn't appear to have built their streets with sewer run-offs and the rain collected 6-8 inches deep.

From Texas we travelled a new route for us into Colorado. Light rain and colder temperatures were felt as the elevation changed. The green grass and trees budding new leaves were signs of spring in this state that I had not visited before.

Next state was Wyoming, were the grasslands and rolling foothills spread for miles. Snowcapped mountains began to appear on the far horizon. Days were back to sunny and bright and we enjoyed time sitting outside soaking up the spring sunshine.

Since we were now in cattle country, a sign of spring were all the newborn calves. Watching them as well as the many herds of antelope, made the long drive more delightful.

Each day's travel brought us closer to the mountains and the bright sun shining down on the snow. Small run-off streams were running at their highest as the snow melted.

After living in the flatlands of Ontario and Florida, the mountains are truly majestic. Not so much fun to climb and descend in a motorhome.

BUT! what a glorious landscape to travel. Thirty-two hundred miles of scene after scene. Each day a different terrain and an appreciation of our chosen lifestyle.

Second Museum of the Day

After the walking tour of the Old State Prison we went on to the next museum in this small town. The brochure advertised "Cowboys, Cars and Cons". We left the Cowboy museum for our next trip to Deer Lodge and decided to go for the cars. What a pleasant surprise! Over 120 cars were featured! From the earliest in the early 1900's to the 1960's. Cars that have moved on to history, cars that had wonderful names like Hupmobile, Phaeton, Edsel,Nash Neopolitan, Pierce Arrow,Studebaker Hawk, Packards and a Ford Woody stationwagon. I couldn't possibly remember all their fascinating names. One of the surprises was the 1913 Electric car,built in Detroit and could travel 65 miles to a charge. Who dropped the ball and did not see the future in this car? Many of the cars took us for a stroll down memory lane. Bob has owned so many different cars in his lifetime that we were continually smiling and recollecting some of our fun days. Forty of these cars were on loan from a couple who live in Deer lodge and have their own collection of 46 antique cars. Other cars were on loan from individuals who had restored one or two cars and a few had been donated to the Museum. What a way to spend an afternoon in a small town in the middle of nowhere!

Deer Lodge, Montana

Our first visit to Deer Lodge, Montana was 44 yrs. ago. We loaded 4 young children into our station wagon and started across the northern states to visit Nanny Wiffen and Uncle Fred in British Columbia. A twin size mattress fit perfectly in the back and a box of tenting supplies rested on top of the wagon.

We pulled in to Deer Lodge and rented a room in a small motel. It is still there today. We took the kids out for dinner, if I remember correctly, it was spagetti for all. There was a large prison on the main street and we teased the kids about leaving them there.

Bob and I have visited this small town 3 times since then. We have found a lovely, RV park and a favourite restaurant. We swear that The Broken Arrow serves the best steaks we have ever tasted.

Today we visited the old prison which is now a Museum. A self-guided tour took us to all the facilities of this state prison. From solitary confinement, to the shop were they made licence plates, to the mess hall, to the cells, all surrounded by a stone wall and lookout posts with sirens and search lights.

Since Deer Lodge is a very small town, I doubt that this prison will ever be kept up as a museum. The buildings are slowly deteriorating, paint is flaking, sidewalks broken and a huge theatre has been burned.

More to come in the next blog. SERVING TIME!!

Where Has the Winter Gone?

The old saying "time flies when you're having fun", has new meaning. Almost six months have gone by since my last blog. It was fun and the time did fly! Relatives,new and old friends shared our many adventures and day by day experiences. The weather wasn't always to our liking, but our family back in ON kept reminding us how lucky we were. Now we have packed our things, said our goodbyes to friends and neighbours and are on the road again. The wind has really been at our backs and 2800 miles are behind us. Just another 500-600 mi. more to go, before we can get off the interstates and backroads and enjoy some R&R in British Columbia. Some details of our trip will be in following blogs.