Atlas Coal Mine Museum

Our last Harvest Host destination before arriving at Salem Acres Bible Camp was the Atlas Coal Mine Museum.  It was a great place to stay overnight along the Red Deer River and the tours the following day were really good. College aged interns from around Canada made up most of the staff. Peter, a young man from the nearby town of Drumheller was our mine tour guide. His grandfather worked the mine so he had an especially good insight into the operation of the mine. Read on for pictures.

Entering Alberta, Canada

It was a short drive from Conrad, MT to the Port of Sweetwater at the Canadian border. We paused in Sweetwater to make some calls to our banks to let them know of our travel plans so the fraud alerts wouldn't be triggered as we made purchases across the border.  While in a store in Sweetwater Jan found 'Artie' Fox our new mascot.  He now rides shotgun or minds the trailer in our absence.

'Artie' Fox Our Mascot

Warm River and Mesa Falls

Jan Feeds Large Trout Fish

We got ahead of the story a bit and forgot to describe our night camping after visiting the Legacy Flight Museum. We took a side track to the Warm River campground.  Before entering there is a turn out where huge trout wait to be fed. Jan had some fun filling their tummy's.

We got the last available space in the camp but were just across the road from the river.

Tucked in for the Night at Warm River Campground

Conrad, Montana

Remembering a Forgettable Breakfast in Conrad, MT

We continued heading north into Montana, which had some very beautiful stretches along the way. We considered spending the night in Great Falls at the Pilot travel plaza but decided to press on for a few more hours.

We accomplished a few more firsts as RVers at the Pilot station by breaking out the 'stinky slinky' to dump gray water and also taking on some potable water before heading out.

We stopped at a rest area along the I-15 planning to stay the night but it was so desolate that we decided it wasn't for us.  We drove on and found Pondera RV Park in Conrad, MT.  It was our first RV Park stop.   The managers were very helpful and friendly and having the power hookup was a bonus.  By this time we had pretty much figured out the toilet and water heater systems and actually began enjoying showers with warm water and no longer needed to strategically plan bathroom breaks. Water that had traveled with us through the Mojave was not too bad for a cold shower, but the water taken on in Montana definitely needed thermal enhancement and the water heater does the job well.

In the morning we walked into Conrad and had breakfast at the Home Cafe.  We love local breakfast cafes, especially good ones.  In spite of there being a number of locals in the cafe (always a good sign) this cafe will not be one will we look forward to coming back to. Home Cafe - home of the Mexican omelette that makes Taco Bell seem authentic.  The lesson is that your distance from the southwest should influence menu choice.

Legacy Flight Museum

Legacy Flight Museum - Rexburg, ID

We headed out of Boise to Rexburg, ID to visit the Legacy Flight Museum, another Harvest Host destination.  Unfortunately they were preparing for an airshow later in the week and could not provide us a place to park for the night.  They did point us to a camp at Warm River which turned out to be a very nice alternative. Look for a future post on Warm River and Mesa Falls.

We enjoyed the afternoon at the Legacy Flight Museum which included an amazing collection of military items of all sorts that is a private collection of a man and his son.  It included all sorts of small personal military relics, uniforms, rare guns, etc.  Truly a labor of love and a bonus to the display aircraft.  Enjoy the photos.

Visiting Family in Boise (Part 2)

Uncle Jim and 2002 Mustang GT

Here is the man that gave Ken his first motorcycle ride on his Triumph in the early 60's and first dirt hill climb on his Greeves 250 (Ken remembers holding on to Uncle Jim for dear life - it was awesome!).  He then spent many Sunday afternoons during Ken's teen years taking Ken riding, beginning with his Taco 22 mini bike, then Yamaha 80 and finally a Yamaha 125 MX. Uncle Jim kept these sometimes dodgy machines going deep in the hills near Lambs Canyon and mountain fire trails of the San Berdo mountains. Ken was never stranded because Uncle Jim was prepared and able.  He is one special man. He has always had one, sometimes two, cool cars.  He is pictured here, at age 95, with his cream puff 2002 Mustang GT.  What a guy!  More photos follow so read on.

Visiting Family in Boise Area (Part 1)

Visiting in Nampa

After we were situated at the Huston Vineyard we headed over to the Ferris's in nearby Nampa.  We had a great time catching up with the Ferris's and they prepared a great dinner for us. This time of year the evenings are long and pleasant in Nampa (though not as extended as what we are experiencing now further north in AB).