On our way to Big Timber, Montana where we will camp with Ted & Anne.  These trees are growing straight, the rock mountain is wavering about. The changing landscape keeps us from being bored as we travel eastbound on I-90 from Missoula to Big Timber. It is located sort of in the middle of the state right off I-90. We are seeing the drier, flatter parts of Montana as we leave western Montana. There are still dramatic views of small mountain ranges as we are not in the rolling prairie land of eastern Montana.

The Clark Fork River flows through this ranch.  The rivers & streams of Montana provide the water needed to irrigate farmland & needed for the  folks living here. In the settlement days, a natural water source was a must as there were no ‘water districts’ to bring water to you.  As time went on, canal ditches were dug to take water from these rivers to ranches without a water supply for irrigation. Most towns have water districts now to provide water for ‘townies’.

We cross the continental divide each year in a number of places.  Always a source of wonder about who figured this out & how did they.

For about 20-25 miles on a downhill grade of I-90 Gary got to practice driving in a very, very tight situation.  Calm & collected, he handled it well, while I chewed my fingernails & wondered when a truck coming the other way would rip off our side mirror (it was sooo tight our mirror was over the barricade) or some piece of equipment on our side would tear off our awning struts. Speed limit ranged from 25 mph to 35 mph, thank goodness. Took forever to get past this!

Rain threatens as we pass by this dirt road in the middle of wheat fields.  From the middle of the picture to the left you can see three poles. These are supporting wind generators.  Have no idea what they’re generating for.  No towns about. No homes in sight.

We’re here!  Just a short distance out of town on Montana SR-298 we see the sign for the place we’ll call home for the next 12 days. The weather is pleasant & we’re looking forward to meeting up with Ted & Anne again.

We have just turned off  We will continue on this road about 1/4 mile.  It drops down to a narrow valley that contains the campground, shade trees & the Boulder River. These three horses are bestest friends.  Yeah, there are 3 there. Their tails are swinging violently to keep the flies away.  They have a very large pasture to roam & they pretty much hang together while roaming. They do seem to enjoy greeting the motorhomes and frequently plant themselves right where you see them.

The white motorhome is ours. The Boulder River is just behind the white truck/trailer on the right.  We are backed up against a hillside.  We could have gotten a space by the water, but with no sewer hookups on the river & a 12 day stay, we opted for a site with all hookups.

Anne & Ted’s motorhome is tucked in the trees also.  The layout of the back row in this campground is a bit strange. They are parked perpendicular to us & we are looking out our side window at the nose of their coach. To the center right of the picture is one of the 3 fishing ponds maintained in the park.  It is great fun to watch the young campers fishing, many for the first time.

Yep, indeed!

On the road leading into the campground, I caught this shot of a storm moving in. Almost daily this occurred.  No rain, just the threat.

The weather is a bit warm.  Getting into the 80’s at times, but with cool, cool nights.  Somehow the snow is still evident on many of the mountains surrounding the area.

Above: These tiny flowers peek out from bushes & grasses to try to get a bit of sun.

Left:  These dying leaves still seek the sun as the bush’s berries begin to ripen.

The campground is spread along the Boulder River. It is still running high & fast from snow melt. As you look under the trees & can see a bit beneath the water, you can see the river was aptly named.

The river is heading north to merge with the Yellowstone River as it runs behind the cabins in the campground.  The picnic table in the foreground helps give perspective on the width of the river.

The campground has hundreds of feet of shoreline.  In normal times, you can fish from the shore here with good expectations of catching a few fish.  Not this year.  :(

Pretty, though.

Depending on satellite for TV while camping under trees brings out the resourcefulness of people. This guy ran a LOT of line & had to climb this steep hill to place his dish on top.  Worked though, so I guess it was worth it.  Some people want the entertainment that TV brings. Others are interested in the news.  Or maybe both.  We watch very little TV. News, mostly.

A little slice of heaven, eh?  The back of Ted’s coach can be seen on the left. This campground is difficult to photograph.  You are looking at part of one ‘wing’ of it. The other side of the campground has tent areas as well as some RV spots.  But, this oddly laid out back row is the only place in the park with sewer hookups.

The camper cabins, with the river immediately behind them, face one of the fishing ponds.

Gary & Ted decided to play golf.  A first for Ted.  They had a great time at the golf course at Big Timber.  Gary had high praise for his brother’s natural ability with the golf clubs.  Ted provided these golf course pictures.

About 20+ miles up SR-298 from the campground is the town of McCleod.  It consists of a garage, a combo post office/cabin rental & campground office (4 spaces) & a private residence (across the street from this pic). On the other side of the river there are a few homes. Grocery shopping involves driving at least 30 miles to the small & only grocery store in Big Timber. They must have to plan to hit one of the bigger cities (100 miles +)occasionally to find Walmart, Costco, etc.  I would call this the boondocks.

The cabins look tempting.  They have 1/2 dozen strung along the river. The hammock strung by the river to the right of this cabin is just what’s needed after a morning of fishing.  Relaxing in the shade on a warm summer’s afternoon. And the chimney indicates a fireplace to lounge in front of as it warms up the cabin on these very cool nights.

As we drive further on SR-298, this is some of the scenery. Our adventures on this road will continue on the next page.