Ahh.. what a difference changing up the pace makes! We ended up staying four nights at Lake Sakakawea State Park in North Dakota, and then moved on to Theodore Roosevelt National Park for another four nights. It was just what we needed to reset ourselves after several driving days.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
We arrived to Teddy Roosevelt National Park’s south unit entrance just after noon – of course, switching from Central to Mountain time helped us out a bunch in arriving at such an early hour. There were about 4 sites left in the Cottonwood Campground (our review) that could accommodate us, so we picked our favorite and setup camp.
All of the sites are first come first serve, and are dry camping without hook-ups. We were excited to have our first extended stay in the bus off the grid in a very long time! We had solar panels to test out after all.
It was a bit warm when we arrived, so instead of running the generator to power the air conditioner – we decided to hop in the MINI Cooper and go motoring on the scenic drive through the park. We grabbed Kiki too, and she loved the drive – especially the prairie dog villages. We also encountered a herd of bison that surrounded us – some of the bulls were bigger than our MINI!
We ended up staying four nights in the campground, which was quite comfortable in our lush private spot.
Considering we’re writing a book and launching a new resource website, we’re working long hours running our huge computer screens. Which isn’t exactly compatible with trying to be miserly with energy usage. But between testing out the 200 watts of GoPower flexible panels and running our 7000w generator an hour or two a day – we did quite fine.
We even had enough power to bake me some birthday goodies on Monday!
It has been a long time since we stayed in our national parks, and this was a great reminder of why we love it so much. The people we met there (including some long time Technomadia followers!), the ranger programs, the scenery, the nature, the hiking and the nice secluded campsites – ahhh.. yes, this is the good stuff!
We look forward to getting our solar system decided and fully setup, so we can return to integrating in more stays like this on a regular basis. We did much of this during our first 4 years on the road in our prior setups.
Billings – Deja Vu
Next up was our triumphant return to Billings, Montana to Interstate Powersystems – this time, arriving under our own power, and not hauled in on a flatbed.
It was had been nearly a year since our engine rebuild was complete, and time for an annual servicing and inspection. We also had a slight coolant leak happening at the block heater we had installed during the overhaul, and wanted Interstate to address that under our warranty before it expired.
We arrived just after closing time, and Interstate had cleared out our usual spot on the side of the building. We pulled in, got the power hooked up and our service manager Scot Becker was just leaving for the day. He handed over our packages we had delivered, and it felt just like returning ‘home’.
In the morning, they got a bay cleared out for us and took Zephyr in for inspection and servicing. All is looking great, and their 2-stroke expert took her for a full throttling and look over. She got new oil, filters and a full chassis lubing.
The block heater leak was a resultant of the gasket having been improperly installed last year and would require draining all of the coolant overnight to re-install. This meant, we got to be towed by a forklift back to our spot for the evening – major deja vu from last year.
To add irony to our return, our bus friends Ed & Stevi are also currently parked at Interstate having their 8V71 overhauled. So all of our service was done in sight of their torn apart engine in the rebuild center. It was good to catch up with them, and we totally feel for their situation from our experience last year. But we trust they’re in good hands, we couldn’t be happier with the work and support we’ve gotten from Interstate in the past year.
We stayed 3 nights in Billings parked in their lot – and wow. How on earth did we get through 6+ weeks of that last summer? We had blocked out of our minds just how loud, dirty, busy, hot and unlevel the situation was.
It was good to be back though and visit this little town that was home during such a major point in our journey. We stocked up on provisions after having been out in the boonies for weeks, caught up on laundry and hung out with Scot for an evening.
But we were ready to move on as soon as possible.. nothing against Billings, we just have other adventures ahead of us!
What’s Next?
I
t’s decision point time – which route do we take to Cape Blanco Lighthouse (where we’ll be hosting for the months of September & October)?
We had originally hoped to get up to Glacier National Park, but the summer is running out and the stop over would be a short one. We learned last summer the same lesson, a day there is just not enough – so we’re putting that adventure on the back burner for now.
That leaves two paths – northward up through Missoula, Spokane and back through the Columbia River Gorge. Very similar to our route out last summer. Or, there’s the southern route through Boise and Bend, all new territory for us. Given the hotter than usual temps up in the Washington area, and the desire for something new, we’re taking the southern route.
Over the coming weeks we’ll be passing through areas we’ve not explored much before. If you’re along the route, and want to meet up – as always, we love invitations and meet ups! And recommendations are always welcomed.
What about a Chat topic about buses boondocking. I’m in the process of purchasing an Eagle for the purpose of touring the U.S. and Boondocking. Would like to get some of your in depth view and information.
We have actually covered this topic extensively in the past.. check out our Boondocking section for our video chat archive, and several articles: https://www.technomadia.com/boondocking
Just south of Bend is Newberry Volcanic National Monuement. Besides the other volcanic features, it has two less famous lakes in a crater. (Paulina and East) If you havn’t seen it before, Crater Lake National Park is worth a stop.
Thanks.. we hope to find time to route that way. Have heard so many wonderful things about it!
If you go the southern route, try to stop at the visitor center for John Day Fossil Beds. Amazing. And there is RV parking area. The issue will be where to camp. We camped in the state park just east of there one night. Which might be too small for your rig although Wheeling It got in there.
Cool.. thanks for the recommendation. If the beast can get in there.. we can get in there!
I seem to remember this is where I came in last year. One of the first reality based blogs about full-time RV living I found. I had followed you two as you headed for Oregon and were waylaid by the mechanical issues at Interstate in Billings. And here you are today still lovin’ your vintage bus. Much success in everything you do!
Thanks for joining along for the adventures of the past year!
Glad to hear your bus got a clean bill of health. Goes to show that you picked the right place to have its engine overhauled. Nice to have peace of mind as you travel that the engine is good for another 500K miles (at least!). :c)
We certainly couldn’t be happier with the shop. Here’s to 500k more! Hopefully some of those will involve finally crossing paths with you.
We’re looking at routes from Billings for next July so I’m anxious to see how you like the southern route. I do worry about going “through” Bend though. With all the fabulous breweries we’ve heard about, we may never make it out!! Can’t believe it’s been a year since the big rebuild – and so glad your follow up visit was a quickie :-).
We’re looking forward to checking out Bend.. it’s seeming like the short bit of time we’ll have there will not be enough!
We seem to be following in your footsteps. We are currently at Lake Sakakawea SP for a few days, then on to Teddy Roosevelt NP. We have to be in Denver for a wedding in Sept. Enjoy your journey!
Ohh.. you’re so going to enjoy both stops! You selected wisely 🙂
I’m glad to hear you’re enjoyed the parks in ND. Both nice places to visit and explore. And good to hear all is well mechanically.
You brought back a great memory and an out loud chuckle with your Mini vs buffalo experience. It brought back a memory of a trip to a bison reserve in Montana years ago. While driving thru the preserve in a little old Toyota pickup, a smallish herd of buffalo decided it was time they cross the road, and so the did….slowly. Then the biggest bull in the heard decided to display his authority by placing himself on the road, right in the middle of the road, between his herd and that little old Toyota pickup.. .until all the other buffalo finished crossing. Then he finally…slowly….wandered off the road too. And yes, he was a lot bigger than that Toyota! I’m sure his head was bigger than my drivers door! Really! I’m certain of it! Lol!
Keep making new memories on your new route, and have fun. 🙂
Those bison are incredible animals… it was awe inspiring to be so close to them!
Cherie and Chris,
If you have time, the trip through the Sawtooth Mountains in southern ID is wonderful!! Red Fish Lake is beautiful with wonderful paddling opportunities. Enjoy the travels, beautiful country you will be driving through.
Thanks for the routing recommendation.. sounds lovely!
Cherie and Chris – we moved to Bend about two months ago and it’s beauty is already exceeded our expectations. If it works out we’d love to meet.
To Hans’ list I’d add – a drive up the Cascade Lakes Highway in which you can visit a handful of lakes in just about a couple of hours. All are spectacularly beautiful and easy to access from the highway. Our favorite is Todd Lake (on foot) or Hosmer Lake if by Kayak or Canoe).
Brews – either Crux or Ten Barrels are good choices.
If there is something specific you are looking for let us know and maybe we can make some more suggestions.
Thanks for there recommendations.. and welcome to Bend yourselves!
Looking like late next week / weekend we should be in the area. Let us know if you’re around and maybe we can make a meet up happen!
When in Bend, we highly recommend;
1. A few hikes along the different sections of the Deschutes River.
2. Smith Rock, try to pick a cooler day, as it is hotter out there.
3. Beer Tasting! Of Course!
4. McMenamins Old Francis School, Live Music, Movies, Turkish Baths and food.
5. Scenic drives in the Mini.
6. Lava Tubes.
7. Paulina Lake
Have fun!
Thanks for all the great recommendations.. hopefully we’ll have time for a couple of them at least!