Charlotte with Peggy on he back porch or her home in Livingston, MT
This process should only be done under trained supervision and used for medicinal purposes only, of course.
This is the day we reach our most northern destination, Livingston, MT. After leaving Pocatello, ID we began the last day of travel away from our house. Every stop we make once we get back on the road will be taking us closer to home. But that is still several days away and we have a lot of sites to see in Montana.
The drive up took us through West Yellowstone where we stopped at the Yellowstone Ranger Station and purchased senior passes for $10.00 apiece. This is probably the best deal the government ever gave seniors. The pass is good for the rest of your life and it is also good for any National Park in the entire United States. If you like to visit National Parks, Battle Grounds, etc., you need to get you one of these passes.
After seeing the devastation of the big forest fires from a few years back in the park, I was amazed to see the amount of effort that has been made to replant the trees that were lost. It blows your mind to think of how many seedlings were planted to cover no telling how many miles of forestland. Literally millions of trees growing up to take the place of those lost. Most of them were now about 6 to 8 feet tall.
As we drove on the winding roads through that little area of the park you could only get a small picture of what a grand project Yellowstone really is. Yep, you have to hand it to my old namesake, Teddy Roosevelt who had the foresight to hold this area of our country in trust for the future generations of Americans who now enjoy it as a national treasure.
There are so many extraordinary sights all around you as you drive down the winding roads you just can’t take them all in. We were looking at the beautiful river and trees and all of a sudden, right alongside the road is this big cloud of steam and a geyser is blowing hot water out of the earth in a thermal-dynamic display. We go a little further and there is an elk with a rack of horns almost 6 foot across calmly munching along on the vegetation along the roadside. A little farther and there is a small herd of buffalo lying down in a meadow. By the time we drove through that little corner of Yellowstone on the way to Livingston, I felt like my eyes were hurting from trying to focus on so much at once! And let me warn you, you don’t want to take your eyes off of the road if you’re driving! There are many miles of the road that has no shoulder or guard rails. And if you go off, it’s a long way down! So make up your mind if you want to drive or sightsee because you better not attempt both!
So finally, at 4:30 in the afternoon local time, we pull into our friend Peggy Riggs’ summer home. After visiting for a while, Peggy fed us home-made pot roast with all the trimmings. After two weeks on the road, a home cooked meal really hit the spot!
Call it road fatigue, jet lag, altitude adjustment, or maybe even old age. Whatever name or cause you feel appropriate, in about five minutes from the time the last bite of pot roast and au jus hit the bottom of my stomach, it was lights out! I slipped between the sheets and slept like a baby.
OK you virtual hitch hikers, let me hear from you. Where should we be going and what sights are a “must see” up in this part of the world?
Ted Purcell 
Y’all need to visit the Boiling River in Yellowstone. It’s in the NW part of the park. Not far from the ranger station.
Hey Ted! I commented once, but then I clicked on the picture of Charlotte and Peggy so I could see Charlotte’s purse better (typical!) and lost my comment. If it shows up later, you’ll just have two from me.
Since we have never been up that way, we really can’t suggest anything–but just know that we are loving every minute of what you guys are doing, so you really don’t need our help. In fact, we feel like we are almost cheating because y’all are doing all the work and spending all the money, and we get to just go along and enjoy the scenery! The sights around Yellowstone sound incredible, and Edwin was almost drooling at the photo ops!
So you guys keep on keeping on, and thanks for letting us tag along with you! And please tell Charlotte her purse is cute!! 🙂 OH….and tell her a Sam Moon is opening up in Arlington!!! Did you just groan, Ted???
Hey Elizabeth,
Yeah, we are seeing some really spectacular sights and enjoying the cool weather. We slept last night with no air conditioning and just one window open to let the cool breeze in. By morning, we were hunting for more cover! It is great sleeping here. The air seems so fresh and cool.
Yeah, I know about the Sam Moon opening in Arlington. Word on the street is that we played a part in financing it!
Keep posting!
Well, Ted, DUH!!! Of course you played a part in financing the newest Sam Moon opening!!! And do you know why? It’s because you, like Edwin, understand the importance of the place. You are both very wise men. You KNOW that the difference between a good day and a bad day for a lady can sometimes be a cute purse or a perfect necklace. That perfect necklace, even if it’s only 5 bucks, can turn a frown into a smile pretty darn fast. In your wisdom, you also realize that Charlotte (in addition to always looking gorgeous and well-accesssorized) is being very financially savvy and a good steward of money by choosing to shop there so often! So, with all that said, I think a big shopping trip to the new Sam Moon might just be in order when you get back. Don’t you think so???
Hey, how did I do, Charlotte?? 🙂 🙂
Hey Elizabeth
If Charlotte ever walks out of Sam Moon’s with just a $5.00 necklace, I would be the one smiling, not her! Trust me girl, ain’t gonna happen! Ol’ Sam charges me more than that to valet my truck and I pay it because the doctors said I shouldn’t carry over 80 pounds for a distance of a half mile or more. (That’s how far I usually have to go to find a parking space after dropping Charlotte off at the door. And 80 pounds is about an average Sam Moon check out weight on one of her average shopping days! That was sweet of you to try to cheer me up with some “parallel universe” talk. You remind me of that old Beach Boys song,” Wouldn’t It Be Nice?”
Keep posting, and tell Edwin every minute you’re on my blog, you’re not on QVC!
Hey Riki,
OK I will ask Peggy to take us by there. She was raised here in Livingston so she knows the park very well. We have a big day planned for tomorrow at the park. We are taking a picnic lunch with a couple of bottles of vino. Today we are just kinda lazing around Livingston. We’re going to find a good massuse and see if we can’t get some of the “road kinks” worked out before we head home. We are also going to be looking for a good mana-peda-vino-curist just for good measure!
Keep posting!