Friday, September 23, 2022

Last night we camped at Cottonwood Campground in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. No hook-ups for the RV, but we didn’t need them. Fall is in the air with overnight temperatures in the 50’s. It was a quiet and peaceful place to stay with a gorgeous prairie view outside our kitchen window this morning.

Andi and I wanted to squeeze in a quick hike this morning before hitting the road toward Montana. Unfortunately, there weren’t many options with two roads in the South Unit of the park closed. A one-mile nature walk called the Wind Canyon Trail or a 12-mile hike. Obviously, we opted for the shorter one.

We walked the Wind Canyon path when we visited Theodore Roosevelt NP in 2019 as well, so it was fun to reminisce about how bigger the kids have grown, and how much farther they can walk now. Andi recreated a photo of Tory and Aden standing on a fence admiring the view. Comparing how much they’ve both grown in three years really tugs on my mama heartstrings!

We all laughed when Andi told the kids to “get closer” for a photo and Aden leaned over on his tippy toes to plant a kiss right on Tory’s cheek. She shrieked!

It was a beautiful morning for a hike with the fall colors starting to change across the landscape. It was a little on the windy side, but I think that’s much to be expected across North Dakota.

After our nature walk, the four of us headed back to our campsite. We filled up the RV freshwater tank and re-hooked the Jeep to the back of the rig. Next stop — Montana! On the border of the two states, we stopped at a gas station to re-fuel and grab lunch — Subway sandwiches for Andi and I and gas station pizza and chicken tenders for Tory and Aden.

It’s a long, boring stretch across eastern Montana and today’s drive was really windy (not surprisingly). While I drove, Tory kept me company by sitting in the passenger seat and working on her school work. Then while Andi drove, Aden and I did his schoolwork seated in the back of the RV. I loved Aden’s journal entry about our morning hike in Theodore Roosevelt NP.

We drove for about 5 hours, stopping briefly in Miles City, MT for propane, before ending the night in Big Timber, MT. This town has a special place in Andi’s heart because he used to produce photo shoots in the area.

With so much free/low cost camping in Montana, it’s almost overwhelming to pick a spot to stay, but we decided on Otter Creek fishing access along the Yellowstone River. We’ve camped here once before, and tonight appreciated the fact that we knew what we were going to get without a lot of monkeying around for a epic camp spot. Andi pulled right up to the river, unhooked the RV and settled in. No cost to stay (no services either), and no talking to anyone. A view of the river with the Crazy Mountains in the background is absolutely breathtaking. It’s truly what you picture when you think of Montana.

Tonight, there were two other campers at the fishing access (probably because it was a Friday night) but that didn’t bother us any. Since it was already 7:30pm, Andi and I decided to take the kids out to dinner.

Andi picked the restaurant in The Grand Hotel for dinner. The restaurant was bustling on a Friday night, but we were seated right away. The rich history of the building envelopes you right when you walk in the doors, but it’s also got a laid-back Montana vibe as well. Andi wanted the prime rib, but unfortunately they’d just run out so he ordered the chicken piccata and I had a chicken, spinach & mozzarella dish. The kids each had Mac & cheese and chicken nuggets, respectively, in which they were perfectly content.