My last post left off with us arriving at Mumbro Park on Saturday afternoon. We took a tour of the compound. Bob added another bunkhouse since the last time I was here. Presumably, it’s for the grandkids as it had a sign proclaiming it as the Kid’s Cubby.

I was filled with memories of the magical times I’ve had here. We walked around and I told Donna stories. I was so preoccupied, I didn’t take many pictures. We looked for the keys to the cabin, but couldn’t find them. I found the back window unlatched and climbed in. Once inside, I read the cabin instruction manual (for visitors) and realized we didn’t search the right area. After I unlocked the cabin from the inside, Donna found the keys!

Once inside, I retrieved the keys for the outbuildings. Shirley asked me to check all of the buildings. We walked over to The Annex, which is the bunkhouse I always slept in during hunting season here.

Bob added a wood-burning stove to heat the place. Back in the ’90s, we had to rely on long johns and a good down sleeping bag.

Behind the cabin is a wood-fired sauna. Bob built it the second or third year I came here. I did some of the work helping him frame the door – Bob always had a task for us. I wish I had more pictures of the place. To use the sauna, you build a fire in the special stove. After an hour or so, the sauna is very warm. Lava rock sits on top of the stove. You ladle water on the lava rock and the sauna fills with steam. After a long day hiking in the woods, the sauna is heaven.

While we stood outside the sauna and I described to Donna how it works, we had a visitor. A long-tailed weasel came out from under the sauna. He stood upright on his hind legs and looked at us as if to inquire, “Who are you and what are you doing here?” He scurried over to some building material nearby and ducked into a section of three-inch pipe. The opposite end of the pipe was next to where we stood. He poked his head out of the pipe, confident in his safe position of cover and looked us over again. Then he ran off, under The Annex and down into the aspen patch behind the cabin.

Bob has a number of bird houses on the property. There were tree swallows and bluebirds flying in and out of the houses. A few of them seemed curious about our coach and flew up to the window, hovering briefly before turning away.

On Sunday morning, Donna and I hiked up the ridge on the south side of the cabin. It was a steep climb and we felt the 5,900-foot altitude. We followed game trails created by elk and deer criss-crossing the ridge. Eventually we made it to the knob on top and came to a small clearing. We talked quietly while hiking, hoping to spot deer or elk. I told Donna to look for a shape or color that looks out of place, or movement. That’s how you spot game animals in the woods. You’re not likely to find a deer or elk standing in the open. But you might see a part of the animal. When you see something unusual, stop and study it. It might be a leg or a flickering ear or an antler. Then you realize there’s an animal concealed, waiting for you to pass.

As we began to hike back down, Donna spotted something. She found an antler shed by a buck mule deer.

We continued down the steep ridge. We didn’t see any deer or elk. At one point I thought I heard a cow elk calling, but we weren’t able to locate the animal in the woods.

At the bottom, near a spring, Donna grabbed my arm and stopped me. She said look at that bird. It was a ruffed grouse, right on our path. Donna has a good eye for this stuff.

The hike up and down the ridge took about two hours. We had lunch back at the coach, then walked down to the pond and fished. The pond is called Maude’s Pond – I don’t remember the story behind the name. The pond is stocked with trout. The last time I fished there, I had to hide behind a tree to bait my hook to keep the fish at bay. We didn’t have that problem this time around. Donna and I were skunked without a bite.

At first, Donna wanted to keep the antler she found. Later, she decided to add it to the pile of antler finds at the fence corner.

As incongruent as it may seem, on Sunday afternoon I fired up the generator, dialed in the Dish satellite receiver and watched the Formula One race. As nice as it was to be off the grid, I can still enjoy my race programming!

On Monday morning, before we we left Mumbro Park, Donna saw a yellow-bellied marmot cross by The Annex and climb on the fence post to sun himself. He relaxed there for awhile, totally unaware of us watching him from the coach. Later, Donna walked to the highway (about one and three-quarters of a mile). There’s a narrow gate at the end of the road and a sharp left turn which could be a tricky exit for a 40-foot coach. She came up with a plan for how to get out without any mishaps. It worked out fine and we were soon on our way up US89. I expected an easy drive of 80 miles or so to Great Falls. I knew we had to make a tough climb up King’s Hill, but other than that it should’ve been easy.

After we descended from Kings Hill, the terrain changed. We left the forest behind and were driving through rolling hills. This is cattle ranch country. The wind picked up and became a fierce cross wind. It was a tiring drive.

When we finally made it to the junction of US87, there was a rest area across the two-lane highway. I needed a stop. Directly in front of us, the parking area had a sign that read “exit only.” I thought I had to go right to enter the rest area. I turned right and found out I was wrong. Now we were heading east when we wanted to go west to Great Falls.

Some of the two-lane highways in Montana stretch for many miles between towns or side roads. I wasn’t happy about heading east toward Lewistown, many miles away. After 10 miles, we found a truck repair shop with a large dirt lot. I pulled in and turned around. All the while, I was fighting wind gusts and the added 20 miles was a real downer. But Donna and I agreed that the best thing to do in these situations is to remain calm and patient until the right opportunity to correct things appears.

We made our way west on US87 and Nally (our Rand-McNally GPS) guided us to Dick’s RV Park where we’ll spend the next two weeks.

Dick’s RV park is situated on the west side of Great Falls, next to the Sun River. The Sun River joins the Missouri River less than a mile from here. Outside of the park entrance there’s a paved bike path. The path becomes the River’s Edge bike trail. It follows the Missouri River for 26 miles east through half a dozen parks, ending at the Rainbow Dam.

Yesterday, Donna rode the bike trail. While she was out bicycling, I rode the scooter to town. I made a stop at a grocery store (Albertson’s) and an auto parts store. I needed cleaning supplies as I intend to wash the coach while we’re here.

Clouds formed in the afternoon and we had brief thunder showers. This morning, it’s drizzling rain. The forecast calls for a cloudy day with a high of 65 degrees.