She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain…

Days 25–28—September 26-29

We spent the morning of the 25th and our last few hours at the Buffalo Bill Cody State Park relaxing and packing the RV to head to Little Paw Rd in Clark, Wyoming—the home of our friends Craig and Beth. Their home is just before you enter the Clark’s Fork Canyon and is a little hidden gem at the base of the Beartooth mountain range. We love Clark, Wyoming; it’s beautiful and peaceful. When we arrived at our friend’s house, Beth had prepared a wonderful dinner, and we got to meet their friends, Cliff and Sue. Cliff is a retired Criminal attorney, and Sue is a retired educator with an artistic side. Sue is a potter and showed me some of her pieces; they are beautiful. Cliff is an avid Sharps gun enthusiast (like Justin). They have a cabin in Clark but head south to Mississippi for the winter. Beth also made a delicious homemade apple pie; she drove an hour or so to Fromberg, Montana, to get fresh apples from an orchard.

This on the way to Clark in Powell, Wyoming

September 27th

The following morning, after letting Quigley play with Rosie (Craig and Beth’s Yellow Lab–they became fast friends), we took a relaxing drive up to Red Lodge, Montana; it’s a beautiful, cute Hallmark town catering to tourists and skiers. We had a late lunch at Bogart’s restaurant, went into a couple of shops, and headed back for drinks on Craig and Beth’s back porch, watching a spectacular moonrise over the mountains. I made a couple of charcuterie trays, and we spent an evening hanging out.

Quigley loves Rosie and she really seemed to enjoy Quigley. Rosie either has a ball in her mouth in this photo or wants the ball.

September 28th-

The next day, Craig suggested we drive up the picturesque Chief Joseph Parkway. It is one of the most scenic drives in the country. We have been blessed to do this drive several times, and it never disappoints. This time, the leaves were in full fall colors, with shades of gold and orange, floating amongst the green pines and junipers with a backdrop of red and charcoal-colored rocky mountains; native grasses are now straw-colored and intertwined with local sagebrush. It was breathtaking.

We drove to the tiny town of Cook City, Montana (population 77), not far from Silvergate, Montana, and an entrance to Yellowstone. Before heading back, we stopped at the local Miners Tavern for a late lunch. When we returned, we again enjoyed the views on the back porch. We had a late dinner. Craig grilled a ribeye for us to share, and I made a fall-style side dish of roasted acorn squash, toasted pecans, crispy prosciutto, goat cheese, and a homemade maple vinaigrette.

All the below photos are from the Chief Joesph trip (none of them have been edited).

Me taking a photo from the back seat—-(you can see me in the side view mirror)

Taken from the truck—one of the red rocks mountains on the Chief Joseph.

Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River (as you climb the Chief Joseph). The water is crystal clear and beautiful.

Justin with our friends Craig and Beth.

Petting the cute little chipmunks. This one reached out and grabbed Justin’s finger.

One little chipmunk climbed up my arm and to my shoulder and back down. So cute, but the wind was a little much, making for bad hair.

September 29th—

Sadly, we had to head out today to explore the Big Horn Mountains and towns on the other side of the Big Horns. Before heading out, we let Quigley run around and play ball with Rosie. Craig then took us on a short drive down to the Clarks Fork Canyon to see how the flood changed the river and land since our last visit.

The Below are all unedited photos of the Clarks Fork Canyon.

Clark’s Fork Canyon

Clark’s Fork of the Yellowstone River in he Canyon (after last year’s flood the river split in a few spots).