Day 8 - Red Lodge - Puppies!

Red Lodge MT, 68 miles total and 27.2 mpg. Totals for the trip, 2036 miles, 27.4 mpg. Those are the stats.

We’re with the puppies, and it’s party time! All the time!

I woke up the second time around 8. The first time, 4am, I wrote yesterdays entry. Hope it was readable. This morning we’re going for a hike in hopes of locating the horses to bring them in. We want to take the boys, so I high-tail it to pick them up – that’s a one hour trip, and half of the mileage for the day (34). When I get back the hike has started, and I’m playing catch up, but I’m on vacation, so no worries. We get ourselves together and in short order we’re all on the trail.

The hike is along Red Lodge Creek, which flows by the Dunham’s house. It’s a beautiful, easy hike, through forest and large open areas. The flowers are beautiful. Everything is beautiful (in it’s own way). The boys seem to really enjoy it. I worked with each one off lead for quite a while, and although I felt like I had to constantly verbally restrain them, they really did very well. I know, though, that if anything ‘unusual’ had happened, like perhaps a bear – Lyle did see one – I could have lost a Brittany in a heartbeat.

The hike was successful – the horses were found and collected and walked back to the barn. Other than a few scratches (none on us) there were no injuries or problems. A great way to start the day.

By now it was after noon, and the second order of business was lunch. I was only involved in the eating part, and it was wonderful. Just about all the puppies worked on lunch (except me), and the grilled veggies and the hot brats were great.

The boys were with us, but Tara has a problem with other dogs, and there were a couple of flare-ups. As a result, Tara and Daisy were restricted to the laundry room. That’s a hard situation, and I hope somehow we can improve it. I love having the boys with us, and this is a fantastic place for them, but it isn’t fair to Lyle and Cindy or Tara and Daisy.

After lunch it was nap time for many. But I’m not that smart. I should have been, because this evening I’m the designated driver. More on that later. Sally-Heath took the boys back to the kennel, and we all got ready for dinner at Montana Hannas.
S-H is the DD going TO, and I’m the DD coming home. We took a very scenic backroad route going to Montana Hannas, stopping by the Grizzly Bar for a drink on the way. Can’t tell you how many deer we saw. They are everywhere! The countryside, the panoramas, the farms – beyond picturesque. Indescrible. You gotta see it!


We had a great dinner. There was only one other couple in the restaurant, so we could only run one couple off tonight. But actually we were very good, for us. Dean was our waitress, and she was great. The first wine wasn’t too great – so we got another bottle just to make sure. Then we got a bottle of good stuff. I’m dd – not drinking. My trout was great. Everyone was happy with their meal, I think. The dark chocolate cake with ice cream was really great too.

The drive home was, well, a drive. The good news is that we got home safely. There’s no bad news, I didn’t mean to imply that. But being the dd for this group is murder! Probably being the dd for any group is murder, but I think this group is pretty special. They took it pretty easy on me – unlike last night when Gary was dd – they badgered him to death! He handled it extremely well.

That’s about it for today. Oh! Wait! When we got home and got out of the Suburban we were greeted with an incredible sky. Unbelievable stars, Milky Way, just beyond reality. I got a drink (finally!) and we all went outside for a while to just marvel at it. Clearest of skys, darkest of skys, more stars than you can see from the Grand Canyon! Wonderful!

Day 7 - Cooke City to Red Lodge

Cooke City MT to Red Lodge MT, 88 miles total and 36.1 mpg. Totals for the trip, 1969 miles, 27.4 mpg. Those are the stats.

It is early Sunday morning. I woke up, and here I am. It is our first night without the boys, and they’re on my mind – I guess that’s why I’m up.

We had a nice quiet evening in Cooke City Friday night. Cooke City is a quiet place. We walked the town again, and the ‘action’ seemed to be in the second bay of the Exxon station! There was also a reunion going on. It was pretty quiet.

I’m having trouble with internet connectivity. The WiFi in Cooke City was very slow – and now at Dunham’s my connection is still slow. I haven’t been able to get Fridays pictures uploaded yet, so I’m falling behind, and that’s fatal in a way. Some troubleshooting is in order when I can get to it. It’s frustrating when things that should not take any time, like uploading pictures, begin to consume time and keep me ‘at the computer’. I don’t want to be in front of this monster all the time.
Back to the trip. In Cooke City we varied the morning schedule a little. After the 5:30 feeding and walking we actually went back to bed for a bit! That was nice, and when we did get up (around 7) we got ourselves cleaned, packed and ready to go, then walked into town for a nice breaky at the bistro. We sat outside with the boys, the weather was beautiful, and sitting in the sun was nice. After breakfast we packed up the car and headed out, forgetting to get gas. Sally-Heath drove first and again, the scenery was just wonderful. Snow, almost raging streams, waterfalls, lakes – cameras can’t capture it, and my words can’t describe it. It is breathtaking.

I was concerned about running out of gas. There is no gas station until Red Lodge. But the good news is after going to the summit of the mountain between Cooke City and Red Lodge, it is all downhill – and what a hill. For this short trip we averaged over 45 mpg! When we got to the gas station the car told us we still had 24 miles of range to spare.

The next stop after gas was the hardest. We went to the vet and put the boys in their cell, oops, kennel. This begins the first time we have been separated on the trip. I’m sure they’ll be fine, but I’m not sure about me. They’re about a 20 mile drive away from Dunham’s, but I think I’ll be making that drive fairly often.
Then we headed for the airport. The anticipated meeting time was noon, and when we got there it was just shortly after noon, and Chuck, Caroline, Gary and Jane were there, just unloading the plane. Cindy pulled in shortly after, and Lyle was on the way from the Cabin. We loaded up the vehicles, had a drink or two, and when Lyle got there we decided to go home and get settled in. We must be getting old – I’m sure that in previous years we would have hit the Snow Creek Saloon for at least one drink!

Lyle and Cindy live in Luther, a signpost about 20 miles west of Red Lodge. They have created a beautiful home here, and each time we come they have upped it another notch. It was almost perfect last time, it is perfect now, and I don’t know how they’re going to follow this act! In the pictures you’ll see some of the views from their home. They pretty much match the best of all the thing we have seen on the way here.


The afternoon was lazy. I’m going to stop mentioning drinking, because that is a constant. We played a horseshoe like game called CornHole. You throw small bean bags at an inclined plane that looks sorta like a football field (Nebraska) with a large hole (beanbag size) at the top of the plane close to the endzone. It was surprisingly difficult, especially because there are no 30 foot level spots around, so you’re either throwing uphill or downhill, and the dynamic is totally different. It was fun. After that we checked out the new pool table. It’s a great table, and about all I can say is at least none of us every wasted much time learning how to play well! It was fun, too. I’m sure we’ll see more of both CornHole and pool in the days that follow.

Dinner was at the Pollard. There’s a lot of history here, and I won’t bore or misinform you with it. The Pollard is/was a hotel in downtown Red Lodge. It is a place you can go for a more formal meal. And a great meal. It is moderately expensive, but as you say, it’s worth it. Other than the great food and great service, probably the thing that stands out most is what happens when the puppies gather for chow (or just about anything else). Now here is the setting: The Pollard, a nice, quiet, formal dining room. About 16 tables, mostly for 4 – when we get there I guess it was half full. The 8 puppies took their place, and the whole atmosphere changed. It was no longer quiet. I think we all felt a little sorry for the other patrons, but there is no way a puppy gathering can be quiet. Don’t know if we ruined anyone’s night out, or perhaps enhanced their night out, but it was a fine puppy evening.

After dinner we checked out the Bear and Bull Bar – it was dead, and we left without having a drink. Then we piled into the Suburban and drove the 4 blocks to the Snow Creek. They had live music, and we went in. It turned into a fairly quick stop. A drink, a dance or two, and back home. The band was good, especially at Reggae. But it was late for us, and we were all tired. Gary was our designated driver, and he got us home in spite of ourselves – I know how hard that is, and I can only say ‘wonderful job’.

Once we got home the party rekindled – imagine that! More drinks (I wasn’t going there…), music, presents, talk. One by one we faded into the woodwork. That was the end of day one – a great day it was.

Day 6 - Casper to Cooke City

Casper WY to Cooke City MT, by way of Cody, 304 miles total and 27.8 mpg. Totals for the trip, 1882 miles, 27.3 mpg. Those are the stats.

Once again I need to be brief. The WiFi connection is only available in the lodge, and it closes at 9! We’re in a cabin in Cooke City Montana. It’s beautiful up here – but we knew that, we’ve been to Cooke City several times, but never stayed here.


This morning we beat the old record (yesterday) and were on the road before 8. There isn’t much that we know to do in Casper, and we didn’t have any time to look around anyway. My impression of Casper is unfavorable – it’s hard to understand how such a small town could complicate the road system so much, for one thing. Anyway, it was a quick up and out this morning.

The drive starts out very similar to yesterday. Very flat lands, no trees (too much wind?). As we get closer to Cody the landscape gets a little more interesting. In Cody we have several things that we want to do. First on the list is to get S-H’s eyeglasses fixed. We tried and failed at this one. Second was to shop at Sierra Trading Post for clothes, shoes and bear spray. We got that done. And we needed lunch – we hit The Irma Hotel, and it was very good.

Back on the road, we’re taking the Chief Joseph trail road to Cooke City. This route is beyond scenic – it is incredibly scenic. Again, you just gotta see it! You can look at our pictures, but you just need to see this. We’ve done the Chief Joseph before, a couple of times – and I hope to do it several more times. At one point I took a movie, which I hope gives some idea of how beautiful it is.

We pulled in to Cooke City around 5, got checked in to our cabin and took the boys for a walk through town (it’s really small, population around 90 this time of year). Did I mention it is a gateway to Yellowstone National Park? On the way we decided to eat, and after checking several menus we picked Cooke City Café, home of over 150 beers. We had wine. Shiraz. It’s now just after dinner, and I’m caught up. I don’t expect any addendums for tonight – Cooke City is a quiet place in any case, and we’re with dogs, tired, and ready to hit the sack!

Tomorrow – Red Lodge!

Day 5 - Snowy Range Road

Steamboat Springs to Casper WY, by way of Snowy Range Road, 342 miles total and 29.4(!) mpg. Totals for the trip, 1574 miles, 27.2 mpg. Those are the stats.

We got our earliest ‘on the road’ start this morning – actually about 8am. Found gas ($4.25!) and headed out. The focus for the day, other than getting to Casper WY, was to drive the Snowy Range Road. Routing to do this added a considerable amount to our mileage, but now that it’s done, I have to say it was worth it. It is quite beautiful.

Leaving Steamboat Springs, we backtracked just a little – discovered that we had crossed the Continental Divide late yesterday and MISSED THE SIGN! So we took the obligatory picture this morning. It was just east of that that we turned north for our new adventure. Honestly, it was a long drive to get there. There were some interesting sights, and of course the Rockies are ever present and ever beautiful, but the farms and green rolling country of Colorado gave way to the flat wind swept sameness of Wyoming, it’s pretty harsh. We had to drive northwest (away from Laramie), then take the scenic route and on in to Laramie.

Just like the Rockies yesterday, there is no way I can describe the beauty and splendor. Please look at our pictures. It was great, and it was cold – funny that it seemed colder on this ride at around 10K feet than it did in Rocky Mountain National Park at 12K.

We ate and gassed up in Laramie, and headed on up to Casper. We did not use interstates, even though that may have been faster. The roads we did use were fine and largely deserted, and driving was easy. Lots of cows and antelopes and trains. One thing that just seemed out of place – a 4 lane divided highway that was totally deserted! There was more traffic on the adjacent train track. It only lasted about 20 miles. There really isn’t much to say about this drive. We did it and we’re glad (it’s over). It was better than using the interstate, I’m sure. We did see a wind turbine power generating station. Can’t help but wonder why Wyoming isn’t asea with windmills. I guess it’s similar to the reason Arizona isn’t covered with solar panels – but I don’t know why that is (or is not) either.

We got to Casper, passed a Honda dealership, and decided to get the oil change I forgot in Scottsdale. That only took about 45 minutes, and we drove to our Days Inn. Here we are, ready to go out for dinner shortly. It was a very good day.

Went to Poor Boys Restaurant for dinner. It’s a pretty nice steakhouse, but what an evening! When we got there there was confusion over what tables had been assigned, and where they could put us. After we had our salads, a waitress tripped just behind me and a tray of dishes went to the floor right behind me. No one was injured. I had to send the loaf of bread back for warming. When the food came, my order was incorrect, but I didn’t realize it until after our waiter had disappeared, and it looked good, so I ate it. Turns out it was the meal for the guy just behind me. Thank goodness we both like our steaks rare! Along the way we were visited by two waiters and the manager, all trying to make things right. Even with the mistakes it came out okay.

And lastly, I think we may have discovered where mosquitoes come from – Casper! S-H was almost devoured, and while I don’t normally attract them, I sure do attract them here! It’s almost scarry!

Tomorrow we head for Cooke City MT, the last stop before Red Lodge!

Day 4 - Rocky Mountain National Park

Colorado Springs – Steamboat Springs by way of Rocky Mountain National Park, 312 miles total and 28.1(!) mpg. Totals for the trip, 1232 miles, 26.7 mpg. Those are the stats.


This is gonna be short. It’s late, I’m tired. Today was great. We left Colorado Springs around 9 after letting the boys run in a dog park (Rampart).

We had a great time in Colorado Springs, but the show must go on! So we scooted up I25 to I470 and around to I70, headed on out to Central City (a short story here), and up scenic routes 72 and 7 to Estes Park and the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. First stop was Central City. We stopped there because we couldn’t figure out how to get out of town. The place isn’t that big, but there are no (NO) signs. Once you are in town the way out is a mystery – as Wendy points out, it’s just like a casino – which happens to be Central Citys main attraction!

We finally did stumble on the way out, and we were off on a very scenic drive for the next bunch of hours. I really don’t know what I can tell you – you have to see it. Even looking at pictures just can’t convey how incredibly beautiful it all is, the mountains, trees, snow, animals, everything. So I’m not even going to try to describe it beyond that. Go. Enjoy. Have time. Actually, if there is any negative on the day it is that we didn’t have enough time. There are many many side trips – hikes, drives, whatever, and activities. It could easily take a week to do a reasonable amount of exploring – and all we could do is drive through. That’s fine for an introduction, but it just makes you want to go back for more!

The weather was perfect. We finally rolled into Steamboat Springs around 6pm – so 9 nours for the 300 miles – we really took our time, made a lot of stops, had a great lunch.

That’s another high point of the day. Lunch. We found a place in Nederland that was just great. We overstuffed. There are many eating places in that little town – way more than you would expect. The one we chose, Wild Mountain Smokehouse and Brewery, was great. We had bbq, with their “Atomic” sauce – really good. The baked beans were unlike anything I’ve ever had, and they were great – had several types of beans, great flavor.

In Steamboat Springs we got checked in and moved in, then went to find a light snack. Ended up with a salad and a small (8”) pizza – Thai Chicken, pretty good.
We’re back in the room, crashing fast. The boys start every day at 5am, so so do we! That makes for a long day, and it’s usually at least 10:30, as it is right now, when I finish up my notes. Must sleep. Goodnight!

Day 3 - Pikes Peak

Colorado Springs – Pikes Peak, 89 miles total and 25.8 mpg. Totals for the trip, 918 miles, 26.4 mpg. Those are the stats.

Today we stayed in the Colorado Springs area. The three major events are 1) hiking Barr trail, 2) driving Pikes Peak, and 3) dinner with Katie and Mike. There are a bunch of pictures on Flickr, mostly from Barr trail.


Barr Trail goes up Pikes Peak, from Manitou Springs. It is 13 miles, I think, to the top. We didn’t do that. We did the first 2-3 miles, it was all we had time for. It’s a really nice hike – not too strenuous, despite what the reviews say –nice switchbacks all the way on the part we did, never too steep. Dogs are okay – it’s a national park area. There’s a train from Manitou Springs to the top of Pikes Peak too! Might take that someday.

The Barr Trail provides many very scenic views. The drawback – a minor one – is that it is very popular. The parking lot is small, and we were very fortunate to get rock star parking right off the bat! Many people run the trail, some both up and down, most just down. That’s a bit annoying – sorta like Piestawa Peak in Phoenix. But it’s well maintained, a relatively easy hike – keeping in mind that we really took it easy.

The drive up Pikes Peak is very interesting. First, it costs $10 per person – that was a surprise! But the road is pretty good, mostly paved. It takes about an hour up and another hour down. Spend as much time at the top as you want. The views are spectacular! There will probably be weather. We had thunder, lightning and snow, not to mention wind. It is 14,110 feet – that’s a bunch! Needless to say there are some exciting spots on the drive up. Best to have no fear of heights for this one!

To digress just a bit – my mother once tried to ride in a car to the top of Pikes Peak – I don’t remember what year – could have been in the 1980’s. For whatever reason, she wasn’t able to go to the top. Perhaps the altitude change, perhaps the opportunity for vertigo, I’ll never know. She was much on my mind as we went to the top. This one was for you, Mom!

After a full day of hiking and driving, we had a very nice dinner at Outback Steakhouse with Katie and Mike. I wish we could have had more time together. They are fun and very interesting. The Outback meal was good – I’m sure our waiter was really an engineer.

Tomorrow we are headed for Steamboat Springs, and Rocky Mountain National Park. See you there!

Day 2 - to Colorado Springs

Santa Fe to Colorado Springs, 342 miles (some small detours) and 26.4 mpg, 6 hours. We left at 11am, and got here at 5. Totals for the trip, 829 miles, 26.6 mpg. Those are the stats.

Boys got us up around 5am as usual. Funny, too, because we did ‘lose’ an hour, so it should have been 6am. I really think they can read the clock. We muddled around, made our own coffee (French press), walked the boys (several times). Discovered that Woody performs much better (shits quick) if he is alone – Jake nowhere around. Jake, on the other hand, has no problem.

We went back and forth on where to have breakfast, Teclote, a Mexican café in town, or at the La Quinta (included). We finally decided on La Quinta, and had muffins and cereal and juice and coffee (not good coffee). We futzed some more, walked boys some more. Called Mary Burnley and had a nice talk. Then called Alison. Used Skype for both. Finally got around to packing up, and got away from the motel around 11.


First thing we did was a driving tour of Santa Fe. There must be 300 galleries, and we drove by half of them. Didn’t stop, just enjoyed the architecture. Then we headed out, and my Molokai sense of direction returned – except this time I was actually right, and north was south! We got it right, and were on our way.

The trip was uneventful – we had a lot of distance to cover, and we were starting really late. So we pretty much just drove. We switched drivers often, as we now normally do, made a few stops to walk the boys. Around 2 we decided to look for food – didn’t want much, because we were anticipating a big dinner. Well, as it turns out, we couldn’t find anything, and ended up at a Subway – it was a quick, ‘healthy’, adequate sandwich that did the job.

We rolled in to the La Quinta at 5pm, ready to get off the road. After unloading the car – there were notices of vandalism posted recommending nothing be left in the vehicle – we contacted Katie. Turns out the messages we had left on her cell were moot because she doesn’t have cell service at the ranch. (I’ll have to mention to her that there is a number she can call on a landline to check her cell messages!) Mike was not feeling well, so our evening was postponed until Tuesday night.

We got the names of some potential restaurants, looked at menus on the web, and decided on The Phantom Canyon Brewing Company, downtown. Drove there, no problem. Left the boys in the car (it’s cool now), and went in for a wonderful meal. Another lucky choice. It’s a large place, seems to play regee all the time, and had a good crowd – very noisy. The food was great, the ambiance was great – nice meal. After that we drove back ‘home’ and crashed.

Tomorrow will be Pikes Peak, should be a lot of pictures.

Good Morning!

Day One - to Santa Fe

What a day! What a drive! Scottsdale to Santa Fe, 487 miles (some small detours) and 26.8 mpg, 9 hours. We left at 8am, and got here at 5. Those are the stats, now for the good parts (they were all good!)

Arizona’s Finest at work

I’ve just got to tell this part first, only slightly out of order. When we got to the Bee Line highway (Hwy 89 to Payson – pick it up at Fountain Hills, Shea Blvd.) we immediately encountered the first of many road construction zones. But this one was unique. The road was great – there had been construction, but it was complete as far as I could tell. Perfectly clear smooth road, and we were almost alone on it. Speed limit? 55mph – specially marked for construction. After completing the full 12 miles, the only construction we encountered was where they had built an overpass for the Saguaro Lake traffic. There it really was reasonable to slow down. But for the rest of the 12 miles the normal 65mph would work just fine, thank you.

Well, it turns out that what this really was was a speed trap. It’s the only excuse I can come up with. The road was literally crawling with Arizona’s Finest – I think it was DPS. Really. Sunday morning, virtually no traffic, perfect, wide open road, and a full battalion of cops. What a way to start a trip. Shish. No, we did not get pulled over, but I don’t really know why. I had one behind me at 70mph – I saw him and slowed, and he pulled off and turned around! There were several folks on both sides of the road not so lucky! What a way to start a long road trip – not even out of the backyard! Did not see another cop on the highway all day.

Back to the beginning

We were up at 5 – normal dog feeding time. Slowly got ourselves together – had most stuff assembled in advance. By the time we had triple checked everything and gotten the car loaded it was almost 8. We left and didn’t turn back. So far the only thing we have noticed that we didn’t bring is Pita Chips. 101 is closed, and we prefer to use the ‘high road’ surface streets anyway. Wound our way around to Frank Lloyd Wright – then Shea Blvd through Fountain Hills, then to the Bee Line (see above).

About 9:30 we pulled into Payson. Went to the Café (perhaps Payson Café, not sure) and had a great breakfast, took the boys to the park, gassed up and S-H took the wheel. On to Heber and up to Holbrook to pick up I40. It’s all interstate from there, I40, I25. At Holbrook I took over driving – and at the Continental Divide S-H took over again. Not much to write about – the dogs were cute – we had our pillows in the back, and guess where they wanted to be – squarely on top of each pillow. Never mind that they had a Taj Majal of their own back there.

In Albuquerque I took over for the last leg to Santa Fe. We only stopped to walk the boys, stretch the legs and eat. Took our time, but didn’t do much on the side. This was the longest drive we have on the trip, and there really wasn’t much time for exploring.

Probably the highlight of today was dinner. We went out blind, driving around for 1) a dog park and 2) a restaurant. We found a dog park, although it wasn’t fenced, so we couldn’t turn them entirely loose to run like they love to do. We ran them back and forth between us, about 50 yards, a bunch of times. By doing one dog at a time they don’t run away! We saw two or three possible restaurants on the way to the dog park, and on the way back we stopped at Los Potrillos – a local place that had a line waiting. It was great! S-H had prickly pear cactus something-or-other, and I had pork chops with a wonderful chipotle sauce. Really got lucky, and hope to get back there sometime.

That’s about it for day one – not very eventful, but no traffic tickets, no problems, great weather (hot) (but it’s really nice and cool now!), and a good time was had by all.

And they're off!

Yes, we're off. But you knew that.

Breakfast will be in Payson, who knows after that - our destination is Santa Fe.

This is just the beginning!

Getting Ready!

Hi! We're getting ready for a 2 month road trip. Woody and Jake are going. We're headed for the Rockies and surrounding area - Santa Fe, Colorado Springs, Rocky Mountain National Park, Cooke City, Red Lodge, Bozeman, Glacier NP, Banff NP, Jasper NP, and who knows where else!
In this blog I plan to keep daily notes on what we have done.
We also plan to take a lot of pictures, which I will be posting on Flickr as we go. If you have a Flickr account (just about the same as Yahoo) and want to see our pictures, let me know your account name and I'll invite you to be in my contacts. http://www.flickr.com/photos/d_s-h_lloyd/