Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta

We left Three Forks, but not before breakfast.  Paul & Mavis knew about this place from past travels.  It had a vast selection of breads and bakery products.  What you choose?  I picked a delicious turnover and took home a mega cinnamon bun to share with Dave later on.

After we passed through Helena, we were back on the same route as we were on a week ago in the other direction.  We stopped at the same place for lunch and stayed for night in Shelby again.  By now the big cottonwood tree was in full leaf.  What a difference a week makes.  

The next morning we continued northward.  The Sweetgrass Hills that are so familiar to us from the farm at Skiff look quite different from the Montana side.

The Chin Coulee is green.

We had a brief lunch and fuel stop in Taber.  Somehow, we didn't find any interesting independent place for coffee that was trailer accessible.  The fast food chains have taken over along the highway.  

We arrived at Dinosaur Provincial Park and it was definitely summer!  Dave quickly switched to shorts.  He said he'd left Canada wearing shorts and hadn't worn them at all in the U.S.

Dinosaur Provincial Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the Red Deer River valley, which is noted for its striking badland topography and abundance of dinosaur fossils.  Fifty-eight dinosaur species have been discovered at the park.  It has a long history of fossil hunting and a few specimens are housed in museum displays around the park.  We were excited to spend some time hiking around and enjoying the beauty of nature.  

Paul and Mavis belong to an RV club based out of Calgary.  The group goes on camping trips around central Alberta and this one of those events.  After we got set up, it was time to meet their friends and hang out.  Over the next couple of days we went on several hikes, had some sing-a-longs, went out for dinner and just generally relaxed around the campground.  This is the life!

Molly didn't think much of the wheels on Al's scooter.

It looked too murky and muddy bottomed to consider it.

Hoodoos and sunsets.  A beautiful place.

Heading out on a hike in the morning, before it got too hot.  

One of the displays depicting a fossil bed as it would be excavated.

This was our camping neighbour, a young lady who'd done a fantastic job of making a mini-van into a camper van.  We enjoyed getting to know her.  

view from our campsite

Another hike along the river valley.

200 year-old cottonwood near the river

The Patricia Hotel BBQ pit

Grill your own meat.  If you don't like how it turned out, blame the chef - you!

The first night we had a sing-a-long in a trailer as the smoke had rolled in and was quite harsh on lungs and voices.  Three musicians cozy on a couch - and about 14 of us in total joining in song.  

The next afternoon the musicians stayed in the tent because they needed the shade to be able to see their I-pads for the music.  

Everyone sitting around and singing - or visiting.  

A beautiful evening stroll.

But all good things must come to an end and we began to pack up and head home.  But first, Drumheller.  We needed to stop at Bernie and the Boys for old-time sake.  It brought back memories of Paul & Mavis' daughter's years at theatre camp in the Badlands, and of Mavis and I participating in the Badlands Passion Play.  

What a wonderful way to start of the camping season. 

What's next?  June in Yellowknife

Three Forks, Montana

 

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

It was time to turn the wheels north.  With just a little hiccup, we finally got on the road again.  

On our way.  The sun was out.  The clouds were gone and we had a beautiful view of the Tetons as we drove up the valley towards the Montana border.  Up we went to Island Parks, an interesting area at the top of Idaho just before you cross into Montana: choose to go right to Yellowstone or left to Helena.  Island Parks has the longest Main Street as it’s a community stretched out in pockets along the highway for about 35 miles.  The first fuel stop, called Last Chance, was fortunately not the last chance as it was closed.  Up the road a few miles was another stop – and then another…and we fueled up to continue on.. turning left towards Helena.  

First though, time to find a stretch break, coffee shop.  We ended up in Ennis which really is worth more than just a drive-through.  It's in the beautiful Madison River valley and could easily be a base for exploring the Yellowstone area.  I think we've camped there on a previous trip. 

fenceboards...

Gravel Bar - great place for lunch

Finally we pulled into Three Forks KOA.  It’s a beautiful spot, just minutes from the freeway but the birds sing louder than the traffic. We got sites facing each other again so we could visit together outside.  By the time we decided it was supper, the breeze was cooler coming around the corner and we opted to eat inside.  After, we went for a walk around to enjoy a beautiful sunset.

HEADWATERS STATE PARK

This is the headwaters of the Missouri River.  It’s where the Madison and Jefferson Rivers come together and about a mile down stream, the Gallatin River joins in too.  Hence, Three Forks.  We walked around a bit at the fork of the first two rivers.  You could definitely see the swirl of where they came together.  If you start paddling your raft, you'll join the Mississippi River and reach the Gulf of Mexico in about two or three months!

Then we walked along the ridge overlooking the Gallatin River, a braided windy stream.  We tried our best Lewis and Clark impressions.  

As the sign says, Lewis and Clark were tasked to find the source of the Missouri River.  Presumably, that would lead over a range of mountains to the Pacific Ocean.  Little did they know that it was still a long arduous journey with several more mountain ranges before they would arrive at the ocean.  

THREE FORKS

Somehow we managed to avoid the rain showers as we walked around the park.  We headed back into town and now had to duck into some shops to avoid the rain!  Three Forks was established as a railway town and now is a lovely little rural community with some interesting shops.

antique shop

We found our way to the Ironhorse Restaurant, recommended to us for it's pie and coffee.  It didn't disappoint.  Life is short.  Eat dessert first.  

We drove back to the campground and just as we turned the last corner, it poured!