On August 19th it was time to start the drive home. We decided we would take it a little slower so that we could stop at Lewis and Clark caverns. So the first day we drove about 3.5 hours to get to Sheridan Wyoming. The second day we drove a little further to Livingston Montana. There have been a huge number of wild fires and brush fires in Washington, Idaho and Oregon this year due to the incredibly dry conditions. So dry that even the Olympic RAIN forest saw a fire. With all of the fires, some of them burning over 100,000 acres and still going, there is a ton of smoke blowing around. This is Central/Eastern Montana!
This is the smoke in Livingston. By the time we got there we had been driving through an increasing amount of smoke for quite some time.
This is the cool cabin we got to stay in right along the yellowstone river.
The kids didn't play in the river, just in it's sandy banks.
And in the pool. Papa is a marvelous water toy! The moment he got in the water all the kids would come over. Poor guy, they wouldn't leave him alone!
In their defense I remember being the same way when I was little. Papa is so at home in the water and is so playful! I have great memories of the beach (NW beaches that have freezing cold water) and pools, and lakes!
Friday we stopped at the Lewis and Clark Caverns in Montana. It was only a little over an hour from the cabin. We had to hike up along that hillside to get to the opening of the cave. It was only about 3/4 miles but it was hot, and smoky, and at a higher elevation than we are used to. It was a little challenging. Grandma's knee was bothering her so she couldn't come. Works out that she couldn't though because Carson started getting scared not even 100 yards into the hike. I took him back and he got to hang out with Grandma.
The entrance we used is actually man made. It was blasted into the rock. Otherwise we would have been climbing down a rope ladder from here, the natural entrance.
The first half of the cave is all an occupied bat nursery. So we got to see bats resting and flying around. We saw them on several different occasions. One even flew right in front of Dillon's face! From the moment we started hearing the bats, then seeing the bats Kayda decided that she liked caves. Funny how that was really the only difference she had seen.
This is the "beaver slide", we call it the "butt slide" because sp many people have gone down it that it is smooth and worn into the shape of two perfect butt cheeks. I guess it was originally called "fat man's demise" but they had to change the name because people get offended too easily. I was told that they actually had a "very large individual" get stuck. They had to hoist them up so they could re-position to try to get through. This "slide" was my clearest memory of this cave.
The kids were fascinated with all the different formations.
It looks like they put colored light bulbs in but they didn't. They put in special bulbs tyhat replicate the sun so you can see the real color of the cave. So if they had the correct lighting in ALL of the cave would look like this. Unfortunately it's not a matter of changing light bulbs, they have to put in all new wiring too.
This is the man made exit. It is some 450 ft long (if I remember correctly) and has a door at either end. If both doors are opened at once it can get up to a 45 mph wind going through which would dry out the cave in 15 minutes. Needless to say they are very picky about those doors! The kids loved this cave! So did I! There is so much more to it! We learned about all kinds of formations and they had a few rocks that they tell fun fictional stories about.
After the caverns it was time to drive again. That was our longest drive and it brought us back into Washington, barely. We stayed in Liberty Lake. We left for camping in Idaho on July 24th and got back into Washington again on August 21st. 4 weeks. It was a wonderful four weeks but we were all excited for our own rooms and our own beds again.
You can see that the smoke is worse here. You could tell it was thicker, not just visually, but because the smell was so much stronger.
Saturday was our last day of driving. It was time to go home. The closer we got, the thicker it got. It was the worst around Vantage. There was actually still visible smoke when we got home.
You can normally see the bridge with crystal clarity.
And you can normally see WAY up the river. Instead it was a cloud of smoke.
There are hundreds of windmills here. Not that you would know it. The kids, once again, did great for the drive. We only had one big issue but it was resolved quickly. Car DVD players are the best invention. We will definitely be making the trip again!
