October26/09

Today we settled into a campground bordered by the "mighty" Missouri River. First impressions, the river is mighty dirty!! It looks like a ribbon of mud winding it's way across the country side.

The camping fees were $12.00 a day which was good because we even had access to water. The campground was full of hunters as this area is hunted for antelope, deer and elk.

There are several Bureau of Land Management areas and it looks like the state keeps a close watch on what is being hunted and when.

Once we settled in we packed the tracker and it was off to explore the back country. We had to first stop at the town of Zortman, and, while I was there, picked up some bread and milk ( just in case we got lost) and a back roads map.

That being done, off we went and spent the rest of the day of various trails. Managed to drive the "201", which was a trail that meandered through miles of grassland and sage brush and over the spines of many gorges, eventually descending into the gorge and then climbing back up again. There were some steep climbs and descents and lots of mud (it had rained alot on Saturday).

I must say that everytime we got out of the tracker, the smell of the sagebrush was incredible and not something that I will soon forget. On the other hand, I can't imagine being a pioneer and trying to tame this land.

As it turned out, the only wildlife we saw was at the designated elk viewing site and let me tell you, there were plenty. Those elk certainly know where to go to avoid the hunter's bullets. We took a short detour to Thundercloud Reservoir and it turned out to be what we in Saskatchewan would call a "dugout". We did note that there was a windmill there made at Englefeld, Sask. Commerce, at it's best. You are never too far from home.

We continued along 201, meeting several hunters along the way and eventually came out on the highway, about a mile from the campsite.

Home again but, in the trees and down in a hollow . No satellite system and no cell phone. RATS!!! Had an awesome fire and went to bed. Must try the other side of the highway tomorrow.