2,779 Miles

After two days of rain, no thank you very much, I got so stir crazy that mom was forced to walk me between showers. She was frequently wet because the breaks were pretty short. I cannot tell you how many times I have been towel dried. No wonder they call the place Great Falls. Nothing but water! Mom said a lady in the bathroom was worried the Missouri River would flood the RV park. Mom thought that with at least three dams downriver, that seemed a little silly. Last time it happened was in 1960.

Then this morning, things improved. I got to go off leash in the dog run, where I encountered both a rabbit and birds. I was streaking from one end to another. Dad fixed the tailpipe, and then the microwave. It was catywompass. He had to fix the windowshade earlier. Seems like there is always maintenance to do on the RV, just like at home. When he finally came back in the RV, he was carrying the shreds of the Obama sticker.

Mom remarked today that the scenery was incredible. The hills were like green moguls, she said. Then she got into taking photos of wheat storage silos. You will need to check out the photo link to see them. She thinks she is Ansel Adams now, or maybe even Steve Babbitt.

I found 89 north from Great Falls to be very winding. In the middle of the day, ponies crossed the road in front of the RV as we came around the bend. I have never seen a herd of ponies, much less free ranging ponies.

Finally, when we arrived at the campground in St Mary just outside of Glacier, in the middle of nowhere, Mom let me escape. First time in almost 3,000 miles. I have been waiting for my chance.

True to form when I escape, I ran the hills. Johnsons just opened for the season today, so thank heavens there was not much traffic. (No one wants to camp yet when it is 41 degrees in the middle of the afternoon. I think we are the only ones here.)I ran up the hill to a new cottage being built and a worker lady caught me and brought me back down. The photo is Dad and me after I was captured. Later this evening, while I was outside on my longline, deer crossed the hills above the RV. I didn't bark, just whimpered.

Mom and Dad went to dinner at the cafe run by the RV camp. The original owners are in their 90's, but they are still here. Tonight's special family style dinner was chicken fried steak. I can't think of two foods I like more, chicken and steak. Mom said she wrote in the guest book that she wants to marry the bread baker.

Somebody at Johnsons has a sense of humor. Here are some of the things Mom read while waiting for dinner.

How far is it?

It is about 55 miles across Going To The Sun Highway.
The Canadian border is about 20 miles.
Calgary is 180 miles north, and Great Falls is south 160 miles.
We don't know how far it is to New York or San Francisco. Go to the bottom of the hill and turn left, ask when you get closer.

Answers to the most frequently asked questions:

No: The wind has never blown like this before.
Yes: The Johnsons live here year round. We usually open in late April and close in late September.
The bathrooms are in the lower dining room, down the stairs to the left.

If you want to read more about Johnsons, Mom linked their website to the title of this section. It's a new blog trick she just learned.

The workers are all bright and chipper and glad to see us. Later on they will be pretty tired of company. The eager worker in the office said that if we go into Glacier early in the morning, we will see a herd of 100 elk. He says the Going to the Sun road is not open all the way yet, not until July, but the first section is open.

After that little jaunt, we are going to cross into Canada and Waterton Lakes. I am so excited about leaving the USA, I am sure I won't sleep. My papers are ready! Hope they don't take away my dog food at the border....these kind of thoughts keep me up nights.