After a power visit, driveway camping with friends in MN near the twin cities, I headed north. Between a late start and lots of stops I only made it 60 miles to St. Cloud. That was Sunday, October 5. I was still trying to kick a head cold that I really didn't want to become a chest cold. The last couple days I was sleeping more so I hoped my immune system was turning the corner. I ended up napping away Sunday afternoon as well.
On Monday I proceeded north to the Scamp factory in Backus. I got some "rat fur" (head liner) material for lil' yeti and chatted with a nice couple from CT picking up their new 13'er. They were so excited, not just about their new baby, but mine too once they found out how old it was. I gave them the short story and obligatory tour. I also pointed them to some forums online. Then we took shots for each other.
That errand completed I continued west to Tamarac NWR in Rochert. I'm always on the scout for possible future opportunities. And this one was on the list as having RV sites for resident volunteers.
I must say the land outside the refuge didn't particularly call to me coming or going. But within its boundaries the refuge was lovely. So I had a nice, if short, visit.
It was a beautiful day. Especially after a week of rain and meh.
Their poster tree was glowing just outside the visitor center. In Death Valley I'd learned about Tamarisk trees; invasives from the Mediterranean. Whereas Tamaracks actually belong in North America. They are deciduous conifers, meaning needles that turn color in the fall and drop like broad leafed trees. Curious.
From there I proceeded west. First to Fargo for gas. I was originally planning to scout four more NWRs in northwestern ND that were on the RV list. But the weather forecast changed my mind. An early blast of winter was only two days away. I considered skipping ND stops altogether this trip and making for storage in CO sooner. But early hard freezes forecast on the west side of Rocky Mtn NP chilled that idea.
Instead, I also topped up on propane before leaving Fargo. Then made straight across ND on I-94 (yawn) for Theodore Roosevelt NP. I stopped in Dickinson to lay in food and extra water. Preliminary planning revealed that campgrounds inside the park were already on winter terms. Presumably they shut off water for the season. Best to prepare.
When I arrived at the Painted Canyon visitor center it was late Tuesday morning. There were dozens of ferrel horses grazing in rolling meadows as I arrived from the East. Until, cresting another roll in the highway the bottom just fell out of the country. Suddenly I was in the Bad Lands. I still had a glorious Tuesday before winter hit.
At the South Unit VC I watched the film. It was about Noon when I rolled into Cottonwood CG. One of two loops was gated closed, but 39 sites were still available in the open loop. All sites were first come, first serve. Sure enough, water was shut off. The off-season rate was reduced from 14 to 7 buxanite. Half that again for lucky Golden Geezer cardholders, who have my sincere envy. Nod.
Only a few camp sites were occupied. Most site posts had tags indicating the whole place was pretty full the night before. I picked a site with the clearest view of the rising hills on the other side of the Little MO River. It was about 75F and no skeeters but some flies were on the job. It did my job of dispatching those who tried playing house in lil' yeti. Time for lunch. Then off to explore. In shorts and T shirt!
The scenic loop drive was designed to be 36 miles. But a section of road between Old East Entrance and Ridgeline Trail was blown out from prior storm damage.
So going clockwise I had to turn around at that point and go back the way I came. Maybe 20 miles longer. But also twice the chances to enjoy the views, prairie dog towns and bison.
Back at camp I dispatched more flies and walked out to the river. It was muddy, swiftly moving and about 4' deep. The banks looked dicey with clear evidence of erosion. So I didn't risk photos from the edge. The game trail I followed through waist high brush narrow and scratchy. But I didn't find any ticks when I got back. Just a few cockle burs in my shoe laces. And more flies to dispatch inside lil' yeti.
When the sun went down Tuesday night it cooled off fast, as expected. I could run the generator until 8pm, but I didn't need heat before bed. I just zipped into the mummy bag and snuggled down. Wednesday morning it was 40F inside when I got up about 7am. An hour too early for the generator. So I lit the catalytic heater, cracked the roof vent and stove window, and perked some coffee.
After 8am I could start the generator. By then I was hungry. Since I was already making power, I set up the electric hotplate for bacon and pancakes. Then fritted away the morning inside a toasty camper as the skies darkened and the air steadily cooled outside. It was mid afternoon before the snow started. And it only spit for a while. Finally, by late afternoon the snow began sticking as temps dropped below freezing. Before dark it finally looked like winter with ice and snow growing on everything.
At 8pm I had to stop the generator, but I wasn't sleepy yet. So I lit the Portable Buddy to bank heat inside, deeper into the night. The temp was supposed to drop into the 20s by morning.
Before dark I did two strategic things. I was concerned that extra jugs of water could freeze in the truck bed, so I brought those inside. I also had two chicken breasts in the fridge that were frozen two days before, but had since thawed in the fridge. No freezer in lil' yeti, just the fridge. Improvise! I put the chicken in the truck bed. Hopefully it would refreeze, so I could cook and eat them later than sooner.
I called it a night at 9:30. After brushing my teeth, I killed the cat (catalytic heater), sealed the roof vent, took a leak and adjusted the fridge's LP setting. Since I had cell service, if just barely, I checked Weather Channel. Medora, the nearest town showed 29F.
When I woke up after 4am Thursday it was 35F inside. I felt like a prairie dog, poking my head out of my sleeping bag to check the time and temp. I twitched my nose at the cold darkness and tucked back into my hole. Sometimes in the wee hours it's pleasant to just be still and drift off in silence.
About 6:30 I poked my head out again to discover first light. It was 32F inside. Weather Channel said 26F in Medora. Mr. Buddy was relit and the roof vent cracked. Then bundled up for a walk to the bathroom. They locked the restrooms with flush toilets for winter but left two pit toilets open. There was a fantastic plastic pooper in the picnic area. And an oldie but goodie wood crapper in the campground. Nothing says "Mornin' rough rider!" like a cold seat to bare cheeks. Br!
It was light enough to walk the loop. Big fluffy flakes were falling. The ground was still bare and wet in places. At most 2" of white stuff had accumulated. No other footprints in the snow but mine. No tire tracks either. Just the same 3 other sites occupied. There was no wind. A great horned owl hooted nearby, but remained invisible to me. A robin searched a damp area. Good luck with that, pal.
Back inside lil' yeti it was already 46F. I started a pot of coffee on the propane stove. But the window over the stove was froze shut. So I cracked the roof vent a bit more. By the time coffee started perking it had warmed enough from stove heat to crank that window open a bit.
I swear, that first sip of hot coffee is the best. Especially on such a cold morning. With a couple slugs of that in my belly I bundled up again. The truck cranked strong and started fine. So reconditioning its battery passed a test. Cool!
I really had to hunt for the ice scraper though. I view that technology as a solution to a problem I'd rather not have. Since my phone battery was down to 1% that started recharging while the truck warmed up.
Funny how scraping snow and ice off windows doesn't suck as bad when you haven't had to do it for a number of winters. And you're not late for work. That's got to be a corollary of Murphy's Law.
When I opened the truck cap the chicken breasts were only semi frozen on top but hard on the bottom. Weather Channel said high 31F today and low 21F tonight. So I turned them over and left them on the steel floor of the truck bed. Then got out the gas can to fuel up the generator. But I needed warmer hands. So back inside for hot coffee first.
By then it was 8am so I could generate power and switch over to electric heat. Whereas the propane heater produces water vapor inside, which contributes to condensation issues in cold weather, the electric baseboard heater helps dry out the camper. Now that I was tracking in snow, dry heat was especially helpful.
I had enough gas to run the generator all day. But I also might run out either before bed time or Friday morning. It was snowing lightly as predicted. So I drove out of the park back east to Belfield. It seemed dumb to burn 3 gallons of gas driving a truck to fill a 2 gallon can. But I needed gas and that was the only can I had with me. Something to reconsider going forward.
Driving back into the park I saw a gas pump at a convenience store a block from the park entrance! Dang, that made me feel stupid. In my defense, the were no signs. Still, had I known, I would have gladly paid an extra buckagallon. Not knowing exactly how much longer it would snow, I stopped to get their gas price for reference. And cruise their few isles, just in case. As if to add insult to injury their gas was the exact same price. Shrug.
Back at my site lil' yeti had cooled from 62 to 45F in my short absence. At least I had gas to stay warm another day. Plus I knew where to get more if needed. Maybe it was the baseboard heater talking. But I took some warmth in that consolation. And mostly stayed inside all day. Just bundled up and walked to the biffy several times. As the recent burst of content maybe suggests, I had time to catch up on travel notes, process photos, and start writing up some blog posts.
Thursday at 8pm I turned off the generator and went to bed. Friday at 5:30am I was reminded how the wee hours got that name. Time to go wee wee. It was 32F inside. Weather Channel said 24F in Medora. Bbbrrr. Time for Mr. Heater and coffee. Sunrise was 7:05am.
The truck cab also showed 32F. Blacky cranked over strong and caught after a few extra turns. I cleared the windows. The wipers were froze down. Again. Working them loose with the scraper I noticed it's time for new blades. While the truck warmed up I filled a thermos with piping hot coffee. It was 58F inside lil' yeti by then. I dowsed the heater and headed out to explore the South Unit, frozen this time.
The drive started nice enough. I saw some deer and horses. The former promptly ran off, but the latter nonchalantly grazed on frozen grass. Or whatever ground cover it was previously growing under their teeth.
Pleasant Valley Ranch looked more befitting with some snow on the ground.
I waved at the oncoming snow plow driver, thinking he was my friend. Until I got to East River Rd and found the road gated closed. His handiwork? No proof, but I wondered.
Although the paved loop east was closed, the gravel backroad to North Entrance had no pesky gate. Isn't that what new, extreme snow rated tires are for?
The new Pirelli AT+ did great BTW. Along the way a small herd of 4 pronghorn antelope played chase with Blacky. First on the left side of the road. Then crossing in front to the right side. When I stopped to grab the camera, they stopped too. As if to say "what, you giving up the chase already?" Click.
I saw bison too. I was hoping for a good shot of one with steamy breath in the crisp air. But they were too far away for the camera, even with 300mm zoom. When I returned to lil' yeti for breakfast about 9:30 it was 36F inside. I called the park and was told the South Unit road would probably remain closed most of the day, but the North Unit was open. So I drove up there (85 miles) to see what I could. More bison for starters. Much closer too.
Deer grazed near the road.
Turkeys also exhibited right of way. Although not chickens, I did wonder why do they cross the road? Turns out they didn't. After making me stop they turned around and went back.
Then a coyote crossed the road right in front of me to stroll right through a prairie dog town, seemingly ignoring residents making surprisingly little fuss. Odd. Maybe Wile E was holding out for Road Runner. Or already had breakfast. Just saying.
It was still cold but at least this snow was done. It was 26F overnight in Medora. Friday I stayed in bed 'til 8am, then let generated power warm me during a lazy start. Time to check out. The Rockies were still frozen. So I aborted my Grandby storage chore, and instead, started due south towards Pueblo next. This fall I got enough winter to last me for a good long while. As problems go, I'd rather swat flies.
