Sharing photos, videos, vintage images I've discovered, and -- occasionally -- commentary and thoughts from retired life and travels.

camping

Images from Bannack–003

January 16, 2011

A view through a Bannack window.

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Wallpaper inside the Bannack State Park visitor center.

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Bannack, Montana was founded in 1862 after a major gold discovery.  It served as the capital of Montana Territory briefly during the civil war.  The last residents left in the 1970s.

“Images from Bannack” are from July 30, 2010, our third visit to Bannack.

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Images from Bannack–002

January 11, 2011

A Sundancer Class C motorhome at Bannack State Park, Montana.

Sundancer Class C at Bannack State Park, Montana

A view from the Bannack State Park visitor parking lot.

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The State Park visitor center building, below,  was once owned and occupied by carpenter George French.

The Bannack State Park visitor center building

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Bannack, Montana was founded in 1862 after a major gold discovery.  It served as the capital of Montana Territory briefly during the civil war.  The last residents left in the 1970s.

“Images from Bannack” are from July 30, 2010, our third visit to Bannack.

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Bull Trout–Part Deux

October 28, 2010

Bull Trout Campground

On July 26, we moved from Arco, Idaho to Bull Trout Campground, about 26 miles down the road west of Stanley.  The campground is next to two lakes, Bull Trout Lake and Martin Lake.  Our campsite was in the newer section of the campground and  was just a short walk from the smaller of the two lakes.

We didn’t get over to the larger lake – Bull Trout – other than driving the loops to see what the other campsites looked like.  We walked the short distance to Martin Lake and hiked all the way around it.

The campground was 1.9 miles down a very dry dirt road whose surface was like powder.  Fortunately, it rained that night.  The rain washed the worst of the dust off the car and there was very little road dust for the rest of our stay.

Martin Lake next to Bull Creek Campground

trail by Martin Lake next to Bull Creek Campground Martin Lake next to Bull Creek Campground

The campground elevation is 6900 ft in a mixed growth forest of Douglas fir and lodgepole pine. Wildflowers are plentiful.

Martin Lake next to Bull Creek Campground

July 29, 2010 posts:

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July 25, 2010, Arco, Idaho

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After a day trip with crystal clear skies for most of the day, it turned cloudy and very blustery as we were getting back to the campground. transparent2

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Modern gypsies – sort of

October 20, 2010

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We own a modern motorhome – a class C – and  had two other recreational vehicles previously.  We bought the first one in the late 1980s, a small, used travel trailer. The second was a fifth wheel trailer that we bought new.  We’ve had our motorhome for a little over two years.

I’ve been a bit curious about the history of recreational vehicles in America and, last weekend, came across an article from the early days of vehicle camping, “Luxury Trailers create new army of Modern Gypsies,” published in the April 1936 issue of Popular Science.

I’ve republished the article , Modern Gypsies, as part of a reference library of vintage articles and articles I’ve written related to recreational vehicles.  At this point, though, the library is rather sparse, with only three articles.

Needless to say, the campers of 1936 differed greatly from many that we see today.  There are a lot of similarities, though, and a lot of innovation.  There are also “interesting” snippets:

Jack Bartlett, Tucson, Ariz., showman, recently purchased a trailer for $395, loaded into it a trained donkey weighing 800 pounds and a trunk containing fifty horned toads. With these as his performers, Bartlett tours the southwestern United States staging toad races and exhibitions of animal intelligence in hotel lobbies and schools.

An itinerant minister, traveling through sparsely settled sections of the West, has converted a house-type trailer into a portable church. He seats a dozen people, preaching from a small chapel and pulpit at one end. A woman evangelist, Mrs. Julia A. Locke, tours the country in her trailer, preaching from a platform while music is provided by a bungalow-type piano carried within.

The early days of work campers, I guess.

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A short spring time trip

April 29, 2010

Last week we took a short trip to eastern Arkansas and, after that, over to northeast Kentucky.

Camping Area B, Village Creek State Park, Arkansas, April 19, 2010 - our camper

Lake Drum, Village Creek State Park, Arkansas, April 19, 2010

Camping Area B, Village Creek State Park, Arkansas, April 19, 2010

Our first campground was at Village Creek State Park.  The park is located on Crowley’s Ridge, a geologic anomaly of rolling hills in eastern Arkansas’s Mississippi Alluvial Plain.

With five trails totaling 7 miles, we had hoped to spend one day in the park doing some hiking.

Unfortunately, there was some kind of gnats hatching out.  After taking one walk the first evening where we couldn’t get away from them, we decided to alter our plans and check out some of the other parks in the area.

The first day, we went to Parkin State Archeological Park and Jacksonport State Park.  The next day, we drove over to Memphis and spent a few hours at Mud Island.  I’ll be posting more on these as I get the photo gallery set up for each one.

The last evening that we were there and the next morning before we left, we didn’t have much problem with insects at all.

Our next destination was Paducah, Kentucky, so that Karen could go to the annual Paducah Quilt Show.  Karen has several posts on her blog from the quilt show:

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