570 miles

16.8 mpg

$35: Bearmouth RV park, Clinton, Montana

I have this crazy idea that I’d like to camp at Devil’s Tower on my second day of travel, so I book on by Missoula.

The drive on Rt. 12 by Mt. Rainier was spectacular, as always.

Although I picked up bag full of trash at the vista point. Come on, America. You can do better.

Eastern Washington, Idaho, and Montana were hot: up to 102 degrees. Amazingly, the trailer stayed cool enough for a nap.

Lesson re-learned: don’t wait too long to bed down on a Friday night. After stumbling down a dirt road into a BLM campground that was pretty full, I kept west on I-90 and found another full state park.

Further down the road, I found Bearmouth RV park. As with most parks along this corridor, you’re never far from the sights and sounds of I-90 and railroad tracks, but the view of the river makes it all worthwhile.

The clean bathrooms don’t hurt, either.

On to Wyoming. Looking forward to hearing some prairie dogs.