13-14 October 2022
Thursday and Friday
We’re on the road early again. We stop in Glendive at Bloom and Vine: pastries for O and a bagel for me, plus two cups of coffee. Once again we are buffeted by crosswinds as we drive along I-94 and onto I-90. We arrive at Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park just after 4 pm. The ranger is just leaving the park office as we pull into the parking lot. He has already checked us in. Our cabin is unlocked and the key is on the table. It is sunny and warm at the campground and the stillness and lack of wind is heavenly!!
We prepare supper and move into the cozy little cabin built by the Montana Conservation Corps in 1990 and dedicated to the CCC. There is a double bed, a bunk bed, a small table and baseboard heat, which is quite welcome since the temperature is supposed to drop to freezing tonight. There is no water available. Water service was turned off on September 30. Luckily, we have enough water for our two day stay. During the summer season restrooms and showers are available. O and I are happy to be sitting still! We see lots of deer on our evening walk.
Friday morning is quite cool and it’s still dark at 7 am. O starts heating water for our coffee as the morning grows a bit brighter. For breakfast we bake the last of our homemade orange chocolate chunk cake mix in our frittata pan.
It’s not until almost noon that we are ready for a short hike. We climb up to an overlook above the Jefferson River Canyon. Lewis and Clark came through here in 1805. They never saw the caverns. Neither O, Lucy nor I are interested in a longer hike today, especially not Lucy. We sit in the sun and enjoy the view. By 3 pm we have returned to our cabin where we wash our hair in a basin. It feels wonderful after 6 days with no shower. O and I have reached that stage of our trip where we are mainly interested in getting home. We agree that our next stop at Riverside State Park’s Bowl and Pitcher campground in Washington will be for one night only rather than two. We’ll be home by Sunday.
