School Bus Mexican in West Yellowstone

Burrito Bus

When you find an old school bus turned into a Mexican restaurant by two fellows whose first language is Spanish you know you are in for a treat.  But questions remain - how do they get utilities?  Water?  Sewer?  Would Bloomington planning and Monroe County health department allow them to set up in our beloved town?

Kevin and the boys wait for our lunch.   

While Old Faithful Geyser is a bit of a yawner, Yellowstone National Park deserves its grand reputation.    The cold damp weather made steam from the thermal features rise high in the sky.  Newly born bison calves grazed close to mom.   The falls of Yellowstone River roared with spring melt.   And our visit missed the maddening crowds of mid summer.    

 Tasty Bison.  Especially when young and tender.

Creepy Couple that followed us on our trip.

I'd seen this in pictures but my mind had
scaled it down.    Huge.  Spectacular.

Friend Glenn Monahan and boys check
out T Rex sculpture at Bozeman's
Museum of the Rockies.

63 billboards on I90 led us to Wall Drug.
Really - 63 - we counted.

Look!  Bison Poop!
Frozen Yellowstone lake in background.

Falls of Yellowstone River from
precipice overlook.  Scary.  Beautiful.

Wesley examines Glenn's land sailing yacht.  

Fast Water on the North Fork of the Flathead

Kevin ready to head down river in the I-K
(inflatable kayak)

So sorry for the long delay.  Having way too much fun on the final stretch to post!

The Flathead River was crankin!    Rain and snowmelt had the river full to the bank, running almost 20,000 cubic feet per second.    It made for a fast trip and big waves.     We were joined by Kevin O'Donnell and had a ball for three days rafting on the edge of Glacier National Park.     Beautiful river, beautiful country.      See a glimpse of it here.

Found a patch of Morels at our first camp.
Delightful with the grilled steaks.

Glacier National Park from the river

Guide Dean works hard to make landfall for lunch.

Dashel explores the upstream end of the
island where we stopped for lunch. 

At a few places snow reached all
the way to river level.

Pryo Wesley with his mentor Dad.

Looks cold?  It was!  Notice the "gumby" mitts.

Sign at our RV park needs some work!

Safe and sound in West Glacier MT

We left the children in the care of a pack of
wolves and dined this evening at West Glacier's
Belton Chalet.    This inn and restaurant
lies next to the Amtrak station and serves up
genuinely gourmet fare.   

Wesley and I picked up our family friend Kevin O'Donnell late last night at the Spokane airport.   Kevin was the only taker of our oft repeated invitation for brave souls to join us on our journey.    His arrival coincided with a cold rain which followed us all day on our eight hour drive to Glacier National Park.     Cold, rainy, cloudy, yuk.    It was the first day of the trip on which I took zero pictures during the drive from one RV park to the next.

Tomorrow is the last river trip - three days on the North Fork of the Flathead.      Follow us with our tracker if you like.   Expect a post on Sunday or Monday.    Until then, remember to eat plenty of fiber and not to run while carrying sharp sticks.

Conveyor Sushi

Gibson extols virtues of conveyor delivered food.

Why bother with needless effort walking to the buffet line?   Our lunch spot yesterday, Mara Sushi, delivers food right to your table on a continuous conveyor.    Keep an sharp eye on the passing food, and take whatever you desire.    Its a great idea for sure, but just imagine how business would improve with expanded offerings such as pork rinds, biscuits and gravy, and deep fried twinkies.     Kathleen and I just might open one of these restaurants when we get home but with a Hoosier flare.    Or perhaps a chain of drive up coffee stands - Pony Espresso.

Even the locals came out to see the Spokane River flow over the falls at an astonishing 31,000 cubic feet per second.     Normal flow during spring melt is about 15,000 and later in the year can fall to 3,000.

New videos - very short:

Conveyor Sushi
Spokane River at 275,000 gallons per second

There's a rainbow down there somewhere.

Iron runner sculpture in Spokane.  Proves if
you stop moving, you'll rust.

Think you could make it in a kayak?

Probably not

Dashel does dishes Tuesday morning while
older brothers do more important work.