Small Potatoes & Dandelions

As the weather warmed up the wildflowers started to bloom. Here in the campground the dandelions looked like a pretty carpet of bright yellow flowers. And I love the large puff balls of white seeds that they become. As a kid I liked to pick them and blow the seeds into the wind. Now I like to photograph them.

But when you're an adult you see dandelions as an intrusion into your lawn. And so the owner of the campground sprays the dandelions to keep them in check. And as an offer to help the campground owners with some of their yard maintenance, Rick volunteered to spray the intrusive pretty yellow flowers that become seeds spreading in the wind if left to their natural cycle.

Visitors from Idaho brought the campground owners boxes of fresh potatoes and they shared them with everyone. I wondered if they would taste different from the store-bought potatoes and they did. They were fantastic! Not only fresher tasting, but they are huge! Which reminded me of the saying "small potatoes." I wondered where the saying came from so I had to look it up.

small, insignificant; small or insignificant in quantity comes from the Irish potato famine from 1845 - 1849, as potatoes was the main food source in Ireland. Used to describe the small surviving potatoes that were picked.

I told Rick that for spraying the weeds he wasn't working for small potatoes. He was working for big potatoes!

Antelope in the morning

If you look closely you can see a herd of antelope on the nearby hillside early in the morning. They're not there every morning, but they were there a few times. Our local friends say there is a pair of wolves that also make that hillside their home. I wish we could see the wolves, but they probably don't show themselves like the herd of antelope. The antelope run up and down and all around the hills.

Last year a deer wandered from the hills into the campground. It wasn't long, only a minute maybe, before the 3 campground dogs saw the deer and chased it around the campground, over the wire fence, and back into it's hillside home.

Miss Muffet & her friends

After writing this I had to come back up to the top and make a note. It seems like a lot of writing for such a silly topic, but this is so much a part of our lives in Montana. You just wouldn't understand if you haven't experienced it firsthand.
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I have to smile when I think about friends and family who might visit us here in Montana. Some friends and family that is. What makes me grin is wondering how they would react to the daily spider visitors in the motorhome, the daily sighting of slithering snakes in and around the river, the mice that make themselves at home under the tents & in the rental trailers, and the squadrons of mosquitoes that are so combative. The spiders and snakes don't bother me, but the mosquitoes are terrible. And thanks to the cat and dogs in the campground, we don't have mice.

Whenever we come into the motorhome we're quick and careful not to let mosquitoes follow us in. At least we try. Most times it seems that one or two get in and we usually attract them to us before we go to bed. Nothing worse than getting woke up at 2 AM by buzzing 'squitoes in my ear. When that happens, about twice a week, I have to get out of bed, turn on the lights and hunt it down. A couple nights ago I was bit 3 times and the itching woke me up, not the buzzing. I got up, turned on the lights and looked for the culprit. Rick woke up and just buried his head under the sheet. I couldn't find it and figured that since it had bit me, it was done for the night. The next morning Rick found it with the dust buster (aka bug vac) and said it was so big it was super-sized.

About a week ago, late one night, Rick had fallen asleep in his recliner chair. I noticed a dark spot on his cheek and took a closer look. I was surprised to see that it was a mosquito and I did what any loving wife would do. I ever so gently slapped it and killed it. Rick woke up, but literally didn't know what hit him. Or how hard.

Just a couple nights ago, after 11 PM, Rick had started to doze off in his chair and I woke him up to go to bed. He stirred and said OK. I checked the door and windows and looked back at him and saw a mosquito on his upper lip. Oh no! What to do?!? Thoughts went through my mind. He was asleep and didn't know it was there. He didn't remember the last time I saved him from a mosquito. Could I do it again without him knowing? If I didn't it would buzz my ear at 2 AM. So I gently, ever so gently, touched my hand to the 'lip biter'. Rick stirred and I pointed to the mosquito that was now on his shirt. It was still moving so I slapped it and it made a blood spot on his shirt, which I quickly wiped off. The only thing Rick remembers is that I smashed it on his shirt and made a spot. However, his lip started to puff up so I had to tell him that a 'squito had bit him. Liquid benedryl works wonders. It was barely noticeable the next day.

We actually like the spiders so we use the dust buster to gather them up and release them outside. We like them because they eat mosquitoes.

Oh, I forgot the worst of all -- the deer flies. They are the worst because they hurt so bad when they bite, they make a large red welt, and it takes a very long time for the itching to stop.

A Day of Weather = A Day of Rest

The farmers must be watering their fields, planting another round of hay. The river flow has been gradually increased to about 800 cfs and we've had wind, rain and hail today. A good day to rest and take care of what needs doing around the motorhome.

It's been a week or so since we've had any real amount of rain and the hillsides and campground are starting to lose the green, giving way to the tan color of a dry summer. We are in a semi-arid, high altitude area with no forest of trees nearby. The rolling hills aren't going to be this green again until next year, but Rick and the campground owners are trying to keep the park-like feel to the campground. They pump water from the river through a very long "fire" hose and irrigate the campsites. Rick has also been helping them prune the trees and trim the bushes, the few they have in the campground. Some of the Nanking cherry trees are red with fruit, but the owners say there's not as much fruit as last year. I guess that means we won't spend days boiling the small cherries for their juice. Just as well.

Our friends have headed south. They packed up their tents this morning just in time to miss the onslaught of pea-sized hail pellets and the deluge of rain. There are a couple campers still here in the campground, but the place is practically empty now. We'll go fish tomorrow I'm sure. Unless we get more thunder and lightning, then we won't.

Temps, Flow, & People

Day one = 54°
Day two = 64°
Day three = 74°
Day four = 84°

The river is flowing at about 84 cfs.

And there are about 84 people in this one mile stretch of river that runs past the campground.

Well OK, maybe I'm exagerating about 84 people, maybe there are only 54 people. On opening day they are all on the river that is flowing so skinny, all the people fishing within arms reach of each other, able to cast and hit the other bank. There are groups of fishermen here for the opening weekend and they were on the river early.

The day before opening day campers in trailers kept arriving, more right now in the campground than we usually see the entire time we're here. I can't remember ever being at a river for opening day, and now I know why. With so many fishermen and children here the day before the river opened, we knew we were going to sit it out. We knew it would be a zoo with so many people. We were OK with sitting on the bank and watching. We know we will have many, many more days to enjoy.

We walked down to the river and watched, taking a few photos, throwing the stick for Clover to fetch. We talked with a few of the guys, watching them tangle their fishing lines together because they were so close. They were catching fish, doing OK, having fun, and drinking beer, but we were content to watch. A group of 10 took turns fishing a short section, 5 of them rotating every so often. Another group of 3 guys were fishing in tight quarters unable to move up- or down-river, surrounded on both sides by another couple groups of fishermen. Like I said, we were content to not fish today, but look out tomorrow. We're going to try to find an open stretch of river and we'll get our lines wet.

Photos of Thousand Trails Las Vegas campground

There are a few shady campsites in this Thousand Trails Las Vegas park and they are the ones everyone wants. It's only 90 degrees and I can imagine what a scramble it is for the best sites here in the summer when the temps are way above 100. (Actually, the staff assigns each camper to a site when they check in so there is no scramble.) Today was the first day we turned on our air conditioner, but some neighbors have been running their's since we got here. Up until today it was overcast and breezy. Opening all the windows all the time has been more than sufficient to keep us comfortable. Even cool. Today was the warmest in 2 weeks.

This park is very popular in the winter, obviously not so popular in the summer heat. We attended the manager's meeting on Saturday morning which was well attended by the members. When talking about the amenities at this park he told everyone that this TT park is not the revenue generator that other TT parks are. There is no food service here because Thousand Trails cannot compete with the casino buffets. This is the entertainment capitol. Most who stay here go downtown for food and entertainment and use the park as a safe haven to return to at the end of the day. It's not a destination park, but rather a nice campground that enables you to see the local sights. It makes for a quiet campground most of the time.

The park is quiet, but every once in a while we hear a big jet fly over, headed for the airport. The jets aren't too noisy, they just remind us that we're in the middle of civilization, not in a national forest. The traffic out on the street is not loud, but we must be near a police, fire or ambulance station because the sirens are very noticeable at times. At night we've seen the police helicopter circle overhead. It may sound like I'm complaining, but I'm not. We're in a big city and it's expected. It's a nice campground, a good stopping place on the way north, friendly people, and it seems to be safe. Having a TT person at the front gate to check everyone in gives us a good feeling.

Thousand Trails Las Vegas is a clean, well maintained park and they have upgrades and improvements planned for this summer when the park is empty. There is a well-stocked store, an activity room with a pool table, a couch and chairs, and wi-fi access. The swimming pool and hot tub are just outside the store, right next to the fenced dog run. We've seen some of the campers have difficulty with the turns and streets, but I don't think that's the fault of the park. In fact, the wooden posts that mark the grassy areas can be easily removed if someone gets into a pickle turning a corner too tightly.

We spoke with a friend in Montana and he said it's cold and about the time you think it's going to warm up, it rains or snows, and then turns cold again. Having a motorhome with exposed holding tanks and hose connections, we need to be more cautious with freezing temperatures than a stick-and-brick homeowner. We're anxious to get to Montana, but not anxious to face frozen water hoses. We'll probably be here another week, with the air conditioner running.

Thousand Trails - Las Vegas

We've been here about 10 days and have another 10 to go. Having never spent this much time in Las Vegas, I thought we'd be bored and unable to stay put this long. We're not gamblers nor do we like to mingle with thousands of tourists. But half way through this visit we're enjoying ourselves and our motorhome lifestyle. We think we'll stay a little longer.

Our TT membership allows us to stay at a member park for 21 days and then we're able to move immediately into another TT/LT/NACO preserve without being out of the system. There are no other TT parks on our route north so as long as the weather is not too hot here we're going to stay and explore Vegas. It's been about 10 degrees cooler here than in Phoenix, with overcast cloudy skies and lots of wind to keep us cool. If we feel the need to move we'll look for campgrounds in Utah. Opening day on the river is May 16 and we plan to be there.


Thousand Trails Las Vegas is not like other forested, rural, green-grass, scenic campgrounds we've visited. However, it's not a casino parking lot for boondocking campers. Far from a parking lot. This is a little bit of an oasis in a big, bustling metropolitan city. A heavily populated city that stays awake allllll night long. Vegas never sleeps. They never sleep because they don't have clocks in casinos to remind people what time it is. Clocks are the enemy of casinos. Gamblers get so engrossed in playing, and hoping to win, that they lose all common sense. That may not be true of all gamblers, but walking through a casino at 8:30 in the morning and seeing all those slot machine junkies propped on their stools, you just know they've been there for hours. Sorry, that's not for us.

I plan to post photos of this Thousand Trails Las Vegas park soon.

Like spokes of a wheel

There are about a dozen motorhomes gathered around our little campsite. The 'Drifters' were the first to stake out our domain, and then we arrived along with a couple others, and it seems the coaches haven't quit arriving. Some are only staying a couple days, others may stay a couple weeks. As some leave, others are pulling in to take their place.

It is very beneficial to be camping with others who also have Monaco Coaches (including Holiday Rambler, Safari, and Beaver) because we're sharing what we've learned about our motorhomes with each other. Rick has gotten a lot of help from Mike to make modifications that he's been wanting to tackle. I think on the first day Mike moved and turned our sewer macerator which we've never used. Now that it's easier to get to, we will! Rick is also going to re-arrange all the switches near the front door so they make more sense to us. Rick helped another guy install their new interior sun shades. With everyone around for a few days, any questions that someone might have will be easily answered by others who have completed the same task.

Hope I never lose the amazement

I was very excited and anxious to be on the road again with our motorhome. We took about a day and a half to put our clothes, food, and other stuff in their respective storage areas. The day before we left, Rick plugged in the electricity so we could get the frig and freezers cold. Rick had flushed the water tanks, we'd fueled 'er up and we were ready to go!

I love the feeling of driving the motorhome with the car being towed behind. I love sitting high in the seat, having a view of it all going by. I love the idea of being able to drive as long as we want and stopping where we want, for as long as we want. I love the idea of having a different view when we stop. I love the ability to change our view by turning the motorhome around or by moving on down the road. I love it all.

So having to spend a little bit of time reloading it was well worth the effort. In fact, it was fun. I enjoyed emptying the pantry and frig, and having it fit in the motorhome with lots of space for more. We took a lot of things to do this time, and we still have room. We definitely don't feel cramped for space.

Since we are going to spend a couple weeks in the dusty desert around Quartzsite, we didn't take our fly fishing gear. In it's place we're taking firewood for the evening campfires. As with most RVing, "living" outdoors is what we do. Having your mobile patio overlook the desert, stream or forest is what RVing is all about. Sharing it with good friends just adds to the enjoyment. I'll be sure to get some photos to share with you here.

We love our motorhome, all 36 feet of it. It is very comfortable and just the right amount of space for us and our things. It's so comfortable that I find myself staying inside more than I should. This year I'm vowing to spend more time out on the patio looking at the view instead of sitting and looking at my computer screen. Did enough of that while I was working. Now it's time to be amazed by the scenery.

How this campground is different from others

This isn't about membership camping, but about the amenities and offerings at the campgrounds and RV parks we visit, and you might visit. And how our current campground compares to other parks.

Being members of Thousand Trails for about 30 years we are used to a number of amenities and accommodations at the campgrounds we visit. There are many good points to a membership campground as long as you use the parks you pay for. Once you buy into a membership system you usually also have yearly dues. The more you visit the parks in your system, the more you make up the cost of the membership.

At a typical Thousand Trails park you will have the opportunity to participate in many organized activities, enjoy modern facilities, scheduled dining opportunities, social gatherings, and more. Here is a list of what may be offered at a TT park and what we have here at Armstead Campground. Keep in mind that we are thoroughly happy and content here at Armstead! This is a fisherman's campground with no frills. Campers who wander in, who do not fish, have asked us "Doesn't it bother you being so close to the highway?" "Don't you wish you had trees for shade?" "There's no grass, it's so dry!" "What's there to do besides fish?"



There are about 45 sites here, with maybe 7 full hook up sites, about 25 with water & electric, and about 20 tent sites. We have good cell phone coverage with our Verizon phone, but AT&T users have a lot of trouble getting a signal.

There are 3 dogs that happily roam the campground without supervision, one being Clover the wonder dog, our temporary pet while we're here. We will miss him when we leave.

The owners also have a tan and black shepard-mix named Ritzy, who gets around very well on 3 legs. She gets around so well she catches a ground squirrel or rabbit almost every week. Ritzy and Clover sleep under our motorhome each night, protecting our campsite.

The fly shop manager has a husky-type dog named Chunk and she is one big dog. I've seen her defend her territory more than once. Small dogs and cats beware! Although the owners would like campers to pick up after their pets, almost no one does. There are no lease laws here, and truthfully, not enough campers to care. Most of the campers also let their dogs run free.

Being Campground Hosts

For the past couple weeks we've been the campground hosts here. The owners wanted to visit their daughter who is serving in the US Air Force in Japan so we happily agreed to watch over the dogs, their elderly mother who lives on site, and the campground for 3+ weeks. We figured it was end of season and the campground had not been too busy throughout the summer, so it would be fairly trouble-free.

And it has been - until today!

The weather turned a little cold today so we were not fishing. We'd been down to the "river" (what's left of it) and there were a number of people fishing, but with the promise of moisture in the air we were sticking close to the motorhome. A couple of big motorhomes had pulled in yesterday and had stayed one night. They were parked in our row, just a couple sites away from us. They had been camped at Clark Canyon reservoir, but it seemed they wanted to do laundry and have full-hookups for a night.

We were snug as bugs in our warm motorhome watching a DVD when the power went out. I had heard the neighbors in the motorhomes start up, getting ready to leave. Rick and I looked at each other and I said "Our electricity is off and I bet the neighbor took it out." I went to the rear window and could see the electric pedestal laying over and water rushing out the bent faucet.

As they were driving off, one of the motorhomes, a large Country Coach, ran over the entire connection. I thought maybe he hadn't disconnected and drove off with it still plugged in! He apologized a couple times and said he didn't realize he was running over everything. I looked at his motorhome and there were scratches running along the storage bay compartments between the front and rear wheels. He had gotten too close, rubbed against the water and electric and then ran directly over the whole thing with the rear tires. I wanted to ask how it could happen when there were 2 other adult people with him who could have, should have, been helping to spot him driving away. He just cut the corner to tight, or rather, didn't pull forward enough to miss it. I didn't ask, but wanted to.

Anyway, Rick knew where the main water shut-off was for our row and turned the water off within a few minutes. (About this time the neighbors had apologized a few more times and they left.) Rick and I checked the main electrical breaker box for the campground and houses and all was well after resetting the breakers. We tested the electrical on the surrounding rows and it was on. Rick carefully pulled the electrical box upright and I taped a large plastic bag over it. We had electricity once again in our motorhome. I went to the pump house by the river to look for pipe wrenches and any faucet parts I could find. Rick was able to find all the plumbing replacement parts we needed and soon we were able to replace the faucet and the broken water pipes. Rick turned the main water back on and all was well once again and we put away the tools. Within about an hour we were back in our motorhome, finishing the DVD.

We have another 8 days of being campground hosts. This was probably the one problem, the biggest problem, that we could imagine happening and we were able to handle it just fine. It was just electrical and plumbing; nothing we haven't done before. Just routine stuff! Simple! Piece of cake! Bring it on!

How do you choose a campsite?

What are your priorities when choosing a campsite? It's not a problem to navigate a route, get on the highway, and drive the motorhome, but when we arrive at our campground it's often a task to decide which site we want to live in during our stay. If it's only a night or two then I'm not so picky, but if we're going to be there longer I look for certain qualities in a site. Some campground managers assign your site, but most that we stay in let us choose. Decisions, decisions, decisions.

I asked a number of other RV'ers what they look for when choosing a site. Here are a few of their requirements.

1. No tight spaces with overhanging tree limbs.
2. Enough space for the slides and awnings.
3. Hook-ups, especially electric, in good working order.
4. 50 AMP electric is preferred, but at least 30 AMP.
5. A level site.
6. Not muddy.
7. No trees so we can get satellite TV with the roof mounted antennae.
8. Privacy.
9. Close, but not too close to the amenities & activities.
10. A nice view.
11. Do the neighbors seem reasonable?
12. Do the neighbors have dogs?
13. Afternoon shade.
14. If a one-night stay, then a pull-through so the toad vehicle doesn't have to be unhitched.
15. Wi-Fi access.
16. The sun shining on the solar panels.
17. The firepit in a good location. (Not under the awning or right outside the door!)

I think an interesting view is number one with me. I've always liked to have a nice view, be it the ocean, mountains, valley, or the sunset. We like to be near the lake or stream if there is one. All the photos in this slideshow were taken at the campgrounds we've visited in the last 6 months. We didn't have to drive to find these views.

We don't need to be close to the activities, lodges, bathrooms, or showers. Some of the Thousand Trails parks have water and electric only, with no sewer connections. In those cases, if we are staying a long time, we might use the shower facilities to keep from filling up our grey holding tank. At one TT park we were a few rows away from the showers, but on the pathway to it. We had people walking by the motorhome at all hours, and some were real characters. We saw a variety of pre- and post-shower fashions. Somewhat entertaining, somewhat frightening.

We often camp at Thousand Trails/NACO/LTR parks since we've been members since 1976 or so and we have a VIP membership that lets us into all the parks. We also have the ability to stay 21 days at any TT park and then move directly into another TT park.

View of Our World

In a motorhome efficient use of space is key. We have plenty of room, but we like everything to have it's own place so we don't have to move a bunch of stuff around to eat at the table or sit on the couch. We're fortunate with this motorhome to have lots of storage compartments and lots of CCC or Cargo Carry Capacity. We can carry more than 4600 pounds of "stuff"! I've read that 2 full-timers should count on taking 2000 to 3000 pounds of stuff in their RV and I think that's fairly accurate. Being able to carry 4600 pounds of food, clothing, fishing equipment, dishes, pots & pans, tools, crafts, and all that stuff we want with us is super! Don't think we have every cupboard full though. We actually have some empty cupboards and are happy that we are not overloaded and unsafe.

I wanted a space devoted to my laptop so I can keep it set up. I've seen some motorhome owners who make a table out of their steering wheel and put a lamp or pictures on it. We've put a portable lap desk on the steering wheel and the laptop has a home. Being able to keep my laptop out all the time we're parked is convenient. And I have a view that is unsurpassed! Our large windshield gives us a panoramic view of the world. It is ever changing and what we make it, whether we are travelling or parked. For the past 6 weeks this has been our view.

This is where I spend a lot of my motorhome time. I'm the primary driver so I'm very comfortable in the large captain's chair. I have a cup holder on my left side, an area to keep the papers I'm working with, a place for our cell phones, and I'm next to the radio and TV. I set a screen saver on the laptop to display our favorite photos and when I'm not using the laptop we have a slide show of our recent adventures. I watch the sunset every evening and feel the cool breeze blow in my window. A place for everything and this is my place.

Campground Review - Nugget Campground

When we first made plans, months ago, to travel from Washington to Montana we had mapped out a route. But as with many things in life, unexpected events delayed us in Oregon and we had to pass on staying in Washington as planned. If no one has told you yet, flexibility is a good thing to have when traveling in an RV.

When we eventually made the trip from Oregon east to Montana we modified our plans to stay at a couple campgrounds enroute to our Montana fishing spot. We had planned to drive for a few hours, arrive at a campground early, stay for a couple nights, and do it again, taking our sweet time. Rick calls it the 2-2-2 travel plan. Drive for 2 hours, arrive by 2:00 PM, and stay for 2 nights.

But once we were on our way, there was no slowing us down. We drove for a couple days, about 7 hours each day, and stayed at one of our planned stops - the Nugget Campground in St Regis, Montana on June 11. And it was a golden nugget! It was fabulous and we would have enjoyed staying longer. Their ad says they are the gateway to Flathead Lake, Glacier National Park, Waterton Lakes and the National Bison Range.

This is one of the most immaculate campgrounds I've ever seen! The grounds were very well maintained, the heated pool and playground were clean, and the bathrooms and showers were unbelievably sparkling clean. The Nugget Campground is a Good Sam park and they must be one of their top-ranked parks. They have rental cabins nestled amongst the pine trees, long full service pull-throughs, 50 AMP, propane, a convenience store, laundry, horseshoe pits, hiking trails, bicycle rentals, and gold panning at their own small ghost town. There's even a casino nearby in St. Regis. The area is well known for the great fishing, rafting, hiking, and boating. The one night rate was less than $30 and I'm sure a longer stay would be reasonable. The owners were friendly and helpful and I wish we could have stayed longer. (The community's electricity went out for a short time and the owners said we might have to eat all the ice cream in the freezer if it stayed out too long! Good thing it came back on a short time later.) While on a walk around the campground I saw numerous song birds and 3 young deer wandering among the rental cabins. They were precious! I hope you get the opportunity to visit the Nugget Campground. I hope we get a chance to return and stay longer.