2JeepPeeps

We started our morning at Wind Cave National Park with the Fairgrounds Tour, exploring both the upper and middle levels of the cave. The tour featured unique honeycomb-shaped calcite formations called boxwork, as well as popcorn and frostwork in the upper level.
It was a 1.5-hour, 0.6-mile route that enters and exits by elevator. Navigating the 450 stairs—including one climb of 89 steps—definitely left us breathless! We were also able to view the cave's natural entrance.

We departed Theodore Roosevelt National Park and continued our journey to South Dakota’s Wind Cave National Park. Our route took us through Sturgis, Rapid City for a quick gas/coffee stop, and Custer for some informative maps. We arrived at the park and located our spot at Elk Mountain Campground. This campground straddles the edge of a Ponderosa Pine Forest and is minutes from Wind Cave.

Exploring Theodore Roosevelt National Park-2
The next day, we began at the original park entrance sign located at Painted Canyon Visitor’s Center.
We continued to the north unit entrance of the park, exploring the unique features offered throughout this side of the park.
We drove back to our campsite on the south unit and explored a couple of other sites along the way.

Exploring Theodore Roosevelt National Park-1
We started exploring the features of the park from the south unit, enjoying the beautiful landscapes and unique features it had to offer.

Pictures from our stay at Cottonwood Campsite in Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
We secured a fantastic site that offered great privacy, shade, and a clear view of the sky, all while being conveniently close to the restroom facilities that had running water. A highlight of the site was the unexpected wildlife; a bull bison blocking the path to the bathroom, four Bison bulls walking right past our Jeep, and witnessing a group of three bison stampeding through the campground. I felt like a “dumb” tourist being so unintentionally close to them…they were huge.

After leaving Livingston, Montana our next destination was Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Our route followed the amazing Yellowstone River for many miles. We stopped at the Custer rest area for a break and a quick hike to an overlook. We also visited the US-12 Lolo Pass Rest Area at the state line, where Sherry was able to get stamps for the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail and the Nez Perce National Historic Park.
After entering Medora at the South unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, we visited the visitor center to see the log cabin containing some of Theodore Roosevelt’s personal artifacts. On the way to our campground in Cottonwood, we encountered some wild horses and a few prairie dog towns (yes, that is the first of many buffalo we encountered).

For the final day of the Range to Ranch event, we needed to leave camp very early to begin our nine-hour drive to Livingston, Montana. Because of the early departure, we unfortunately could not stay for the drawings and closing ceremony 😢. The beginning of our route followed the Salmon River, and we even pulled over for a moment to take in the scenery. From there, we made haste through the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest and into Montana, stopping only for gas and coffee. We have since spent a couple of days with friends in Livingston. We enjoyed exploring the town, hitting the hiking trail, and catching up on laundry. It has been a very relaxing and enjoyable trip.

For Day 3 of our Range to Ranch trip, we decided to explore the local town of McCall. Located 100 miles north of Boise in Valley County, McCall is a beautiful resort town situated on the southern shores of Payette Lake at an elevation of 5,021 feet. This former logging camp now serves as a premier outdoor recreation hub with a population of roughly 3,700 residents. It is renowned for its significant annual snowfall, world-class outdoor activities, and its history as "Ski Town USA" due to the high number of Olympic athletes it has produced.
We started the day with a stop at Stacey Cakes Bakery—the town's go-to spot for "more than just icing on the cake." We indulged in a variety of their highly addictive sweet and savory pastries.
Following our treats, we visited Ponderosa State Park, a public recreation area occupying a peninsula in Payette Lake on the northeast edge of McCall. The park covers 1,515 acres and includes a second unit called North Beach, located six miles north of town. We enjoyed a scenic hike along the lake and explored the North Beach area.
We grabbed a late lunch at Toll Station Pizza and spent the afternoon wandering through local shops. During our walk, we discovered Ice Cream Alley, a quaint, iconic establishment literally tucked away in an alley. Naturally, we had to partake, and we were treated to "mountain-sized" scoops of delicious huckleberry ice cream.
Of course we ended our tour of the town with a stop at a local gas station before heading back to the Range to Ranch site to enjoy a local band while relaxing by the fire pits provided by Lava Box.

Day 2 of Range to Ranch started with a trail meeting to determine which trails to take. We joined up with a group for a trail that took us first to Burgdrof Hot Springs and then we climbed to Crystal Mountain.
We then followed a forest trail that took us past an abandoned school bus and to mountain switchbacks that dropped us 3,000 feet to French Creek. From there we drove along the Lower Salmon River and crossed a suspension bridge.
We entered the town of Riggins for a late afternoon meal at Base Camp Restaurant. To our surprise we met up with Dave and his daughter (they led our jeep group) while at the restaurant.
We ended the day back at the lodge and met up with Will from Venture2Roam.