Stephen and I were thrilled when we arrived at the storage facility in Three Forks, Montana and found our Vistabule just as we left it. The facility owner mentioned that temps had dropped to -30 F over the winter so we were prepared for battery failure among other problems.  It was such a relief to find the battery charged, the tires full of air and no invading small critters.  We turned on the refrigerator, filled it with food and headed to southeast Idaho to our first destination; Craters of the Moon National Monument. 

We both agree this park is aptly named…it’s almost like entering another planet.  Black molten lava fields cover the desolate terrain with very little tree cover. We hiked through the park, climbing into lava caves and ascending cinder cones.  This was such an unexpected visit as we’ve never experienced anything remotely similar to this landscape.

We were also happy to find a well maintained campground in the park with plenty of sites and ample amenities. It is well worth a visit.

We were off to a good start and looking forward to visiting several other parks but then our plans started to disintegrate. Ugh! 

Stephen serves on the board of our condo building and some unexpected meetings were scheduled.  With some big decisions on the horizon we both felt it was important for him to be present at these meetings. We turned the car around and started the long trek home.

As we drove across Wyoming both of our phones sent out piercing alarms of an approaching tornado.  Our only option was to seek overnight shelter at a road-side rest stop and then continue driving the following morning.

We managed to dodge the tornado but then we discovered the Vistabule was leaking water through one of the doors and a hubcap.  Double ugh!

It was a long drive but we made it home safely.  Stephen spent many hours attending board meetings and responding to emails, while I delivered the Vistabule to the factory in St Paul for repairs.  We spent most of September and October in Minnesota but we departed last week for Great Smoky Mountain National Park. I can’t wait to share some photos of this beautiful park in my next post.