No-Labor Labor Day

We're camped at the Square Dance Center and Campground just a couple miles west of Lolo, MT. We stayed here back in May of 2008 during our eastward quest for the Lewis & Clark Corps of Discovery expedition. Despite the fact that neither Dar nor I are square dancers, they apparently feel we're OK people anyway and welcome us with open arms. It's one of the nicest campgrounds in the area and one we like because it's more like "camping" than "rv parking". We're "kicking back" and doing no labor whatsoever today... just reading, writing, playing with photos, or whatever else we feel like doing.

The campground is right on the banks of Lolo Creek, which flows down from Lolo Pass and the Bitterroot Mountains about 20 miles to the west. In 1804, the L&C boys established a camp they called Travelers Rest near here, and then followed Lolo Creek up and into the Bitterroots on their way west. I'd like to think they walked right through our campsite.

We're here for two nights, yielding to the Labor Day revelers and travelers who'll have to go back to work and school tomorrow. Once they're all safely back to their weekday lives on Tuesday, we'll break camp and head up US-12 and over Lolo Pass. That chunk of road, between here and Orofino, ID, is one of our favorites. It's only 150 miles but we'll probably take most of the day to let it entertain us.

The drive from Bozeman yesterday was also very entertaining. Heading west on I-90, as we neared Missoula, the mountains start to close in... pinching the road, railroad line, and the Clark Fork River together in a meandering twisting dance that was especially enjoyable on the bright blue almost wind-less day. The bus-house was humming smoothly... seemingly enjoying the drive as much as we were. We all agreed the Rocky Mountains are a spectacular and very attractive place.