The Story of Three Bears

As usually happens, the Labor Day weekend came around and we didn't have a campground reservation.  Heck, we didn't even have a destination!  We're just making our way east -- eventually into South Dakota with no real timetable or appointment.

Travel through northern Spokane, Coeur d'Alene, across the Bitterroot Range and the Lolo Mountains was scenic and enjoyable. We did wake up Friday morning to find a wet spot on the curb side of the coach under the half bath. Facing the long weekend we feared the worst.  Seeing a large RV dealership along I-90 we stopped to have the leak checked and were relieved to learn it was just the fresh water overflow leaking because we had a full tank and were parked on a bit of a slope.

The Columbia River  

This military plane flew very close overhead as we were driving down the highway.
That's bugs on the windshield. 

If there's one thing we've learned about finding a campground vacancy during a popular three-day weekend, it's to find a place without family friendly amenities.  By that I mean a place without a swimming pool, playground or planned activities.  More times than not we end up in a campground we like.   It happened again this year when we pulled into River Edge Resort, just off I-90 in Alberton, Montana.

Late afternoon at our campsite.

Our campsite at River Edge looked out over the Clark Fork River, the railroad and a mountain. It was terrific.  At first sight, I though Wayne would surely not stop. The campground was small with narrow dirt roads between the tall pine trees. He would have kept going too, I think, if he'd thought he could turn around somewhere. But he couldn't turn around and he did stop. I went in to register us for the next three nights.

Looking up the Clark Fork River 

Signs directed "RV Registration" through a door into a lovely rustic restaurant where I registered with the bartender.  The first thing I saw was a sign posted clearly that a bear had been in the campground two weeks earlier.  In fact, three bears had been here, looking for food. The bears were so persistent that they had to be removed by wildlife service personnel.  All three bears were relocated to a remote area. Clear instructions were given for what we should not leave outdoors at our campsite.  I learned that an elderly woman who lived nearby and fed bears regularly had died recently. The bears were, apparently, looking for a new source for meals. This was a bit worrisome when walking two small dogs late at night and early in the morning.


We never saw any bears while we were at River Edge and we loved being here with one exception: no campsite internet service.  The restaurant had really good wi-fi  though so I spent some time there with the computer.  The restaurant also had wonderfully delicious food.

Our campsite
The weather was great.  Sunny warm days, cool nights. No rain.  

Early morning train

We pulled out of River Edge and Alberton on Monday morning without ever seeing a single bear.

Next stop, Little Bighorn battleground.  Hope to see you there.