Rock Creek Jamboree

J, I, B, and K hanging out on one of Rock Creek's many rocks.

A and E. E got a cinder in her eye at the campfire the night before, hence the swollen eye and her expression.

E, M, I, J, J, I.

Bitterroot Flat campground comes highly recommended. 

I didn't realize until I saw the picture in a larger size that poor J back there seems to be crying, probably because the bigger kids aren't including him. Sorry, J.

The weekend's activities wrapped up with a short hike into the Welcome Creek Wilderness. Longtime blog readers may recognize that we've been here before.

Happy/grumpy to be headed home?

Eight years ago when we were moving to Missoula this rock outcropping along the Clark Fork impressed me enough that I took a picture (second from the bottom). We've passed it dozens of times since, and I still like it.

Antics.

We're home! 

(p.s. Google recently completely changed botched their mapping tool despite their promise to not be evil (I count willful stupidity as being evil, maybe the worst kind). Until I learn it, find something better, or they change it, you're stuck with this. Sorry.)

Rock Creek Road

A couple weekends ago we were part of a large gathering at a campground along the world-class trout stream (though only 1/23 of our group did any fishing (she caught one)) known as Rock Creek.

At Philipsburg we turned West, entering new-to-Ludwig territory. Not long after, this happened:

 

This was the third time that's happened to us. 

 About 44 miles from home the pavement ends and the valley/canyon begins. 

Those are bighorn sheep, not regular sheep. 

There was another moose back in there but we couldn't get a clear shot. 

Melissa reminded me that if Ludwig's paint was in too good a shape, we might be less inclined to scrape him through bramble patches like this.

Not long after we arrived at our destination, Bitterroot Flat Campground, more child labor showed up to lug the campfire fuel around.

(cont'd)

VWs of Rock Creek Road

It's quite a stretch to seriously consider Eurovans as VWs, but this one and another unpictured one were as close to other actual Volkswagens as we came on this trip a couple weekends ago.

Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh

After all these years of camping together--13 all told, 10 in Ludwig--we finally had the it-rained-the-whole-time experience a few weekends ago at Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park, where we'd agreed to meet some friends.

The fuzzy pictures below were taken with E's camera because, while it does take lo-res pictures, being a kiddie camera and all, it does at least take them reliably, which can't be said for our broken-battery-door camera.

Once Melissa figured how to set up that tent so water didn't just dump inside, it was a lifesaver.

It's not clear what E was demonstrating to K and J here, but apparently it was captivating.

E took this one. I think that bright thing is a hand.

Antics with E, I, J, and E.

None in our party took a cavern tour this time, but we did go to the upper visitors center for fireside renditions of John Denver songs. I'm surprised at how many lyrics I knew. Thanks, Mom.

Just like a cliché, the rain cleared during the morning we were leaving. It was good times anyway, by our estimation. Thanks for meeting us, K, N, J, and E!