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We made it to stop number 2 on our road trip. We enjoyed a slow morning at our campsite with the pups before heading into Glacier National Park for the day. 

McDonald Lake Lodge

Our only plan was to head to McDonald Lake Lodge for some lunch and then plan our day there. We got to the lodge and the dining manager sat us at “his favorite spot” and we had a beautiful view of the creek running into the lake. I ordered a regular burger and Tyler ordered an elk burger with huckleberry jam. Mine was pretty average, but Tyler’s was delicious!  We have become huge fans of all things huckleberry and the burger did not disappoint. 

Once we were done eating, we were ready to make a plan. Now, when you read in multiple places that you should plan ahead and download maps before entering the park, you should totally listen. We had zero service the second we entered into Glacier National Park, so we had to get out the map they give you at the Ranger Station and plan our day the good ole fashion way. Luckily I had done some research and knew the hike that I wanted us to try. 

We spent some time on the Lake McDonald shore line admiring the views and the clear lake water. I particularly liked all of the colorful pebbles you could see in the water. Tyler did not hesitate to remind me that I could not take one home. 

Avalanche Lake

We drove up the Going To The Sun Road until we hit the closed section. Visiting Glacier in early June is great because it was not super crowded, but a lot of things, including the Going To The Sun Road and the Many Glacier Boat tour, are still closed for the season. We had to drive around a little bit for parking, but were able to find a spot in the closed camping area in under 5 minutes. 

We started off on the Trail of the Cedars, which is an easy hike right on the river, surrounded by beautiful trees. 

That trail led to the Avalanche Lake Trail, our goal for the day! On all the apps and blogs I read, this trail was marked as “easy” and “great for the whole family”. We quickly learned that did not mean it was fat friendly. I was huffing and puffing my way up this trail, being passed by children and old people alike. There were more than a few times where I did not think I was going to make it, however, when I could see through my sweat, the hike was absolutely gorgeous. Turquoise water in the nearby river, mossy trees and rocks in the forest. When we reached the lake at the end of the trail, it was all worth it. The crystal clear blue water was surrounded by mountains with cascading waterfalls.

We hung out at the lake for awhile, refueled with some snacks and then started the trek back down. Hiking back was a breeze and we got to really enjoy the scenery.

All in all the hike was 4 miles round trip. 

Dinner

We stopped by Apgar village and looked through the shops and then headed back to the campground to take care of the pups. After taking them to the dog park and feeding them dinner, we set out to find some food for ourselves. We found our way to the Huckleberry Patch and had some pretty mediocre diner food. The star of the show was the huckleberry milkshake (I told you we were obsessed). We bought ourselves some huckleberry candy and syrup and headed back to the RV for the night.

Today we hit the road early to get to the I-State Truck Center in Missoula, MT as early as possible to get a diagnosis of our check engine light. If all goes well we can get back on the road to Glacier National Park!

After talking to their service advisors, their techs start arriving around 8am, and it is first come first served so we wanted to be close to first in line. 

We got on the road to Missoula around 6:30, with about 2 hours of driving. I90 from Butte to Missoula was mostly flat driving, which was nice since we didn’t quite know what was wrong with the bus yet. In all we got to the truck center a little after 8:30 and we were second in line. 

We also happened to hit 9.9MPG on this leg of the journey! This was partly due to the flat terrain, and partly due to taking the trip at a slower speed to avoid putting any extra effort on the bus until we knew what was wrong. 

Once we got the bus checked in for service, we disconnected the Jeep, loaded up the pups and headed off to explore Missoula. 

Missoula, MT

Our first stop, the dog park! Since dogs aren’t allowed on most trails within Grand Teton (or Glacier), the pups had been spending a lot of the days in the RV by themselves so we wanted to spoil them a bit. 

The dogs got to spend a good while off leash, chasing balls and playing with other dogs before we loaded back up to check out Claras park along the river. This was a pretty little park along side of downtown with a path along the river. Here we saw our first (and only) instance of surfing in Montana. 

After the park we ventured out to Bass Pro Shop for some shopping, before heading back towards downtown to find some lunch. 

For lunch we found an open patio seat at Iron Horse Bar & Grill. I got the french dip, and Cat got the BLT. Both were absolutely delicious. Since we each only ate half of our lunches, we decided to share a Huckleberry Crisp for dessert, and it was fabulous. Highly recommend Iron Horse if you ever find yourself stranded in Missoula while your RV is being repaired. 

While eating lunch, we got a call back from I-State Truck Center with the diagnosis. Turns out it was a cracked boost hose. A detour, $500 diagnostic fee, for a $40 plastic hose replacement. The service center got it all patched up, did a test drive to confirm, and had the RV ready for us once we got back from lunch. 

Outside of the cost, the only downside was their test drive dropped the average MPG from 9.9, to 9.5. 

Onward Ho!

We were able to get the Jeep hitched back up the RV quickly and after a brief fuel stop at the Love’s truck stop, we got back on the road for a short and very scenic route to our destination, Moose Creek RV Resort and Bed & Breakfast. Our route took us up along Flathead Lake which was another beautiful drive. This area is apparently known for its Cherries as we passed dozens of cherry orchards. 

From Kalispell it was a short easy drive up towards West Glacier, and we arrived at our campground around 4:30PM – setup camp, grabbed some firewood, and ate our lunch leftovers by the fire. 

So while the day took an unexpected turn with our stop in Missoula, it was well worth the detour to explore the town, and we still made it before dark! 

Trip Totals

Total Miles Today: 260
Fuel Used: 27.7
Day Average MPG: 9.4mpg
Check Engine Lights: 0
Trip Total Miles: 973
Trip Average MPG: 8.3
Trip Total Fuel Used: 117g

Today we depart our stay at Fireside Buffalo Valley campground and begin our journey north to Glacier National Park. As this is about a 9 hour drive (about 500 miles), we decided to split the travel into 2 separate days, which ended up being a blessing with a surprise detour into lovely Missoula, MT. 

The Route

Coming out of Grand Teton, we had 2 choices for routes, the first option was to go south to Jackson, and take route 26 over to I15 in Idaho falls and take that up towards Butte. That route would have been about 339 miles, and just over 5 hours. 

The other route option was to continue taking 287 north out of Grand Teton through Yellowstone up to I90. This route at only about 250 miles, was also just over 5 hours. Since we did not visit Yellowstone National Park on this trip, and it would be the same amount of drive time, we figured we should at least drive through, so we opted for this route. The only downside to this route, was gas stops. While there are plenty of gas stations in West Yellowstone, none of them looked like they would be easy to get our 36ft motorhome + Jeep in and out of. 

Day 1 – Fireside Buffalo Valley to Butte KOA Journey

We had the RV packed up and hit the road around 9:30 in the morning and made our way to Yellowstone. We encountered very little traffic on our northbound trek and made smooth progress up until we got close to Old Faithful, around there we started to encounter a lot more traffic. From Old Faithful until the West Entrance road the parked looked to be very busy. 

Overall the drive through Yellowstone was beautiful and worth the extra time. Once we got out of Yellowstone it was a bit more on the boring side through the valley. The exception to this was right outside of Yellowstone when we went around Hebgen lake. This was a beautiful mountain reservoir, and may be worth a stop of its own some day. Just past Hebgen lake was Earthquake Lake, which was formed during the 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake when a rockslide dammed the Madison river forming a new additional lake. 

We continued on our journey north and stopped for gas and lunch in the town of Ennis. This was a happening little town with a lot of bars and restaurants along its main drag, along with a lot of campgrounds and RV parks.

Fuel Stop

We stopped at the Rocky Mountain Supply/Cenex gas station on the north side of town. They have what looks to be a brand new island of diesel only pumps put in with lots of room and long RV parking spaces. While a ways outside of the West Yellowstone entrance, this was by far the best gas stop for a large motorhome. 

Miles: 173
Fuel Purchased: 46 gallons
Price: $3.49/gallon – no Open Roads discount here
Average MPG: 8.9 – while Yellowstone was hilly, the slower speeds + the flat plains of the valley gave us great MPG. 

We continued on after the gas stop making our way up towards I90 in Cardwell. I90 was smooth sailing until we reached Homestake Pass, a mere 6 miles from our destination in Butte. Homestake Pass is the highest point on interstate 90, and is one of the many times we crossed the continental divide on this trip.

On the way up the peak, a mere 6,300ft of elevation, the motorhome started sputtering and threw the first and only check engine light we have ever had. 

To help monitor additional temperatures and gauges beyond what is on the dash we use a BlueFire bluetooth OBD scanner. This allows us to get additional details from the coach such as transmission temps, boost pressures, and other helpful information. It also allows us to see engine codes. In this situation, the bus was reporting code 102-18 – Engine Intake Manifold #1 Pressure. Data Below Normal Operating Range – Moderate. 

Since we were only 6 miles from our destination, and it was ‘Check Engine’ and not ‘Stop Engine’, we decided to safely come down the pass and continue on to get to our overnight stop and troubleshoot from there. 

Destination

We arrived at the Butte KOA Journey just after 3pm without any additional issues. 

Once we got settled, I did some research into the error code and did not find much helpful information. It looked like it could be anything from the air filter ($) to the turbo ($$$$).I checked the filter and confirmed that it was not obstructed, so we prepared for the worst and checked with Freightliner for the nearest service center. 

The closest certified shop to us was I-State Truck Center in Missoula. While not originally on our travel destinations, we made plans to head to Missoula first thing in the morning. 

We then headed out to Wal-Mart, Petco, and CVS to stock up on provisions and things that we had forgotten to bring with us. 

After unloading all our provisions, we went on a quest for dinner, settling on Casagranda’s Steakhouse. 

This was a cool stop in an old warehouse in the Butte historic district (fun fact, Butte has one of the largest historic districts in the USA!). There was a 20 minute wait, so we popped into the bar for a drink before dinner. Unfortunately service was a bit slow and it took us almost 40 minutes to get our table. 

Casagranda’s meals are all 4 course meals served with a soup, salad, entree, and ice cream. The soup of the day was Grilled Cheese, which was basically a cheesy tomato soup, it was delicious. We both ordered the Ribeye, the steak was Ok. Cat’s was over cooked, and we both found it to be a bit tough. For desert, rocky road ice cream, not my favorite, but hey – you put ice cream in front of me, I’m gonna eat it.  But all-in-all 4 course steak dinner for $40 a piece, not too bad. 

After dinner we headed right back to the RV, hooked up the Jeep and got ready for an early departure. 

Trip Totals

Total Miles Today: 246.5
Fuel Used: 29.3 gal
Day Average MPG: 8.4
Check Engine Lights: 1
Trip Total Miles: 711.5

Days 2 and 3 – June 2nd and 3rd

For our first stop on our big adventure, we spent 2 days in Grand Teton National Park. We had previously visited Grand Teton in 2022 during a summer trip to Yellowstone during a brief day trip. When we arrived we were amazed at the beauty of the park and decided we will have to go back and spend more time. Since it is so close to home, it made a great first stop on our grand Schlanni Adventures.

Day One – June 2^nd

Weather: Sunny, highs in the 60s

For our first day at the park, our main adventure was to hike Jenny Lake. We took the Jenny Lake shuttle boat across the lake. The shuttle is $20 per person round trip, the alternative is a ~2 mile walk around the north shore. The boat ride was cold, windy, and wet, but quick and direct. 

As we got off the boat our boat captain was pulled to go respond to a medical emergency, and we headed off to Hidden Falls.  This was a short, but uphill hike to some roaring falls. We ventured a little further up the mountain towards Inspiration Point, but quickly realized that was more than we wanted to take on. Instead we decided to take the remainder of the Jenny Lake Loop trail from Hidden Falls back to the dock and Jenny Lake visitors center. Overall we hiked right around 3 miles.

After Jenny Lake we decided to drive around the park, heading towards Colter Bay. On the way we joined a gaggle of folks stopped on the road and caught a glimpse of our first bear sighting.

So far at Grand Teton we have seen: Moose, Elk, Fluffy Cows, and now Bears. 

Baby moose from our 2022 trip. 

We also drove around most of the park, stopping at Colter Bay for some lunch at the Café Court. We split a chicken bacon hoagie and potato chips, which was surprisingly delicious. They also served pizza which looked promising. After lunch we spent some time on the beach soaking up the sun listening to the waves lap on shore.

I also added my first national park sticker to my Yeti and had Cat help me line up the perfect picture. 

We headed back to the RV, had some burgers on the Blackstone, and some French fries in the 11-in-1 air fryer contraption before calling it a night.

Day Two – June 3^rd

Weather: Mostly Cloudy, highs in the mid-upper 50s.

We started day 2 earlier, heading straight to the Grand Teton Lodge for some breakfast at the Pioneer Grill, a 50s themed diner. Unable to decide, we split the Huckleberry Pancakes, and the egg plate for some protein. Overall breakfast was Ok, the pancakes, while tasty, were a bit undercooked in the middle, but other than that you can’t go wrong with griddle eggs, sausage, and home fries (although hash browns are in fact the superior breakfast potato).

After breakfast we were on the quest for a moose. On our past trip we had spotted a young moose right off the trail at Schwabacher Landing, so we headed there, with a few stops at some overlooks along the way. Unfortunately, no moose to be seen.

We continued on to Moose Junction where we stopped at the Windy Point overlook to park, and switch to two wheels. We took our e-bikes up to Jenny Lake, with a detour at the Lupine Meadows trailhead – just in case there was a moose. Overall we biked about 13 miles round trip. By far one of the most beautiful bike rides we have ever taken, and aside from a brief stretch of head on cold wind, the weather held up great for us.

After the ride we decided to head south and check out the town of Jackson. Jackson is a lovely town with a lot of great shops, bars, and restaurants around their central square. We happened to get lucky and find a quick parking spot, that just so happened to be in front of ‘CocoLove.’  So clearly it was fate we stop in for a treat.

I got the strawberry tart, and Cat got the chocolate on chocolate monstrosity, both very delicious. We continued walking around town popping into the various shops before going on a quest for Huckleberry Mule’s and ended up at Sidewinders. I got the huckleberry lemon drop, and Cat got a huckleberry mule. We also split a Sidewinder pretzel, which is really just cheese stuffed pizza crust shaped into an S. Not really a pretzel, but delicious nonetheless.  

After the giant pretzel we decided on one more small hike and moose check at Schwabacher Landing. No moose, but I can confidently say, this hidden gem is by far my favorite place in the entire park.

We called it a day after that to head back to the RV and spend some time with the pups and get prepped for our travel day tomorrow. While we only spent 2 days in Grand Teton National Park – we had a blast (despite the lack of moose sightings).

Up next we will be on our way to Glacier National Park! 

Today begins the first day of our Schlanni Adventures. We have been working on the RV for the past couple weeks so it was all packed and ready to go. Our adventure started right on schedule at 8am – and made it about 10 minutes down the road before we realized we forgot the medicine. A quick U-turn and trip back home, and we were right back on the road at about 8:30.

Our travels for the day: about 460 miles from our home in Brighton, Colorado, to the Fireside Buffalo Valley RV Park in Moran, WY. Generally, our intention for this trip is to limit our driving days to no more than 4 or 5 hours, however we are excited to get the trip started, so we planned a longer driving day, estimated at about 7.5 hours.

The Route

After the initial false start, it was really smooth sailing. We encountered very little traffic except a brief 5 minute stop on I80 for some road construction outside of Arlington WY.

We made a brief pitstop for gas, lunch, and potty breaks around 12:30pm at the Maverik in Rawlins after getting off I80 and back on 287.

Miles: 216
Fuel Purchased: 33 gallons
Price: $3.17/gallon before our Open Roads fuel discount
Average MPG: 6.5 – not too bad considering all of the ups and downs.

After the pups and the humans had their break, we got back on the road for the second half of the journey. This second half of the journey was a mix of wide open prairie, scrub, and mountain climbs. Cat was napping in the back and missed a lot of the wonderful views. From Lander, WY, to Moran we climbed from about 5285ft, up to a peak of 9600ft along the continental divide (9,858ft), back down to a mere 6800ft. The Schlanni Bus does pretty well in the hills, but even it was struggling pushing 34,000lbs up the steep hills.  

We finally pulled into the Fireside Buffalo Valley RV Park just before 5pm. After a quick check-in at the camp store, we drove to our site and got setup. After setting up we enjoyed the mountain views for a bit before whipping up some quick and easy chicken fajitas on the Blackstone before calling it a night.

Stay tuned for a future post for our review of Fireside Buffalo Valley RV Park, and more details on how we setup and break down the RV at our campsites.

Trip Totals

Today:
Miles: 465
Travel Time: 8:23
Fuel Used: 59.8g
Average MPG: 7.8

Total Trip:
Trip Total Miles: 465
Trip Average MPG: 7.8