Montpelier, ID (Day 2)

First of all I have to tell you that Gerald figured out the satellite TV last night. We were able to watch 500 channels of nothing in the middle of no where. He put a rock under the dish and we had 95% signal strength. This has been an ongoing project for 3 trips and the first time that it worked.


We just had to get this picture. When was the last time you have seen one of these. We had to teach Lexi how to open the door and get out.



We took a day off from driving and hung out in Montpelier, our current location. We started our day going into town. The town has a population of 1,500 so driving through town is quite fast. We went to the Oregon Trail Museum. When we got to the counter they said a motor coach tour was on its way. They gave us a significantly discounted rate and a quick private tour before 100 people showed up. We seem to attract tour buses shortly after our arrival on this trip.




It was a really good tour. I learned the kids jobs were picking up buffalo chips and cleaning the oxen's noses. Lexi was not impressed. I did learn that the calistoga wagon was not used for the Oregon Trail. It was a small prairie schooner wagon which weighed 1,500 lbs and could only carry 1,500 lbs. Most of the time the people would put 2,50o lbs of goods in their trailer. Those people did not go far and left their goods on the side of the trail.




We went to lunch at the Arctic Circle. They had halibut sandwiches and sweet potato fries. They also had great shakes. Gerald found an Alco(a.k.a. Yellow Front) in which he spent more time in than I did at the grocery store. We stocked up for our 4 days in Yellowstone.


We finished our day playing games, drinking wine, barbecuing, and getting some laundry done. In the evening we had a storm with lightning and rain. Lexi came outfitted in her poncho running around screaming, "its raining." She was the only kid doing this. We just figured they would understand we are from Arizona and don't see rain.

Unfortunately, I am going off the grid. Literally, we are on battery power only with solar cells. Lets see if the tree huggers are on the right track with this solar thing. I am a bit doubtful. So I may be off line for a few days if there isn't WiFi in Yellowstone.