Trail Walking in Missoula

While we were parked in Missoula we took two really good walks along two of the trails in the town's extensive network.

The Bitterroot Trail started in town.

First we passed by a beautiful mural on the side of a building.

This interesting shelter caught our attention.  It is a creative way to used unmatched boards.

 These signs were posted along part of the trail and used "Hal's Words."  Hal Fraser was an active member of the community and his love of riverfront strolls are part of  the inspiration for this trail. This one says "commitment."  Others included perseverance, patience, vision, enthusiasm, selfless and courage.

The trail crossed the river

.
and followed it

The next day we walked on The Milwaukee Road Path which follows the old bed of the train's route through town.  The Milwaukee Road was one part of the Great Northern Railroad which brought rail transportation all  across the northern tier of the U.S.

There were old railroad lights along the trail.

It took us along the river and next to the forest and mountains around Missoula.

We saw these beautiful flowers on the side of the trail.

It was very easy to get our daily 10,000 steps in Missoula, not to the mention  getting a good view of the area's beauty.

Clear Skies and Another State

Today we entered yet another state, Utah. That is four this week. Driving into and across Idaho, we continued to have smokey skies.



During our 2-night stay in Boise, we were able to run (John) and walk (Carol) three miles each morning along the Boise River. It is a really neat trail through the woods



across the river



and along upscale neighborhoods.



The campground is right next to the fair grounds, which are very large, but old. I loved this sign.



We saw these cormorants above the river.



I don't often blog about the RV parks we stay in, especially those located behind a gas station. But the one we stayed in last night, Valley of Trees, was really special. The first photo is of our site. The driveway you see is for the next site over. Since no one parked there overnight, the second photo shows the view we had of the Valley of Trees between us and the gas station.





Today, as we drove from Declo, ID, to Brigham City, UT, the skies were smoke free but filled with a mix of clouds and sun. I really liked these clouds.



We saw very little evidence of wildfires today. Yesterday, we drove by mile after mile of burned sagebrush. We did see this hillside that had been burned.



In this photo, we couldn't decide if we were seeing smoke or irrigation sprinklers in the distance.



During our stay at Santa Ana NWR in Alamo, TX, early this year, we saw fields of onions being harvested. Today we saw this truckload of Idaho onions. Obviously, we have fresh produce year-round because different parts of the country raise fruits and vegetables at different times of the year.



Not only do they grow onions in this part of the country, they also raise cattle. This is the sign for Grants Range Bulls.



And that's no bull. It's plastic.

A Good Trail

Right outside our RV park there are several marked trails through the beautiful desert surrounding Tucson.



Some of the trails are marked, others are not. They provide access to Tucson Mountain Park, which is located between here and Saguaro National Park. The trails provide a good place to wander and look at the local flora. This is really a Saguaro Cactus, but I think it wants to pretend it is an Organ Pipe Cactus.



In several places, we came on chairs where it would be possible to sit and watch for animals.





We also found the trails a great place for our morning run. For the past six months, we have been running on paved roads. This is much more comfortable, as well as a little softer surface.

Right next door is another RV park, Desert Trails. It is larger than ours and looks like it has a lot of longer-term snowbirds parked there. Many may be from Canada, something that is true all over Arizona. The park is flying flags for both countries.



At Valle del Oro, where we stay in Mesa during the fall, each state has a get-together for residents from that state. When the Canadians get together, they need to reserve the ballroom, there are so many who want to attend.

I hope the southern tier of Canada is as happy to see visitors from the U.S. as Arizona is to see Canadian visitors.