Travel from Wheatland, Wyoming to Longmont, Colorado

We drove our coach 155 miles, about 2 hour of driving, from Wheatland, Wyoming to Longmont, Colorado, with a stop to repair a leaking tire.

The map route, heading south:

Map route

Heading south on I-25:

I-25

Green hills and cell towers (I appreciate the good cell reception down the freeway):

Green hills

Domes:

Domes

Interesting rocks:

Interesting rocks

Interesting rocks

Interesting rocks

Man, horse, dog artwork on a hill:

Man, horse, dog artwork

Mowing ahead:

Mowing ahead

Rain:

Rain

Expect fog… yep indeed:

Expect fog

We stopped at Little America of Cheyenne:

Little America

To visit Rocky Mountain Truck Center, to diagnose and repair a slowly leaking tire on our coach:

Rocky Mountain Truck Center

Rocky Mountain Truck Center

Rocky Mountain Truck Center

While they looked at it, we headed up to the Little America resort for lunch, passing a Sinclair Oil dinosaur dressed as a cowboy:

Sinclair cowboy dinosaur

Little America buffet restaurant:

Little America restaurant

Little America restaurant

We cut lunch a bit short, as they needed us to jack up our coach, using the leveling jacks. We raised only the driver side, to keep the passenger side wheels on the ground — raising all of the rear wheels off the ground is dangerous, as that’s the parking brake:

Jacked up coach

They found and marked the location of a nail in the tire, and worked on removing the tire:

Removing tire

Removing tire

Removing tire

Removing tire

I didn’t get a close-up picture of the nail in the tire, but here’s a zoomed crop:

Nail in tire

The inner tire of the dual pair, and the rear jack:

Inner tire

Inner tire

Paladin sitting on the driver seat:

Paladin

The repaired tire re-installed:

Repaired tire

After getting that repaired ($70 total), we fueled up at the slowest truck stop ever. Usually truck stops have high-speed pumps, but this one was not. It was taking so long, we decided to fuel from both sides for the first time ever:

Fueling both sides

The main pump, as usual:

Fueling both sides

The secondary pump, on the passenger side; it is activated by the main pump:

Fueling both sides

Continuing south, some hilltop buffalo artwork:

Buffalo artwork

Buffalo artwork

Budweiser factory:

Budweiser factory

Paladin in the steps:

Paladin

Roadworks:

Roadworks

A fascinating concrete-laying machine (concrete freeways are the worst):

Roadworks

Our destination, St Vrain State Park:

St Vrain State Park

Entrance station:

St Vrain State Park

Due to the tire excursion, we arrived later than usual, so the entrance station was closed. We used the “iron ranger” (as the rangers call it) to purchase a couple of Colorado state park annual passes (one for the coach, one for the truck):

Iron ranger

Though when we talked with the ranger the next day to exchange the temporary ones, it turned out that we should have bought one, with a half-price add-on for the second vehicle. So we did that, and submitted a form for a refund for the second one. Oops. (We decided to get annual passes as we’re staying just enough days at Colorado state parks to offset the cost. Ironically, next year we don’t expect to visit Colorado at all. Still worthwhile, though.)

This is a rather nice park; stay tuned for more pics from our stay:

Entrance road and pond

Travel from Buffalo to Wheatland, Wyoming

We drove our coach 205 miles, about 3 hour of driving, from Buffalo, Wyoming to Wheatland, Wyoming.

The map route, heading south:

Map route

Leaving the KOA:

Leaving the KOA

We stopped by the office to pick up some mail:

Stopped by the office to get mail

By office

Wild pronghorn antelope roam the fields, apparently a nuisance:

Wild pronghorn antelope

I-25:

I-25

I-25

Wild pronghorn antelope:

Wild pronghorn antelope

We stopped at a truck parking area for lunch:

Parking area

Parking area

Paladin enjoying my seat:

Paladin

Interesting rocks:

Interesting rocks

Interesting rocks

Interesting rocks

I-25

Casper:

Casper

Bridge construction:

Bridge construction

I-25

Refinery:

Refinery

Jackalope sculpture:

Jackalope sculpture

Roadworks:

Roadworks

Rather concerning: a fiver passed us with a broken awning arm swinging; fortunately it didn’t hit us:

Fiver with awning arm swinging

Narrow bridge:

Narrow bridge

North Platte River:

North Platte River

The aforementioned fiver on the side of the road; I guess they noticed the awning arm:

Fiver

An older Tiffin Allegro Bus:

Tiffin Allegro Bus

Interesting rocks:

Interesting rocks

Part of Glendo Reservoir, looking rather low:

Glendo Reservoir

More roadworks:

Roadworks

Nice hills:

Nice hills

Our destination, El Rancho Village:

El Rancho Village

El Rancho Village

Travel from Livingston, Montana to Buffalo, Wyoming

We drove our coach 282 miles, about 5 hour of driving, from Livingston, Montana to Buffalo, Wyoming.

The map route, heading east then south:

Map route

We seem to have a slow leak in the rear outer driver-side tire on our coach (it loses about 3 PSI on a drive). So I topped it up before departure (spoiler: we got it fixed on a later trip):

Topping up RV tire

Leaving the campground:

Leaving campground

Getting onto I-90:

Getting onto I-90

Snow fences:

Snow fences

Newmar Ventana motorhome:

Newmar Ventana motorhome

Classic car:

Old car

We had originally planned to sprint through this area, on our way south, and were going to stop at this Harvest Host for a night:

Possible Harvest Host

Yellowstone River:

Yellowstone River

A Vanleigh Vilano fiver:

Vanleigh Vilano fiver

Downhill:

Downhill

Oil refinery:

Oil refinery

Oil refinery

A fuel stop; we had hoped to get the tire fixed, but of course being a weekend their service department was closed (and they may not have been willing to work on a motorhome anyway):

Fuel stop

We did weigh our coach and truck on a CAT Scale; a good thing to do occasionally:

CAT Scale

A Super-C fueling up next to us:

Super-C

After fueling, we parked with the big rigs (there were several empty spaces, so we weren’t taking a space from a hard-working trucker):

Parked

And went into the diner for lunch:

Diner

Diner food

Wind turbine blades:

Wind turbine blades

Yellowstone River:

Yellowstone River

I-90:

I-90

I-90

I-90

Leaving Montana:

Leaving Montana

Entering Wyoming:

Wyoming

We quite like the look of this area:

Wyoming views

Wyoming views

Sheridan bridge:

Sheridan bridge

Sheridan bridge

Sheridan College Golden Dome sports complex:

Sheridan Collage Golden Dome sports complex

More Wyoming views:

Wyoming views

Wyoming views

Wyoming views

Wyoming views

Wyoming views

Wyoming views

Wyoming views

Wyoming views

Wyoming views

Wyoming views

Buffalo exit:

Buffalo exit

Our destination, the Buffalo KOA Journey:

KOA

KOA

Travel from Missoula to Livingston, Montana

We drove our coach 237 miles, about 4 hour of driving, from Missoula, Montana to Livingston, Montana.

The map route for this leg, heading south:

Map route

Leaving the RV park:

Leaving the RV park

Fuel up behind another motorhome:

Fuel up

Lots of roadworks on this journey, as they were rebuilding pretty much all of the bridges, one side at a time:

Roadworks

More roadworks:

More roadworks

Snack delivery:

Snack delivery

Smoky trees:

Smoky trees

Smoky roadworks:

Smoky roadworks

Interesting building and roadworks:

Interesting building and roadworks

Rest stop:

Rest stop

Quite a nice-looking building:

Quite a nice-looking building

Lunch:

Lunch

Paladin in a box:

Paladin in a box

More roadworks:

More roadworks

More roadworks

More roadworks

More roadworks

Paladin on the theater seating:

Paladin on theater seating

Paladin on theater seating

Oversize load:

Large load

Continental Divide, elevation 6393:

Continental Divide, elevation 6393

Another rest stop:

Rest stop

We had the hazard blinkers on going up a hill; the cameras change to show 4-up in this mode:

Cameras

Smoky:

Smoky

Yet more roadworks:

More roadworks

A rather narrow and bumpy road leading to the destination:

Narrow road

The RV park entrance:

Entrance

Enter:

Enter

Office:

Office

Guided to our site:

Guided to site

Travel from West Glacier to Missoula, Montana

We drove our coach 124 miles, about 3 hour of driving, from West Glacier, Montana to Missoula, Montana. Beginning our trek from the top of the country to the bottom — we’ll be spending the winter in Texas this year.

The map route for this leg, heading south:

Map route

Smoky US-2:

Smoky US-2

US-2 next to the Flathead River:

US-2 next to the Flathead River

Roadworks on MT-206:

Roadworks on US-206

We stopped at Woody’s Country Store for lunch again:

Woody's Country Store

Woody's Country Store

Our coach

Woody's Country Store

Woody's Country Store

Woody's Country Store

Woody's Country Store

Woody's Country Store

Very tasty fries and burger:

Food

Paladin sitting on the dash as we returned to our coach:

Paladin

Some sights along MT-35 next to Flathead Lake:

MT-35

MT-35

MT-35

MT-35

MT-35

MT-35

Flathead Lake:

Flathead Lake

Oops, a dining chair fell over; we might want to think about securing it with a bungee or something:

Dining chair fell over

US-93

Several places in Ronan had decorated hay bales:

Decorated hay bales

Decorated hay

US-93

US-93

In the Flathead Reservation, the signs were bilingual:

Flathead signs

Flathead signs

Flathead signs

A wildlife bridge:

Flathead signs

US-93

Our destination, Jim and Mary’s RV Park:

Jim and Mary's RV Park

Jim and Mary's RV Park

Our site before occupation:

Our site

Our coach:

Our coach

Jenn and Paladin looking out the driver window:

Jenn and Paladin