Life at Red Rock

How can it be that our month-long stay in Island Park is coming to an end in just a couple of days? Before we leave this beautiful part of the country, here's a quick look back at the place we've called home for the last month.

Here's a look at Red Rock from the road. How's that for a setting, huh? The place was looking pretty quiet when this picture was taken a couple of weeks ago.

Bullwinkle has enjoyed his comfortable spot with a view. Us, too.

We've spent plenty of time relaxing around here. One late afternoon the weather was actually pleasant enough for a campfire, which friends and neighbors Gordon and Juanita treated us to. It's a good thing we captured this rare event, as that was the only night we were able to enjoy a campfire! Every other night it's been too cold, wet or windy, or a combination of all three!

No campfire on this day early in our stay when it - look closely, now - SNOWED!

We made the best of the cold, damp weather and enjoyed time inside. Here are Paul and Gordon opening a very special package we all received from our friends and RVing buddies Sue and Doug in Canada.

The special package contained Tim Horton's coffee and mugs, a fluffy moose for us and a cute little Canadian bear for Gordon and Juanita. Thanks, guys! We wish you were here!

We made the most of the clear days we had, and there were several. Here's a view of Henry's Lake from the top of a hill the four of climbed in Rocky in search of a geocache.

While I was snapping that picture of the lake, the trusty cachers made the find!

Want to guess what those two are doing? They're displaying their mosquito-bitten arms! They fell prey to the blood suckers as they searched for a cache near the lake. Juanita and I were glad we took the long way and avoided the swarm. In the end, the cache was found and the boys only needed minor transfusions. (Just kidding!)

It was not all play at Red Rock. Neighbor Mike worked hard to keep his rig and truck clean.

Of course, just as Mike would get everything cleaned up, another round of ATVers would kick up some dust around the place! That's our very crowded park in the background.

A highlight of our month in Red Rock was a "neighborhood" gathering of friends and followers of Gordon and Juanita. We were blessed with gorgeous weather the day of the party, so we circled the chairs and fired up the grills.

Yes, I said grills - plural! Paul was in charge of chicken.

Rob filled his grill with bison burgers.

And, Gordon's Weber was loaded with brats from Restvedts' in Ennis.

Of course, everyone else brought an assortment of tasty side dishes. As you can see by the smiles on these faces, a good time was had by all. Nobody went away hungry!

Out here in the wilderness, we've enjoyed a taste of wildlife. We've enjoyed watching the antics of a couple of resident hawks, Henry and Henrietta. I think this is Henry. Of course, it could be Henrietta. We're not birders, so we wouldn't know.

Speaking of antics, the ground squirrels also provide a lot of entertainment around the park. These three popped out of a hole in the ground in Mike and Leslie's yard. I think they were on the look out for Henry!

This little wild thing was our neighbor for a few days. Marlin is just a puppy, but he won't get much bigger than this. He was a cutie!

As we get ready to make our way from Red Rock, the wildflowers are in bloom. That's a sure sign that Summer is here. No snow for at least a few weeks! (It's a very short season up here.) From here, we have a date with some family members in South Dakota. So, it's just about time for us to roll.

Thanks to our friends and neighbors for making our stay an enjoyable one. We hope Gordon and Juanita enjoy the rest of their season here and wish everyone safe and happy travels from this beautiful corner of the world.