Henrys Lake State Park, Island Park, Idaho

Well, the Rest Area we stayed out did turn out to be a real good rest area.  I awoke around 1:30 am, and looked out the window at the parking lot...to my surprise, there were 7-8 semi trucks, 4-5 RVs, and numerous cars.  Yet, other than the hum of one of the semi's refers going, there was very little noise, and the noise from the engine running that refrigerator system was not that noticeable.

Since we could not check in at the State Park until 2 pm, we were in no hurry to leave.  We had a relaxing breakfast, enjoyed a little TV, listened to Pastor Brett's message online from a few weeks ago for our church, and finally got going around 10 am.  

We traveled along I-90 for about 50 miles, then took Montana Highway 2 over to Highway 287.  A portion of Highway 2 goes through Lewis and Clark Cavern State Park, and that part of the highway is narrow and winding, but very doable in a Motor Home if you take your time for the 8-10 miles that it is narrow.  

Don't know if this hole is part of the Lewis and Clark Cavern....perhaps this is what they first saw....I just know it was along the highway up on the hill along side the road.

 In the midst of the narrow, windy area, I did get a short break where I could take this picture outside the window (above).

 And this one (above) is taken through the front window...you can see the reflection in the bottom right of the picture.  You can also see the haze and smoke in the sky...it gets worse as we proceed along the road ahead.

And as we left this narrow, windy patch of highway 2, I took this shot out the window looking back.  As you can see, I am riding the yellow line since there was no traffic coming towards us...the outside edge led to a river...didn't want to go there.

Soon we turned on highway 287, and we were on it for much of the rest of the trip.  The haze and smoke got worse.

In the picture above you can hardly make out the mountains in the distance due to the haze.  Below, as we were much closer, you can see the mountains, but the haze sure makes for bad pictures.  At this point, I gave up using the camera...but the scenery along this route is outstanding, if the conditions are good.

We stopped for lunch in  rest area about 30 miles from the state park, and after a short lunch of hot dogs and soup, we drove the rest of the way to Henrys Lake State Park.  Now the first thing I want to say is, there is no ' between the y and s in Henrys...why, I don't know.  

The view above is to the north, this is the view we get outside of our entrance door.

 Above is the view to our rear.

And this last picture is the view to the south.

So far we like the park.  $265 for 10 nights which includes entrance fee to the State Park.  We have strong cell phone for both AT&T and Verizon, 3G on air card, Park Internet is $3 per day, $6 for 3 days, $10 for a week, but you are limited on usage.  We are in a 41' pad, but the rear can hang over as long as wheels are on pad, and we barely have our rear over pad and the car is sitting in front of the motor home, so the pad length is probably a bit longer than 41'.  There is no sewer hookup, but there is a free dump station if you stay in park, and I made sure our tanks were empty before we settled into our spot.

Found out that my oldest son Michael, who lives in San Francisco, will be at Yellowstone at the same time we are for a family reunion on his mother's side.  We hope to get together on Tuesday, before he has commitments with his mother and her family.  The other two were unable to make the trip out from Arkansas, where they both live in the Fayetteville area.

Tomorrow, our first look at Yellowstone....well, my second look, and I can't wait to be back and spend more time there.