Billings KOA- Billings, Montana

We started our Montana journey at the Billings KOA. I didn’t know it was the first KOA. It’s close to Yellowstone, so it makes sense. Lots of outdoor amenities. They even are autistic certified with each activity rated for stimulation and they also had a sensory room which I thought was pretty cool. I hadn’t seen one of these before, but what a blessing for families with autistic children!

Jim and Mary’s RV Park- Missoula, Montana

Our first long stop is here in Missoula. We couldn’t have asked for better weather with highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s. We spent 9 days here and spent quite a bit of time with Alex, Erin, and Lana. Visited Draught Works, MacKenzie River Pizza, and, of course, Big Dipper. Our campground is a frequent stop for us and is beautifully landscaped with many flowers and plants. Unfortunately, it also has sprinklers that keep our site pretty wet. No outdoor yoga for me!

Erin ended up coming down with Covid, so we didn’t see her for about 5 days. She did get better just in time for our camping trip to Lake Placid. Lana celebrated her 15th birthday and we took her out with her besties, Laine and Miranda. What fun it was hearing about high school life today! All are freshman and enjoying their first year at Hellgate.

Our big adventure was heading up to Whitefish to adopt two golden retrievers who were being rehomed. They are 6 years old and sisters. We have renamed them Goldie and Lucy (after Lucille Ball) since they did not know their original names. It takes a lot of energy to manage two goldens! I wanted to become more active, and I think I’ve found my walking companions. Now to just train them to calm down and walk instead of pull on the leash!

To end our Montana trip was a camping trip with Alex and the girls to one of our favorite spots, Lake Placid. Such a beautiful campground and lake. We were able to try out our new Oru kayaks and they worked perfectly. Erin’s boyfriend Brayton joined us so we got to meet him. He’s very nice and fit right in. We found out that Goldie and Lucy and water dogs and their favorite things was to swim in the lake. A great way to end our time in Montana. We will miss everyone!