I awoke in St Regis to a very heavy sky and a voltage in the low elevens. It was time to either go for a long enough drive to recharge the batteries via the truck alternator or to plug in at a park. My solar had reached its limit in a cold, soggy climate! I think it has done very well; I haven’t plugged in since about 8AM on March 18th! My goal was to be able to boondock or dry camp for fourteen days in a climate warm enough to not require the furnace. I made it to thirteen days in a climate requiring furnace use. So, my system exceeded its expectations!

Plugging in was more appealing than doing a long slog since I also needed water, was ready for a non-navy shower, and due to put on a load of laundry. So I researched RV parks along I-90, looking for one with as close to FHU as possible that would be open at this time of year. Jim and Mary’s RV Park just outside of Missoula was perfect: 30A FHU pull-thrus with wifi at the sites (weak but acceptable), a laundromat, barely a detour from I-90, and scenic to boot. The price is a reasonable $35 a night.

The drive there from St Regis was short, barely more than an hour, and on a stretch of rough highway that cut a swath through great mountains. It’ll be a four hour slog to Great Falls tomorrow, but after two short days I’ll be ready to get some mileage under me.

I’m taking full advantage of my 30 amps to run the dehumidifier and electric heater and to make a pass with the vacuum cleaner to get the rig ready for a possible inspection at the border.

My original itinerary would have had me pushing north from here to Kalispell, then around Glacier National Park. But I’ve been monitoring the road conditions on US 2 and there is always a black ice warning around the Marias Pass at the southern tip of the park. It’s just too early in the season to go that way. So, I will continue on I-90, spend tomorrow night at the Flying J (which may no longer be a Flying J) in Great Falls at the junction of I-15, cross into Alberta Friday, boondock on the Alberta side Friday night, and then enjoy a leisurely drive to Lethbridge on Saturday.