CAMPGROUND: 3rd night at Jocko Hollow
LOCATION: Outside of Missoula, Montana in west central part of state
WEATHER: Very nice. Cool in the AM (George turned on the heater); Sunny and 75 in PM

Today’s destination was the National Bison Refuge, just a few miles from our campground. Our friends Richard and Sarah offered to drive. First we checked out the Visitors’ Center to get oriented.

We drove the 20-mile, 3-hour loop around the refuge. The drive takes you through different types of habitat – high plains, forest, mountain, and prairie. The views were amazing.

We could see wildfires in the distance. After driving for about 2.5 hours, we were a bit disappointed as we had only seen one of the 350 bison in the refuge. We did see some beautiful pronghorn.

Then, we turned at a curve, and there they were!

We were able to get up close to a few

As we were finishing up the drive, we spotted an elk (too hidden to photograph) and a deer getting a drink along a river.

It was a wonderful morning. Our friends’ dog Dixie is really sweet. She rode in the back with George and me. She was at the alert, but didn’t get excited about the bison.

We found a local bar and grill for lunch. Local guys on motorcycles filled the restaurant. It had a cowboy feel.

Back at the RV park, we rested and I did laundry.

DINNER: Since we had eaten a late, and large, lunch, we didn’t want much. I made a Greek orzo dish with orzo, bits of pork, hamburger, tomato, kalamata olives, and feta cheese. Also a big lettuce salad.