We were amazed at the free and super cheap camping options in Idaho and Montana. Of course they're all dry camping, but I prefer that over full hook-ups in a city parking lot anyway. I found the Clark County Reservoir in Dillon, Montana has about six campgrounds along it's edge. Beaverhead Campground seemed to be the most popular and had the easiest access for our RV. It was perfect- peaceful, incredible scenery and fishing for Asher. Even Denali enjoyed the view and watching the Richardson's Ground Squirrels right outside our door.
There's a popular birding hotspot at the south end of the lake, so as the sun was setting we went to check it out. It was such a beautiful view, however......
It didn't last long as the bugs were INTENSE! The bug photo was taken thru the sunroof. There was no way we could lower a window or step out to scope the mudflats or lake. Still we saw quite a few birds from the safety of the truck.
We made a quick stop in Butte, Montana to enjoy a pizza dinner and I noticed the Berkeley Pit was only a few blocks away. I was really the only person interested in seeing this former copper mine landmark, so I walked there while they waited for our pizza to bake. It's about one long and half a mile wide and 1,780ft deep. The water is so acidic it's on par with Coca Cola and causes dangerous chemicals to leach from the rock into the water. This has had devastating effects on birds who land in this deceptively attractive body of water. The worst loss happened in 2016 when several thousand snow geese died after taking refuge here during a snowstorm. Since then, they've been using multiple means to deter birds, a Phoenix Wailer emits an alarm call every few minutes and an employee is armed with a rifle to scare off any that ignore it. This plus the use of pyrotechnics, lasers and air cannons has been successful in preventing another mass casualty and keeping the losses to a minimum.
Our next stop was our very first Harvest Host experience! Harvest Host is a membership based program that allows RVers to stay overnight at farms, wineries, museums, and businesses in exchange for a minimum purchase of $20. Locations can be found all over the United States and Canada.
In Helena we were greeted upon arrival at KJ'n Ranch's Sheep Mountain Creamery, where the owner escorted us to a place to set up the RV with a beautiful view. He arranged to give us a tour at 6pm and left us with a packet containing information about the history of the farm, what is available for purchase, and facts on the breeds of sheep and working dogs that live there.
We loved meeting their Pyr/Mar (Great Pyrenees and Maremma mix). Such a beautiful dog!
The farm has different breeds for meat, wool and milk. The milk sheep are being kept at a different location at this time, so we didn't get to meet them.
The breeds they have include East Friesian, Lacaune, Awassi, Assaf, and Dorper.
We learned that covid had a huge impact on the wool industry. There are only a handful of people who are qualified to analyze and grade the wool before it can be auctioned. They all live in New Zealand and stopped working during covid, which backed everything up. Demand then began shifting to synthetic fibers and the price dropped from $2.60/lb to an astounding $0.03/lb! It wasn't even worth processing. So right now across the country there are wool farmers with literal barns full of wool just waiting to be graded and for prices to come up. Tough situation!
Month old Dorper lambs.
After our tour, we were treated with samples of their sheep milk, which is rich like creamer, packed with three times more vitamins and minerals than cow's milk, and is easier to digest, making it lactose tolerable. There is a huge demand for their sheep milk, so they are working on growing their flock. While a cow can produce 8-10 gallons per day, a sheep can only produce one. We sampled seven different cheeses that they make themselves. They were all delicious and we ended up walking home with a supply of cheese curds, milk and two types of seasoned sausage. Yum! Daddy has been trying to find more sheep milk ever since we ran out!
This was a fantastic roadschool/homeschool learning experience! I highly recommend it!
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