Days #640-646 of Our Epic Trip

8-3-2025
H: 84ºF L: 54ºF
Firemans Park Campground, Libby, Montana

We had a nice walk down to the Pend Oreille River this morning before packing up.

We drove into Montana and are dry camping at a small campground right in the town of Libby, MT. Our site is next to a cemetery and it’s really peaceful. After setting up, we went to downtown Libby and the Amtrak station. Daniel loves trains and has taken four cross country train trips.

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8-4-2025
H: 81°F L: 52°F
Boondocking, Flathead National Forest, West Glacier, Montana

We left Libby, MT and headed east. The town of Libby was listed as a must see place by the Good Sam magazine. While Libby is in beautiful surrounds with rolling mountains covered in evergreens, I don’t feel this is a great vacation spot unless you’re only interested in doing outdoor things. The downtown area was sleepy and lacked the restaurants and quaint shops you’d expect to find in a tourist town. In fact, Libby has a history of mining and produced 80% of the world’s supply of vermiculite. Unfortunately, vermiculite from this area was contaminated with asbestos. The mine closed in 1990 and the town and surrounding areas have become a Superfund site being decontaminated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Since 2000, the EPA has removed over a million cubic yards of contaminated dirt, investigated 7,600 homes and businesses, cleaned 2,600 homes and businesses, and now is focused on the mine site. [source]

Montana is gorgeous! The hills and mountains, the evergreens and vistas – all fantastic. Montana residents, however, seem keen on keeping old cars and equipment in their yards. Daniel likes Canada’s laws which are harsher on people with yards full of junk.

We have also never been in a state that has posted daytime and nighttime speed limits.

We arrived at Glacier National Park and found a good boondocking spot. There is a free EV charger about 5 minutes away. We have privacy and can hear the Middle Fork Flathead River running far below us.

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8-5-2025
H: 72ºF L: 54ºF
Boondocking, Flathead National Forest, West Glacier, Montana

We enjoyed coffee time outside this morning. Our campsite is secluded in the woods between a road and a steep drop off which leads to the river and train tracks. Peter liked watching the trains go by.

We drove the Going-to-the-Sun road in Glacier National Park today. Starting the drive from Lake McDonald requires a $2 reservation for a timed entry because it’s very popular (make sure you screenshot your reservation because there is no cell service at the checkpoint). The road is 50 miles long and was carved into the mountains in the 1920s and 1930s.

We started with the beautiful Lake McDonald which is surrounded by mountains and is a crystal clear blue.

We love checking out the old lodges in national parks as many were made in the 1930s by the Work Progress Administration (WPA) or Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC). Lake McDonald Lodge was built by an entrepreneur in 1913-1914 but it did not disappoint in grandeur.

The drive was very pretty and offered views of the lake, rivers, forests, waterfalls, and glaciers.

When we got home, we took the boys for a walk down to the train tracks which are near the Middle Fork Flathead River.

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8-6-2025
H: 72ºF L: 51ºF
Boondocking, Flathead National Forest, West Glacier, Montana

We went to Whitefish, MT and walked around downtown. It’s an expensive tourist town.

We went the Green Power House in Columbia Fall, MT. We learned about this place from the documentary Need To Grow. It’s an off-grid clean power generator which also produces nutrient-rich soil additives. We highly recommend watching the documentary.

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8-7-2025
H: 64ºF L: 50ºF
Boondocking, Flathead National Forest, West Glacier, Montana

We stayed home and took the boys for a walk down to the train tracks. Daniel walked through the two tunnels on the tracks.

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8-8-2025
H: 59°F L: 47°F
Boondocking, Flathead National Forest, West Glacier, Montana

It rained a lot today so we stayed home and relaxed.

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8-9-2025
H: 71ºF L: 51ºF
Boondocking, Flathead National Forest, West Glacier, Montana

We drove around Glacier National Park to the west side where there is Flathead National Forest land in hopes of finding a place to walk the boys off-leash. We had to drive for quite a while but we finally found the perfect place to walk. We even found some wood for a fire we’ll have later tonight. We also noticed that Montana residents use their National Forest land more than any other state we’ve been in. We learned that over 57,000 acres were burned in a forest fire in 2003.

After dropping a car off at the charger (free at the park Apgar Visitor Center), we drove to Quarter Circle Bridge. We really enjoyed seeing this old, wooden bridge and liked that it was curved.

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Stats

Expenses:

• Tesla Cybertruck fuel: $36.53
• Tesla Model X fuel: $3.08
• Campsite: $28 (cancel fee for campground)
• Camping memberships: $38.26
• Food: $194.84

Tesla Cybertruck miles driven: 314.7 (221.6 kWh)

Tesla Model X miles driven: 502.7 (131.8 kWh)

Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 0

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