I Made the Wise Choice to Avoid the Road Less Traveled (Here’s Why)

This post is about making the decision not to take the high road

My photo of the path I wisely chose not to take.

The ascent looked like a good challenge to help me burn some calories and work on those buns of steel. But the gravel was loose, and it didn’t take long before I realized the risk wasn’t worth it. I imagined myself falling with no cell service, and my husband, Tommy, would have no idea where I was. I told him I was doing a quick lap around the campground.

So, I turned around and noticed another trail below, running along the river. Much more sensible, and it turned out to be a lovely walk.

I’d made the Red Cliff Campground in the Gallatin National Forest our destination on the way to Idaho Falls, despite being unable to make a reservation. I chose a site on their website, and a pop-up alerted me that the sites in that category were first-come, first-served.

It seemed strange that only the sites without power would allow me to reserve one. Planning a stay in a campground with 30-amp service and no water was highly unusual for me, but most of the ones I checked out were $85.00 a night and up. Yellowstone in the summer is quite popular, as you can imagine. We didn’t want to see the sights; we were traveling through. I could not see spending that much…