Day 8: Lewis and Clark Caravan State Park, Norris

Both children wake up early. It's still raining but getting lighter. We decide to leave right after breakfast. So we have 150 miles ahead of us. The landscape doesn't change much. It's green, with lots of meadows, forests, and hills. In the distance, you can see the big mountains with snow-covered domes. The surroundings are not suitable for agriculture because there is too much water in the fields. The farms are involved in cattle breeding. After 90 minutes of driving, we reach Butte. There is mining near the city. Many freight trains run to transport goods. In Butte, we stock up on food for the next few days because we will reach Yellowstone Park tomorrow.

It's 1:30 pm and still too early to go to the campground. So we decide to visit Lewis and Clark Caravan State Park. We pay the entrance fee and a few kilometers uphill is another visitor center. A guided tour through a cave is offered here. The short tour starts at 2 pm, so we hurry to participate. At the counter, I'm informed that the 2 pm tour is fully booked, but there will be another tour at 2:25 pm. We rushed for no reason because our tickets are valid for the long tour. We start on time. It's about 1 km uphill to the cave entrance. The view is beautiful and then we go into the cave. In total, we descend 600 steps. We see small bats sleeping on the ceiling. The first 120 steps are easy, then it becomes wetter and more slippery. Often we have to duck our heads. Then there is a section that is only 80 cm high and not much wider, we also have to go downhill, so we sit down and slide for about 2-3 meters. Everyone enjoys it, even David, who hangs on to Rene in the front.
I've never seen a cave like this before, the many stalagmites and stalactites are amazing to see. We spend almost 2 hours in the cave. The guide tells a lot and quite fast, I can't understand much.
But that doesn't matter, the cave is very impressive. In the end, it gets tiring because he stops often and explains. Erik wants to continue and gets a bit impatient. It takes too long for him. David likes it and perseveres well. Finally, we see the light and rejoice. Now we walk the 1 kilometer back to the car, but we have come out much lower, so the path is straight ahead.
The distance to the campground is only 25 miles, so it takes a 30-minute drive. There are hot springs in Norris. So we put on our swimwear and go to the pool. It's probably 16°C outside with wind, I'm actually not in the mood for swimming. We get a discount on the entrance fee because we are staying there. With $9 for all of us, we can splash around. The pool is crowded with people and the water is lovely. Like a bathtub, nice and warm. There are wooden planks and benches on the floor and at the edges for sitting. David likes it, he enjoys the warm water. After 30 minutes, we leave the pool so that we don't catch a cold, and also because our stomachs are growling. The kids go to bed at 8 pm and we won't stay up late either.