Day 31 onward to Jellystone!

Leaving Arco,  we passed through   Butte City, population of 74, a run down area that hardly qualified as a City.  The few homes in the short area of residency was comprised on tiny houses in ramshackle condition, a closed convenience store and thT was about it.  It was hard to imagine the population was even 30 inhabitants.  Beyond that there were huge expanses of farmed land that continued non stop til we saw signs to the Idaho National Labs.  We wondered who was farming the areas, and we were unable to answer that, pausing to say "it takes a village" so there must be someone out there beyond our view.  The area beyond the Lab alternated between fecund fields and brush, alternating on both sides of the road.  Mud Lake had a population of 358.  The Public Health Bldg was open to all on Thursday's.  Poverty and the need for traveling resources was apparent as we continued to pass through expanses of farm fields in various states of harvest.  This is where I got curious about how theses massive fields were harvested.  The R thought that there were workers with big equipment who travel with the growing season doing this.  In my research I found nothing to support this, but it seemed reasonable since the machinery had to be huge and expensive.  Then I started wondering how this was all timed.  What happened if these dudes and dudetts came too early or too late, then what?  Two growing seasons were apparent.  Those harvested were primarily these massive 2200# bales, piled up piled up on one another, some tipping abit, the lower level. I read was left to absorb moisture from the ground and any excess from the hay bales piled above.  Some of these were stored under "saranwrap" type plastic seen on boats that are wintered, in long rows, others under lean to buildings, but no silos. Then I read about Farmer Lung and feeding patterns of horses by cows, working cattle vs food cattle, sharing this new found knowledge with my on site Funk and Wagnall historian to keep him up on this trivia.
Cruising along we ran into road repair and the use of a Pilot car that alternated leading our side with incoming traffic.  On each side was a dude that kept the traffic at bay until the Pilot car arrived caravanning traffic from the other side.  When we passed the fresh asphalt we noticed big bags of ice strategically placed along the new paved road.  We found this amusing, but assume there must be some benefit gained.
On and on we drove getting closer to Yellowstone which we approached from the west intending to leavet in a massive park on the west side from the east..  we noted again, watercraft inspection areas.  These were tents set up with inspectors who went over the watercraft history and condition to minimize bringing in invasive  snails, weeds and whatever.  This included kayaks and canoes..  we secured a spot, but again, only for a night.  Without phone service and or wifi, trying to stay ahead of reserving spots has become a challenge as the season gears up.  The spot we had was in the edge of the park next to the road with an inconveniently placed tree that required navigating around as the R backed into the space.  One would think we had become proficient with this, but each day is another hit or miss!  I am assigned navigation from behind the HH and in view of the R directing him to hookups.  In this case helping him avoid taking out a big tree.  The spot was so narrow we had no space on 2 sides of us and a shaved down picnic table hat seated 2.  Regardless, it was what we could find and were happy that the neighbor we met after a drive around Yellowstone was friendly and welcoming.  We found him under his Class A trying to fix his grey/black plumbing system that was taken out by a blown tire in a car ahead of him.  Lying on a packing mat with all his tools and pieces neatly arranged around him as he lay on gravel in over 100 degrees.  Yikes!  He pulled a red Jeep behind him and had an American flag and POWflag flying from the front drivers side.