Sept. 17
Yesterday we took a day trip to Zion National Park. Each park seems to be completely different from the other ones. Zion was no exception. The landscape was just totally unique. Huge does not do things justice around here. No hoodoos in Zion but massive land formations which are pretty indescribable. That what pictures are for I guess. We spent the day there, did a little walking but mostly just sight seeing. And what sights they were! It rained while we were there and on the way back. We got back, cold and tired and in spite of trying to talk ourselves out of it we stopped and got pizza for supper. Petty close to the best pizza I’ve ever had.
A THREE DOG NIGHT - The problem is we only have one dog and we left her and home. The forecast was for a low of 31. As far as I was concerned with no dog, it became a 2 sock night. The trusty ‘smart wool’ socks go in the feet. The usual pair of wimpy socks go on the hands. And of course, the hat goes on the head. I discovered that when you were a hat all night it feels as though it is still on your head during the day. Strange. We crawled into the tent early, without a campfire, and read for awhile. Another discovery – it is hard to hold a book, much less turn the pages with socks on your hands. It rained during the night which probably meant that it wasn’t cold enough to snow. Started out with a few drops, then the heavens opened – hard and heavy but it only lasted about 20 minutes-thank goodness.
They’ve had a lot of rain lately. The rangers are referring to the monsoon season that usually hits in August. Guess it was waiting for us. While we were at Zion yesterday, after a downpour, the rangers were out looking at the mountains at the museum center where we were. It was really inspiring to see them so excited watching the water falls that occurs because of the rain.
At the moment Jerry is off doing a ½ day hike-a decent to the floor of the hoodoos. Tomorrow we will probably move on to the Grand Canyon.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
The Music, The Moon & The Magic
Sept. 11
Gotta love the big RVs that try to fit in a space way too small for them. They end up blocking the road and the paths to the bathrooms – guess they don’t need them …. the same ones that sit up late and crank up the radio so that everyone around them can enjoy their favorite country music. Ah, thanks – but no thanks. Honestly, it could have been worse but it was pretty bad. Guess our tolerance level is fairly low – we’ll need to work on that. The moon was almost full and was casting shadows everywhere. Totally beautiful. And then there was the Magic. The couple two sites down (not the music people) came over and offered us some dutch-oven-homemade apple cobbler. Warn and delicious. Yummmm.
I had just hit that twilight state of sleep when my tent mate said ‘Did you hear that’. I was far enough gone to ignore him until he repeated it a second time. He continued – it sounded like a wolf and it sounds close. After 36 years of marriage he should know not to say things like that to me, right? There went my good night’s sleep. So that was the evening 9/10 – I say that not for your sake but to help me keep the days straight.
In the morning we left Yellowstone and headed for the Grand Teton but not before we ended up once again in the middle of yetanotherbuffalo
The Tetons are breathtaking. Snow above, a few flowers below. We camped at Jenny Lake. While there Jerry took a kayak out for an hour or so. Yea, arm! It worked. The evening brought very dark clouds and thunder and lightning in the mountains. We went for a short walk in our rain gear then stayed close to the tent and van. We ended up eating leftovers, something quick and simple. The clouds just hung above us. Didn’t seem to be moving at all. In the end we had a lot of wind but very little rain.
Spet. 12. Ate breakfast at the base of the Teton watching the sun come up. There was quite a chill in the air again. We broke camp and headed for Dinosaur National Monument (Jerry’s pick). We drove through the Flaming Gorge National Rec. Area. This is one of those roads where I keep my eyes shut a good part of the time and only imagine the steepness of the river below-don’t know which is worse reality or imagination. The reality is that it was beautiful. Cliffs, rivers, long horn sheep. Another ‘wow’ adventure. We drove about 350 miles, 8 hours or so. Found a site at Dinosaur National Monument. We stopped at the information center on the way in and Jerry was crushed to find out that the main exhibit building was closed. They are hoping to open Oct. 4th. Turns out they have been closed for the last 4-5 years. Maybe we should have checked the web site. Oh, well. BTW- This was the first campsite we have had that did not come with a bear box. Yea, for leaving bear behind.
Last night the moon was full and the sky clear – until about 1:00a.m. I woke up to lightning and thunder in the distance. It continues to get closer until you could hear the thunder start in one part of the sky and roll over to the other end. The ground vibrated when it passed over us. Seems that rain doesn’t happen too often here. We were just lucky enough to experience it.
We did a ranger lead hike this morning to view some fossils in the cliff wall. This afternoon we drove over to the CO. part of the park. Ended up on a plateau and drove for about 30 miles. Jerry did a hike. Why anyone would build a road going up so high is beyond me but it was beautiful and you felt like you were literally on top of the world.
One of the joys of camping is when you stay two nights in the same place. It prevents you from having to break up camp and set it up again each day. Well that is what we had planned on at Dinosaur but the fates had other plans. Seems as though they were planning on repaving the area we were in, so…. We thought of just putting the tent on the top of the car since we really didn’t have to move that far, or just walking the tent to its new site but I guess common sense won out and we took down the tent only to put it up a few spaces down the road.
The other morning while lying in our tent trying to talk myself in to getting out of the warm sleeping bag I noticed something interesting. We have a Euerka tent. Their trademark is a ‘!’. Our tent has a ‘!’ on either side. What a nice way to hem in your day – between two ‘!’ marks.
Sept. 14 – Wednesday – Chore Day!
We broke up camp and headed in to town in search of an oil change, a laundry mat, and a Walmart. Jerry dropped me off with the laundry. Went and had the oil changed. Found an ATT store that solved his phone problem. Went to McD to use the internet and have a breakfast sandwich. All while I was still groving’ with our laundry. All our chores were done by noon so we hit the road and headed for Bryce Canyon. Once again the drive was amazing. Then we hit the rain and stayed in it for some time. It was like driving through a cloud. Actually, we were driving through a cloud. Evening time rolled around and we found a campground in Salina, UT. The Butch Cassidy Campground. Wasn’t bad – clean restrooms, free hot showers, grassy sites. Down side was it was about 50 yards from a road. We figured the traffic would let up as night fell. Were we wrong! All night long coal trucks rumbled past us. Some vibrating the ground just like the storm of a few nights ago. Give us the rain any day!
Sept.15 Blew We blew out of Butch Cassidy town as fast as we could. Still heading for Bryce. Once again the scenery left us in s state of awe and wonder. Once again, Jerry was giggling at the rock formations. Pulled in to Bryce late morning. Found a good campsite. Set up camp – I sometimes remind Jerry how I did all of this myself last year. He said that he wants to try and set the tent up solo sometime – but that time hasn’t come yet. It is so much easier with two.
The land here is full of hoodoos. Crazy rock formations that seem to defy gravity. It’s a wonder! Rained a little more but what’s a few drops now and then. Saw a rainbow. The other element that comes in to play is the temperature. It’s getting cold once again. There was fresh snow on the mountains this morning and it is suppose to get down in to the low 30s tonight.
Gotta love the big RVs that try to fit in a space way too small for them. They end up blocking the road and the paths to the bathrooms – guess they don’t need them …. the same ones that sit up late and crank up the radio so that everyone around them can enjoy their favorite country music. Ah, thanks – but no thanks. Honestly, it could have been worse but it was pretty bad. Guess our tolerance level is fairly low – we’ll need to work on that. The moon was almost full and was casting shadows everywhere. Totally beautiful. And then there was the Magic. The couple two sites down (not the music people) came over and offered us some dutch-oven-homemade apple cobbler. Warn and delicious. Yummmm.
I had just hit that twilight state of sleep when my tent mate said ‘Did you hear that’. I was far enough gone to ignore him until he repeated it a second time. He continued – it sounded like a wolf and it sounds close. After 36 years of marriage he should know not to say things like that to me, right? There went my good night’s sleep. So that was the evening 9/10 – I say that not for your sake but to help me keep the days straight.
In the morning we left Yellowstone and headed for the Grand Teton but not before we ended up once again in the middle of yetanotherbuffalo
The Tetons are breathtaking. Snow above, a few flowers below. We camped at Jenny Lake. While there Jerry took a kayak out for an hour or so. Yea, arm! It worked. The evening brought very dark clouds and thunder and lightning in the mountains. We went for a short walk in our rain gear then stayed close to the tent and van. We ended up eating leftovers, something quick and simple. The clouds just hung above us. Didn’t seem to be moving at all. In the end we had a lot of wind but very little rain.
Spet. 12. Ate breakfast at the base of the Teton watching the sun come up. There was quite a chill in the air again. We broke camp and headed for Dinosaur National Monument (Jerry’s pick). We drove through the Flaming Gorge National Rec. Area. This is one of those roads where I keep my eyes shut a good part of the time and only imagine the steepness of the river below-don’t know which is worse reality or imagination. The reality is that it was beautiful. Cliffs, rivers, long horn sheep. Another ‘wow’ adventure. We drove about 350 miles, 8 hours or so. Found a site at Dinosaur National Monument. We stopped at the information center on the way in and Jerry was crushed to find out that the main exhibit building was closed. They are hoping to open Oct. 4th. Turns out they have been closed for the last 4-5 years. Maybe we should have checked the web site. Oh, well. BTW- This was the first campsite we have had that did not come with a bear box. Yea, for leaving bear behind.
Last night the moon was full and the sky clear – until about 1:00a.m. I woke up to lightning and thunder in the distance. It continues to get closer until you could hear the thunder start in one part of the sky and roll over to the other end. The ground vibrated when it passed over us. Seems that rain doesn’t happen too often here. We were just lucky enough to experience it.
We did a ranger lead hike this morning to view some fossils in the cliff wall. This afternoon we drove over to the CO. part of the park. Ended up on a plateau and drove for about 30 miles. Jerry did a hike. Why anyone would build a road going up so high is beyond me but it was beautiful and you felt like you were literally on top of the world.
One of the joys of camping is when you stay two nights in the same place. It prevents you from having to break up camp and set it up again each day. Well that is what we had planned on at Dinosaur but the fates had other plans. Seems as though they were planning on repaving the area we were in, so…. We thought of just putting the tent on the top of the car since we really didn’t have to move that far, or just walking the tent to its new site but I guess common sense won out and we took down the tent only to put it up a few spaces down the road.
The other morning while lying in our tent trying to talk myself in to getting out of the warm sleeping bag I noticed something interesting. We have a Euerka tent. Their trademark is a ‘!’. Our tent has a ‘!’ on either side. What a nice way to hem in your day – between two ‘!’ marks.
Sept. 14 – Wednesday – Chore Day!
We broke up camp and headed in to town in search of an oil change, a laundry mat, and a Walmart. Jerry dropped me off with the laundry. Went and had the oil changed. Found an ATT store that solved his phone problem. Went to McD to use the internet and have a breakfast sandwich. All while I was still groving’ with our laundry. All our chores were done by noon so we hit the road and headed for Bryce Canyon. Once again the drive was amazing. Then we hit the rain and stayed in it for some time. It was like driving through a cloud. Actually, we were driving through a cloud. Evening time rolled around and we found a campground in Salina, UT. The Butch Cassidy Campground. Wasn’t bad – clean restrooms, free hot showers, grassy sites. Down side was it was about 50 yards from a road. We figured the traffic would let up as night fell. Were we wrong! All night long coal trucks rumbled past us. Some vibrating the ground just like the storm of a few nights ago. Give us the rain any day!
Sept.15 Blew We blew out of Butch Cassidy town as fast as we could. Still heading for Bryce. Once again the scenery left us in s state of awe and wonder. Once again, Jerry was giggling at the rock formations. Pulled in to Bryce late morning. Found a good campsite. Set up camp – I sometimes remind Jerry how I did all of this myself last year. He said that he wants to try and set the tent up solo sometime – but that time hasn’t come yet. It is so much easier with two.
The land here is full of hoodoos. Crazy rock formations that seem to defy gravity. It’s a wonder! Rained a little more but what’s a few drops now and then. Saw a rainbow. The other element that comes in to play is the temperature. It’s getting cold once again. There was fresh snow on the mountains this morning and it is suppose to get down in to the low 30s tonight.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Breathing deep
Sept 9 con’t
Jerry found his magical forest with the petrified tree (stumps). After 36 years of being married I knew that Jerry had an unusually strong interest in rocks and geology. But I have never before heard him giggle when he sees land formations or other things he tried to explain to be as being, oh so wonderful! We ended the day once again with hot dogs over the fire. That is oh so easy when you’re tired after a long day of enjoying all that nature has to offer.
Sept 10
A cold, cold morning. Jerry had the wonderful idea of warming up in the car as we drove towards Old Faithful. We spent most of the day there watching geysers and walking through thermal areas. At one point we asked at an information desk if there was a place where campers could take showers. The young woman pointed out the building to us and told us that if we asked at the desk they would gladly let us take a shower – for $5. Then she mentioned that we could just walk past the front desk to the second floor and help ourselves. We choose the second option. The showers were a gift- both to us and those around us.
While at Old Faithful we started talking to a young couple who came in on bikes. They were
from NY and were taking 3 years to bike around the world – yep, that right. They said something about visiting local farms and breweries along the way. They have a web site – FoodCyclist.com She was biking with 40#, he was hauling 125#. Kind of crazy. When they got to the west coast they planned to fly to New Zealand and continue their journey. As I said they were young!
We had ice cream for lunch. We promise kids, we’ll start eating our veggies one of these days.
More Bits and Pieces (referred to in the future as B & Ps)
Jerry decided that many tourist are guilty of drive by shootings – that is pulling up to a scenic area, winding down their car (van, RV-some of those things are huge )window, snapping a picture and moving right along. He’s right.
Noticed that the entrance and exit ramps in MT have cattle guards. Hmmm.
When gathering firewood for the campfire you notice that there is a buffalo between you and that perfect piece of fire wood, it is time to settle on the second best perfect piece.
Jerry found his magical forest with the petrified tree (stumps). After 36 years of being married I knew that Jerry had an unusually strong interest in rocks and geology. But I have never before heard him giggle when he sees land formations or other things he tried to explain to be as being, oh so wonderful! We ended the day once again with hot dogs over the fire. That is oh so easy when you’re tired after a long day of enjoying all that nature has to offer.
Sept 10
A cold, cold morning. Jerry had the wonderful idea of warming up in the car as we drove towards Old Faithful. We spent most of the day there watching geysers and walking through thermal areas. At one point we asked at an information desk if there was a place where campers could take showers. The young woman pointed out the building to us and told us that if we asked at the desk they would gladly let us take a shower – for $5. Then she mentioned that we could just walk past the front desk to the second floor and help ourselves. We choose the second option. The showers were a gift- both to us and those around us.
While at Old Faithful we started talking to a young couple who came in on bikes. They were
from NY and were taking 3 years to bike around the world – yep, that right. They said something about visiting local farms and breweries along the way. They have a web site – FoodCyclist.com She was biking with 40#, he was hauling 125#. Kind of crazy. When they got to the west coast they planned to fly to New Zealand and continue their journey. As I said they were young!
We had ice cream for lunch. We promise kids, we’ll start eating our veggies one of these days.
More Bits and Pieces (referred to in the future as B & Ps)
Jerry decided that many tourist are guilty of drive by shootings – that is pulling up to a scenic area, winding down their car (van, RV-some of those things are huge )window, snapping a picture and moving right along. He’s right.
Noticed that the entrance and exit ramps in MT have cattle guards. Hmmm.
When gathering firewood for the campfire you notice that there is a buffalo between you and that perfect piece of fire wood, it is time to settle on the second best perfect piece.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Goodbye to Bozeman
Sept.7 As with all good camping experiences we started the day with a trip to Walmart – forgive us but we needed a few supplies and some food. After buying only what we needed we headed out on to the wide open highway towards Yellowstone. As the crow or perhaps eagle flies it is not that far but the windy roads and the construction added to the time spent on the road. We entered by way of West Yellowstone. We pulled in about 2:30. The lady at the entrance booth offered us a doggie biscuit for our puppy in back. Jerry and I looked at each other and wondered what we might have picked up along the way that we did not realize. Turns out she was seeing my hats that I had put over the head rest. Pheew. Decided not to stay at the campground run by the concession company that does not honor the senior pass but headed for Norris Campground that in run by the National Park System. That way we could camp for $7. per night – what a deal. (BTW-Jerry now has his own pass, a birthday gift from Joanna-that also means that he too is getting old enough to enjoy the finer things of life.) We seem to have gotten the last site available. Decent site. Turns out to be site # 75. The same numbered site we had in Glacier. Must be our lucky number. However at the information board later that day there was a sign with a box below it the box was full of scat. The sign read – grizzle bear scat found a few days ago in loop C. Did I mention that site #75 was in loop C. According to the map we were camping at about 7570 ft. I noticed a difference in my breathing right away but then add to the fact that the bathrooms were up a trail probably about 8000 ft. We sat up the tent on a ‘just the right size level spot’. Spent time riding through a little of the park. Headed back ‘home’ for dinner. A little rain and a campfire rounded out another wonderful day.
Sept.8 Woke up to frost on the car windows, picnic table and tent. Not the frost that you look at and it disappears. It hung around until the sun was out in full force. We had bought a ½ dozen eggs so we had eggs and left over bacon for breakfast. We decided to hard boil 2 of the eggs for later. Campers tip – freshly hardboiled eggs make great hand warmers. When we thawed out we rode and saw Virginia Falls and the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. We also stopped and hiked at the Norris Geyser Basin area. Supper was the good old hot dogs over the fire and beans.
BITS AND PIECES:
Going back a ways. South Dakota is full of sunflower fields. As far as your eye can see in some area. Next time I buy sunflower I have to notice where they were grown.
Jerry and I have found a new use for the two prong hot dog fork. We have found that if you drive one in the dirt it serves as a balance pole for getting in and out of the tent.
Night Caps have become a part of the routine. I wear mine. Jerry drinks his.
I have three hats that I’m using on this trip. One is my afore mentioned night cap. Something to keep my head warm at night. Trouble with that is when your wear it all night you feel like you have it on all day also. Then there is the new definition for hat hair in the morning – it too lasts all day. Then there is the hat I wear in public. It’s the one Clair made for me. Forest green with a cream colored leaf pattern. My favorite.
Then there is the – It’s so cold out I don’t care what I look like hat. It has ear flaps. At least I had enough sense to cut the little hang down tassels off.
Every campground has a ‘resident alarm clock bird’. In the gorge it is usually a crow. In SD it was a magpie. This morning it was an owl – he was way too early to be going off.
Saw a young osprey sitting in his/her nest on the top of a tower of rocks. Apparently the parent was flying close by calling to the young one. After a while the young one took off circles the nest and landed again. Looked like a maiden flight. This happened a second time and we were lucky enough to see it.
Saw a t-shirt the other day. A hiker standing on a rock cliff, above a cloud. It read : ‘On earth as it is in heaven’. After experiencing what we have had the privilege of over the last few days it kind of makes you wonder what heaven must be like. If it is anything like this I certainly want to go there. But I’d opt for a place on the lower plain with the buffalo. Some of these mountain goat higher places make me weak in the knees.
A Friend once made the statement that ‘God is constantly revealing herself though all of creation’. That statement becomes overwhelming in a place like this. Totally overwhelming!
Sept. 9
Up this morning to the sound of a owl calling. Wish I knew what kind it was. Frost on the tent again. Warmed up with hot tea and a campfire. As I was sitting by the campfire I happen to look up to something moving in the trees a little way from our site. I really think it was three wolves in a hurry to get somewhere. How neat! At the moment Jerry is off doing his hiking thing, in search of a petrified forest. Should take about 3-4 hours. I found a picnic area. Ate lunch. Getting caught up on the blog. Reading a book. Life is oh so good!
Sept.8 Woke up to frost on the car windows, picnic table and tent. Not the frost that you look at and it disappears. It hung around until the sun was out in full force. We had bought a ½ dozen eggs so we had eggs and left over bacon for breakfast. We decided to hard boil 2 of the eggs for later. Campers tip – freshly hardboiled eggs make great hand warmers. When we thawed out we rode and saw Virginia Falls and the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. We also stopped and hiked at the Norris Geyser Basin area. Supper was the good old hot dogs over the fire and beans.
BITS AND PIECES:
Going back a ways. South Dakota is full of sunflower fields. As far as your eye can see in some area. Next time I buy sunflower I have to notice where they were grown.
Jerry and I have found a new use for the two prong hot dog fork. We have found that if you drive one in the dirt it serves as a balance pole for getting in and out of the tent.
Night Caps have become a part of the routine. I wear mine. Jerry drinks his.
I have three hats that I’m using on this trip. One is my afore mentioned night cap. Something to keep my head warm at night. Trouble with that is when your wear it all night you feel like you have it on all day also. Then there is the new definition for hat hair in the morning – it too lasts all day. Then there is the hat I wear in public. It’s the one Clair made for me. Forest green with a cream colored leaf pattern. My favorite.
Then there is the – It’s so cold out I don’t care what I look like hat. It has ear flaps. At least I had enough sense to cut the little hang down tassels off.
Every campground has a ‘resident alarm clock bird’. In the gorge it is usually a crow. In SD it was a magpie. This morning it was an owl – he was way too early to be going off.
Saw a young osprey sitting in his/her nest on the top of a tower of rocks. Apparently the parent was flying close by calling to the young one. After a while the young one took off circles the nest and landed again. Looked like a maiden flight. This happened a second time and we were lucky enough to see it.
Saw a t-shirt the other day. A hiker standing on a rock cliff, above a cloud. It read : ‘On earth as it is in heaven’. After experiencing what we have had the privilege of over the last few days it kind of makes you wonder what heaven must be like. If it is anything like this I certainly want to go there. But I’d opt for a place on the lower plain with the buffalo. Some of these mountain goat higher places make me weak in the knees.
A Friend once made the statement that ‘God is constantly revealing herself though all of creation’. That statement becomes overwhelming in a place like this. Totally overwhelming!
Sept. 9
Up this morning to the sound of a owl calling. Wish I knew what kind it was. Frost on the tent again. Warmed up with hot tea and a campfire. As I was sitting by the campfire I happen to look up to something moving in the trees a little way from our site. I really think it was three wolves in a hurry to get somewhere. How neat! At the moment Jerry is off doing his hiking thing, in search of a petrified forest. Should take about 3-4 hours. I found a picnic area. Ate lunch. Getting caught up on the blog. Reading a book. Life is oh so good!
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
On and On
Sept -5
Cancelled our boat ride and hike this morning do to my allergies really acting up and not being able to sleep the last two nights. We drove up to Canada instead and visited Glacier-Waterton Peace Park and nice little trip. We ate our lunch there – ice cream, yum! On the way back across the boarder we got busted. They took our kiwi, and avocado. They let us keep our, way too old peach. Seem that if it has a stone it okay to transport across the broader. Going in to Canada they didn’t seem to care about such things . We got back to Glacier in time to take the shuttle up to Logan Pass. Jerry did a short hike to Hidden Lake. I stayed back and took some pictures. Seems that Big Horn Sheep like to visit the parking lot there. Sure enough. One showed up and after walked around the lot for a while people took pictures – he seemed to be posing. We took the very last shuttle of the season back down.
Sept 6
Happy Anniversary to us – 36 years. Wow. We broke up camp and headed out of Glacier today and drove towards Yellowstone. The landscape here is totally awesome! Spent the night in a Super 8 – big spenders - and will end up at Yellowstone later today – That’s the plan. Going back to the world of scarce cell phone and internet coverage. Ah, the beauty of it all.
Cancelled our boat ride and hike this morning do to my allergies really acting up and not being able to sleep the last two nights. We drove up to Canada instead and visited Glacier-Waterton Peace Park and nice little trip. We ate our lunch there – ice cream, yum! On the way back across the boarder we got busted. They took our kiwi, and avocado. They let us keep our, way too old peach. Seem that if it has a stone it okay to transport across the broader. Going in to Canada they didn’t seem to care about such things . We got back to Glacier in time to take the shuttle up to Logan Pass. Jerry did a short hike to Hidden Lake. I stayed back and took some pictures. Seems that Big Horn Sheep like to visit the parking lot there. Sure enough. One showed up and after walked around the lot for a while people took pictures – he seemed to be posing. We took the very last shuttle of the season back down.
Sept 6
Happy Anniversary to us – 36 years. Wow. We broke up camp and headed out of Glacier today and drove towards Yellowstone. The landscape here is totally awesome! Spent the night in a Super 8 – big spenders - and will end up at Yellowstone later today – That’s the plan. Going back to the world of scarce cell phone and internet coverage. Ah, the beauty of it all.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Red, Red Wine...
Actually it was a glass of white wine, but that is not the way the song goes, we had while watching a moose feed in a lake, while the sun set over one of the, oh, so many mountains around here. What a wonder-filled day. But first let me try to play catch up.
August 31
Slept well after all. Got up with the sun to take a ride along the Wildlife Loop Road. Saw some pronghorn antelope, prairie dogs. No sooner than I made the statement about it apparently being the wrong time of day to see buffalo, we rounded a bend and ended up in the middle of a herd of about 60 of them. How neat! We sat there for about an hour just pretending to be one of the gang. After finishing the loop we returned to our campsite only to find out that a single bull buffalo had visited our campsite. The couple next to us had some amazing pictures – our picnic table and the buffalo. Apparently her rested there for about ½ hour before he left. He did however leave us a little gift, a buffalo ‘pie’ right by our picnic table. A little bit later we looked at the google map[ directions for Glacier. Our goal was to arrive there on Thursday before the holiday rush. Total driving time, which we hadn’t looked at before was 13 hours. Oh, Good Grief, we just drove 13 hours on Sunday and didn’t want to do it again. Let’s take off and get some hours in on Wednesday. So we broke camp at about 1:30 p.m. and hit the road. Some hours later we came into Billings MT. We had intended to camp there but both campgrounds in town wanted $30. For a tent site. All we needed was a 9x9 piece of ground and maybe to flush the toilet maybe four times between the two of us. $30. No, Way. So we drove on, and on, and, on. The roads out here are long and lonely at night, and dark. In one spot we saw a bunch of blinking red lights ahead of us, not on the road but in the sky. Jerry brought up the image of Twilight Zone. Just what I needed. They grew closer and closer but we couldn’t make out just what they could be. Finally, a flash of lightening in the background revealed a windmill farm. How cool. So here we are in the middle of nowhere looking for a campground that did not exist. I was doing okay until Jerry said that maybe we should call the kids and let them know where we were. Well it was about 9:00 our time making it midnight their time and besides we didn’t know where we were. We headed for a place called Louistown, MT. Just before we hit town we spied a rest area with a sign that said that overnight RVs welcome, no charge. They didn’t say no tents so in the pitch dark we put up the tent in the shadow of our van. A little later we realized that we were at the end of the local airport runway. The plane taking off at 2:00 and 4:00 a.m. was our first cue. Actually we slept well and broke came before dawn to continue our journey to Glacier.
Sept 1 – I think
So we got up before dawn and drove the rest of the way to Glacier. Think that getting there on Thursday would land us a campsite before the holiday weekend crowd arrived. We pulled up to the entrance booth about 3:30. Used my trusty little senior citizen pass to get us in free. On the way back to the campground we saw a bear cross the road in front of us and a moose feeding in the lake. Concerned about finding a site we didn’t stop to take in the sites. That turned out to be a wise move since there were only a few sites left by the time we got there. The evening was cold and windy. So much so that we ate in the café. We’re trying not to do that too much but please don’t keep tract of the times that we do.
Sept 2
The Wind was really strong during the night – really strong and loud. But we slept through most of it. In the morning we took an eight hour Red Bus Tour over Logan Pass to McDonald Lake on the other side of the park. The weather was – well just about everything. There was a chill in the air in the morning, too much of one to have the top pulled back on the bus. By the time we got to Logan Pass we had sleet, snow and about ½ inch of ice on the road. This was not a road for wimps and I’m so thankful someone else was driving. By the time we were about ¾ back to the Many Glacier area the driver decided that he just had to pull back the top. It was cold but the sun eventually came out and the view was indescribable. Just WOW! When we got back to the lodge where we had boarded we say with a drink and watch the sun sink from the mountains. Thus, the red, red wine.
Sept 3 – Saturday
We were up to the lodge to watch the sunrise. The sun dancing with the mountains to a score all their own. A bald eagle must have heard the music and joined in. He flew no more that 20 ft. from us. We ate a great breakfast of sweet potatoes pancakes back at the camp site. They were not as good as what Clair makes but there were good. We headed over to the Two Medicine part of the park. There we took a boat ride across the lake and a boat captain lead hike up to Twin Falls. The walk was good but not enjoyable. The guy leading it had a stride longer than Jerry’s or Jay’s. It was an effort for most everyone to keep up. The falls were beautiful, as is everything in this park. After the boat docked we stopped and walked back to Hidden Falls. A unique falls since it came out from underground. We then continued on to East Glacier to see the lodge there. The lodges in this park are something else. So grand and ornate. We ate at the Whistle Stop café and then headed back to campsite sweet campsite. I was beat and hit the sleeping bag early.
Sept. 4
Up a little after dawn. Our campsite is shaded so it’s hard to get warm in the mornings. Tried to do an all day boat ride and ranger lead hike to a glacier but they were all sold out. We bought tickets for Monday’s trip. Then hiked up to Rock Lake and Falls. It was a good walk and when we remembered to look up from the trail there were times when we saw Mountain Goats way up there on the mountain side. How do they do that? Jerry did a hike on his own in the afternoon while I did the laundry. We were both happy. How long can you wear clothes until they get so dirty they become socially unacceptable? Remember we are campers so the bar is lowered.
Laundry is expensive in the park but Oh well!
You may get the idea that internet coverage is almost nonexistant where we are. Along with phone coverage you are right.
August 31
Slept well after all. Got up with the sun to take a ride along the Wildlife Loop Road. Saw some pronghorn antelope, prairie dogs. No sooner than I made the statement about it apparently being the wrong time of day to see buffalo, we rounded a bend and ended up in the middle of a herd of about 60 of them. How neat! We sat there for about an hour just pretending to be one of the gang. After finishing the loop we returned to our campsite only to find out that a single bull buffalo had visited our campsite. The couple next to us had some amazing pictures – our picnic table and the buffalo. Apparently her rested there for about ½ hour before he left. He did however leave us a little gift, a buffalo ‘pie’ right by our picnic table. A little bit later we looked at the google map[ directions for Glacier. Our goal was to arrive there on Thursday before the holiday rush. Total driving time, which we hadn’t looked at before was 13 hours. Oh, Good Grief, we just drove 13 hours on Sunday and didn’t want to do it again. Let’s take off and get some hours in on Wednesday. So we broke camp at about 1:30 p.m. and hit the road. Some hours later we came into Billings MT. We had intended to camp there but both campgrounds in town wanted $30. For a tent site. All we needed was a 9x9 piece of ground and maybe to flush the toilet maybe four times between the two of us. $30. No, Way. So we drove on, and on, and, on. The roads out here are long and lonely at night, and dark. In one spot we saw a bunch of blinking red lights ahead of us, not on the road but in the sky. Jerry brought up the image of Twilight Zone. Just what I needed. They grew closer and closer but we couldn’t make out just what they could be. Finally, a flash of lightening in the background revealed a windmill farm. How cool. So here we are in the middle of nowhere looking for a campground that did not exist. I was doing okay until Jerry said that maybe we should call the kids and let them know where we were. Well it was about 9:00 our time making it midnight their time and besides we didn’t know where we were. We headed for a place called Louistown, MT. Just before we hit town we spied a rest area with a sign that said that overnight RVs welcome, no charge. They didn’t say no tents so in the pitch dark we put up the tent in the shadow of our van. A little later we realized that we were at the end of the local airport runway. The plane taking off at 2:00 and 4:00 a.m. was our first cue. Actually we slept well and broke came before dawn to continue our journey to Glacier.
Sept 1 – I think
So we got up before dawn and drove the rest of the way to Glacier. Think that getting there on Thursday would land us a campsite before the holiday weekend crowd arrived. We pulled up to the entrance booth about 3:30. Used my trusty little senior citizen pass to get us in free. On the way back to the campground we saw a bear cross the road in front of us and a moose feeding in the lake. Concerned about finding a site we didn’t stop to take in the sites. That turned out to be a wise move since there were only a few sites left by the time we got there. The evening was cold and windy. So much so that we ate in the café. We’re trying not to do that too much but please don’t keep tract of the times that we do.
Sept 2
The Wind was really strong during the night – really strong and loud. But we slept through most of it. In the morning we took an eight hour Red Bus Tour over Logan Pass to McDonald Lake on the other side of the park. The weather was – well just about everything. There was a chill in the air in the morning, too much of one to have the top pulled back on the bus. By the time we got to Logan Pass we had sleet, snow and about ½ inch of ice on the road. This was not a road for wimps and I’m so thankful someone else was driving. By the time we were about ¾ back to the Many Glacier area the driver decided that he just had to pull back the top. It was cold but the sun eventually came out and the view was indescribable. Just WOW! When we got back to the lodge where we had boarded we say with a drink and watch the sun sink from the mountains. Thus, the red, red wine.
Sept 3 – Saturday
We were up to the lodge to watch the sunrise. The sun dancing with the mountains to a score all their own. A bald eagle must have heard the music and joined in. He flew no more that 20 ft. from us. We ate a great breakfast of sweet potatoes pancakes back at the camp site. They were not as good as what Clair makes but there were good. We headed over to the Two Medicine part of the park. There we took a boat ride across the lake and a boat captain lead hike up to Twin Falls. The walk was good but not enjoyable. The guy leading it had a stride longer than Jerry’s or Jay’s. It was an effort for most everyone to keep up. The falls were beautiful, as is everything in this park. After the boat docked we stopped and walked back to Hidden Falls. A unique falls since it came out from underground. We then continued on to East Glacier to see the lodge there. The lodges in this park are something else. So grand and ornate. We ate at the Whistle Stop café and then headed back to campsite sweet campsite. I was beat and hit the sleeping bag early.
Sept. 4
Up a little after dawn. Our campsite is shaded so it’s hard to get warm in the mornings. Tried to do an all day boat ride and ranger lead hike to a glacier but they were all sold out. We bought tickets for Monday’s trip. Then hiked up to Rock Lake and Falls. It was a good walk and when we remembered to look up from the trail there were times when we saw Mountain Goats way up there on the mountain side. How do they do that? Jerry did a hike on his own in the afternoon while I did the laundry. We were both happy. How long can you wear clothes until they get so dirty they become socially unacceptable? Remember we are campers so the bar is lowered.
Laundry is expensive in the park but Oh well!
You may get the idea that internet coverage is almost nonexistant where we are. Along with phone coverage you are right.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
ROAD TRIP
August 25
ROAD TRIP vs. road trip
Our Road Trip was delayed a week due to a medical issue. This time it was my turn and not Jerry’s arm. Nothing major just a nuisance. So for Jerry’s birthday we decided to take a day trip. We headed to Yellow Springs OH. A place we have heard about for a long time but never had the opportunity to visit. The ride up was a long one, mostly back roads. We had a nifty little book that directed us to a Nature Preserve in Yellow Springs. That was our first stop. We stopped in at the bookstore to ask about the trails. The lady recommended one that lead down to the yellow spring – what an idea. Except part of the trail was closed and we had to back track. Oh, no, a Von Handorf going back the way they came! After the hike we headed in to town in search of some lunch. Town consisted of a lot of little shops, just like any trail town. We ate at Peaches Grille and then headed back home. It was good to get away for a day road trip.
August 28 – ROAD TRIP
Headed out of Dodge, aka Covington, about 6:45. We were aiming for 5:00 but someone had a late night out with his brothers and decided to ‘sleep in’ until 5:30. By the time we gassed up and got someone’s coffee and donuts it was about 6:45. We took the road more traveled and passed through OH, IN, IL, IA. The end of the 13 hour drive found us in western IA. In looking for a place to pitch our tent we discovered that most of the state parks in that area were still closed due to the flooding of a couple months ago. The road we were on was still sand bagged in places. The fields were still under water. We finally found Lewis and Clark State Park which has just opened three weeks ago. Still a major part of the campground was closed because of water in the sites. The campground was next to a lake full of water lilies (?). Sleeping was good but the best part was waking up at night and going out to see the stars, and the stars, and the stars. Hadn’t seen the Milky Way in a long time. How wonder-full. It was a good place to be even if we were in only little tent in RV City.
August 28 – Quickly we crossed over in to ND. Took a little jaunt to Sioux Falls. Another beautiful spot. I even went up on the observation tower, folks! A lot of water, a lot of falls, a good place to stretch our legs after becoming one with the van. We ended up in The Badland National Park for the night. We drove through a little rain late evening but resisted the temptation to spend the night in a motel. The sleep was again good. Many stars early on interrupted by a shower and a little thunder. This morning the stars were back. I woke up the guy in my tent and talked him in to getting up and going somewhere to watch the sunrise. If you never been to the Badlands put it on you Bucket List. It is indescribable. The sun coming up over the pinnacles was magnificent. After breakfast we took in two ranger talks. Anyone want to guess the topics? Geology and fossils – that’s right, folks. Talk about a rocky relationship…. We did have our first argument of the trip today. I thought it was Monday, Jerry tried to convince me it was Tuesday. Of course…he was right-again – but we did have to check our cell phones to be sure. Clair has asked us to stay in touch with the kids as much as we could. So today I called … Clair in Antarctica. From a high spot in the Badlands to The Ice. How about that! We left the Badlands and headed west again for a couple of hours. Our goal was Custard State Park. And we made it. Turns out you need reservations to camp anywhere in the park. So we had to call from the gate and take the site they gave us. Our first impression was not a good one. Kind of crazy looking spot. But we worked with it and now our tent is set up, there is a fire in the fire place, Jerry is munching on a mett and I’m getting chilly. Saw mountain goats – in our campsite today and a great horned owl in a tree within a stone’s throw – which we will not do. Heard that buffalo frequently walk right through our campground – not just one or two but sometimes a whole herd. Good sleep tonight? – I doubt it.
ROAD TRIP vs. road trip
Our Road Trip was delayed a week due to a medical issue. This time it was my turn and not Jerry’s arm. Nothing major just a nuisance. So for Jerry’s birthday we decided to take a day trip. We headed to Yellow Springs OH. A place we have heard about for a long time but never had the opportunity to visit. The ride up was a long one, mostly back roads. We had a nifty little book that directed us to a Nature Preserve in Yellow Springs. That was our first stop. We stopped in at the bookstore to ask about the trails. The lady recommended one that lead down to the yellow spring – what an idea. Except part of the trail was closed and we had to back track. Oh, no, a Von Handorf going back the way they came! After the hike we headed in to town in search of some lunch. Town consisted of a lot of little shops, just like any trail town. We ate at Peaches Grille and then headed back home. It was good to get away for a day road trip.
August 28 – ROAD TRIP
Headed out of Dodge, aka Covington, about 6:45. We were aiming for 5:00 but someone had a late night out with his brothers and decided to ‘sleep in’ until 5:30. By the time we gassed up and got someone’s coffee and donuts it was about 6:45. We took the road more traveled and passed through OH, IN, IL, IA. The end of the 13 hour drive found us in western IA. In looking for a place to pitch our tent we discovered that most of the state parks in that area were still closed due to the flooding of a couple months ago. The road we were on was still sand bagged in places. The fields were still under water. We finally found Lewis and Clark State Park which has just opened three weeks ago. Still a major part of the campground was closed because of water in the sites. The campground was next to a lake full of water lilies (?). Sleeping was good but the best part was waking up at night and going out to see the stars, and the stars, and the stars. Hadn’t seen the Milky Way in a long time. How wonder-full. It was a good place to be even if we were in only little tent in RV City.
August 28 – Quickly we crossed over in to ND. Took a little jaunt to Sioux Falls. Another beautiful spot. I even went up on the observation tower, folks! A lot of water, a lot of falls, a good place to stretch our legs after becoming one with the van. We ended up in The Badland National Park for the night. We drove through a little rain late evening but resisted the temptation to spend the night in a motel. The sleep was again good. Many stars early on interrupted by a shower and a little thunder. This morning the stars were back. I woke up the guy in my tent and talked him in to getting up and going somewhere to watch the sunrise. If you never been to the Badlands put it on you Bucket List. It is indescribable. The sun coming up over the pinnacles was magnificent. After breakfast we took in two ranger talks. Anyone want to guess the topics? Geology and fossils – that’s right, folks. Talk about a rocky relationship…. We did have our first argument of the trip today. I thought it was Monday, Jerry tried to convince me it was Tuesday. Of course…he was right-again – but we did have to check our cell phones to be sure. Clair has asked us to stay in touch with the kids as much as we could. So today I called … Clair in Antarctica. From a high spot in the Badlands to The Ice. How about that! We left the Badlands and headed west again for a couple of hours. Our goal was Custard State Park. And we made it. Turns out you need reservations to camp anywhere in the park. So we had to call from the gate and take the site they gave us. Our first impression was not a good one. Kind of crazy looking spot. But we worked with it and now our tent is set up, there is a fire in the fire place, Jerry is munching on a mett and I’m getting chilly. Saw mountain goats – in our campsite today and a great horned owl in a tree within a stone’s throw – which we will not do. Heard that buffalo frequently walk right through our campground – not just one or two but sometimes a whole herd. Good sleep tonight? – I doubt it.
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