in Crested Butte, CO. Crested Butte - elevation 8.885. Crested Butte – the wildflower capital of Colorado. (There are still wildflowers blooming as the trees are turning.) Population – it depends on the season. Things are fairly quiet here at the moment. Crested Butte - where everyone owns at least one bike. Crested Butte – where no one locks their bikes up. In Crested Butte you wake up to a mountain outside your window every morning. Crested Butte – filled with ‘beautiful people’ most everyone below the age of 30, all in tip top physical shape. One shop keeper our age described the town as a place where men are men, and the women, they’re men also. Apparent this area has produced more that its share of world famous athletics.
We took the free shuttle up to Mt. Crested Butte, just 2 miles up the mountain from Crested Butte, and there was no one there. It is a town of many lodges, motels, inns, homes built everywhere. It is definitely an up-scale community. It is where the chair lifts begins, where the ski runs are cut in to the mountain side, where in a few weeks, after the first snow fall, there will be a lot of activity of people enjoying the ‘good’ life. It’s a community where you will not find a soup kitchen or a cold shelter.
For us today was a laid back day. Jerry went for a run today – that is a little easier to do when you don’t have to break up camp. Computer work at the library, laundry. The first day we did not spend any time in the car since August 29. That was a treat.
Talk of heading home and of things we want to do before we do. We’re just mellowing out at Neal’s Place. Thank you Neal. I really never thought we would here doing what we are doing. Adding to the uniqueness of the trip.
+++
On Thursday we took in another National Park, Black Canyon of Gunnison about a 2 hours drive from Crested Butte. It was beautiful. Jerry of course appreciates Canyons and Mountains on a different level than I do. I like to look. He likes to understand. Geology has become the topic of the day on this trip. Each and every day! That’s okay. I think I might be learning a few things by now.
On the way back we stopped and picked up a few groceries, enough to get us home. Somehow Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream also found its way in to our bag. After we unloaded the groceries as the sun was beginning to set, we headed out in search of Oh Be Joyful Creek and Campground. What a name! We had to try and find it. And we did - off a dirt county road at the base of a mountain, through an open range area, (which means that there were cows on the road to maneuver around), Aspen trees the color of shinning gold amid the deep green of the evergreens, wildflowers still in bloom. It was once again breathtaking. The campground was nice and not at all crowded. If it wasn’t for the chilly/down right cold nights we might be tempted to stay there. However having slept the last few nights in a nice warm real bed we will probably forgo the camping experience while we can. It was a special place to discover. We made it out before sunset and headed up to Mt. Crested Butte. We found the perfect spot to watch the sun set. Again, breathtaking and inspiring. The colors were unlike anything I’ve seen before. The light dancing on the mountains to the music of the breeze. ..
What a gift this trip has been. Thanks to all who had a hand in helping this happen.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Awe and Wonder Yet Again
Sunday we arrived at Arches National Park early afternoon. We come to find out that the campground that reservations and fills up a year ahead of time. So there was no room for us in the inn. However there are some BLM campsites next to the Park along the Colorado River. There are a little more rustic with vault toilets. But it served us just fine. If anyone would have ever told me that I would ever spend over a month sleeping in a tent much less now on a river bank I never would have believed them.
When we drove back to the park Sunday afternoon it was really crowded. There were bus loads of people everywhere. We decided instead to drive up the canyon next to the park. It was breathtaking. The rock walls, the Colorado River, the towers, the blue skies so unique, so inspiring.
Later in the day we headed back to the park. The crowds had thinned a little. So we drove the arches road. We stopped for the views and we walked to some of the amazing arches. We got back to the campsite just as it was getting dark.
Monday morning we broke camp early. Then headed out for a 4 hour rafting trip on the Colorado. It was a gentle trip with only class 2 rapids. Very enjoyable. There was only one other couple on the trip with a guide just a little younger than us. After the trip we went in search of showers. We ended up at the Community Aquatic Center - $3. Showers – we’ll take it!
On the road again to Grand Junction to visit cousin Ken and his wife Kate and their sons, Nick & Ross. Haven’t seen them for a long time and a one on one visit was even longer. They live Near Colorado Monument. Actually the Monument is in their back yard. We had a great visit. Getting caught up on family, kids, reflecting on memories of so long ago, recalling all the good times and the good people who made us who we are. Ken and Kate made us feel so welcome and for the first time in a long time we slept in a real bed. We also had some wonderful meals and ended the even by sitting on their deck watching the heavens and again enjoying the Milky Way.
Tuesday morning they drove us through The Colorado Monument. More great views and great company. We left Ken and Kate early afternoon and began the drive to Crested Butte CO.
Thanks to Neal, a friend who’s house we are staying to tonight. We headed out to get something to eat. First impression – we are the oldest people in Crested Butte at the moment. Second impression – after we ate we walked back in our shorts and t-shirts. Most everyone else had on winter coats and scarves. Mental note – it gets cold when the sun goes down.
When we drove back to the park Sunday afternoon it was really crowded. There were bus loads of people everywhere. We decided instead to drive up the canyon next to the park. It was breathtaking. The rock walls, the Colorado River, the towers, the blue skies so unique, so inspiring.
Later in the day we headed back to the park. The crowds had thinned a little. So we drove the arches road. We stopped for the views and we walked to some of the amazing arches. We got back to the campsite just as it was getting dark.
Monday morning we broke camp early. Then headed out for a 4 hour rafting trip on the Colorado. It was a gentle trip with only class 2 rapids. Very enjoyable. There was only one other couple on the trip with a guide just a little younger than us. After the trip we went in search of showers. We ended up at the Community Aquatic Center - $3. Showers – we’ll take it!
On the road again to Grand Junction to visit cousin Ken and his wife Kate and their sons, Nick & Ross. Haven’t seen them for a long time and a one on one visit was even longer. They live Near Colorado Monument. Actually the Monument is in their back yard. We had a great visit. Getting caught up on family, kids, reflecting on memories of so long ago, recalling all the good times and the good people who made us who we are. Ken and Kate made us feel so welcome and for the first time in a long time we slept in a real bed. We also had some wonderful meals and ended the even by sitting on their deck watching the heavens and again enjoying the Milky Way.
Tuesday morning they drove us through The Colorado Monument. More great views and great company. We left Ken and Kate early afternoon and began the drive to Crested Butte CO.
Thanks to Neal, a friend who’s house we are staying to tonight. We headed out to get something to eat. First impression – we are the oldest people in Crested Butte at the moment. Second impression – after we ate we walked back in our shorts and t-shirts. Most everyone else had on winter coats and scarves. Mental note – it gets cold when the sun goes down.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Another Day - Another National Park
Jerry put in 10 hours of hard hiking on Wednesday. He said that he had gotten the hiking bug out of his system. I don’t believe that one for a moment.
Thursday morning we left the South Rim and headed for the Petrified Forest . Once again we were on the road almost all day. The Petrified Forest was so unique. There were hundreds of huge petrified logs lying everywhere. The forest butts up against the Painted Desert. Another unique place.
Ever since we left the Grand Canyon the landscape has changed. We have been traveling through desert for the last couple of days. Hot, dry, dusty desert. You can see the dust in the air and you can feel it in your lungs.
We camped at Canyon de Chelly for the night. The campground was free. Can’t beat that! We didn’t realize that it came with a resident dog(s). The kind that bark all night! No exaggeration! The dogs roamed the campground. Jerry even said that he saw one on the top of the restroom building during the night – as far as I know he was not drinking anything stronger than water.
We left as soon as the resident alarm clock bird went off – that’s fairly early. Another day of driving through desert brought us to Mesa Verde. We set up camp and Jerry is now doing a Ranger lead hike to some of the ruins of the canyon. Some of the ruins you can see from the overlooks. I only wish I could get around this fear of heights thing and do a little more.
Two nights here and then on to Grand Junction to visit a cousin and then to Crested Butte to debrief and relax a little at a friends condo before the trip home. I think we’re both about ready to head east – home to family and friends.
Thursday morning we left the South Rim and headed for the Petrified Forest . Once again we were on the road almost all day. The Petrified Forest was so unique. There were hundreds of huge petrified logs lying everywhere. The forest butts up against the Painted Desert. Another unique place.
Ever since we left the Grand Canyon the landscape has changed. We have been traveling through desert for the last couple of days. Hot, dry, dusty desert. You can see the dust in the air and you can feel it in your lungs.
We camped at Canyon de Chelly for the night. The campground was free. Can’t beat that! We didn’t realize that it came with a resident dog(s). The kind that bark all night! No exaggeration! The dogs roamed the campground. Jerry even said that he saw one on the top of the restroom building during the night – as far as I know he was not drinking anything stronger than water.
We left as soon as the resident alarm clock bird went off – that’s fairly early. Another day of driving through desert brought us to Mesa Verde. We set up camp and Jerry is now doing a Ranger lead hike to some of the ruins of the canyon. Some of the ruins you can see from the overlooks. I only wish I could get around this fear of heights thing and do a little more.
Two nights here and then on to Grand Junction to visit a cousin and then to Crested Butte to debrief and relax a little at a friends condo before the trip home. I think we’re both about ready to head east – home to family and friends.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
#42
And so when we moved, we ended up in site #42. Now for all you Douglas Adam you know that #42 is ‘the answer to the meaning of life, the universe and everything’. What more could we ask for ?!
Neither one of us felt too enlightened from the experience but the site did provide some entertainment – we were right next to the bathrooms so we could people watch – the people across the road apparently didn’t have much experience in tenting so they were fun to watch - a group of 4, one man three women. Two ‘rent a tent’ tents. Didn’t know you could rent tents! Learn something new everyday! Both were two person tents which means that are fit one pweson comfortably. There was a guy next to us who put up a piece of plastic to sleep in. Seems he was rafting the next day and had sent we were headed to Crested Butte in a couple of days and (Karen you should appreciate this) he offered us the use of a house he has there. Seems he is in housing market. He was hoping we stay there and want to buy it. Back to the entertainment – the Ravens are real pranksters. The fly low, real low and make a woosing sound with their wings. Sometimes you swear they are aiming for you. And on the North Rim they have squirrels with white tails. Really strange looking creatures – I may have mentioned that before.
We moved on to the South Rim but not before crossing some pretty fascinating scenery. We passed the Vermillion Cliffs and crossed the Colorado River on the Navajo Bridge. We saw cliff dwellings, rocks and formations that Jerry continues to giggle at.
We were able to get a campsite for two nights. It came with its very own dumpster and recycling bins – oh, wait, I guess we have to share them with the entire camping loop. The Ravens here are plentiful and the little gray birds are not afraid of anything. If you shoo they off your picnic table they just fly to a branch above you and threaten to poo on you. Jerry is hiking in to the canyon again today, hoping to get to the river and back. I spent the morning on shuttle busses taking in a few views, doing a few short walks, seeing the canyon from at least 6 feet from the edge-my way. Shared a seat with a woman from MD who agreed with me that the canyon is almost too big to appreciate-her words not mine.
Sitting at the campsite a few moments ago, I looked up and saw a bull moose in the campsite across the road. Keep the camera handy at all times.
Backing up a little – when Jerry was last hiking in the canyon from the North Rim he met two people who had hiked the AT – Jerry was wearing an AT shirt and they always bring comments – they hiked it in ’03. The same year Clair did – so Clair, Sparky and Zip-man said to tell you hello. Once again, everyone sing now-Its a Small World After All………
Neither one of us felt too enlightened from the experience but the site did provide some entertainment – we were right next to the bathrooms so we could people watch – the people across the road apparently didn’t have much experience in tenting so they were fun to watch - a group of 4, one man three women. Two ‘rent a tent’ tents. Didn’t know you could rent tents! Learn something new everyday! Both were two person tents which means that are fit one pweson comfortably. There was a guy next to us who put up a piece of plastic to sleep in. Seems he was rafting the next day and had sent we were headed to Crested Butte in a couple of days and (Karen you should appreciate this) he offered us the use of a house he has there. Seems he is in housing market. He was hoping we stay there and want to buy it. Back to the entertainment – the Ravens are real pranksters. The fly low, real low and make a woosing sound with their wings. Sometimes you swear they are aiming for you. And on the North Rim they have squirrels with white tails. Really strange looking creatures – I may have mentioned that before.
We moved on to the South Rim but not before crossing some pretty fascinating scenery. We passed the Vermillion Cliffs and crossed the Colorado River on the Navajo Bridge. We saw cliff dwellings, rocks and formations that Jerry continues to giggle at.
We were able to get a campsite for two nights. It came with its very own dumpster and recycling bins – oh, wait, I guess we have to share them with the entire camping loop. The Ravens here are plentiful and the little gray birds are not afraid of anything. If you shoo they off your picnic table they just fly to a branch above you and threaten to poo on you. Jerry is hiking in to the canyon again today, hoping to get to the river and back. I spent the morning on shuttle busses taking in a few views, doing a few short walks, seeing the canyon from at least 6 feet from the edge-my way. Shared a seat with a woman from MD who agreed with me that the canyon is almost too big to appreciate-her words not mine.
Sitting at the campsite a few moments ago, I looked up and saw a bull moose in the campsite across the road. Keep the camera handy at all times.
Backing up a little – when Jerry was last hiking in the canyon from the North Rim he met two people who had hiked the AT – Jerry was wearing an AT shirt and they always bring comments – they hiked it in ’03. The same year Clair did – so Clair, Sparky and Zip-man said to tell you hello. Once again, everyone sing now-Its a Small World After All………
Monday, September 19, 2011
And we did move on to the Grand Canyon.
Sept. 19
We even got a campsite. Since we didn’t have a reservation we were flying by the seat of our pants. It was a good site with a resident white tail squirrel nearby. And we managed to secure a site for a second night. Apparently that does not happen too often. But we had to move to another site – tear down and set up. First we had to wait until the previous camper moved on. They stayed as long as they legally could. But now we are moved. I’m doing laundry once again and hopefully a shower will happen. Jerry is out doing a ½ day hike. He’s happy, I’m happy.
The Badlands had their endless space, Custer the big buffalo, Glacier the huge mountains, The Tetons also big mountains, Yellowstone the geysers, Dinosaur the fossils, Butch Cassidy Campground the noisy trucks, Brice the wonderful hoodoos, Zion thebig rock walls, and now the Grand Canyon – well in my opinion it is just too big to appreciate. Maybe if you could get a bird’s eye view. All the trails go down and then up. I for one appreciate level. The wheezing isn’t quite as bad on level. We did attend a couple of ranger talks yesterday. One was talking about geology. The other was on the California Condor. The presenter was a great storyteller. She had the whole audience captivated. Jerry even had an active part he got to hold up one of the wings of the felt condor.
Things seem to be warming up a little. Seems like this area had its monsoon season last week – so maybe we’re in luck.
We’ll move on to the south rim tomorrow and then start to head back east – with a few stops along the way.
We even got a campsite. Since we didn’t have a reservation we were flying by the seat of our pants. It was a good site with a resident white tail squirrel nearby. And we managed to secure a site for a second night. Apparently that does not happen too often. But we had to move to another site – tear down and set up. First we had to wait until the previous camper moved on. They stayed as long as they legally could. But now we are moved. I’m doing laundry once again and hopefully a shower will happen. Jerry is out doing a ½ day hike. He’s happy, I’m happy.
The Badlands had their endless space, Custer the big buffalo, Glacier the huge mountains, The Tetons also big mountains, Yellowstone the geysers, Dinosaur the fossils, Butch Cassidy Campground the noisy trucks, Brice the wonderful hoodoos, Zion thebig rock walls, and now the Grand Canyon – well in my opinion it is just too big to appreciate. Maybe if you could get a bird’s eye view. All the trails go down and then up. I for one appreciate level. The wheezing isn’t quite as bad on level. We did attend a couple of ranger talks yesterday. One was talking about geology. The other was on the California Condor. The presenter was a great storyteller. She had the whole audience captivated. Jerry even had an active part he got to hold up one of the wings of the felt condor.
Things seem to be warming up a little. Seems like this area had its monsoon season last week – so maybe we’re in luck.
We’ll move on to the south rim tomorrow and then start to head back east – with a few stops along the way.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Three Dog Nigiht
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.
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.
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.
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