5/28/21- Well yesterday was the half way point of our trip! In some ways it feels like we have been gone months but I know when we pull into the neighborhood, it will feel like we just left.
We had another sunny day in Yellowstone 😎. We wanted to see some of the wildlife in Lamar Valley, where we were told we could see bear and wolves. The clincher is that you have to go at daybreak…I don’t do daybreak so well! Paul and Kim came up with a plan to get up at 5:00 AM 😬. We packed all our lunches last night and made ready for today’s adventure. We did it! Up at 5 am and in the park around 5:45.
Sunrise
The Gatlin Range
We had about a 2 hour drive to Lamar Valley (this park is massive) and shot north east to the valley. There are many bison in the meadows as well as near (or on) the roads…we were looking for something different! When we came across wildlife wat hers along the road, we stopped and tried to see what they were seeing. They were happy to share information and one man let us look into his telescope and see a grizzly bear lumbering down the mountainside. Cool! Bears ✅
After the bear sighting, we saw coyote, small prairie dog like creatures and in Slough Creek, we came across people that found a wolf den on the hillside. I could see something moving with the binoculars so…wolf ✅
Road hog!
Coyote
Hillside where wolf den is
By the end of the wildlife hunt, we saw antelope, elk, bison, coyote, prairie dogs, grizzly bear and wolf. Successful hunt!
On the way back west, we passed Mammoth Hot Springs which, in the summer, is a bustling center for tourists with hotel, eateries and gas station. We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see the hot springs so we walked, uphill, for awhile, and got these amazing shots of the spring and the formations it makes.
Liberty Cap Hot Spring Cone
Mineral Terrace
Mound Terrace
These formations were spectacular and the pictures don’t do it justice. Well worth the climb up the boardwalk! On the way down, we saw a snake… someone told Paul it was a Blow Snake ?
Snake
Elk
Harley met her first elk! I was walking her near the hot spring area and an elk rose from a laying position and started walking towards us. I quickly moved Harley to the car, neither of us was ready for that confrontation!
Last night in West Yellowstone celebrated by naps (priority#1), showers, shopping, grilling dinner and campfire.
Next stop, Colter Bay Campground in Grand Teton National Park. Total miles driven in the RV: 3119. Add Idaho, Montana and Wyoming to the list of states. Enjoy your Memorial weekend!
5/25/21- Paul, Harley and I made it to Yellowstone in good time, passing through northern Utah, Idaho and then Montana. Did you know there are lava fields in Idaho?!? Paul looked all around us and said “ That looks like lava”… hello google, it’s Hell’s Half Acre! Such a smart man 😉
Hell’s Half Acre Lava
We arrived at West Yellowstone this afternoon and did a quick set up then headed into the park…we made it… to Yellowstone! YAY!
True for much of our travel so far, it started to rain when we got in the car but we just had to go in the park and explore a little before Kim and Danni joined us tomorrow. We stopped at the visitor center just before it closed and grabbed a map, quickly chatted with the ranger and off we went! We drove west, promising not to see much before family joined us. We explored Madison Campground where we were thinking of staying and it’s quite nice. As we circled the camp, we are thankful we are not tenting tonight since it is supposed to go down to freezing…yes it’s almost June! ❄️
We traveled further west then south, then took some side roads to see the landscape up close. It was recommended for us to take as many side roads that were open to get a better appreciation of the park. One of the prettiest roads was the Firehole Canyon Drive. We followed the Madison River along the rushing waters and came across two water falls.
Sunset in Yellowstone
sleeping bison
bubbling pool
Firehole Falls
Madison River
Harley hogging the space heater!
Home to warm up and get some dinner then two quick games of backgammon (I won one and Paul won one…tied up tonight).
5/26/21, Tidying up and making preparations for guests for the next 6 days. It’s fun to share our adventures. When Kim and Danni arrived, it was a quick unpack their car and prepped to go to Yellowstone. We packed a lunch and giddy upped to the park. Once there, we went south to see the Great Prismatic Pool and Old Faithful. It started as a beautiful day but was cold. The heated water from the pools and geysers were creating a lot of steam so it was not optimal to see them, but we forged on anyway. First stop Firehole Canyon then to the bubbling Paint Pots!
Lower Firehole Falls
Paul at Firehole Canyon
Fountain Paint Pots
Bubbling paint pots
Mud pots bubbling
As we pulled into the parking lot of Old Faithful, it started to rain, then sleet, then as we decided bag it and come back tomorrow to see this historic geyser, it started snowing! Danni drove through the mountain pass in the snow and we did see some wildlife and landscapes.
Fountain Geyser
Warm water flowing from prismatic pool into the River
Prismatic Pool
Turquoise Pool
Snow!
Elk hunkered down
Yellowstone Lake
Traffic Jam! Bison on the road!
Boiled forest
The last 2 pictures are of a new geyser..this used to be a Forest and in 1978, an earthquake opened the geyser and the roots of all the trees were boiled 😳
And then there is the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone! So beautiful! It did get sunny again!
Lower falls
Upper falls
They are everywhere ❤️
5/27/21- We made it back to Old Faithful today in the glorious sun…and there she blows…
After Old Faithful, next stop Biscuit Basin…
Biscuit Basin
Grand Prismatic Spring in the sun 😎
After biscuit basin we went back to the Grand Prismatic Spring on a sunny day, amazing!
As we rode back to the RV, the bison made their appearance right on the road. So cute as the calves trotted behind mom to keep up.
We headed into the town of West Yellowstone for dinner, huckleberry ice cream (a must) and some shopping for souvenirs. We ate at Bullwinkle’s (as in Rocky and Bullwinkle) and returned to the RV park for a community campfire, ending the evening with laughter and meeting new friends. Tomorrow (Friday 5/28) is wildlife hunting in the Lamar Valley.
5/23- We brought some plants from home to Jen and Nate so they could have a little of Pennsylvania in their yard… This sugar maple, aka Larry, withstood the winds on the Norwood plateau quite well today! In turn, we are bringing home some Colorado lilac for our back yard.
5/24/21- As we head west to pick up route 191 north to Moab, there were some really winding roads as we made our way through some mountain passes. I drove the car behind Paul through the pass and not surprised that the RV got 8.6 mpg on the last tank of gas (the best yet!) with no tow vehicle attached. I, however, got 45 mpg on the Honda Fit!! Best ever mileage on the Fit too!
5/25/21- we are headed north after a night in Kaysville, UT, and we are looking forward to 8 days in Yellowstone National Park and Grand Tetons. If you look at the forecasts below you will see that we are going to bring out our layers and warm snuggly clothes for the next week! We did pack for all 4 seasons from bathing suits to winter hat and gloves. Full of propane for heat and ready for the adventure 😎❄️
relaxed traveler
I am not sure when I will be able to post over the next week. Typically not great cell service in national parks but will surely be able to catch up on 6/2 when we officially head eastward to Casper, Wyoming.
Total miles from home to Kaysville, UT, where we stayed last night is 2824. States so far: Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Utah and currently traveling through Idaho headed to West Yellowstone, Montana!! 🗺 😅
5/20/21- Oh, what a windy day! We decided to go into Utah north and come back into Colorado nearer to Jen and Nate’s place, hoping to avoid the crazy canyon heading up to the plateau they live on… we realized that there are crazy steep winding roads no matter which way you go! We opted not to tow the car at this point so we both drove the 184 mile trek to Norwood. Oh so beautiful!
Lone Cone Mountain
It was CRAZY windy the whole 4 hours and so tiring for Paul to fight the wind in that big sail of an RV! We arrived tired but so happy to see our girl and hubby.
perfect parking space out front
Tied to bumper!
We felt close to the characters in the Chevy Chase movie! Rest assured, We didn’t leave Harley tied to the bumper long, just long enough to bring out all the bins we brought to Jen.
Total miles driven 2464! We will be here till Monday 5/24, then off to Yellowstone. I thought I should catch up before Yellowstone and Grand Tetons 😉
5/22, we went into Telluride and hiked to the Coronet Falls, 1200 foot elevation gain. I went most of the way and got some great pictures while the others hiked to the top of the trail. I felt like my body was at a 45 degree angle, parts of the trail were so steep!
Coronet Falls
On the way back up the canyon to Norwood, we saw some elk. The last picture is of a switch back road we traveled on our first visit to Telluride to see Bridal Falls… I won’t do that again!
5/19/21- We woke up with sunshine today and got a great last look at the Sand Dunes before heading west.
As we drove west to Mesa Verde National Park, we headed through the mountains and Wolf Creek pass which was 10,856 feet in elevation. Woah, we sure didn’t get good gas mileage climbing up this baby! Coming down was a bit stressful and about 3/4 of the way down Paul pulled over to give the brakes a rest…I got out and the brakes were smoking😬. We happened to be at a Point of Interest, Treasure Falls, so we took a little hike with Harley and let the rig chill down. A bite of lunch and we were on our way again.
Path to Treasure Falls
We drove to the bottom of the pass and gave a big sigh of relief 😅! Driving on route 160 all the way to Mesa Verde brought us passed Chimney Rock, a National Monument. Such a beautiful travel day through southern Colorado.
Chimney Rock
Once at Mesa Verde, we did a quick set up, then off to see what we could see. This is the first time we stayed within a National Park and such a cool campground with full hook up sites. It is very unusual for a national Park to have full hook ups, this one also had a laundry set up, general store, and gas station!
Cliff Palace
Oak Tree Dwelling
After a full, late afternoon of touring the park, we came back to the campground and celebrated our 42nd Anniversary with a Filet Mignon dinner by the campfire. 😋💕
As we awoke this morning, Paul opened the shade of the side bedroom window and this happened…
Waking up to snow was a big surprise… Paul’s comment was “I guess we are playing in the snow today!”. Love it! It continued to snow most of the morning and as the temperature rose to 45, we decided to venture to Great Sand Dunes National Park, literally just down the road. When we entered the park, the Ranger said that it is rare that there is snow on the dunes in May and it doesn’t last more than a few hours so we are off for an adventure.
Surprise #2 was the creek that you have to cross to walk on the dunes!
Well, the dunes were magnificent beauty in the snow, something spring travelers don’t get to see. And Medano Creek was unexpected but pretty cool (figuratively and literally!). People were walking through the creek and trying to hop from sand bar to sand bar, some not so successfully! We weren’t prepared for water adventures so we walked around a bit and drove through the park and campground in the park on our way back to the RV to get our water shoes. Lunch, some rain, then blue skies in time for our water walk across Medano Creek.
Compare these pictures to the ones from this morning… 3 hours difference in time but priceless, dramatic changes in the dunes. It was easier to walk on the wet sand dunes and thankfully so since we are over 8100 ft. elevation and the oxygen is pretty thin up there. The dunes are way more immense when you are actually among the waves of sand… so glad we walked up partway.
It was truly spectacular! We crossed back over the Creek and as we stepped on the other shore near the parking lot, the hail started… It’s all in the timing 🙂 Another storm came in but we beat the rain back to the RV.
Last two pictures are from the campground in the early evening, about 2 hours after our return from the park.
Unexpected adventures and remarkable landscapes made by Mother Nature.
As I left off on my last post, we were headed through the remainder of western Kansas in the rain. It showered most of the morning but noteworthy are the roads. One more thing Kansas has going for it are the well maintained interstate roads of I-70. As soon as we entered into Colorado, it was like living an animated version of the tune of “shake, rattle and roll”. Fortunately there was no roll 😊!
The vegetation was notably different as the farm land of Kansas faded and the pastures of Colorado became abundant. In Colorado, there were more short brush plants and some with spiky tops that Paul thought were Yucca plants. As we turned southwest towards Colorado Springs, the skies turned dark dark blue and lightning appeared in the mountains to the west. This storm flanked our west for several hours until we got off I-25 and headed due west on route 160 towards the Sand Dunes National Park.
We then knew why the lady at the gas station was wishing us luck! At first we scoffing at the road sign “Roads may be icy”. After all it is mid May! Then the rain started, then the sleet, the temperature dropped to 45, then this appeared…
Yes, a snow plow!
It was a bit hairy but thankfully Paul was driving and skillfully navigated up the mountain to 9404 foot elevation and down the other side. The rain subsided and patchy clouded blue skies were ahead. A quick turn on route 150 and 16 miles to the campground just outside Great Sand Dunes NP. Great campgrounds and magnificent view. Pictures don’t do it justice but here goes..
Approaching the Dunes campground; view from the front window of the RV in the campground; view from the back window of the RV in the campground and overlook from our hike in the rain.
Back to the camper for dinner and a bit of dancing to the blues. We stared out the front window while it sprinkled and watched the sunset. Too hard to take a picture as the clouds obscured most of the sunset. 400 miles today and some white knuckles but we made it and it’s all good!
5/15/21 Day 5 – Leaving My Old Kentucky Home State Park Campground today. It was a quaint, quiet and well located park for our 3 night stay.
We are headed north to Louisville then directly west for the next 3 days… about 1250 miles to get to eastern Colorado..YAY! We went through St Louis today noting the signature arch in the city. It is pretty spectacular.
Slightly overcast day with some light spritzing and ended up in New Florence, Missouri at the Wood Hat Spirits distillery. WOW, the man who did the tasting was so interesting and well educated, not just about the bourbon and whiskey but so well traveled, an art teacher previously, and stone artist. He presented as a very friendly local man but there is so much more than meets the eye! This is exactly why we LOVE Harvest Hosts… you get the real local flavor and meet so many genuinely lovely people. It was a really enlightening experience, made us ginkly all over with a newly inspired faith in human kind.
5/16/21 Sunday – Day 6 We start today with 1124 miles under our belt…. Today is our longest driving day of the trip with about 475 miles through Missouri and Kansas… flat and on the interstate and currently raining pretty well. Makes for a tiring day but we got an early start at 8:30 and, according to the GPS, we will get to WaKeeney, Kansas around 4 … fingers crossed. We can tell we are not on the east coast with remains of armadillos along the road 😳
I wrote the first paragraph for today as we were driving towards Kansas City, MO. We hit Kansas City and the rains came POURING down for 3 hours! Yikes! I took over driving when the rain let up and the skies turned blue again then smooth sailing till we got to WaKeeney Kansas. I think Kansas gets a bad rap for being flat and boring… it was filled with rolling hills, farms and tiny oil rigs in the fields. We came across miles of wind turbines in the fields and I know many do not like the fact that they block the view of the land but as we passed through, there was something gentle and calming about the rhythmic turning of the blades. It felt very graceful.
Rainy day driving
Graceful turbines
Once in WaKeeney, the GPS took us to a random road (better description is a lane with grass down the middle) and with that, Paul said “I’m not going down there!” I called the winery we are staying in and they got me there on the packed dirt/sand roads. We unhitched the car and made it to Shiloh Vineyard in plenty of time.
The sun did come out as we drove down the MAIN roads in Kansas, 50 ft off the interstate we came to route 180, pictured above!
We set up in the level field next to the pond and, when dry camping, the set up is easy… 2 slide outs come out and the levelers go down… Done!
This place is great! There was a high school graduation party going on there for a girl that was surely going to make her mark on the world. She had a story board up with horse riding medals, sports awards and a life story in pictures. She seemed pretty special. We were greeted by Kirk and Treva, the owners, as well as Chris and Kim, relatives that are joining the family business and moved from California for another adventure. The tasting room was empty so we took some seats and relaxed after a long drive. There was the coolest barn on the property which was transformed into an indoor venue, the chicken house was transformed into the tasting room and they are working on making the grain house into a guest house/place for the bridal parties to change and get ready for their day. This place was transformed into a beautiful, welcoming event space without loosing the charm of a Kansas farm. They dug out the pond and developed an outdoor space for guest’s enjoyment and have their own cold hearty vineyard. The company was delightful, sharing stories, faith and wine, it doesn’t get better than this.
After the torrential downpour last night, we were safe on the level ground by the pond!
Last night a torrential rain storm hit just as we were ending the tour of the property and boy did it rain! After the rain subsided, we sat on the bed and watched the lightning storm in the distance, it was quite a show, lighting up the horizon and accentuating the land and clouds as streaks hit the ground. Grateful the it was in the distance and not near us.
It was a bit harrowing getting out of the winery and on the “main” roads in mud and sand but we both made it (driving the car instead of towing it) and headed directly to a gas station. We did learn something new… the low gas light works! We made it to the gas station but rest assured, we do have a 5 gallon jug of gas in the storage bin… just in case!
As I post these last pictures on Monday 5/17, we are driving through…. you guessed it, rain. The miles for 5/16 was 485, the longest driving day of the trip. Total miles is 1602! States driving through, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri and Kansas…
Friday 5/14//21- A leisurely start to the day included sitting in the sun on the recliner and talking to the dog walkers that went by. Resting up for the next leg of the bourbon trail, Makers Mark. Driving towards the distillery, we got to view more of the rolling hills of Kentucky. We arrived early for the 12:45 tour and had to “set a spell” on the rocking chairs on the porch to view the massive layout of Makers Mark. Da Boys went off on the tour and I scoped out the landscape, the gardens, the herb garden by the restaurant, Iris in bloom and a very unusual flowering tree called American Fringe Tree.
Fringe Tree
#JustDipped
I met the guys in the gift shop where you can dip your own bottle in the signature red wax. #JustDipped
They had a smoker food truck there where we had BBQ and enjoyed the outdoor seating area, doing some people watching. The tour for Angel’s Envy got mixed up and canceled so we went back to the RV to give Harley a break and the took off to Louisville for dinner and see what we could see. In the elevator of the parking garage, I asked the woman riding with us if she could recommend a spot for dinner so she lead us to Fourth Street Live. It was 8 blocks and we came across a several block section of Fourth Street with a live band in the middle and picnic tables where you can enjoy a beverage and music. We settled in the restaurant G.B. and had burgers and salad for dinner while listening to the music in the background. Another lovely weather day, ideal for taking in Louisville.
Well maybe more than one bourbon! 5/13/21- We started the day refreshed from traveling and headed to Heaven Hill distillery only half a mile from the campground. I dropped the boys off for a tasting and drove through Bardstown, Kentucky. A quaint town with horse and carriage rides, taverns and, of course, shops featuring bourbon. After a quick tasting, the guys were ready for #2 tasting at Woodford distillery in Versailles. We made it there with a minute to spare and I sat in on the tasting to hear the history. After 5 tastings of Woodford with an informative tour guide, we went across the street and got cocktails made with Woodford, then went on the back porch to check out the rocking chairs and as they say in the country “to set a spell” and enjoy the fabulous day.
View from the rocking chair
Rocking chair view
Da Boys
Sitting by the camper, such a beautiful day
After Woodford we went to the Kentucky Castle (also known as Castle Farm) for dinner… OMG amazing!!!
