Corbin 2010

We left Door County, Wisconsin on June 26 after a pleasant week’s stay in our great wooded RV site at Tranquil Timbers Resort and the weather was just perfect. We took two days getting from Door County to Corbin, KY, stopping overnight (26 June) at the KOA in Remington, IN. Just twenty or so miles from where we stopped, we saw a state of the art 3,000 head dairy farm that offered tours to us city slickers. Just off I-65, it was an easy stop to make and provided quite interesting. We even got to see a new born calf and another being fed a specially screened colostrum (they hold off letting it feed on its mother's until after it's been screened for disease. You get to tour the "barns" via bus (so as not to commicate disease to the herd) and get to see their sand beds, their fans and misting system so as to ensure a "happy and stress free cow"...yep, they said that. We also got to see this elaborate milking system that keeps track of each cows production and knows whether or not she should get three spins around the milking machine or just one. And of course, we had to partake of the on site restaurant and ice cream parlor...yes, a very good stop indeed!
Well, ya'll, we are sorry to say our trip is just about over and we will be heading home on Friday the 9th of July. We just finished the family Donnahoo annual 4th of July get-together here in Corbin, KY (birthplace of Kentucky Fried Chicken) and as usual, it was a huge success. Terri, Debra's sister from Chicago had planned and fixed all the main meals and they were just outstanding. For an additional treat there was homemade fresh South Carolina peach ice cream that brought big smiles to everyone’s face!! The really hot weather held off until after the outing on the pontoon and ski boats on the lake just outside of Daniel Boone National Park. Most were pretty sunburned at the end of the day and had some sore legs from all the tries to stand on the skis and/or wake board. We have already made arrangements for one more annual get together here.
So friends, we hope you have enjoyed some of our special visits across this wonderful and beautiful country of ours and shared that experience through our words and pictures. I know we have enjoyed sharing them with you and simply can't wait for our next trip (I guarantee you...already in the planning stages)!

Door County, WI 19-26 Jun 2010

We departed our little KOA paradise in the Badlands the following morning, 18 June headed for Door County, WI, one of the top 10 vacation destinations in the country, "believe it or not". This would be a two day drive for us with the first stop was in Sioux Falls, SD where all we did was drive to a Middle Eastern “green” restaurant, Sanaa's Gourmet Mediterranean Restaurant. It was a treat as it was something new for us rather than our usual Indian cuisine. Sanaa is from Syria and it was quite a treat to see a restaurant, where you go straight to the buffet, sit down and eat with Sanaa herself offering Turkish coffee without one piece of paper being written on to indicate what you've eaten. It's a set price (extra if you want dessert and you KNOW we did! :-)) It's all on the honor system! After you've finished eating, you go back to the buffet and pay up. Neither of us could recall such an experience anywhere else in the States but in South Dakota and it felt oh soo good to know you could trust people like that! Anyway, another long day of driving on the 19th for our second stop in Oakdale, WI. Only interesting stop between Sioux Falls and Oakdale was the Spam Museum but alas, no stopping for us there...maybe next time :-). We left Door County, Wisconsin on June 26 after a pleasant week’s stay in our great wooded RV site at Tranquil Timbers Resort and the weather was just perfect. We made our home base in Sturgeon Bay, a historic waterfront community that dates back to 1835 and is nestled between the waters of Green Bay and Lake Michigan. When you look at these waters they go as far as you can see and looks more like an ocean than a lake! There was even a Sunset Beach on the peninsula! We toured most of the area especially following the lighthouse trail. The prevalence of lighthouses on the Door Peninsula is directly related to its geography and the use of the Lake Michigan and Green Bay shipping lanes. The passage through and around the “DOOR” was often treacherous due to weather, shoals, reefs and fog, so a number of these lighthouses were build around the peninsula to aid navigation into harbor, through the dangerous straits (i.e. Oceans Door), and away from the shoals. Most of them were manned by families living in the quarters below but are now run via electronics. Sturgeon Bay is home to one of the most well known yacht builders for global cliental as well as shipbuilding of large commercial vessels. There are many historic B&Bs and inns and larger full service resorts along the shorelines. Door County is 70 miles long with about 300 miles of shoreline with plenty of green space to include 10 historic lighthouses, 5 state parks and more than 30 beachside parks. So many outdoor activities to partake of such as hiking, biking, fishing, rock climbing, parasailing, kite boarding, and water skiing. Kayaking is very big here and with over 200 ship wrecks in the area, scuba diving is also quite popular. This is home to lots of professional artists of all types and you can see the fruits of all their labors in the many galleries, studios, on stage and in the local concert halls throughout the county. Of note is the shop Scrimshanders, displaying the unique art of scrimshaw which is kept alive by Gary Kiracofe who expands on the history through his exclusive, one-of-a-kind collectibles and heirlooms. The work he did was amazing and we saw lots of pieces that we would have liked to have for the home. There are five local wineries which have a wide variety of award winning wines, and of course the great Wisconsin cheese shops and cherries which are grown there. Their big thing they are also known for is their Door County Fish Boils which is a local culinary tradition with Scandinavian roots that dates back to the county’s lumbering and fishing heydays and mixes locally caught Lake Michigan whitefish steaks, onions, and potatoes in a large kettle. It is cooked outdoors over an open wood fire and is highlighted by a picturesque “boil over” which sends flames soaring into the air with the oil from the fish being boiled over and signals that the dinner is ready. The dessert is usually cherry pie made from their local grown cherries. Needless to say, being the fish lovers we aren't, we opted out of this culinary delight. There are more than 3,000 acres of cherry and apple orchards in Door County, which adds to the county's beauty. The majority of the inland parts of the county are made up of farm land and dairy farms. Of course, we sampled some of the local food and especially liked one of the historic inns in the village called the Inn at Cedar Crossing. They did all their dessert and bread baking from scratch using only natural ingredients. Yum, yum!! There are local culinary schools and every year there is a three week culinary tour of Door County during the month of September which is a celebration of farm and food. There is a strong blend of both Moravian spiritual values and Norwegian and Scandinavian heritage that dates back to 1853 here and no kidding, you can kinda feel the uniqueness and quaintness of it all. Where else would you see a thatch roof with real life goats grazing on it?! They even have a fully operational Drive Inn theater there! Toy Story 3 and the Prince of Persia was playing but alas, we figured it would be well past our bedtime and too far to drive back to our home base to experience this blast from our past. After our treks, we decided we liked the eastern part of the county best as it was less crowded and harkens back to a simpler time. As previously mentioned, Door County was touted as “One of the Top Ten Vacation Destinations in North America” by Money Magazine. We decided it was due to the fact that it was the main get-away for folks from Chicago and Milwaukee to escape the city life. There are lots of beautiful homes and cottages tucked away in the woods along the shorelines that you cannot see unless you are touring the shores via boat or just happen to come upon some of them as we did. We are glad we got to stop by here but glad we didn’t make a special long trip from home to visit…we decided we preferred the New England coast much more.

Badlands 17 June 2010

Originally we thought we'd be able to take in the Badlands while at Mount Rushmore but alas that proved to be just too far away so we made a slight change to our itinerary and left Rushmore a day early and headed for the Badlands. Traveling east on Hwy 90 towards the Badlands we stopped in Wall, SD at famous Wall Drug located in the middle of nowhere, coined as the “World’s Largest Drug Store” which is the #1 Roadside Attraction in America. There are signs for it everywhere!! It’s been around since 1931 and has evolved in to 76,000 sq ft of attractions to include a 520 seat restaurant. It was during the depression that the wife of the pharmacist came up with the idea to offer free ice water to the weary travels coming across the plains before they had to close the doors of their little pharmacy…it caught on and the rest is history. The pharmacy is actually small but the rest is like one big emporium of many buildings offering almost any kind of souvenir one could possibly think of! On a summer day it draws as many as 20,000 people! We piled in there just like the rest of the curious travelers to include a parade of tour buses, RVs, bikers and cars. Oh well, we are tourists you know!! Wall is actually on one end of the 27 mile SD240 loop that meanders through the extraordinary formations known as the Badlands, located in the southwestern part of SD and about 80 miles from Mount Rushmore. The park consists of nearly 244,000 acres of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles and spires blended with the largest, protected mixed grass prairie in the U.S. It is the bottom of the sea that once was when the Earth’s climate was warmer and stretched from the Gulf of Mexico to Canada and from western Iowa to western Wyoming. It covered a region we call the Great Plains. The park contains the world’s richest Oligocene epoch fossil beds dating 23 to 35 million years old. It is very hard to explain what we saw and even somewhat harder to capture it in photos. There is so much history here and the landscapes compose only the starkest elements of nature. They speak to the fundamentals of our planet, Wind, Rock and Sky. It is desolation at its truest. It is vast, and seemingly timeless. It is a study in erosion since erosion is at an inch every year. We stayed at the Badlands/White River KOA which was very peaceful on 31 acres with 650 mature trees to include the cottonwoods that were exploding sending their soft white cotton like balls falling in the gentle winds over the campgrounds. We enjoyed our short stay there as did the boys...they just LOVED running wild in the fields!

Mount Rushmore 6-17 June 2010

We landed at the Palmer Gulch & Mt Rushmore KOA just outside of Hill City, SD in the heart of the Black Hills on the 6th of June. This KOA is what’s called a most complete resort and boy it has just about everything including 10,000 or more kids running around! It has 500 RV and tent sites, 55 Kamping Kabins, 30 mountain cabins, 6 executive lodges, a 62 room lodge with a 2-story fireplace in the lobby, a restaurant & lounge, gift shop and store, a pancake tent, and 18 different activities to include trail rides (horses are right there on the property), chuck wagon dinners, fishing pond, ATV & bike & car rentals, shuttle service to the monument, several different eating places, wine and coffee bar, and much, much more for the kids! And did I mention 10,000 kids all running in high gear from morning till quiet time!!! I must say we were impressed with the management of all of this…nothing was left undone and everyone was very helpful. However, we were used to more of a quiet, serene and visually appealing type of RV Resort...needless to say, we managed to get through it while visiting the special sights around us.
The first visit was to the evening lighting ceremony at Mt Rushmore which lasted about 90 minutes. The mountain carving features the 60 foot faces of four of our great American presidents, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. Work on the sculpture began in 1927 when sculptor Gutzon Borglum was 60 with work ending just after his death. He wrote “let us place there, carved high, as close to heaven as we can, the words of our leaders, their faces, to show posterity what manner of men they were. Then breath a prayer that these records will endure until the wind and rain alone shall wear them away” There is a Borglum visitor center and a Museum along with the avenue of the state flags leading up to the amphitheater. The "show" consists of a naration of a lot of history provided by one of the park rangers and at the end before the designated boy scout troup of the country brings down the flag, they asked that all serving or prior military service members come on the stage to be part of the ceremony. We decided that the women needed to be represented so down we hiked the many steps to the stage of the amphitheater. We have had to stand in many places to honor veterans and those currently serving, but we were taken aback by the enormous crowd giving us a very long standing ovation, clapping of hands and hollering for more than five minutes. We were in tears especially when one of the men said it was great to see some women represented. We noted through all of our travels in the mid west; these folk seem to be much more patriotic than most.
Crazy Horse Monument is the fifth granite face in the Black Hills which is still in progress being kept going by the sculptors’family (Korczak Ziolkowski). Work was started in 1948 which was requested by the Lakota Indian tribe as a tribute to Native Americans and when complete will be the world’s largest mountain carving, standing some 563 feet high and 641 feet long. Crazy Horse said “My lands are where my dead lie buried.”He defended his people and their way of life in the only manner he knew after the 1858 treaty, which had stated that the Black Hills of Dakota will forever be the sacred land of the Sioux Indians, was broken. He was stabbed in the back by an American soldier while at Ft Robinson, Nebraska under a flag of truce in 1877. There is also a large orientation center and the Native American Educational and Cultural Center, as well as the sculptor’s studio-home and workshop with a lot of his pieces of work on display along the many gifts presented to him and his wife who now oversees the enterprise along with a part of their 10 children. Some of these gifts are pictured here, like the motorcycle and stage coach. They have refused to accept any Government funding for this project so it may take at least another 40 years for the sculpture to be completed.
We visited a museum in the town of Hill City, which was the nearest to our camp site, called the Museum of the Black Hills Institute of Geological Research which is a small business, yet their produced specimens are seen in museums and other venues throughout the world. They are an innovator in fossil preparation techniques. This is where STAN T REX is usually housed but was on loan to another museum. They have dozens of other dinosaurs, fossil fishes, reptiles, mammals, birds, plants and the most incredible collection of invertebrates in the region, along with local and world-wide meteorites, agates and mineral specimens. It was all very interesting and we took some photos for your viewing pleasure. Maybe you already knew but it was actually a surprise to us that South Dakota is so well known for its fossils...hadn't a clue before we got here! Learned interesting tidbits about "Sue", the largest T-Rex find to date which has quite a bit of controversy surrounding it. Apparently one of the curators at this institute actually found "her" on nearby land where the "owner" said it would be ok for the instutite to excavate and take her. Another landowner said it wasn't the original owner's land and it went to court only to find out that it wasn't either party's land...it was government land. Anyway Sue ended up being auctioned with the winner being the Field Museum in Chicago. This little Institute must have been heartbroken after all the work they put into getting her "out" of her graveyard...
We have to admit, we went through quite a bit of rain during our stay in the black hills. That didn't stop us though. One day we drove through Custer State Park which covers 71,000 acres in the Black Hills and also stopped to have dinner in the town of Custer at this old bank turned into a restuarant. Excellent steaks and it was fun knowing we were in a building with such a long history...late 1800s :-). As can be guessed, both the town and State Park are named for ole George A. Custer who in addition to leading that death charge, also led a "secret" army expedition into the Black Hills in 1874 in search of gold, which of course, was discovered. Custer Park is home to the nearly 1,500 free roaming buffalo. There are several road trips one can take through the park and the one we were most impressed with was Needles Highway. The name comes from the slender granite peaks that characterize the area. It is 14 miles of hairpin curves and narrow granite tunnels and the beautiful Sylvan Lake. There is one section called the Cathedral Spires, a series of pinnacles that resemble church spires and a granite formation that looks like the eye of a needle. There is also the Wildlife Loop in which you might see some mule deer, elk, prairie dogs, wild turkeys and pronghorns...which of course, we did see! Then there is Iron Mountain Road which in the beginning they said it couldn’t be built…but the Governor, Peter Norbeck didn’t listen; he himself mapped it out on foot and on horseback. It is now called the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway and leads from Custer State Park to Mount Rushmore and along the way three granite tunnels frame Mount Rushmore perfectly in the distance. It has been named one of the ten Most Outstanding Byways in America. It really captures the splendor of these ancient mountains. We loved all of it and took a lot of photos as you will see...don't miss ole George's profile on some of the "rock" shots...You also might notice dead looking trees and piles of wood called tree stands stacked very neatly on the forest floor. This area has had serious beetle problems wherein the beetles attack from inside the tree, sucking the life out of it...don't even know the tree is infected until it's dead...apparently the stands isolate the beetles to those stacks where they basically starve to death...don't ask us how that happens...anyway, we also learned out to identify ponderosa pines...they are literally red (rosa) on one side (the side that gets sun). They are quite pretty and plentiful in this area. maybe you'll be able to pick some of them out. We hope so.There was a rainy day that Debra decided she wanted to go to Wind Cave National Park which is 132 miles of known underground passages and 28,295 acres of above ground wilderness and wildlife. It is the fourth largest cave in the world. She went on a ranger guided tour while I visited the gift shop and stayed with the dogs. She said afterward that she was glad I hadn’t gone because I definitely would have been claustrophobic. Especially after imagining what it must have been like when they first discovered this cave and how DARK it would have been! This cave was not as colorful as others we’d seen but it did have unusual rock formations, to include what is called “box work”. Bet you can pick it out…Afterward, we had lunch in a great little town called Hot Springs in a local restaurant…It being a Sunday, it was packed and we sat with several folk who were also traveling and one family who lived there. We had a great time talking with them and it was a huge meal for a very small price…liked that! Although plenty of rain on this leg, we both enjoyed this part of the country and looked forward to our next stop...the Badlands...

Ride to Mount Rushmore 6 June 2010

Following the hatchery, we made a short stop in Deadwood,SD; a historic mining camp, built on a rowdy history of gold, gambling and gunpowder. It was the American Frontier, turbulent and on the move. Where Wild Bill Hickok met his violent end with a bullet to the back of the head at Saloon #10...Now it is home to 86 gambling halls, hotels, and the Mt Moriah Cemetery where Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane are buried. Ahhhh...true love...she died many years later with her final wish requesting to be buried next to Wild Bill...wonder how her husband felt about THAT?!And miracles of miracles...we made it out of town without gambling any!!! Another short stop was the Chapel in the Hills in Rapid City, SD built in 1969 and an exact replica of the famous 850 year old Borgund “Stavkirke” (Stave) Church located near Laerdal, Norway. It is beautiful from every angle and the construction techniques were as the early church builders had in choosing the timbers with each being hand cut. Imagine...16,000 shingles being hand cut with a saw! The ceiling is constructed like a Viking ship turned upside down. The front door is a carving of snakes and dragons, the battle between good and evil. As pagans, the dragon was good luck to the Vikings. The front door is known as the men’s door and the side door known as the women’s door. In the early church, men stood on one side and women and children stood on the other. Hopefully you will be able to see the beauty from our photos. While driving around the Rapid City area, we passed through Sturgis which is home to the largest bikers rally with over 155,000 bikers attending every year and even more expected this year in August for the 70th anniversary!! Just can’t imagine…thank God it's not August!

Spearfish Canyon and DC Booth Hatchery

From Devils Tower, we stopped at a stop you may be surprised about but not one that we have not done before in other parts of the country! We visited the historic D.C. Booth Fish Hatchery in Spearfish, SD, one of the West’s oldest fish hatcheries which was established by the Government in 1896 and managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Today, it serves as a living fisheries museum and still has the original Booth house, a furnished, circa 1905 residence on the National Registry of Historic Places, along with many artifacts. The hatchery was created to propagate, stock, and establish trout populations in the Black Hills of SD and Wyoming. It was surprising to learn that trout were not native to SD and WY and in the beginning they had a “fish car” that was utilized to deliver fish stock. The train is still on the property and it was interesting to see and hear all the stories from the volunteers at the park. You could see “lunker trout” in the viewing room and also see all the tanks of the trout from baby on up. It was really a nice museum and park to visit before heading on to Mount Rushmore.

Devil's Tower

Then it was on to Devils Tower in northeast Wyoming for one night. In 1906, Teddy Roosevelt designated Devils Tower as our nation’s first national monument. It is actually the core of a volcano exposed after millions of years of erosion and weather. You might remember it from the1978 movie “Close Encounter of the Third Kind”. They show that movie every night at the campground! The dogs really liked it there as there was a neat little pretty grassy area where they could run wild and we could look at the red rock formations or the horses in the surrounding areas of the campground; all while taking in the warm sun for the first time in awhile. One of the many legends surrounding this rock is “that seven little Indian girls were playing alongside the river when a bear began to chase them. They tried to outrun the bear but could not. They jumped on a rock about three feet high and began to pray to the rock to take pity on them and save them. The rock began to elongate itself upwards, pushing them higher and higher out of reach of the bear. The bear clawed and jumped at the sides of the rock and broke its claws and fell to the ground. The girls were pushed into the sky where they are to this day in a group of seven little stars (the Pleiades)!” The marks of the bear claws are still there yet. It is the only rock formation we have seen that the glacier marks go up & down rather than sideways as you will see in our photos. It’s neat to imagine the story of how this happened but there are at least another 6 different legends to entertain the mind about this unique place. But alas, the road calls yet again...

Little Big Horn

We left Glacier Park on June 4th We were headed towards Hill City, South Dakota with some stops along the way, as it was a rather long trek, but we were able to fit in some neat stops. On the way down the mountain road we had to stop several times for the horses and their baby colts as one of the colts kept running beside the RV. In addition, a little further on their were a bunch of cows and their calves standing in the middle of the road with Moma daring us to get anywhere near her babies!! So we just sat and waited till they decided it was time to move on and let us by! We spent the night in Big Timber, MT headed for Devil's Tower via a short stop at Little Big Horn, the site of Custer's "Last Stand".

The Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument memorializes one of the last armed efforts of the Northern Plains Indians to preserve their ancestral way of life. Although the Indians won that battle they subsequently lost the war against the military’s efforts to end their independent, nomadic way of life. In this valley in June of 1876 more than 260 soldiers and attached personnel were killed by several thousand Lakota and Cheyenne Indians. Several tombstones are placed where the individual fell during the battle, be him Indian or 7th Cavalry. It is quite tranquil and moving to stand on this hill overlooking miles of valley and river seeing what they must have seen. It is like a trip through time. You learn a lot of history here about what really happened from the military, the Indians and the European versions of what brought all this about. There are parts of all of this history that you can see that in some ways history is repeating itself. For instance the Buffalo/Bison; no one ever thought that thousands upon thousands of these noble creatures would become almost extinct. Historically it's been claimed that the Indians killed them for food, shelter, clothing, etc and we killed them for profit and greed. In reading diaries of the time and more extensively on the matter, one can see that there was a plenty of waste on both sides but the bottom line is the Anglos definitely destroyed a way of life and way too many buffalo herds were decimated. And then there was the discovery of gold in the Black Hills in the heart of the new Indian reservation and of course the treaty was violated in favor of the lust for fortunes. The country was in the midst of a major depression due to the over-extension (and greed) of the banks in rail, causing many to be unemployed and in the Army who had no other potential employment...need I go on? Anyway, on the grounds is also the Custer National Cemetery which reminds one of Arlington National Cemetery with the rows and rows of white tombstones. Buried here are those known and unknown veterans of our nation’s wars from this battle up to the Vietnam War to include women and children from isolated frontier posts, Indians, scouts, and Medal of Honor recipients.

We were both so moved by all of this and came away with a deeper understanding of this historic battle and campaign as well as a look into all of the lives of those who played an important part in the history of the centuries-long conflict that began with the arrival of the first Europeans in North America. Actually prompted us to read a couple of books on the topic... What more can you say about a place that inspires you to read up on the events leading up to it? Only that it was a good day and that we were glad we'd stopped on our way to Devil's Tower!

Glacier 29 May - 4 June 2010

We had the campground almost all to ourselves, except for the elk that came hunting food every evening, until Memorial Day weekend and even then it wasn’t crowded at all. The facilities are very nice, a camp store, even has a good sized hot tub and swimming pool, splash park, bocce court, volleyball, a putting green, a pavilion, big dog walk, log cabins, and best of all; we looked out almost on all sides to the mighty snow covered Glacier mountains, the plateaus, the pines and red birch trees, the aspens, and the winding St Mary river and lake. It became colder that first evening there and then the snow showers came in before we went to bed. We lost power for several hours that morning and awoke to a half a foot of snow! It was ever so beautiful as it was a wet snow that covered the trees making the country side look like a Robert Kinkaid Christmas card; but was almost all gone by the afternoon which was nice. The boys loved it! We took advantage of it and rode all around to sort of get a sense of where everything was and what we wanted to do first. But first, let’s talk clothing for this part of the country!! Come with a travel wardrobe that goes from parkas, under armor, snow boots to jeans and light weight sweaters and hiking boots/sneakers which we found on sale! Most of everything out was for the summer which may not come here until very late June or early July. The weather changes almost every day this time of year. We came with no cold weather coats and had to make a trip to get some more cold weather things; but as we have found in all of Wyoming and Montana these outings gave us a chance to meet some very nice people from all over. Almost all the stores and restaurants here are full of college and graduate students from here and there who just want a place to stay (which are provided by the facilities) and days off to see the area to do all kinds of sports such as hiking, kayaking, boating, biking, trail riding, cross-country skiing, and rock climbing, animal & bird watching, etc. We were impressed that they were so adventurous and possessed such a sense of the environment, and what adventures were there for their taking. On May 11, 1910 Glacier was designated the 10th National Park, six years prior to the establishment of the National Park Service. This year, we are helping Glacier in celebrating its centennial and its 100 years of upholding its mandate to conserve the natural and cultural resources for the enjoyment of our future generations. It’s very important to note that Glacier NP’s namesake, the 150 glaciers that were identified in 1850 have dwindled to only 25 which are still large enough to be called glaciers. Initially, the U.S. Geological Survey Research predicted those 25 would be gone by 2030, but they are disappearing more rapidly than that due to continued climate warming. We could only see two from the road. Glacier claims that it has the top 10 scenic drives in the Northern Rockies and we have to agree. There are 175 mountains with a low of 3,150 ft and a high of 10,466 ft with 151 hiking trails totaling more than 743 miles. There are also 13 campgrounds with 1,137 sites and 116 lodging accommodations in both parks, as well as 177 picnic sites. There are several entrances to the park…West Glacier, Two Medicine, East Glacier/ St Mary, Many Glaciers, and Waterton National Park which is on the Canadian side. In 1932 Canada and the U.S. declared Waterton Lakes NP and neighboring Glacier NP to be the world’s first International Peace Park sharing all the responsibilities. To our dismay, we did not think to bring our passports as it would have been great to see that side and the famous Prince of Wales Hotel that sits on a high cliff overlooking the park. We did drive up towards customs on the Chief Mountain International Hwy which began just north of us in Babb. We saw a beautiful view of the valley and the Chief Mountain (9,080 ft) which dominates the horizon. It is a solitary peak that commands awe. The Blackfeet Indians seeking spiritual guidance still tie a traditional offering of colored cloth to the trees at its base. On the way, we were so fortunate to see a rather large brown bear right on the side of the road which we sat and watched while he foraged for food. That drive is really quite pretty and one we will do again if we are able to come back some time during the fall months. Another disappointment was that due to the weather and more snow storms in the mountains (over 100 ft of snow this season) Logan’s Pass, which is atop the Continental Divide, was still closed even though it was suppose to open the first of June. So regrettably, we did not get to see the Going-To-The-Sun Mountain – at 9,642 ft, (the highest peak in the park). Another reason to come back… The name comes from a Blackfeet legend that says Napi, the creator, came to help the Blackfeet, then climbed this mountain to return to the sun. We saw photos at the St Mary Ranger’s Station of the huge amount of snow that the snow plows were still working on...it usually takes a least 2 months to clear all the snow from the pass and this very narrow road which goes from the St Mary entrance to Apgar Village and West Glacier to the west and is about an hour and a half drive. Due to the closure of the pass, we were only allowed to drive about 8 miles into the park before the road closes (up to Jackson Overlook).

During the summer there are free shuttles from July to Sep that travel around the park, as well as the famous old nostalgic appeal of the elegant and iconic retractable canvas topped sightseeing buses. These bright red buses are actually converted 25 ft touring sedans. It is reported that each one had traveled about 600,000 miles by the late 1990’s! It is incredible that they are still functioning! We could have gone around the southern route to West Glacier but that would have taken most of the day going and coming since it is about a two and a half hour drive without going through the pass. We had chosen the East side of the park as it is not as commercial as West Glacier and we are so very glad we did, although we did entertain thoughts of driving to the West and taking a helicopter tour of the park since that was highly recommended by one of Debra’s friends. Again, due to the weather and high winds, even that turned out not to be an option.

We made many trips to the side of the park called Many Glacier and the Swiftcurrent Valley. It is named for the glaciers on surrounding mountains and was a good place for us to see bighorn sheep and moose and other wild animals and birds. There is the Lake Sherburne Dam as you enter the park and just beyond is the Many Glacier Hotel which was built by the Northern Railway in 1915 to help promote tourism along its tracks. We could see Grinnell Glacier which is one of the largest in the park. In addition to the hotel there are some chalets, and a small motel which has of all things, an Italian Restaurant. During our first visit we got to see some mountain goats which many folk do not see this time of year. We also invested in a good set of self focusing binoculars which helped us both in Yellowstone and here. Our necks were stiff at night from stretching to see if we could see all the many falls created from the melting glaciers and any other wildlife while looking up at the majestic mountain peaks.

The tremendous range of topography in Waterton-Glacier supports a rich variety of plants and wildlife. Almost two thousand plant species provide food and haven for more than 60 native species of mammals and 260 species of birds. We loved watching a bull moose eating away at some berries and bushes as we drove back from one of our outings to Many Glaciers. In the 1980’s the gray wolf settled into Glacier for the first time since the 1950s. I think we saw one and photographed it…or it could have been a husky, we just weren’t sure. We planned on showing the photo to a ranger and see what they thought. Debra’s convinced it was a husky. We have a picture of it…maybe you can tell.

It was sad to learn that now strip-mining and oil, gas, housing and logging projects proposed are underway near the park’s respective borders and endanger the habitats of both water and land animals, including elk, bighorn sheep, and the threatened grizzly. Park officials and conservation groups are working with the U.S. Forest Service, the Canadian government, the Blackfeet Tribe, and private companies to protect critical habitats. I know I for one have become more aware of these types of things during this trip and intend to increase my contributions to the National Parks and Conservation Society.

The Wednesday evening before we left, a wind & rain storm came barreling through and the wind gusts were so bad we had to bring in the slide outs. It was like what we would call a nor’easter at home. Thursday the wind finally died down in the afternoon so we could make our last outing to Two Medicine, a short high mountain scenic highway, inside the park’s southeastern border which is surrounded by brightly colored cliffs and huge beautiful valleys.

The last night we were there we ate at Johnson’s restaurant up on the hill across from the little café. We hadn’t thought about it till we met these two guys who let us in on the secret of Johnsons. They have specials every night and are served family style. What a meal…their bean soup was absolutely the best!! It was like eating in a bunk house with lots of family memorabilia. Lester Johnson was quite the trailblazer in the area and well known. He had recently died at the age of 96 and his wife was still alive at 91. Some of the children were still running it.

The morning we were to depart, as we were leaving the campground for breakfast at our favorite cafe, there was a gorgeous rainbow that was so low to the ground it looked as if we could find the end just across the road into the woods. A fitting end to our trip.

We loved every moment of this stop and wished we were going to be there longer for the warmer weather to get to go through Logan’s Pass and to cross-over into Canada. But if all goes well we will return!! We encourage all our friends and family to make this trip soon before we lose these wonderful glaciers which are a study in ecology in themselves. We learned a lot about the circle of life at the park and how the whole park is dependent on the glaciers in so many different ways. Next stop...Mount Rushmore via Devil's Tower and Little Bighorn!

Ride from Gardiner, MT to St Mary, MT

We left Gardiner, MT (Yellowstone NP) on May 28th headed for Great Falls, MT for our overnight stay enroute to Glacier NP. We arrived in Great Falls in a pouring rain storm that they said had been going on for two days!! Was fun getting set up at our site and getting the dogs "to go" in that kind of weather. But, mountain women that we have become - we zipped right through it and found out the important stuff...such as where to get a good breakfast for the next day! You never know when you will see something special and while out with the dogs, something flew into the bushes right in front of me that I had never seen before..a pheasant. What a beautiful multi-colored bird…very majestic looking. Anyway, Great Falls is pretty much a military town as Malmstrom AFB is there which gave us a chance to go to the commissary and load up on groceries for the next week. Don’t think I have ever seen so many casinos (only have slots and KENO) on one street which was the main street of Great Falls. Think I lost count at 15!! Then it was off to the Base Exchange for some thick, warm hiking socks; then to the local outdoor store for some hiking boots, since it seemed the weather in this part of the country is so unpredictable. We were lucky as they were on sale since they were already gearing up for spring and summer….

The next morning it was on the road again for Glacier and the St Mary KOA Campground. The drive up was quite a diversity of terrain as we went from miles and miles of flat wheat and green alpha fields (the main stay of that part of the country) on I-15 then turned onto state roads 287 and 2 which was still pretty flat with nothing but cattle range and very poor looking ranch houses. The small city of Browning was the only town in-between, but there in the middle of all this run down town was a pretty big Indian casino (we didn’t stop)!! We kept saying to each other this was not what we pictured this area to look like. We had left the morning before with beautiful mountain peaks and bison in the road or prong horn deer grazing in the fields to these flat lands. But we then turned onto 89 and then, all of a sudden, the terrain changed...we could see the tops of the snow covered mountains, and we were headed around and around up a narrow mountain road in a light blowing snow. Then we got to St Mary, a little hamlet which consisted of a big lodge & gift/sports apparel store for us touristas, a gas station, two very small country restaurants, a gas station & general store, and a Norman Bates looking small motel. There would be no Chinese take-away here! But to our amazement, one of the three eating establishments in town was the Park Café, a little place just down the road which made really good healthy meals and about 18 different homemade pies and of course your dinner meal came with which has become my favorite - wild huckleberry ice cream with chocolate syrup!! There was also a small food market that hadn’t opened as yet and some old looking trailers. We were very much worried at that point as to how this KOA was going to look…boy were we ever pleasantly surprised! It was just great! It became a favorite. We just stood outside for awhile and took in all the beauty to which we were privileged to see. What a country we live in….have we said that once or twice before? Can’t say it enough!

Yellowstone Excursions

Since we were here almost two weeks, we had time to explore areas other than Yellowstone. One day was a short trip to Livingstone, MT for dinner and along the way we were in the heart of large black angus cattle ranches some of which were what is called “free range” meaning that you have to be on the lookout for some cows that want to see what’s on the other side of the road. Also took in a side road to Chico Hot Springs Resort which has fine dining, stables, bar, spa, etc. It is quite secluded attracting the beautiful people, Hollywood celebrities, and what is called a destination resort for upscale wedding parties. On one of our excursions we went to see Old Faithful and West Yellowstone. On the way we visited many of the Geysers that in early years is what made Yellowstone stand out… the extravaganza of geysers and hot springs. There are more than 300 geysers here!! We started in Mammoth Springs where there is Upper Geyser Basin, Midway Geyser Basin, Lower Geyser Basin and then there is Grand Prismatic Spring---Yellowstone’s largest single hot spring which is very colorful as the rising steam reflects colors of the rainbow, depending on the sun and the time of day. Then there is the Mud Volcano area with the even more intense smell of “rotten egg” , a result of the microorganisms eating away at sulfur, which creates sulfuric acid. As it evaporates, the acid becomes hydrogen sulfide gas, which gives off its noxious smell. There are a lot of small ones of these around. Fountain Paint Pot, is one of the many mud pots with some a cauldron of hot reddish pinkish mud. The steam responsible for paint pots colors the clay with shades of white, brown and grey. There are also arrays of Hot Springs with travertine terraces which are created when hot water and gases ascend through the limestone deposits, “sculpting” the rocks along the way. You will see what we mean as you look at the photos of all of the above and you should be able to pick our each of the ones we have described. They are quite interesting. Now, let’s talk about Old Faithful. We drove for hours to see this most famous geyser in the world. With much anticipation we finally saw the sign for the entrance but as we came around the bend we saw hundreds of cars, RVs, tour buses and a large array of buildings housing places to eat, souvenir shops, etc. It was just too commercial for us and we didn’t want to wait the 90 minutes, plus or minus, when there were so many other geysers to see. Afterwards we went to the town of West Yellowstone and the western entrance to the park. West Yellowstone is a town considered by some as the base camp for exploring Yellowstone, Montana and Idaho. We however found it very commercial as well and did not stay there too long either. ….only long enough for Debra to have her first elk burger (which was over-cooked) and me to have some local tacos. The best part was what has become a favorite…wild huckleberry ice-cream!! And yes, at least one of us (Debra) tried a buffalo cheese burger, which afterwards decided she liked better than elk. As for me, I stayed with the tried and true, with the exception of the ice cream….just couldn’t bring myself to eat one of those buffalos after seeing so many of them and their babies. We were oh so glad that we decided to take the day long trip to Cody, WY going through Lamar Valley and over the Chief Joseph Highway going through Montana’s alpine tundra to Wyoming’s high plains desert. The road winds through some of the most beautiful and spectacular varied landscapes of the Yellowstone region. Upon driving through the little village of Silver Gate we saw our first black bear!! Another one of those rare and spectacular moments that you will always remember! We went through the Absaroka Range in a blowing snow storm – we had no cell phone signal and there were no other cars on the road!! We kept thinking about getting stranded without blankets and nothing to eat except some energy bars and water. And just as we thought we ought to turn around the snow slowed to a fine dusting with us breathing a sigh of relief (ok, ME breathing a sigh of relief). We then traversed Beartooth Pass, and at one point we were at over 12,000 ft! What a beautiful sight for miles and miles. The road kept winding around and around and we could always see the next level and wondered when it would ever end. I kept looking over the rim hoping we didn’t careen over the side because it was a very long way down!! Finally, it was down to the valley and on into Cody!! It is very much a cowboy town and we loved it. There are a lot of horse ranches here and some wild herds out towards the mountains. Not too far from Cody is Heart Mountain to which to many is a symbol of power, to some it is a memorial to powerful emotions and terrible upheaval, and a reminder of pain. To the Crow Indians, it is a symbol of power – a sacred place known to the tribe as “Foretops Father” To more than 10,000 Japanese internees it served as a bleak World War II home. If you remember, Roosevelt was convinced by his military leaders that the Japanese here in America posed a threat to our national security. It is a very sad story. Many lost their homes and businesses as they couldn't keep up the mortgages while detained and of course, some died in the camp. Anyway, we lifted our spirits by having some of the best Mexican food in Cody and afterwards visited the Buffalo Bill Museum before starting the trek back via the southern route in which we again experienced some more snow showers. The bed looked so good that night.

All in all this was a great experience and we look forward to more adventures along the way to and at Glacier National Park. Our parks are truly a national treasure and one that all should experience in his or her lifetime. President Lyndon Johnson said at the signing of the Wilderness Act of 1964: “If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them with something more than just technology. We must leave them with a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it “ Amen.

Yellowstone

Spring in Yellowstone is certainly a feast for your senses as young animals are being born all around the park, and birds-like the mountain blue birds, robins, & sandhill cranes return. Both grizzly and black bear cubs were born in the deep winter month of January, while their mother is still hibernated. The bison are shedding their winter coats and it was ever so much fun to see all the little cute bison calves-they have the cutest little faces! It is hard to believe that there are nearly 500 species that inhabit the Greater Yellowstone region. Yellowstone is the largest national park in the world and is like a zoo without bars! The most sought after for viewing by tourists, such as ourselves, are the bison, black bear , elk, pronghorn antelope, moose, fox, grizzly bear, coyote,and of course the wolf. We were ecstatic to see all but the last two…we were told we would see more of them when are at Glacier NP. John Steinbeck said it best: “Montana is a great splash of grandeur. The scale is huge but not overpowering.” As we’ve said before, it is again one of those sights that we or even the best photographers can’t seem to capture nor can we write about. It is truly what they call “Big Sky country”! There is just so much to see and do in Montana-it’s like a vacation for the mind and soul and a constant state of invigoration! There is something to do in every season here such as wildlife tours, exploring ruins, birding, hiking, rock & ice climbing, boating, fly fishing, kayaking, rafting down the white water rapids, downhill & cross country skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, dog sledding, hunting, golfing, gambling, go to a dude ranch, work on a ranch, experience a trail ride, stagecoach rides, watch a rodeo, visit an Indian reservation and attend a powwow, pan for gold, visit the many historic sites and of course visit a National park such as Yellowstone and Glacier!! One of our biggest and many thrills came on the first two days when we saw a red fox, which is a rare sighting! It was carrying its prey running across the road and then next to the car and up the slope to the woods. We were so excited we couldn’t get the camera ready fast enough. You can see it at a distance if you look closely at the photo. Of course we saw bison in the meadows as there are large herds of them mostly in the valleys. Many times they were walking or standing in the road and traffic would have to stop until they decided it was time to meander to the other side for the never ending crazing and pooping!! We also had some excitement when traffic was stopped both ways for a large bull elk with some good size antlers. Traffic finally moved slowly around it but to our excitement it decided it would cross right in front of our car. We did get photos of that. We were also ecstatic to see a small group of pronghorn deer which are so beautiful and graceful. Their horns go up and then curve in towards the center. We saw some cute rabbits and what I think was a marten (Debra thinks it was a marmet). Regardless, it was cute! We always enjoyed seeing the herds of elk along the valleys and near the roads and continued to be amazed at just how beautiful and varied the ecosystem is here. In one area you see the snow, in another you see geysers, in another you see flatlands, in yet another you see warning signs not to go off the boardwalk for fear of sinking into vats of sulfuric acid or getting scalded to death (and I mean death) by hot springs. The sad part of the beautiful Yellowstone vistas is that fires caused by man's carelessness or nature's lightning strikes (at least 22 a year) have dramatically changed the appearance of the landscape. It was during the summer of 1988 that the biggest national park fire occurred with 26 percent of Yellowstone burned and it was caused by man!! And yet not one of the major features were destroyed. The geysers, waterfalls, and herds of wildlife were, and are, still here. It is amazing to see just how the fires burned – there are side by side burned areas and non-burned areas. The dead trees are lying every which way and are left to rot and go back into the earth. The rangers say that new growth starts almost immediately. Thank goodness it left one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the park which they call the Upper Falls and Lower Falls…the sight and sounds of these are just magnificent – we can only hope that our photos depict at least a portion of their beauty. Nor could we capture one of my most favorite sounds...the wind blowing through the pine trees while walking through the soft pine needles as there is almost no underbrush here! Yes, it IS a grand place...President Grant was pretty smart when he designated Yellowstone our nation's first National Park back in 1872!

Arriving at Yellowstone

The drive from Jackson Hole to the southern entrance of Yellowstone National Park was only 79 miles, but once we got into the park it took us a total of about 5 hours in all. The terrain and view was constantly changing from high peaks to valleys with up and down winding roads; a real challenge but Debra was up to the task as usual. The challenges were increased by trying to concentrate not only on the road but watching for wandering animals. We were also trying to watch all the scenic venues such as the large Yellowstone Lake that we parallel most of the way. Yellowstone Lake is North America’s largest mountain lake and now drains into the Atlantic via the Gulf of Mexico and is 20 miles long, 14 miles wide, and 430 feet deep at its deepest point. It stays pretty cold all through the year so swimming is discouraged by the park. We also drove over the Continental Divide at one point which we weren’t expecting so soon . With all that to contend with we made it however and arrived at the Rocky Mountain RV Campground with our assigned RV site right on a cliff overlooking the small town of Gardiner, MT. The town has mostly small bars, several restaurants to serve the tour buses & tourists, the large Yellowstone Tour Company, and of course a few souvenir shops and very small casinos. Of course, we found a favorite restaurant…can’t beat those Angus beef!! We decided all you needed to have in your wardrobe here were about seven pairs of jeans, some good hiking boots or cowboy boots and a warm coat & hat as well as a truck with 4-wheel drive!! The view from the front of the RV looked out over the beautiful valley and the snow covered mountain peaks across the valley. The sun comes up early here and doesn’t get dark until after nine o’clock which gave us plenty of time for sightseeing after Debra finished work. Spring is just really beginning here with the trees starting to put out buds to augment the existing Lodgepole and Ponderosa Pines. The campground’s been busy hanging out flower baskets and planting large rock gardens. The elk & mule deer were regular visitors in the early morning and late evenings so it will be a miracle if they all survive.

Grand Teton

“Man’s Heart away from nature becomes hard.” Standing Bear We arrived at the Grand Teton RV Park in Moran, WY in a light snow with the wondrous Teton Range surrounding us….it was more than I had imagined. I had always wanted to come here after seeing them through my Christmas present of long ago-a View Master(wonder how many of you remember those)! Across the way was a large herd of horses, still with their winter coats who watched us as carefully as we watched them through the falling snow. I was immediately filled with contentment and a swelling heart. I knew right away it would be very difficult to capture the beauty of this place on film. The RV Park was not quite ready for the arrival of us early spring travelers and although closer to one of the entrances to the Grand Teton National Park; we decided we would prefer to be a little closer to Jackson and drive to the park for each of our sightseeing adventures. We ended up at the Virginian (remember that TV show?!) It was a nice quiet park and was so easy to get to wherever we needed to go. Jackson has a wonderful free shuttle to the town square and Teton Village. Jackson Hole is known for its skiing and all kinds of winter sports as well as trout fishing. The town square is full of art galleries, restaurants, specialty shops and goodies for the tourists. There are striking large bronze sculptures all around the town square as well as the focal point of the square which is the four corners of arches made from antlers. Antlers are shed each spring and are gathered for decorations, hunting and carvings. We learned that Jackson is the town and Jackson Hole is the entire valley…but to Olympic and novice skiers from all over the world; the town is also known as” Jackson Hole”. It is home to the wealthy and most homes near the mountains are well into the high millions. There is even an airport here to support the private jets and several commercial air carriers for the rich and famous to come in for the snow sport season and après night life. Harrison Ford has a home/ranch here, as well as his jet. The relative scarcity of private land drives the Jackson Hole real estate market so high as 97 % of Teton County, WY is publically owned national park, national forest, or wildlife refuge. We found a nice log home and some acres with views of the Tetons for only $22,000,000!!! Lacked about $21,999,990 or we would have scoffed it up!!  There is also an abundance of restaurants here to suit everyone’s pocket. We especially loved “Bubba’s Barbecue” as they had the best salad bar we had ever seen…you could make a whole meal on it from appetizer to dessert! The barbecue was great also. We were thrilled to find a Diary Queen to satisfy our dessert cravens for Debra’s favorite…an Oreo Blizzard and I was thrilled to see the new flavor was a Buster Bar Blizzard!! This was our first major stopover where there was no Indian restaurant for us to savor. The peaks of the Teton Range are regal and imposing and stand 7,000 ft above the valley floor making one of the boldest statements of the Rockies. These young mountains are still growing; as the mountains rose the valley sank creating the spectacular landscape we see today. The drive through the scenic heart of this preserve is built around one of Earth’s most dramatic geologic statements. They are unencumbered by foothills; rising through steep coniferous forest into alpine meadows which are strewn with wildflowers in the late spring & summer; past blue and white glaciers to snow covered granite pinnacles. Jackson Hole is the broad valley at the base and is covered with sagebrush and occasional forested buttes and groves of beautiful aspen trees. There are a string of jewel-like lakes fed by mountain streams with the Snake River beginning in Yellowstone NP winding leisurely past the Tetons on into Idaho. Sections of this river make excellent habitats for and support moose, deer, elk, beavers, trumpeter swans, sandhill cranes, Canadian Geese and all sorts of ducks and other animals. We loved seeing almost all of them and on one evening especially we came upon lots of bison and almost a thousand elk from one meadow to another. One afternoon we had a laugh watching some marmots playing in the sun on the rocks on our way into the National Museum of Wildlife Art in the United States which has the largest collection of wildlife in the world. I am a huge fan of Robert Bateman’s wildlife art and one of his great pieces hangs at the focal point of the museum. It is probably his largest work and is called “Chief”. . It is of a bison running in a cloud of dust right at you and you will be mesmerized by it as is everyone from all over the world. We also viewed a video of Bateman and how he focuses on each of his works as he travels the globe to seek out his subjects. He is very intelligent, intriguing and sensitive to nature. We spent a lot of time driving from one vista to another throughout the park and you find that you don’t talk as that would seem so intrusive to the beauty and the many sounds of nature and all of its gifts. God must have had a wonderful time designing all of this for us!! I am so thankful for his work and getting to see it firsthand. Hope you will enjoy some of our attempts to capture that beauty. “Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Salt Lake City Tours and Drive to Jackson, WY

Arrived at the Pony Express RV Resort (which was very nice) in SL City on Sunday, May 2nd after braving the early morning snow from Bryce Valley. It was just a little snow but the wind that came with it for awhile was pretty gusty so we didn’t hook up the tow until we got through the Dixie Forest. The weather did a huge turn around and was quite nice so we were able to get out & about during the evenings and on Friday/Saturday to do our touring. Salt Lake is a difficult city to travel in as all the streets are numbered such as W 2600 S. The Historic Temple Square is the city’s most important block and everything is numbered from that point and the 6-spired SL Temple is the centerpiece of this beautifully landscaped 10-acre plot in the heart of downtown. Thank goodness for GPS! SL City was founded on July 24, 1847 by a group of Mormon pioneers traveling what is now known as the Mormon trail after being run out of Nauvoo, IA. Yes, boys and girls, we all have our dirty laundry… (Mormons are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). They came with 138 men, 3 women and two children….(poor women)!!! Someone early on asked us if we were “LDS” and we thought they were asking if we had some disease or something…. apparently that is what they refer to themselves as rather than Mormon, at least here. It is interesting that only about 24% live here whereas most of them are overseas doing missionary work. SL was named for the salty inland lake that dominated the West many years ago. It covered most of Western Utah and small parts of Idaho and Nevada during the ice age but has receded and is now called the Great Salt Lake now 75 miles long & 30 miles wide with a surface area of 1500 sq miles and a depth of 40 ft. What is really amazing is that the total amount of salt dissolved is about 4.5 to 4.9 billion tons. At times the salinity is at 28% (beyond which water cannot hold salt). This is 3-5 times greater than sea water! We took two tours one of which was to the Salt Lake and what’s left of the old Saltair Resort from the 30’s, and to Temple Square where we got to hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir which was quite impressive and the highlight of our touring. On that tour, we ate in Brigham Young’s house which is now called the Lion House restaurant run, of course, by the Mormons. We also toured Utah’s very impressive State Capital Bldg. This is a pretty diverse city with lots to do and see. Interestingly enough, there are a lot of immigrants here as Utah allows them to come here and settle rather easily. That said, there is talk in the legislature to stop that as there is a concern Utah will get too many folk from Arizona as a result of Arizona’s recent crackdown on illegal immigration. There has also been a large influx of people from California after the housing market went bust and a lot from Louisiana after Katrina, making Utah the nation’s fastest growing state (per capita). Another interesting tidbit is that Utah is the SECOND most arrid state, behind Nevada and BEFORE Arizona! That was a surprise to us! We also drove to Park City which is where part of the 2002 Winter Olympics were held. Salt Lake reigns as the Hqs for top athletes and training facilities and is where the US Ski, Snowboarding, and Speed Skating teams train. Lindsey Vaughn lives here. Another of our highlights was a tour to the Kennecott Utah Copper’s Bingham Canyon Mine open pit mine, the largest and richest mine on Earth!! It is 2 1/4 miles across at the top and ¾ of a mile deep. You could stack two Sears Towers on top of each other and still not reach the top. By 2015 it will be 500 ft deeper than it is now. It has produced more copper than any mine in history—about 18.1 tons! It is so big it can be seen by the space shuttle as they pass the U.S. The only other place that can be seen is the Great China Wall. Kennecott mines about 55,000,000 tons of copper per year and meets about 17% of the world’s copper demand. Think about everything we use that has copper in it. The equipment is extremely expensive….for instance the newest electric shovel costs about $3.5 million. Their profit runs however about $50 mil a day!! We took some photos for you to look at….it was very impressive. And no Karen. We didn't make it to Hill AFB and didn't see the neat restuarant you referred us to...Lord knows we looked as restaurants are more than a hobby in this household! :-) We left Salt Lake to head to Jackson, WY and Grand Teton. We’ve added a couple of pics of the drive so you could get an idea of the landscape. Our apologies for the delay in updating the blog but Jackson was super slow with the internet. Now that we’re in Gardiner, MT and up on a hill and just a mile from the north gate of Yellowstone, we will be able to catch up!

Ride to Salt Lake, Sunday 2 May 2010

When we woke up early Sunday morning to leave Bryce Canyon and Cannonville, we arose to a new snow fall and blowing wind!! The road to the major highway was covered and a little scary for us so we did not hook-up until we hit the main hwy through the Dixie Forest on our way to Salt Lake City. We have decided that Utah is a beautiful state with lots to see and do. We hope you will enjoy its splendor as well and realize yet again what a beautiful country we are honored to live in.

Hoodoo Country

Okay everyone...get ready for some more rocks!! Just remember the last several ones we have visited have been canyons and now we are on to National Parks. But I must say these are so very special and beautiful. We drove from Las Vegas still with some money in our pockets, and arrived at the KOA in Cannonville, UT in the heart of Bryce Canyon Country, where the World’s largest concentration of scenic attractions can be found. We loved our little campground that was more in a rustic setting versus the more commercial larger resorts. Our hostess was also the owner and went out of her way to accommodate us in every way along with making recommendations for a day at Bryce since we were only going to be there for two nights. We got up early Saturday and drove up the road to the entry to Bryce (early morning is the best time to see everything at its best and get ahead of the tour buses) had breakfast at the lodge and then it was off to all the scenic view points as outlined in the park guide. Viewpoints offer the close-up views of Bryce and hundred mile vistas of the Colorado Plateau. The first thing we saw was a herd of mule deer grazing in the meadow and managed to click off a photo before they got wind of us. At our first view point I was very much in awe of what I was seeing, as were the other tourists. We even met a couple from Winding River, NC (small world as they say). The Grand Canyon was amazing just in the size and depth…but Bryce is just beautiful with the various colors of the rock formations as they constantly change with the sun throughout the day. The azure sky, the cotton ball clouds, and all the evergreens just seem to frame the plateaus and hiking trails. It was especially beautiful with the snow covering many of the peaks. There are miles of carved pinnacles of stone-called hoodoos-radiating in oranges, golds and pinks. For millions of years water has carved Bryce’s rugged landscape, and continues to do so. Unlike other rock formations which are caused by rushing water and erosion, hoodoos are created by water getting into the pores of the rock and then splitting the rock as it freezes; expanding the existing cracks. Apparently this process occurs some 200 times a year. We did the 37-mile round-trip drive through the park and must have taken a hundred photos between the two of us. There is definitely a sense of place here that goes beyond the rocks. Some of the local Paiute Indians explain it with a legend….Once there lived animal-like creatures that changed themselves into people…but they were bad, so Coyote turned them into rocks of various configurations. The spell-bound creatures still huddle together here with faces painted just as they were before being turned into stone!! (I think I recognized a few folk!!) Then it was on to the designated National Scenic Byway 12 considered Utah’s all-American highway. Only a few of our highways achieve this status making Byway 12 one of the most unique roads in the US. We did the 124 mile round trip having lunch/early dinner in Boulder which was recommended by our campground owner. We came into Boulder, which is just a town of 200, and saw the little restaurant recommended by our hostess. To say the least we were skeptical but oh boy were we ever surprised! The husband & wife were chefs and had worked in many establishments before deciding to live the quiet life in Boulder, UT. We enjoyed our culinary experience and did take a photo of the little place along with the cows next door for your viewing. Raising cattle and alfalfa for the cattle is the main occupation out there. The highway is another beauty in itself and there was hardly any traffic so we meandered along taking in all the sites. It was a long day and we didn’t have time or the energy to do Zion NP which was okay as we were told it was like looking up at a lot of stone walls. Debra confirmed that since she had been there before. We were surprised when we arrived back at the campground seeing at least 25 “CruiseAmerica RVs. They were all from France; touring the country in a group in their rented RV’s!! Cannot begin to tell you how many RV’s there are out in this part of the country. Next stop, Salt Lake City!

Viva Las Vegas

As you know you'all..."All the happens in Vegas, stay in Vegas!" But because it's you I will share a few of our adventures during this leg of our journey. You saw the resort we are staying in and I must say we will miss it here as it has been the perfect place to be as we are only 10 minutes from the strip and there is a great casino & hotel just down the road a ways of which we managed to stay away from until the past 4 or 5 days during the weekend and after Debra got off work. We always had good intentions of just playing our 20 dollars and most of the time it worked until we got closer to leaving here and then it was if we had to hurry up and win big. When you are not in the casino you know that the house always wins but when you are there you just know the next card or the next spin will bring big bucks!! I must say we did alright and most of all we had a lot of fun and met some nice people in the process.

We went to see two shows...one at Caeser's Palace with Cher which was great as there were great costumes by her old desighner Bob Mackie and innovative staging along with music hits from across the decades. She puts on a great show but we decided we didn't like her personality. When she opens the show she just comes down from the ceiling and then just talks for awhile before the real show begins. She is very narcistic and was trying to be funny/smart but it came out very poorly. She has also been in the Botox and has had a face lift of sorts. I liked her as she looked when she was with Sonny, now she just looks weird. I make it sound like we didn't enjoy it. We did, I'm just being a critic. We met our friends Shelton and his wife Carol for lunch at PF Changs and sat and talked trash until the dinner crowd started coming in. Had a chance to do some people watching and boy are there some wild looking folk walking these streets and a lot of fat people too...made me look skinny and cute! :-) Also saw the Dancing Waters at the Bellagio. Tried to take some pictures with my cell phone but they didn't come out too well as you will see maybe since we are not sure how to get them on the computer. The next show was the best and I would highly recommend it to everyone if you are out this way. It is at the Bellagio and is called "O". It is one of the Cirque du Soleil productions and uses a 25 foot-deep pool of water as its stage.1.5 million gallons of it, and features high divers, synchronized swimmers, acrobats, fire dancers and contortonists, along with Celtic Woman type music, which we both like. It was just amazing and we had just great seats for both shows. Before the show we went and had dinner at Mon Ami Gabi a French resturant at at the Paris Hotel and Casino and even had escargo and my favorite desert Perfitilios. ok..so I can't spell it but I sure can eat it!

Next stop is Zion & Bryce for two days where it is currently snowing and very cold...should be fun. Oh well just another adventure for us!!!

In Las Vegas!

Latest Google shows us at the Las Vegas Motor Coach Resort. You win, if you can figure out how to get down to the tennis courts and see the RVs facing them and the clubhouse. That's our site! What a nice place! Gated community with REAL 24 hour security and upscale RVs and sites that probably cost as much as the RVs themselves...posh patio furniture, entertainment centers and grills to die for with built in fireplaces and streets lined with lights that make the streets look like runways. Never seen anything like it nor so many palm trees of just about every variety imagineable. Will get out and about for pics of Sin City...just haven't had a chance yet...too busy enjoying the serenity of this place versus the commercialism of the strip...which is just a mere 5 miles from here!

Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam

Okay try to imagine getting on a vintage train during the days of Gunsmoke and Marshall Dillon, Fetus, Doc & Miss Kitty. We arrived at the depot at 9:00 am for the Wild West show before boarding complete with the bad guys, horses, the sheriff and gunshots. You will see some of the authentic cowboys in the photos. They are all members of the Cataract Creek Gang and you can see them throughout the town of Williams…we even had breakfast with someone that looked like Wild Bill Hickcok. The sheriff gets the horse thieves and then of course they get shot resisting arrest in front of the saloon. The train travels through scenic landscapes leading to one of the world’s greatest natural wonders…the Grand Canyon National Park. Coming back on the train you look out the window and see cowboys riding alongside the train with masks on and then they board and rob us and of course the sheriff gets these guys as well. Lots of fun and laughs as they are all quite the comedians. We even had an accordion/harmonica singing cowboy….!!! They also have a Polar Express complete with Santa for the kids during the winter season which is very popular. The train ride didn’t seem to take that long even if it was about 65 miles in 2 ½ hours and the whole time we were envisioning what it must have been like coming across the plains and high desert in a wagon train!! Especially for women in all those long dresses etc. Even though it didn’t seem like we were climbing we arrived at the canyon at over seven thousand feet. The walk up the steps to our accommodations literally took our breath away and we found we had to stop ever so often to catch our breath. Our friends and we got settled in our rooms and then had our first glimpse of the canyon which was steps away from our room. I cannot even begin to tell you the feeling at walking to the edge, looking over and seeing this beautiful rugged scenic canyon that goes on for miles and miles; a total of 277 miles of walls varying in distance from less than a half mile to more than 18 miles apart, and through depths of reaching nearly 8,000 feet. At the Canyon floor, the Colorado River endlessly carves and shapes the Canyon deeper and deeper averaging 300 ft in width and 100 ft in depth and flows at an average speed of 4 miles per hour. There is two billion years of geological history of the earth’s past exposed in the walls of the canyon. I just don’t have the words to describe my feelings and amazement at what I (we) were viewing. I am sure that all the millions of visitors from all over the world must have felt the same way. We heard all different languages as we rode the shuttle from place to place. I can only hope that that once again some of our photos can give you a glimpse at the beauty…even though the photos just don’t do it justice since they are only frames of a small portion of what we were seeing.
On our departure Sunday from Williams to Las Vegas, we passed by the Hoover Dam and took some photos from the RV windows which were through the screens so they may not look quite so good but you can at least get a view of it and Lake Meade. We had to go through a security check before driving through…they are on high alert for a terrorist attack there. We had fully intended to do a tour later in the week but after viewing the 10 mile traffic backup coming from Las Vegas we decided we saw as much as we wanted. They have almost completed the bridge across and away from the dam which is quite awesome in itself. Next blog will be about Las Vegas!!!

Williams & Sedona AZ

Greetings from Williams, AZ Williams is referred to as the Gateway to the Grand Canyon and is located at the base of the Bill Williams Mountain amid the world’s largest stand of Ponderosa pines, which we can see from our windows. The old Route 66 runs through town…remember that old TV show?? It really was quite a site this past Monday night when a snow storm came roaring through dumping about two inches of fresh snow. It was blowing so hard that the snow was almost coming down horizontally…it was so beautiful and what was really nice was that it was almost all gone here at the RV park by noon the next morning but still visible on the mountain peaks. Williams is a neat little quaint town having the charm of a late 19 century Western town and has a rich diversity of cultural influences. It was originally a mountain town and logging center, and once a home to gambling, opium dens and brothels. The old 19th century store fronts are still here and we listen to the nostalgic sounds of the train whistle as it goes by the depot in the center of town and passes the campground. We will be getting on the Grand Canyon Railroad this Friday with our Texas friends, Zee and Charlie, traveling on a century-old rail line to the heart of the Grand Canyon and spend the night at one of the lodges so as to see the sunset and the sunrise over the canyon along with taking a grand bus tour. We will fill you in on that experience latter.
In addition to enjoying each evening playing various card and dice games with Zee and Charlie, we have also traveled to Flagstaff several times but the best of those trips has been traveling on to the canyon town of Sedona!! It is a work of art in itself and a area of majestic beauty which even our photographs cannot capture its true beauty! A long time ago the ancient water and the winds blew in creating rose-colored sand grains into magnificent mesas of crimson and creating pinnacles that we must have stopped twenty times along the way to view and take photos. They are indeed monuments of timeless beauty….it is like looking at a canvas of Mother Nature’s panoramic wonders. The rocks are painted by the light into breathtaking hues of red and gold with sometimes having etchings of ancient Indian tribes which are considered timeless art forms. There are over 47 art galleries and more than 400 artists living in Sedona along with some authors and actors. Our favorite place was Tlaquepaque, which is a landmark in the town of Sedona itself. It is a wonderful collection of galleries, shops and fine restaurants but you feel as if you have left the commercialism that lies just outside its walls. There a four different courtyards within the masonry walls with giant sycamores and stately cottonwoods. There are wonderful flowers and greenery everywhere in the tranquil plazas, graceful arches, lots of fountains, and shady verandas that make you just want to sit and be quiet and listen to the sound of peace. We hope that our photos will give you a glimpse of what our eyes beheld along the way. And yes, that IS a pig you saw! Our next door neighbors have a pot bellied pig, Frank, weighing in at a whopping 158 lbs! In addition to walking on a lead, he will do an occasional trick like “sit” or “circle” for a special cookie. What a surprise it was seeing what the dogs were barking at this morning! Enjoy!!

Williams, AZ "Gateway to the Grand Canyon"

Just a quick jot to let you know what the current Google Earth map is (Williams, AZ). We arrived at the Grand Canyon RV and Resort in Williams, AZ on Friday, 9 Apr where we met up with our friends Zee and Charlie from Big Spring, TX. Myrt will update you all on our wonderful weekend in Sedona as soon as we're able to extend the slideouts again and can move about more freely...we're pretty "hunkered down" due to very strong winds and bitter cold (we even expect some snow tonight and tomorrow!) Thank goodness it is supposed to warm up for our train trip and overnighter to the Grand Canyon on Friday and Saturday!

Remember, you can enlarge the Google Earth image, click on "more" and see pictures among other things...a great little tool for those of you so inclined.

Thanks for the Suggestion

We got a suggestion from one of you (thanks Dr. B), to try and input our trip into Google Earth. Haven't made the time to research how to do this precisely as he suggested but did come up with an interim solution that may be fun for some of you out there. You'll notice a satellite pic or map on the left of the blogs. Click on "enlarge" and at top of pic will be options for map, satellite, terrain and "more". Click on "more" and click on photos and as you zoom out, you'll see numerous photos of the nearby area posted from folks as you scroll your mouse across the picture. Gives you an opportunity to view more than our pics and go on your own tours! This one is the address of our RV Campground in Sante Fe, NM. I'll change it each move. Have fun exploring and experimenting with this new functionality of our blog and thanks again for the suggestion(s)!

Santa Fe, NM

Okay..here we are again!!  This time We ended up leaving OK City early Thursday afternoon around five, when I the weatherphile, learned that there was a big storm coming in to the area with high damaging winds, rain and the possibility of large hail.  Drove 3 hrs to Shamrock, TX to get out of harms way and shorten our driving time to Santa Fe the next day which worked out great!!  Arrived in Santa Fe at the Santa Fe Skies RV Park in snow showers, blowing wind and boy was it ever cold!!  They were still sking up in the moutains. Anyway, it has warmed up and we are really enjoying Santa Fe and our RV Site. I can sit here and look out the windows and see a panoramic view of the snow covered moutains and the high plains. I expect to see Clint Eastwood riding up any minute. We are on a mesa overlooking Santa Fe and its communities and at night it's like looking out of a plane window at the sparking lights below us. The facilities here are just great....they even have a long dog walk around the outside perimeter that is probably about a half mile or so which we, the dogs and the jack rabbits walk on at least once a day. We will hate to leave here.   We spent Debra's three days off exploring with days of wandering around the city at all the shops and galleries. Never seen so much beautiful gold and turquoise!   We will go down to the plaza area a few more times in the evenings. Santa Fe is one of the top three largest art markets in the world and the numbers are impressive...apart from the galleries downtown, it is home to more than 250 galleries and hundreds of artists, architects and craftspeople.  Canyon Rd alone is home to over 100 or more galleries.  We of course visited the Geogria O'Keeffe Museum viewing some of her permanent collection and learning a great deal more about her and her life here,  Very interesting person...one of her many Quotes that I especially liked was and most notable was " I wish people were all trees and I think I could enjoy them then".  Her paintings of the areas around her home are beautiful and so much more so in person than in an art book. Also drove north to Taos about an hours drive from here and decided it was probably more inpressive in the winter since it is a big ski area.  Easter morning we went downtown and had brunch at this beaurtiful spanish hotel where they had this great ice sculture of an easter egg and flower vases (see photos)...the food was great too. :-) The first night here we ate at the Bobcat Bite's... a family owned local favorite since 1953 and about the size of a boxcar...known for their green chili burgers which I kid you not...there is no way anyone was able to get their mouths around these huge burgers!!  The name comes from that fact that bobcats would come down from the moutains for a hand out and now there are photo and paintings all over the walls of some of their visitors.  A fun place.  We also had lunch one day overlooking the Plaza sampling some of the local cuisine...of course we loved that too!! Ok...I did..being the one who lives to eat :-)...Our last dining out will be at a noted India resturant...can't wait.  We are on to Williams, AZ and the Grand Canyon Friday....and we will be back to share some more experiences and photos. As for these photos...think they are self explanatory except for a couple...the river scenes are on our way to Taos...yep, it's the Rio Grand and you might be able to make out the Rio Grand Gorge in the mountain shot.  Can you just picture the cattle drive across the river and the Indians lurking in the hills?And yes, that IS a camel look alike called guess what?!  Camel Rock! :-) in front of one of the SEVEN various Indian Nation Casinos one passes on the way to Taos. Well, that's it for now...as you can see, Fletcher all set for the next stop and further adventures!

Oklahoma City, OK 28 Mar - 2 Apr 2010

Boy is it hot here today and still very windy!!! Like everywhere else they are experiencing up and down weather. There will be severe thunderstorms Friday which I hope will happen after we depart early that morning. We have enjoyed our stay here in OK City, more than we anticipated…was not aware of how much there is to do here. From the OK History center (a Smithsonian Affiliate), the Museum of Art, the OK City National Memorial & Museum, Tinker AFB, Myriad Botanical Gardens & Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory, a minor league baseball team, and then there’s the famous Bricktown area.

It is centrally located in the heart of the city near the Ford Convention Center. It was originally the location of a Army detachment to provide law and order for the newly settled City. It became a trade center and the railroad ran through it which connected the prairie with the rest of the world. It is now the hub of OK City’s activity and entertainment. It is very pretty and you can enjoy a blue’s bar’s, country music bars, eating at the many restaurants or just walking around the winding canal or riding one of the many canal boats…it reminded us so much of San Antonio’s river walk area.

Neither of us had ever been to Tinker AFB so we did our shopping there one day and had lunch at the BX. It is a huge base!! We felt so at home with all those blue uniforms!! Must say they all looked so young!!

Our most memorable time was spent in the OK City National Memorial & Museum; a tribute to those 168 who succombed (including 19 children), the surviving co-workers and families and those who served during the rescue on that fateful day of April 19, 1995 and the days following. It was very moving from the first moment you hear a recording of a meeting being held in the Water Dept Bldg next door and all of a sudden you hear the explosion and all the hysteria. The bldg was literally lifted off its foundation and now serves as the museum as the Murrah Federal Bldg was torn down after the bombing. There are three floors and you see a lot of things found from the blast, pieces of the bldg, photos of the victims, all about Timothy Mc Veigh and finally his execution. Outside there are individual markers along the reflecting pool, there are still flowers and expressions of grief along the fence and across the street is a statue of Jesus with his back to the site with his head bowed in his hands in sorrow.
The words to the entrance says "We come here to remember those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever. May all who leave here know the impact of violence. May this memorial offer comfort, strength, peace, hope and serenity." It was very moving and a strong reminder of how acts of terrorism can hit us anytime and anywhere with no warning.

Things did look up though as we found an Indian restaurant ( as in India) and we were in heaven with all that good food!!! Well friends, it’s off to Santa Fe and more adventures!! We are looking forward to revisiting some places and exploring some we didn’t get to before!!

Interesting Trip Thus Far

We're in Oklahoma City after three days of hard driving and adventures through Atlanta's Stone Mtn and Memphis, TN.  We have hopefully gotten all the "bad things" out of the way...have already gone down a dead end road (for those of you familiar with towing...that's not a good thing...must unhook car, back up both car and RV separately...can be VERY interesting, especially if car is in a turn and freezes up tow bar...followed GPS through DOWNTOWN Atlanta...VERY interesting but luckily EXCELLENT driver (AKA Debra) and "REAL navigator" (AKA Myrt) got us through unscathed and VERY PROUD of ourselves...had to buy new battery for Honda (extensive towing requires removal of radio fuse or it will deplete battery.  Jump started the battery twice on Saturday and took to Auto Zone to find we had a dead cell...not bad for a 4 year old battery...Finally got special needlenose pliers to actually remove the guilty fuse only to lose TWO fuses IN the door never to be seen again due to the tight quarters of the fuse box (now expert at both taking out and putting back in).  Have kept our humor through it all and as you can see, didn't phase Fletcher not one bit! :-)

We'll begin our trek on March 26, 2010. First stop Stone Mountain, GA! We look forward to sharing our adventures just like Thelma and Louise, save the ending! In addition to keeping you apprised of what we're up to, we look forward to hearing from each of you so we can all continue to share what's going on in each of our lives, regardless of the miles.