Kootenai falls & Ross creek Giant Cedars

I think my phone is on it's last legs. Not sure what's wrong but what ever it is it isn't good. Don't expect much for a few days. 

Logan Lake day 2

We started looking at our schedule for the next few days. We leave here on 1 Aug. For some reason neither one of us thought July had 31 days. So, we have an extra day. There isn't a lot for us to do here. The campground is small, the campsites don't have water, there is no cellphone coverage, too many trees for satellite TV, no hiking or biking. I think I picked this place 6 months ago without really looking into it. Well anyway, I did get the kayak wet for about an hour this morning. There are a couple of attractions that we are considering visiting tomorrow that will require a pretty long drive. The pic of the Yellowstone group was taken in front of the van that Jamie rented. It seated 12.

Logan Lake SP Mt.

We started this trip on interstate 10. Today we drove for 159 miles on interstate 90. We are now significantly north of 90. We drove around Flat Head Lake, through Kalispel and we are now 40 miles from Libby. In other words we are in the middle of nowhere. We have zero cell signal in the campground. 5 miles North of the campground is a bar and bakery called "Happys Inn". You can use their wifi if you buy something. We bought a gigantic cinnamon roll and a plate of jalapeno poppers. I know, that sounds weird. Anyway,

Jenny is attempting to inform everyone that might be interested that we are in a cellphone black hole. I'll try to send this now. If it works we'll come back tomorrow. 

West Yellowstone day 6

Today was one of those transition days. We had a time to vacate the house and Jenny and I needed to put the MP back together. A further complication was that Courtney had booked a trail ride that departed the corral at 9:30. The grandparents did not participate in that event. Next on the agenda was The "Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center". Since we didn't see either of those animals in the park we decided that a trip to that attraction was warranted. We took our parting shot there and then went to lunch, where we said our goodbyes. They are in Boseman and will fly home tomorrow. I rode on some trails at the edge of town that are used for crosscountry skiing in the winter season. We head further North tomorrow. We think this Yellowstone vacation was a rousing success. I feel like we all got a good feel for the park. 

Yellowstone NP day 3

We did the entire southern loop road today. The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is on that loop. There are a number of overlooks of the canyon and the falls. We were there for a few hours and hiked to several of the overlooks. One trail descended steeply via about a dozen switchbacks to the top of the falls. Awe inspiring and spectacular are words that come to mind. The kids head back to Boseman tomorrow but they have a couple of things planned tomorrow morning before they depart. Jenny and I will participate in one of them. More on that tomorrow. 

Yellowstone NP day 2

Another pretty hectic day. There is so much to see, and so little time and with the park being so big it makes for long days. We have hiked over 7 miles each day. Today we did (among other things) Mammoth Hot Springs on the northern edge of the park. There were, by Jamie's count, 308 steps to get to the top. Poor Sidney wasn't particularly happy about it. We've got more of the Same on the agenda tomorrow. That will be the last full day here for the kids.

Yellowstone NP day 1

Wow, busy day today.  We entered the park from the West entrance and headed south. Almost immediately we saw some elk followed by bison, a coyote and a swan. We kept seeing wildlife as we drove toward Old Faithful. We did several hikes along the way into thermal areas. The eruption at old Faithful was attended by an enormous crowd (see pic). Everything has been pretty crowded. Parking is sometimes an issue. We were expecting as much. We continued past Old Faithful to Yellowstone Lake, did a short hike there and then headed back. Along the way a really big Bison ambled by the car. I could have reached out the door and given it a pat. Tomorrow we head North toward Mammoth Hot Springs. 

West Yellowstone day 2

The mob has assembled. We couldn't get into the house until 4. The cleaners literally left the house at 4. Since we were a little behind we ate fairly late. Super nachos. Maybe not a good idea but we'll have to see how the night goes. We will visit the park tomorrow. We hope to see Old Faithful erupt. 

West Yellowstone Montana

We are in a commercial campground. I reserved a spot here 6 months ago. There are 5 of these commercial campgrounds in town and this one was rated as # 3. I would really hate to see #s 4 & 5. All the Grandkids and their parents made it to Boseman last night. They are spending 2 nights there and will be here tomorrow. Jenny and I drove around West Yellowstone a little bit this afternoon. It's pretty touristy. Our plan is to leave the MP in this campground and move into the VRBO with the mob tomorrow. We drove by the house today and it's smaller than I had anticipated. I think it has a basement so maybe some of it was not visible from a drive by.

Yaking Walcott

We rented a Sit on top for me and Jenny paddled hers. We were out for 2 hours of leisurely paddling along the shoreline that I paddled yesterday. The State Park is right in the middle of a National Wildlife preserve and there is no development on the shoreline of the lake. The young lady that rented us the kayak told us that the lake freezes in the winter to the point that people can drive out on it and ice fish. We asked her where she shops for groceries and she told us that they slaughter a cow and a pig for meat every year but that she goes into Twin Falls once a month (50 miles) for stuff she can't produce herself. I did a bike ride on some ATV trails and came upon this burn scar. It's actually not too far from the campground. Everything that's not watered is dead and dry and a fire waiting to happen. 

Lake Walcott day 2

Today we had an unfortunate event. This is becoming a fairly common occurrence. Our plan today was to paddle. I was going to inflate the paddleboard and Jenny was going to to take the kayak. Well, it's a minor pain in the butt to blow up the paddleboard but I got it done and loaded it in the car. We got in the car and headed for the boat ramp when I noticed the paddleboard was completely deflated. Damn. So we turned around and I started the process of inflating it again. Turns out a seam had ripped. There won't be any paddleboarding this trip. Jenny let me take the kayak out. While I was out I noticed several pretty big trees that were down laying in the water. I finally discovered the reason. That pic almost has to be beaver damage. We've got one more day here and then we head for Yellowstone. 

Lake Walcott SP, ID

We are near the town of Rupert. In other words we are nowhere near anywhere. The reviews said 30 miles from the nearest Store. We are prepared. The Snake River fills this lake. The Snake River has it's source in Yellowstone. The flooding in Yellowstone included the Snake River. The lake appears to be over full. That's a nice change from what we have been seeing on this trip. This park is very different from what we are used to. The entire park is irrigated. We had to dodge sprinklers while we were biking around. There is a disc golf course with mowed, green grass

fairways. Super weird. We are here for 3 nights. When I say here, I really mean it because there is absolutely no place to go.

Deer Creek day 2

Today we decided to take care of a few things that were going to require a good cell signal. We have 4 bars here. Turns out we are 15 miles away from Park City. When we use GPS to navigate it's hard to see the big picture. Turn here, turn there, exit now, doesn't tell you much. You won't be surprised that we have a few issues with the MP. Nothing serious, just aggravating. We are trying to find a part. The MP's manufacturer won't answer the phone and they won't call back after leaving multiple messages. There were some clues to the manufacturer of the part we needed (the screen door latch) We called multiple companies and finally found what we think is the part we need. Whoopee! The place we're going tomorrow in Idaho sent us a message last month stating that they had some problems with the water in the campground. They wouldn't answer their phone for 3 days. I was literally about to give up and drive there with a full water tank, something I'm loathe to do, when someone answered the phone. Double whoopee! Turns out the campsites have water but the public restrooms and showers are closed. That's no problem. Our drive tomorrow will take us up the Salt Lake valley through SLC. Should be fun. I rode my bike this morning on a trail that was barely hikeable. I had to bail after maybe a mile. I took this pic from the campground. There is one little patch of snow toward the top of that peak.

Deer Creek SP Ut.

We are not too far from Provo. We are here for 2 nights. We have one more stop before Yellowstone. There is a big lake here but it is pretty full of power boats so we probably won't go out. We briefly stopped at a rest area and I took a pic. The other one is our campground.

Bluff Utah

We couldn't drive here directly because the road we wanted to take out of Coyote Creek was being worked on and the MP was too wide to get over a one lane bridge. That detour cost us probably an hour. We have been to Bluff a bunch. Currently we are doing laundry. There is one restaurant in town where we will be having dinner. We drove around a little while our clothes were in the washer and I took this pic. We move further North tomorrow. 

Coyote Creek day 3

Today we drove into Angel fire and didn't really have an agenda. We ended up at the chair lift. This time of year people take their mountain bikes up to the top and bomb down. The lift tops out at 10,600 feet. The bikers were decked out in full face helmets, knee pads, ski goggles and body armor. I didn't take my bike but if I had I would have worn shorts and a T-shirt. We did take the lift to the top and spent a couple of hours hiking the trails. We have a long day tomorrow so we'll have to get up early. Should end up in Utah.  

Coyote Creek day 2

Before I get started on today's adventure I want to describe our drive the last 20 miles into the park yesterday. There had been a massive fire that scorched the west side of the road for what was at least 15 miles. The mountains were black and the trees were burned along the road. There were road crews clearing mud from the road that had washed down from the hillside during a recent rain. The ranger at the park said the fire started in mid April and wasn't extinguished until June. What a mess. Today we hiked the trails. All of them. There's only 1. It was pleasant. We both needed to get some exercise. It's been so frigging hot every place we've been so far that it was almost dangerous to do anything strenuous. We are going to drive 17 miles into Angel Fire tomorrow. It's a town/resort/ski area. I might take my bike and maybe ride the ski trails. 

Coyote Creek SP NM

We are at 7720 feet near Mora or Guadalupita. Neither one of those communities had any visible inhabitants when we drove through. The temp when we arrived was in the low 80s and its supposed to be 55 tonight. Sweet. I'll post more tomorrow but it's after 5 and I haven't had any Bourbon. 

Bottomless Lakes Day 2

On July 8th 1947, Roswell Army Air Field issued a press release stating that they had recovered a flying disc. The Army quickly retracted the statement and said the object was a weather balloon. That was pretty much the end of the story until the 1970s when a Ufologist interviewed a witness and that person said he believed the debris was extraterrestrial. The town of Roswell has really cashed in on the UFO story. We visited the UFO museum and if you are impressionable it would be pretty easy to believe that a spacecraft really did crash, that there were 4 aliens on board and that one of them was alive. We head further North tomorrow. our destination is over 7000 feet. We are hoping it will be cooler.

Bottomless Lakes SP NM

We are pretty close to Roswell. The central feature of this park is a series of sinkholes that vary in size and depth. 90 feet is the deepest one. I  guess that qualifies as bottomless in New Mexico. This area was covered by an inland sea 250 million years ago. There was a thick layer of gypsum and salt left behind when the water retreated. Over time it was covered by sediment. Eventually, rain percolated through the sediment and the salt and gypsum dissolved. Caves formed and eventually collapsed forming the series of depressions that are currently filled with water. Some of the sinkholes are salty and some aren't. I don't know why they aren't all the same. I know you'll find this hard to believe but there are somethings I just don't know. We we here for 2 nights. 

Colorado City SP

Some of you might not be aware that there is a Colorado River in Texas. The Texas Colorado river is dammed here and the lake forms behind it. We drove over the river and I've seen drainage ditches that had a more robust flow. Most of Texas is under a heat advisory. We drove into the bustling community of Colorado City to eat lunch and the car thermometer said 105°. The MP AC is only good for 15° so it's a little warm inside but compared to outside it's chilly. We are not far from the lake. You can see it between the car and the MP in the pic. We had lunch in an old school cafeteria. The #1 place to eat in town. West Texas is pretty bleak. That highway pic is pretty indicative. We are in New Mexico tomorrow. 

On the road again

So much to cover in this post. Our visit with Jenny's Dad was at times difficult. He's 98 and his mobility is somewhat restricted. He wants to do things that he really shouldn't be doing. Everyone tries to keep him on an even keel but he can be stubborn and at times occasionally unpleasant. He is 98 so he deserves to be cut some slack. Today we are supposed to be at a State Park near Colorado City Texas. We were well on our way to that park when we exited I 10 at Junction to get fuel. As I was watching the dollars add up I looked back at the car and was appalled to see that the bike rack was empty. We left the bikes in Larson's garage. So, we modified our plan. We found an RV park in Junction and set the MP up there. We called the State Park and told them we'd be a day late and we drove the Forester back to SA. 1:45 minutes. We loaded our bikes and said our goodbyes for the second time and here we are at the North Llano River RV Park. The pic is the N Llano river. Right in front of us it's bone dry. It hasn't rained here since April. The only positive that came out of this stupendous blunder is that there is a Cooper's Barbecue restaurant right down the road. That was dinner and it was spectacular. 

Jenny's dad driveway in San Antonio

We made it here unscathed. It's kinda weird that we got rained on all the way until we reached Texas. It's really hot and dry here. It's really hot. We are here for a few days and have no activities planned so I  might not make any posts while we're camped in the driveway. Although something blog worthy might occur. Stranger Things have happened. 

Slog day 1

The rain we drove through today was not normal. We were in and out of biblically heavy rain as we headed west. Tomorrow we will be in San Antonio. Since we did nothing blog worthy today I'll briefly cover our plans for this trip. It's SA first to visit with Jenny's dad. We drive north after that and meet up with the mob in West Yellowstone Montana for a 5 day visit to the park. They fly home and we continue into Washington to explore The North Cascades NP. That's our turn around point. Our return will include Utah and Santa Fe. There are a lot of stops in between. We will be out 9 weeks, shooting for a return the first week in September. Seth took his family to Habersham for a trip to the beach and to celebrate the 4th. 

Coffeeville day 2 (the 4th of July)

Today was almost unbearably exciting. The really big event was a trip to the Coffeeville Dollar Store. While we were there we started to hear some alarmingly loud claps of thunder. We left in a hurry. After we arrived back at the MP we got comfortably ensconced under the MP awning in our camp chairs and watched the storm roll over us. Alas, the MP awning wasn't sufficient to protect us from the deluge. The pic was taken seconds before we skeedattled indoors. Our next 2 days will be slogs. A KOA in Lafayette tomorrow.

Service Campground Coffeeville Alabama

It rained on us off and on all day. It's been raining off and on since we got here. Consequently, the humidity is at least 100%. Maybe more. We are camped on the Tombigbee waterway. It is used by tow boats to push cargo. We are here for 2 nights. Finding campsites on the 4th of July was going to be an issue so I booked this site for 2 nights. Not a lot going on in Coffeeville Alabama so we might just hang out.

Summer trip day 1

We got a late start today. We're in Florida in a state park on the Suwannee river. We took side roads to get here and got turned around pretty badly once and it cost us an hour. We

 have had an unusual week of preparation. I brought an uncontrollable cough home from our outing at the Nantahala. There were Doctors visits, Doctors phone calls and numerous trips to the Pharmacy. Yesterday we threw things in the MP and Jenny is putting things away right now. We leave here tomorrow for a COE campground in Alabama.