Well here it is, our final day of our Grand Adventure II. It's funny, it seems just like yesterday when we were in Moad, UT, New Orleans, etc. but at the same time it feels like a very long time too. Hard to explain. Lots in between from when we started until now.
One of the questions I'm sure we will get often will be, "what was your favorite spot/activity"? That is going to be very hard to answer. It will likely be a combination of answers.
For me the best and worst part of the entire trip is the same thing. The best part was the sheer number of places we got to visit and experience. The bad part is the same thing since we didn't have many opportunities to stay more than a day or two at any one place and explore further. I guess we'll just have to go back to those places again! :-)
The drive home was uneventful. It is always nice to drive alongside the Columbia River. Great scenery. We got home and got our vagabond stuff out of the truck. You have to remember, all of our stuff was/is in the trailer. We grabbed the things we thought we would need for a couple of days, but the vast majority of our stuff is still in MT. We put things in garbage bags, which looked funny when we moved into the couple of hotels we stayed in.
It was nice to be back in our house again, even though we would like to stay for a couple of days and start another portion of our trip. It gets into your blood. Faithy and Rio were very happy to be back in the house. Rio was scampering all over the place.
I spoke with one of the guys from the Cardinal RV club Tuesday night. We talked about the various options I had and I was able to bounce a number of questions off of him. I decided to move ahead with the 7000lb axle upgrade as the price quoted to me now didn't seem that far off (after further investigation). I also decided to get 4 new wheels and tires. Both have a higher load capacity than what I had on earlier and combined with the new axles, should provide me with a better load capacity overhead on the trailer and hopefully help ward off events like the one we just went through.
One Wednesday (Day 61) I called to the tow shop and gave them the go ahead for the repairs. I also ordered new wheels and tires. They'll be drop shipped directly to the tow shop. We are planning on heading back to MT on Friday, August 23rd. We'll pickup the trailer that afternoon and then take the next 2 days to come home. We'll probably stay at the 2 campgrounds originally on our itinerary, but were cancelled due to the trailer issue. See, our GAII isn't over yet!
The repair costs are starting to add up quickly. The axle upgrade was $1700, which included a $300 labor cost. The labor cost would have been around $1000 here in OR, so I was pretty happy about that. The new wheels / tires were $2100, which included shipping. I also ordered new front legs for the trailer. One of the legs started giving me trouble the last few days and there isn't any easy way to fix them other than a complete replacement. That only ran another $450! We spoke with our insurance agent. They likely will cover the damages caused by the wheel coming off, but not the failure itself. That's good, as that is probably another $2000.
We traveled 11,237 miles during our Grand Adventure II, over 60 days. I'll be tallying actual daily distances and fuel used. That post will be in the next few days. We'll try to summarize our final thoughts then as well.
Cathy and the boys headed down to CA this morning. Cathy's mother is hosting a family reunion in honor of the anniversary of Cathy's father's death. Unfortunately I have to face reality and go back to work.
Friday, August 16, 2013
Day 56-59 - Glacier NP to Coeur d'Alene, ID
Well we're down to our last few days of our Grand Adventure II. Sad to see it coming to an end.
We stopped at the Chevy dealership in Kalispell. I thought I had fuel leaking from the filter area and given the roads we were on yesterday, I wouldn't be surprised. The tech came out and took a quick look. He didn't see any residual fuel and said I probably saw water dripping from the A/C. That was good news, so we continued on our merry way. We did stop at another marine dealership to checkout their pontoon boats. More education for us.
From there we headed south to approximately 1/2 way down Flathead Lake and then we headed SW. Nice road. We were traveling on Rt 135 approximately 14 miles from I90 when we heard a loud "bang" and I saw white smoke coming from the left side of the trailer. I assumed we blew a tire and I pulled over quickly. The car behind us didn't pass us so I wasn't sure what was going on. Once I got the rig stopped and got out to see what happened I understood why. The entire wheel/tire/drum was missing from the rear axle. Not a good site to see. After closer inspection I could see that the outer bearing had completely failed causing the entire wheel assembly to come off the axle. The wheel stayed outside the frame I-beam and inside the outer wall, exiting out the back of the trailer causing quite a bit of damage to the walls all the way back. Let's just say it's not a good thing to look at. I was able to drive the trailer another 100 yds to a pullout along the river we had been following, which got us completely off the road.
We didn't have any cell service, so I dropped the trailer and we drove to St. Regis, MT, which is the town along I90. From there we called the Good Sam Roadside Assistance folks. Cathy did all the talking and after a few call backs, they found a towing service right in St. Regis that could come out and help us. We drove back to the trailer and met the tow truck driver there. The interesting part was that he was in a truck no bigger than mine and it wasn't a tow rig either. I'm now thinking how is he going to get this trailer to his shop? After speaking with him, his plan was to block the trailer over the axles to take the weight off the springs. He also noticed the curb-side spring was broken, likely when it took all the load when the wheel came off. The Good Sam folks said we would be able to stay in our trailer once it was in the tow lot, but I took a quick peek when we were in town and that didn't sound all that great to me. Given it was a Friday afternoon, the tow folks would not have a chance to better inspect the damage until Monday morning so we needed to find a place to stay.
We had just passed a small hot springs resort, with cabins, so while the driver was getting the trailer ready, we drove back up the road to see if they had any vacancies. Fortunately they did and they also would accept animals. The only downside was that the vacancy was only for 2 nights and we would have to find another place to stay for Sunday and likely Monday. That was fine and we booked the cabin.
After that we headed back to the trailer to check on the driver's progress. He had everything ready and confirmed I would be the one pulling the trailer to his yard. Some tow service, huh? On top of that since the opposite spring was broken, he took the other wheel off, which left the entire 14k lbs of the trailer supported on only one axle. Pretty dicey if you ask me. Well, off we went. He was behind me with his lights on and per his suggestion I drove around 15 mph. The good news was that the road was pretty smooth so we didn't hit any bumps, which would have put additional strain on the remaining axle. After almost an hour of white knuckle driving, we made it back to the tow yard. They brought out an extension cord so I could plug the trailer in and keep the fridge going. From there we headed back up to the road to our new, temporary digs and believe me, a few drinks were in order!
Cathy and I felt pretty bad since it was the boy's birthday. They were excited about going to Coeur d'Alene and the fun things in the area. They also wanted tacos for their birthday dinner. They were good troopers though and didn't really complain. We had dinner in the tavern that night and the meals were pretty good.
The next day (Day 57) Cathy and the boys headed to the pool, while Faithy and I went back to try and find the wheel that came off. We hiked approximately 1/2 mile of road on the side where I thought the wheel probably went, to no avail. We then switched to the other side and just before I was going to turn around I saw the wheel a good 75'-100' in the woods. I was hoping we would reuse the wheel and tire but the tire was damaged and the wheel had a dent near the tire bead line, which pretty much meant both were useless. Oh well. I put it in the back of my truck and dropped it off at the town yard, figuring they could decide what could be used and what couldn't.
We had a nice dinner in their restaurant that night and since it was the boy's birthday yesterday and mine today they brought out desserts and sang for us. Nice of them to do so.
On Sunday (Day 58), we needed to pack up and move out. On Saturday, we made a reservation a little further back up the road but Cathy suggested we instead head to Coeur d'Alene. Made sense since there was a good chance the trailer would not be ready for many more days we would have to head home without it. The drive up was nice. We went to a Cabela's to check things out. Cathy was thinking of getting me some new Maui Jim sunglasses and knew they carried them there. I found a pair just like mine, but with a slightly darker rim but decided to hold off. From there we drove around town to check things out and find a place to stay. After a few phone calls we found a Days Inn, which would accept animals. We never had a chance to walk around the downtown area but it looked really nice. We also decided to go to Silverwood on Monday (Day 59), which is a theme & water park just north of town.
Monday (Day 59) at the park was fun. We left Faithy and Rio in a kennel near the park. We spent the afternoon at the water park and then moved to the theme park for the early evening. Fun place all around. When we first got there, I needed to call the tow yard folks and get an update. I asked them to quote me on 2 new, higher rated axles. I figured that since one was going to need to be replaced, why not both and do the upgrade at the same time. The price they came back with was a bit higher than anticipated, so I said I call them back a bit later. After discussing it what Cathy, we decided to wait another day or so before deciding what to do. I wanted some more info before making my final decision. I called the tow guys back and they were good with that, which then let me concentrate on having some fun with my family. After leaving the park, we went and got the animals. Not sure if Faithy had been out of the kennel at all as she was covered in urine and it looks like Rio never got out of his enclosure either. Oh well, live and learn. We picked up a couple of pizzas on the way back and ate them in the room. Everyone was tired so that turned out to be a good thing.
Long couple of days. Tomorrow we head home.
Look Ma, no wheel!
We stopped at the Chevy dealership in Kalispell. I thought I had fuel leaking from the filter area and given the roads we were on yesterday, I wouldn't be surprised. The tech came out and took a quick look. He didn't see any residual fuel and said I probably saw water dripping from the A/C. That was good news, so we continued on our merry way. We did stop at another marine dealership to checkout their pontoon boats. More education for us.
From there we headed south to approximately 1/2 way down Flathead Lake and then we headed SW. Nice road. We were traveling on Rt 135 approximately 14 miles from I90 when we heard a loud "bang" and I saw white smoke coming from the left side of the trailer. I assumed we blew a tire and I pulled over quickly. The car behind us didn't pass us so I wasn't sure what was going on. Once I got the rig stopped and got out to see what happened I understood why. The entire wheel/tire/drum was missing from the rear axle. Not a good site to see. After closer inspection I could see that the outer bearing had completely failed causing the entire wheel assembly to come off the axle. The wheel stayed outside the frame I-beam and inside the outer wall, exiting out the back of the trailer causing quite a bit of damage to the walls all the way back. Let's just say it's not a good thing to look at. I was able to drive the trailer another 100 yds to a pullout along the river we had been following, which got us completely off the road.
We didn't have any cell service, so I dropped the trailer and we drove to St. Regis, MT, which is the town along I90. From there we called the Good Sam Roadside Assistance folks. Cathy did all the talking and after a few call backs, they found a towing service right in St. Regis that could come out and help us. We drove back to the trailer and met the tow truck driver there. The interesting part was that he was in a truck no bigger than mine and it wasn't a tow rig either. I'm now thinking how is he going to get this trailer to his shop? After speaking with him, his plan was to block the trailer over the axles to take the weight off the springs. He also noticed the curb-side spring was broken, likely when it took all the load when the wheel came off. The Good Sam folks said we would be able to stay in our trailer once it was in the tow lot, but I took a quick peek when we were in town and that didn't sound all that great to me. Given it was a Friday afternoon, the tow folks would not have a chance to better inspect the damage until Monday morning so we needed to find a place to stay.
We had just passed a small hot springs resort, with cabins, so while the driver was getting the trailer ready, we drove back up the road to see if they had any vacancies. Fortunately they did and they also would accept animals. The only downside was that the vacancy was only for 2 nights and we would have to find another place to stay for Sunday and likely Monday. That was fine and we booked the cabin.
After that we headed back to the trailer to check on the driver's progress. He had everything ready and confirmed I would be the one pulling the trailer to his yard. Some tow service, huh? On top of that since the opposite spring was broken, he took the other wheel off, which left the entire 14k lbs of the trailer supported on only one axle. Pretty dicey if you ask me. Well, off we went. He was behind me with his lights on and per his suggestion I drove around 15 mph. The good news was that the road was pretty smooth so we didn't hit any bumps, which would have put additional strain on the remaining axle. After almost an hour of white knuckle driving, we made it back to the tow yard. They brought out an extension cord so I could plug the trailer in and keep the fridge going. From there we headed back up to the road to our new, temporary digs and believe me, a few drinks were in order!
Cathy and I felt pretty bad since it was the boy's birthday. They were excited about going to Coeur d'Alene and the fun things in the area. They also wanted tacos for their birthday dinner. They were good troopers though and didn't really complain. We had dinner in the tavern that night and the meals were pretty good.
The next day (Day 57) Cathy and the boys headed to the pool, while Faithy and I went back to try and find the wheel that came off. We hiked approximately 1/2 mile of road on the side where I thought the wheel probably went, to no avail. We then switched to the other side and just before I was going to turn around I saw the wheel a good 75'-100' in the woods. I was hoping we would reuse the wheel and tire but the tire was damaged and the wheel had a dent near the tire bead line, which pretty much meant both were useless. Oh well. I put it in the back of my truck and dropped it off at the town yard, figuring they could decide what could be used and what couldn't.
We had a nice dinner in their restaurant that night and since it was the boy's birthday yesterday and mine today they brought out desserts and sang for us. Nice of them to do so.
On Sunday (Day 58), we needed to pack up and move out. On Saturday, we made a reservation a little further back up the road but Cathy suggested we instead head to Coeur d'Alene. Made sense since there was a good chance the trailer would not be ready for many more days we would have to head home without it. The drive up was nice. We went to a Cabela's to check things out. Cathy was thinking of getting me some new Maui Jim sunglasses and knew they carried them there. I found a pair just like mine, but with a slightly darker rim but decided to hold off. From there we drove around town to check things out and find a place to stay. After a few phone calls we found a Days Inn, which would accept animals. We never had a chance to walk around the downtown area but it looked really nice. We also decided to go to Silverwood on Monday (Day 59), which is a theme & water park just north of town.
Monday (Day 59) at the park was fun. We left Faithy and Rio in a kennel near the park. We spent the afternoon at the water park and then moved to the theme park for the early evening. Fun place all around. When we first got there, I needed to call the tow yard folks and get an update. I asked them to quote me on 2 new, higher rated axles. I figured that since one was going to need to be replaced, why not both and do the upgrade at the same time. The price they came back with was a bit higher than anticipated, so I said I call them back a bit later. After discussing it what Cathy, we decided to wait another day or so before deciding what to do. I wanted some more info before making my final decision. I called the tow guys back and they were good with that, which then let me concentrate on having some fun with my family. After leaving the park, we went and got the animals. Not sure if Faithy had been out of the kennel at all as she was covered in urine and it looks like Rio never got out of his enclosure either. Oh well, live and learn. We picked up a couple of pizzas on the way back and ate them in the room. Everyone was tired so that turned out to be a good thing.
Long couple of days. Tomorrow we head home.
Look Ma, no wheel!
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Days 53-55 at Glacier Park (cont).
On Thursday, we decided to see some out of the way places in Glacier. Someone Jim met during our trip recommended Bowman Lake. Since we got a later start than usual, the line into the park was crowded so we decided to take the outside road. Wow, were we in for an adventure! The road is not maintained (meaning it was not paved) so we rode maybe 30 miles on gravel. Good thing the black beast could handle it. Along the way on this outside road, the scenery was awesome. We were also amazed at the number of houses in this remote area... we could not imagine what these people endure during the winter. We saw a deer along this road, which would turn out to be our only animal sighting of the day... very different from the previous day. Anyway, we were driving along this remote road and suddenly we saw signs hanging from the trees advertising ice cream, pizza, huckleberry pie, etc. We laughed because we thought it was a joke, but sure enough, a bit further down the road was an oasis in the middle of this isolated area. There was a main building with a store and bar/restaurant area, as well as several smaller cabins. Of course, we went in to check it out. There was a guy who runs the place with his brother... they live in Ohio during the winter. He makes 8 huckleberry pies each day and sells out:) It was interesting to visit with him and hear about how he used to come to Glacier as a kid and always loved it. Jim had pie, the boys had ice cream and I got a new spiral, woven rug for the trailer! He recommended that we take a ride to this remote lake outside the park, where we would be sure to see grizzlies and moose. Yay!
So, off we went... more gravel, narrow roads filled with pot-holes, that seemed to go on forever. We eventually found the lake and it was well worth the drive. We had a picnic lunch there and waited patiently for the moose to appear but no luck. We drove further along the road but it got too narrow so we eventually decided to turn around. Back on the outer road again, we took the turn into the park... assuming that once we got into the park, the road would be paved. Not so! We got to Bowman Lake but the entire ride was bumpity bump. Several times during this journey, we had to pull over as far as we could to let other vehicles pass... this made Jim very nervous and also resulted in quite a few scratches on his truck:(
Bowman was beautiful so we relaxed there for several minutes before continuing on. We headed back towards the main area of the park but this entire road was gravel and narrow. Breathtaking scenery to be sure... but no animals came out to say hello. Bummer. We were thrilled to be back on a paved road, believe me! We stopped in Apgar Village to check out the shops and have more ice cream (hey, we're on vacation, right?!?).
Deer heading to door in fence
No Moose Lake
Bowman Lake (GNP)
So, off we went... more gravel, narrow roads filled with pot-holes, that seemed to go on forever. We eventually found the lake and it was well worth the drive. We had a picnic lunch there and waited patiently for the moose to appear but no luck. We drove further along the road but it got too narrow so we eventually decided to turn around. Back on the outer road again, we took the turn into the park... assuming that once we got into the park, the road would be paved. Not so! We got to Bowman Lake but the entire ride was bumpity bump. Several times during this journey, we had to pull over as far as we could to let other vehicles pass... this made Jim very nervous and also resulted in quite a few scratches on his truck:(
Bowman was beautiful so we relaxed there for several minutes before continuing on. We headed back towards the main area of the park but this entire road was gravel and narrow. Breathtaking scenery to be sure... but no animals came out to say hello. Bummer. We were thrilled to be back on a paved road, believe me! We stopped in Apgar Village to check out the shops and have more ice cream (hey, we're on vacation, right?!?).
Deer heading to door in fence
No Moose Lake
Bowman Lake (GNP)
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Day 53 - 55, Glacier National Park
On Tuesday, we left Missoula for West Glacier, MT. On the way out of Missoula, Cathy and I decided to stop by the same RV / Marine dealer we went to on Monday (to check out the pontoon boats). This stop was to check out a fifth wheel trailer we hadn't see before. Nice but we still think the new Cardinal trailers are better.
Once we got that out of our system, we headed north for West Glacier, MT. Along the way, we passed Flathead Lake. Huge lake and just beautiful. I belive it is one of the, if not the largest lake in the continental US (not counting the Great Lakes). We'll definitely be coming back to see it again some time.
Further north we entered Kalispell. Cathy and I passed through here once a while ago when we flew in on our way to Big Mountain to go skiing. It is now called Whitefish Mountain to better align it with the town it is located in. In any case, Kalispell is a nice town. Big for a town. I needed to make a couple of stops in search of a new polarizing filter for my big lens. I lost it at Mt. Rushmore and it would be usefull while we are in Glacier. Unfortunately none of the stores we stopped at had one, so we continued on our way to the campground. We are staying at the West Glacier KOA. Very nice campground and close to the park. We got setup and the boys and I headed to the pool. Where have you heard that one before? :-)
We decided to get up early on Wednesday and hit the park early. Unfortunately so did a lot of other people as there was a line-up of cars waiting to get in. Once we were through the turnstile, we headed to the "Going to the Sun" road. If you haven't been on this before, it is quite the trip. It was built in the 20's/30's by the CCC. It starts out very tame and then the fun begins. It snakes along a cliff for the majority of the assent. It is very narrow and not much room for opposing traffic. Let's just say I was concentrating as the road was not designed for a big butt truck. The road has a 21' length and a 8' width restriction. Both of which I measure at! The views were breathtaking (when I could look). We stopped at a few of the turnouts to take a longer look and snap some photos. The morning sun presented us with some great photo opportunities. Near the top at Logan Pass, we stopped in a small parking lot. Right in front of us, maybe 30' away, was a big horn sheep. He just stood there while we took a number of photos. Quite the animal and fun to see fairly close up. After looking around some more, we went up to the pass and stopped in the visitor's center there. The ranger there gave us a tip about making sure we went to Many Glacier, another location in the park. She indicated we would have a good chance to see grizzly bears and moose. One of Cathy's goals was to see a bear, a moose, and a wolf. Well, 2 out of 3 isn't bad, so off we went. The drive up to Many Glacier was simply fabulous. Just before Swiftcurrent lake, there were a bunch of cars pulled off to the side so we stopped to see what they were looking at. Turns out there was a bear a couple of hundred yards up the slope eating berries. We thought it was a grizzly, given its color, but after looking at the photo, it looks like a blonde, black bear. Even from a distance, it was very cool to watch. A little later we make it to the hotel right along Swiftcurrent Lake. This is another of those old hotels (like Timberline) built in the 20's/30's and the mountains are right there. Just unbelieveable. We had lunch there and got another suggestion as to where we might see some moose. It was a short hike up at the end of the road, so off we went in search of moose. Unfortunately this one didn't pan out. It was a nice hike but the moose were no where to be found. Oh well. We got back to the car and headed back down. Along the way we encounted 2 more grizzly viewings. It was getting late then so we hustled, as much as you can on the "Going to the Sun" road and headed back to West Glacier. Faith had been the trailer for almost 11hrs and I'm sure she was ready to explode. We had dinner in a cafe right in the campground. The operator, was very friendly. He serves BBQ trout, chicken, ribs, and ribeye steaks. Cathy had the ribs, while I went for the ribeye. It was probably the best steak I have had since my days of traveling in Texas. Cathy's ribs were not to shabby either. We got the boys pizza in the campground store, so they were happy campers too.
Swiftcurrent Lake w/hotel
Big horn sheep
Blonde Black Bear
Thursday's update to be done later, I have to go to bed. :-)
Once we got that out of our system, we headed north for West Glacier, MT. Along the way, we passed Flathead Lake. Huge lake and just beautiful. I belive it is one of the, if not the largest lake in the continental US (not counting the Great Lakes). We'll definitely be coming back to see it again some time.
Further north we entered Kalispell. Cathy and I passed through here once a while ago when we flew in on our way to Big Mountain to go skiing. It is now called Whitefish Mountain to better align it with the town it is located in. In any case, Kalispell is a nice town. Big for a town. I needed to make a couple of stops in search of a new polarizing filter for my big lens. I lost it at Mt. Rushmore and it would be usefull while we are in Glacier. Unfortunately none of the stores we stopped at had one, so we continued on our way to the campground. We are staying at the West Glacier KOA. Very nice campground and close to the park. We got setup and the boys and I headed to the pool. Where have you heard that one before? :-)
We decided to get up early on Wednesday and hit the park early. Unfortunately so did a lot of other people as there was a line-up of cars waiting to get in. Once we were through the turnstile, we headed to the "Going to the Sun" road. If you haven't been on this before, it is quite the trip. It was built in the 20's/30's by the CCC. It starts out very tame and then the fun begins. It snakes along a cliff for the majority of the assent. It is very narrow and not much room for opposing traffic. Let's just say I was concentrating as the road was not designed for a big butt truck. The road has a 21' length and a 8' width restriction. Both of which I measure at! The views were breathtaking (when I could look). We stopped at a few of the turnouts to take a longer look and snap some photos. The morning sun presented us with some great photo opportunities. Near the top at Logan Pass, we stopped in a small parking lot. Right in front of us, maybe 30' away, was a big horn sheep. He just stood there while we took a number of photos. Quite the animal and fun to see fairly close up. After looking around some more, we went up to the pass and stopped in the visitor's center there. The ranger there gave us a tip about making sure we went to Many Glacier, another location in the park. She indicated we would have a good chance to see grizzly bears and moose. One of Cathy's goals was to see a bear, a moose, and a wolf. Well, 2 out of 3 isn't bad, so off we went. The drive up to Many Glacier was simply fabulous. Just before Swiftcurrent lake, there were a bunch of cars pulled off to the side so we stopped to see what they were looking at. Turns out there was a bear a couple of hundred yards up the slope eating berries. We thought it was a grizzly, given its color, but after looking at the photo, it looks like a blonde, black bear. Even from a distance, it was very cool to watch. A little later we make it to the hotel right along Swiftcurrent Lake. This is another of those old hotels (like Timberline) built in the 20's/30's and the mountains are right there. Just unbelieveable. We had lunch there and got another suggestion as to where we might see some moose. It was a short hike up at the end of the road, so off we went in search of moose. Unfortunately this one didn't pan out. It was a nice hike but the moose were no where to be found. Oh well. We got back to the car and headed back down. Along the way we encounted 2 more grizzly viewings. It was getting late then so we hustled, as much as you can on the "Going to the Sun" road and headed back to West Glacier. Faith had been the trailer for almost 11hrs and I'm sure she was ready to explode. We had dinner in a cafe right in the campground. The operator, was very friendly. He serves BBQ trout, chicken, ribs, and ribeye steaks. Cathy had the ribs, while I went for the ribeye. It was probably the best steak I have had since my days of traveling in Texas. Cathy's ribs were not to shabby either. We got the boys pizza in the campground store, so they were happy campers too.
Swiftcurrent Lake w/hotel
Big horn sheep
Blonde Black Bear
Thursday's update to be done later, I have to go to bed. :-)
Monday, August 5, 2013
Day 52 - Missoula, MT
Today was an uneventful day. No problems getting the trailer ready and on
the road. The drive was pretty nice as we are climbing higher and the
country-side is getting more dramatic.
We got to Missoula and started following the GPS directions to the campground. At 3:00pm in the afternoon we were in the worst traffic of our trip. I couldn't figure out if everyone started work at 6:00am and were getting off work or if no one had a job? We got a little further down the road and the directions had us going behind a series of big box stores (TJ Max, etc.) and at that point I started wondering if I really investigated this campground or not. Well we are directly behind the aforementioned stores but they do a pretty good job of camouflaging everything so you don't really know you are in the middle of a busy city. Missoula is home to the University of Montana. It definitely has the feel of a college town.
After setting up we sent the boys off to the pool, while Cathy and I went in search of a CVS pharmacy. Greg needed his prescription updated. We got the prescription filled and then we headed over to a RV / Marine store to check out the pontoon boats. Yeah, we still have an infatuation with them! The good news is that we really didn't like the ones we saw.
After that it was back to the campground and dinner. After dinner Cathy and the boys headed off to play miniature golf while I finished washing the dishes. I headed over and got in 9 with the boys. When we were leaving we saw a man walking his cat on a leash. Cool but funny at the same time. Cathy went over to see how he went about getting the cat comfortable on a leash as we'd like to do the same with Rio. We'll have to give it a go at some point. Speaking of Rio, he seems to be a bit under the weather. We put flea/tick topical medicine on him last night and the little sucker is very flexible as he has been licking it off from between his shoulder blades! Little twerp!
Tomorrow we head up the Glacier NP. Looking forward to that as we have only heard great things. We'll be there for 3 days, which should give us enough time to check things out.
County courthouse in Missoula, MT
.JPG)
We got to Missoula and started following the GPS directions to the campground. At 3:00pm in the afternoon we were in the worst traffic of our trip. I couldn't figure out if everyone started work at 6:00am and were getting off work or if no one had a job? We got a little further down the road and the directions had us going behind a series of big box stores (TJ Max, etc.) and at that point I started wondering if I really investigated this campground or not. Well we are directly behind the aforementioned stores but they do a pretty good job of camouflaging everything so you don't really know you are in the middle of a busy city. Missoula is home to the University of Montana. It definitely has the feel of a college town.
After setting up we sent the boys off to the pool, while Cathy and I went in search of a CVS pharmacy. Greg needed his prescription updated. We got the prescription filled and then we headed over to a RV / Marine store to check out the pontoon boats. Yeah, we still have an infatuation with them! The good news is that we really didn't like the ones we saw.
After that it was back to the campground and dinner. After dinner Cathy and the boys headed off to play miniature golf while I finished washing the dishes. I headed over and got in 9 with the boys. When we were leaving we saw a man walking his cat on a leash. Cool but funny at the same time. Cathy went over to see how he went about getting the cat comfortable on a leash as we'd like to do the same with Rio. We'll have to give it a go at some point. Speaking of Rio, he seems to be a bit under the weather. We put flea/tick topical medicine on him last night and the little sucker is very flexible as he has been licking it off from between his shoulder blades! Little twerp!
Tomorrow we head up the Glacier NP. Looking forward to that as we have only heard great things. We'll be there for 3 days, which should give us enough time to check things out.
County courthouse in Missoula, MT
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Day 51 – Livingston, MT
Got up and dumped the tanks before we got underway. We also needed gas so got that on the way out
to the highway. We’ll be on interstate
90 the entire way again. The first half
was not that pretty but the 2nd half was much more interesting.
The the boys and I along the Yellowstone River
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Cathy and Faithy along the river
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We stopped in Billings, MT for lunch and to shop for
groceries. When I look at the shopping
cart, I start to wonder where everything will fit in the trailer. One way or another it does.
We didn’t stop anywhere else along the way. I couldn’t remember exactly where the
campground was and it wasn’t until we got off the exit and saw the sign that it
was another 10 miles down the road towards Yellowstone when I finally
remembered. The other funny thing was
that this morning, I mapped out our route on Google Maps and it said 282 miles
while my spreadsheet said 292. I
shrugged it off and once I saw the additional 10 miles to the campground I
went, “oh yeah”.
The campground is right next to the Yellowstone River along
the main road heading to the North entrance of the park. While heading along the road, I asked Cathy
if this was the only way to the North entrance as the road looked
familiar. She checked and told me it
was, so this was the same road we were on 7 years ago for our first Grand
Adventure! Funny to be so close to
Yellowstone and not heading into the park.
As I mentioned, the campground is between the Yellowstone River
and a mountain range. Pretty
dramatic. Tomorrow we head to Missoula,
MT for another 1-night stay before heading to Glacier NP for 3 nights.The the boys and I along the Yellowstone River
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Cathy and Faithy along the river
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Day 50 – Buffalo, WY
We took the back roads out the Interstate 90 and only had to
travel one exit before getting off and heading to the Devil’s Tower
(Postpile). I’ve always wanted to see
this, especially since viewing Encounters of the Third Kind many years
ago. The ride in was nice and just
before we got there, there was a rest area that gave a great view of the tower
and surrounding area. From there we
headed to park (it’s the first National Monument in the nation). Pretty busy as more and more motorcycles
riders were showing up for Sturgis. We
went through the ticket booth and headed up to the parking lot near the base of
the tower. When we first got up there,
there wasn’t any RV parking available so I figured we would be out of
luck. Fortunately after going completely
around the parking lot circle and heading out, an RV pulled out right on the
end, which was perfect as parallel parking the rig is not an easy task! We then took a hike around the base of the
tower, which was pretty cool. We also
had the opportunity to briefly watch a couple of technical mountain climbers
scale the tower. Fun to watch.
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View along the highway
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From there we headed back to interstate 90 and headed west
towards Buffalo, WY. Not a very
interesting ride, but we make decent time.
We got there around 4:00pm and the boys promptly headed to the pool. I
decided to take care of a few issues inside the trailer and clean up the inside
as well. I also had enough of the inside
windows of the truck so I cleaned them as well.
After dinner, we decided to walk towards the center of town,
or so we thought. We were also trying to
find the miniature golf store. Along the
way we saw a poster telling us about the county fair that was going on. We checked to see where it was and decided we
could walk, so off we went. We got there
and learned a couple of things. County
fairs in WY are way different from those on either coast. None of this carnival stuff, just
animals. There was a cow and lamb
auction going on when we arrived. Let’s
just say, we stood out from everyone else there. Here we were in shorts and t-shirts while
everyone else is in jeans, boots, and nice cowboy shirts. Can you say city meets country? J We didn’t stay long and headed back to our
campground. Along the way, a yahoo (I’ll
be nice) decided he’d have some fun with his Dodge diesel (at our expense) and
floored it next to us showering us with black soot. Jerk.
At that point I was a little worried given it was a Saturday night and
it was getting dark. Not sure what else,
or who else, we’d encounter so I hurried our little party along.
When we were just about back to our campground, we saw the
miniature golf place right across the street.
Guess we didn’t have our eyes open when we originally left. We went across and tried to get in a quick
game before they closed. Unfortunately
there was a group of 5, including a toddler way past his bedtime, which were in
front of us and needless to say they were not moving very quickly. We ended up just playing 9-holes and calling
it an evening. We headed back to the
campground and put the boys to bed.
There was another thunder storm way off in the distance and it was fun
to watch the lightning reflect off the clouds and sky.
Tomorrow we head to Livingston, MT. The ride will entirely be on interstate 90,
but at least we’ll cover some distance.
Not liking the fact that our trip is almost over. Pretty amazing that we’ve been on the road
for just over 7-weeks so far.
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View along the highway
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Days 47-49 – Bad Lands NP & Hill City, SD
On our way from Chamberlain to Hill City, we stopped at
Badlands NP and did a short hike, as well as driving the scenic loop. This was made more interesting since we were
hauling the trailer for this visit! The
geology of this area is very diverse compared with the surrounding area. It was very breathtaking. The highlight of this stop, however, was the
appearance of two big horn sheep at one of the overlooks. They walked alongside the road and then
crossed over to our side, next to the overlook.
They seemed unfazed by the cars and motorcycles in the area. We watched them graze the grass and then
climb to one of the peeks of the overlook.
They seemed perfectly happy to stand and then lie down on the
outcropping. I wonder how long they
outlasted the spectators after we left!!
After Badlands, we stopped at Wall Drug. This is definitely a roadside attraction that has morphed larger and larger over the years. The boys had their first try at a shooting gallery, we walked through the stores, we watched the dinosaur come to life and of course, we had an ice cream. It was a bit hokey but fun nonetheless.
Big horn sheep in Bad Lands NP (they were really close!)
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Mt. Rushmore and state flags
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Mt. Rushmore at night
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Crazy Horse monument (under construction for ~70 years and it will probably be another 75 until it's done - note the horse's head outlined)
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Buffalo jam in Custer State Park
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After Badlands, we stopped at Wall Drug. This is definitely a roadside attraction that has morphed larger and larger over the years. The boys had their first try at a shooting gallery, we walked through the stores, we watched the dinosaur come to life and of course, we had an ice cream. It was a bit hokey but fun nonetheless.
We arrived at the Rafter J Bar campground in the late afternoon and I have to say this
is one of the most beautiful campgrounds we’ve ever stayed at. There were hundreds of sites but they were
split up into “camps” with a huge grassy area in the center. The camps were generously shaded with trees and
each site had plenty of space… truly beautiful!
After setting up camp, we hopped on our bikes to tour the campground.
Then the boys and I hit the pool. Well,
actually, they hit the pool and I read my kindle. We had dinner and then went to Mount Rushmore
for the evening lighting ceremony. It
was an interesting experience going to Rushmore, having never been there
before, and looking at a dark mountain, knowing it was going to be amazing, but
not being able to see it yet. There was
a ranger talk, followed by a recording of each of the 4 President’s
accomplishments, Good Bless America and then the National Anthem, before the
mountain was illuminated. Definitely
worth the wait. On our way back, we saw
George Washington’s profile all lit up… very special.
The next day, we headed to Crazy Horse… I had never heard of
this monument until this trip. Wow is
all I can say. Its gigantic proportions
are hard to comprehend. Plus I have
never seen so much Native American history and artifacts in one place. It was overwhelming to try and take it all
in. This sculpture was started around
the same time at Rushmore was completed and it won’t be finished for another 75
years. It’s going to be a true marvel
once everything is completed. I spoke to
a Lakota man who weaves jewelry out of horse hair (I bought a bracelet) and I
was honored to be able to speak to him about his craft. Amazing tradition.
After Crazy Horse, we had lunch in Custer. We were visiting around the same time as a
national motorcycle rally in Sturgis so there were tons of bikes around. It was fun people watching for sure! After lunch, we drove the wildlife loop of
Custer State Park. On the way, we
stopped at Coolidge lookout. When we got
to the top, we saw a couple of lightning strikes on the next peak, which was a
little too close for comfort. The funny
thing is we saw deer and pronghorn sheep prior to the loop but we did not see
any animals on the wildlife loop until we came upon a herd of buffalo toward
the end. We enjoyed the buffalo antics 7
years ago at Yellowstone so we were familiar with their afternoon habit of
crossing the road, making all of the car/motorcycle traffic waitJ
We returned to camp to check on Faithy and Rio and then
decided to ride our bikes into Hill City for dinner. The bike trail was beautiful but
unfortunately Greg got a flat so that slowed us down a little. My engineer husband was well prepared so we
were back on our way in about 10 minutes.
We had marginal Mexican food and then walked around town for a bit. We stayed too long though, because it got
dark quickly so we had to ride back in the dark. This did not sit well with me, since I don’t
have very good night vision. To make
matters more stressful, there was a thunderstorm in the distance that we could
see on our way home. Essentially we were
racing it. Fortunately we got back in one
piece and before the rain! We sat
outside watching the light show for a while.
Jim took a number of photos and was rewarded with a couple of really
nice lightning shots. Jim was concerned
that it was coming our way, so he took in the awning and we watched from
inside. The store never actually “hit”
us but there was consistent lightening and we eventually got rained on.
Jewel Cave National Monument was on our agenda for the next
day so after a somewhat leisurely morning, we headed over. Unfortunately, the tours were full until
about 1 so we rode into Newcastle (oops, we went into WY… lol) to kill
time. We then headed back to Jewel for
our tour. Now, mind you, I was expecting
this “tour” to be like Carlsbad Caverns.
They are large and open and there are many formations to look at. Not Jewel.
It’s a cave with no light and very tight spaces. I was somewhat dismayed when the group voted
to take the route that would require us to be bent at the waist half the
time. This tour was not about seeing the
cave so much as challenging us to climb and descend, and duck and keep our
footing, etc. I had to force myself not
to dwell on the fact that I was underground in a very tight, dark space. It goes without saying that Jim and the boys
LOVED it.
After Jewel, we headed back to Rushmore to see it in the
daylight. To get to Rushmore from Jewel
required us to drive back through Custer State Park. During this drive, we were following a
motorhome, towing a car, and Jim commented that this guy was too big to fit
through the 3 tunnels on the road. He pulled over so Jim thought that the guy
must have realized his predicament. Not
true. We stopped at a lookout and then
got back on the road, only to be caught behind a line of cars waiting for the
motorhome to get through the tunnel. The
motorcycle guys were wonderful in trying to help this guy navigate the tunnel
so everything seemed to work out. Jim is
extremely careful to make sure we don’t get the monstrosity trailer on a road
that is difficult to navigate so we couldn’t believe the motorhome guy didn’t
do his homework.
Back to Rushmore, we were just as awed by the mountain in
daylight and happy to be able to see the exhibits. We wished we had more time to do the short
hike but time was short. We headed for a
drive through Keystone after this, and then went back to camp for dinner. Of course, another set of storms were coming
through but Jim seemed to think they were going to miss us. WRONG!
At around 2:30 our weather radio went off and the fun began. We got hit by 3 separate storms for about 2
hours. I have never seen lightening like
this before. It was like being on the
set of a movie with crazy special effects.
At one point, the trailer was shaking from the thunder. Faith, Rio and Connor were awake, while Jim
and Greg mostly slept through it. Go
figure!
The next morning we broke camp. Jim was worried about the front legs on the
trailer. He thinks we have a broken
tooth on one of the legs and he wasn’t sure if we’d get it back up on the
truck. Fortunately things went fairly
well and we got underway. Sad to leave
the Black Hills, but the trip continues.
Great place and we’d like to return some day to investigate further.Big horn sheep in Bad Lands NP (they were really close!)
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Mt. Rushmore and state flags
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Mt. Rushmore at night
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Crazy Horse monument (under construction for ~70 years and it will probably be another 75 until it's done - note the horse's head outlined)
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Buffalo jam in Custer State Park
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Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Day 46 - Granite Falls to Chamberlain, SD
I'm finally writing about today.... whew!
We crossed into South Dakota today, which is our last new state of this journey. Makes me sad to think there are only two decals left to put on the map (sigh...).
Anyway, we saw our first Wall Drug road-side sign today so that was a milestone (ha ha!). We also crossed the Missouri River which was amazing. It looks more like a lake than a river. Other than that, we basically spent today viewing corn... miles and miles of corn... I've never seen so much corn.
The good news is that the weather cleared up for a brief time period so we were thrilled to have temps in the low 70s. How pathetic.
We got set up at camp Oasis. Jim is anal, as you all know, so he got the truck and trailer washed while the boys and I went to the pool. They swam, I did not... the weather was too fickle. I went in to the office to ask about the laundry facilities and the woman wanted to be sure we knew about the storm shelter. Oh geeze!
Jim came up to the pool just as the boys were getting out so we went back to the trailer to have a quick dinner and I got some more laundry going. At that point the electrical storm came through and our old friend Rain was back. Ugh.
After dinner, the rain let up a bit so we walked across the street to see the Oasis shops. We goofed around taking picures with some buffalo statues (see below). After that, we walked back to the trailer and got the laundry finished. Tomorrow will be an early day since we have lots to see on this next leg of our journey!
This was my view from the truck as we crossed the Missouri River:
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You missed a spot, Honey (lol!):
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Ride 'em Cowboys!
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We crossed into South Dakota today, which is our last new state of this journey. Makes me sad to think there are only two decals left to put on the map (sigh...).
Anyway, we saw our first Wall Drug road-side sign today so that was a milestone (ha ha!). We also crossed the Missouri River which was amazing. It looks more like a lake than a river. Other than that, we basically spent today viewing corn... miles and miles of corn... I've never seen so much corn.
The good news is that the weather cleared up for a brief time period so we were thrilled to have temps in the low 70s. How pathetic.
We got set up at camp Oasis. Jim is anal, as you all know, so he got the truck and trailer washed while the boys and I went to the pool. They swam, I did not... the weather was too fickle. I went in to the office to ask about the laundry facilities and the woman wanted to be sure we knew about the storm shelter. Oh geeze!
Jim came up to the pool just as the boys were getting out so we went back to the trailer to have a quick dinner and I got some more laundry going. At that point the electrical storm came through and our old friend Rain was back. Ugh.
After dinner, the rain let up a bit so we walked across the street to see the Oasis shops. We goofed around taking picures with some buffalo statues (see below). After that, we walked back to the trailer and got the laundry finished. Tomorrow will be an early day since we have lots to see on this next leg of our journey!
This was my view from the truck as we crossed the Missouri River:
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You missed a spot, Honey (lol!):
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Ride 'em Cowboys!
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Day 45 - Cass Lake to Granite Falls
We left Cass Lake and took the scenic route (or should I say several scenic routes) to Granite Falls. We have a rule that unless the trailer actually travels in a particular state, we do not apply that decal to our US map. Sooooo we decided to drive to Fargo just so we could put ND on our map... lol!
We first traveled over to Bemidji so we could see the mouth of the Mississippi River. When we stopped for lunch in Fargo, I happened to notice a boat dealership next door so I walked over to see if I could get a brochure for pontoon boats. I was able to look at a few in the showroom and get a brochure so Jim decided to come back with me to have a look. After lunch and a fuel stop for the big black butt truck, we headed for Granite Falls.
Along the way, Jim happened to see a sign for another boat dealership so we stopped there too and got another brochure. Of course, we had to look at the boats in their show room as well. We are really infatuated with these pontoon boats... we just can't figure out if we'd get enough use out of it where we live.
Anyway, we hopped back in the truck and headed for our campground. This was a tricky one, since the directons on their website were not too clear. After turning onto a dirt road by accident (try turning around the truck and trailer at 55' in length... better Jim than me!) and missing a turn, we finally arrived. The RV park is next to a casino and across from a corn field (we've seen a lot of corn!)
After setting up camp, we walked over to the casino restaurant for dinner, which was delicious. Judging from the looks we got from other diners, they don't see many kids in that restaurant. We came back to take care of some laundry and then settled the kids in for the night. After that, we walked back over to the casino to make a small donation. I am not used to people smoking around me anymore (especially inside a building) so we didn't last too long.
The pictures below were taken from our campground.
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We first traveled over to Bemidji so we could see the mouth of the Mississippi River. When we stopped for lunch in Fargo, I happened to notice a boat dealership next door so I walked over to see if I could get a brochure for pontoon boats. I was able to look at a few in the showroom and get a brochure so Jim decided to come back with me to have a look. After lunch and a fuel stop for the big black butt truck, we headed for Granite Falls.
Along the way, Jim happened to see a sign for another boat dealership so we stopped there too and got another brochure. Of course, we had to look at the boats in their show room as well. We are really infatuated with these pontoon boats... we just can't figure out if we'd get enough use out of it where we live.
Anyway, we hopped back in the truck and headed for our campground. This was a tricky one, since the directons on their website were not too clear. After turning onto a dirt road by accident (try turning around the truck and trailer at 55' in length... better Jim than me!) and missing a turn, we finally arrived. The RV park is next to a casino and across from a corn field (we've seen a lot of corn!)
After setting up camp, we walked over to the casino restaurant for dinner, which was delicious. Judging from the looks we got from other diners, they don't see many kids in that restaurant. We came back to take care of some laundry and then settled the kids in for the night. After that, we walked back over to the casino to make a small donation. I am not used to people smoking around me anymore (especially inside a building) so we didn't last too long.
The pictures below were taken from our campground.
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Days 43 & 44 Cass Lake, MN
When we left Iron River, Jim realized that we were running low on wine (horror) so we decided to stop at a wine store in Duluth. No offense to anyone from Duluth, but we had no idea how large a city it is. So here I am navigating Jim (with trailer in tow...) through downtown Duluth in search of this specifc wine store that I found online. We could not have gotten luckier with regard to finding the shop and parking the monstrosity trailer nearly in front of Fitzger's, which was a hotel, restaurant and wine shop. The bonus was that they make their own beer too so, of course, Jim had to get some of that too:)
We got ourselves out of Duluth with relative ease and headed for Cass Lake. On the way we bought Power Ball tickets but we have no idea whatsoever if we won (dang, if so, we could just keep on traveling!).
We arrived at Cass Lake, which was an interesting area. We camped at Stony Point, which is an RV/Campground, a restaurant and a marina... they have loads of pontoon boats so our infatuation with those boats continues!! Our particular camp spot was nothing to write home about (mostly dirt...) but the entire campground was very nice. The lake is pretty large and they have fishing as well as a nice swimming area with large inflatable toys and a water slide for the kids to play with. Too bad it wasn't very warm... grr..
After we set up camp, the boys immediately headed for the playground area. Jim and I toured the campground. We had to pry the boys out of the playground to get them to come back for dinner! They were having a blast. It was pretty cold that night so we hung out inside the trailer.
The next day dawned sunny (yay!) so we decided to head out on our bikes. We ended up taking a 14 mile ride which was wonderful. The scenery was beautiful. We came back to have lunch at the restaurant, which was delicious, and then Jim took the boys fishing. Faith and I took a ride in the truck. I was hoping to get it washed but that didn't work out so we just explored the local area. I haven't driven at all so I wanted to make sure I still remembered how:)
I got back around the same time as Jim and the boys so we headed down to the lake so they could swim. Of course, Faith was totally on board with this plan! We hung out down there until the fickle sun decided to hide behind the clouds and it cooled off. Fortunately it was nice enough to eat outside. The boys and Jim built us a fire, which was a welcome change from being cooped up inside due to the weather.
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We got ourselves out of Duluth with relative ease and headed for Cass Lake. On the way we bought Power Ball tickets but we have no idea whatsoever if we won (dang, if so, we could just keep on traveling!).
We arrived at Cass Lake, which was an interesting area. We camped at Stony Point, which is an RV/Campground, a restaurant and a marina... they have loads of pontoon boats so our infatuation with those boats continues!! Our particular camp spot was nothing to write home about (mostly dirt...) but the entire campground was very nice. The lake is pretty large and they have fishing as well as a nice swimming area with large inflatable toys and a water slide for the kids to play with. Too bad it wasn't very warm... grr..
After we set up camp, the boys immediately headed for the playground area. Jim and I toured the campground. We had to pry the boys out of the playground to get them to come back for dinner! They were having a blast. It was pretty cold that night so we hung out inside the trailer.
The next day dawned sunny (yay!) so we decided to head out on our bikes. We ended up taking a 14 mile ride which was wonderful. The scenery was beautiful. We came back to have lunch at the restaurant, which was delicious, and then Jim took the boys fishing. Faith and I took a ride in the truck. I was hoping to get it washed but that didn't work out so we just explored the local area. I haven't driven at all so I wanted to make sure I still remembered how:)
I got back around the same time as Jim and the boys so we headed down to the lake so they could swim. Of course, Faith was totally on board with this plan! We hung out down there until the fickle sun decided to hide behind the clouds and it cooled off. Fortunately it was nice enough to eat outside. The boys and Jim built us a fire, which was a welcome change from being cooped up inside due to the weather.
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Day 42 - Ishpeming to Iron River, WI
During our drive from Ishpeming, our run of bad weather continued. However we stopped at Bayfield, WI, which is another charming port town, and walked around. The rain continued as we arrived at our campground. We set up as quickly as possible and then took refuge in the trailer. I cooked pasta.. no barbecue action for Jim:) Fortunately the weather let up so we ventured outside and took a walk down to the lake. On our way, the boys jumped on the swings so it was fun to see them goofing around like that... lots of laughing!
What a beautiful area this was... green rolling grass and a lovely lakefront area. We walked out on a few piers to have a look in the water. I think the boys were secretly hoping for some turtles... no luck but we did see some small fish that were nearly transparent.
After checking out the lakefront, we went into the office, which was really a combination gameroom, bar and restaurant. The owners were very friendly so Jim and I chatted with them while the boys played foos-ball. During our ride to WI, Greg kept referring to cheese-heads so I think maybe he expected everyone to be wearing cheese-heads in WI??? In any case, Jim mentioned this to the owners and the next thing we knew, we were all wearing or holding onto Green Bay cheese-head stuff! We actually had our picture taken wearing/holding this stuff (sacreligious for a die-hard Niners fan!!). It was all in great fun.
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What a beautiful area this was... green rolling grass and a lovely lakefront area. We walked out on a few piers to have a look in the water. I think the boys were secretly hoping for some turtles... no luck but we did see some small fish that were nearly transparent.
After checking out the lakefront, we went into the office, which was really a combination gameroom, bar and restaurant. The owners were very friendly so Jim and I chatted with them while the boys played foos-ball. During our ride to WI, Greg kept referring to cheese-heads so I think maybe he expected everyone to be wearing cheese-heads in WI??? In any case, Jim mentioned this to the owners and the next thing we knew, we were all wearing or holding onto Green Bay cheese-head stuff! We actually had our picture taken wearing/holding this stuff (sacreligious for a die-hard Niners fan!!). It was all in great fun.
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Day 41 - St. Ignace to Ishpeming, MI
As Jim mentioned in the previous post, this stage of our trip is about exploration during the drive, vs. arriving somewhere to do the sightseeing. We packed up the trailer in St. Ignace but before we hitched up, we drove across the highway to a lookout point called Castle Rock. It was a hokey roadside attraction but we wanted to check it out anyway. Basically there was an elaborate souvenir shop at the base and then we walked up 100+ stairs to a lookout point. Great views of Lake Huron from up top, well worth all of the stairs! The proprietor of the shop was a super nice guy too so we were glad we went.
We took our time heading up to Ishpeming, stopping to have lunch along the shore of Lake Michigan. We were surprised at how Michigan looks like an ocean with waves coming into the shore. It was also much darker in color than Huron, which we thought looked like Caribbean water.
We stopping in Muinsing which was a very charming port city. We had seen signs for a boat tour to see painted rocks so we decided to check it out. We thought the boat ride would be about an hour so we put Faithy and Rio in the trailer and went for it. Turns out it was a 2 1/2 hour trip! Fortunately it was well worth it. We saw beautiful rock formations and "paintings" courtesy of Mother Nature. We were very pleased that we decided to stop and check this out.
We arrived in Ishpeming later that afternoon/evening and the RV park had very nice, spacious grass sites. Since it was somewhat late, we decided to go out for dinner rather than cook. I checked Yelp for Mexican food (no luck...) so I decided to check for the highest rated restaurant in the area. That turned out to be Congress Pizza so we decided to give it a try. If any of you have been to this area, you've probably heard of Congress Pizza. It's a long-standing tradition in the area and it definitely lived up to it's reputation. Delicious pizza! They have a special recipe sausage called Cudighi, which Jim loved. Very warm and friendly people in this area. We got to put a pin for Beaverton on the map at Congress Pizza as well as the map at the campground:)
It's interesting that during a trip like this, being so far from home, we are more inclined to chat with total strangers and tell them about our trip. I guess maybe it's the camping aspect of it, vs. staying in a hotel room...?
This is a lighthouse on Lake Michigan:
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These are pictures from our boat tour of the painted rocks:
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We took our time heading up to Ishpeming, stopping to have lunch along the shore of Lake Michigan. We were surprised at how Michigan looks like an ocean with waves coming into the shore. It was also much darker in color than Huron, which we thought looked like Caribbean water.
We stopping in Muinsing which was a very charming port city. We had seen signs for a boat tour to see painted rocks so we decided to check it out. We thought the boat ride would be about an hour so we put Faithy and Rio in the trailer and went for it. Turns out it was a 2 1/2 hour trip! Fortunately it was well worth it. We saw beautiful rock formations and "paintings" courtesy of Mother Nature. We were very pleased that we decided to stop and check this out.
We arrived in Ishpeming later that afternoon/evening and the RV park had very nice, spacious grass sites. Since it was somewhat late, we decided to go out for dinner rather than cook. I checked Yelp for Mexican food (no luck...) so I decided to check for the highest rated restaurant in the area. That turned out to be Congress Pizza so we decided to give it a try. If any of you have been to this area, you've probably heard of Congress Pizza. It's a long-standing tradition in the area and it definitely lived up to it's reputation. Delicious pizza! They have a special recipe sausage called Cudighi, which Jim loved. Very warm and friendly people in this area. We got to put a pin for Beaverton on the map at Congress Pizza as well as the map at the campground:)
It's interesting that during a trip like this, being so far from home, we are more inclined to chat with total strangers and tell them about our trip. I guess maybe it's the camping aspect of it, vs. staying in a hotel room...?
This is a lighthouse on Lake Michigan:
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These are pictures from our boat tour of the painted rocks:
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Day 40 - St. Ignace (Michigan UP)
Nice drive up to the UP. We decided to take the senic route along Lake Huron vs. following the interstate highway up the middle of lower Michigan. Good decision. We had lunch at a nice rest area right next to the lake. The rest of the drive along Lake Huron was very pretty. Lots of homes right along the lake. We took notice of how each driveway had a sign with a unique name, or different structures (i.e. lighhouse, anchor, etc.) in an effort to uniquely identify their entrance. Some were better than others. We also saw a lot of "For Sale" signs too.
Going over the Mackinaw Bridge was very cool. The crossing is approximately 5 miles and the bridge is similar in design to the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco. The crossing is where Lake Michigan connects to Lake Huron.
Our campground was right along Lake Huron. A little rustic but nice location. We ended up with a site set a bit apart from the others, which was nice. Once we got setup, we headed down to beach. The water there was very shallow and we were able to walk out quite a ways. Faithy had fun in the water too. We saw afterwards that dogs were not allowed on the beach. Oh well. Greg and I went out the farthest and I took a dip in Lake Huron. My first great lake swim! We then headed back to our site for dinner and then a campfire afterwards. I taught the boys the correct was to roast a marshmellow to the nice golden brown vs. their "let's light it on fire" method. I'm sure they still prefer their method!
Tomorrow we head further up the UP. We're going to keep on taking the scenic routes. Today and the next number of days are more about the drive vs. our previous destination focus, so our mindset needs to change.
Mackinaw Bridge
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Boys in Lake Huron
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Going over the Mackinaw Bridge was very cool. The crossing is approximately 5 miles and the bridge is similar in design to the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco. The crossing is where Lake Michigan connects to Lake Huron.
Our campground was right along Lake Huron. A little rustic but nice location. We ended up with a site set a bit apart from the others, which was nice. Once we got setup, we headed down to beach. The water there was very shallow and we were able to walk out quite a ways. Faithy had fun in the water too. We saw afterwards that dogs were not allowed on the beach. Oh well. Greg and I went out the farthest and I took a dip in Lake Huron. My first great lake swim! We then headed back to our site for dinner and then a campfire afterwards. I taught the boys the correct was to roast a marshmellow to the nice golden brown vs. their "let's light it on fire" method. I'm sure they still prefer their method!
Tomorrow we head further up the UP. We're going to keep on taking the scenic routes. Today and the next number of days are more about the drive vs. our previous destination focus, so our mindset needs to change.
Mackinaw Bridge
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Boys in Lake Huron
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Day 39 - Port Huron, MI
We decide to take a chance and cut through Ontario to get to Michigan. I was worried we'd run into issues since the RV is full of food, meat, veggies, dog food, milk, eggs, etc. and they would make us dump it all out. I did speak with both Canadian and US border agents the day before and both indicated it should not be an issue. Going through Ontario would save us a couple of hours, so I decided to give it a shot. Fortunately both crossings were without issue.
The drive through Ontario was very pretty. We learned that Ontario has a large wine industry near Niagra Falls. Not sure what kind of wine they produce or what the quality is, so I'll have to do some research.
We got to Port Huron, MI in the middle of the afternoon and headed to the Port Huron KOA. Good suggestion by Mike Stroven. Nice campground with lots of activities and things to do. We were treated to a big thunderstorm not long after we arrived but it cleared up quickly and we were able to have dinner outside and a campfire afterwards.
Our friends Mike and Bonnie Stroven came up to see and and spend the night camping too. It was great to get caught up with them. We hadn't seen them in quite some time. Mike and I used to work together at Phoenix in OR and they moved back to MI in 1999.
Fun sitting around the campfire and of course S'mores were included!
Mike and Bonnie were our guest decal installers for MI.
Tomorrow we head up to the UP of Michigan. Looking forward to that area of the country.
Here are a few pics.
Bonnie adding the "mitten"
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Mike adding the UP
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Martin and Stroven kids
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Port Huron crossing
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The drive through Ontario was very pretty. We learned that Ontario has a large wine industry near Niagra Falls. Not sure what kind of wine they produce or what the quality is, so I'll have to do some research.
We got to Port Huron, MI in the middle of the afternoon and headed to the Port Huron KOA. Good suggestion by Mike Stroven. Nice campground with lots of activities and things to do. We were treated to a big thunderstorm not long after we arrived but it cleared up quickly and we were able to have dinner outside and a campfire afterwards.
Our friends Mike and Bonnie Stroven came up to see and and spend the night camping too. It was great to get caught up with them. We hadn't seen them in quite some time. Mike and I used to work together at Phoenix in OR and they moved back to MI in 1999.
Fun sitting around the campfire and of course S'mores were included!
Mike and Bonnie were our guest decal installers for MI.
Tomorrow we head up to the UP of Michigan. Looking forward to that area of the country.
Here are a few pics.
Bonnie adding the "mitten"
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Mike adding the UP
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Martin and Stroven kids
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Port Huron crossing
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Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Days 37 & 38 - Niagara Falls
On Sunday, we drove from VT to the Buffalo, NY area to see Niagara Falls. It was a very long ride. We left VT at 7:30 and arrived in NY at 5. Since we got there so late, we decided to stay two days instead of one.
As soon as we got camp set up, we headed over to the state park. The woman at the campground suggested that we drive over to the park and then use our bikes to get around. This was an excellent suggestion and worked perfectly. Since it was late in the day, we did not have to pay for parking at the park. We hopped on our bikes and quickly headed for the Falls. The boys and I were really looking forward to seeing them and we were not disappointed... not by a long shot.. they truly are breathtaking. We explored the US side and then thought we'd take the bikes over to Canada. Turns out the bikes were only permitted on the roadway with the cars so we decided against it, and walked over.
We had a "Fisherman's Wharf Dinner" at Hard Rock because it was convenient. Expensive dinner, for sure! There were supposed to be fireworks at 10 but they got cancelled due to wind... that was a big disappointment. In any case, the view from Canada is much more spectacular than the US side, so we are definitely glad we took the time to go over.
On Monday, the kids swam in the campground pool, we had lunch and then headed back to the Falls area. Jim wanted to speak to a border agent about the difficulties of taking the trailer through Canada. We also decided to take a ride on the Maid of the Mist. Wow, that sure was something. You really can't appreciate the amount of "mist" the Falls generate until you are on the front of a boat pushed right up against them. I tried to capture it in pictures, but they really don't do it justice! We all loved it, even though we got soaked. Thank goodness for the lovely blue ponchos they provided:)
One observation... the US area around the Falls is kind of an embarassment compared to the Canadian side. Nothing but trashy stores and other vendor carts on our side, compared with gorgeous gardens and hotels on the Canadian side. The US area is pretty depressed... lots of really downtrodden structures, etc. Too bad some money isn't injected into the area to bring more visitors to stay in our country. The state park is beautiful but the area around it... no thanks.
This first picture is American and Bridal Veil Falls:
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I took the next two pictures from the deck of Maid of the Mist:
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As soon as we got camp set up, we headed over to the state park. The woman at the campground suggested that we drive over to the park and then use our bikes to get around. This was an excellent suggestion and worked perfectly. Since it was late in the day, we did not have to pay for parking at the park. We hopped on our bikes and quickly headed for the Falls. The boys and I were really looking forward to seeing them and we were not disappointed... not by a long shot.. they truly are breathtaking. We explored the US side and then thought we'd take the bikes over to Canada. Turns out the bikes were only permitted on the roadway with the cars so we decided against it, and walked over.
We had a "Fisherman's Wharf Dinner" at Hard Rock because it was convenient. Expensive dinner, for sure! There were supposed to be fireworks at 10 but they got cancelled due to wind... that was a big disappointment. In any case, the view from Canada is much more spectacular than the US side, so we are definitely glad we took the time to go over.
On Monday, the kids swam in the campground pool, we had lunch and then headed back to the Falls area. Jim wanted to speak to a border agent about the difficulties of taking the trailer through Canada. We also decided to take a ride on the Maid of the Mist. Wow, that sure was something. You really can't appreciate the amount of "mist" the Falls generate until you are on the front of a boat pushed right up against them. I tried to capture it in pictures, but they really don't do it justice! We all loved it, even though we got soaked. Thank goodness for the lovely blue ponchos they provided:)
One observation... the US area around the Falls is kind of an embarassment compared to the Canadian side. Nothing but trashy stores and other vendor carts on our side, compared with gorgeous gardens and hotels on the Canadian side. The US area is pretty depressed... lots of really downtrodden structures, etc. Too bad some money isn't injected into the area to bring more visitors to stay in our country. The state park is beautiful but the area around it... no thanks.
This first picture is American and Bridal Veil Falls:
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I took the next two pictures from the deck of Maid of the Mist:
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Day 33, 34, 35, 36 - Lake Champlain, VT
A break in the action is upon us, almost. First we have a very long day in front of us (~9 hrs) as we leave Philadelphia and head to my niece's camp on Lake Champlain in St. Albans, VT.
The drive had its moments. Heading up the NJ Turnpike, near NYC, we needed to take 3 different roads to head to upstate NY vs. heading up 95 to New England. Well, we missed the first one and had to scramble. The miss added some additional time to an already long drive. Just beyond Glens Falls, NY we turned off and headed towards VT. Lake George is along the way and is just beautiful. After heading through Shelburne and Burlington we finally got to St. Albans. Cindy and Jeremy met us at the entrance to the road heading to their camp. The road has a couple of tight turns and one location where the power line hangs pretty low over the road. No problem with the turns but Jeremy had to use a long stick to hold up the power line while I drove underneath. Parked and rig and setup camp. They have a great location on the lake, looking East. We had power and water but no sewer connection so we needed to be careful in our use of the toilet, sink, etc. The power was only good for lights and such but not the AC, so sleeping was a bit uncomfortable given the heat and humidity. BUT, given the location and company, no one was complaining. The first couple of days it was bascially us but as the weekend approached more of their friends and neighbors arrived. The group dynamics were fun to watch. Everyone pitches in to do something (i.e. cook, clean, mow the lawn, watch kids & dogs, etc.). All of this happens without any direction either. It just happens. They definitely have their act together. Cindy and Jeremy have a great group of friends.
We pretty much just hung out the day we arrived (Wed). The boys and the dog were in the water almost instantly. Heck, they pretty much were in the water the entire time we were there! Thursday morning was more of the same. My friends Dale and Sally arrived from MA. Very nice of them to take the time to drive up and spend a couple of days with us. We hadn't seen them for a few years so it was great to get caught up. Jeremy cooked us a couple of great meals both Wednesday and Thursday evenings. I washed the truck and trailer Thursday morning. Let's just say, both needed it badly. Joey, one of Cindy and Jeremy's neighbors, took the boys and I out fishing Thursday night. Pretty fun. Initially, I didn't think I'd get my rod in the water since I was running back and forth between the boys either taking off a fish or putting on a new worm. Nothing to keep but the boys had a blast. They hadn't caught that many fish before so it was something new and different for them.
I had my truck serviced on Friday. I needed to have the oil changed and have them look at a couple of things under the hood. No issues and I got the truck back later that afternoon. Dale, Cathy and I rode our bikes to a small store on Friday to get ice. Nice little ride. The bags of ice were only 5lbs and I'm pretty sure given the heat and humidty they only weighed 2.5 lbs by the time we got back! Friday night was interesting. A severe thunderstorm came through in the late afternoon / early evening. The sky was purple just before it hit us. Funny watching all us batten down the hatches before the storm arrived. Pretty strong winds and heavy rain. Fortunately it didn't last too long but long enough to do some damage. A big tree came down across the road and separately, a big branch fell and hit Dale and Sally's car, which put a few dents and scratches on the top. Fortunately nothing too big hit the trailer or my truck.
My sister-in-law (Jean) arrived on Saturday. Nice to see her and get caught up with her as well. She was sporting a new ride (SUV). Took another ride on the pontoon boat across the bay to a marina on one of the islands. Fairly big swells when we crossed the bay as the winds were blowing pretty good.
The boys got out on a speed boat late in the day. The boat was pulling a big tube and all the other kids were heading out to have some fun. Both boys were reluctant at first. Connor rode in the boat for one of rides and then headed to the tube after watching everyone else. Greg then got in the boat but never made it to the tube. They both had a blast. Dale and Sally left Saturday morning. Looks like we might do a ski trip with them, maybe next winter. I hooked up the truck Saturday night and packed most things up as we need to leave early Sunday morning. We decided to stay an extra day in VT and make the long drive to Niagra Falls on Sunday vs. making a layover in Syracuse.
The time in VT was great. It was great to see my niece Cindy and her husband Jeremy. Great people. Their friends were fantastic as well. Faithy jumped off the dock and swam more times there than all the other times in her life combined. She'll be sleeping for days!
Here are a few pictures.
Faithy off the dock.
Sunset photos after Friday storm
Cousins
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Under the wire (you can't see Jeremy behind the trailer holding up the wire)
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Lake George
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The drive had its moments. Heading up the NJ Turnpike, near NYC, we needed to take 3 different roads to head to upstate NY vs. heading up 95 to New England. Well, we missed the first one and had to scramble. The miss added some additional time to an already long drive. Just beyond Glens Falls, NY we turned off and headed towards VT. Lake George is along the way and is just beautiful. After heading through Shelburne and Burlington we finally got to St. Albans. Cindy and Jeremy met us at the entrance to the road heading to their camp. The road has a couple of tight turns and one location where the power line hangs pretty low over the road. No problem with the turns but Jeremy had to use a long stick to hold up the power line while I drove underneath. Parked and rig and setup camp. They have a great location on the lake, looking East. We had power and water but no sewer connection so we needed to be careful in our use of the toilet, sink, etc. The power was only good for lights and such but not the AC, so sleeping was a bit uncomfortable given the heat and humidity. BUT, given the location and company, no one was complaining. The first couple of days it was bascially us but as the weekend approached more of their friends and neighbors arrived. The group dynamics were fun to watch. Everyone pitches in to do something (i.e. cook, clean, mow the lawn, watch kids & dogs, etc.). All of this happens without any direction either. It just happens. They definitely have their act together. Cindy and Jeremy have a great group of friends.
We pretty much just hung out the day we arrived (Wed). The boys and the dog were in the water almost instantly. Heck, they pretty much were in the water the entire time we were there! Thursday morning was more of the same. My friends Dale and Sally arrived from MA. Very nice of them to take the time to drive up and spend a couple of days with us. We hadn't seen them for a few years so it was great to get caught up. Jeremy cooked us a couple of great meals both Wednesday and Thursday evenings. I washed the truck and trailer Thursday morning. Let's just say, both needed it badly. Joey, one of Cindy and Jeremy's neighbors, took the boys and I out fishing Thursday night. Pretty fun. Initially, I didn't think I'd get my rod in the water since I was running back and forth between the boys either taking off a fish or putting on a new worm. Nothing to keep but the boys had a blast. They hadn't caught that many fish before so it was something new and different for them.
I had my truck serviced on Friday. I needed to have the oil changed and have them look at a couple of things under the hood. No issues and I got the truck back later that afternoon. Dale, Cathy and I rode our bikes to a small store on Friday to get ice. Nice little ride. The bags of ice were only 5lbs and I'm pretty sure given the heat and humidty they only weighed 2.5 lbs by the time we got back! Friday night was interesting. A severe thunderstorm came through in the late afternoon / early evening. The sky was purple just before it hit us. Funny watching all us batten down the hatches before the storm arrived. Pretty strong winds and heavy rain. Fortunately it didn't last too long but long enough to do some damage. A big tree came down across the road and separately, a big branch fell and hit Dale and Sally's car, which put a few dents and scratches on the top. Fortunately nothing too big hit the trailer or my truck.
My sister-in-law (Jean) arrived on Saturday. Nice to see her and get caught up with her as well. She was sporting a new ride (SUV). Took another ride on the pontoon boat across the bay to a marina on one of the islands. Fairly big swells when we crossed the bay as the winds were blowing pretty good.
The boys got out on a speed boat late in the day. The boat was pulling a big tube and all the other kids were heading out to have some fun. Both boys were reluctant at first. Connor rode in the boat for one of rides and then headed to the tube after watching everyone else. Greg then got in the boat but never made it to the tube. They both had a blast. Dale and Sally left Saturday morning. Looks like we might do a ski trip with them, maybe next winter. I hooked up the truck Saturday night and packed most things up as we need to leave early Sunday morning. We decided to stay an extra day in VT and make the long drive to Niagra Falls on Sunday vs. making a layover in Syracuse.
The time in VT was great. It was great to see my niece Cindy and her husband Jeremy. Great people. Their friends were fantastic as well. Faithy jumped off the dock and swam more times there than all the other times in her life combined. She'll be sleeping for days!
Here are a few pictures.
Faithy off the dock.
Sunset photos after Friday storm
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Under the wire (you can't see Jeremy behind the trailer holding up the wire)
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Lake George
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Day 32 - Philadelphia
Fairly short travel day. We decided to head up through Baltimore vs. going up through DE. At first we were wondering if we'd go through DE (so we could put another sticker on our trailer :-)), but a quick glance at the map confirmed we'd go through DE anyway. I also didn't think we hit PA (with the trailer) but again the map proved that to be incorrect as well.
We got to the campground and setup camp quickly. After a quick snap we headed into Philadelphia. First stop was to a vendor for a Philly cheese steak. I love those and no way was I going to miss having one where they were created. I did a search on Yelp and found a couple of the highest rated shops. We ended up going to Ishkabibble's Eatery vs. Jim's Steaks. I was going to go to Jim's but a few comments on Yelp changed my mind. I was not disappointed! I did try it with cheese whiz vs. provolone as that is how they were originally created. It was good, but I'll stick with provolone next time. The neighborhood where the shops were was very cool. I'd like to go back there some day.
From there we headed up to Independence Park for a tour of the Liberty Bell and the old state house (Independence Hall) where the Independence of Declaration and the Constitution were signed. Very cool seeing the hall where the 13 tables were arranged. You could easily imagine the delegates walking around and discussing the issues. The Liberty Bell was pretty cool to see as well.
It was a very hot day be we decided to run over to the Museum of Fine Art where Rocky ran up the steps and finally danced at the top. There is a bronze statue of him, with his arms raised, just off to the side of the stairs. The boys had no idea what we were talking about when we mentioned Rocky!
We they headed back to the campground, which was just across the river in NJ. The boys and I took a dip in the pool. There was another family there, from Germany, who had 14 yr old twin boys. Fun talking to them.
That night I was walking the dog and came across a bunch of fire flies (lightning bugs). I hadn't seen them since I was a kid. I quickly went and got Cathy. She had never seen them before so she was pretty excited. We decided to wake the boys so they would have a chance to see them as well. They loved it too!
Looking forward to some down time in VT. The weather has been extremely hot and humid. Combined with our pace the past few days we're ready for a break. Not lookingi forward to the long drive (~9 hrs) though.
Here are some photos from Philly.......
Delegate's tables
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Independence Hall
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Liberty Bell
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Rocky (note Connor's Red Sox shirt)
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We got to the campground and setup camp quickly. After a quick snap we headed into Philadelphia. First stop was to a vendor for a Philly cheese steak. I love those and no way was I going to miss having one where they were created. I did a search on Yelp and found a couple of the highest rated shops. We ended up going to Ishkabibble's Eatery vs. Jim's Steaks. I was going to go to Jim's but a few comments on Yelp changed my mind. I was not disappointed! I did try it with cheese whiz vs. provolone as that is how they were originally created. It was good, but I'll stick with provolone next time. The neighborhood where the shops were was very cool. I'd like to go back there some day.
From there we headed up to Independence Park for a tour of the Liberty Bell and the old state house (Independence Hall) where the Independence of Declaration and the Constitution were signed. Very cool seeing the hall where the 13 tables were arranged. You could easily imagine the delegates walking around and discussing the issues. The Liberty Bell was pretty cool to see as well.
It was a very hot day be we decided to run over to the Museum of Fine Art where Rocky ran up the steps and finally danced at the top. There is a bronze statue of him, with his arms raised, just off to the side of the stairs. The boys had no idea what we were talking about when we mentioned Rocky!
We they headed back to the campground, which was just across the river in NJ. The boys and I took a dip in the pool. There was another family there, from Germany, who had 14 yr old twin boys. Fun talking to them.
That night I was walking the dog and came across a bunch of fire flies (lightning bugs). I hadn't seen them since I was a kid. I quickly went and got Cathy. She had never seen them before so she was pretty excited. We decided to wake the boys so they would have a chance to see them as well. They loved it too!
Looking forward to some down time in VT. The weather has been extremely hot and humid. Combined with our pace the past few days we're ready for a break. Not lookingi forward to the long drive (~9 hrs) though.
Here are some photos from Philly.......
Delegate's tables
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Independence Hall
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Liberty Bell
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Rocky (note Connor's Red Sox shirt)
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