Day 19 Hoodoos!

Wow! Today's drive is only 125 miles. We should make it to Bryce Canyon NP in a little over two hours!

After an early start, we drove to the little town of Torry, just outside Capitol Reef NP. What do you know? Someone opened a coffee shop and we're in need!

After a quick stop, we made a left turn onto Utah' Scenic Byway, Route 12. Billed as Utah's only "All-American Road." The road was paved in 1985. Along the way we saw two magnificent elk. Each sported a huge rack. One had a small harem of perhaps three or four females (at least that's all we could see) and the other had at least 20 females in his harem. He kept them tightly packed together.

Highway 12 has many scenic overlooks and transits Dixie National Forest and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Both allow free range cattle to graze. We liked Dixie NF because it was great to see trees and animals again. You see, we've been in the desert for several days.

At one point, Route 12 followed a ridge that was only as wide as the two lane (no shoulder) road. There were deep drop offs on either side of the road, with no guard rails at all! At times there were one or two mile stretches of 14% grade usually with a hairpin turn or two thrown in for good measure.

Our first objective upon reaching Bryce Canyon NP was to secure a campsite. Once accomplished we set off for lunch at the Lodge. This particular lodge is the last remaining lodge of four that were built in 1920. of the other three, one deteriorated. Two, Grand Canyon North Rim and Zion, were consumed by fire. Both were rebuilt. In fact, the Bryce Canyon Lodge caught fire two years ago. The damage was repaired in the winter and the lodge continues to serve visitors.

Throwing ourselves right into the activities, we first attended a Ranger led walk. Ranger Don explained a little about the Geology of the park and how the Hoodoos were formed, he talked a bit about the environment and ecology and how it has been altered since the first settlers, Ebeneezer and Mary Bryce, arrived.

Following that walk/talk, we went back to the lodge where sat around the fireplace while waiting for the next program.

The talk on "Wilderness" was disappointing. This ranger just read the words that were on each slide shown.

Following the program, we made our way back to our respective campsites, attending to some chores before hitting the sack.

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Day 18 Apples!

The drive from Archview Campground, outside Arches NP by about 6 miles, to Capitol Reef National Park is a distance of about 150 miles or about 3 hours. The drive was mostly through desert. Along the way, we passed a house that had no neighbors for 25 miles in any direction. The funny thing is that the homeowner had a trash can on the curb for pick-up! We don't have trash pick-up in Woodland Township, NJ and the houses aren't that remote form each other.

Capitol Reef NP has some intriguing geological features, but that's not what stuck out in my mind when we entered it. Most impressive to me was the fact that it appears to be an Oasis in the desert. It has a stream, grass, and trees, including orchards of peaches, pears and four or five varieties of apples. Visitors are encouraged to pick the fruit which you can eat on the spot. Picking tools and fruit tree ladders are available for visitors to use. Should one desire to take fruit out of the orchard, an honor system stand is set up complete with a supply of plastic bags and a scale. You pay $1.00 for each pound you take out.

The afternoon Ranger Talk was a special treat. Ranger Rick certainly knows his geology and was fluent in describing the current scientific thinking about the geological forces that shaped the area as well as those forces at work now.

We also attended a Ranger Talk on petroglyphs in the park. It was really interesting to see drawings made by "the ancients."

The Fruita Campground in Capitol Reef NP was a real treat. Luckily we arrived when there were a few openings. It didn't take long for it to fill up. Later in the afternoon and throughout the early evening many RVs and tenters were turned away.

Sites were big, paved with areas of lush grass. At this time of the year, they have sprinklers running 24 hours a day.

Adjacent to the campground is an historic house that now serves as a museum and store that sells jellies, a variety of fruit butters, jams and othe country specialities including fresh baked pies. We sample the Blackberry Pie while Marje and Ed tried the Cherry and Apple Pies. The grounds include old fame wagons and farming implements. Three horses were penned in a pasture adjacent to the house.

Deer roamed the campground and seemed pretty tame. There weren't skittish of people or their dogs for the most part.

We met one camper who welcomed us to this "unknown jewell in the national park system." we liked it just fine!

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Arches and Canyonlands

Underway early to explore Arches NP before it gets hot out. We saw all of the "must see" sights in about 4.5 hours. This included two hikes, one around the Turret and North and South Windows. We also walked up to the overlook for Delicate Arch. By the time we made it to the Devil's Garden, the crowds had arrived. All the parking spots were taken at most of the pull outs.

We returned to the campground for lunch before heading out to see the Canyonlands NP. After a stop at the visitor center, we drove off to see the sights. We took photos at several scenic overlooks and did a 3/10 mile hike up to the lookout for the Upheaval Dome.

Once again, words and photographs are inadequate in describing to spectacular formations, canyons, and vastness of this area.

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Day 16 Hot, Hot, Hot!

Day 16 - Day 16 Hot, Hot, Hot!

Arches National Park

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

On the road again. Destination: Arches National Park.

It was an uneventful 200 mile drive to Arches. As we pulled into the park we saw the "Campground Full" sign! We immediately found a private campground a short distance away and called for reservations. Once secured, we talked about the weather . It's HOT in the desert! The Agostini's motorhome thermometer read 101 degrees.

After setting we camp in Archview Campground, we joined them in the RoadTrek for a auto tour of the Arches. We only went about four miles into the park, but marveled at every new formation that was revealed as we negotiated the twists and turns in the road.

After snapping a few dozen shots, we turned around and headed back to the campground for dinner. We'll be back to see the rest of the Arches tomorrow morning.

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Day 15 Goodbye Wyoming, Hello Utah!

Deer Creek State Park

After attending to some business, we hitched the trailer to the truck and set off for the Arches National Park. To get there in one day would be an awfully long drive so we decided to stop a little more than half way. Our chosen destination was Deer Creek State Park in Utah.

Our drive through southwest Wyoming was lonely. We passed few cars as we drove south on highway 189. The vast open spaces and open ranges are mind boggling. We drove through several towns, the largest had a population of 720. It has two restaurants. One wonders how they are able to stay in business. The distance between towns is more than 50 miles. It's hard to imagine just hopping in your car to go to the next town. At best, the round trip might take an hour.

The lyrics to the song "A Song of Wyoming" ring true:

Song Of Wyoming

Well Im weary and tired, 
I've done my days riding,
Nighttime is rolling my way.
The skys all on fire,
And the lights slowly fading,
Peaceful and still ends the day.
Out on the trail night birds are calling
Singing their wild melody.
Down in the canyon, cottonwood whispers,
A song of Wyoming for me.

Well I wandered a round the town and the city
Tried to figure the how and the why.
Well I stopped all my scheming, I'm just drifting and dreaming,
Watching the river roll by.
Here comes that big ole prarie moon rising 
Shining down bright as can be.
Up on the hill there's a coyote singing,
A song of Wyoming for me.

Now it's whiskey and tobacco and bitter black coffee,
A lonesome old dogie am I.
But wakin upon the range, Lord I feel like an angel,
Free like I almost could fly.
Drift like a cloud out over the badlands,
Sing like a bird in the tree.
The wind in the sage sounds like heaven singing,
A song of Wyoming for me.
A song of Wyoming for me.

The terrain and architecture abruptly change in Utah. In Wyoming everything is brown or shades of brown and log houses are most common. In Utah, there are trees! Colorful trees (leaves are changing) and rolling hills. There are mountains off in the distance. Since we crossed the border, we haven't seen any log homes.

Along the way, we saw lots of Pronghorns, a couple of Prairie Dogs, lots of Magpies, horses and cattle. We even saw a cowboy and his dog herding cattle. Until that sighting, we hadn't seen a cowboy in the Cowboy State!

Once we set up camp, we had a meeting with Marje and Ed to plan our destinations for the next week or so. Marje treated us the Brown Rice and Beans for dinner.

The temp when we arrived at this park was warm. So warm in fact, we put the A/C on. By evening it cooled and we enjoyed a pleasant night.

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Day 14 There's a Moose on the Loose!

Day 14 - Day 14 There's a Moose on the Loose!

Grand Teton

Sunday, September 25, 2011

It's 0800 and I hear a light tapping sound. It's too early for Ed to be knocking. What could it be?

A quick look out the bedroom window and what to my wondering eyes appears? Two Moose in the vacant campsite right next door! The female jogged throughout, but the bull stopped the bang his antlers on the picnic table. He dance around and pushed at the table with his antlers for several minutes before heading off to find the female.

We joined Marje and Ed in their motorhome for a ride to the Grand Teton National Park Visitor Center where we picked up information on the local hiking trails. We chose the 4.2 mile hike to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point. The hike was rated as moderate due to the 400 foot gain in altitude. It was a magnificent hike and the views were well worth the effort. We even got a boat ride on Jenny Lake at the end of the trail.

We met Ed at the boat dock and took the Jenny Lake scenic loop drive. We were too late for lunch at Jenny Lake Lodge but got a tip to try the Chuck Wagon at Dornan's. We arrived four minutes after it closed so we had lunch at the Pizza Place in the same complex.

We then took a ride to the Teton Village. While on the way, we happened upon a Black Bear. We squeezed by the tourists who were out of their cars to take pictures. The bear was about 100 feet away, but if he charged from up on the hillside, those folks wouldn't have been able to get back to their cars in time.

We arrived at the village at 1700 hours, just as the tram was closing up for the day. We had intended to ride to the top of the mountain had we been earlier.

We returned to the campground, had our nightly planning session and hit the sack.

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Yellowstone Reflection and Moving On!

Yellowstone is a great place and certainly worthy of being the nation's first national park. It is with some sadness that we leave but the Grand Tetons beckon. 
We try to convey the rugged natural beauty, culture and history of Yellowstone in Pictures and words. Adequate words fail me and the pictures are pretty but they don't adequately convey the "Yellowstone" we have experienced either. Sadly, they will have to do.
We experienced Yellowstone from the road, probably the easiest way to whet your appetite; from the visitor centers and the varied exhibits they display, from listening to and talking with the interpretive rangers, from sampling some of the local delicacies offered at a couple of the restaurants, and by getting out on foot into the backcountry, if only for a few miles.
We saw at least one of most of the large mammals that live in Yellowstone. They included several herds of Bison, Elk, Mule Deer, Pronghorns, Coyote, and three Grizzly Bears. We didn't see any Moose, Black Bear or Big Horn Sheep. 
Our final Yellowstone thought is one of regret in that we never took our kids to see this remarkable place. 
Creating the National Parks is indeed America's Greatest Idea.
We left Yellowstone via the south entrance and travelled along the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Scenic Memorial Parkway. In a matter of minutes, we were afforded glimpses of the Grand Tetons on the starboard side of the vehicle. As we got closer, the mountains got bigger and bigger. We stopped at several overlook areas to gaze in awe of the stark beauty. One spot afforded an extra special view as the mountain was framed by the golden leaves of an Aspen forest. 
Getting to the Gros Ventre Campground in the Grand Teton National Park took longer than necessary due to an error in navigation. It took about an hour to realize our mistake. Along the way, we travelled through parts of the Grand Teton National Park, the Grand Teton National Forest, the Bridger-Teton National Forest, the Togwotee Pass and the National Elk Refuge.  We eventually found our way to the Campground and after setting up camp we joined Marje and Ed for a trip to explore downtown Jackson. It's a cowboy town with lots of high end shops. One had stuffed animals, whole or just heads, for sale. It was the largest collection I had ever seen. As an example, a huge mounted Moose Head had a $5,000 price tag.
Back at the campground, we had our nightly planning meeting around the campfire before calling it a day.

More Hiking!

Marje and Ed were gone by the time we got up. After a leisurely breakfast, we drove to the Upper Geyser Basin, home of Old Faithful. Our purpose was to photograph Morning Glory pool. As it happens, that feature is at the far end of the basin. The hike turned out to be 4.2 miles round trip. Along the way we saw other fantastic geysers. Among them were the Grand And Grotto geysers. The Grand is the world's largest predictable geyser. Morning Glory pool has been victimized by vandals. Objects thrown into the pool have caused a restriction which has caused the water temp to cool enough to allow the yellow bacteria to grow. So Morning Glory, which had varied shades of blue and purple, now has yellow in it.

Following our hike, we enjoyed lunch in the Old Faithful Inn. The building is a great example of "parkitecture." it's a great place to take a meal.

After lunch, our mission was to see and photograph Fairy Falls. This involved a round trip hike of 5.6 miles. This was another back country hike and the Ranger recommended that we carry bear spray. We each had a canister for this hike. The falls were worth the trip and we didn't get to see the illusive grizzly bear.

Our final activity was a romantic dinner at the Grant Village Lakehouse Restaurant. The Pacific Cod and Chips were delicious and the setting, on the shore of Yellowstone Lake was magnificent.

after dinner we returned to the campground were we readied our equipment and gear for an early morning departure. Tomorrow's destination is Gross Venture Campground in the Grand Teton National Park.

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Day 11 Hiking the Riddle Lake Trail

Day 11 - Day 11 Hiking the Riddle Lake Trail

Riddle Lake

Thursday, September 22, 2011

OMG... the Agostini's problems have multiplied. They already have an appointment to get their propane system repaired tomorrow. Without propane, they can't cook, make hot water or run the propane heater. They have a generator that runs the microwave and the heat pump, but generator hours are only from 0800 to 2000. This morning was so cold, the heat pump wouldn't work. It was 30 degrees inside!

We invited them in for coffee and pancakes and, most importantly, heat. In our rig, the generator runs the on board heater. After hours, we use a small portable propane heater. It gets shut down before bedtime. In the morning, we fire up the main heater. Between 0800 and 0900 we fire up the generator to charge the RV battery. So far we seem to be doing OK. Most of our dinner time meals are cooked over the open fire. That's working out well too.

After breakfast we went to the visitors center to ask the ranger about hiking the Riddle Lake Trail. She said that one hiker reported seeing a bear on the trail but that was a couple is days ago. It is a well travelled trail and no one else reported any sightings.

We purchased our bear spray and headed for the trail. The trail is 5 miles round trip. We succeeded in walking the entire trail, passing a half dozen people along the way. The only wildlife we saw was squirrels, chipmunks, and a few birds. We were hoping for Moose, Elk or maybe even a bear. That was disappointing, but the view when we arrived at the lake was spectacular.

We had lunch back at the camper after our 3.5 hour walk!

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Day 10 The Grand Loop

Hey, it's a nice day, let's do 150 miles! But wait, I'm ahead of myself. It was dark and cold (43.5 degrees inside, 23 degrees F outside) at 0500 hours. It's time to get up, we have a lot planned.

After breakfast, we joined Marje and Ed in their motorhome for a ride around the Grand Loop, 157 miles round trip and all within Park boundaries.

By the time we reached Hayden Valley, the temperature dipped to 17 degrees. Here's what we did and saw:

1. Sunrise. We stopped at several rest areas to photograph the sun raising over the mountains. With the lake in the foreground, the Absaroka Mountains in the background and fog in the middle, we got some excellent shots to capture the scene.

2. Bison! Lots and lots of them. Now we have lots and lots of Bison photos. The first heard was in Hayden Valley. It was so cold the Bison had ice on their heads and backs.

3. Photographed the upper and lower falls of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

4. Investigated and photographed Artists Point. A spot overlooking a portion of the canyon.

5. Enjoyed brunch in the dinning room of the Canyon Lands Inn.

6. Photographed several herd of Bison in the Lamar Valley region.

7. Visited the Mammouth Hot Springs visitor center.

8. Photographed Elk and a Magpie on the grounds of the village.

9. Viewed the terraces.

10. Photographed a coyote.

11. Visited the museum of the National Park Ranger.

12. Drove past several more geyser areas, cascades and waterfalls.

13. Noted that fly fishermen seemed to congregate on the streams on the western side

14. Returned back to camp at 1700 hours. The Grand Loop took 11 hours from start to finish.

15. Cooked dinner over the open fire again

16. Finished the day off with a hot chocolate and cookies while we planned

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Day 9 Old Faithful

Day 9 - Day 9 Old Faithful

Old Faithful

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Boy oh boy, was it ever cold last night. When we awoke at 0700 in was 40 degrees F. There most certainly was frost on the pumpkin!

We joined Marje and Ed for a trip to the Upper Geyser Basin. Once there we:

1. Toured the visitor's center;

2. Participated in a ranger led walk/talk about the geothermal activity in the area;

3. Watch and photographed several geysers including Old Faithful. Marje and Anna Marie got splashed by the Lion Geyser when it erupted unexpectedly;

4. Checked old the Old Faithful Inn, an amazing example of classic rustic architecture;

5. Dine on Antelope sausage, bison chili, Rocky Mountain trout and elk burger (all farm raised) in the Inn.

6. Viewed and photographed Keplers Cascades;

7. Attended a ranger talk about the successful reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone;

8. Talked, planned future stops around the fire ring and then cooked dinner and toasted marshmallows over the wood fire.

9. Gathered in the trailer for dessert and hot chocolate.

After bidding our guests good night, we relaxed a bit before hitting the sack. We have another full day planned for tomorrow.

NB. During the guided trail walk in th Upper Geyser Area, Ranger Lori talk a bit the "Geyser Gazers" and the great wealth of information they give to the interpretive rangers.

I suggested that it would be a great group to join. Of course, we'd only join if we could get a senior rate for the dues. These senior members would be called the "Geyser Gazer Geezer."

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Day 8 Dars Bars in Dem Hills

Oh no, the propane system on my sister's Motorhome isn't working. They can't use the stove, water heater or refrigeration. They have to find a place to get it fixed. After spending the day in West Yellowstone, MT, they returned. The repair guy couldn't't do the job.

While they were gone, we

1. walked to Yellowstone Lake;

2. hiked up to the visitors center (1.2 miles round trip). One must traverse a suspension bridge that crosses over a deep ravine;

3. Joined a ranger hike on Lake Overlook Trail. It's rated as a moderate trail. One short section has a steep 700' vertical rise. At the top, one can see spectacular views of the lake, the Absaroka Mountains, Mt. Sheridan and, beyond the the the Grand Tetons. Much of the trail goes through areas that were severely burned in the fire of 1988;

4. walked through the West Thumb Geyser Basin;

5. enjoyed a lunch of trout and buffalo meatloaf (both were farm raised) at the Grant Village Lake House Restaurant;

6. participated in a Ranger Program on Bears;

7. heard Bull Elk bugling;

8. Saw a momma grizzly bear and two cubs moving through the campground;

9. heard stories that a wolf pack in Hayden Valley chased a Elk. Several accounts reported that this event took place at 1830 hours. That's the location were we photographed the Bison herd yesterday. We left just after 1800 hours so we could get back in time for the Ranger talk;

10. We also heard a report that a wolf pack tried to attack a Bison. It was reported that the Bison put his head down and held his ground. The wolf pack (5 animals in all) backed off and left the area.

11. Grilled chicken and baked potatoes over the wood fire (delicious!);

12. sat around the campfire with Marjorie and Ed, and planned tomorrow's activities.

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Day 7 - Yellowstone National Park, WY

Yellowstone or bust! Hey, it's only 150 miles away! Piece of cake!

We left Greybull a little after 0800 hours. We took Highway 16 all the way to Cody and then to Yellowstone. Along the way we:

1. saw a pronghorn on the side of the road, the apparent victim of an auto or truck accident. The speed limit is 65 mph on this two lane road;

2. drove thru Emblem, WY(pop. 10). Amazingly, the town, if you can call it that, has it's own Post Office;

3. saw a marker noting the Bridger Pass;

4. saw wild mustangs frolicking in the grassland;

5. drove thru Shoshone National Forest;

6. stopped at the visitors center to learn about the Buffalo Bill Dam. It made for an interesting stop along the Buffalo Bill Scenic Byway;

7. saw snow in the mountains in Yellowstone. The Absaroka Range is partially in Yellowstone;

8. stopped at the Fishing Bridge Visitor Center and General Store;

9. set up camp in site 78 in the Grant Campground. We'll be here for six days;

10. took a ride with Marjorie and Ed to see the Black Sand Basin. It has a boardwalk where one can see geysers, mud pots, hot springs, and fumaroles, not to mention Sunset Lake and Emerald Pool;

11. straddled the Continental Divide;

12. saw and photographed Elk and Bison;

13. attended a Ranger Talk about Wapiti (Elk).

We made it back to camp by 2100 hours. We had a light dinner and a walk around the campground before turning in.

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Day 6 - Custer SP, Black Hills NF, Mt. Rushmore, Bighorn NF

Sightseeing starts today! And we're traveling with Marje (twin sister) & Ed.
Here's what we did and what we saw:
1. Toured portions of Custer State Park;
2.  Toured portions of the Black Mountains National Forest;
3. Saw the Needles, a spectacular mountain top geological formation that had been considered for the Rushmore project;
4. Took a Ranger led tour of Mt. Rushmore (Was it right to deface the mountain?);
5. Prior to visiting Mt. Rushmore, we saw the monument to Chief Crazy Horse. His likeness is being sculpted on a nearby mountain. Started in 1948, it continues to be a work in progress. Donations and entrance fees provide the funding;
6. Entered Wyoming; stopped at the visitor center; learned about the Vore Buffalo Jump (see vorebuffalojump.org); passed on the 40 mile drive to Devil's Tower;
7. Departed I90 for Route 16, the scenic route to Yellowstone. There were several stretches with a 6% grade, the longest being 14 miles. There were two hairpin turns that included a 6% grade. The truck was up to the challenge;
8.  Drove the scenic drive through Bighorn National Forest;
9. We didn't see any Big Horn, but saw lots of mule deer and several Pronghorn (antelope).
10. We arrived at the Greybull KOA, at 2000 hours.

Day 5 - The Badlands and Custer State Park

We slept so well that we decided to sleep in today. We didn't leave our campsite until 0700! Today's destination is less than 400 miles away. There is little in the way of development between Sioux Falls and Rapid City. From I90, one sees undulating hills of grassland. The view seems to go on forever. This country seems desolate. Today is a good weather day but it's not hard to imagine how harsh it can be in the heat of summer and the cold of winter. Now imagine it with unbearable wind! Our first stop was at a visitors center that featured exhibits about the Lewis and Clark expedition. The center is located on a ridge overlooking the Missouri River. We were able to capture some of the great views. We got off the highway to take the 60 mile loop through the badlands. What an amazing place!  We made the obligatory tourist stop at Wall Drugs where I enjoyed a nickel cup of coffee. We finally saw trees again when we approached Custer State Park, our home for the evening. On the way to the park, we saw bison dung on the side of the street. We haven't seen any of the big beasts yet. Maybe tomorrow? We established our camp in the Game Lodge CG of Custer State Park. Marjorie and Ed came over for a visit. We be caravanning and camping with them for the next month. Interestingly, the lodge right next door served as the little White House for President Calvin Coolidge and his family for three months during the summer of 1927. 

Days 3 & 4

Day 3 - Bloomsburg, PA to Chicago, IL
Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Starting out a week later than we had planned means we'll have to make time in order to get to Yellowstone before the cold weather arrives. Oops, it might be to late to avoid all the cold weather. Yellowstone's average daytime high temps for September is in the low 60's. The lows are in the low 30s. Light snow is in the forecast for later in the week.

Today's drive started early. I didn't get much sleep overnight. After fueling, we were on the road just before 0600 hours. I set the rest area in Portage, IN as our destination. At 610 miles, it's a bit further than the original destination in Elkhart.

We plugged away only stopping for fuel, lunch and a quick nap and two coffee breaks. We averaged 57 mph not counting about two hours of down time. We arrived at our destination in 12 1/2 hours covering a total of 610 miles. We had to contend with a steady rain for the final 100 miles. Driving became more tedious and slower.

Today's drive was all on I80. Shortly after starting out, we encounters a sign welcoming us the the Pennsylvania Wild. This is a mountainous region of state an national forest with a very sparse population. It's easy to imagine the dilation an remoteness of the area before construction of the interstate.

The hills of Pennsylvania eventually give way to the rolling terrain of the Ohio farmland. Sign posts suggest that Cleveland and then Toledo aren't far off, but neither is visible from the highway. In Indiana, development and commerce are very evident near South Bend and Elkhart but the rest is similar to the rolling farmland of Ohio, at viewed from the highway anyway.

We stopped about ten miles short of Gary, IN, and only about 40 miles from the Windy City. Clearly the sights will be different tomorrow.

Chicago, Chicago, that toddling town... We made it through the Windy City without a hitch at 10:30 PM! Why oh why would we do that? We had already settled in for the night at the Portage, IN rest area. This rest area is the last on the Indiana Turnpike and, more importantly, the last rest area before Chicago. We were parked between an RV and an 18 wheeler that was shut down for the night. Just as I was getting ready for a good night's sleep, the RV up and leaves only to be replaced by a tractor trailer, left idiling by the driver who promptly fires up a generator. The noises coming from this behemoth were enough to wake the dead two counties away! At about 2100 hours, we decided to move to a different location. Since we had the truck running we decided to fuel up as well. That would save precious time in the morning. Low and behold, the rest area was overflowing with trucks. We couldn't squeeze into any place in the entire place.

We ended up driving through Chicago while putting another 50+ miles on the odometer. We got a great night's sleep in a rest area clear on the other side of town.
Day 4 - Chicago, IL to Sioux Falls, SD
Thursday, September 15, 2011

The good news about our 0500 departure from this rest area is that we've already driven through Chicago. We didn't see much of Chicago, but now it's clear sailing to Yellowstone!

Sights along the way included the typical metropolitan area urban sprawl around Chicago. Rockford, IL and Madison, WI showed signs of hustle and bustle along the highway. I was surprised at the volume of traffic around Madison.

In the early afternoon, we crossed the mighty Mississippi River into Minnosota, home of 10,000 lakes, Luthern bachelor farmers, and prairies. The fields are so huge they must be measured in square miles rather than acres. Most are planted with seed corn and soy beans, as far as we could tell. In addition to their crops, several of the farms produce electrical energy from wind turbines, planted, so to speak, in the corn fields. We saw hundreds as we drove along I90.

The terrain isn't as flat as I expected. The prairie is very rural. One can drive for a couple of hours without seeing any homes. Barns and silos are more common than houses!

We finally decided to call it a day as we approached Sioux Falls. That's right campers, we've made it to South Dakota!

Day 2 Underway... After a Visit To The Dermatologist!

Day 2 - Day 2 Underway... After a Visit To The Dermatologist!

West Creek, Bloomsburg, Portage

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Our experience with Accredited Dermatology was not pleasant. Suffice to say the Doc was late, very late. Once started, the procedure went well. He only needed 17 stitches to close up the incision. The nurse gave Anna Marie a pair of suture scissors since I won't be returning for the Doc to remove them, she'll do the deed. I hope she doesn't faint!

Once back at Belleplain, we broke camp and were underway by 1530 hours. We were in stop and go traffic on the Schukyl Expressway for about 40 minutes but things cleared and we arrived in Bloomsburg by 2030 hours. We dry camped in a mall parking lot for the night.

	17 Stitches! [Map]		Perspective! [Map]

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Day 1 Belleplain State Forest

Monday, September 12, 2011

The original plan was to head toward Yellowstone last Tuesday. Things happen and plans change. The revised schedule called for an early Wednesday (9/14) start. I for one am not surprised we took off today, although not for Yellowstone. At least not yet.

I had to schedule a last minute medical procedure in Cape May. That will take place tomorrow.

We decided to tow SUNNY to Belleplain State Forest. We'll Camp in close proximity to the doc's office. If the timing is right, we'll leave for Yellowstone right after the procedure. If not, we'll be in a good spot to leave in the wee early hours on Wednesday.

This is our first camping experience in Belleplain SF.

Once we unhitched, it was time to explore our environs. We set out for a short walk from our camping area (CCC Camp) to the lake. Lake Nummy, named after the last Chief of the Lenni Lenape tribe is located in this SF.

There were only a handful of campers occupying sites in the three camping areas this park offers.

Since we stopped here strictly as a matter of convenience for tomorrow's procedure, we didn't make a campfire. Instead, we hit the sack early so we'd be rested. Tomorrow should be a long day!

	Belleplain State Forest Campsite [Map]		Lake Nummy - Belleplain SF [Map]

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Getting Ready For A Different Kind of Trip

This is the RV that we'll be dragging around on our National Parks Tour

Fall is on the way and usually we'd be getting ready to head south for more adventures aboard S/V SUNSHINE. This year is different! We plan to get back to SUNSHINE early this winter. Right now, we're getting ready for an RV trip to about 1 1/2 dozen Rocky Mountain area national parks. Our original plan was to leave on September 6, but events have caused us to push our departure back to the 13th. When we do get underway, we'll make a bee line for the Badlands in South Dakota. We figure it should take four days to get there. The first place we visit will be Custer State Park, not too far from Mount Rushmore. After a stop at Rushmore, we'll drive straight to Yellowstone. Following our visit to Yellowstone, we'll visit the Grand Tetons, Arches, Canyonlands, Horseshoe Canyon, Bryce, Zion, Kaibab, both rims of the Grand Canyon before going to Aspen for the 14th annual tribute to John Denver. Following our visit to Aspen, we'll get back on the national parks trail, visiting Santa Fe NF and White Sands National Monument. That's as far as we've planned so far. We'll add more parks to the itinerary as we study the routes we'll take to visit family in Missouri and Texas. After those visits, we'll head to Florida for a few days so we can get SUNSHINE ready for use.