September 21 - 28, 2015

Monday, Sept 21, 2015     Craters of the Moon  

Craters of the Moon

One hundred sixty-three miles, that’s all we did today. I thought we'd stay on US 93, but the GPS decided that we should take the Sacajawea Historic Trail. The trail was chock full of historic markers, several noted milestone accomplished by Lewis and Clark. We've seen roadside markers about them since Minnesota! Those boys really got around. 

We arrived at our destination at about 1215 hours. Camp was set in record time and by 1300 we were watching the orientation movie in the visitors center. By 1330, we were driving the loop and it did't take long to marvel at the incredible landscape. Lava is everywhere! Acres and acres of lava. Actually, square miles and square miles of lava. 

We walked up the Big Inferno Cone with a 164' vertical rise and the view was worth every agonizing step. To the south we saw one of the world's largest  basaltic cinder cones. Then we walked the short path to see spatter cones (miniature volcanoes).

At the end of a 1.6 mile trail, we climbed down around, into and over the 800' long Indian Tunnel (made by magma). A permit, secured at the visitors center, is required. The permit process is the staff's attempt to protect the bats from white nose disease (it has killed over 9,000,000 bats in the last ten years). It was a challenging scramble to get through the tunnel but the walk over the top may have been even more challenging!

By the time (1600) we returned to the camper we were bushed. After a short nap, we had dinner, walked the campground and retired for the evening.

Tuesday, Sept 22, 2015    A New Time Zone!

Our watches and clocks now tell us Pacific Time. We entered the new zone sometime after crossing into Nevada.

Driving was the order of the day. We made almost 400 miles on the day, stopping at a KOA in Ely, NV. ND has nothing on NV when it comes to desolation. Highways 93 and 26 travel through wide open terrain. I lost count of all the national forests a BLM lands we drove through.

The campground is on US 50 and has the moniker "the loneliest highway in the US." In fact, you are invited to get documentation that proves you made the drive at the office.

Wednesday, Sept 23, 2015     It's Fall!  

Free beer at the gun show in Tonoah, NV

Yesterday's drive might well have been through a metropolis compared to today. We drove over seven or eight passes, maybe more. Between each were valleys of twenty to seventy miles in width. Most of the land was desert like open range. Houses were few, side roads nonexistent except for the occasional gravel road to who knows where.

Driving through Tonoah, NV was interesting. On the west side of town was a huge solar array. The had a tower several stories tall with lenses that seemed to follow the sun. We saw the bright reflection in our rear view and side mirrors for miles.

East entrance to Yosemite

As we entered California, we had to pass an agricultural inspection. It looked much like the DMV inspection facilities in NJ. The officer asked if we drove all the way from NJ. Do we have any fruits, vegetables or plants? Is the camper stored outside? Then she asked if she could look it over. She wanted to make sure there were no gypsy moths hitching a ride. She commented on how clean the camper is. Wow! "No," I did, "it's really dirty." Funny thing, she never checked the van!

Eventually we made our way to Inyo N F, Tioga Pass (11,000+ feet) and Yosemite. First impressions of the scenery? Spectacular... and the road is a little scary!

We booked a site at Tuolumne Meadows CG for four nights. We’ll explore this area then Hech Hechy and Yosemite Valley.

Thursday, Sept 24, 2015     Facelift Yosemite and A Trip to the Valley  

Volunteers for Facelift Yosemite

Facelift Yosemite, a group that organized volunteers to help around the park, was recruiting today. We offered to help by picking up trash on the Dog Lake Trail. We parked in the Lambert Dome area, only a couple hundred feet from the CG entrance. We worked for two and one-half hours before returning with our loot. As it turns out, we may have cleaned up the wrong trail. The intended trail  was rated as easy. The trail we cleaned was nothing but "up."

Rather than return to the  camper to rest, which I thought was a good idea, we instead took a two hour drive to Yosemite Valley. The sights along the way are spectacular. The Tenaya Lake area is very scenic and the view from Olmsted Point is spectacular. We got our first glimpse of Half Dome from there.

Once in the valley, we saw Bridal Veil Falls, EL Capitan and another view of Half Dome from Sentinel Bridge.

While in the valley, we scored campsite reservations at Upper Pines CG for Sunday through Wednesday.

We celebrated another great but exhausting day by hitting the sack at 2100 hours.

Friday, Sept 25, 2015     Gone Fishing!

Fly fishing in the Tuolumne River

It's Friday and we're taking the day off! After a leisurely breakfast of oatmeal and a hot beverage, we hiked to the store (all one hundred yards) to procure a Cali fishing license. It took 30 minutes due to their slow dial-up connection.

We returned to the camper to get the pole and set off on foot to find the Tuolumne River. We found a few "holes" and wet the the fly line. The highlight of my brief fly fishing career happened shortly thereafter, when a trout followed my fly! He didn't bite, but he definitely checked it out. A few casts later, another fish did the same thing. That was almost as good as catching one!

After an hour and a half, fly fishing was over as the fly got snagged on a submerged log. I then rigged up the spinning rig and watched a fish check out the silver spinner I tied on. Much like the fly, a couple of fish chased, but none bit.

The rest of the day was spent sitting around the campfire.

Saturday, Sept 26, 2015     Tuolumne Meadow and Soda Springs Hike

  

If you ever get to Tuolumne Meadows, do not miss the hike to Soda Springs and the meadows. It is a highlight of our visit to this area of Yosemite and will surely be yours too.

To this day, scientists do not know why carbonated water bubbles to the surface. Over 100 years ago, Lembert built a log enclosure to protect the springs from animals. Folks used to drink from the springs. Not sure it would be safe today.

Mounted Ranger

John Muir had his first in campsite the area near the springs. He gave his fist talk here after founding the Sierra Club and built the club's Parsons Lodge which is still in use.  

While on the trail, we met a mounted ranger. He was kind enough to chat with us for awhile. He started his teaching career in 1969, but he secured a summertime position as a Yosemite ranger in 1965. He split duty in a car and on horseback until eventually performing his duty on his trusty horse exclusively. His hose is 31 years old, but still climbs the wilderness trails. Because the horse "huffs and puffs" on the steep, high elevation trails, the ranger uses a younger horse for the tougher trails. Ranger, horse and a mule team up to assist with back country rescues. This year, they have extricated seven people. The ranger offered that he did nine last year.

After completing our six mile trek and a late lunch, we did a little fly fishing, with the same happy results as yesterday.

Sunday, Sept 27, 2015      The Eclipse of a Super, Blood Red, Harvest Moon and Coyote! 

Coyote in the meadows

So it's goodbye Tuolumne and hello Yosemite Valley! We left the high country at about 1000 hours. While driving past the meadows we spotted a wolf. Quick thinking, fast acting Anna Marie was able to get the camera out in time to get a pic.

Our plan to check out the mighty Sequoias at Tuolumne Grove was thwarted by the large crowd of like minded folks.

Our campsite is in the Upper Pines CG. We set up  quickly to allow us time to get the lay of the land. As I was stabilizing the camper Anna Marie suggest that I take a look at the dog walking by. She offered that it looked like a wolf. After further investigation, we believe it was a wolf. 

The valley floor in the foreground,
El Cap on the left and
Half Dome in the background to the right of center

In short order we figured out the free shuttle system, did some souvenir shopping, had dinner at Yosemite Lodge, and saw the Buffalo Soldier movie at the theater. By 2030, we were back aboard the shuttle. On our way back to the CG, we saw the lunar eclipse. The valley was pitch black save for the headlights oh cars. As I write this at 2116 hours, there is a red glow in the clear sky. 

Monday, Sept 28, 2015     The Valley Floor Tour

We took the Valley Floor Tour today, and what a tour it was! Ranger spoke non-stop for two hours about the history, geology, biology, and ecology of this place. It was quite the educational experience. The highlight was the view from Tunnel Falls. 

Ansel Adam's view of Half Dome from Sentinel Bridge

Sept 14 - 20, 2015 Mostly Glacier

Monday, Sept 14, 2015     One More Sleep to Glacier NP!

Departed TRNP this morning at 0839 hours. We have a 375 mile drive planned and will add a lunch break to the mix. We got off the I 94 after a short distance and drove on winding, two lane Montana roads the rest of the day. The speed limit is 75 mph during the day (it drops to 65 at night). The road is smooth and the shoulder is gravel. The view out the windshield in nothing but flatland to the horizon. There is an occasional hill and every twenty-five miles or so is a little village. Most have no stores, gas stations, pharmacies, or restaurants.

We made it to Havre, MT, after what felt like an unusually long day. The campground has a convenience store and a casino, a very small casino. I looked inside to see a couple of rows of slot machines. There were only a few customers. I observed one young man kind of hugging his machine as he pushed a button. Most of the RV's in this campground are big and it appears that people are using them as residences. Shortly after 1700 hours, people started pulling up in their vehicles (the pick-up seems to be the vehicle of choice), appear ethyl returning home from work.

The campground had a laundry room so Anna Marie took advantage while I listened to a rather disappointing Eagles game.

Tuesday, Sept 15, 2015     Two Medicine CG at Glacier NP

We started the day with a two hundred mile drive to East Glacier. It went rather quickly. The day was overcast after an overnight soaking. In fact, the canvas was went when we folded the camper up. The Rockies just seem to pop out of the flatland. Because it was overcast with limited visibility, we didn't see them until we were within about twenty miles.

East Glacier is a funky little town with a few small shops and eateries. It isn't nearly as touristy as I would have thought. Only one block off the main drag there appears to be very poor housing and extreme poverty. The Blackfeet Indian Reservation share a border with Glacier NP. Even the big town, Browning, there is the ambience of poverty among the small casinos, museums and the local school and community college.

The Great Northern RR built the East Glacier Train Station and the Lodge at the foot of Dancing Lady Mountain. It is a specimen of Grand Parkitecture from s bygone era. We enjoyed lunch there as we marveled at the four foot diameter posts that were part of the structure. Folks were enjoying their afternoon reading by the enormous fireplace that was feed by logs that were six feet long.

We checked out the train station and got some information on the one way fare of the Empire Builder from Chicago to Seattle ($655 points including the sleeper car and all meals).

We set up the camper in the grandeur of Two Medicine CG on the shore of Two Medicine Lake surrounded by high peaks and one glacier visible in the high elevation of one of the peaks.

After setting up the PUP, we took off for our first hike in Glacier. It happened to be a six tenths of a mile out and back trail to Running Eagle Falls, named in honor of a famous Blackfeet heroine.

The temp is dropping into the high 30's tonight. We're bracing for a very cold time. As I write this, the propane heater has the inside of our little tent camper at 66 degrees. We'll shut it down before turning in at about 2200 hours.

Being that it was so cold outside, we stopped at the Whistle Stop for a light dinner. Anna Marie's enjoyed a grilled Portabella that was one of the best she's ever had!

Wednesday, Sept 16, 3015     Plan C!

The wake up temperature at 0715 is 37 degrees Fahrenheit. Cold to be sure, but we were warm and snug in our little camper. The propane heater kept the temp in the high 60's and lasted four hours. We had plenty of time to fall asleep in relative warmth. Of course we kept two windows cracked open a bit for ventilation.

Plan A was foiled after a 50+ mile drive to the St. Mary (East) Entrance of the park and Going-to-the Sun Road. The Ranger told us that there is a twenty-one foot vehicle length limit on the road. We did a lot of research on the road and never came upon that critical piece of information.

Plan B was to camp in the St. Mary KOA and reserve a spot of tomorrow's Red Bus. Guess what? Foiled again! Tomorrow's Red Bus is sold out.

Plan C was to drive around the park to the west entrance at Apgar, get a site in the Apgar CG. We'll stay for four days or so and decide whether we'll drive the GTTS road or take the Red Bus. Because of the change in plan, we'll have to do the Many Glacier area on the east side of the park by bus or car. We'll decide tomorrow.

By the way, we enjoyed a delightful lunch in the St. Mary Lodge. St. Mary Lodge is one of many built by the Great Northern Railroad. Each was a day's ride by horseback apart.

Note 1: Like most parks, the Glacier Sign not only identifies the park entrance and incorporates the NPS Arrowhead but the Glacier sign is emblazoned with a plaque identifying it and Waterton Lakes as an International Peace Park. The designation occurred in 1932.

Note 2: This afternoon, we saw a Grizzly Bear on a hillside while driving through the reservation. We didn't stop to take a picture as we have several Yellowstone Grizzly pictures. This evening, we happened upon a Black Bear slaking the shore of the Flathead River. This time, I took several photos and shot some video too.


Thursday, Sept 17, 2015     Going To The Sun Road!

Activities for the day started at around 1000 hours after Oatmeal and a failed attempt at brewing Huckleberry Coffee. The plan was to hike two famous trails each about three hours long. Upon arriving at the Logan Pass Visitors Center, the location of the first trailhead, we devised a new plan; primarily because it was windy and cold (38 herders). Instead, we finished driving the "Road," left the park at the St. Mary entrance and re-entered at the Many Glacier area to the north. We enjoyed lunch in the Swiftcurrent Cafe while observing myriad hikers changing from their trail boots and socks into something presumably more comfortable.

After returning to the main roadway, we turned north to get a glimpse of Chief Mountain. In so doing, we realized that we were less that twenty miles from the Canadian border. We briefly discussed a quick visit to Waterton Lakes Park and the Prince of Wales Hotel, but decided to leave a visit to that treasure for another adventure.

On the way back to camp, again via the Going to the Sun Road, we stopped for dinner at the Lake McDonald Lodge, another fine western red cedar structure. We did that after a boat ride on Lake McDonald aboard the 84 year old "DeSmet," also built out of red cedar.

After dinner, we attended a Ranger talk on what it means to be "Native." We made it back to camp by 2330 hours after a delightful day that was much different than the one we had planned.
J
Friday, Sept 18, 2015     The Prize!

Sleeping is easy in the little camper. Whether camping or on the boat, I usually get out of bed at around 0700. Lately, I still wake up then, but now I just roll over and go back to sleep! We both get up near 0900 and after taking care of personal hygiene and breakfast, it's 1000 hours. So it was today.

By 1100 hours, we drove to the Trail of Cedars trailhead, donned our hiking boots and set out on the trail. About one-half way around the loop, we took off on the two mile long Avalanche Trail. This trail has a five-hundred foot gain in elevation (think walking up a fifty story building). The trail is very popular, perhaps one of the most popular in the park, and we said "hello" to at least a couple dozen hikers as we trekked along.

The payoff was a glacial blue/green Avalanche Lake and two thin but steep waterfalls. It was well worth the effort. When we got back to the Lake Avalanche Trailhead's intersection with the Trail of Cedars, we continued along the remainder of that loop and returned to the car. In total, we were on the trail for three hours and ten minutes.


Saturday, Sept 19, 2015     In Your Dreams!

Another day, same routine! By the time we cleaned up from breakfast, it was 1000 hours. Getting ready to go hiking took another half hour and after a false start because we forgot something, we were off for the West Shore of Lake McDonald trailhead. We were going to do the Rocky Point trail as well. According to our hiking guide, our hike would be about five and one-miles in length with an elevation rise of twenty-five feet. We could even start the hike from our campsite by taking the trail to Apgar Village. It promised to be an easy day.

N O T!!!!!

At the outset, our pace was quick. It was a flat two tenths of a mile to the village and perhaps an equal distance to McDonald Creek Bridge. Right past the bridge, we turned onto Grist Road and started to climb! We continued to climb for at least the next mile, gaining an estimated 250' in elevation! Whoever wrote the 25' gain listed in the guide was dreaming! The road eventually stopped and the Fish bridge Bike Trail started. We followed downhill until we got to Fish Bridge Road. We continued on. At some point, the trail turned off the road, but we missed it. We had about another 1/2 mile to Fish Bridge Campground where we would pick up the Western Shore Trail and eventually the Rocky Point Trail. But, we were already exhausted. So we turned around, walked back up the hill and back down it again. We arrived back at Apgar Village at 1400 hours. Lunch seemed like a capital idea so we stopped at Eddies ("Almost everybody eats at Eddies"). We dallied over lunch until 1500 hours. The two tenths of a mile walk back to camp was slow and torturous. We were both tired and sore.

We finally made it back, and after a little break while enjoying the mild afternoon (temp in the 60s), we made a fire as the warmth of the sun dissipated in the early evening hours. Anna Marie made a nice minestrone soup with extra beans and fresh zucchini. I cooked it over the fire. It was delicious. The final bits of firewood kept us warm as the sun disappeared behind the mountain.

Our Glacier experience is just about over. We will break camp tomorrow and head toward Yosemite National Park. I figure it will take four or five days to get there. Along the way, we'll stop at Craters of the Moon National Monument, about half way from here to Yosemite.


Sunday, Sept 20, 2015     Goodbye Glacier!

I awoke to find that my back, which had been getting better, now hurts worse than ever. There's not much I can do about it so I just grit my teeth and move forward. Oh, and I take some Tylenol when it gets really bad.

We were packed and underway at 0930. We had a leisurely drive south on US 93. We made it as far as the Century 2 Campground in Salmon, ID, where Anna Marie did the laundry. It is a small but neatly kept CG on the North Fork of the ??? River. The temp is near 80 degrees. after setting up the camper, I noticed four boat drifted by in the whitewater.

The CG internet worked well enough that we were able to watch a program on Netflix. We haven't done that in awhile.

2015 Trip to Glacier NP - The First Week

Look at this, we have another trip to blog about. This time, we're towing our little camper to Glacier National Park. Other National Parks and attractions will be added after we get to Glacier. We want to get there before it gets too cold.

This account starts the day before our departure with the traditional King Crab party.


Monday, Sept 7, 2015     King Crab!

And the winner is... Josh and me! That's right, it was a two way tie. Each of us caught a 5 8/8 inch crab. Geoffrey was awarded the Most Valuable Person prize for his outstanding assistance for the summer. He was a huge help to Granny and me and accepted requests for help without question. Congratulations Josh and Geoffrey and a special thanks to Geoffrey for being the MVP!

Geoffrey has come to the realization that this might have been his last summer with us. He believes he will need to get a job next year. That's sad for us, but he is growing up. It may be more of an adjustment for us than for hom.


Tuesday, Sept 8, 2015     Glacier N P Bound!

At 1000 hours, we pulled out of the driveway towing the Popup (a Quicksilver 6.0 by Livin Lite) with the Caravan. Yes, we have a minivan. Not particularly proud of that, but all of the kids fit in it and it holds a lot of camping gear.

Our destination for the day is S. B. Elliot State Park (341 miles from home) in the Pennsylvania wilds. Camp was set up by 1730 hours. Drive time included a 45 minute lunch break and a 30 minute nap break ostensibly for the driver, but the passenger was snoring louder than yours truly. She must have been tired too.

The camping fee was $14.50 with the senior discount. and the host gave us a load of firewood and kindling that we didn't use.


Wednesday, Sept 9, 2015     Topeka, IN, Home of "Livin Lite"

Today's destination is the Livin' Lite Factory in Topeka, IN (6h 9m - 399 miles). We hope to purchase an awning, jack bar and a light/fan combo for the camper. We arrived at the factory at about 1515, after discovering that the Livin Lite website has the wrong address listed. As we pulled in, a gentleman asked what we wanted. We told him  and he said nobody is here. They all went home at 1500 hours (we were told that they close at 1600 hours. He asked us to wait and in a few minutes returned with the jack bar and light/fan combo but said the awnings are not in stock. That's not what the guy on the phone said, The man at the factory gave us the other items, free of charge!

It was easy driving on I 80 with several work areas that slowed us to 50mph.

We stayed in Paradise Lakes Campground a few miles from Topeka, IN. The facilities seem brand new and the fee was $41 and change including tax.


Thursday, Sept 10, 2015     Mill Bluff State Park, WI

Our drive of 375 miles included a stop at Cabella's. Although we tried, we didn't spend any money.

Driving through Chicago was challenging due to the volume of vehicles and the myriad work areas along the highway. In fact, one of the work areas was over twenty miles long! Generally speaks my, driving is much more relaxing my with Sirius radio. The music and NPR discussions help pass the time and take my mom needs off of details like hour much further our destination is and how fast we go during each hour of the trip. Until we got Sirius, I used to dwell on minutiae that actually made the day's drive seem much longer than it was. While drive my through Check Cato, I had to turn off the radio so I could concentrate on the signs and the first net ructions from the GPS.

We are camped at Mill Bluff State Park, thereby matching our pace with our 2013 trip with the grandchildren. We have logged just shy of 1100 miles in the three days we've been driving.

My back continues to ache. It started a couple of days before we left home. It seem to be getting slightly better but the relief has not been significant yet.
I'm hoping it gets better by the time we get to Glacier, which is still three or four days away.


Friday, Sept 11, 2015     Fargo, ND

 This is our first time since n North Dakota. We arrived in Lindenwood Park on Roger Marris Drive after traveling about 425 miles. That's our longest drive of the trip to date. A traffic jam (I know what you're thinking, traffic in Minnesota, how could that be, nobody lives here) caused by road construction, added an hour to our drive. For such a sparsely populated area, there seems to be a lot of traffic on the interstate.

When we finally made it to our destination, we set up camp in record time and headed to the movie theater to see "A Walk in the Woods." It is a very funny movie that we really enjoyed. Certainly wouldn't mind seeing it again.


Saturday, Sept 12, 3015     Theodore Roosevelt National Park

We broke camp at 0730, our earliest departure to date. We were facing another long drive and wanted to arrive in time to explore the park a bit. As the day wore on, I began to feel more and more uncomfortable. I felt worse after those delicious nachos.
By the time we found a campsite (we got the last one) in TRNP, I didn't feel like doing anything. We scored a pair of tickets to the Medora Musical, a "must see" on any visit to Medora.

The show was pure analyze, but we enjoyed it, especially the Chicago Boyz of 2013 America's Got Talent fame.

When we arrived back at the camper, I was ready for bed. It was a fitful night that left me drained the next morning.


Sunday, Sept 13, 2015     TRNP DAY 2!

I woke up feeling washed out and lacking energy. After an hour or so, I felt "cured." We decided to make it a light day with a trip to the Cowboy Cafe (save your time and money), a stroll through town with visits to some of the gift shops. Atypically, we even made a couple of purchases.

After lunch and the hustle and bustle of shopping,  it was time to relax back at the campsite. Following our respite, we drove the Loop through the park. Along the way we saw more prairie dogs, bison, mule deer and feral horses. We never found the trailhead that would lead us to the petrified forest. We decided to drive to a different trail that we could follow to our destinationj, but found that it was seven miles up a dirt road. We passed on that adventure.


















Monday, Sept 14, 2015     One More Sleep to Glacier NP!