Alll Good Things Must Come to an End

Hi, everyone,
I'm sorry to say that our journey is coming to an end. We're currently in Macon, GA about 2 1/2 hrs. from home. We decided to drive straight through from Memphis. Although we're a little sad that the trip is over, we have so many good memories (and photos) to look back on for years to come. And, this is not the end of our travels. We're already planning our next BIG trip to the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Monument Valley and beyond.
Things we've learned along the way:
This is an incredibly beautiful and BIG country.
Most people are nice, even the Democrats.
Wash clothes at 5 am or be ready to fight for a washer/dryer.

A 6-gal. water heater is very small; take very quick showers.

There is never enough closet space; take fewer clothes.

If you want to see bears, visit Yellowstone in the spring.

If you want to see elk, visit RMNP anytime.

You can live without cable, phone service, and Internet at least 3 days (Yellowstone)

A Verizon air card is invaluable on long, boring drives.

Two people who love each other can still get on each others nerves when confined to an 8'x25' space for 4 weeks.

Thanks for sharing our adventure and for keeping us in your prayers.

Until another trip.....

Carolyn

Where the Wind Comes Beatin' Down the Plain

Hi, everyone,

We left Estes Park on Labor Day and drove 440 miles to Russell, KS. You can make really good time on the prairie. We didn't stop in Denver but really enjoyed the view of the mountain range off to the west. Once we left the mountains, it became flat, or nearly so, very quickly. Kansas was more of the same all the way across to KC, MO. The only thing worth noting was the 20 mile long wind farm just west of Salina. It was something to see. I looked it up on the Internet and found it was built by an Italian firm. The 4 mile wide wind farm generates 1000s of megawatts of electricity which is sold to utilities in Kansas and elsewhere. It apparently was a controversial project with many opposed to it. But, to tell you the truth, it was a welcome sight after several hundred miles of nothing.

Today, we drove another 400 miles and landed in Springfield, MO. not far from Branson. We're debating whether to go there or to head toward Memphis. I'll keep you posted. Our RV park proprietor asked me where we're headed. When I said toward home near Savannah, GA. She said, "I knew you were from Georgia, I know the accent; I'm from Cairo, GA." It is a small, small world.

We have logged right at 5000 miles so far. It's been a great trip.

Later....

Carolyn

Turkeys and Coyotes and Elk, Oh, My!

Hi, everyone!

Finally, we're seeing some wildlife. We drove around early this morning in the lower elevations of RMNP and saw elk (lots of elk), a coyote, a flock of turkeys and a chipmunk. Sadly, no moose or bears. We also went on two short hikes. The one around Bear Lake was incredibly beautiful (see photos).

One of the best things about this trip is meeting people of all walks of life and from so many different states. I've determined that most people don't live their entire lives in one town or even one state like we have. Our current neighbors are from Alabama and Texas and are now living in Boulder, CO. I met a lady in the laundrymat this morning from Seattle but originally from California. She had visited Savannah once and loved it (she didn't go in the summer!). We had neighbors Friday who were originally from the Chicago area now living in Littleton, CO. I can truly see the attraction Colorado has for people. What we have seen of it is really beautiful. The town of Fort Collins was neat, attractive, and seemed to be economically in good shape judging from the new developments we passed through on our way to RMNP. Once, we leave the Denver area tomorrow heading east, I don't expect to see much pretty scenery.

We should be home in 5-6 days unless we encounter a "must see" attraction. It's been a good trip so far.

Enjoy the photos.

Carolyn

Rocky Mountain High--Real High

Hi, everyone,

We celebrated our 43rd anniversary in Jackson Hole, then reluctantly left the Tetons traveling south, then west toward Laramie, WY. We experienced our first traffic problem along the desolete route from Rock Springs to Laramie. We sat, engine off, for about 1 1/2 hours not knowing until later that a tractor-trailer rig had wrecked and burned to the ground. It was a terrible sight. We said a little prayer, hoping the driver had survived.

We arrived in Laramie (one of the wild, old west towns) and found that it hadn't changed much from those cowboy days. Only now, it's returning college students (Colorado U.) that are "shootin' up the town." We ate at a hangout for college kids that was right next to the Union Pacific rail yard and watched one train after another come and go. It was fun. Laramie, however, had nothing else to offer, so we hit the road the next day.

We drove out of Wyoming intending to go on into Denver but stopped at a vistor's center first. After reading through a brochure on Rocky Mountain National Park, we opted to see one more park before heading home (this makes Nat'l Park #4; thank goodness for the Senior Pass we purchased for $10 at our first one). We entered the Park at Estes Park, CO. It's a nice town with lots of shops and restaurants. This morning (Sat.) we drove into RMNP and all the way to the top (12,000+ ft elevation). WOW! John Denver was not kidding about the Rocky Mountain High. We were a little winded after walking around a bit. It is spectacular! Sorry, it was a little hazy and the photos don't do justice to the magnificent views. The winding road had very few guard rails between us and valley floor below. We thought it funny that there were a few signs reminding us to "buckle up." We finally saw elk grazing in the lower elevations and the Aspens are beginning to turn. Beautiful day!

Enjoy the photos.

Carolyn

Grand Tetons and Jackson Hole

Hi, everyone,

Just when we thought we had left all the magnificent scenes behind, we saw the Tetons. Just a few miles outside the Yellowstone's south gate, we saw the first peaks with snow still visible near the tops. Unlike the mountains of NC or GA that you come upon gradually after riding through the foothills, there are no foothills of the Tetons. The mountains rise up sharply from the valley floor just west of the Snake River. The mountains are relatively young (6-8 million years old) and created by earthquakes that forced Jackson down (thus, Hole) and the mountains up. They are still moving skyward at the rate of 1 foot every 200 years.

We went out this morning looking for a suitable place for two out of shape 60 somethings to go hiking and found it at Jenny Lake. I've included some of the pics. There are many cyclists here because the valley is so flat and easily traversed on two wheels (for twenty somethings).

The town of Jackson has lots of shops, mostly fine western art and Patagonia outerwear, and at least 180 restaurants. The sidewalks are boardwalks like in the old western towns. There is no
Wal-Mart here (a retailer essential to RVers). It's a very expensive town; don't know how the locals afford it. I mean the blue collar hospitality industry workers.

Interesting thing happened. We had just parked our truck in town and started walking the boardwalk when we saw a shop with elk and moose antlers hanging outside. A man was standing outside working on one of the art pieces (made with elk and moose antlers). I remembered that old acquaintances of ours from Rincon had a son "out West" who did this for a living. I asked the man if he knew Kyle Anderson and the man said, "You're looking at him." How coincidental is that? He's been here for 15 years and makes a nice living creating the pieces (judging from the prices).

I've gone on too long today. Hope you enjoy the photos.

Carolyn

Awesome Yellowstone

Hello, everyone,

Finally, we have a signal. I've been unable to blog since being in Yellowstone. We spent 3 days there. It is truly incredible. We finally spotted 2 wolves (through binoculars) and we came upon a herd of elk slap dab in the middle of the only town within the National Park, Mammoth-HotSprings. They were just grazing and ignoring the tourists. But, other animals have been dodging us. We did, however, take some spectacular photos of the upper and lower falls and a small lake near our park. Yellowstone Lake is so picturesque; we went on a 1-hour tour this morning and covered only a small fraction of the 136 sq. mile lake.We're enjoying beautiful weather and have met some of the nicest people from Louisiana to Oregon. So many people here are from foreign countries, most Japan, China, and Germany. In fact, we commented that without the Orientals, the park would almost be deserted. We have now arrived in Jackson just south of the Teton National Park. I'll send pic of it tomorrow.

See ya!

Caroloyn

Carolyn

Yellowstone--First Glimpse

Hi, everyone,

We had our first glimpse of Yellowstone today. Wow! Had to pinch myself while waiting for Old Faithful to do her thing. And she did, right on schedule (see pics). We walked out on the boardwalk to observe the boiling cauldrens and sniff the putrid sulfur then raced about 500 people to the Old Faithful Lodge cafeteria for a quick lunch.

Yellowstone lake is incredibly beautiful; couldn't take enough photos. Couldn't resist wading in, either. It's huge; you ride along its shores for many miles (pics).

We made arrangements to stay in the park Sat. and Sun. Hopefully, we'll see some of the elusive animals. Today we only saw buffalo (again!).

The rodeo was great last night (pic). It was very professionally done. Cowboys and cowgirls come from all over to participate for points as the work toward championships. The kids, especially, were cute.

Enjoy the pictures.

Later.

Carolyn

Big Horn Mountains

Hi, everyone!

We spent the morning driving over the Big Horn Mountains that start in Buffalo and end in Ten Sleep (named by the Indians; it was ten nights between here and some other point). The mountains were breathtaking and the drive was a white-knuckle one. Most grades were 6%-7% which might not seem like much unless you have a 7300 lb. tin can behind you that you're trying to hold back. Joe did a great job. We did have to cool our brakes about 3/4 ths of the way down from the 9500 ft. mountains. I've included a few pictures.

We wondered why we saw so few RVs on the long drive from Ten Sleep to Cody, but once in Cody we saw where they all were---in our RV park. We are the tiny little silver tin can among the behemoths (Class A's).

We strolled the streets of Cody and ate lunch at Irma's Hotel restaurant(of Buffalo Bill Cody fame). The wall-to-wall mahogany bar and the chandeliers are beautiful. You really do feel you've walked into Miss Kitty's place and you'll see Matt Dillon at any moment.

Cody has lots of gift shops and gun shops and motorcycle paraphenalia shops (and Wal-Mart). Tonight we're going to a genuine rodeo, ya hoo! We're staying through tomorrow night and will see the daily gunfight outside Irma's tomorrow.

Having a great time!

Later, pardners,

Carolyn

Shuffle off to Buffalo

We're in Buffalo, WY again tonight, just enjoying the R&R. Buffalo is situated on the Bozeman Trail. "The Bozeman Trail was an overland route connecting the Oregon Trail to the gold rush territory of Montana. The flow of white pioneers and settlers through territory of American Indians provoked their resentment and attacks. The U.S. Army undertook several military campaigns against the Indians. The trail was so important for its association with US frontier history and conflict with American Indians that it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places." (Wikipedia). It's a lovely town with a difinite Western feel.

The stretch of land between Gillette and Buffalo was the most desolate I've ever traveled. It was a little unsettling knowing that there were no service stations. We saw few cars and only a few trucks. Joe drove 75 (the speed limit) the entire way, but it still seemed to take forever.

We're moving on to Cody Wy tomorrow and should finally reach Yellowstone Friday or Sat.
Sorry I have no new pictures today. Thanks for staying with us.

Carolyn

Greetings from Wyoming!

Hi, everyone!

It's 6:50 p.m MT and we're about 45 miles from our nighttime stop in Buffalo, WY. I can see the Rockies!! Wyoming land is much like SD. We just left Gillette, a town that must have a lot of mining industry.

We stayed longer in and around Rapid City than we intended because an air injection module/pump failed and the Toyota dealer had to have a part flown in. We had a loaner car, though, and saw all the sights, including Deadwood, SD., where Wild Bill Hickok was killed. It's a nice town with many old structures still standing despite numerous flash floods through the years (I'm glad it wasn't raining today!) Deadwood is sandwiched between mountains; any flooding would flow right down Main St.; homes are built on the hillsides.We're going to stay a couple of days in Buffalo so we can wash clothes, re-organize the trailer and the truck (they are in mess), and talk to people about the best route to Yellowstone.

I've posted a few pictures of Deadwood.

Until later....

Carolyn

Where the Deer and the Buffalo Roam

Hi, everyone,

We had a wonderful, long drive today through Custer State Park. We went hoping to see buffalo and we weren't disappointed. They roam freely through the grasslands and on the roads, stopping traffic. Pronghorn, a deer-like animal, are also plentiful, as are prarie dogs. But the real attraction is the scenery. It's gorgeous here. Winding roads take you from grassy meadows, through lush forests with wild flowers and aspen trees, past serene rock-lined lakes, and through tunnels just wide enough for one car to squeeze through. Every turn is breathtaking.

We learned that Custer led an expedition here in 1874 to establish a fort, find a route to the Southwest, and to see if gold might be found there. Needless to say, the Indians, weren't pleased to see him and his arrival led eventually to the Indians being forced off the land despite the Treaty of Laramie in 1868.

We saw the Crazy Horse sculpture from the road, but decided not to spend the money to get closer. We'll come back in 30 years to see the finished product. Let's see 61+30, hmm, maybe not.

There are too many campgrounds in the park to count. Most have cabins as well as places for tents and RVs. If we lived closer, we would definitely vacation here often. It's a great place to come if you're a hiker or if you like to canoe.

All in all, it's high on my list of most beautiful places. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Later.

Carolyn

South Dakota Culture Day

Hi, everyone,

We heard that the Central State Fair was starting today. I thought we could get a better idea about the people and culture of this region by attending the fair. We started by viewing the parade. It was small by some standards, but you could see the pride these folks have in their ancestry (German, Scandinavian, Native American). Horses, as you might guess, are big around here, so there were several units with horses. I've included a few pics.

We were blown away by many exhibits at the fair. I particularly enjoyed the quilt show (see pics) and the chainsaw carving demonstration. The had many competitive events for quarterhorses, but we mostly enjoyed seeing young children 6-8 yrs. old riding and showing their skills with their horses.

We had lunch at the "German Biergarten" (spelling?). We enjoy asking for "sweet tea" at many places because it always starts a conversation with the locals. "Where are you guys from?" We talked to a beekeeper who got his bees from "a fellow in Georgia." After talking for a while we're quite sure it was Mr. Studier from Guyton. What a coincidence! We're really impressed with South Dakotans. They are much friendlier here that Iowans and Ill(annoyans).

We've been particularly interested in the climate here (today it reached about 92). One woman, who spent much of her life in North Dakota, said that this region (Western S. Dakota) is called the "Banana Belt" because of the mild climate much of the year.

Well, I probably told you way more than you wanted to hear today. Tomorrow, it's back to the tourist thing. Until then, hope all of you are well.

Carolyn