Category Archives: Road Trip

Friends ~ Creede ~ and Uh Oh … Where’d My Feet Go?!

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September 11, 2012

We are now on the road headed home from Creede, Colorado … a place we had planned to camp with our friends for two nights … and stayed four!  What a FUN time!  Thank you Pam and Tom!!!

We met up with Pam and Tom at Cottonwood Ranch RV Park … getting in about 4:30 PM on Sept. 7th … just in time for some wine and conversation … realizing it had been more then a year since we saw their smiling faces.  We went to dinner at Kips in downtown Creede … sitting on the patio with live music coming from the upstairs windows … as we talked about our plans for the following day.  Turns out that Tom had rented a large 4-wheel drive jeep and we were going off roading to a waterfall up deep in the canyon.

We packed lunches and headed out at 10:00 AM … paved road

 

 

 

 

 

… dirt road

 

 

 

 

… and then it was a road that looked more like a hiking trail …

 

 

Truly AMAZING how these jeeps crawl over the rocks!!! Not to mention how well we all did hiking on up to the waterfall :-)

Back at camp we grilled up some of our Pink Salmon from Valdez … along with Pam’s roasted sweet potatoes with onion and asparagus … I think we ate and drank and laughed till nearly 11:00 PM and decided to stay another day … Pam so wanted us to see Love Lake

 

 

 

 

and all the Aspens dressed in such flaming colors …

 

not to mention that the trout fishing was supposed to be good …

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and it was … as long as you had worms … and we did!

 

 

 

 

Tom grilled up some wonderful rib eye steaks for dinner and started talking about an amazing off-road drive across the mountains to Silverton … and we found ourselves staying another night … This area is so beautiful

and so interesting … So many abandoned mines …some being re-opened and re-explored with new technology … then you have that it is Elk hunting season … and there are many hunting camps set up all through the back country …

and then just others out exploring … like us … Taking a Sunday Drive (not really sure what day it is :-) .  I thought the road to the waterfall was rough … There were a few places along this route that you might think better fit for a mountain goat! 

Speaking of goats we did see quite a bit of wildlife on today’s adventure (Sept. 10th) from Creede to Silverton on the 520 … coming back Engineer Pass to Lake City to Creede … We saw moose in the valley …

 

 

 

 

 

and a young bull moose on hwy 149 between Lake City and Creede …

 

 

 

 

 

We saw hawks,

 

 

 

 

 

marmots …

several in different places along the route. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We saw chipmunks

and squirrels …

we saw some elk,

mule deer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

picas. 

 

 

 

 

And even a Sherpa herding a huge herd of sheep!

In Silverton we had a wonderful lunch at Grumpy’s …where a young lady sits and plays the piano … one song after the other … even engaging in conversation, never missing a note.  The sign on the wall reads “Not a player piano playing, but a player playing the piano” … and boy did she play.

So … Where did my feet go?!!  Crossing over the mountains via 4-wheel drive …

In and out of the vehicle we were taking pictures of the vast and changing scenery …

and out I went … and my feet went backwards right out from under me and I did a face plant … yes … a nose dive right into my camera in the dirt.  I recall Pam’s voice asking if I was alright and I slowly moved my head left and right saying no as I’m trying to assess the damage … tasting blood in my mouth … and thinking I may be under the jeep … sure hope Tom doesn’t back up. Pam was worried that I had hit my head on the rocks … but luckily it was just a slightly cut and bruised lip an an area between lip and nose … Today as we are driving … headed home … I am feeling some aching on my shoulders and arms … The camera?  Well, it seems the door that holds the battery in was broken … but I can hold it closed … being sure to hold it until the picture records … so I was able to take pictures as we finished our day’s adventure …

Putting an end to this summer’s great journey … North to Alaska and Back.

Today and tomorrow … the plan is to just follow the gps home … tonight we are camped in the Amarillo Walmart parking lot … Tomorrow’s road should take us home.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison

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Sept 6, 2012

I just realized that I have been using August dates in September!  Sorry about that … I guess I just find it hard keeping track of time … day follows night … and on we go … enjoying every moment.

We are on our way to meet up with our friends from Port Aransas … Pam and Tom … We are meeting them in Creede … so on we go … checking the map we find another National Park … Black Canyon of the Gunnison in Colorado … looks like a good place to stop in route.

Sept. 7, 2012

It was a lovely sunset last night … and we saw a road sign for a south rim drive of the Black Canyon …

 

 

 

 

 

What a lovely way to start the day … and another National Park Hat Pin for this summer’s hat band.  And on to Creede we go.

 

 

 

 

What a show the Aspens have put on for us today in this drive along the 149 between Hinsdale (Lake City) and Creede … and a climb up in elevation … pulling our rig … 20-25 miles per hour to make the grade … settling back down to some 8000 feet … Creede … here we are!

Flaming Gorge

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August 4, 2012

The skies are hazy this morning as we drive through this canyon in Wyoming … criss-crossing the Hoback River … through Hoback Ranch Lands.

As we looked at the map, figuring our route to Creede, Colorado, Tom noticed Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area … so we stopped at the Visitor’s Center in Rock Springs, Wyoming, where John and Dave were of great assistance … getting us really excited for this new unplanned adventure.  The Flaming Gorge Road is about a 60 mile run, going north and south, and the scenery changes dramatically.  Burgandy red, golden yellow and sunburnt orange colored rocks decorate the landscape to Flaming Gorge Campground …

 

which turned out to be closed … so on to Fireman’s Memorial Campground …

 

the one Dave told us is so pretty.

August 5, 2012

What a fun day … I’ve been fighting with the 2lb test on my fishing reel for awhile now …
The wind just wrecks havoc with such a lite line … so today we took what little remained, off … and replaced it with 6 lb test … then headed off to the spillway of the Flaming Gorge Dam, the head of the Green River, which runs down through the Gorge here in Utah … Yes, we are now in Utah, where we are camped at fire fighter’s memorial campground which is wooded and sits high … looking out … nice views and large sites. Dave was right!

So, anyway … there is a parking lot at the dam, about 1/2 way down into the gorge,

 

then you take a foot path.  Because it was such a hike … and we were packing lunch and water … I decided not to take my camera … and that is a really good thing … you see at one point I took that one extra step … and for a moment I thought I was going swimming!  Chest high I was … and yes … my clothes inside my waders got wet … so glad it was in the high 80′s out … the “cool off” actually felt good.  And I did catch a couple of nice rainbows (trout) for tomorrow’s dinner.

Back at camp we had a cold beer (after that hike back out of the gorge) and put together a chicken stew with carrots, potatoes, onions and turnips … cooked over the fire in the dutch oven. 

 

While it was cooking the smell seemed to have invited a feral cat which came and sat along side us …

 

then went off like a bullet, ricocheting across the dirt, up onto a boulder and then off it went … I never saw the chipmunk, but heard its squeal.  Tom said “he missed it!” … but there was something about the cat’s stance as it went … that I said, “I don’t so” … and I wandered over and around some bushes and there that little wild cat was …

with the chipmunk dangling out of its mouth … quite the hunter!  Not long after that a ranger came by to let us know that a black bear had been spotted about 1/4 mile up the road and that it may be headed to our campground … to just stay alert.  We found this so funny … after traveling all through Alaska, Canada, even Glacier Nat. Forest, Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons, with bear warnings everywhere, and bear boxes as well as bear proof garbage containers … here we were in Utah and … yes … just as we were finishing our dinner,

 

the bear came ambling through the campground … we just got a glimpse of it … as I grabbed the pot and our dishes, and Tom started making loud noises as we made our way inside the trailer … we did not see it again.  Just another great day experiencing the beauty of Nature in many of her manifestations.

The Tetons ~ Snake River

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Sept. 3, 2012

What a great stay the Grand Teton National Park is and was.  We camped at Colter Bay Campground for 4 nights. 

We did have to change sites on Day 3, as we woke up in a “lake” after a good night’s rain.

 

 

                                                          On day 1 we visited the Marina and ended the day with a short walk to the shore of Lake Jackson 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and stayed to watch  the sunset …

 

 

 

 

                                                           As we walked back to camp we saw a doe … and then her twin fawns.

 

 

 

 

A fella we talked to at the Marina told us about a fishing site below the dam on the Snake River …

not at the dam … where we had a lot of fun on day 2… both of us catching our 3 cut-throat limit making for a delicious dinner with broccoli and cauliflower. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We watched an Osprey catch his dinner too.

 

 

 

 

 

Day 3 we took a lovely walk along the shore of Jackson Lake …

 

 

 

then into the woods and along the shores of Swan Lake

 

 

 

 

 

and Heron Lake … and back to the Marina.

 

 

 

 

Then we did a road tour up to the top of Signal Hill Mountain … Yep, dad … I think this is the place where you dropped your cell phone in the crapper!  As I recall your story, I can’t help but believe this is the place … look familiar?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our third night was quite entertaining:  Tom got a lovely fire going then we heard the thunder and a light sprinkle lead the way to a heavier rainfall and we moved our chairs back under the awning …

 

 

the sprinkles stopped and we were back out by the fire … this dance continued for awhile ending with us back under the awning … noticing our neighbor with a small tear drop trailer, Tom offered him shelter under our awning … he said that he just might take us up on that if it got really nasty out … and awhile later … here came Bernie … singing in the rain …

 

We had some fun conversation as the rain put our fires out.

Day 4 we fished again … and had a lot of fun.  This morning as we were getting ready to go I discovered that my stainless steel water bottle had fallen out of the pocket of my backpack while fishing yesterday.  As we approached the parking area, Tom pulled in with our rig in tow … just knowing he was going to find it … and he did!  Big smile on my face.

We are now headed to Jackson Hole, Wyoming where we plan to find cell service so I can get caught up with my card sending (you know that’s what I do) and this travel blog.  There is a lot of smoke in the air today … creating a thick haze across these magnificent Tetons. 

If you are reading this, then we have made it on to Jackson Hole and will be on the road toward Colorado tomorrow.  Not sure how long it will take to get there.

Sensory Overload

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August 29, 2012

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone … 800 to 1200 feet deep and a mile across … an intimacy the Grand Canyon cannot deliver in its vastness.

So much we have seen … truthfully …

 

 

 

 

 

I am on sensory overload and am happy to spend today just hanging in our campground … taking a walk and fishing the Gardner River that runs through Indian Creek Campground where we are set up.  Gardner River through Indian Creek Campground … Go figure!  LOL

Caught a few toss back brook trout … but the highlight for me today was seeing a big ole wolverine come out of the bushes on the far side of the river … cross the river and climb out on the bank and head off into the woods!  So awesome to see wildlife like that … and then to top it off …

Tom cooked dinner …

split pea soup with ham and carrots cooked over the open fire in his dutch over.  This has been a good mellow day. 

 

Tomorrow we will head south … check out Lewis Lake, then on to Grand Teton National Park … as we make our way toward home sweet home.

Paint Pots and Cauldrons

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August 28, 2012

What an experience the southwest side of Yellowstone Park is!  From cool fresh cascading waterfalls,

 

 

 

to steamy boiling cauldrons so clear you feel like you are looking into the abyss …

to bubbling cement looking mud,

 

 

 

 

geysers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and even orange bacteria mats. 

Even driving along the roadway you discover steaming bubbling holes in the ground … In fact you can be walking with your attention on some steam pot ahead and then you hear bubbling and thumping in the ground off to your left, say, and yes … you follow the sound and there is steam and bubbling water or mud …

 

 

 

 

 

it’s all quite eerie in a very interesting way.

 

What’s All That Snorting About?!!

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August 27, 2012

Well it’s an experience I’ve not had before … Here I am out fishing in this river that runs through the valley outside our campground at Pebble Creek in Yellowstone … listening to the water course over the rocks … and snorting … what?  Yes, the snorting and grunting of the bison.  And you can smell them too … if you know what I mean.  It’s kind of strange because there are signs warning of bears … and you are fishing … you hear the birds, the stream … and then this deep grunt or snort … and you look around wondering … what is that?  Could it be a bear?  And then you see the bison across the way … and there are herds and herds of them here in the Lamar Valley … and you can’t help but be reminded of yesteryear and “Home on the Range” … where the deer and the antelope play … where the buffalo roam and the skies are not cloudy all day … and YES … we even saw a deer and her fawn (I wasn’t able to snap a picture … but that precious fawn’s face is embedded in my mind) and a prong-horn antelope right up close!  I’ve never seen one so close in the wild … They are usually quite a ways off in the distance.

Yes, we are really enjoying Yellowstone … even with not much luck at figuring out the fish yet … it is just such a beautiful place.  Though I must admit that coming in from the west side gave me a bit of a strange and eerie feeling.  There was a lot of evidence of a raging fire … causing so much devastation that I was taken back to last September when our precious Lost Pines Forest of Bastrop burned so horribly taking with it some 1600+ homes … including five of our neighbor’s homes and most of our back yard … even our spa … luckily leaving our home in tact … along with the three across the street from us.

Back to the beauty that still abounds here in Yellowstone … the Tower Falls area was AMAZING … and while the view of the falls from the viewing platform was indeed beautiful …

I found the view from the road even better.  There is a pull out towards the junction … then walk up the road just a bit more and you will be rewarded with a GREAT view :-)   Oh the vast and varied landscapes of this planet.  The more we travel these scenic byways … the more in awe I am.

Pebble Creek ~ Yellowstone

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August 25, 2012

We are camped at Pebble Creek Campground … and we got the last “pull through” site here … the only site that would fit our 22′ trailer … the camp host is friendly and likes that we put our hiking boots to good use.  In fact the canyon here is a little known secret … just those who camp here and venture up the trail even know about it’s beauty.  We enjoyed our little walk.

Pebble Creek, though, is like the most north eastern location in the park … with so much to explore we just plan to stay two nights.  Tomorrow AM we will try some fishing … then check out the Tower Falls … they looked so AMAZING as we dove past them … then we will go check out Indian Creek’s campsites, as we are thinking we will move over that way … more central to exploring the wonders of Yellowstone.

 

I Think I Wore My Camera Out!

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August 25, 2012

So we were in Glacier National Park … those are the last pictures I had taken … and … Thank God … I had up-loaded them to my lap top.  We moved from St. Mary’s Campground down to Two Medicine and took a walk over to the lake to check it out.  I went to take a picture and my camera wouldn’t work! (Here’s a picture of Wild Goose Island along the Road to the Sun in Glacier National Park).

I tried all kinds of things, but it just wouldn’t respond.  I was actually surprised at my reaction, being that I am ALWAYS taking pictures … I just put it away.  Actually I took the battery out, and put the camera down … I’m sure I was hoping that I would put the battery in later and it would work fine.  The truth is I’ve noticed that it hasn’t been working quite right for awhile.  It’s been letting in too much light, not always responding, the picture in the look-back screen has not been very clear … so I guess in was inevitable … But we are headed to Yellowstone!!!  What to do?  I got out the GPS and put in a search for Camera Repair and came up with Bozeman Camera in Bozeman Montana … which just so happens to be right on the way to Yellowstone’s West Entrance … so that’s where we made our way to … after spending a couple of nights at Two Medicine having some fun fishing.  I caught the prettiest Brook Trout (too bad I couldn’t get a picture) … and since I didn’t catch another, and Tom hadn’t caught a fish yet, and, like I said, it was so pretty (I must be getting soft) I actually let it go (and you know how much I like fresh trout) … and of course, then Tom caught a really nice lake trout, which did get gutted and put into the freezer.

We went through Great Falls, MT and looked up a pharmacy to get Tom’s prescription filled … and that is where we met Ed, the pharmacist at Discount Pharmacy on south 10th.  What a nice guy … we got to talking about our trip and it turns out that his family has a fishing business on an island near Juneau … and he gave us 30 days of Tom’s prescription … we’re sure we will be home by then :-)

We camped in the Lewis & Clark National Forest … then yesterday morning we put Bozeman Camera into the GPS and made our way there … We discovered that it would be $180 to send my camera to Nikon for repair and it would take about a month!  Well we explained that we were on the road headed to Yellowstone … It turned out that they had a used Nikon D60 (same camera) that would sell to us for $229.  He explained that it only has 1500 clicks on it … which surprised me that they could find that information … it turns out the memory card records all kinds of stuff so I asked him to give me a read on mine … 29,000 clicks!  Tom got the price down to $220 and then asked about a trade in on mine … they gave us $50 for it … so for less then the repair of $180 I got a lesser used camera and no down time.  I kept my lenses, batteries, charger, etc … and am a “happy camper”. 

We camped at the Bozeman KOA, got our shopping done at the local Walmart Super Store (not groceries but other incidentals) … did our laundry and are getting ready this morning to motor on down the road.  See you in Yellowstone!

Note:  All the pictures in this post are from Glacier National Park … the last place I had a working camera …

No Campsites Available in Denali National Park

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Funny, it’s 4:00 pm on a Wednesday afternoon, and we are told there are no campsites available for tonight … but we can make reservations for tomorrow night, and we are encouraged to take a walk through the Riley Campground, here near the entrance,

to see which sites we might want for tomorrow, and the campground appears more then half empty!

Though we are not deterred … as we had noticed … about 17 miles back down the Parks Highway … there was a lovely, long, level, paved double ended pull out that would work superbly for tonight’s camp-over. So back to Mile 220.5, where our view out our window is of the Nenana River …

popular with river rafters in the warmer days of summer.

We are still praying for the clouds to clear so we can get a view of Mt. McKinley … known locally as Denali … Though I must say … the lower mountains that are in view are beautiful in their rich brown and green hues.

August 4, 2012

It’s Not All Hype!  Our first day in Denali we went to the visitors center and watched the movie The Heartbeats of Denali … which took us through the different seasons and showed us the wildlife that makes this land their home … of course this was after we got settled into our site at the Riley Campground. 

Notice our attire … Summer in Alaska!!! The temperature is in the high 40′s.  Know that I have on layers … including long johns, a long sleeved t-shirt, a heavy sweater, a scarf knitted by my daughter-in-law, beaver ear muffs and my jacket!!!

We took the free shuttle to the dog sled presentation, where we learned about (and met) the dogs. 

One was being brushed and since I had seen some hats in Skagway that had been made from spun dog fur, I asked if they contributed the fur and I was told that they actually sell it to someone in Fairbanks who spins it into yarn to be used for knitting garments like hats and sweaters.  It’s been so cold these past couple of days, I have borrowed Patti’s beaver ear muffs … I think I might look for a hat in Fairbanks, as I’m wishing I had bought the one I tried on in Skagway.

Yesterday we took the green shuttle bus to Eielson (there are several choices) … it’s 8 hours round trip … you are on and off several times

… and it is how you get into the interior of the park.  On the journey in we saw Dall Sheep … specks of white way up on the mountainside

and caribou … moving specks of brown down in the valley …

By the time we neared our destination, I was thinking what a bunch of hype this place is … especially for those, like us, who have driven all through the vast wilderness just getting here in the first place, and not seeing any more or less wildlife … and if we do see grizzly … they will be 3 miles away!!  And then I spotted one … a large guy …

and enjoyed watching it come near the bus …

We were surprised by the large white claws that stood out against the green grass and flowers as he made his way across the tundra.  And then there was a second bear … and on our way back a third, following a wolf

… and two separate spottings of lynx … I sure never even anticipated seeing a lynx in the wild … it was all very exciting and rewarding.  I found it interesting too, to think that you can get off this bus … anytime you want … except in the midst of wildlife viewing … and you can walk the wilderness … out there, there are no trails … you can walk anywhere except a 5 mile area where you have to stay on the road … and just in case you are wondering … The park encompasses 6 million acres!  No fences … just natural wilderness and there’s never been a human incidence with the bears, because of the way its all managed .. The bears do not associate people with a food source; nor as a threat … they just turn and walk away … and that’s the way we like it.  I almost forgot to mention that we did see the Alaska state bird, the ptarmigan

and even our first moose in the wild.

Today we will be heading in to Fairbanks.  Several people along this journey have told us that when we are in Fairbanks not to miss the Discovery Riverboat Cruise … which is interesting, as our friends, Paul and Pepper are good friends with Jim, the owner.  Pepper gave us his email address and his phone numbers … I feel kind of funny a bout calling … I guess I am weird that way (and in many others), but I did go ahead and send off an email to see if we might have a chance to meet with him and learn all about the Discovery … That was night before last … so far … no answser.

We sure love the free camping!  It is so amazing to me how much free camping is available … especially here in Alaska … it seems very few miles is a turn out … some closer to the road then others … but it doesn’t take long to find one that is suitable to camp for the night … many with trees between us