Aug 28, 2012 - Potpourri or This and That

Potpourri: A little of this and a little of that… Patricia had her first Army Surplus experience on Saturday. Actually, if you’ve never been in one it’s a good way to kill an hour or so. It brought back memories of a life once lived, and I still don’t like the word “camping” for obvious reasons. The Mercury convertible, a 1949 model, was just sitting there on the corner waiting to be admired by those who know and appreciate American graffiti. I owned a 1950 Merc growing up on the south side of Milwaukee in the late 50s. James Dean drove a...

Aug 25, 2012 - Jackson, Wyoming

On Thursday we ran over to Jackson, Wyoming taking Hwy 22 over the Teton Pass. This was a 10% grade up and a 10% grade down for roughly 14 miles. Although as beautiful as can be, it wears your breaks out real fast and when it says sharp curves ahead, it means it! Jackson is a major gateway for millions of tourists visiting Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, and the National Elk Refuge each year. Jackson is also known for its ski resorts and art galleries. Most famous is the Jackson Hole Ski Resort, 12 miles from town. It has one of the highest...

Aug 19, 2012 - Grand Tetons

When we awoke on Friday morning it was a nippy 32 degrees!! The Pioneer had two old space heaters for heat, burrrr… We bundled up and walked over to the Running Bear Pancake House for breakfast. With a hearty breakfast (which we always splurge on when away from home) under our belts, off we headed to The Grand Teton National Park. Half way there, we stopped at a beautiful place called Coulter Bay where there was a marina, camping, and a background of gorgeous mountains off in the distance. The Park Ranger there told us of an alternative...

Aug 18, 2012 - Yellowstone 2

Thursday, August 16, we headed back for our second visit to Yellowstone. This time we decided to spend the night in the town of West Yellowstone so that we would have time to not only tour the southern loop of the Park but also to explore some of the town itself. When we left Idaho Falls, it was a very chilly 45 degrees so we bundled up for the ride. The entrance to the Park is about two hours from where we are staying, and so our fist stop once reaching Yellowstone was McDonald’s and hot coffee. Once warmed up and after having a nice chat...

Aug 18, 2012 - Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center

Today we visited the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone. It was great as they have wild grizzly that hunt for hidden food and you can watch them in their natural state without the fears associated with finding bears in the wild. They also had some wolfs that you could also observe.

Aug 15, 2012 - Earthquake Lake, ID

We had been told by the locals here at the Valley View RV Park to not miss Earthquake Lake, we ask when did the quake occur , she pointed to the man in the office and said he was camping on his honey moon in 1959 in the campground that was destroyed when the quake occurred . She said he just decided to go visit his family that day; all in the camp ground where killed. She pointed out that his whole family, kids, and grandkids would not be here if he had not made that decision that day. Make sure to read the info, you will be surprised ...

Aug 11, 2012 - Saying Good-bye to Good Friends

Today was our last day with the Klingers, so we had a casual morning. George went to the local bakery and picked up some huge donuts for breakfast. Around 10:30 we all headed north to Big Sky, Montana to check out the sites. We found our way to the Big Sky Ski Resort, where they offered scenic chair-lift rides up the mountain. Everyone, but Lisa went up, if you know her, you know she doesn't do chair-lift rides. She hung back and was rewarded with a black bear sighting on the side of the mountain, not too far from the resort area. It...

Aug 10, 2012 - Geyser Day

After a day away from Yellowstone, we were all ready to head back into the park by 8:45 am. Today, we focused on the seeing the midway, upper and lower geyser basins. It was only 48 degrees when we left our campsite, so the geysers were making a lot of steam as the cool air hit their hot water. Our first stop was the Midway Geyser Basin, where the Grand Prismatic Spring is located. Unfortunately, the steam prevented us from seeing all of it's gorgeous colors, however, the steam sure felt nice on our cool skin. It seemed like we were walking...

Aug 9, 2012 - Rodeo Day!

After a few early mornings, we decided to sleep in a little today. We gathered at the Klinger's cabin for a nice hearty New England breakfast, before we headed out to a Mountain Man exhibit. This is an annual rendezvous, where mountain men come to sell their fare. You can find anything from jewelry, animal skins and elk horn carvings. It seemed like the perfect day for a swim, so we set off and found ourselves a wonderful stream. Other then a few fly fishermen, it was just us and nature. The water was running just fast enough for Karissa...

Aug 8, 2012 - A full day in Yellowstone

We were in the park early today, with hopes of seeing some wild life. You don't have to look too hard, just watch for cars pulled over or traffic jams and you know there is an animal up ahead. This morning people were stopping for vultures, eagles and geese, but we were looking for the big game! We made our way up to Canyon Village and stopped at some viewpoints to catch some spectacular shots of the canyon and the lower falls. It was a perfect cool day, so why not do some hiking, Karissa moaned. Hiking is not her thing, but she was a good...

Aug 7, 2012 - Yellowstone here we come!

Another chilly morning, but at least the kids were warmer last night with their extra blankets. We were up early, because after 6 days in one place, it was time to pack-up and move north into Yellowstone National Park. We met up with the Klingers and pulled out of Colter Bay. Within 11 miles we were leaving the Grand Teton National Park and entering into Yellowstone National Park. We are really enjoying George's Golden Pass which gets us into all the national parks free, sometimes it's not so bad being old! Our first stop was at West Thumb...

Aug 5, 2012 - to West Yellowstone MT; 16/201

120805-Sun-64382-Today we ended at 64492, started at 64382 miles, for total miles today of 110. Today we drove to Mammoth Hot Springs, where we saw female elk, and then out the west entrance. The KOA that we are staying at is out West Yellowstone about 5 miles outside of West Yellowstone, but is very nice. Today turned out to be a short day, but we each have some catching up to do. We ate lunch along a river, in the park. We just got back from the pool. It was cold, but it was 81 degrees. I think I’m spoiled.