Thursday, July 12, 2007
Saturday, July 7, 2007
We made it home!
Hi all!
Sorry for the delay in posting - we have experienced technical difficulties (lack of wifi), resulting in the inability to update the blog.
Last time I posted, we were just hanging out at the campsite in Erie - and had decided not to seek out some fireworks for the fourth. This ended up being a great decision, because, from our campsite, we were actually able to view the firework being launched on Lake Erie, and enjoyed the whole show without leaving our site. Campers next to us did drive out to see the fireworks, and took more than 2 hours to get home. We just watched the fireworks, and then played a great game of Monopoly (the Dallas Cowboys version) in the camper. Chris quickly accumulated a set of properties, put up hotels, and bankrupt the rest of us (well almost - we had set a time limit, so at the end of the hour, he was the richest!).
Thursday morning, we set out for the next stop - Niagara Falls. We arrived there quickly - it was only a 150 mile drive - and started exploring. We went to Goat Island and looked at the both the American Falls and Horseshoe Falls, dined at a small restaurant, and then took a ride on the Maid of the Mist. For those of you who haven't been to Niagara Falls, the Maid of the Mist is a short boat ride that rides in front of the American Falls and then into the middle of the Horseshoe Falls - needless to say, one gets drenched on this boat ride, thus the need for those ridiculous blue trash bag coats that we are wearing in the pictures that Bill posted. It was really cool - and absolutely amazing how much water flows through those falls.
We then headed through customs, on route for our next campsite - in Niagara Falls, ON. The voyage over the border was - interesting. Three customs officers asked us to leave our vehicle, so that they could search the RV - looking for weapons I think. It took them quite a while, and we could see them opening every cupboard, box, etc., in search of something that may threaten the security of Canada - we are scary looking individuals, and certainly fit the profile for terrorists, right?
Well, we made it through - they did "break" one of the benches to the dinette while they were searching - Chris put it back together while we drove. We arrived at the nicest campground of our trip - the Niagara Falls KOA - it was awesome. It had and indoor heated pool, two outdoor pools, playgrounds, etc. etc. etc. We checked in, hooked up the RV, and booked it out to the road, where we could pick up the public transportation for a ride back to the falls. Bill had made reservations for dinner at the Skylan Tower, revolving dining room for a fantastic dinner. The food was wonderful, once I got over the prices on the menu, and the view was priceless. It was worth every penny of the price. I had the best cream of mushroom soup, followed by the greatest filet mignon and shrimp entree - it was unbelievable. We all had a great dinner and night. The dinner was followed by a trip up to the observation deck - and continued views of the magnificent falls. After dinner and the observation deck, we went to the huge arcade, and then off to a 3D/4D Movie about the history of the falls. That was cool too! From the movie, we walked around the falls, looking for a place where the red line of the bus would pick us up. It ended up being a really long, but beautiful walk along the falls - which are illuminated at night. The only unfortunate thing in the visit was that Bill lost his glasses - they likely fell into the falls when he was taking pictures; I hope a fish will benefit from the improved vision!
Friday morning, we headed off - hoping to make it back into the United States ( Canada had not been great to us, and gas prices were awful, at $1.06 / liter, or about $3.99 / gallon). So we drove and we drove and we drove. We managed to hit Toronto at lunch hour - just in time for lots and lots of traffic, and then, while I was driving, we hit Montreal for Friday night rush hour. It took us over an hour to get through Montreal, with the tripped capped off with a drive over the Champlain Bridge - once again, if you know of my fear of bridges, this is a huge accomplishment for me. My fingers needed to be pried off the steering wheel when I was off the bridge - but I did it!!!!!! Yeah!!!!!!
We got to the US border, in Derby VT, around 8:30 pm - and the custom officers were very welcoming, and only wondered if we were transporting any mad cows with us - other than that, they were happy to see us come home. When we arrived in the US, we made the decision to drive all the way home, rather than finding a campground to just spend the night. Since we were driving home, we stopped at a pizza joint in Newport for dinner and caffeine (for Bill and I), and set off to go home. The ride through the notch was the usual ride - just slowed slightly by an enormous thunder and lightening storm and a deer sighting. We were psyched to finally reach North Conway, and very pleased to see the completion of the road work in the village. We all arrived home, happy to be there, at 12:30.
It was a great trip, and one that none of us will forget for a long time to come. We have all the great memories, lots of souvenirs, and many many pictures. I look forward to our next trip in the RV!!
Thanks for coming along with us on this trip!
Sue
Sorry for the delay in posting - we have experienced technical difficulties (lack of wifi), resulting in the inability to update the blog.
Last time I posted, we were just hanging out at the campsite in Erie - and had decided not to seek out some fireworks for the fourth. This ended up being a great decision, because, from our campsite, we were actually able to view the firework being launched on Lake Erie, and enjoyed the whole show without leaving our site. Campers next to us did drive out to see the fireworks, and took more than 2 hours to get home. We just watched the fireworks, and then played a great game of Monopoly (the Dallas Cowboys version) in the camper. Chris quickly accumulated a set of properties, put up hotels, and bankrupt the rest of us (well almost - we had set a time limit, so at the end of the hour, he was the richest!).
Thursday morning, we set out for the next stop - Niagara Falls. We arrived there quickly - it was only a 150 mile drive - and started exploring. We went to Goat Island and looked at the both the American Falls and Horseshoe Falls, dined at a small restaurant, and then took a ride on the Maid of the Mist. For those of you who haven't been to Niagara Falls, the Maid of the Mist is a short boat ride that rides in front of the American Falls and then into the middle of the Horseshoe Falls - needless to say, one gets drenched on this boat ride, thus the need for those ridiculous blue trash bag coats that we are wearing in the pictures that Bill posted. It was really cool - and absolutely amazing how much water flows through those falls.
We then headed through customs, on route for our next campsite - in Niagara Falls, ON. The voyage over the border was - interesting. Three customs officers asked us to leave our vehicle, so that they could search the RV - looking for weapons I think. It took them quite a while, and we could see them opening every cupboard, box, etc., in search of something that may threaten the security of Canada - we are scary looking individuals, and certainly fit the profile for terrorists, right?
Well, we made it through - they did "break" one of the benches to the dinette while they were searching - Chris put it back together while we drove. We arrived at the nicest campground of our trip - the Niagara Falls KOA - it was awesome. It had and indoor heated pool, two outdoor pools, playgrounds, etc. etc. etc. We checked in, hooked up the RV, and booked it out to the road, where we could pick up the public transportation for a ride back to the falls. Bill had made reservations for dinner at the Skylan Tower, revolving dining room for a fantastic dinner. The food was wonderful, once I got over the prices on the menu, and the view was priceless. It was worth every penny of the price. I had the best cream of mushroom soup, followed by the greatest filet mignon and shrimp entree - it was unbelievable. We all had a great dinner and night. The dinner was followed by a trip up to the observation deck - and continued views of the magnificent falls. After dinner and the observation deck, we went to the huge arcade, and then off to a 3D/4D Movie about the history of the falls. That was cool too! From the movie, we walked around the falls, looking for a place where the red line of the bus would pick us up. It ended up being a really long, but beautiful walk along the falls - which are illuminated at night. The only unfortunate thing in the visit was that Bill lost his glasses - they likely fell into the falls when he was taking pictures; I hope a fish will benefit from the improved vision!
Friday morning, we headed off - hoping to make it back into the United States ( Canada had not been great to us, and gas prices were awful, at $1.06 / liter, or about $3.99 / gallon). So we drove and we drove and we drove. We managed to hit Toronto at lunch hour - just in time for lots and lots of traffic, and then, while I was driving, we hit Montreal for Friday night rush hour. It took us over an hour to get through Montreal, with the tripped capped off with a drive over the Champlain Bridge - once again, if you know of my fear of bridges, this is a huge accomplishment for me. My fingers needed to be pried off the steering wheel when I was off the bridge - but I did it!!!!!! Yeah!!!!!!
We got to the US border, in Derby VT, around 8:30 pm - and the custom officers were very welcoming, and only wondered if we were transporting any mad cows with us - other than that, they were happy to see us come home. When we arrived in the US, we made the decision to drive all the way home, rather than finding a campground to just spend the night. Since we were driving home, we stopped at a pizza joint in Newport for dinner and caffeine (for Bill and I), and set off to go home. The ride through the notch was the usual ride - just slowed slightly by an enormous thunder and lightening storm and a deer sighting. We were psyched to finally reach North Conway, and very pleased to see the completion of the road work in the village. We all arrived home, happy to be there, at 12:30.
It was a great trip, and one that none of us will forget for a long time to come. We have all the great memories, lots of souvenirs, and many many pictures. I look forward to our next trip in the RV!!
Thanks for coming along with us on this trip!
Sue
Home! 2600 plus miles
Hi All,
It is nice to be home. What a great trip. One of a lifetime. Niagara Falls was great. The hall of fame was very nice for some of us. 2600 plus miles and we are still together. In fact maybe closer. The rig did us well. A few fix up items. We need the step fixed, two hubcaps and a wheel cover. The inverter needs a new fan I think. We need an oil change and a review of all systems and we are ready to go again. Starting this trip we purchased the rig with the idea that if we did not like camping we could sell it get our money back and it would be cheaper than renting one. The question was asked at the last restaurant in Newport, Vt late Friday night. Do we sell or keep it? The question was answered unanimous, " keep it!" So the great adventure continues. We are thinking of places to go. The next trip will be the Rogers family reunion then on to my fraternity reunion on the same weekend. July 27,28 and 29th on the coast of Maine. I will be calling Gary Shackford on Monday and Maine St Auto to get the Rig ship shape for the next trip.
A few pictures from the last couple of days. I am sure we will be recapping the event and putting up more pictures. The trip is one I will remember forever, hopefully my kids will also and some day they will drag their kids on an adventure like this one.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Happy Fourth of July!
Hello!
Happy 4th of July to all!
We started the day today with a lengthy tour of the Professional Football Hall of Fame, located in Canton, OH. Talk about football overload! It was spectacular, especially for Bill and Chris, since they are "football men". We had been warned that it could take a real fan a week to get through the facility, so I had packed a lunch, brought along a pillow, and planned for the worst. Fortunately, hunger got in the way of us moving into the facility, and we were able to depart from there by early afternoon. It was impressive, and had a really neat "Hall of Famers Room", with bronzed head of all the inductees, along with interactive video screens that gave all the details on all these players. Bill was in heaven! Conveniently, in order the leave the Hall of Fame, one must travel through the gift shop - of course - so we picked up a few souvenirs, and were on our way.
We drove to Erie, PA (or just west of it) for the night. This is the first overcast day, so we have made the decision not to go searching for fireworks - we don't really want to get rained on either. We cooked out at the campsite, put up the awning for the first time (along with Jenny's funky lights), and have just hung out at the campsite.
We will be traveling to Niagara Falls in the morning, and are hoping to take either a tour or a boat ride, and Bill wants to have dinner at the restaurant that rotates above the falls - sounds good to me! We are looking to spend the night in the Niagara Falls area too - just haven't picked out the campground yet.
Hope you all had a safe, happy and fun 4th of July!
I'll write again tomorrow!
Sue
Happy 4th of July to all!
We started the day today with a lengthy tour of the Professional Football Hall of Fame, located in Canton, OH. Talk about football overload! It was spectacular, especially for Bill and Chris, since they are "football men". We had been warned that it could take a real fan a week to get through the facility, so I had packed a lunch, brought along a pillow, and planned for the worst. Fortunately, hunger got in the way of us moving into the facility, and we were able to depart from there by early afternoon. It was impressive, and had a really neat "Hall of Famers Room", with bronzed head of all the inductees, along with interactive video screens that gave all the details on all these players. Bill was in heaven! Conveniently, in order the leave the Hall of Fame, one must travel through the gift shop - of course - so we picked up a few souvenirs, and were on our way.
We drove to Erie, PA (or just west of it) for the night. This is the first overcast day, so we have made the decision not to go searching for fireworks - we don't really want to get rained on either. We cooked out at the campsite, put up the awning for the first time (along with Jenny's funky lights), and have just hung out at the campsite.
We will be traveling to Niagara Falls in the morning, and are hoping to take either a tour or a boat ride, and Bill wants to have dinner at the restaurant that rotates above the falls - sounds good to me! We are looking to spend the night in the Niagara Falls area too - just haven't picked out the campground yet.
Hope you all had a safe, happy and fun 4th of July!
I'll write again tomorrow!
Sue
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
The Eve of the 4th
Well, here we sit, just outside of Canton, Ohio, at a nice KOA Kampground way off the beaten path. We arrived here about 8:00 - just in time for Jenny to spend about an hour in the swimming pool before it closed.
We left Utica, IL pretty early this monring - about 8:00 - and headed East. Jenny chose the position as co-pilot and Chris was still sleeping, so I was able to hang out on the couch and read a couple of magazines - it was very relaxing. Bill had a mission today - to find a Camping World store. First came Home Depot and Loew's, then Dick's Sporting Goods and Cabela's - now he has discovered Camping World. We can only hope that they don't put a Camping World within the area that he services for work - if they do, I can only imagine what he may come home with on various trips!
The Camping World store was cool - we picked up a few new games, a couple of quick fixed for the camper, and a new map that includes all the Good Sams locations. They had some really neat stuff - Campers think of everything!
The drive today was pretty uneventful - just more fields, corn, etc. etc. etc.
In the morning, we will be visiting the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton - about 15 minutes from here. We then have reservations at a campground on the Erie Lake for tomorrow night - about 150 miles from here. We will look to find some fireworks for the 4th somewhere on the lake tomorrow night. From Erie, we will be heading to Niagara Falls, and then home through Canada. We plan to reach Chatham on Saturday late evening, so that we have a day to regroup, etc. etc. before heading back to work.
Hope you all have a great 4th!
Sue
We left Utica, IL pretty early this monring - about 8:00 - and headed East. Jenny chose the position as co-pilot and Chris was still sleeping, so I was able to hang out on the couch and read a couple of magazines - it was very relaxing. Bill had a mission today - to find a Camping World store. First came Home Depot and Loew's, then Dick's Sporting Goods and Cabela's - now he has discovered Camping World. We can only hope that they don't put a Camping World within the area that he services for work - if they do, I can only imagine what he may come home with on various trips!
The Camping World store was cool - we picked up a few new games, a couple of quick fixed for the camper, and a new map that includes all the Good Sams locations. They had some really neat stuff - Campers think of everything!
The drive today was pretty uneventful - just more fields, corn, etc. etc. etc.
In the morning, we will be visiting the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton - about 15 minutes from here. We then have reservations at a campground on the Erie Lake for tomorrow night - about 150 miles from here. We will look to find some fireworks for the 4th somewhere on the lake tomorrow night. From Erie, we will be heading to Niagara Falls, and then home through Canada. We plan to reach Chatham on Saturday late evening, so that we have a day to regroup, etc. etc. before heading back to work.
Hope you all have a great 4th!
Sue
Monday, July 2, 2007
Nebraska, Iowa and Illinois - all in one day.
We hit the road early again today, and headed east. All these states out here in the west are so long - it takes hours and hours to get through each. There is not a whole lot of excitement along the way - I think we have seen most of the beautiful scenery, now it is a bunch of same old same old. We saw tons and tons of corn, cows and hay. After having grown up in Aroostook County, where there are potato fields for miles and miles, I never considered how big some of these agricultural fields could be. When driving along, you can't see the end of the fields at all - they seem to go on forever. I can see why, now, these farmers are looking into alternative uses for crops such as corn.
We are settled down in a campground in Utica, IL - the Hickory Hollow Campground - a really nice place in this small town, about 90 miles west of Chicago, just off I-80. Driving in, we were a little nervous, because the signage at the road left lots to be desired. Once arriving in the campground, however, we were pleasantly surprised. We are sitting at the picnic table, listening to the Red Sox game on XM radio, and Bill and Jenny are building a fire - she will now get her chance to have some smores - we replaced our ant flavored marshmallows today!
We drove about 600 miles today, and once again, Bill and I switched drivers every couple of hours. Each time we switched, however, I think that Bill planned it so that I drove through the construction sites, and over the bridges - once again, I had the pleasure of driving over the Mississippi River - apparently Bill is hoping that I will get over my fear of bridges this trip. Jenny and Chris actually played a few games on their own, and both spent a good deal of time reading. I tried to complete a crossword puzzle, but my brain has apparently gone on vacation too - I couldn't solve even a few clues. I was successful at the Suduko, though - few, I haven't lost it all this trip!
I'll attach a few pictures from the road today, and will sign off for the night!
Talk to you all tomorrow!
On the Road Again
We were up bright and early today, hitting the road by 7:30, to start our way East. Not before both Bill and I had the pleasure of visiting the dirtiest bathrooms we have found on the whole trip - at a campground in Jackson Falls, Wy. Do yourselves a favor - don't stay at the Grand Teton Park RV Resort - very pricey and dirty!
The route from the Grand Tetons eastward is rather hilly and quite pretty, however, has limited opportunities for important things like gas and coffee. We left the campground, intent on stopping at the first convenience store we found to fuel up the RV and ourselves - well, apparently convenience is not a priority in this neck of the woods, and we drove for quite a while before finding gas. We stopped, and payed the criminal price of $3.39/gallon, and headed into the store for coffee - it was about 7:50 - guess what - stores here don't open until 8:00 - so we were out of luck. Back on the road, looking for civilization. We finally found it in the first small town we entered, and stopped at a little convenience store - the clerk had more piercings than personality, and had the nerve to let her machines run out of coffee at the moment that we arrived. After waiting for more coffee to be brewed, both Bill and I had coffee - with white floaters in it, and continued on our trek. Where were the kids you may be wondering? Well, they have the luxury of sleeping while we drive - tough life they live, huh?
So we drove and drove and drove. We drove through many areas that were called towns, yet lacked any houses. We drove by farms and ranches, with fences all around, yet not a ranch house to be found, and we saw so many cows that I am sure that the beef supply will not run out for a good many years. We also saw many deer and pronghorn antelope - hanging out in fields throughout the travels. Bill kept wishing that is was hunting season, and that he had brought along his rifle!
By noon-time, all of us were hungry, and once again, the RV had exhausted all of the gas we had filled it with earlier in the morning. We finally reached Rawlins, Wy, where there was actually stores, restaurants, gas stations, and people. There was also a really large high school - they must bus in students from the entire state to fill the school. It got me wondering - when the schools have sports teams, how long does it take to reach the opponents, or are they all intramural sports?
The driving time passed quickly - Bill and I switched off driving every couple of hours. In the morning while the kids slept, I was co-pilot; later in the day, Chris and I played a bunch of games - Uno and Cribbage - and then Jenny and Bill played rummy while I was driving. Jenny also worked on her factories in the Chocolateer game on the computer.
We have now settled into Gothamburg KOA - Chris thought it sounded like a place where Batman may visit - and are getting into bed. We will shove off early in the morning, as soon as we hit the showers. This KOA Kampground is great - very clean, quiet, and neat. We even have flowers at our site.
See you all soon!
The route from the Grand Tetons eastward is rather hilly and quite pretty, however, has limited opportunities for important things like gas and coffee. We left the campground, intent on stopping at the first convenience store we found to fuel up the RV and ourselves - well, apparently convenience is not a priority in this neck of the woods, and we drove for quite a while before finding gas. We stopped, and payed the criminal price of $3.39/gallon, and headed into the store for coffee - it was about 7:50 - guess what - stores here don't open until 8:00 - so we were out of luck. Back on the road, looking for civilization. We finally found it in the first small town we entered, and stopped at a little convenience store - the clerk had more piercings than personality, and had the nerve to let her machines run out of coffee at the moment that we arrived. After waiting for more coffee to be brewed, both Bill and I had coffee - with white floaters in it, and continued on our trek. Where were the kids you may be wondering? Well, they have the luxury of sleeping while we drive - tough life they live, huh?
So we drove and drove and drove. We drove through many areas that were called towns, yet lacked any houses. We drove by farms and ranches, with fences all around, yet not a ranch house to be found, and we saw so many cows that I am sure that the beef supply will not run out for a good many years. We also saw many deer and pronghorn antelope - hanging out in fields throughout the travels. Bill kept wishing that is was hunting season, and that he had brought along his rifle!
By noon-time, all of us were hungry, and once again, the RV had exhausted all of the gas we had filled it with earlier in the morning. We finally reached Rawlins, Wy, where there was actually stores, restaurants, gas stations, and people. There was also a really large high school - they must bus in students from the entire state to fill the school. It got me wondering - when the schools have sports teams, how long does it take to reach the opponents, or are they all intramural sports?
The driving time passed quickly - Bill and I switched off driving every couple of hours. In the morning while the kids slept, I was co-pilot; later in the day, Chris and I played a bunch of games - Uno and Cribbage - and then Jenny and Bill played rummy while I was driving. Jenny also worked on her factories in the Chocolateer game on the computer.
We have now settled into Gothamburg KOA - Chris thought it sounded like a place where Batman may visit - and are getting into bed. We will shove off early in the morning, as soon as we hit the showers. This KOA Kampground is great - very clean, quiet, and neat. We even have flowers at our site.
See you all soon!
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Nebraska, Gothenburg I think!
Nebraska, 655.7 miles from Jackson hole. We are heading east. Change of plans. We are going to hit the Football hall of fame in Canton, OH. then on to Niagara falls. We are going to try the Canadian route from the falls home. 2133 miles to go. We are having a blast. The Rockies are wonderful. We traveled parts of the Oregon trail today. The town we are staying in has a pony express stop and office. Sites that everyone should see. The plains run on forever. The cattle and coal trains go on forever. Big country.
The camper is holding together. Only put in a couple quarts of oil. We have been running long and fast. The noise I think was a hub cap. The noise is gone and so is the hubcap. The step will have to be fixed when we get home. The door is a little sticky. Nothing a little lube can't take care of. Hopefully posting the good performance of this Shasta Rig does not jinks us. I don't want to fly Ken Williams in for an emergency road call. Well I will shoot a couple more pictures and turn the posting over to the author of the family.
PS Jenny wanted to let Uncle Peter we ate breakfast at his Cafe in Cody, Wy.
A recap of our time in Yellowstone
Hi,
We are back in civilization, so I can update you all on our last three days in Yellowstone. The park is absolutely amazing - one literaly could spend the entire visit with her mouth wide open, saying wow - because that is what it is like.
We left our campground in Cody, and spent a little time in the downtown area - it was a really cool little town. Bill stopped by a fly fishing shop, and got some flies that would be appropriate for fishing in Yellowstone. The owner of the shop, a neat young guy, gave us some pointers, discouraged us from fishing in the popular rivers and lakes (since he claimed that all these fish had PH D's), and suggested that instead we find a nice little crick (we assumed he meant creek) to cast our lines.
We drove into the park from Cody, and what a wonderful ride - the scenery along the way was great! We took our time, and looked around quite a bit. We arrived in Yellowstone, at our camping area late afternoon. Now here we are, out in the wilderness, and we pull into Canyon area, and it somewhat resembles a mall. There are at least 4 souvenir shops, a restaurant, lounge, three other eating places, a two story education building, and a lodge with cabins - not at all what I expected to find at our camping area..... While exploring the town area, we bought a fishing license for Bill, and got free licenses for the kids.
We registered, and were sent to our site - #260, out of 270 - way at the top of the canyon area. It was a lovely site, and we had different neighbors each night. On Wednesday night, we cooked chicken and potatoes on the Slik Vik, and had some strawberries and blueberries. After this lovely dinner, we headed down to the ampitheater, for a presentation on the Love Triangle - the relationship between Ravens, Wolves and Humans in Yellowstone. It was a great presentation by Park Ranger Denise - she really knows alot about this subject. The presentation ended about 10:30, and we headed off to bed. Now this would be the first night in which we had not "power", and were roughing it in the woods - we all made it through the night!
Thursday morning - we set off for exploring Yellowstone - we wanted to take a bus tour, but they were all sold out, so we had to explore on our own. First stop, the sporting goods store to either rent or purchase a fishing pole - we left home with only one. Then we set off to see the park, and find a good crick with dumb fish. Thursday, I struggled a little with the altitude in the park, and spent a good part of the morning resting. We managed to find a couple of cricks, and Bill and Chris (and Jenny at one) gave the fishing venture a valiant attempt - yet were outsmarted by those Yellowstone fish. On Thursday we also got to experience Old Faithful - pretty cool!
Thursday night, we splurged, and dined at the "restaurant" in Canyon Village - it was yummy, and had a great meal. Chris even experimented, and ate a Bison Burger! We headed back to the campsite, and settled into a very long, heated game of Risk - Jenny & Bill vs. Sue vs. Chris. Finally, at 11:30, when our flashlights lost their power, we had to call it quits. At that point, Chris had taken over Jenny & Bill, and I was in a position to take over the world. How fitting that the power would fade then - just when I had a chance at world domination!
Friday, we set out to explore the parts of the park that we hadn't seen yet - since Yellowstone is huge, there are always other things to see. We visited the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and the Upper and Lower Falls -very impressive - and while at the Canyon, we were able to see a nest of Ospry, perched atop a really high rock! We also went to Mammoth Falls - another village within the park - when we pulled into the area, the lawn of the hotel was covered with Elk. I can only imagine walking out of my hotel room, only to find an Elk on the front lawn.. Pretty cool. We hung out and watched the Elk for quite a while, and even saw a baby nursing from its mother.
Friday night, we stopped by one of the souvenir shops, to pick up lots of goodies, and then back to the campsite - with plans for s'mores. Chris built a great fire, and Jenny fetched the s'mores fixings, only to find that a couple of ants had taken up residence in the marshmallow bag - yuck! So much for s'mores! We spent the evening playing cribbage - Jenny and Bill narrowly defeated Sue and Chris - only by pegging out on the last hand.
Saturday morning, today, we got up pretty early, made breakfast over the campfire, and headed south to the Grand Tetons. Once again, a completely enjoyable and amazing ride. We made lots of stops, and thoroughly enjoyed the trip. We stopped at Jenny Lake, and took a ferry ride across the lake, and Jenny walked in the lake, since it was "her lake".
We are now somewhere in Wyoming - Jackson Hole area, at the Grand Teton RV Park - an okay campsite. I have spent the entire evening in the laundry room, trying to get some clean clothes. We should be finished soon - We head off to the East tomorrow - Bill has aspirations to get to some town in Nebraska that he stayed in a couple of years ago - not sure where it is, or what it is, just that is is 540 miles away!
Everything continues to go well - Jenny has been reading alot, and has read 2 books so far. We have also played many games in the camper, when we aren't oohing and aahing about our surroundings.
Got to get the clothes out of the dryer - Thanks for reading my long winded story!
Sue
We are back in civilization, so I can update you all on our last three days in Yellowstone. The park is absolutely amazing - one literaly could spend the entire visit with her mouth wide open, saying wow - because that is what it is like.
We left our campground in Cody, and spent a little time in the downtown area - it was a really cool little town. Bill stopped by a fly fishing shop, and got some flies that would be appropriate for fishing in Yellowstone. The owner of the shop, a neat young guy, gave us some pointers, discouraged us from fishing in the popular rivers and lakes (since he claimed that all these fish had PH D's), and suggested that instead we find a nice little crick (we assumed he meant creek) to cast our lines.
We drove into the park from Cody, and what a wonderful ride - the scenery along the way was great! We took our time, and looked around quite a bit. We arrived in Yellowstone, at our camping area late afternoon. Now here we are, out in the wilderness, and we pull into Canyon area, and it somewhat resembles a mall. There are at least 4 souvenir shops, a restaurant, lounge, three other eating places, a two story education building, and a lodge with cabins - not at all what I expected to find at our camping area..... While exploring the town area, we bought a fishing license for Bill, and got free licenses for the kids.
We registered, and were sent to our site - #260, out of 270 - way at the top of the canyon area. It was a lovely site, and we had different neighbors each night. On Wednesday night, we cooked chicken and potatoes on the Slik Vik, and had some strawberries and blueberries. After this lovely dinner, we headed down to the ampitheater, for a presentation on the Love Triangle - the relationship between Ravens, Wolves and Humans in Yellowstone. It was a great presentation by Park Ranger Denise - she really knows alot about this subject. The presentation ended about 10:30, and we headed off to bed. Now this would be the first night in which we had not "power", and were roughing it in the woods - we all made it through the night!
Thursday morning - we set off for exploring Yellowstone - we wanted to take a bus tour, but they were all sold out, so we had to explore on our own. First stop, the sporting goods store to either rent or purchase a fishing pole - we left home with only one. Then we set off to see the park, and find a good crick with dumb fish. Thursday, I struggled a little with the altitude in the park, and spent a good part of the morning resting. We managed to find a couple of cricks, and Bill and Chris (and Jenny at one) gave the fishing venture a valiant attempt - yet were outsmarted by those Yellowstone fish. On Thursday we also got to experience Old Faithful - pretty cool!
Thursday night, we splurged, and dined at the "restaurant" in Canyon Village - it was yummy, and had a great meal. Chris even experimented, and ate a Bison Burger! We headed back to the campsite, and settled into a very long, heated game of Risk - Jenny & Bill vs. Sue vs. Chris. Finally, at 11:30, when our flashlights lost their power, we had to call it quits. At that point, Chris had taken over Jenny & Bill, and I was in a position to take over the world. How fitting that the power would fade then - just when I had a chance at world domination!
Friday, we set out to explore the parts of the park that we hadn't seen yet - since Yellowstone is huge, there are always other things to see. We visited the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and the Upper and Lower Falls -very impressive - and while at the Canyon, we were able to see a nest of Ospry, perched atop a really high rock! We also went to Mammoth Falls - another village within the park - when we pulled into the area, the lawn of the hotel was covered with Elk. I can only imagine walking out of my hotel room, only to find an Elk on the front lawn.. Pretty cool. We hung out and watched the Elk for quite a while, and even saw a baby nursing from its mother.
Friday night, we stopped by one of the souvenir shops, to pick up lots of goodies, and then back to the campsite - with plans for s'mores. Chris built a great fire, and Jenny fetched the s'mores fixings, only to find that a couple of ants had taken up residence in the marshmallow bag - yuck! So much for s'mores! We spent the evening playing cribbage - Jenny and Bill narrowly defeated Sue and Chris - only by pegging out on the last hand.
Saturday morning, today, we got up pretty early, made breakfast over the campfire, and headed south to the Grand Tetons. Once again, a completely enjoyable and amazing ride. We made lots of stops, and thoroughly enjoyed the trip. We stopped at Jenny Lake, and took a ferry ride across the lake, and Jenny walked in the lake, since it was "her lake".
We are now somewhere in Wyoming - Jackson Hole area, at the Grand Teton RV Park - an okay campsite. I have spent the entire evening in the laundry room, trying to get some clean clothes. We should be finished soon - We head off to the East tomorrow - Bill has aspirations to get to some town in Nebraska that he stayed in a couple of years ago - not sure where it is, or what it is, just that is is 540 miles away!
Everything continues to go well - Jenny has been reading alot, and has read 2 books so far. We have also played many games in the camper, when we aren't oohing and aahing about our surroundings.
Got to get the clothes out of the dryer - Thanks for reading my long winded story!
Sue
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