Glacier National Park - Part 1

We had been following the status of the roads and weather at Glacier National Park.  The Going to the Sun Road was ready to open when a blizzard in June dropped a lot of snow and created an avalanche covering a road and destroying a guard rail they had just installed for the new season.  When we left Missoula headed to West Glacier they had no idea when the road would be open.

The drive from Missoula, MT to West Glacier took us by Flathead Lake.  It is huge and beautiful!  Anyone with a boat who does not mind cold weather should be on Flathead Lake.  They had marinas with sail and power boats surrounded by cabins and homes overlooking the lake and mountains.  I took a lot of pictures as we drove by. We went to Fish Creek Campground in Glacier National Park where we spent two nights.  We enjoyed exploring the Lake McDonald Lodge and walking around their property.  Our campsite was fun because we had a deer that was not afraid to come to the edge of the woods to eat.  We saw it eating there on three different occasions and once walking with another deer down the road.

Flathead Lake from the overlook

Around Lake McDonald Lodge

The Going to the Sun Road was still closed but they had a shuttle that would take you from the Visitor Center up to the Loop Road, where you could then walk.  We took the shuttle and walked as far as they would let us, 3 miles one way, on the Going to the Sun Road.  The road was clear with no car traffic, only a few trucks used for the cleanup came by and lots of bicycles.  We learned later that we had a rare opportunity because we were allowed to walk the road.  In the 3 mile section there are not many overlooks, so we got pictures not many tourists are able to take.  Between Wayne and I we took almost 900 pictures that day !!!  Every direction we looked there was another breathtaking view.

Walking on Going to the Sun Road

We then moved over to St. Mary’s Campground which is on the East Glacier side of the park.  It was another pretty trip from one part of the park to the next.  We have enjoyed watching all of the trains which often run parallel to the road.  After getting settled at St. Mary’s we checked out “town” and the St Mary’s Visitor Center.  We drove as far as we could up this end of the Going to the Sun Road.  They have a resurfacing project going on, so it is a dusty trip.  They let us go as far as Jackson Overlook before we had to turn around.  We found out that they had opened up the Going to the Sun Road not long after we had left it !  YEAH !!!  That means we could ride the whole road J

On July 3^rd, we awoke to a cloudy, overcast morning.  We continued with our plans and drove over to Many Glacier.  After exploring the visitor center, lodge and campground the weather cleared.  We hiked up to Apikuni Falls.  The hike was only a mile one direction but I think most of it was uphill.  The falls were very pretty and worth the hike.  We ate lunch at the picnic area and then took pictures of Swift Current Falls near the Many Glacier Lodge.

Apikuni Falls

Swift Current Falls

Check out Part 2 for more pictures from Glacier National Park !

Ennis and Missoula, MT and the Hiawatha Route Rail Trail

Rain was predicted for June 26^th so rather than hike in the rain we decided to drive part way to our next destination. We left Yellowstone and drove to Ennis, MT.  It was a rainy trip but a good day to be in the RV driving instead of hiking.

We arrived in Ennis in time to drive over to Virginia City and Nevada City.  They are famous for being gold rush ghost towns.  It was raining/sleeting/hailing/snowing when we got to Nevada City.  We decided there was not enough to see so we drove back to Virginia City…not much there either.  We picked up a few things at the local high priced grocery store and managed to get back in time to do a couple of loads of laundry.

Life still happens when you are traveling so you have to plan for time for laundry, buying groceries, cleaning and doing some prep cooking.  While waiting for our laundry to finish we were watching the animals in the valley below the campground.  We saw cows, Sand Hill Cranes, and two kinds of deer. After dinner while playing Farkle with Sue and Mark we saw the most beautiful rainbow any of us had ever seen.  The colors were so vivid!  We could not get far enough away to get the whole rainbow in the picture…maybe some Photoshop magic can make it happen.  As we watched the colors got more vivid and it turned into a double rainbow before fading. 

Friday, June 27^th we drove from Ennis, MT to Missoula, MT.  Missoula was our designated shopping and laundry place.  Saturday we enjoyed the Farmer’s Market downtown and shopping at some nice grocery stores along with the book store and Best Buy.  Sunday Wayne and I drove over to the Idaho border to ride the Hiawatha Route Rail Trail.  We rode 19 miles, mostly downhill, enjoying the wonderful mountain scenery and the many placards along the way telling about how the railroad was built in this area.  We went through 10 tunnels, the longest was 1.6 miles, and we went over 8 trestles.  It was cloudy with a little rain along the way but it was a fun ride.  We can mark that one off the bucket list.

Next stop Glacier National Park.

This is Yellowstone so where is Yogi ?

Before I forget, I wanted to let you know that our traveling buddies, Sue and Mark, are also doing a blog about their trip.  So for more pictures and more of the story, you can check out their blog at  http://travelingwithpatience.blogspot.com/

June 20^th we left Cody, Wyoming and drove to Yellowstone National Park.  Around every curve the scenery was more beautiful !  We are amazed by the texture changes in the landscape as we travel across the country.  While Wayne is driving I am taking LOTS of pictures out the RV window with my cell phone camera.  I try to upload a picture a day on Facebook, at times it has taken an hour to upload. Cell phone signals are VERY spotty, especially in National Parks.  Here are a few pictures from our drive from Cody to Yellowstone.

At Yellowstone we stayed in Bridge Bay Campground.  The sites were built when people camped in tents or had small travel trailers, the Land Yacht was a tight squeeze on the unlevel spot, thank goodness for our leveling jacks.  We made it work but it would not be our favorite way to camp.  Yellowstone is a beautiful park.  They keep it clean.  The rangers are all well informed and very helpful, and  we got lots of great information to help us plan our stay there. 

We decided to do a Geyser tour the first day. While in Custer, we only saw buffalo on a farm, so our goal was to see one in the wild.  As we pull into the visitor center of Old Faithful there is a buffalo munching weeds on the side of the road.  We named him Marvin and decided he was hired to stand in that spot and probably be given a treat of buffalo kibble.  We had great timing as we walked up to Old Faithful about 5 minutes before it erupted!  We then looked at the visitor center and walked around and then watched it erupt again!  The second time was actually a better angle for viewing as we saw more water and less steam.   That day we also walked around the following areas of the park: Painted Pots, Biscuit Basin, Keplers Cascade, West Thumb and Black Sand Basin.  We also drove the Firehole Lake Loop.  We saw lots of geysers, mudpots and fumeroles.   The heat of the water easily grows bacteria which cause the beautiful blues, greens and oranges colors in them.

Old Faithful

The next day we drove up the northern loop, this is where you are supposed to be able to see buffalo.  We were seeing a few and keeping a count.  After number 17 we were able to stop counting as a herd of buffalo with calves was walking down the road !  It was a Yellowstone style traffic jam.  Along this route we also saw a few elk without horns and a deer.  Someone said there was a bear swimming across the river but we were not close enough to confirm if what we saw was a bear or what kind of animal.  So a bear and a moose are still on our “to find list”.  Along our route we saw rapids and several waterfalls along with more geysers, mudpots, springs and fumeroles.  Our weather for the day included sunshine, rain, sleet, snow and hail. Yes, we wear layers of clothing and add and subtract as needed.

Day 3 in Yellowstone was in the Canyon area.  We walked Uncle Tom’s Trail down to the lower falls.  328 steps down and I think it was around 800 up !!!  It was a beautiful view at the bottom of the hike.  We stopped at all the overlooks for the falls.  Everyone’s favorite is Artists Point.  I am sure you will recognize the picture we took from Artists Point.  An elk with horns was added to the list of animals we had seen when we saw one walk across the parking lot !   He did not seem to care that there were people around as he munched on the yellow flowers.  We got back to the campground in time for Wayne and I to take a walk/hike to the Natural Bridge.  It was an easy 4 mile walk to a nice natural bridge but the mosquitoes were out in FULL force.

Day 4 we drove down to the Tetons and the Jackson Hole area.  Our timing was perfect when we stopped at one of the overlooks and managed to get beautiful pictures of the Tetons reflected in the lake.  We drove several loop roads and saw one beautiful view after another.  We went to the town of Jackson to have lunch and explore the shops for a little while.  Guess what we saw in Moose Junction, yes, a moose.  Wayne got some great pictures with the telephoto lens. There is a nice looking bike trail that runs parallel to the highway that we hope to come back and ride one day.

Day 5 Wayne and I hiked and biked, while Sue and Mark did other things.  Our first bike ride was out to the see the Lonestar Geyser.  We did not see it erupt but enjoyed our 5 mile ride and seeing it steam and spit.  Our next stop was back to the Old Faithful area.  We rode a total of 4 miles and saw the Daisy Geyser and Grand Geyser erupt and once again saw Old Faithful from a distance.  We then hiked to Mystic Falls.  The falls were beautiful and it was fun to watch a family of Marmots playing in a nearby wood pile. Once again the mosquitoes were terrible!  Oh, guess who we saw in the parking lot, yes, we think it was Marvin the buffalo.  We also had three different sightings of elk with horns.  I learned from one of the rangers that elk lose their horns in April and when they grow back they grow at a rate of an inch a day !  A full rack of horns weighs around 30 pounds.

Custer State Park and Devils Tower

Our next stop was Custer State Park in South Dakota.  Another beautiful park.

I have been really enjoying seeing all the animals along the road and in the parks.  We are getting the best pictures we can.  I will do a separate blog post later of all the critters we have seen.  There is a Wildlife Loop through Custer that has overlooks for watching the animals.  We saw mules, prairie dogs, pronghorn sheep, mule deer, mountain goats, chipmunks, and countless birds but the buffalo were up in the high field that is not accessible by road.  We did see  a lone buffalo on our way out of the park.

We rode the Creekside Trail on our bikes for a total of 4 miles, it was pretty flat for being in the mountains. We saw the Badger Clark House and walked his favorite walking trail. Our favorite hike was around Sylvan Lake

If you ever visit Custer State Park be sure to drive up to the Coolidge Overlook.  You can see the park as well as Rushmore and Crazy Horse Monuments, don't forget your binoculars for the best view.  Mark came prepared and shared with everyone  at the overlook.


Sue and Mark had seen Mt Rushmore on an earlier trip, so Wayne and I went.  Mt Rushmore is very impressive, especially when you think of the tools and conditions they worked in to make it happen. The ranger at the park suggested that we take a road up to Rushmore that would allow for the best views along the way.  He was right !  As you rounded turns and went through tunnels you got amazing views.  We took a LOT of pictures along the way.  Here is one of my favorites from when we were there.

On our return to Custer we stopped to do a bike ride on the Mickleson Rail Trail.  We only did 6 miles, 3 up and 3 back.  The upward climb and elevation were too much for me.  We did saw some beautiful views and some deer playing in a field.  I need more training before our next trip out here so we can fully enjoy the trail.

There is more to see in Custer State Park, we have added it to our list of places to visit again.

Leaving Custer we headed to Devils Tower Wyoming.  That is an impressive rock !  You can see it from over 50 miles away !!! We did the walking tour around the base of the tower.

Next stop Cody, Wyoming and on to Yellowstone for a week !

NOTE:  We have taken over 1500 pictures !  It is hard to narrow down what to post :)   Also a big challenge is finding an internet signal strong enough to download pictures and post a blog, so they are short and sweet.

Go West Young Man...

The morning after the wedding it was time to head North and West.  Sunday took us through GA, TN, KY, IL and MO.  We stopped for the night in Boonville, MO and spent the night in a Walmart parking lot.  They were very nice when we asked if we could stay.   It was a quiet convenient place to stay and the price was right.  It added another state to our list of states we have spent the night in, in the Land Yacht, to four. We also picked up some things we needed from Walmart so a win, win.  Monday we were on the road again traveling through MO and NE.  We reached Ogallala, NE around 6:30.  Tired but happy to be there.  Jay and Ginger have a house on Lake McConaghy. Their driveway was the perfect length for us to park in while we were there.  Tuesday Jay, Wayne and I had a beautiful day for a sail on the lake.  Our 15 mile trip took about 4 hours.  Wednesday, Ginger and their granddaughter, Rowena, joined us for our sail.  It was very windy and the lake was choppy so we only sailed for 5 miles.  It was a nice visit with Jay and Ginger and fun meeting Rowena.

Thursday, June 12,  we were up early to get on the road to South Dakota.  Our drive was short, but the scenery was amazing !  How can the terrain change each time you make a turn ?  In the 200 mile trip we saw rolling plains that went on as far as the eye could see, there were hardly any houses and only a few cows.  Then beautiful rolling fields filled with cows and crops and trees.  Then our destination the Badlands.  One minute you are looking at the rolling fields and you crest a ridge to see the wall of the Badlands.

This picture was taken out the windshield along the roads in Western Nebraska...

Then  you cross over into South Dakota....

And then there are the Badlands....

Our friends, Sue and Mark met us in the Badlands.  We will be traveling with them for the rest of the summer, so you will be hearing a lot about them !

We enjoyed exploring the Badlands for two days.  Even within the Badlands there are a variety of colors and rock formations.  We hiked trails and the guys climbed a lot of the hills.  Around every turn there was another beautiful view and picture to be taken.  We took a LOT of pictures.  Here are a few examples.

Next stop Custer State Park.

Our Adventure has begun :)

Sunday June 1st we arrived back at the Land Yacht after our drive back from Florida.  Monday was spent provisioning and visiting Almendra, Brian and Caleb (ABC).  Caleb gets cuter each time we see him :)

We were both excited to get on the road on Tuesday.  Our first task was to get the warranty work done. We drove to Claremont, NC to Carolina, Coach and Marine and dropped off the RV for them to do the work.  My parents are not too far away from there so we visited with them and spent the night. We returned to pick up the RV the next day at noon.  It was ready as promised. It is time to give a good review.  Carolina, Coach and Marine employees are all friendly and very helpful.  When I called requesting the warranty work (this is not where we bought our RV), they were honest and said if we needed parts that it take a while to get them from the manufacturer.  They suggested the early evaluation and returning for the work.  We did this which made getting the work done a pleasant experience. We were very pleased with their work and their customer service and highly recommend them.  Along with the warranty work we had them install a new TV mount which we bought from them and a new kitchen faucet (which we got from Home Depot).  They only charged us an hour labor for both installs which we thought was very reasonable.  We will be back to visit them again :)

Leaving Claremont, NC it was time to head south for our nephew's wedding.  Coneross Park was our stop for the night.  It is at the end of a small windy road about 10 miles off of 85, but what a great park.  The sites were big, park was easy to navigate, and a beautiful lake.  Being a Core of Engineers park we get to use our Senior Pass and get half price rates. Good stop for the night and we have now spent the night in SC !  2 down 48 to go :)

South to Georgia.  We had reservations at Clark Creek North Campground, another Core of Engineers park.  It was an older park.  It was clean and all sites were on the lake...however it was set up for when you camped in a tent or pop up and not an RV.  Although they do have water and electric at each of the sites, they are too small for an RV our size.  I think anything more than 24 feet should go somewhere else.  We squeezed into a very unlevel site and stayed for two nights.  Our third night we moved to the driveway of a nice neighbor of Wayne's sister that was out of town and said we could use their driveway for parking.

What a fabulous weekend in Marietta, GA !!!!  Our nephew, Harrison married Stephanie.  Stephanie has seemed like a part of the family for years, this just made it official :)  Welcome to the family Stephanie, you were such a beautiful bride !!!!  Our grandtwins were the ring bearer and flower girl (wedding princess), which made the wedding even more special. This is the first time we have all been in one place since Caleb was born.   Everyone was excited to meet sweet Caleb, especially Papa who was pleased to hold his 3rd great grand child. It was so nice to get together for a happy occasion and a great time was had by all.

Papa, Paul Poston, holding his youngest great grand child, Caleb

 Will in his Tux after the Wedding

 Charlotte getting the dancing started...she danced all night long :)

The wedding princess with bride, Stephanie