It's 9:30 PM and we are nearing home. After 17 days, 7 states and 3,340 miles we are almost finished with this amazing adventure.
We left Coeur d'Alene at 8 AM and went into Spokane to continue looking for a scissor lift for the company. Gary spent quite a bit of time going from place to place trying to find one, while Taryn and I enjoyed listening to a few James MacDonald messages on Walk in the Word. If you have never heard him teach the Word we would both highly recommend you do. http://www.walkintheword.com/
We were just on the road again when Taryn came down with another severe headache. No reason this time, but she went down flat. I gave her two Tylenol and told her to sleep if at all possible, but the pain was too great. I watched her for quite a while. Just when she would about be asleep a throb of pain in her head would come that I could physically see happen. Hard to watch her hurt so badly.
Our plan was to stop in Moses Lake and go to the water park there for a final fun stop, but that never happened. Instead we stopped at a park by the lake and sat there for four hours just trying to get her to a place where she could travel again. We finally got her to sleep for two hours and then slowly got back on the road.
It took till Seattle for her to start feeling better. So glad she is. We spent the last few hours of the drive watching episodes of I Love Lucy together. (Europe season 5 rocks!)
We are now on the Guide and just a few short minutes from home, I'm sure Wilson will be glad to see us. He gets so grumpy when we travel for more than a few days. Taryn had hoped to go to Emma tonite but that will have to wait till tomorrow.
Thankful is what I am feeling as we near home. I'm thankful for this trip - for my husband - for my children - for memories - for safety - for adventure - for creation - for America - oh, I could just go on and on. I am blessed. We are blessed. It's been an amazing ride. And hey, I even finished my blog this trip!
Monday, July 7, 2008
Montana's a Big State
Our Sunday was all about driving across Montana. My word, it is a big state! Took us most of the day.
When we got near Bozeman it occurred to me how close we were to some family we rarely see. I decided to call Mom and get a phone number to try and connect with them, but we had no cell service. So much for that.
We stopped in Butte for lunch, and then in Missoula to look for a scissor lift for the company. We were tempted at this point to stay there at a nice "resort", but ultimately decided to continue on.
Gary needed a break so I got to drive for the first time this trip. Taryn sat up front with me and Gary was able to get some rest.
Around 7:30 we got to the Coeur d'Alene area and took Taryn to the Wolf Lodge for dinner - a very unique place we discovered last fall when we were here with Ross and Taya.
After a delicious steak dinner we found our "resort". Get this, it had been a KOA but isn't any more. They just rearranged the letters and now call it the A OK. Sillyness!
Their store was closed but we managed to get the guy to sell us some firewood - at $7 a bundle, thank-you very much! All this so we could make s'mores for a treat on our last camping nite.
Taryn cut down and sharpened sticks for us and we had our last hurrah over our little fire. So fun.
There is a great crisis on 24 that we are in the middle of so had to watch another episode of that before bed. Sure glad Jack Bauer is handling it.
When we got near Bozeman it occurred to me how close we were to some family we rarely see. I decided to call Mom and get a phone number to try and connect with them, but we had no cell service. So much for that.
We stopped in Butte for lunch, and then in Missoula to look for a scissor lift for the company. We were tempted at this point to stay there at a nice "resort", but ultimately decided to continue on.
Gary needed a break so I got to drive for the first time this trip. Taryn sat up front with me and Gary was able to get some rest.
Around 7:30 we got to the Coeur d'Alene area and took Taryn to the Wolf Lodge for dinner - a very unique place we discovered last fall when we were here with Ross and Taya.
After a delicious steak dinner we found our "resort". Get this, it had been a KOA but isn't any more. They just rearranged the letters and now call it the A OK. Sillyness!
Their store was closed but we managed to get the guy to sell us some firewood - at $7 a bundle, thank-you very much! All this so we could make s'mores for a treat on our last camping nite.
Taryn cut down and sharpened sticks for us and we had our last hurrah over our little fire. So fun.
There is a great crisis on 24 that we are in the middle of so had to watch another episode of that before bed. Sure glad Jack Bauer is handling it.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Ya Gotta Love Yellowstone!
In '07 we entered Yellowstone from the East and exited thru the Roosevelt Arch to the North. This year we entered from the Tetons -South and will exit thru the West.
This will be a one day fly-by so we are limited on what we can see. While we would love to focus on animals we are here mid-day which is not prime animal watch time, however, we will be watching carefully to see all we can.
First stop is always a visitors center to speak with the ranger about where animals are located today, and also to help us find the mud pots - a favorite from last year. There we found out that Artists' Paint Pots, one of our favorites, is closed indefinitely.
Last year the three of us hiked there in the evening. I remember feeling strange that we were the only ones out there at dusk, but it was beautiful and a great hike. While hiking along the designated path the earth suddenly became warm under our feet. We all stopped and felt the ground and it was strangely and extremely warm. That was kinda eerie because you know what's below you - closer than you think??
Apparently this spring a woman was walking along that path and and her foot went down into a mud pot. She was burned badly according to the ranger and the paths are being reconfigured by geologists. Yikes!
Our first stop was the west Thumb Geyser Basin Trail. First thing we noticed is how high the water is in Yellowstone Lake compared to what is was last July.
There is something called the Fishing Cone just off shore. Mountain men tell of catching a fish in the lake, dipping it right on the line into the boiling water of Fishing Cone and their fish was cooked without even taking it off the line.
Last year the cone was very visibly protruding from the water. This year it is completely submerged and not quite as spectacular of a sight.
One funny incident was a Japanese man was standing next to us looking at the sign that said "Fishing Cone". In broken English he asked us "What this means "cone", so we explained the shape, and then Gary told him the fishing story. He smiled and nodded.
We walked on and pretty soon a small group was gathered around him and in Japanese he was telling them all about the fishing story and they seemed quite impressed - laughing and making fishing motions with their hands. How cute was that?
Next month Gary's sister Kathy will be traveling thru Yellowstone so we are trying to see Yellowstone thru her eyes -taking notes and gathering info here that will be helpful for her maneuvering thru here.
Next stop was Fishing Bridge where we heard you could see fish spawning. Again, the water was just too high and running too fast. Later we stopped at a pullout and walked over to some rapids. There we could see fish everywhere resting and then attempting to move upstream. Really something to watch!
Other stops:
Mud Volcano Trail: Here, next to the Mud Geyser, lay a very large Mr. buffalo. This must be a favorite spot for them - we see "evidence" everywhere. Last year a big male was also here but farther uphill. At this stop you can see it all - from mud pots, cauldron springs, fumaroles. Yes, it really stinks but the sights and sounds are unforgettable.
Canyon Village:
One of the best shopping and eating locations. Don't miss the diner in the gift store. There's just nothing like sitting on a round stool next to the counter (your only option) Great burgers, but most importantly they serve Coke!
Fountain Paint Pots:
Silex Springs is one of the most beautiful hot spring pools to see up close. Great paint pots. Best sound from a fumaroles. Red Spouter a must see. Best viewing of geysers - you can literally sit right next to them. We happened to be there while Fountain Geyser was erupting which was a wonderful experience. Since it only happens every 6 hrs we were very fortunate to be able to enjoy it.
Midway Geyser Basin:
This was closed last year so we really enjoyed seeing it. Here the boiling water flows right down into the river below. Amazing. Grand Prismatic Spring is a must see.
Old Faithful Area:
We saved the best for last. This is the best place for ice cream...and Honcoop's know their ice cream! Head straight for the Old Faithful Inn, grab a cone then go to the second floor balcony to watch the next eruption of Old Faithful.
There is an extensive hiking area here with tons of pools and geysers to see. Since we did all of this last year we stuck with the ice cream option.
One sight to see here is Morning Glory Pool. While it is a long walk I made Gary & Taryn do it with me last year because this is such a memory for me from a childhood visit I made here with my family.
As a child this pool looked like it went right down to the center of the whole earth. There was just a boardwalk back then with no railings around it and I was scared to death but completely fascinated by it's beauty. Sadly it is no longer as beautiful due to vandalism. It has cooled and looks to be dying.
After dinner at Old Faithful Lodge we headed out of the park. We did see several buffalo, many elk, and a coyote. Fly fishing was also a big event happening. They were in every stream.
We found a "resort" in West Yellowstone and spent the nite there. Busy place even late at nite.
This will be a one day fly-by so we are limited on what we can see. While we would love to focus on animals we are here mid-day which is not prime animal watch time, however, we will be watching carefully to see all we can.
First stop is always a visitors center to speak with the ranger about where animals are located today, and also to help us find the mud pots - a favorite from last year. There we found out that Artists' Paint Pots, one of our favorites, is closed indefinitely.
Last year the three of us hiked there in the evening. I remember feeling strange that we were the only ones out there at dusk, but it was beautiful and a great hike. While hiking along the designated path the earth suddenly became warm under our feet. We all stopped and felt the ground and it was strangely and extremely warm. That was kinda eerie because you know what's below you - closer than you think??
Apparently this spring a woman was walking along that path and and her foot went down into a mud pot. She was burned badly according to the ranger and the paths are being reconfigured by geologists. Yikes!
Our first stop was the west Thumb Geyser Basin Trail. First thing we noticed is how high the water is in Yellowstone Lake compared to what is was last July.
There is something called the Fishing Cone just off shore. Mountain men tell of catching a fish in the lake, dipping it right on the line into the boiling water of Fishing Cone and their fish was cooked without even taking it off the line.
Last year the cone was very visibly protruding from the water. This year it is completely submerged and not quite as spectacular of a sight.
One funny incident was a Japanese man was standing next to us looking at the sign that said "Fishing Cone". In broken English he asked us "What this means "cone", so we explained the shape, and then Gary told him the fishing story. He smiled and nodded.
We walked on and pretty soon a small group was gathered around him and in Japanese he was telling them all about the fishing story and they seemed quite impressed - laughing and making fishing motions with their hands. How cute was that?
Next month Gary's sister Kathy will be traveling thru Yellowstone so we are trying to see Yellowstone thru her eyes -taking notes and gathering info here that will be helpful for her maneuvering thru here.
Next stop was Fishing Bridge where we heard you could see fish spawning. Again, the water was just too high and running too fast. Later we stopped at a pullout and walked over to some rapids. There we could see fish everywhere resting and then attempting to move upstream. Really something to watch!
Other stops:
Mud Volcano Trail: Here, next to the Mud Geyser, lay a very large Mr. buffalo. This must be a favorite spot for them - we see "evidence" everywhere. Last year a big male was also here but farther uphill. At this stop you can see it all - from mud pots, cauldron springs, fumaroles. Yes, it really stinks but the sights and sounds are unforgettable.
Canyon Village:
One of the best shopping and eating locations. Don't miss the diner in the gift store. There's just nothing like sitting on a round stool next to the counter (your only option) Great burgers, but most importantly they serve Coke!
Fountain Paint Pots:
Silex Springs is one of the most beautiful hot spring pools to see up close. Great paint pots. Best sound from a fumaroles. Red Spouter a must see. Best viewing of geysers - you can literally sit right next to them. We happened to be there while Fountain Geyser was erupting which was a wonderful experience. Since it only happens every 6 hrs we were very fortunate to be able to enjoy it.
Midway Geyser Basin:
This was closed last year so we really enjoyed seeing it. Here the boiling water flows right down into the river below. Amazing. Grand Prismatic Spring is a must see.
Old Faithful Area:
We saved the best for last. This is the best place for ice cream...and Honcoop's know their ice cream! Head straight for the Old Faithful Inn, grab a cone then go to the second floor balcony to watch the next eruption of Old Faithful.
There is an extensive hiking area here with tons of pools and geysers to see. Since we did all of this last year we stuck with the ice cream option.
One sight to see here is Morning Glory Pool. While it is a long walk I made Gary & Taryn do it with me last year because this is such a memory for me from a childhood visit I made here with my family.
As a child this pool looked like it went right down to the center of the whole earth. There was just a boardwalk back then with no railings around it and I was scared to death but completely fascinated by it's beauty. Sadly it is no longer as beautiful due to vandalism. It has cooled and looks to be dying.
After dinner at Old Faithful Lodge we headed out of the park. We did see several buffalo, many elk, and a coyote. Fly fishing was also a big event happening. They were in every stream.
We found a "resort" in West Yellowstone and spent the nite there. Busy place even late at nite.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Grand Teton National Park
Last year we heard many stories from others about the beauty of the Grand Tetons, but we just couldn't fit it in our trip. This year we were determined to see it.
After participating in the Afton parade (by accident - see prior post)we headed towards Jackson Hole. This was a shorter drive that I thot it would be. Again we traveled thru beautiful farm land and ranches.
Jackson Hole is a ski resort community with a cowboy twist. The architecture has a unique flare all its own. And guess what? ...they were having a parade too! But try as he might Gary could not find a way to get our bbow in this one.
As the parade ended we found a spot to park the bbow - right next to all the police horse trailers. Perfect. This gave us a chance to walk thru town a bit.
The square in the center of town has an arch on each corner made completely of elk antlers. The Boy Scouts had collected these antlers back in the 1960's. That's a lot of antlers!
We found a few fun things to buy and then grabbed lunch at Saddle Rock Family Saloon. This was actually a dinner theater and our lunch servers were some of the actors from the show. Every so often music would start and they would sing to us. My favorite song was "You Are My Sunshine" because my Daddy used to sing that with us and taught it to all my kids when they were little.
By the time we left town clouds has rolled in and it was quite windy. We drove to the park entrance closest to the ski village and as we entered there was a big sign saying bbows were not allowed. Say what??
Apparently this entrance has a section of road too narrow and windy for them to navigate. (Gary still thinks he and the bbow could have handled it) We had to drive back thru Jackson Hole to enter at the Moose Junction entrance. This brought us in the park close to the new Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center - a impressive building to say the least.
We spent about an hour there and then entered the actual park at the Moose entry station. The nice part was we now knew what we wanted to see, where to go to see it, and that there were still RV sites available inside the park for tonite. One of the ranger presentations explained where all the animals could be seen, so armed with that information we had a great game plan.
The Grand Teton Range, while not all that long, is absolutely incredible to see. What makes it so magnificent is that there are no foothills to obstruct them, so they appear to rise straight up out of the Jackson Hole valley. The jagged peaks are still covered with snow and do have an Alps-like appearance.
It was important that we secure a place to camp tonite so we drove half way thru the park to get a site. On the way we spotted an elk and a bit later a prong horn.
Suddenly we saw vehicles pulled over everywhere and knew something big was happening, so we got as close as we could and Taryn jumped out to climb up on top of the bbow and see what everyone was looking at. It was actually two black bears playing in the scrub brush. We maneuvered to a better spot and could see them as they moved in and out of view. Then one began to head straight for the road. The ranger stopped vehicles in both directions and the bear actually came right out on to the road. He seemed to realize he was a photo op so he stopped, posed, turned, and went right back where he came from. The three of us watched this from the top of the bbow but the people on the ground ran up to get as close of a picture as the ranger would allow - which was actually quite close.
The best was a woman who missed the picture moment. A most kind Japanese man showed her his picture on his wide screen camera. She then took a picture of the bear off his picture of the bear...and it turned out! She was so happy.
We got a campsite, made a quick dinner, and then went out to look for animals again. Evening is the perfect time. And we were not disappointed. We saw herds of elk grazing in a valley, drove right thru a moving herd of buffalo and nourished some of the biggest mosquitoes we have seen this trip.
After participating in the Afton parade (by accident - see prior post)we headed towards Jackson Hole. This was a shorter drive that I thot it would be. Again we traveled thru beautiful farm land and ranches.
Jackson Hole is a ski resort community with a cowboy twist. The architecture has a unique flare all its own. And guess what? ...they were having a parade too! But try as he might Gary could not find a way to get our bbow in this one.
As the parade ended we found a spot to park the bbow - right next to all the police horse trailers. Perfect. This gave us a chance to walk thru town a bit.
The square in the center of town has an arch on each corner made completely of elk antlers. The Boy Scouts had collected these antlers back in the 1960's. That's a lot of antlers!
We found a few fun things to buy and then grabbed lunch at Saddle Rock Family Saloon. This was actually a dinner theater and our lunch servers were some of the actors from the show. Every so often music would start and they would sing to us. My favorite song was "You Are My Sunshine" because my Daddy used to sing that with us and taught it to all my kids when they were little.
By the time we left town clouds has rolled in and it was quite windy. We drove to the park entrance closest to the ski village and as we entered there was a big sign saying bbows were not allowed. Say what??
Apparently this entrance has a section of road too narrow and windy for them to navigate. (Gary still thinks he and the bbow could have handled it) We had to drive back thru Jackson Hole to enter at the Moose Junction entrance. This brought us in the park close to the new Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center - a impressive building to say the least.
We spent about an hour there and then entered the actual park at the Moose entry station. The nice part was we now knew what we wanted to see, where to go to see it, and that there were still RV sites available inside the park for tonite. One of the ranger presentations explained where all the animals could be seen, so armed with that information we had a great game plan.
The Grand Teton Range, while not all that long, is absolutely incredible to see. What makes it so magnificent is that there are no foothills to obstruct them, so they appear to rise straight up out of the Jackson Hole valley. The jagged peaks are still covered with snow and do have an Alps-like appearance.
It was important that we secure a place to camp tonite so we drove half way thru the park to get a site. On the way we spotted an elk and a bit later a prong horn.
Suddenly we saw vehicles pulled over everywhere and knew something big was happening, so we got as close as we could and Taryn jumped out to climb up on top of the bbow and see what everyone was looking at. It was actually two black bears playing in the scrub brush. We maneuvered to a better spot and could see them as they moved in and out of view. Then one began to head straight for the road. The ranger stopped vehicles in both directions and the bear actually came right out on to the road. He seemed to realize he was a photo op so he stopped, posed, turned, and went right back where he came from. The three of us watched this from the top of the bbow but the people on the ground ran up to get as close of a picture as the ranger would allow - which was actually quite close.
The best was a woman who missed the picture moment. A most kind Japanese man showed her his picture on his wide screen camera. She then took a picture of the bear off his picture of the bear...and it turned out! She was so happy.
We got a campsite, made a quick dinner, and then went out to look for animals again. Evening is the perfect time. And we were not disappointed. We saw herds of elk grazing in a valley, drove right thru a moving herd of buffalo and nourished some of the biggest mosquitoes we have seen this trip.
Our First Parade
Leaving Afton this morning we followed their main street thru town as they were just ready to begin their Fourth of July parade. The street was lined with lawn chairs filled with parade watchers and we got to drive in our bbow right past them all. Gary smiled and waved to everyone. Taryn was simply mortified and slumped down in her seat as far as she possibly could begging him to stop. So funny! Just had to share that. Happy 4th!
Happy Birthday America!
"The highest glory of the American Revolution was this; it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government and the principles of Christianity. From the day of the Declaration...they (the American people) were bound by the laws of God, which they all, and by the laws of the Gospel, which they nearly all, acknowledge as the rules of their conduct."
-- President John Quincy Adams, July 4, 1821
-- President John Quincy Adams, July 4, 1821
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Dinosaurland
The reason we headed to Vernal was to see the Dinosaur National Monument Quarry. Let's just say the Vernal embraces their dinosaur-ness. The have them everywhere. It's crazy.
At Dinosaur National Monument more than 1600 dinosaur bones are embedded in a sandstone wall. It is really quite impressive. Gary and Taryn went on an hour long fossil tour, but the Quarry Visitor Center itself is closed for repairs which was disappointing. They still enjoyed what they saw and learned.
We refueled, had lunch and then began a very long drive into Wyoming. Our goal is to get close to Jackson Hole.
We used as many back roads as possible to avoid the boring freeway driving. This took us thru Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area.
The Flaming Gorge Reservoir sits behind Flaming Gorge Dam on the Green River, and I must say Gary showed great restraint by only stopping for a few pictures. He finds dams hard to resist - just ask any of our kids.
We followed Hwy 191 up to Rock Springs Wyoming, then took Hwy 30 to Afton. All thru this area we saw Haliburton trucks. They are drilling natural gas wells and laying pipe everywhere. Hot Tip: BUY STOCK NOW!
Again we are passing thru beautiful areas of farming country. One thing we notice, the closer we get to Jackson Hole the more amazing the homes and ranches are.
At Dinosaur National Monument more than 1600 dinosaur bones are embedded in a sandstone wall. It is really quite impressive. Gary and Taryn went on an hour long fossil tour, but the Quarry Visitor Center itself is closed for repairs which was disappointing. They still enjoyed what they saw and learned.
We refueled, had lunch and then began a very long drive into Wyoming. Our goal is to get close to Jackson Hole.
We used as many back roads as possible to avoid the boring freeway driving. This took us thru Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area.
The Flaming Gorge Reservoir sits behind Flaming Gorge Dam on the Green River, and I must say Gary showed great restraint by only stopping for a few pictures. He finds dams hard to resist - just ask any of our kids.
We followed Hwy 191 up to Rock Springs Wyoming, then took Hwy 30 to Afton. All thru this area we saw Haliburton trucks. They are drilling natural gas wells and laying pipe everywhere. Hot Tip: BUY STOCK NOW!
Again we are passing thru beautiful areas of farming country. One thing we notice, the closer we get to Jackson Hole the more amazing the homes and ranches are.
An Evening Drive
After our quad adventure we still had an eventful 5 hour drive from Moab Utah to Vernal Utah. To get there we had to travel into Colorado
What is striking about this drive is how the scenery changes. Gone are the red rock canyons I love so, into completely grey rock. It's like going from color telvision to black and white. Then just as suddenly green shrubs and tree appear and the land looks completely different again. I remember this drive well from last year.
Once in Colorado we turned North on Hwy 139 which took us on a new route over a high pass. On our drive over the pass we encountered open range land and saw beautiful completely back cows and calf's all along the road. Every once in a while a red one was thrown in there, to add color I guess. It was amazing the steep inclines they were grazing on.
We were also amazed at how high up we went. We watched our altitude rise to over 8200 feet. At the top we stopped for a picture and while we were there Taya called and it was so good to hear from her. Their trip home went well and Isaiah was so glad to see Ted his favorite friend who stayed behind so Beaver could travel on the houseboat with him. How cute is that!!
Sitting at the top of the pass a mule deer wandered out from the brush. (eat your heart out John Eide). But the best was seeing two large female elk grazing in an alpine meadow.
The drive down in the dark was a bit crazy. We met so many semi's on those windy, unfamiliar roads. Not my favorite scenario.
It was quite late when we again entered Utah but we were clearly in farm country and it all felt so much like home. Green and irrigation running everywhere. The only thing that seemed out of place was all the dinosaurs. They were everywhere!
What is striking about this drive is how the scenery changes. Gone are the red rock canyons I love so, into completely grey rock. It's like going from color telvision to black and white. Then just as suddenly green shrubs and tree appear and the land looks completely different again. I remember this drive well from last year.
Once in Colorado we turned North on Hwy 139 which took us on a new route over a high pass. On our drive over the pass we encountered open range land and saw beautiful completely back cows and calf's all along the road. Every once in a while a red one was thrown in there, to add color I guess. It was amazing the steep inclines they were grazing on.
We were also amazed at how high up we went. We watched our altitude rise to over 8200 feet. At the top we stopped for a picture and while we were there Taya called and it was so good to hear from her. Their trip home went well and Isaiah was so glad to see Ted his favorite friend who stayed behind so Beaver could travel on the houseboat with him. How cute is that!!
Sitting at the top of the pass a mule deer wandered out from the brush. (eat your heart out John Eide). But the best was seeing two large female elk grazing in an alpine meadow.
The drive down in the dark was a bit crazy. We met so many semi's on those windy, unfamiliar roads. Not my favorite scenario.
It was quite late when we again entered Utah but we were clearly in farm country and it all felt so much like home. Green and irrigation running everywhere. The only thing that seemed out of place was all the dinosaurs. They were everywhere!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Adventure Begins!
OK, I'm not quite sure how this all happened but somehow a bike trip became a quad trip. And before I knew it we had a 18' trailer behind the bbow loaded with two quads and we were on our way to Kane Springs Canyon. We were told where the road ends the adventure begins and it sure did.
Gary and Taryn drove a Polaris 800 with a jump seat. That was the last one of those they had today so I ended up driving a Yamaha 450 Rhino which is a two passenger side-by-side movin' machine. I called it the Mom-mobile. While no one rode with me I carried the sun screen, bug repellent and the all-important supply of water. I kept up with them no problem.
We had the most amazing experience and a whole lot of fun. Kane Creek road begins with a wide gravel road and is a great way to get used to your machine. Then it narrows into a more rocky path that heads up to Hurrah Pass which is 9.7 mi. from the pavement. It was a spectacular trip up that takes you thru Chicken Corners and the Lockhart Basin. We enjoyed the view at the top of Hurrah Pass at 4,780 ft. I must say I felt quite accomplished.
All along the way there are millions of trails to explore and we had a blast heading down various creek bed, sandy gulches ect. There are amazing formations of rocks and we even saw an Indian birthing stone with petroglyphics (look it up). Amazing!
Several hours later we were back at the bbow hot, sweaty, and completely covered with fine red dust. It was sick, but did we ever have a great adventure together. Every piece of our clothing had to be confined to a large plastic garbage bag and all of us needed to shower - thank you bbow for providing us with that.
After loading it was back to Moab to wash the bbow and the bikes, refuel and return them.
We are now extremely late and still have to drive 226 miles tonite. We will pass thru a part of Colorado and back in to Utah and still plan to stay in Vernal.
As I write we are in Loma CO heading North on Hwy 139 approx. 100 mi on our way. A great adventure - a great day!
Gary and Taryn drove a Polaris 800 with a jump seat. That was the last one of those they had today so I ended up driving a Yamaha 450 Rhino which is a two passenger side-by-side movin' machine. I called it the Mom-mobile. While no one rode with me I carried the sun screen, bug repellent and the all-important supply of water. I kept up with them no problem.
We had the most amazing experience and a whole lot of fun. Kane Creek road begins with a wide gravel road and is a great way to get used to your machine. Then it narrows into a more rocky path that heads up to Hurrah Pass which is 9.7 mi. from the pavement. It was a spectacular trip up that takes you thru Chicken Corners and the Lockhart Basin. We enjoyed the view at the top of Hurrah Pass at 4,780 ft. I must say I felt quite accomplished.
All along the way there are millions of trails to explore and we had a blast heading down various creek bed, sandy gulches ect. There are amazing formations of rocks and we even saw an Indian birthing stone with petroglyphics (look it up). Amazing!
Several hours later we were back at the bbow hot, sweaty, and completely covered with fine red dust. It was sick, but did we ever have a great adventure together. Every piece of our clothing had to be confined to a large plastic garbage bag and all of us needed to shower - thank you bbow for providing us with that.
After loading it was back to Moab to wash the bbow and the bikes, refuel and return them.
We are now extremely late and still have to drive 226 miles tonite. We will pass thru a part of Colorado and back in to Utah and still plan to stay in Vernal.
As I write we are in Loma CO heading North on Hwy 139 approx. 100 mi on our way. A great adventure - a great day!
Moab - Where Adventure Begins!
That's quite a tag for a town, but in this case it is true. Moab is an amazing place to play and your options are limitless.
We started our day at the KOA pancake breakfast which was great. They even made Grandma Likkel's syrup for us. How did they know???
Our first stop today was a wonderful walking bridge over the Colorado River. This is where the water we enjoyed in lake Powell last week came from. An amazing river to be sure. There are bikers everywhere and that is looking pretty fun to Taryn.
Next stop Arches National Park to get Taryn's National Park Passport stamped. On our way there we spotted a Colorado riverboat tour and decided to look in to it. It left at 8 AM so that was out. Taryn really wanted to ride bike so we picked up a few brochures to see what was available and then continued on to Arches.
We got her passport book stamped and then looked at the Park map and realized we had been thru most of this last year, and what we hadn't seen was a 6 mile hike. It is 98 degrees at 9:30 and we're just not in the right condition for that so we decided to seriously look into a bike trip...and you won't believe where we ended up today...
We started our day at the KOA pancake breakfast which was great. They even made Grandma Likkel's syrup for us. How did they know???
Our first stop today was a wonderful walking bridge over the Colorado River. This is where the water we enjoyed in lake Powell last week came from. An amazing river to be sure. There are bikers everywhere and that is looking pretty fun to Taryn.
Next stop Arches National Park to get Taryn's National Park Passport stamped. On our way there we spotted a Colorado riverboat tour and decided to look in to it. It left at 8 AM so that was out. Taryn really wanted to ride bike so we picked up a few brochures to see what was available and then continued on to Arches.
We got her passport book stamped and then looked at the Park map and realized we had been thru most of this last year, and what we hadn't seen was a 6 mile hike. It is 98 degrees at 9:30 and we're just not in the right condition for that so we decided to seriously look into a bike trip...and you won't believe where we ended up today...
9 is 6 Upside-down
We semi-woke up when the sun hit our eyes. For those of you who read last year's adventure in the bbow know that our back bedroom has a design flaw - a skylight right above our bed. This is a most obnoxious deterrent to sleeping in. Ridiculous!
Anyway, Gary looked at his watch and thot it said 9:00 AM and we were late. He woke me, got up, and started coffee. I told him we needed to get our boat towels from the laundry and pay the office for laundry services. When he got to the laundry room he found our boat towels folded and in a smart little plastic bag. Thank you laundry elves!
Back at the bbow he put eye drops in his eyes, which are really bothering him with this head cold, and then discovered it was really 6 AM. What a shock! He crawled back in bed and got another hour of sleep. We're not moving very fast this morning. Ya think??
We were all kinda loopy this morning but finally got on our way to Canyonlands National Park. We entered in the Needles District. Boy, did we ever make a good call last nite skipping that entrance to the south. Guess what - it's a dirt 4-wheel drive only road. The bbow would have been sadly out of its element. Good call!
Our first stop was the visitors center to get an idea of what we want to see and do here. Basically there are three sections of the park: Island in the Sky, The Maze and The Needles. These parts are divided by the confluence of the Colorado and Green River.
We also learned there are 5 typical rock formations found in the park: needles, fin, mushroom, pinnacle and arch. We saw examples of each as we drove.
We drove out to the fartherest stop first called Big Spring Canyon Overlook. Taryn used some of her pent up rock climbing energies here and there were some amazing views.
We hiked out onto some slick rock near Squaw Flat and got a great view of The Needles in the distance. Many of these areas are only accessible by 4-wheel drive. We didn't know this prior to getting here.
There is a viewpoint called The Wooden Shoe Overlook that looks out at an arch in the shape of a wooden shoe. No kidding! But a real highlight was stopping at the Roadside Ruins where we were able to see an actual ancient Indian grain storage ruin tucked up under a rock. That was incredible. It reminded me of a very large swallow's nest. I wouldn't be surprised if they used that as their design model.
We didn't realize that so much of the park is either 4-wheel drive access only or a significant hike. Gary is quite sick with a head cold and it is well over 100 degrees so we were not in any kind of condition to try much.
We decided to call it a day and move on to Moab for the nite. This is quite unusual for us since we tend to pack our days to the very limit, but that's where we're at.
On our way out of the park Taryn went down with a severe headache. She was miserable and we didn't quite know what to do beyond the Tylenol so we kept moving.
We did make a stop at Wilson Arch - a magnificent tribute to our cat and personal favorite of ours, but Taryn was too sick to even get up and look at it so we regrettably went on. So sad!
It was around 6 PM when we pulled into the Moab KOA. This is a "resort" that Taryn would love - pool, mini golf, game room, evening ice cream social - she missed them all. She was really sick and slept thru dinner till nearly 9 pm, but when she woke up her headache was gone and we were so thankful. I went to the KOA store and got her chicken soup and 7-up. She ate a lite dinner and we watched some 24 before bed.
Gary worked on our route quite a bit tonite and looks like we will be getting home a few days later than I thot. The plan is to start our day at Arches, cut into a piece of Colorado and then end back in Vernel Utah.
Anyway, Gary looked at his watch and thot it said 9:00 AM and we were late. He woke me, got up, and started coffee. I told him we needed to get our boat towels from the laundry and pay the office for laundry services. When he got to the laundry room he found our boat towels folded and in a smart little plastic bag. Thank you laundry elves!
Back at the bbow he put eye drops in his eyes, which are really bothering him with this head cold, and then discovered it was really 6 AM. What a shock! He crawled back in bed and got another hour of sleep. We're not moving very fast this morning. Ya think??
We were all kinda loopy this morning but finally got on our way to Canyonlands National Park. We entered in the Needles District. Boy, did we ever make a good call last nite skipping that entrance to the south. Guess what - it's a dirt 4-wheel drive only road. The bbow would have been sadly out of its element. Good call!
Our first stop was the visitors center to get an idea of what we want to see and do here. Basically there are three sections of the park: Island in the Sky, The Maze and The Needles. These parts are divided by the confluence of the Colorado and Green River.
We also learned there are 5 typical rock formations found in the park: needles, fin, mushroom, pinnacle and arch. We saw examples of each as we drove.
We drove out to the fartherest stop first called Big Spring Canyon Overlook. Taryn used some of her pent up rock climbing energies here and there were some amazing views.
We hiked out onto some slick rock near Squaw Flat and got a great view of The Needles in the distance. Many of these areas are only accessible by 4-wheel drive. We didn't know this prior to getting here.
There is a viewpoint called The Wooden Shoe Overlook that looks out at an arch in the shape of a wooden shoe. No kidding! But a real highlight was stopping at the Roadside Ruins where we were able to see an actual ancient Indian grain storage ruin tucked up under a rock. That was incredible. It reminded me of a very large swallow's nest. I wouldn't be surprised if they used that as their design model.
We didn't realize that so much of the park is either 4-wheel drive access only or a significant hike. Gary is quite sick with a head cold and it is well over 100 degrees so we were not in any kind of condition to try much.
We decided to call it a day and move on to Moab for the nite. This is quite unusual for us since we tend to pack our days to the very limit, but that's where we're at.
On our way out of the park Taryn went down with a severe headache. She was miserable and we didn't quite know what to do beyond the Tylenol so we kept moving.
We did make a stop at Wilson Arch - a magnificent tribute to our cat and personal favorite of ours, but Taryn was too sick to even get up and look at it so we regrettably went on. So sad!
It was around 6 PM when we pulled into the Moab KOA. This is a "resort" that Taryn would love - pool, mini golf, game room, evening ice cream social - she missed them all. She was really sick and slept thru dinner till nearly 9 pm, but when she woke up her headache was gone and we were so thankful. I went to the KOA store and got her chicken soup and 7-up. She ate a lite dinner and we watched some 24 before bed.
Gary worked on our route quite a bit tonite and looks like we will be getting home a few days later than I thot. The plan is to start our day at Arches, cut into a piece of Colorado and then end back in Vernel Utah.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
And Now the Hard Part
By 11 AM we were nearing the marina so Brandon and Gary got in the ski boat and went ahead to get it loaded for travel. The rest of us sorted, packed and cleaned so we could make the best time at getting off the boat.
Britt and Shana will actually fly out of Salt Lake City late today so they have a big day and will need to be the first to leave. Britt figured out all the modes of transportation he will experience in this one day and it is impressive: houseboat, rental car, airplane, shuttle, SUV & pick up. That's a big day.
Before returning your houseboat it must be refueled. You radio ahead when you are near and then are granted permission to dock. Britt pulled that big houseboat right up to the refueling dock perfectly. The fueler even said "in all my years working here that is the best customer docking I've ever seen". He has a gift with vehicles.
After refueling we waited for a docking pilot to come on board and bring our houseboat in. Once we were docked everyone scrambled to load and go. It was at least 100 degrees so it was miserable work. Thankfully we were still able to use their four wheeler and trailer to bring everything to our vehicles. Still, the effort of dividing and sorting everything was monumental.
Britt and Shana did a load and go, so they were the first two on the road. Brandon and Greta helped us sort and pack everything that will go with them back to Lynden in the boat and pick-up. All the rest was thrown into the bbow to go with us. This was all just a big mess and I was completely overwhelmed by it.
Finally it was time to say good bye to Ross, Taya and Isaiah who will be traveling with Brandon and Greta to Salt Lake City tonite and then flying home tomorrow. This was pretty hard on me and I lost it big time. Suddenly it was all over and it just felt so cruel. I was not prepared for how deeply I would feel this. It was depressing. Here I was sitting in this big mess that I couldn't seem to make any sense or order out of. I literally began to stick stuff away to get it out of sight. I just couldn't deal with it.
Our plan is to take a ferry to the other side of the lake and travel from there over towards Canyonlands National Park. We were told the ferry left every other hour from this side but were given the wrong hour. Suddenly we saw it loading (on the wrong hour) We tried but couldn't make it down there on time so had to sit there two hours. Nothing seemed to be going right.
We have no idea where we'll be staying tonite, all our clothes and towels are filthy dirty and Gary has a major head cold. A this point I was second guessing our plans.
Gary decided to lay down while we waited in line for the ferry - a nice bonus traveling in the bbow. It was actually I who drove the bbow onto the ferry. I was pretty proud of myself!
This drive is pretty secluded but interesting and beautiful. We are seeing country we haven't seen before so that is always something we enjoy.
There is a wonderful cure for depression. The two components are thankfulness and worship. I made myself recount everything I was thankful for and then ended that process with a few worship cd's and I was lifted out of the negative pit I had allowed in my heart. It felt like a new day.
There were storm clouds all around us and we got to an area where there had recently been significant rain. In fact the road was still wet. We are also passing thru grazing land and soon we spotted random cattle beside the road. Taryn and Gary saw a monster jack rabbit and quite larger lizard scurry across the road.
We made the decision to skip this entrance to Canyonlands and find an "resort" in a more inhabited location. We have some significant laundry that needs our attention, so we headed on to Blanding Utah. We were way ready for dinner by the time we got there. Not many choices but we did get a good burger and then drove on to Monticello where we stayed at a small but adequate resort.
Gary isn't feeling well and climbed right into bed. Taryn and I played games while waiting for our five loads of laundry to wash and dry. There were four dryers. One had some random mans clothes in it that I didn't want to touch, two barely worked, and the one that worked was so noisy it sounded like a bag of large rocks was in it.
Finally at 11:10 I decided enough is enough. I took out that mans clothes and put our final load of boat towels in it and went to the bbow. We can get those tomorrow.
Tired but not quite ready to sleep I crawled in Taryn's bunk and she read to me while I bandaged up my hands. A week of water and dishes has been hard on my hands and they need some attention. It was blissful to crawl in bed.
Britt and Shana will actually fly out of Salt Lake City late today so they have a big day and will need to be the first to leave. Britt figured out all the modes of transportation he will experience in this one day and it is impressive: houseboat, rental car, airplane, shuttle, SUV & pick up. That's a big day.
Before returning your houseboat it must be refueled. You radio ahead when you are near and then are granted permission to dock. Britt pulled that big houseboat right up to the refueling dock perfectly. The fueler even said "in all my years working here that is the best customer docking I've ever seen". He has a gift with vehicles.
After refueling we waited for a docking pilot to come on board and bring our houseboat in. Once we were docked everyone scrambled to load and go. It was at least 100 degrees so it was miserable work. Thankfully we were still able to use their four wheeler and trailer to bring everything to our vehicles. Still, the effort of dividing and sorting everything was monumental.
Britt and Shana did a load and go, so they were the first two on the road. Brandon and Greta helped us sort and pack everything that will go with them back to Lynden in the boat and pick-up. All the rest was thrown into the bbow to go with us. This was all just a big mess and I was completely overwhelmed by it.
Finally it was time to say good bye to Ross, Taya and Isaiah who will be traveling with Brandon and Greta to Salt Lake City tonite and then flying home tomorrow. This was pretty hard on me and I lost it big time. Suddenly it was all over and it just felt so cruel. I was not prepared for how deeply I would feel this. It was depressing. Here I was sitting in this big mess that I couldn't seem to make any sense or order out of. I literally began to stick stuff away to get it out of sight. I just couldn't deal with it.
Our plan is to take a ferry to the other side of the lake and travel from there over towards Canyonlands National Park. We were told the ferry left every other hour from this side but were given the wrong hour. Suddenly we saw it loading (on the wrong hour) We tried but couldn't make it down there on time so had to sit there two hours. Nothing seemed to be going right.
We have no idea where we'll be staying tonite, all our clothes and towels are filthy dirty and Gary has a major head cold. A this point I was second guessing our plans.
Gary decided to lay down while we waited in line for the ferry - a nice bonus traveling in the bbow. It was actually I who drove the bbow onto the ferry. I was pretty proud of myself!
This drive is pretty secluded but interesting and beautiful. We are seeing country we haven't seen before so that is always something we enjoy.
There is a wonderful cure for depression. The two components are thankfulness and worship. I made myself recount everything I was thankful for and then ended that process with a few worship cd's and I was lifted out of the negative pit I had allowed in my heart. It felt like a new day.
There were storm clouds all around us and we got to an area where there had recently been significant rain. In fact the road was still wet. We are also passing thru grazing land and soon we spotted random cattle beside the road. Taryn and Gary saw a monster jack rabbit and quite larger lizard scurry across the road.
We made the decision to skip this entrance to Canyonlands and find an "resort" in a more inhabited location. We have some significant laundry that needs our attention, so we headed on to Blanding Utah. We were way ready for dinner by the time we got there. Not many choices but we did get a good burger and then drove on to Monticello where we stayed at a small but adequate resort.
Gary isn't feeling well and climbed right into bed. Taryn and I played games while waiting for our five loads of laundry to wash and dry. There were four dryers. One had some random mans clothes in it that I didn't want to touch, two barely worked, and the one that worked was so noisy it sounded like a bag of large rocks was in it.
Finally at 11:10 I decided enough is enough. I took out that mans clothes and put our final load of boat towels in it and went to the bbow. We can get those tomorrow.
Tired but not quite ready to sleep I crawled in Taryn's bunk and she read to me while I bandaged up my hands. A week of water and dishes has been hard on my hands and they need some attention. It was blissful to crawl in bed.
A Bible and a Bee
The guys were all up at 5:20 AM to launch the Houseboat. This is quite a process but with all of them working together it goes really well. The goal was to be moving by 6 AM which we were.
Once on our way it is actually a very leisurely excursion, and since we chose to do the trip all in one day it will be a 5 1/2 hour ride. Two pots of coffee had been set to brew the nite before so we were ready.
Shana and I got up with the guys and it was beautiful to see the lake and canyons as the sun came up. Britt got a few amazing pictures. It is a very peaceful and pleasant ride.
Ross was alone on the top deck with his Bible having devotions. An incredibly large bee decided to join him and got a little too close for comfort. All we heard below was a tussle happening on the deck above us. Then Shana who was near a window witnessed a rather large splash in the water next to the houseboat.
Moments later Ross came down the steps and a said that a large bee was being quite aggressive. It wouldn't leave so he got up and tried to get away from it. It continued to follow him so he took a swipe at it with his Bible which then propelled accidentally out of his hand and went overboard.
We had such a great laugh over that...but at the same time felt incredibly bad about the loss of his Bible. Thankfully it wasn't his regular Bible but a loss just the same.
Once on our way it is actually a very leisurely excursion, and since we chose to do the trip all in one day it will be a 5 1/2 hour ride. Two pots of coffee had been set to brew the nite before so we were ready.
Shana and I got up with the guys and it was beautiful to see the lake and canyons as the sun came up. Britt got a few amazing pictures. It is a very peaceful and pleasant ride.
Ross was alone on the top deck with his Bible having devotions. An incredibly large bee decided to join him and got a little too close for comfort. All we heard below was a tussle happening on the deck above us. Then Shana who was near a window witnessed a rather large splash in the water next to the houseboat.
Moments later Ross came down the steps and a said that a large bee was being quite aggressive. It wouldn't leave so he got up and tried to get away from it. It continued to follow him so he took a swipe at it with his Bible which then propelled accidentally out of his hand and went overboard.
We had such a great laugh over that...but at the same time felt incredibly bad about the loss of his Bible. Thankfully it wasn't his regular Bible but a loss just the same.
Happy Birthday Brandon!
Wow. It's Sunday, and did we ever sleep in...except for Isaiah who had his Mom and Dad up at 6:40. They usually go out to the front deck and hang there till the rest of us show up and today it was extra late. I guess world domination takes a lot out of ya!
It's Sunday and Brandon's 24th birthday. First things first we all sang Happy Birthday to him. Isaiah loves birthdays! Over the years Brandon has celebrated several birthdays on vacation, but this one is especially sweet because we are all here together, and that will not happen very often anymore.
Poor Greta got a terrible sunburn yesterday so she is staying inside today. After breakfast several went out on the ski boat to explore a few neighboring canyons while Taya, Isaiah, Shana, Taryn and I went out to Isaiah's Lagoon. There was debris that had floated in, and mysteriously some of the logs had shifted so Taryn repaired that while Taya worked on debris reduction. We actually made an alternate lagoon for him as well. This is working so great.
Right now it's all about relaxation, swimming, sun and being together. It doesn't get much better than this.
After dinner we did the actual birthday celebration with gifts and the wonderful cake Greta made.
Tomorrow we bring the houseboat back and everyone departs. It will be a very early morning and then a several hour cruise back to Bullfrog Marina. During that time we will all clean and pack to our off-load can go as smooth as possible. We will need a good sleep. Can't believe our week is over.
It's Sunday and Brandon's 24th birthday. First things first we all sang Happy Birthday to him. Isaiah loves birthdays! Over the years Brandon has celebrated several birthdays on vacation, but this one is especially sweet because we are all here together, and that will not happen very often anymore.
Poor Greta got a terrible sunburn yesterday so she is staying inside today. After breakfast several went out on the ski boat to explore a few neighboring canyons while Taya, Isaiah, Shana, Taryn and I went out to Isaiah's Lagoon. There was debris that had floated in, and mysteriously some of the logs had shifted so Taryn repaired that while Taya worked on debris reduction. We actually made an alternate lagoon for him as well. This is working so great.
Right now it's all about relaxation, swimming, sun and being together. It doesn't get much better than this.
After dinner we did the actual birthday celebration with gifts and the wonderful cake Greta made.
Tomorrow we bring the houseboat back and everyone departs. It will be a very early morning and then a several hour cruise back to Bullfrog Marina. During that time we will all clean and pack to our off-load can go as smooth as possible. We will need a good sleep. Can't believe our week is over.
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