Week 12 (7/2 - 7/8)

Last week I left you as Fish Creek Camp in West Glacier National Park. We are now leaving this portion of Glacier to go a bit south to visit friends over the July 4th holiday.  Before we leave we decide to drive a little way up the west side to see what we can see…

We did not go far before turning around and heading toward Kalispell, Montana to do a bit of house cleaning. 

Once again mesmerized by the computers! 

The next morning I was still getting caught up. Notice that I did a very poor job of picture taking. You will see shadows on the left side of some of the pictures, but heck I'm so behind that something is better than nothing at this point. 

We move on toward our friends and this time we are on the east side of Flathead Lake near a smaller lake where we stop to have lunch. It is a Sunday and the park is busy busy busy!

The confer trees are so distinctive out west, but this drive is particularly beautiful showing off all the various shapes. 

We arrive at the Abolts, transplants from Maryland who have really adopted the Montana way! Relatives from Florida are visiting in their RV and we all have fun sharing our various interiors. You have to understand that 'people like us' who travel in trailers and RVs, love looking at each others layouts, neat innovations, and time saving gadgets.

Abolts have a wonderful three year old who welcomes Daisy.

The next day is the 4th of July and the small town of Condon puts on a parade worthy of NYC!! We had a great time cheering and catching candy, not to mention the huckleberry ice cream!

Friends, family  and dogs gathered back on the Ranch for games and a GRAND meal. 

A tour of the new neighbors elaborate house ended the day with watching the fireworks from his porch.

Next morning it was more delicious food. 

A tour of Russ'  Sculpture Meadow showed us that this DC executive has found his artistic self. This is an enchanted and magical place he has created. 

With only Abby and Daisy left from the previous days circus of dogs, they began playing in ernest just before we said our goodbyes.

We sadly left our Maryland turned Montana friends and headed toward the eastern side of Glacier National Park passing through Ponderosa Pine forests with floors of Bear Grass…and then through forests of bright Aspen trunks that illuminated in the darkness.

We arrived at Two Medicine Camp on the east side of Glacier, where Daisy had to refresh herself in the icy waters much to the delight of a belly laughing 9 month old!

We thought a shady camp spot would be cool and keep the RV from heating up during our day hikes, but…
so first thing the next morning we moved down by the river and in the full sun where we were allowed to be outside the RV without having all our blood sucked out of us. 

We're off to see the sights. 

Moving pass the falls onto higher ground I was overwhelmed by not only the wonderful wild flowers but also all the bleached and twisted dead wood. I couldn't help but think how Russ would love this area! 
As we neared the top of this 'Scenic Overlook' the clouds moved in. THEN…
We had hail, rain, wind, cold, and all that goes with a Montana storm up in the mountains, but as you can see by the picture we were ready and pulled out our trusty foul weather gear. We bought this fancy light weight rain gear for our trip last year to the north west - that wet Washington and Oregon weather! We never used them there, but we have used this rain gear this year in the Arizona desert, the Utah desert, and now the Montana mountains. 

Next day all is clear and we are ready for more hiking.

After hiking we return to the RV and find that Daisy needs some exercise and quality time.

The Ranger at Two Medicine Camp gave wonderfully entertaining talks both nights we were there.  He really got into his topic as well as getting everyone involved.

We left Two Medicine Camp and headed north to Many Glacier Camp.

We immediately set off on a hike, not intending to do 8  miles, but heck…

The wildflowers were so beautiful and we were encourage to push on by sightings of moose - just down the path a bit.
Finally we saw the moose and he was sooooo close, but nestled down for the night in a small clearing behind some low bushes. He did not seem to mind our gawking. 

There is no such thing as bad weather in Montana, just bad clothing.

Many Glacier Camp actually has pay showers as well as a restaurant and hey, when clean why not go for broke! Pay showers mean you put your money in and it gives you so many minutes - then the water stops! No warning! No hint! No slow down! No dribble! It just STOPS, so you better not be sudsy.
We still have more adventures in Glacier National Park to come, but that is next week. 

WEEK 11 (6/25- 7/1)

I left you after having had a quick run through Yellowstone National Park in order to get into Montana and on to Glacier National Park. Most driving days are low key, but our first day heading north was full of chaos. 

The next days were back to normal. It took three days to get to Glacier, not that it is far but we take our time. We drove about 15o miles a day and then spend an extra day in Missoula catching up on the internet and my drawings. 

This picture is in black and white for a reason!
Daisy got a touch of her altitude sickness which only occurs when we return to low altitudes, but we were able to manage it and in no time she was fine.

We see so many bicyclists going cross country or on shorter trips, carrying packs on their bikes or pulling trailers. We even saw one fellow who had his dog in his trailer, but we have never seen anyone pulling a kayak! I wonder if he puts his bike in the kayak when he gets to a river to float down?

Flathead Lake is a welcome sight of blue, blue, clear water! Obviously a favorite vacation spot for people in the area, but the shoreline is so long that we never saw the honky tonk atmosphere that comes with overcrowding along a water line. 

We finally arrive at Glacier National Park and it is a beautiful sunny day. Our history with this park is BAD WEATHER or IMPASSABLE ROADS. So we are thrilled and we have a wonderful time. Such a good time that we end up staying in the park 12 nights - a record time spent in any one place!
We are immediately greeted by a beautiful Bald Eagle - actually the only one we saw while there. We are in Fish Creek Campground on the west side of Glacier.
I was taking pictures of Bear Grass when the camp hostess came and asked me…

I never saw these beauties anywhere else in the park, so this was truly special.

Every night in the National Parks there is a talk or slide show by rangers. Some better than others, but this night we were lucky enough to be entertained by a famous local folk singer, Jack Crawford. 

Next morning we were out early on the road to go for a hike and pleased to see the unusual small fox only found in this area. 

These small flowers were very prolific and in full bloom, but once again I could not find them in my flower book. Finally a Ranger came to my rescue. 

Jamie loved the idea of seeing 5, F I V E, waterfalls all at once.
Another hike in the afternoon was to McDonald Falls.
National Parks don't feel it necessary to provide all the amenities campers would like. Showers were missing in this area so we, as well as others, took advantage of the lake water which if you recall is only melted ice!
Next day we took the shuttle bus over Logan Pass on the 'Road to the Sun'. Our RV is not allowed on this road because it is so narrow and twisty. However taking the shuttle allows both of us to ohhh, and ahhhh.
Once at the pass of 6,000+ feet we hiked to Hidden Lake, but trudging through the SNOW!! All the time I'm thinking, "I hate snow!!" which really isn't true, but at that moment…

We did learn that there are two kinds of  marmotts: Yellow Bellied and Hoary. 

Once we arrived at Hidden Lake we were rewarded by close views of Mountain Goat and kid. Unlike most encounters with wild animals everyone there seemed almost reverent toward the goats. Everyone stayed far enough away, but most amazing everyone whispered like in church!
The next hike of the day was to Baring Falls where the wild flowers were magnificent. 
When we took this photo of Jamie next to the falls in 2006 it was September and there was not much water falling. On this day, July 1, it is ROARING. 

End of this week. 

Week 10 (6/18- 24)

We are in Gros  Ventre Camp at Teton National Park and everyone is excited about the two baby great horn owls in a tree hollow in the camp grounds. The rangers have taped the area off for respect, but everyone is snapping photos of such an unusual sight.

Then…
There were plenty of other distractions in the park.

When we returned to camp the baby was still on the ground with worried parents hovering near by and good sister still in the tree who was glad to have that pesky sibling out of her hair! Everyone was very worried for the baby owl during the night. 
Word had gotten around and all the BIG TIME CAMERAS were arrived! 
We spent the rest of the day at the museum since it was rainy. 
Next morning the baby owl was discovered up in the tree again! 
We went on a raft float with a wonderful naturalists for a guide. 

My first time to see a night hawk! And during the day.
I've picked up something…
We are in Coulter Bay at the north end of the Tetons when we are visited by a beautiful coyote.
I feel worse… 
Spent two days on the couch in a stupor!
We are going to visit a classmate of Jamie's who is transplanted from Rye NY to Crandall Creek Wyoming. A bit of paradise! 



We were treated royally!

We drove over the pass to Red Lodge, Montana.


Every evening at Andy's ranch the golden eagles would soar. 




Next day we went to Cooke City for lunch. 

Andy left early on our last day to fly to Phonenix to drive his wife back to the ranch. We left shortly after.
Daisy really loved being at Hurricane Mesa Ranch and did not want to leave.
We drove into Yellowstone and of course saw lots of animals.


We are now going to head toward Glacier Park and hope for good weather as the last time we visited in 2006 it was 40º and rainy! Wish us luck!

Week 9 (6/11/09-6/17/09)

June 11

We continue to explore the trails of Bryce Canyon in Utah. Some are down deep among the hoodoos and others are along the top looking down. They are all beautiful and my pink colored pencil is getting smaller and smaller with over use!

Just sharing with you some of the gear we take while hiking.


Sometimes trying to figure out what kind of tree I am seeing is a challenge. Ranger Jan said the photo in the tree reference book was LOUSY!

No fooling, in 2003 I got seriously lost while taking Daisy on an extra long walk behind the camping area because she couldn't go with us on the trails. Eventually I saw an old wire fence and thought that to be a good thing to follow until the doubts about how very many years ago that fence line was abandoned. It however eventually lead me in a direction where I heard a car. A welcome sound when lost out in nowhere! I made my way to the road and realized it was the same one that Jamie and I had biked the day before. I flagged down the first car that came along, explained my situation and asked for a ride which they refused!! So I walked back to camp where Jamie was just beginning to miss me after two hours! However it was a lesson well learned and I no longer go wandering off.

June 12

Once the tree is identified, I can see it everywhere!
The area just outside Bryce was homesteaded by a fellow named Ruby who turned it into something more profitable than a ranch in the desert.
We leave Bryce National Park and head NE toward Dinosaur National Monument


This was a truly beautiful camp with a lovely creek and tons of wild flowers. 

June 13

Now that we know what checkered board sandstone is we see it often out here.


We are camped here on a reservoir surrounded by stone mountains which keep producing WEATHER!

June 14

We stop in Price Utah to look at this fabulous museum before continuing on to the Dinosaur National Monument.



June 15

We are now heading north from Utah toward Jackson Wyoming and the Grand Tetons.

June 16

We made it to Wyoming, but need a little maintenance.

Back on the road and still heading north in Wyoming.

Some camps are so very enjoyable…
…for everyone!

June 17

The weather cleared as we moved north and this is the road just south of Jackson with so many beautiful mountain ranges.

We arrive in Jackson very hungry and choose this place rather than go into town with all the people, cars and confusion.
I often get disoriented in my seasons by the flowers I see blooming at what seems the wrong time. 
Lots of those beautiful but elusive antelope. They are the fastest mammal in North America and consequently don't have many predators who even attempt the chase.
The locals are complaining about the weather! They say it has been raining for two weeks, but we are lucky as it is scheduled to change to give us sun.

Week 8 (6/4/09-6/10/09)

June 4

We did make it out of the Grand Canyon, went north and spent the night in Page Arizona.

June 5

We had the oil changed.

We are headed NW toward Zion National Park in Utah. 

Like I said earlier, can't ignore the rocks!

June 6

Zion has a clever system that we love. Bus transportation for everyone, so we take our bikes to the top of the canyon on the bus and ride down stopping at all the great places to see.

June 7

We hiked this day to paradise!

This was the ranger talk that just about did me in! Again geared toward 8 year olds, but the topic was gory and enough to give me nightmares let alone a child! All about different sub species and how they feed upon each other. Nothing so simple as just kill it and eat it, but prolonged disgusting methods. I may have to censor my Ranger Talks! 

June 8

The Virgin River is in Zion. Daaa!

We leave the main area of Zion and go to the north end of the park where only about 10% of visitors go. This is dramatic with beautiful views and no people. 

June 9

The Temple is in Zion National Park (main area).

We are on our way to Bryce National Monument heading east, but first stop at Cedar Breaks National Monument which looks a lot like Bryce but is very high in altitude, 10,350'

June 10

We are at Bryce National Park and the weather is doubtful, but clears for a beautiful day.

Bryce is such fun! Walking around in the hoodoos and all the crazy rock formations makes one happy! We spend another day here, but that is in next weeks pictures.

Week 7 (5/28/09-6/3/09)

May 28 

Sedona Arizona (civilization!!)

When we get internet it seems to consume us! 

Several nests of Blue Herons were full of young getting ready to fly which provided entertainment for all the campers staying there.
More Marylanders at the same camp!
May 29

Sedona, Arizona

We took a jeep tour and we all wondered if we were going to DIE!

I just used the phone book to find a place to cut my hair, but expected a fancy smachancy place in up scale Sedona! She gave me a GREAT cut though!

The plants and trees in Sedona are wonderful. Can't help but share them with  you.

May 30

We leave Sedona but take a tour through areas we had not seen yet. 

We were told by our wired jeep tour guide to stop here for good Native jewelry. 
We continue to head north through Arizona.
One can't ignore the rocks!

We are camped at Sunset Crater Volcano.

May 31

We climbed one of the little cinder cones just to see more cinder on the other side.

More ancient dwellings.
Artifacts found near this site.

We arrive at the Grand Canyon

June 1

Grand Canyon

All kinds of people at the Grand Canyon. 

Ranger talks seem to be geared toward 8 year olds which is a different approach than when we were here in 2003. We did learn some new facts.

June 2

I think this young fellow enjoyed the stir he was causing as everyone stopped to take his picture. However his lovely Rhodesian Ridgeback had no trouble concentrating on his nap.
Cliff Roses were blooming profusely. 
Many many people take the bus out to Hopi Point to watch the sun set. It is quite a show and everyone is happy to share the beauty. 
However the crowds trying to get back to the main area are big.
June 3

After seeing the sun set, the next step it to see it rise!


We hiked a short distance down the trail.

This was a great ranger talk all about how great the Grand Canyon is! Tons of facts that 8 to 80 year olds enjoyed. 

End of Week 6 (May 25 - 27)

May 25

We leave the  Playtown USA, (Moab), Utah and head south to the Painted Desert in Arizona.

The storms continue on and off, but they are always dramatic!

May 26

This is west of the Painted Desert out in the middle of the nowhere, and was found by a lost scout of the General Custard party. 

Walnut Canyon is further west and another magical place that housed ancient pueblo peoples.

May 27

We scout the area for more ancient dwellings.


Another ancient dwelling community.

We are now in Sedona the land of Red Rocks! But who do I meet at the campground?

May 8-24

I apologize for the long posting, but in visiting friends and then camping with daughter Diana and husband Paul, I got behind with my drawings and it took me a long time to catch up as well as keep up with each day.

I start this blog as we continue our visit with Jamie's classmate, his wife and four dogs in Taos, NM. Daisy is so happy to have doggie friends.

Ham is an excellent back woodsman and we were looking forward to doing a modest hike with him.

Daisy was getting use to being part of the pack and enjoying daily walks.

From Taos we went north to the Colorado Sand Dunes which sit just below the San Juan Mountains.

The dunes are surrounded by a shallow stream of snow melt - much to Daisy's delight.

Northwest of the Dunes, we met our daughter Diana and Paul at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. They brought their newly adopted 9 month old German Shepherd named Conrad.

We biked the rim road stopping frequently at the overlooks to enjoy the scenery. The canyon is 2,000 feet deep and only forty feet across at the narrowest point. It makes one dizzy just to look down.

At the end of the day…

The next day Paul drove us to the bottom of the Gunnison Canyon.

We were fortunate  enough to be there on just the right day and the right moment when a ranger was taking other park personnel on a tour and explaining the flushing of the Gunnison. He said this was truly a momentous day since it had been YEARS of negotiating with all the different government departments to get something like this approved, signed, and delivered!

We are now looking up 700 feet.

In camp Daisy and Conrad continued to enjoy each other's company.

I think the wild life know dogs have to be kept on a leash. 

The four of us moved from the Gunnison to Fruita, Colorado to see the Colorado National Monument which we consider to be a GEM.

Then sadly they left. It is so much fun being with others who enjoy the things we love, especially our kids!

After Diana and Paul left we went southwest to Moab, Utah to see Arches and Canyonland National Parks. We saw all of this on our first trip in 2003, but found it so magnificent that we wanted to return and do different hikes and sights. 

Arches one day,  Canyonland the next. Ranger talks are always informative and we are constantly learning new things.

Back to Arches for this day.

Dogs are not allowed on trails in the National parks and Daisy had been very patient waiting for us each day in the RV as we hiked until too exhausted to take her on doggie fun walks. So…

We now head southwest to visit the southern side of Canyonlands.

I must explain: Slick Rock is a type of rock surface but it is not slippery unless it is wet. Actually it is possible to walk on this rock at a very steep angle and not slip at all. My drawing showing us having trouble walking on the rock is because this area was so bumpy and uneven that every step had to be planned out carefully. 

Every afternoon for the past several days, big black clouds build and loom over and around us until they finally strike. There seems to be no predicting which way the storms are going. We can see great distances so the weather is very visible but completely unpredictable. 

We decided to go. Riding a bike in sand takes a bit of practice. We did get better as the day wore on or perhaps there was less sand. I don't know. I must say our new bikes proved to be worth the gold they cost. 

At the end of the trail the views of the Colorado River were spectacular. We were up 700 feet looking down into wilderness. It was wonderfully peaceful and quiet except for our exclamations of joy.

The ride back to the trail head was a bit worrisome with the ominous blue black clouds heading our way flashing lightning bolts.

We made it back without having to deal with lightning and we very cleverly had remembered to bring our foul weather jackets, so the last miles in the rain were not bothersome. However our new bikes were a muddy disgrace.

We leave Canyonlands and head south into Arizona to Canyon de Chelly. 

We take a Navajo guided trip into the Canyon. This is a Navajo Reservation and no one is allowed in the canyon without an official guide. 



Canyon de Chelly is truly a beautiful place and a wonderful representation of the Navajo peoples. 

We are now headed further south to the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest. If I can keep up with the drawings and postings, you may hear from me again. Until then, I send you my best.

May 4 - 7

We are in the Santa Fe, Taos, Bloomfield area where there are many ruins of the pueblo indian/ancient native peoples who left this area about 700 years ago to the mystery of archeologists. The masonry work of these ruins is and kivas (religious circles) is a thing of beauty. The Aztec Ruins are misnamed only because the early settlers did not know the of the pueblo people who inhabited this area.

This is the first reconstructed Kiva we have seen and being inside is truly a special experience. 

The town of Bloomfield is a center for natural gas and oil companies which made it seem like a town of pick up trucks, all of which had flags flying high. We finally talked to local who explained that when on the back narrow dirt roads they needed that flag to warn an oncoming truck. Our informant was a mature gentleman who noted that the young whipper-snappers always seemed to be in a hurry no matter what the road condition. 

Yellow rocks, hawks, bluebirds, bluegreen sage,  juniper, and pinion pine make a beautiful scene at our camp.

We are so far  north in New Mexico we can see into Colorado.

I thought I was acclimated to the altitude, but……

Most State Parks are located around a dam and water. Always a nice treat for Daisy.

Another  amazing western geological formation!

We are going up over a pass to get into Taos.

As we descend into Taos.

The bridge over the Rio Grande just as entering Taos.

We are camped at the Taos RV park with electricity and it is time to get rid of the desert dust.

We visit a class mate of Jamies from prep school who lives just north of Taos in the delightful small town of Arroyo Seco.

Oh, to live in such a beautiful place no matter which way we look.

We are at 8,000 feet and Daisy seems to be doing okay!
We will next go to southern Colorado to meet up with Diana and Paul and camp for a week. See you then.

April 25 - May 3

We continue to battle the high winds through Oklahoma and the panhandle of Texas and are in constant touch with our NOAA weather radio to listen for tornados.

We felt lucky to only loose our refrigerator cover when we heard about a big fancy rig that lost it's roof!

At first we thought these were the crazies who chased tornados, but luckily, no.

First thing the next morning we were greeted with very dark clouds and then…but no tornados.

In the city of Amarillo the wind died down and we felt much safer. This interesting museum is sponsored by Western Texas A & M University. In grand Texas style the museum was huge with lots of space for each exhibit which means walk, walk, walk. In university style there was not a consensus on the focus of the museum so it covered everything! 
Palo Duro Canyon in Amarillo is eye candy for Texans and their flat flat landscape. 
Palo Duro is second in size to the Grand Canyon, but there is really no comparison as to greatness.

When  in Texas, eat beef!

As we leave Amarillo we see the famous pop art exhibit along Route 40.
We have now entered New Mexico just west of Albuquerque at Santa Rosa.

In Albuquerque, at the Petroglyph National Monument we learned that 150,000 years ago volcanos erupted leaving piles of lava rocks which the people of that time decorated with with symbols. 

First thing the next morning, Daisy had not forgotten about the wonderful doggie play area.

Getting ready for mountain exploring I can pop a pill to help me with altitude sickness. Daisy who is also affected by altitude gets special food for easy digestion.

We had dinner on top of Sandia Peak and were very surprised that is was not just a tourist trap.

While in Albuquerque we took care of a little malfunction …

… as well as other chores.

Now we are  heading NW toward Bandelier National Monument. 

Getting settled in camp.

Natural small caves in the rock provided homes for the people who lived here up to 600 years ago. Once their numbers increased they began building stone homes in front of the cliffs. 

Bandelier is a very popular place for school trips and we saw about three different groups that day. The bear that was wondering about had all the rangers out and on alert. The bear was not dangerous, but was also not shy of people. 

Of course riding our bikes down to the cliff dwellers  homes was a great ride, but going back up to camp was a chore. However we did make it!

The next day we wondered around a different area of cliff dweller homes which was not so popular with the general public. We had the area almost to ourselves which gave us a feeling of being in touch with those who lived here so many years ago. The area has not been archeologically explored or renovated so things were untouched.

The rainy afternoon was a good time to explore the Palo Alto museum.

On our way back to camp we followed the signs, but they led us right through the laboratory grounds (much to our surprise!). Because we are a  large vehicle we had to exit and let the guard, who was decked out in full combat (including bullet proof vest) outfit, examine our rig. 

We leave Bandelier and head toward the Aztec ruins going the long way just to see more sights.

The Valles Caldera was huge and we could only see about a quarter of it.

Spanish missions dot this area. There was an active monastery in this little town so in spite of being chased out back in the early 1600s they obviously returned.

We continue toward the Aztec ruins to the west of Taos.

The Start, April 16 - 24

Getting ready to go is making lists, remembering what I've done, being able to find the things I so cleverly tucked away in the RV, tying up all the loose ends, trying to sleep when the mind won't stop spinning, finding where I put that list of things to do, and remembering to reassure  Daisy that she is coming with us.

We helped the economy by buying new bikes and a super duper camera for this trip. 

This camera zooms 24x which should enable us to look right up the nostril of that big bear!
April 16 and off we go…

Of course I remembered!

Getting use to other peoples rules and regulations for everyday necessities is once again, an adjustment.

Through Pennsylvania and Ohio, heading for Greencastle, Indiana to visit with Meredith. 

We're so happy to see Meredith!

Kids are so helpful!!!

Daisy is very sad to leave.

Traveling through Indiana and into southern Illinois, we found wonderful state parks.

Southern Indiana and Illinois have wonderful granite formations because millions of years ago the ice glaciers stopped here leaving billion year old rock in place that use to be under the ocean waters. 

Motor maintenance is a necessity, but sometimes we are lucky to find a great bunch of people.

We thought it would be a noisy night, but it turned out not to be!

We're in Missouri and not the Sahara, I think….

I thought Maryland and Virginia had the corner on the civil war, but learned a different story out here!

Missouri also has wonderful state parks!

Driving the Missouri Ozark Mountains.

The Arkansas Ozark Mountains were a bit rugged!

Daisy was happy to be back on flat land…but oh the wind! We constantly watch for tornados!