Big Number

We have reached a milestone in our journey. This stop makes the 50th place that we have stopped since we started our journey 289 days ago from the deep mud in Solomons Island, Maryland.

After having rolled 9,938 miles through 22 states and endured 179 hours behind the wheel the 50th stop seems like a small number. In our journey we have had a few mishaps. The most memorable one being the Pick Up truck we tow cutting loose and trying to pass us on the on ramp to the highway. I could literally see it in the side mirror. I was expecting to see the blinker come on the Pick Up truck as it tried to pass me on the left. One tire blow out that caused some damage but we have another good story to tell from that. Countless discoveries in and around the RV of how things work.

Our 50th stop brings us here to Rapid City, South Dakota. The weather should be nice the next few days and we expect to go out and see Mt. Rushmore, Sturgis, Deadwood and a few other places around here. Oh, if you think we are "experienced" RV'ers because the number of miles we have logged, think again. The latest blunder I did was to forget to turn off the defroster fan in the Pick Up truck when we were towing it. Result was that the battery was completely dead when we arrived. Had to jump it!

Thanks Road Hazard for bringing us this far but we still have a ways to go.

Over the Hills

We left Yellowstone early this morning and as luck would have it the day was sunny and warm. The snow on the side of the road was melting with the rising sun. Elk, bison and we think we saw bear, were coming out to feed and enjoy the bright day.

As we entered Montana on I-90 to head east we encountered Yellowstone River a couple of times. Each time with a different backdrop. The road will eventually take us back into Wyoming as I-90 curves back around to head due east.

I always imagined Montana to be flat with the horizon visible all around you. Today was a surprise as I discovered the it is in fact very hilly. The rolling hills with their autumn colors of dried field grass and the backdrop of mountains already displaying their snow caps for winter.

We drove for a little over 6 hours today and stopped for the night in a small town in Wyoming called Sheridan. From here it is only a 4 hour drive to the Badlands of South Dakota. Home to Mt. Rushmore. Not too far is Sturgis, the mecca for Harley Davidson riders.

At an altitude of 3,500 feet the weather here should be a little nicer. We are sitting in Road Hazard right now with the windows open and listening to a train blow its whistle in the distance. Nothing but rolling hills around us.

Last day in Yellowstone

With a warning of snow falling tonight we decided to explore as much as we could and leave early Tuesday morning. Our exploration took us to the northern section of the park. On our way to the northwest corner of the park we passed some beautiful water falls that have been carved deep into the cliffs.

The park seems to be divided into different sections. Each section has its own characteristic. The Southwest corner is home to Old Faithful and its many geysers. The northwest corner of the park is home to a large number of hydrothermal areas. They form stair steps from sulfur deposits and have shallow pools of light blue water. While standing along these pools the steam washes over you. The smell of Hydrogen Sulphide at times can be very strong until the wind pushes the vapors in another direction.

The northeast corner of the park is filled with deep gouges in the rock carved by Yellowstone River. The deep blue color of the water is a sharp contrast to the light colored cliffs and evergreen trees. With the cold weather approaching the trees have begun to change into their winter colors.

Along the journey of Yellowstone River it dumps over majestic waterfalls. The sound of roaring water echo's throughout the canyon.

While at Yellowstone we have experienced the four forms of precipitation. Rain, Hail, Sleet and tonight, snow. I think we have reached our limit and tomorrow morning we are packing up and moving on. Yellowstone is definitely a place that has nature on full display. Wildlife here seems to thrive knowing that they are protected. Here, nature determines the outcome and man is only a spectator.

The Greatest Show on Earth!

We awoke this morning with much anticipation. Being on the doorstep of Yellowstone National Park and knowing what is behind the gates is enough to perk you up without the morning coffee. After we entered the park we must have driven 10 minutes and we saw a bunch of cars pulled off to the side of the road. That usually indicates that someone has seen an animal. Sure enough a herd of elk were grazing not to far from the road. Here in Yellowstone nature is on full display along with mankind on "who has the biggest telephoto lens". Where you find wildlife you are also going to spot a person carrying what looks like a small cannon mounted on a tripod.

Why do they need closeups? What are they trying to see? Are they checking the dental records of these animals? I just stood shoulder to shoulder with them and pulled out my Sony Digital camera that makes a cute sound when I take a picture. Sure I turned heads but I think I got some beautiful pictures and when I was done I put my camera in my pocket and walked away.

The day was cold and the wind coming down the mountain cut right through the multiple layers of clothing we had on. What kept us going was the views and the heat coming off the thermal pools.

We stood around for 45 minutes to watch one of natures events that is predictable. It started as small gushes of water and tons of vapor. As the excitement in the throngs of people out to see the event grew so did the height of steam. All of a sudden as if someone had turned a switch on a geyser of water shot up a hundred feet into the air. The sound of escaping water being pushed through the earths crust could be heard. In the 1 1/2 minutes this geyser pushed out close to 3,700 gallons of water. What an incredible sight to witness.

All around the park are pools of bubbling water and steam. The different colors framing the pools are created by different algae that thrive on these scolding hot waters.

In our first day in Yellowstone we saw Elk, Bison, Mule Deer, and a Wolf with her pup. We saw countless hot springs and stood in the steams from these pools as the wind shifted around. In Yellowstone you tend to forget the crowds of people around you and become absorbed in the breathtaking views all around.

Three out of Four

We left Twin Falls, Idaho, early this morning because we knew a storm was brewing on the horizon. When we hit the road the clouds were already forming to create a massive storm. Checking in with the national weather forecast was our only indication that we were going to miss the heavy stuff, at least until we got there. We still were accompanied by rain most of the drive to Yellowstone and I think God must have been walking on his shag carpet and creating sparks because lighting bolts were exploding in the distance followed by the deep rumble of thunder.

Its amazing to see all around you when you have so much sky to observe. No buildings, no tall trees, nothing in your way to see the horizon all around you. On the one side the gray clouds getting together to form a massive storm cloud. On the other side blue skies and a few clouds.

We finally arrived in Montana, the 19th state of our travels.

After a quick bite to eat and a walk around town we decided to head back to Road Hazard and enjoy the beautiful sunny skies while they lasted. To the southeast the storm clouds were building and this storm looked worse than the one that followed us most of the trip. We were able to sit outside in our lounge chairs for an hour and enjoy the hot sun before the thick black clouds covered up the hot ball in the sky.

Hold on tight because the storm that hit us brought with it hail the size of peas. The ground looked like it was covered in a light dusting of snow. The hail came down sideways and bounced off Road Hazard creating a symphony of percussion sounds inside with every hit. In the span of only a few hours we experienced Rain then Sun Shine and then Hail. The only thing missing is Snow. Tonight they are expecting the temps to drop to 25 degrees. All I can think of is, why are we here?

Twin Falls

On our way to an Ice Cave up the road we noticed that we were passing mile after mile of what appeared to be lava fields. It can't be. We're out here in Idaho. There aren't any volcano's around here! Our 45 minute drive took us to the entrance to an Ice Cave. "What is an Ice Cave?" I asked Reta when she discovered it on the Internet. An old lava tube that has water in it and because of the air flow through this tube the air is chilled to 30 degrees. The guide that was going to lead us into this cold chamber greeted us by introducing herself and listing the rules of our excursion. Imagine, if you will, a very heavy version of Brittney Spears. Big round sunglasses, a tight white tank top that reveled her many curves, along with a pair of short shorts that had the writing across her butt: Just Do It! Did I mention the open mouth gum chewing? Ok, this is going to be interesting.

She began by explaining that this area used to be inhabited by cave people. Not like the one you see on the Geico commercials but a much smaller version. They lived to be a ripe old age of 17 and stood about 5 feet tall.

We walked along this lava field that has countless lava tubes that have since crumbled under their own weight. It was at this point that "Brittney" told us that 1/3 of Idaho is covered in Lava. Some is only a few feet thick and other sections can be several hundred. We descended the patchwork of lava rocks assembled to work as steps. Down and through a narrow doorway the cold air hit us like a cold January morning.

We walked along a shaky bridge that followed this narrow lava tube to the back of the cave. All around us drops of water falling from the cracks in the ceiling and turning into ice on any surface that it lands on. The ice below our feet was several feet thick and remains like this all year. Once back on the surface the sun greeted us with its warmth and we followed "Brittney" around the twisting path until we returned to the shack that is the Gift Shop.
Having tasted a slice of small town America we decided to head back into Twin Falls to see why they named the city that.

Only about 10 minutes from downtown Twin Falls sits this oasis. The green water is a sharp contrast to the black volcanic rock cliffs that line Snake River. This name may ring a bell for some of you that remember Evil Knievel. He once tried to jump this river on a rocket bike. He wasn't successful and his parachute failed him also. Leaving him stranded along the cliff face until they could rescue him. Another treasure in this city is Perrine Bridge. It is 475' off the water and at the time of construction it was the highest bridge in the world. Today, base jumpers use this as their platform to get their fix of adrenaline. If anyone is interested after a short "crash" course you to can take the leap.

Twin Falls, Idaho is a small town. The sign into the city states that there are 34,469 people that will admit to calling this home. I say this because at the local grocery store the young girl asked us where we were from. Maryland, I responded. Her head swiveled from side to side as if she was trying to understand what I had just told her. Maryland, she said, what are you doin' here? Just passing through, I responded. Good, was her reply, there ain't nothin' here! Sort of reminds me of Holbrook, Arizona, when the young clerk there responded by saying "Welcome to nothing."

We leave Saturday morning for Yellowstone. They have informed us to dress warmly because it is already very cold there. Maybe Portland, Oregon doesn't sound too bad after all.

Self Service

As much as we love our friends in Oregon I have to admit that it feels good to have finally left the state. There must be something they put in the water here that I haven't quite figured out what makes this place weird. You may think that weird is a harsh word to use but the state promotes itself with bumper stickers that say, "Keep Oregon Weird!". Hey, it's not just me. Let me give you a few personal thoughts that have given me these feelings.
If you ever get the chance to meet an Oregonian try mispronouncing the state to see their reaction. Say Or-e-gone. It's like you have just insulted their child. I was corrected on more than one occasion by several people on the state pronunciation as well as certain cities. I think they purposely pronounce their state and cities different because they have to be different than the other side of the country. The early settlers all came from a town on the east coast and they wanted to make this place home and would name it their home town. Lets call it the same but pronounce it different. They won't figure it out. Imagine if you will that Oregone is like our own little Canada. We know its up there but don't really know a lot about it. Here is another way to think of it, you know you have an attic but you really never visit it unless you have to. When you get there you go, wow I didn't know all this space was here.

In the wanting to be different category they are only one of TWO states that don't allow you to pump your own gas. New Jersey being the other and we could spend hours talking about them. It's second nature for most people to pump your own gas. It's something you do without thinking about. Case in point. Our last fuel stop in Oregone for Road Hazard was in a small town. As I have done so many times I jumped out and started to pump. The young attendant, that probably couldn't have a beer but is old enough to pump gas, came up to me and asked what I was doing. I replied that I needed some Diesel for my rig. Uh, he said sheepishly, you can't do that here!" OH JUST PUMP SOME GAS IN THERE SO I CAN GET OUT OF THIS CRAZY RECYCLING, NO PUMPING GAS STATE. I looked it up and found out that you can't pump your own gas BUT it is a self serve assisted suicide state. Can someone please explain the logic there?
Now don't get me wrong, Oregone is beautiful and if it means anything the state has been successful in keeping it weird.

Oh, to see the bright blue sign...

We made it! On our way east.

Nothing now but spuds and mountains.

Tomorrow morning I'm getting up early to pump my own gas. Feel the hose surging with every gallon of liquid fuel that squirts out the nozzle. It feels good to be on the road again.