Monday, August 25, 2014

October 14, 2011 - October 17, 2011 (Friday - Monday)
Goblin Valley State Park
Dave and Christine

Dave and I went on this trip without the kids. We left at 1:20 and arrived about 5:30. Mom and Dad met us there.

We enjoyed star-gazing each night. On Saturday we explored the Valley of the Goblins where there are hoodoos and other interesting rock formations.

Dave, me, Dad
Mom and Dad

On Sunday we went to the Little Wild Horse slot canyon.
Dad at Little Wild Horse canyon

We left Monday morning.



May 18, 2012 - May 20, 2012 (Friday - Sunday)
Diamond Fork
Dave and Christine

We arrived about 7:00 PM on Friday. It was a little chilly when we arrived, but beautiful. On Saturday we wanted to hike to the hot springs. We drove to the trailhead and found there were two ways to go. We took the path through a gate because there was a sign telling where the path led and how far to get there. We knew the hot springs were 2.5 miles away and even though the sign said “Jock’s Canyon”, it was 2.5 miles away, so we went that way. 

We must have gone 3 miles or so before we ran into some mountain bikers. We talked to them and they told us we had taken the wrong trail. We decided to turn around and head back. We saw several groups of dirt-bike riders also. Even though we took the wrong trail, it was a pleasant hike.

For dinner we bbq’d steak on Dave’s new Camp Chef. They turned out great. Now we’re sitting around enjoying the pleasant weather. We’ll go home tomorrow.



June 29, 2012 - July 1, 2012 (Friday - Sunday)
Marsh Lake
Dave and Christine

We had reserved a spot at Payson Lakes for this weekend, but they called us several days before and said they had to cancel all reservations due to fires in the area. We searched online for a place where we could make reservations and found Marsh Lake, which is next to the Wyoming border.
We left at 5:00 PM Friday and stopped by Kmart to get fire starters. We were on the road by 5:15. We didn’t arrive at our campground for another four hours, partly due to the fact that it was a long ways away and partly because we took a couple of wrong turns. The turn off wasn’t well marked, but we got there. We had enough light by which to park the 5th wheel, but we had to use the flashlight to complete the set-up.

We enjoyed the rest of the evening and slept in until about 8:00. We had a small problem with our water in that when we heated up the water with the water heater and turned on the hot water faucet, it smelled really bad. We filled the water tank at home before coming and the cold water didn’t stink, so we’re not sure what the problem is. Basically, we’re not going to use the hot water on this trip.

After breakfast Dave and I took our new bikes for a ride. We rode on the dirt road that we used to get here. It was a bumpy ride. We rode our bikes to a dam and rode across it. It was a pleasant ride although the ride back was strenuous in places as we had to go uphill several times.

Me with my new bike

Dave and his new bike



Now it is nearly 1:00 PM and we are enjoying the lovely day. It is in the 70’s. At home it has been hot and in the upper 90’s, so this is nice.




July 13, 2012 - July 15, 2012 (Friday - Sunday)
Wasatch Mountain State Park (Site 78)
Dave and Christine

This is a new place for us. It’s pretty and has full hook-ups. We arrived Friday evening about 6:30. It was a really tight fit to get the trailer in, but we did it.

It’s been humid all weekend and has rained off and on. The temperature has been in the 70’s. We went on a hike on Saturday and Sunday. We tried mountain biking, but it was too difficult for me, so we stuck to hiking.

We’ll come back to this campground again.




August 9, 2012 - August 14, 2012 (Thursday - Tuesday)
Yellowstone National Park
Dave, Christine, Mike, Laura

We left Thursday at 5:00 PM and drove to Rexburg, ID to the WalMart, where we were planning on spending the night in our RV in the parking lot. This is called boondocking and is a popular way for RVers to make a quick stop on their way to somewhere else. On the way to Rexburg we stopped for dinner at Sonic--the orange-cream drink was NOT good--and stayed for 45 minutes. We arrived at the WalMart at 10:00 PM. Of course we went into the store and bought a few things. There was one other RV there, and they ran their generator until late. Though the day had been warm, the night was pleasant and we slept with all the windows open in the RV.

We got away by 8:30 the next morning and arrived in West Yellowstone about 9:40 AM. We noticed the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center and decided to check it out. Though it was $10.50 each to get in, it was worth it as they had live exhibits—several wolves and bears. We spent about an hour there, then went to a pizza place to have lunch. Laura and I split a veggie pizza with white sauce. It was tasty. Laura didn’t like as much as I did. We finished about 12:30 and decided to forgo shopping and instead head into the park.

We saw some elk, and of course bison, as we drove toward Fishing Bridge. As we arrived at our site, it began raining. We got set up and relaxed for a bit. We ate an early dinner of chicken fajitas, then decided to go find some wildlife. We’d heard that a bear had been spotted at Le Hardy rapids, so we went there to see. Sure enough, on the opposite bank was a large bear. We couldn’t tell if it was a grizzly or not, but it was eating a carcass. We watched him for about half an hour before we left.


We drove further, toward Hayden Valley, and saw lots of bison. One did a bluff charge toward a car, which was entertaining. We didn’t see any other significant wildlife.

Here's a video of the bluff charge. It's a little blurry, but still kind of fun.

Saturday, August 11

On Saturday we decided to hike to Mount Washburn from the Dunhaven Pass parking lot. We packed our Cambelbacks (Laura had a new one) and headed out. First we stopped at Le Hardy rapids to see if the bear was there, but he wasn’t. The carcass was stripped clean. (The previous night it didn’t appear to have a lot of meat on it.) We set off on our hike at 12:30. It was 3.2 miles each way. The way there was mostly uphill. A the top was a fire lookout station. There is a small residence there where a ranger lives all season. The hike down was easier—we saw one bighorn sheep—and we reached the car around 4:00. 
Mike, me, Laura, Dave on the hike to Mt Washburn

We drove back to the trailer and took naps (Laura read), then went out “bear hunting”. We didn’t see any bears, but we saw a large herd of elk. Also, we went to the wolf overlook with our tripod and saw a couple of wolves. That was cool.

We’re going to go on some new hikes this trip. Mount Washburn was new to us. Tomorrow (Sunday) we’re going to Cascade Lake, then to Lamar Valley.
We bought a can of bear spray because Monday we’re hiking Mary Mountain and there are grizzlies in the area.

Monday morning, August 13
Yesterday we went on a 10 mile round trip hike to Grebe Lake. It was the Cascade Lake trailhead. It was a good hike—long, but not too hard. There were biting flies in the late morning.


In the afternoon a bison came through the campground. We had been thinking about going to Lamar Valley, but were tired from our hike. When the bison came through we felt energized. Also, we spoke to a worker who told us that in Lamar Valley there was a bison carcass and the wolves had been eating it in the evening. We decided to go.


In the Hayden Valley Dave spotted a coyote on a river bank. We pulled over and watched him for a while. He was trying to get some critter but was having trouble. We went on. In Lamar Valley there were many cars. 
All these people were hoping to see the wolves.
We found the bison carcass (with the binoculars) and waited for over an hour and a half (until the sun was fading) and the wolves didn’t come. We did see a pair of pronghorn deer, and a herd of bison worked their way closer to us. On the drive back we saw a deer in a meadow and an elk in a different clearing.

Today we’re hiking the Mary Mountain trail. If we see any bears, I hope it is only from a safe distance!

Monday evening
We hiked the Mary Mountain trail for about 1 mile, until we came to a group of bison. They seemed to ignore us, but as we got within 100 feet they became agitated. They had a baby with them them and it was sleeping. There wasn’t a good way around, so we decided to turn back.

Because we had to cut the Mary Mountain hike short, we decided to hike the Natural Bridge trail instead.


Afterwards we drove to Canyon Village to do a little shopping, then we came back and bbq’d pork chops. It was nice out so we ate outside. That evening we were tired so we didn't go out "bear hunting." Tomorrow we go home. We will miss Yellowstone.


August 24, 2012 - August 26, 2012 (Friday - Sunday)
Spruces (Site #10)
Dave and Christine

We arrived Friday at 5:30. It was beautiful—in the low 70’s.
On Saturday Val, Blake, and Bronx came up for a few hours. Bronx spent the night with us. He wanted to “camp in the mountains”. He was fascinated by the squirrels.
We had a good time.


August 31, 2012 - September 3, 2012 (Friday - Monday) (Labor Day weekend)
Kodachrome Basin State Park
Dave and Christine

We arrived Friday night about 7:30 PM. We got set up and it began getting dark. Thunderclouds were present and we could see lightning in the distance. We set up our chairs and enjoyed the show. Eventually it began to rain so we went inside. Here's a picture as we drove toward Kodachrome.


Saturday morning we went on a hike—Panoramic Trail. We went to Panorama Point then “cool cave”. The entire hike lasted nearly 3 hours. It was a good hike, though a little warm.
Right now it is 2:00 PM and 80 degrees. It feels pleasant though. There is a chance of thunderstorms.

On the hike at Panorama Point.


It is so quiet and peaceful here. Also beautiful with the red rocks, lots of green trees, blue sky, fluffy white clouds, and some gray clouds as well. I love it here!


Monday, 9:00 AM
We’re getting ready to go. We had a nice time. We were going to hike in the slot canyons yesterday, but there was too much water flowing through it. We went on the “Grand Parade” hike instead.
Yesterday afternoon we had thunderstorms, which was fun. We’ll come back again.


October 5 - 8, 2012 (Friday through Monday)
Escalante State Park
Dave and Christine

We left home about 3:00 PM Friday afternoon and arrived about 8:30 PM. We set up in the dark. It was pleasantly cool (lower 60’s). Saturday we had breakfast and walked around the campground. We discovered that near the campground there are four nice sites with electric and water hookups. The best one is “B”, if no groups are using the group site. “A” is a great option too. “C” and “D” would also be good. These are also pull-through sites and can be reserved. 

We went on a drive earlier to check out the calf creek campground. It is beautiful but they were full and the host told us that they fill up very fast. 



November 2 - 5, 2012 (Friday - Monday)
Goblin Valley State Park (Site 15)
Dave and Christine
Mom and Dad were in site 14

We left home about 2:20 on Friday afternoon. We stopped by Annette’s to pick up a craft project that mom had left up North. We stopped in Green River for dinner and arrived at Goblin Valley about 6:45. Mom and Dad were already here. Dad says we’re at 5000 feet. It’s been chilly — 30’s or 40’s at night, 60’s during the day. Clear skies.

Valerie’s baby girl is due November 20th, but she could have her any time. Today is Saturday. We drove to a spot about 7 miles from camp where there is cell service. My T-Mobile didn’t work, but Mom’s Verizon did. Blake said Val isn’t in labor yet but to check back tonight or in the am. We will. Right now it is 5:45 on Saturday night. Dave built a fire and we are enjoying its warmth.

Monday 8:00 AM
Sat around yesterday and read. We drove  to the “calling point” and called Val (yesterday morning). No labor yet. She was having contractions on Saturday afternoon, but they stopped. We’ll check with her when we get on the road this morning.

Here are a few pictures:






FIRST TRIP of 2013

April 12 - 15 (Friday - Monday)
Kodachrome Basin State Park
Dave and Christine

Left home at 3:30. Had to stop at Les Schwab’s tire place to replace the stem on one of the trailer’s tires. They did it quickly and at no charge. We remembered that we’d let mom and dad keep our step stool and we needed to get one, so we stopped by camping world and bought one. It was about 4:15 when we got away. Along the way we saw a herd of 20+ deer on the side of the road.

We had a bit of a hard time parking at our site as it was a tight turn to get in. It was a U-turn type site, very private and nice, but hard to get in with our trailer. We needed to use the pillows to level the trailer and had to fill them pretty full. Good thing we bought the step stool — we needed it!!
The weekend before, we bought a new mattress — a full-size queen — and enjoyed sleeping on it.
We brought our bikes—Dave bought a hitch so that we could more easily carry them. We went on a bike ride on Saturday morning and enjoyed it.

After a short rest we decided to visit Grosvenor Arch and then go to the Cottonwood Narrows. As we drove on Road #400 (which was a dirt road), the car in front of us pulled over. Their tire was flat. We stopped behind them and Dave helped them figure out how to get the spare off of their rental car. We stayed until they’d changed the tire. They were visiting from Maine. Another couple stopped by—they were from North Carolina—but they weren’t needed and they went on.

We stopped by the Arch then drove a few more miles to the trailhead for the Cottonwood Narrows. It was a 1.5 mile hike through a slot canyon. It was an easy hike. Then we had to hike 1 mile back along the road. A lot of uphill.

We came back and showered, then noticed that the vent cover over the bed had blown off—it was windy—so we went to the ranger station to see if they knew of a place where we could get duct tape. The ranger had some at his residence and he met us back at camp with it. Dave climbed o the roof and taped down the snapped-off vent cover.
Dave fixing the vent cover

Sunday morning we decided to move to a site with hook-ups. We moved to #24. Though site 12 is pretty, it’s tight to get in and out of. Number 2 looks good as it’s more private and has full hook-ups (although they’re on the wrong side of the site)
It’s a bit windy again today, but quite pretty.

Monday, April 15, 2013
Windy today. Yesterday after lunch we did the hike to Shakespeare Arch. It took about an hour. It was a good hike.


We’ll be leaving soon. It would be nice if we could stay longer.





May 3 - 5, 2013 (Friday - Sunday)
Wasatch Mountain State Park (Site 48)
Dave and Christine

Dave and I arrived Friday evening and as we were backing  in to our site (#77), the ranger came by and said we could use the camp host site, which is a pull-through, because the host would be there for another week. We moved to that site. We decided any of the pull-through sites on the perimeter would be fine.

It’s 10:20 AM on Saturday and it’s a nice day. Sunny and a slight breeze and in the 60’s. It’s peaceful here. 




May 17 - 19, 2013 (Friday - Sunday)
Diamond Fork
Dave and Christine

Arrived at 5:00 PM Friday. It rained off and on. It was a relaxing weekend. I wrote a lot on “Imprisoned”. Next time we’ll try another site. Most have long driveways. Loop B would be fine too.



May 31 - June 3, 2013 (Friday - Monday)
Escalante State Park (Site A)
Dave and Christine

Arrived Friday about 9:00 PM. It was still a little light out. It was breezy and cool.

On Saturday we drove out to the slot canyons. 

We went in the first one (Dry Fork), but came across a raven lying under a large boulder. To get over the boulder we’d have to step where the raven lay, so instead we turned back. We went to the next slot canyon, which required us to climb up a wall before we could get started. This canyon was called peek-a-boo.

We followed it to the end then traversed the surface until we came to the head of the next canyon (Spooky). We hadn’t approached this one from this direction before, or come this far before. So we weren’t sure what to expect. There were a couple of difficult spots, but the most difficult was one where we had to climb down a hole about 10 feet deep, then slide down another rock for another 10 foot descent. I was really nervous about how we’d get down there and if we even could, but I didn’t want to have to go back the way we’d come as we’d come quite a ways. Plus a man and woman had just gone through and had made it, so I knew it was possible.

Dave went first and easily reached his foot to the rock where he needed to step. My legs are shorter and there was NO WAY I could do the same. Then Dave suggested I use his shoulder for a step — a stroke of brilliance! He was far enough down that I still had to use my arms to hold myself in the air for a moment before stepping on his right shoulder with my left foot, then I think he squatted down some so I could reach the rock with my right foot. 
First part — done!
Next, he slid down a rock, then had to jump down about five feet. Being smaller, I actually fit through the hole that surrounded the slide easier than Dave, and he helped me with the 5-foot drop. My hero!!
Here's a video showing where we had to climb down.


There were a couple of other tricky spots, in fact we came at one from a different direction than we had before. The last time we’d had to turn back because we couldn’t scramble up (although our son Mike did). This trip we came at it from above so we were able to climb down. All in all it was a fun hike. We also saw a dead baby rattler on a rock. We saw a number of lizards, including a couple of quite large ones.

As we drove back along Hole-in-the-Rock road, a motorcyclist flagged us down. One of his companions had crashed quite a ways away and had broken his leg in multiple places. He gave us the GPS coordinates and said though he’d asked others to report it, he wanted us to report it as well. A few miles on we had cell service and I called 911 and reported it. They’d already gotten the info.

Sunday we hiked to Lower Calf Creek. It was kind of hot, though the scenery was beautiful —red rock and green trees and bushes. When we got to the falls, we took off our shoes and waded in the ice-cold water. The sand was extremely soft. There was a pretty hummingbird that hovered over the water. On the hike back there was a group going to the falls carrying a large cooler. That must have been heavy to carry for the 6-mile round-trip hike.




In the evening Dave was outside reading and I was inside when he called out that he saw a deer. I had the camera in my hand and I wanted to hurry but be quiet, so, graceful as ever, I fell down the trailer stairs — well, really I fell to the side into the dirt. That gave Dave a scare, but besides a little scraped elbow, I was fine. We saw the three deer up the ridge by our campsite.
Now it’s Monday morning. We’ll eat soon, then leave.

Another fun trip.