Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Montpelier, ID (Day 2)

First of all I have to tell you that Gerald figured out the satellite TV last night. We were able to watch 500 channels of nothing in the middle of no where. He put a rock under the dish and we had 95% signal strength. This has been an ongoing project for 3 trips and the first time that it worked.


We just had to get this picture. When was the last time you have seen one of these. We had to teach Lexi how to open the door and get out.



We took a day off from driving and hung out in Montpelier, our current location. We started our day going into town. The town has a population of 1,500 so driving through town is quite fast. We went to the Oregon Trail Museum. When we got to the counter they said a motor coach tour was on its way. They gave us a significantly discounted rate and a quick private tour before 100 people showed up. We seem to attract tour buses shortly after our arrival on this trip.




It was a really good tour. I learned the kids jobs were picking up buffalo chips and cleaning the oxen's noses. Lexi was not impressed. I did learn that the calistoga wagon was not used for the Oregon Trail. It was a small prairie schooner wagon which weighed 1,500 lbs and could only carry 1,500 lbs. Most of the time the people would put 2,50o lbs of goods in their trailer. Those people did not go far and left their goods on the side of the trail.




We went to lunch at the Arctic Circle. They had halibut sandwiches and sweet potato fries. They also had great shakes. Gerald found an Alco(a.k.a. Yellow Front) in which he spent more time in than I did at the grocery store. We stocked up for our 4 days in Yellowstone.


We finished our day playing games, drinking wine, barbecuing, and getting some laundry done. In the evening we had a storm with lightning and rain. Lexi came outfitted in her poncho running around screaming, "its raining." She was the only kid doing this. We just figured they would understand we are from Arizona and don't see rain.

Unfortunately, I am going off the grid. Literally, we are on battery power only with solar cells. Lets see if the tree huggers are on the right track with this solar thing. I am a bit doubtful. So I may be off line for a few days if there isn't WiFi in Yellowstone.

Monday, June 28, 2010

Montpelier, Idaho



We started off the day around 8:30. We have mostly been traveling on the 89 which has been very scenic and at times quite harrowing. The beginning of the day we got onto the I15 and made excellent time. See the picture of the speed limit.

We couldn't even get the truck to that speed with our 5,000 lb hotel room attached. We were doing great with hardly anyone on the road, then we hit the city. Los Angeles is easier to travel through than Provo through Salt Lake City. There were miles of construction with narrow lanes and a fatal accident in which we sat for 3 miles on the freeway. At times we felt like the meat in a semi sandwich. We had semis on both sides of us that had triple trailers attached in a construction area. It was a stressful time on the road.

We stopped at McDonald's. There were no big parking spots, so we found if we parked in front of the dumpster the drive through could go around us. We got into the McDonald's and realized not one person in Utah has good taste or cooks. There was one seat open for us to sit at. When we sat down to eat a charter bus pulled in to the parking lot. One hundred Japanese tourists invaded the McDonald's and sat wherever there was a seat, even if the table was being occupied by another family. It was a mass exodus of the locals at that point. We found that we looked like the tourists, being the only Americans left in the restaurant.


We were relieved to retun to Highway89 in Brigham. We were tired and only had 62 miles left on the journey. We thought this would take a little over an hour(it took 2.5 hours). We went through the town and then there was a one lane road with switchback curves and hills that lasted 40 miles. It was a motorcyclist fantasy, unless they were behind us. The speed limit for cars was 40mph, and for us we could barely average 30mph. We had a lot of happy motorists behind us.




The best part was when you drove along Bear Lake(See Photo). The lake had to be 20 miles and you drove the coastline. There were small towns all along the way. There was plenty to look at. We arrived in Montpelier and the place is fantastic. We are along a creek in a quiet valley. There is a farm with 40 sheep and a llama that comes right to the edge of the campground.

After dinner we went to the creek outfitted with Off spray and our personal Off fans. I heard this loud sound coming down the road and it was a truck that was spraying mosquitos. My first thought was run for cover this can't be healthy. Then the sprayer turned into the KOA and did a double swathing spray of the entire campground. It was 7:00 and everyone was outside like it was no big deal.

Lexi and I by the creek after some of the mosquitos perished. Tomorrow we are going to the Oregon Trail Museum.














Sunday, June 27, 2010

Panguitch, Utah

We woke up at 3:30 this morning to get on the road. We headed out around 4:15. Our first stop was Flagstaff where we beat the morning rush at IHOP and were back on the road at 8am. Unfortunately I told Gerald to take a wrong turn and found NAU!!!! I know that you all wanted to be there in the truck when this happened. There is nothing better than towing 23 feet of trailer and making several U Turns! Okay, so it ended up being 8:20 by the time I found the I40.


View of Glen Canyon Dam




We made good time to Page and we were in great company with all the other RV'ers and boat enthusiasts. As we entered Utah we were suddenly alone. Each town was basically a ghost town with all the stores closed. It took us a while and we then realized it was Sunday in Utah!!!!!!

We stopped at Kanab and ate lunch in a dentists parking lot. It was strange that the chairs and table were just in the parking lot. See picture of Lexi by the outdoor set. It wasn't even chained to the ground. We know that would have been taken 3 minutes after it was set out in Arizona.







The drive was very scenic. We made it to Panguitch around 2:00pm. The RV park is okay for an overnighter. We were too beat to drive an extra 30 miles to see Bryce Canyon(sorry Mom). We hung around the trailer with the AC on full blast. I left the trailer to take out some trash and realized we were the only ones inside, and the only trailer that had the AC humming. What wimps us Arizonans are, but we have free electric!!!!

(Picture of Panguitch at 3pm on a Sunday afternoon, no people)

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Spring Break - Camping Test

Karchner Caverns


We got a crazy idea to camp at Yellowstone Park over the summer. In an effort to try and determine the best method(the least expensive) we tried tent camping at Kartchner Caverns. A State Park that has modernized camp-sites and all the facilities.




The caverns and the tour were fabulous. The hiking trail is worth the time but take adequate water and wear the proper foot wear, the trail is not nearly as well marked as represented. The west side's back trail makes one wonder if you got off trail and are going to be on the nightly news. You do get magnificent views.

The campsite was very well maintained and the facilities were fabulous. Shower facilities, dishwashing station and bathroom facilities. Even tent camping allows you to feel refreshed.


The weather was not as cooperative as anticipated. A storm decided to roll in unbenounced to the weathermen. Wind and rain were the tone for the drive down and wind and cold greeted us while trying to set up camp. Gerald broke the screen that was going to be set up to cover the cooking area. It was quite the learning curve for us girls. Even with all the challenges, our camp cook provided great meals.
Our determination of this trip was we needed to spend some money!
We decided that a travel trailer was definitely going to be acquired before the trip to Yellowstone.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Memorial Day Weekend

Fool's Hollow Lake



We had a great time at Fool's Hollow Lake. We went up on Saturday and were lucky enough to get a spot in the Redhead Loop, #13. We were just 30 feet from the lake with an incredible view. The first day we had quite a bit of wind, but it was nice in the evening. We went and saw Smokey the Bear at the amphitheater. I didn't know Smokey was based upon a real bear that was found 65 years ago in a tree after a forest fire.



The next day we had to run to urgent care in town. Lexi had strep throat. As we were walking into the facility she told us, "this isn't how I planned my day". Our comment was "really, we didn't want to spend the 3 hours or the money either!"



There wasn't as much wind the next day and the result in the evening should be titled "invasion of the bugs". We are talking about, what felt like thousands of bugs. Lets just say we wrote a "to-bring" list for our next trip in the trailer. The items listed are: bug spray, fly swatters, Off, dust buster (to suck up the bugs by the lights) and fly strips. We tried to fish at night but it was impossible to breath through an open mouth without getting a mouthful of bugs.

All in all, we had a great time.