Utah Trip - April 2010
(Click on title above for link to pics. Will try to label and organize the pics later.)
April 2010
Trip to Utah
Thursday April 15 – Left home by 9 or so after spending Wednesday on problems with tires and air conditioner. Took 30 out of Ames for scenic route. Got to Freemont, NE to camp at a State Rec. area. Nice place that we have stopped at before but the train whistles all night have caused us to cross it off our list.
Friday April 16 – dropped down to Hy 80 to make better time. Got to Dan's in Arvada about 7:30. Ate – played a game – went to bed.
Saturday April 17 – went to Anna's soccer in the rain. Stopped later and went to park in the sun. Played games.
Sunday April 18th – drove up to Lookout Mountain and Bear Creek area for hiking. Went to a crazy restaurant, Casa Bonita. Park again – Anna had been trying to make baskets for two days – she switched to a smaller ball and from underhand to from the chest and she made 16 baskets.
Monday April 19 – saw everyone off to school, left for trip over the Rockies via I-70. Stopped to camp just out of Grand Junction in Fruita at a State Park and then drove up to Colorado National Monument. Narrow windy road with cliff on one side and little or no barrier. Hiked on two or three trails and saw many beautiful views and formations. Would not look as spectacular if seen after what we are heading for but glad we did it.
Tuesday April 20 – took pic of camp site with view of Co. Monument over Colorado River. Left for Mohab. Took scenic route from Cisco to Mohab along Colorado River – slow but well worth it.
Went to grocery store and then decided to camp in campground right in town. Had lunch late then off to Arches National Park. Went to Delicate Arch and took the 1.5 mile up hill hike to get up close to it. Good thing they used those trail making stacks of rocks (learned they are called cairns). We were really tired. Drove on to take another shot of that arch from the other side. Then as sun was getting low we drove to end of the Park and stopped often to take more pics. Hope it doesn't rain tomorrow so we can get out there for a couple more hikes.
Wednesday April 21 – In spite of forecast day started of nice. Went out to Arches and planned on a Ranger guided tour at the Windows arches. Got really windy. Small group went on the Ranger walk. Learned about plants and animals in the area. The three arches at the end of the trail were great – North and South Windows and ??? arch. Then we ate lunch – camper rocking in the wind. Drove to end of the road in the park to Devil's Garden and a walk out to the Landscape Arch. Lots of people and cars out there, including a group from Italy. After seeing the arch and taking lots of pics of it and along the way we headed back. Wind picked up and very dark clouds came over. Thunder echoed through the canyon we were walking through. Lots of fine red sand underfoot started to get blown up and then it started to POUR. The wind got even stronger and the rain and fine sand whipped into us – it hurt and we had to turn our backs to it for awhile until we found a tree to hide under. Finally let up and by the time we got back to the truck the sun was out – for a few minutes anyway. Weather sure changes fast here. We were soaked and covered with a wet sand coating. We changed to dry clothes and shoes and set out for the visitor center to decide on whether to hit Canyonlands today or in the morning. The distance, time and rain made the decision for us – go back to town for supper and rest. TV didn't work right and we learned that a cheap cable we have was the problem. Got a new one and it worked but then the bathroom door broke yet again. Gave up on fixing it. Might have open door policy for the rest of the trip. Raining again at 9 PM. Plan to leave Mohab in the morning and drive through Canyonlands – north end - and then take off for long drive to Zion. Might camp along the way.
Thursday April 22 – Got an idea at 4 AM about how to fix bathroom door. After we got directions to a hardware store as we left the campground I got a small bolt, two little washers and a nut. I found a drill in the toolbox in the truck and drilled a hole through the part that had stripped threads for the screw on one of two door holders. I bolted the part on and it works fine.
We then took off to drive through north part of Canyonlands NP – called Island in the Sky. We enjoyed some great views and a short walk overlooking the Green and Colorado Rivers. We ate lunch there and then took off to drive across Utah on I-70 and then south on I-15. Decided to stop at a campground in Parowan to just eat and sleep so we could get into the Zion NP area early on Friday to get a campsite for the weekend. Well the camp area behind a closed restaurant was the worst we have ever stayed in – including Walmarts. It was listed in AAA and we plan to let them know it should be removed from their book. The bathrooms looked like something that had been abandoned 50 years ago and smelled like it too. When I went to pay, I had to knock on the back door of the closed dinner. An old guy with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth opened the door and stared at me, saying nothing. The owner came over and invited me in – into a small backroom with four guys sitting around a table, smoking and playing poker – chips stacked up next to the beer bottles. Oh and it snowed most of the night and got down to 28.
Friday April 23 – left early without eating so we could get to a gas station to use the bathroom. Left Parowan to head for Zion. Picked out a place in Springdale – right at the entrance to the Park. Nice spot right on the Virgin River. Shuttles take you to the park and then Park shuttles take you up along the main road. You can get off anywhere and get back on to go to the next spot you want to see or take one going back the other way. They run every 15 minutes. Day started out very cloudy, cold, windy and some rain. But by the end of the day it good pretty nice. We ate lunch at the campground and then packed a few things up and took off for the shuttle rides into the Park Went to the end of the line and went on a hike up to the narrows on the Riverside Walk – which were closed at the end where you have to start walking in the water due to high water. We also hiked to see Weeping Rock. We saw some neat birds – Evening Grosbeaks were eating berries off a treat and lots of little warblers were catching bugs. We saw a small dark bird dive into the fast moving river and just kept flying out and diving back in. Turned out to be a Dipper – they actually run along the rocky bottom of the stream to get bugs and are seen often along fast moving streams – a first for us and really strange to see when you never heard of it. By the time we got back to the campground it was almost full and a traveling group of young people in many tents were camped next to us. And we thought being next to the tent only area was going to be a good thing. 10:30 and they seem to just be getting started. Good thing we have the sound of a rushing mountain river right out back to drown out the sounds. Good night.
Saturday April 24 – After breakfast we took the shuttles out into the Park and got off at the Lodge where we planned to take the hikes to three Emerald Pools – waterfalls going into pools before continuing on into the Virgin River. We went to opposite way most went. Kept going up and got to look down on the lodge in the valley and on a string of people on horses. Going to the Upper Emerald Pool was tough on us old folks but beautiful when we got there and sat for awhile. The weather today was wonderful and the number of people at the park made the shuttles and hiking tails very crowded. Can't imagine what it is like in the Summer after school is out. We came back to the campground to eat an early supper, rest and then decide whether or not to go back out for another hike. Decided to do the dishes and just walk and take the shuttle along the main street of Springdale. Went to a grocery store and a outfitter clothing store to look for a knee brace. Came back to read outside for awhile and then to bed after walking around the campground and watching one TV show. Off to go through a tunnel tomorrow (need to pay for an escort due to being too big to go through alone) and then off to Bryce Canyon NP.
Sunday April 25 – Left Springdale to drive through Zion. Stopped to pay the $15 to drive an oversized vehicle through the long tunnel build in the '30s. After 5 switchbacks we got to the tunnel, waited and went through fine – even had to go through two others – but they are bigger and shorter. Then drove to Bryce Canyon – near the entrance – town called Bryce Canyon City. Got campsite at a place there with hookups. Called Ruby's – think she and her relatives own the town and everything in it. Eat lunch and then drove to Visitor's Center – found out what hiking trails were closed due to snow or rock slides. Yes – still lots of snow up here. Went to Sunset Point, walked to Sunrise Point and then went on a loop hike down into the canyons via what is listed as the “world's best three mile hike” called Queens/Navajo Combination Loop. It was beautiful. A busload of French tourists came along about the time we were there. Might be the best hiking trail we have been on – for the variety of scenery and how you are right in it. Back to campground to make and eat supper. Close to bedtime by the time we got done and we are very tired. At our age and condition going down and then up 580 feet, when you are at an altitude that provides only 70% of the oxygen we are used to, is really exhausting. Not sure yet what trails to take tomorrow – but several are too snow covered or muddy for us. We will also drive all the roads in the park – over 18 miles of them with lookouts all along.
Monday April 26 – After breakfast we decided to get a different camp site for tonight and get the LP gas tank filled up. Gold nights take gas for the furnace and yesterday we discovered we can't leave the fridge on battery power for very many hours without the truck running to charge up the camper batteries – they almost died when we went on that long walk. So from now on we need to leave it on gas when the truck will be sitting without being connected to electricity. We drove to the end of the road in the NP – the recommended way to stop at all the view sites since they are on that side of the road – road goes South. A few places were closed off with snow, as are many of the hiking trails up at that higher elevation. We enjoyed the views and tried to make note of the number of pics taken at each site – after awhile the hoodoos, fins, cliffs, etc. all start to look the same – except when you see them in different light at different times of the day. We went to the only Ranger talk of the day – out at a view area and starting place for the hike we went on yesterday. The talk was on the geology of Bryce. Very interesting. We had eaten a quick lunch right before the talk so we decided to hike the Rim Trail from that Sunset View site up to Inspiration Point – turned out to be two points – since we also went to the Upper Inspiration Point. We saw more mule deer and ground squirrels plus Stellar Jays, Mountain Blue Birds, Violet Green Swallows and the usual Ravens, Crows and Vultures. Oh and the views along the hike were wonderful of the Bryce Amphitheater. Learned that Bryce was a Mormon farmer who had a place where Tropic, UT is – you can see it from the Rim Tail. He had a saying we love – when asked about the canyons he said “It's a hell of a place to lose a cow?. After waling through the hoodoos, small canyons, etc. on just a part of it, you sure can appreciate what trying to find a cow would be like. We called it a day, went to hook up at the campground, used the water and sewer connections, had a hot meal, watched something on Hulu – get internet here but no TV and now will go to bed to read and sleep. Hope to get up before sunrise and go back to see the sun come up over Bryce Amphitheater.
Tuesday April 27 – Got up in the dark via the alarm clock (a first for any camping trip) and went up to Sunrise Point viewing area with all the other crazy camera toting people to see the sun come over the horizon and hit the hoodoos in Bryce Amphitheater. It was cold but well worth it. Our little camera should work OK for it but not as nice as all those fancy ones pretty much everyone else had. We drove back to the camp site to fix breakfast, get cleaned up and ready to take off. Drove a ways and stopped for one last hike at Mossy Cave and waterfalls. It is along the highway as you are leaving the Bryce Canyon area. Pretty little canyon and the ice covered little cave was pretty. Then we drove off toward the Capitol Reef National Park. That whole drive was slow but fantastic views – All the way from Bryce to Green River. We didn't hike at Capitol Reef – super windy and cloudy. But we did go on the scenic road, stopping often to take pics. One rock looked like an alligator with his mouth open. When I was out taking a pic of it, a French boy asked me to take his pic sitting in the open mouth. He couldn't speak English but understood that I wanted him to do the same for me. Too bad – he didn't really take the pic – I think he turned the camera off instead – but he tried. Hope he likes his pic. The immensity of the cliffs and formations in the Capitol Reef area is mind boggling. The rest of the trip was also very beautiful – part of it made us very nervous – the road was narrow and there were cliffs going way down to canyons on both sides. We stopped at Green River in a campground owned by a couple originally from Milwaukee – it has a Packer sign by the main door. One of the nicest places we've stayed – even though it is in a town sitting in the middle of nowhere along I – 70. It's late (11 PM) – off to bed.
Wednesday April 28 – Very windy this AM and forecast for rain, snow and very high winds over the next day or so. We decided to take Hwy 191 from Green River, UT on 70 up to Rock Springs, WY on Hwy 80. It was a very picturesque trip up and down mountains. But, with the high winds and the snow squalls at the higher elevations, it was very scary for much of the trip. We finally found the KOA we were aiming for and settled in for the night – exhausted. It was very windy and the temps were going down into the 20s. We put the covers over the vents and skylights to see if that would help keep us warmer.
Thursday April 29 – The covers worked well. Wind even stronger this AM – very cold running to the bathroom and disconnecting. Had hot oatmeal to start the cold day. Decided to head even further north trying to escape the high winds and snow – strange to go north for that. We decided to use directions from AAA and take 80 to Rawlings, WY then north to Casper and then east to Mineral Springs, SD. The trip went well once we climbed out of the bad weather. The wind kept up until we got into the Black Hills area but most of the time it was at our backs and the roads were pretty good except for some construction work. Got great gas mileage today! Got into a nice pine tree covered KOA just out of Hot Springs – weather in the 50s with only a slight wind – what a relief! We ate, played miniature golf, walked around the campground and watched a program on the computer (no TV service but Wi-Fi) read and to bed. Off to drive to various sights in the Black Hills tomorrow and then heading out on 90 toward home.
Friday April 30 – Day started out with good weather – rain and wind coming later. Decided to wind out way up from Hot Springs through the wildlife drives in Custer State Park, over Iron Mountain and to Mt. Rushmore and then off to I-90 East. The wildlife drive was well worth the time. We saw hundreds of buffalo, including new borns. Pronghorn antelope and prairie dogs were abundant. A few elk, a herd of wild burros and many of both mule deer and white tails were fun to see. A coyote with a large dead animal to eat was near the road for awhile until he hauled it off toward the woods. The prairie dogs near by were having a fit with him there. The drive over Iron Mountain and through the three tunnels was fun – we stopped to measure the camper to be sure we'd fit – we guessed right – good thing since there weren't really places to turn around. Started to snow at the top.
We drove on through/around Rapid City to I-90, got gas, ate lunch and headed East. The wind was terrible and the storm clouds were coming fast. For the most part the wind was at our back – not bad and allowed for us to sail along and up our average gas mileage for the trip to 10 mpg. Near a rest stop between Belvidere and Murdo the rain and sleet came hot and heavy. Then the driver's side windshield wiper decided to break – it flipped out of its holder and barely was hanging on flopping around – so the driver could not see. As luck had it we were right at a rest stop – drove in – got wet – re-installed the wiper – tested it – seemed to work – drove on. Just as we caught up to the worst part of the rain/sleet the wiper wiped out again. This time we had to pull over on the freeway – as far as we could without tipping – which was not far enough to feel safe. Got out again, got step stool from camper and moved good wiper from passenger side to driver's. Since arm of wiper could not be removed and would scrap on windshield we duck taped a wash cloth to the end of the arm so it would just slide over that window. Now the driver could see and we went on to the next exit with a gas station. Nice couple there but no wipers. They called ahead to Murdo (20 miles) to a truck stop who had them and would be open until late – it was now past 5. Got there and got the wiper, put it on and proceeded East. We decided not to use a campground, grabbed a sandwich at an Arby's in Chamberlain and drove on to Mitchell's Walmart parking lot to sleep. Went OK albeit a bit noisy.
Saturday May 1 – Got up early, made a cup of instant coffee and left planning to eat later. Pretty good weather but continued to be very windy – not bad unless the highway turned anywhere but directly east. We drove all the way to Albert Lea – got gas and went into the Big Island State Park to fix lunch and to do a final dump of the holding tanks. Then off to home – got here about 3:15 – unloaded everything from the truck and camper – collapsed in our own bed. Sunday is for mowing the lawn and washing the camper.
April 2010
Trip to Utah
Thursday April 15 – Left home by 9 or so after spending Wednesday on problems with tires and air conditioner. Took 30 out of Ames for scenic route. Got to Freemont, NE to camp at a State Rec. area. Nice place that we have stopped at before but the train whistles all night have caused us to cross it off our list.
Friday April 16 – dropped down to Hy 80 to make better time. Got to Dan's in Arvada about 7:30. Ate – played a game – went to bed.
Saturday April 17 – went to Anna's soccer in the rain. Stopped later and went to park in the sun. Played games.
Sunday April 18th – drove up to Lookout Mountain and Bear Creek area for hiking. Went to a crazy restaurant, Casa Bonita. Park again – Anna had been trying to make baskets for two days – she switched to a smaller ball and from underhand to from the chest and she made 16 baskets.
Monday April 19 – saw everyone off to school, left for trip over the Rockies via I-70. Stopped to camp just out of Grand Junction in Fruita at a State Park and then drove up to Colorado National Monument. Narrow windy road with cliff on one side and little or no barrier. Hiked on two or three trails and saw many beautiful views and formations. Would not look as spectacular if seen after what we are heading for but glad we did it.
Tuesday April 20 – took pic of camp site with view of Co. Monument over Colorado River. Left for Mohab. Took scenic route from Cisco to Mohab along Colorado River – slow but well worth it.
Went to grocery store and then decided to camp in campground right in town. Had lunch late then off to Arches National Park. Went to Delicate Arch and took the 1.5 mile up hill hike to get up close to it. Good thing they used those trail making stacks of rocks (learned they are called cairns). We were really tired. Drove on to take another shot of that arch from the other side. Then as sun was getting low we drove to end of the Park and stopped often to take more pics. Hope it doesn't rain tomorrow so we can get out there for a couple more hikes.
Wednesday April 21 – In spite of forecast day started of nice. Went out to Arches and planned on a Ranger guided tour at the Windows arches. Got really windy. Small group went on the Ranger walk. Learned about plants and animals in the area. The three arches at the end of the trail were great – North and South Windows and ??? arch. Then we ate lunch – camper rocking in the wind. Drove to end of the road in the park to Devil's Garden and a walk out to the Landscape Arch. Lots of people and cars out there, including a group from Italy. After seeing the arch and taking lots of pics of it and along the way we headed back. Wind picked up and very dark clouds came over. Thunder echoed through the canyon we were walking through. Lots of fine red sand underfoot started to get blown up and then it started to POUR. The wind got even stronger and the rain and fine sand whipped into us – it hurt and we had to turn our backs to it for awhile until we found a tree to hide under. Finally let up and by the time we got back to the truck the sun was out – for a few minutes anyway. Weather sure changes fast here. We were soaked and covered with a wet sand coating. We changed to dry clothes and shoes and set out for the visitor center to decide on whether to hit Canyonlands today or in the morning. The distance, time and rain made the decision for us – go back to town for supper and rest. TV didn't work right and we learned that a cheap cable we have was the problem. Got a new one and it worked but then the bathroom door broke yet again. Gave up on fixing it. Might have open door policy for the rest of the trip. Raining again at 9 PM. Plan to leave Mohab in the morning and drive through Canyonlands – north end - and then take off for long drive to Zion. Might camp along the way.
Thursday April 22 – Got an idea at 4 AM about how to fix bathroom door. After we got directions to a hardware store as we left the campground I got a small bolt, two little washers and a nut. I found a drill in the toolbox in the truck and drilled a hole through the part that had stripped threads for the screw on one of two door holders. I bolted the part on and it works fine.
We then took off to drive through north part of Canyonlands NP – called Island in the Sky. We enjoyed some great views and a short walk overlooking the Green and Colorado Rivers. We ate lunch there and then took off to drive across Utah on I-70 and then south on I-15. Decided to stop at a campground in Parowan to just eat and sleep so we could get into the Zion NP area early on Friday to get a campsite for the weekend. Well the camp area behind a closed restaurant was the worst we have ever stayed in – including Walmarts. It was listed in AAA and we plan to let them know it should be removed from their book. The bathrooms looked like something that had been abandoned 50 years ago and smelled like it too. When I went to pay, I had to knock on the back door of the closed dinner. An old guy with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth opened the door and stared at me, saying nothing. The owner came over and invited me in – into a small backroom with four guys sitting around a table, smoking and playing poker – chips stacked up next to the beer bottles. Oh and it snowed most of the night and got down to 28.
Friday April 23 – left early without eating so we could get to a gas station to use the bathroom. Left Parowan to head for Zion. Picked out a place in Springdale – right at the entrance to the Park. Nice spot right on the Virgin River. Shuttles take you to the park and then Park shuttles take you up along the main road. You can get off anywhere and get back on to go to the next spot you want to see or take one going back the other way. They run every 15 minutes. Day started out very cloudy, cold, windy and some rain. But by the end of the day it good pretty nice. We ate lunch at the campground and then packed a few things up and took off for the shuttle rides into the Park Went to the end of the line and went on a hike up to the narrows on the Riverside Walk – which were closed at the end where you have to start walking in the water due to high water. We also hiked to see Weeping Rock. We saw some neat birds – Evening Grosbeaks were eating berries off a treat and lots of little warblers were catching bugs. We saw a small dark bird dive into the fast moving river and just kept flying out and diving back in. Turned out to be a Dipper – they actually run along the rocky bottom of the stream to get bugs and are seen often along fast moving streams – a first for us and really strange to see when you never heard of it. By the time we got back to the campground it was almost full and a traveling group of young people in many tents were camped next to us. And we thought being next to the tent only area was going to be a good thing. 10:30 and they seem to just be getting started. Good thing we have the sound of a rushing mountain river right out back to drown out the sounds. Good night.
Saturday April 24 – After breakfast we took the shuttles out into the Park and got off at the Lodge where we planned to take the hikes to three Emerald Pools – waterfalls going into pools before continuing on into the Virgin River. We went to opposite way most went. Kept going up and got to look down on the lodge in the valley and on a string of people on horses. Going to the Upper Emerald Pool was tough on us old folks but beautiful when we got there and sat for awhile. The weather today was wonderful and the number of people at the park made the shuttles and hiking tails very crowded. Can't imagine what it is like in the Summer after school is out. We came back to the campground to eat an early supper, rest and then decide whether or not to go back out for another hike. Decided to do the dishes and just walk and take the shuttle along the main street of Springdale. Went to a grocery store and a outfitter clothing store to look for a knee brace. Came back to read outside for awhile and then to bed after walking around the campground and watching one TV show. Off to go through a tunnel tomorrow (need to pay for an escort due to being too big to go through alone) and then off to Bryce Canyon NP.
Sunday April 25 – Left Springdale to drive through Zion. Stopped to pay the $15 to drive an oversized vehicle through the long tunnel build in the '30s. After 5 switchbacks we got to the tunnel, waited and went through fine – even had to go through two others – but they are bigger and shorter. Then drove to Bryce Canyon – near the entrance – town called Bryce Canyon City. Got campsite at a place there with hookups. Called Ruby's – think she and her relatives own the town and everything in it. Eat lunch and then drove to Visitor's Center – found out what hiking trails were closed due to snow or rock slides. Yes – still lots of snow up here. Went to Sunset Point, walked to Sunrise Point and then went on a loop hike down into the canyons via what is listed as the “world's best three mile hike” called Queens/Navajo Combination Loop. It was beautiful. A busload of French tourists came along about the time we were there. Might be the best hiking trail we have been on – for the variety of scenery and how you are right in it. Back to campground to make and eat supper. Close to bedtime by the time we got done and we are very tired. At our age and condition going down and then up 580 feet, when you are at an altitude that provides only 70% of the oxygen we are used to, is really exhausting. Not sure yet what trails to take tomorrow – but several are too snow covered or muddy for us. We will also drive all the roads in the park – over 18 miles of them with lookouts all along.
Monday April 26 – After breakfast we decided to get a different camp site for tonight and get the LP gas tank filled up. Gold nights take gas for the furnace and yesterday we discovered we can't leave the fridge on battery power for very many hours without the truck running to charge up the camper batteries – they almost died when we went on that long walk. So from now on we need to leave it on gas when the truck will be sitting without being connected to electricity. We drove to the end of the road in the NP – the recommended way to stop at all the view sites since they are on that side of the road – road goes South. A few places were closed off with snow, as are many of the hiking trails up at that higher elevation. We enjoyed the views and tried to make note of the number of pics taken at each site – after awhile the hoodoos, fins, cliffs, etc. all start to look the same – except when you see them in different light at different times of the day. We went to the only Ranger talk of the day – out at a view area and starting place for the hike we went on yesterday. The talk was on the geology of Bryce. Very interesting. We had eaten a quick lunch right before the talk so we decided to hike the Rim Trail from that Sunset View site up to Inspiration Point – turned out to be two points – since we also went to the Upper Inspiration Point. We saw more mule deer and ground squirrels plus Stellar Jays, Mountain Blue Birds, Violet Green Swallows and the usual Ravens, Crows and Vultures. Oh and the views along the hike were wonderful of the Bryce Amphitheater. Learned that Bryce was a Mormon farmer who had a place where Tropic, UT is – you can see it from the Rim Tail. He had a saying we love – when asked about the canyons he said “It's a hell of a place to lose a cow?. After waling through the hoodoos, small canyons, etc. on just a part of it, you sure can appreciate what trying to find a cow would be like. We called it a day, went to hook up at the campground, used the water and sewer connections, had a hot meal, watched something on Hulu – get internet here but no TV and now will go to bed to read and sleep. Hope to get up before sunrise and go back to see the sun come up over Bryce Amphitheater.
Tuesday April 27 – Got up in the dark via the alarm clock (a first for any camping trip) and went up to Sunrise Point viewing area with all the other crazy camera toting people to see the sun come over the horizon and hit the hoodoos in Bryce Amphitheater. It was cold but well worth it. Our little camera should work OK for it but not as nice as all those fancy ones pretty much everyone else had. We drove back to the camp site to fix breakfast, get cleaned up and ready to take off. Drove a ways and stopped for one last hike at Mossy Cave and waterfalls. It is along the highway as you are leaving the Bryce Canyon area. Pretty little canyon and the ice covered little cave was pretty. Then we drove off toward the Capitol Reef National Park. That whole drive was slow but fantastic views – All the way from Bryce to Green River. We didn't hike at Capitol Reef – super windy and cloudy. But we did go on the scenic road, stopping often to take pics. One rock looked like an alligator with his mouth open. When I was out taking a pic of it, a French boy asked me to take his pic sitting in the open mouth. He couldn't speak English but understood that I wanted him to do the same for me. Too bad – he didn't really take the pic – I think he turned the camera off instead – but he tried. Hope he likes his pic. The immensity of the cliffs and formations in the Capitol Reef area is mind boggling. The rest of the trip was also very beautiful – part of it made us very nervous – the road was narrow and there were cliffs going way down to canyons on both sides. We stopped at Green River in a campground owned by a couple originally from Milwaukee – it has a Packer sign by the main door. One of the nicest places we've stayed – even though it is in a town sitting in the middle of nowhere along I – 70. It's late (11 PM) – off to bed.
Wednesday April 28 – Very windy this AM and forecast for rain, snow and very high winds over the next day or so. We decided to take Hwy 191 from Green River, UT on 70 up to Rock Springs, WY on Hwy 80. It was a very picturesque trip up and down mountains. But, with the high winds and the snow squalls at the higher elevations, it was very scary for much of the trip. We finally found the KOA we were aiming for and settled in for the night – exhausted. It was very windy and the temps were going down into the 20s. We put the covers over the vents and skylights to see if that would help keep us warmer.
Thursday April 29 – The covers worked well. Wind even stronger this AM – very cold running to the bathroom and disconnecting. Had hot oatmeal to start the cold day. Decided to head even further north trying to escape the high winds and snow – strange to go north for that. We decided to use directions from AAA and take 80 to Rawlings, WY then north to Casper and then east to Mineral Springs, SD. The trip went well once we climbed out of the bad weather. The wind kept up until we got into the Black Hills area but most of the time it was at our backs and the roads were pretty good except for some construction work. Got great gas mileage today! Got into a nice pine tree covered KOA just out of Hot Springs – weather in the 50s with only a slight wind – what a relief! We ate, played miniature golf, walked around the campground and watched a program on the computer (no TV service but Wi-Fi) read and to bed. Off to drive to various sights in the Black Hills tomorrow and then heading out on 90 toward home.
Friday April 30 – Day started out with good weather – rain and wind coming later. Decided to wind out way up from Hot Springs through the wildlife drives in Custer State Park, over Iron Mountain and to Mt. Rushmore and then off to I-90 East. The wildlife drive was well worth the time. We saw hundreds of buffalo, including new borns. Pronghorn antelope and prairie dogs were abundant. A few elk, a herd of wild burros and many of both mule deer and white tails were fun to see. A coyote with a large dead animal to eat was near the road for awhile until he hauled it off toward the woods. The prairie dogs near by were having a fit with him there. The drive over Iron Mountain and through the three tunnels was fun – we stopped to measure the camper to be sure we'd fit – we guessed right – good thing since there weren't really places to turn around. Started to snow at the top.
We drove on through/around Rapid City to I-90, got gas, ate lunch and headed East. The wind was terrible and the storm clouds were coming fast. For the most part the wind was at our back – not bad and allowed for us to sail along and up our average gas mileage for the trip to 10 mpg. Near a rest stop between Belvidere and Murdo the rain and sleet came hot and heavy. Then the driver's side windshield wiper decided to break – it flipped out of its holder and barely was hanging on flopping around – so the driver could not see. As luck had it we were right at a rest stop – drove in – got wet – re-installed the wiper – tested it – seemed to work – drove on. Just as we caught up to the worst part of the rain/sleet the wiper wiped out again. This time we had to pull over on the freeway – as far as we could without tipping – which was not far enough to feel safe. Got out again, got step stool from camper and moved good wiper from passenger side to driver's. Since arm of wiper could not be removed and would scrap on windshield we duck taped a wash cloth to the end of the arm so it would just slide over that window. Now the driver could see and we went on to the next exit with a gas station. Nice couple there but no wipers. They called ahead to Murdo (20 miles) to a truck stop who had them and would be open until late – it was now past 5. Got there and got the wiper, put it on and proceeded East. We decided not to use a campground, grabbed a sandwich at an Arby's in Chamberlain and drove on to Mitchell's Walmart parking lot to sleep. Went OK albeit a bit noisy.
Saturday May 1 – Got up early, made a cup of instant coffee and left planning to eat later. Pretty good weather but continued to be very windy – not bad unless the highway turned anywhere but directly east. We drove all the way to Albert Lea – got gas and went into the Big Island State Park to fix lunch and to do a final dump of the holding tanks. Then off to home – got here about 3:15 – unloaded everything from the truck and camper – collapsed in our own bed. Sunday is for mowing the lawn and washing the camper.
posted by Craig @ 7:19 AM
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