July 26 – 31, 2015.  This was mine and David’s second trip to Yellowstone. The first time we drove in the East entrance. This time we drove in through the South entrance via Wyoming Highway 26 and Grand Teton National Park. David and I have traveled MANY scenic highways. Highway 26 was our most breathtaking drive to date. Some of our elevations reached 10,000 ft. From just north of Lander, Wyoming, where we picked up highway 26 to Yellowstone was about 100 miles of absolutely amazing views. The most spectacular moment was when the Grand Tetons came into view and we were almost nose to nose with them. I almost jumped out of my seat. We were all giddy with excitement.
The Grands have been GREAT! That’s both the children and the mountains 🙂 Rowan  and Ricky did start to get a bit perturbed with my picture taking of them. At the beginning of our trip when I asked them to pose the response was “sure”.   Now it’s “Thanks Gram, I’m Good.”   When the photo op came along at the Grand Tetons they stepped up to the base.
We had reservations inside Yellowstone, at Madison Campground (Senior pass price $7.50 a night), for 6 nights. Our site, Loop C #773 is shady, level and very spacious. We had enough room to play frisbee with E T in “our yard”. This is middle of nowhere camping. Flush toilets and a cold water, dish washing sink are the only “modern” amenities. Ricky had no shot at WiFi. We had no cell service. The Ranger at check in showed us where the phone booth was if we needed to call 911. Remember phone booths???
The main road through Yellowstone is a 142 mile figure eight. Madison Campground is on the west side of the park. From Madison heading south to Old Faithful is 16 miles. Madison heading north to Norris Geyser Basin it’s 14 miles. Madison heading north to Norris than east to Canyon, 34 miles. Getting around the park takes time. Speed limits vary in the park from 15 to 45 mph. Maximum speed limit of 45 mph is strictly enforced. Many areas of the roadway are what I call “thrilling”, no guard rails with cliff and canyon drop offs. Most of the time traffic is going slower than the posted speed limits. The scenery and wildlife on the roadways seem to have that effect.
Our goal was to cover the seven main areas; Old Faithful, Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, Norris Geyser Basin, West Thumb, Mammoth Hot Springs, Fountain Paint Pots, Mud Volcano and as many side areas as possibly. With 6 days to do it, our goal was easily accomplished. We spent an early evening and an early morning in Hayden Valley hoping to see a bear or wolf. No luck with them, but Bison herds were very entertaining at both Hayden and Mud Volcano. At Hayden they were walking down the road, crossing the road, rolling in dirt along the side of the road and best of all, they gave a “grunt” concert worthy of a standing ovation. Mud Volcano is a 1/2 mile, hillside, loop trail. It’s part boardwalk, stairs and hard packed dirt through a forest of geothermal features (Mud Volcanos, Hot Springs, Caldrons, Fumarole’s). I huffed and puffed my way to the top, really looking forward to the downhill. We no sooner get 3/4 of the way downhill and turn the curve and here’s a herd of Bison. They were on the path, hillside and even on part of the boardwalk! They were blocking the exit. There was no way to get around them safely. So back UP and around and down we go. Finally, we get to the bottom and I needed to use the rest room. There were no Bison near the restrooms. I come out and look to my left and here are 3 BIG BISON BUTTS. I back myself away to safety and this lady tells me that if I had tried to open the door a minute sooner I would have hit one. Oh my God! I would have totally freaked out! Being in a “Earth Friendly” aka “Stink to High Heaven” rest room was bad enough. Being trapped in one by a bison would have been a nightmare. When I get back to the car, David says he was serenaded with grunts when he was in the men’s room. Only in Yellowstone can something like this happen!
Yellowstone is a true phenomena. It has 50% of all the geothermal features on this planet. Rowan and Ricky were not fond of the “rotten egg smells” aka sulfur odor. As soon as you start getting close to one of these areas the stink prevails. They also weren’t as in awe of the visual beauty, as I thought they would be. Knowing about all the bacteria, poison gasses, eruptions, earthquakes, aka, scientific “stuff” made them much more serious. I’m sticking with beautiful. All the scientific stuff scares me.
The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone (including Upper and Lower Falls) is one of my favorite areas. The hiking is fabulous and the scenery awesome. The best way I can describe the views are picture postcard perfect. All four of us hiked the South Rim Trail. Rowan and I hiked the North Rim Trail as well. The South Rim is longer, rugged terrain, very steep at times, but more picturesque. The North Rim Trail is a little rocky, but has less steep inclines. It also takes you away from the canyon edge into more secluded forest for a mile or so and then back to the spectacular canyon. I have no photos from this visit. I left my camera back in the RV 🙁
The wildlife is absolutely amazing. Our list of sightings include; River Otter, Bison, Fox, Elk, Yellow Bellied Marmut, Pronghorn, Martin, an Osprey in her nest with three babies, a very cute rabbit and many very creepy squirrels. The squirrels make this startling screech, it’s worse than fingernails on a chalk board.
When David and I were here the first time we had “Old Bessie” our 20 year old RV. It was Sept and some of the roads in the park were only accessible by car. We could not get to Mammoth Hot Springs or the Tower – Roosevelt areas. Mammoth Hot Springs is a phenomena in it’s self. The features here are like no other in the park. The cascading terraces are absolutely beautiful. It is a must see area of the park. The Tower – Roosevelt area is mostly a scenic ride with access points to many hiking trails. Megan missed not having her Dad there to hike Mount Washburn. It’s a three mile hike, UP to the top of the mountain.
Two side trips that turned out to be very nice were the Fire Hole River and Fire Hole River Canyon Drives. They were only a few miles from Madison. The Canyon has a swimming hole. Try as he did, David could not get the kids to go swimming with him. After learning about all the “scientific stuff” flowing in the area, I wasn’t going in that water either. Fire Hole River Drive has White Dome Geyser that goes off every 5 to 45 minutes. I thought it was more spectacular than Old Faithful. Funny thing about Geysers is you really never know when, where, how high or for how long one will go off. They are totally amazing to watch.
As fate would have it, the first Geyser the kids saw go off, just happened to be “My First Geyser”, Spasm!
With some of our evening downtime we went to Ranger talks on topics about Bear and other wildlife in the park. We played Scrabble and Racko, two of my favorite games. One night Ricky and Rowan  sat around listening to a Podcast that Rowan had downloaded on his  I-Pod, Welcome to Night Vale. David got a big kick out of remembering how he used to sit around at night listening to radio shows. Things haven’t really changed that much.
At one of the gift shops I bought a CD/DVD package about Yellowstone ($18.95). We were doing so much driving around that I thought it would be interesting to listen to the CD as we drove. That is how we learned about Fire Hole River and Canyon Drives. It is also how Ricky became obsessed with seeing Obsidian. This is a black volcanic glass that is a Doctor preferred material for scalpels. We found it at Black Sand Basin 🙂
Last but not least, our weather. This is unbelievable, it’s July … We had snow three nights ago. No accumulation, but it was snowing. Three out of the six nights we had to use heat at night. We had gorgeous 70 degree weather in the afternoons. We are having an amazing adventure.
Current location, The Jelly Stone RV Park in Missoula, Montana. Full Hook Up, Looooong Hot Showers and Crappy Internet! We are all using David’s hot spot. He has taken pity on us 🙂
No Photos this post, but when we get to civilization, I have some awesome shots. One in particular of a bison rolling in dust and another of E T standing next to a geyser. There might be a couple of candid photos of the Grands 🙂
Next Stop Glacier National Park, Montana. Our camp site is in West Glacier at Fish Creek Campground.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I warned the kids,  today was going to be a looooong travel day,  336 miles according to the GPS.    We are headed Northwest to Grand Teton National Park and then Yellowstone.  We took I 80 to Scenic Hwy 287.  The scenery has been pretty awesome. Enjoy the slideshow 🙂

We stopped for the night at Twin Pines Campground in Landers, WY ($38.26 full hook up).  This is a surprisingly nice campground in the middle of no where. There are pine trees and a small pond.  There’s only about 20 sites, reservations are recommended.  There is nothing else around for miles.

Gas Update … We left Colorado almost empty so we had two gas stops in one day.  First Stop we took 43 gallons $3.14 per gallon, $135.22 .  Next stop David decided to run 91 octane, the RV was dogging it a little on the hills.  He thought we might have gotten some bad gas at the last stop.  We took 52 gallons $2.89, $148.45.  The RV is now running smooth 🙂

We’re back in Morrison and switching gears.  Last weekend we were here  to watch Richie run  a  Marathon.  This weekend we are here  to watch some drag racing.

Back to Bear Creek Lake Park,  Indian Paintbrush Campground.

The Thursday before the Mile High Nationals the National Hot Rod Association and Bandimere Speedway host a Block Party in Downtown, Golden, CO.   This is a very funky Western town.

Back to Red Pocks … Rowan

wanted to get a penny pressed at the Museum.

I haven’t been giving many E T  updates.   She is doing amazing.  Having Richie and the kids here  has been wonderful.   We were worried about her not getting enough exercise at Rocky Mountain National Park,  because the ONLY place dogs are allowed  is in the campgrounds on a 6 foot leash.  Not a problem,  even after all the hiking we did,  as soon as we got back to the campground the kids were out walking her.  Here in Morrison she is allowed on many of the trails.

In the morning, before heading to Bandimere Speedway,  Rowan and I took E T hiking at Dinosaur Ridge.  This is a fabulous place for people of all ages.  If you’re not a hiker,  the Friends of Dinosaur Ridge have a shuttle up the mountain.   We stopped briefly at the Dinosaur Ridge Discovery Center,  a small museum and gift shop and picked up a trail map.   E T was welcome in the Center,  but she would have been afraid of the dinosaur exhibits.   There is no admission fee.

UP the trail we went.   Along the ridge were placards showing  you where things were and how they looked.  Then you knew how to find them yourselves.

The one and a half mile,  UPHILL  trail is  more  road then trail.   It has lanes marked for bicyclists and walkers.   At the top you can pick up the Dakota Ridge Trail.  It’s a very long mountain ridge trail, kind of like the Appalachian Mountain Trail.  We decided to hike a portion.   Rowan  has this thing about  hiking up  and up and up.   This is not only a hiking trail,  but a mountain biking trail as well.

At the top a hiker warned us about a rattlesnake they had seen further up the trail.  Yes, there are rattlesnakes in this area.  We are in hot,  dry conditions and our elevation is only in the 5,000 ft range.   Anyone ever heard  of Denver,  being called   “The Mile High City”?    So we turned around 🙂

At the top of the ridge we got a sneak peak at Bandimere Speedway.

The racing was AWESOME.  Track records were being set  in all classes.   The weather forecast of zero percent rain was correct,  but it didn’t mention “spritzing”.  The slightest sprinkle and racing is suspended.   It turned out to be a very loooooong day,  but quite the experience.   Ricky LOVED it.  Rowan did not.   It was too loud and too smelly.    The Grand Stands are built into the side of the mountain .  When the Top Fuel-ers went down the track the earth shook.

Next Stop Wyoming

Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) is a Hiker,  of any skill level’s,  dream destination,   a  scenery  buffs,  visual paradise and a wildlife lover’s  playground of activity.

Spectacular! Spectacular! Spectacular on all counts.  Oh!  Did I forget to mention it’s a haven of  wildflowers, even in the Alpine Tundra.

There are 355 miles of trails in the pike.  Two that we hiked, Bear Creek Lake and Sprague Lake are (heavy duty) stroller and wheelchair  accommodating. They both have 20 ft elevation gains.

Two more than SPECTACULAR things about the park that I LOVED. 1.  NO venomous snakes  2.  NO gnats (no see ums) or mosquito’s.  I don’t like them and they don’t like the elevations in the park  🙂

Our campsite reservation was on the East side of the park and Continental Divide.  It was just luck of the draw that we made reservations at the Moraine Campground,  site #214,  B loop.   Our closest neighbors were a dozen plus deer and elk that lived in the meadow beside and behind or site.  We were unlucky,  according to the Grands,  that another neighbor,  a black bear,  had moved out the night before.  Our site was spacious, views were SPECTACULAR and location great.  Although, not quite perfect.  This is a DRY campsite/campground.   Biggest amenities a few flush toilets and gorgeous amphitheatre.  Have you ever seen or heard of “solar showers”?  I don’t count them as an amenity.  The kids did get a big kick out of them.  They didn’t use them,  but they thought they were “interesting”.    We had no complaints.  Our RV is self contained and the site was $7.50 a night (with National Park Senior Pass).

The Moraine area has a fantastic shuttle service.   We were only in the park for 2 nights. That only gave us a day and a half to do the things we most wanted.   Taking the shuttle eliminated hunting and pecking our way around trying to find roads and trail heads. Moraine Campground has a shuttle stop that was a very short walk from our campsite.

Each of us set our own personal goals.   I had done a little research prior to arriving and knew I wanted to hike Bear Lake and take the Trail Ridge Road drive to Rock Cut (no shuttle available).   Rowan

wanted to hike to as high as elevation as possible.  Richie wanted to hike as many Lake Trails as time would alot.   Ricky wanted to find Wi Fi in the park.  David wanted to survive the Altitude!

A trip to the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center was on our list of things to do.  National Park Visitor Centers have schedules and time charts for all kinds of events, happenings and park perks, like FREE Wi Fi for Ricky!  That was easy!    Beaver Meadows had two FREE 1/2 hour park movies,  that were great to see and get ideas about what to do and where to go.    We were there in time to hear a Ranger talk about Mountain Lions in the park.   Because of their roaming nature it is hard to be precise,  but the guesstimate is maybe fifteen.  I was surprised,  but not disappointed.   After hearing about their predator instincts and hunting skills I was pretty happy about the odds of not seeing one on a trail.

I mentioned above hiking the Bear Lake and Sprague Lake Trails,  we also did the Nymph Lake,  Emerald Lake and Dream Lake Trails.  In conjunction to those we were able to do the Alberta Falls Trail and Glacier Gorge.  Richie was a happy hiker 🙂

Rowan  and Richie left David, Ricky and I behind at Alberta Falls and continued another 5 – 6 miles UP to The Loch.  Rowan got his Elevation “high”.  That was not easy.

We hopped in the car after our restful hour or so at the Visitor Center and headed up, up, UP, UPPP! Trail Ridge Road to Rock Cut in the Alpine Tundra, 12,000 ft.

Moraine Campground is at 8,000 ft elevation.   It was COLD.  The wind was whistling Rocky Mountain High at a good 40 mph.  I, in my t-shirt and pedal pushers and Ricky in his t-shirt, shorts and no hat settled comfortably into the car and watched while David, Richie and Rowan headed out on the Tundra Communities Trail.   A pink cheeked, shivering,  yet smiling,  Rowan returned first.  Red faced, shivering, huffing and puffing,  yet smiling, David and his pink cheeked, shivering,  yet smiling, pacer Richie were a meandering distance behind.  Their excitement was contagious.  They were chattering and laughing about the experience most of the way back down the mountain.

The only times they took a break was when we stopped to view the wildlife grazing on the mountainside.

We attended an evening program at the campground amphitheater.  One of the  Rangers,  that had hiked all 355 miles of Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park,  talked about his experiences and showed slides of his experiences.  The talk was so inspiring and the Park is so SPECTACULAR that we’re already talking about Next Time!

Next Stop Denver International Airport.  Richie has to go back to work.   We’re back to Bear Creek Lake Campground.  Going to the Drag Races at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colorado with Rowan and Ricky.

July 17 – 20, 2015 Amazing,   Awesome,   Absolutely Spectacular!!!   This is a place that I could come back to over and over and over again.   I’ve added attending a concert here to my bucket list.  We were here when a sound check for the nights performance was being done.   The acoustics are phenomenal!!!   The Trading Post Trail has been added to my list of favorite trails.   I could hike this trail over and over and never be bored.    It is not an easy hike.  The elevation is in the 6,000’s.  There are STAIRS,  STAIRS and more STAIRS hiking to the top of the Amphitheatre.   Of course, what goes up must come down.  If you think coming down is easier,  ask Richie about downhill vs uphill  🙂    Most of the Trail is hard packed dirt and Rock.   People travel from all over the world to come here and work out and do yoga in the Amphitheatre.  The naturalness of the setting is suppose to be very spiritual.

I’ll never forget this was the place I got my first sighting of a Peregrine Falcon.  One of my favorite Authors, C J Box,  writes about a Falconer, Nate Romanowski.  I’ve developed a fascination with Peregrine Falcons through his books.

We only a few hours here.   When there are performances they often close the Amphitheatre early.   We had to leave at 3:00 p.m.,  but were back the next morning at 8:00 a.m. to finish what we hadn’t of the Trading Post Trail.  There are many more trails that I would like to do, like the Jurassic Trail.   I’ll let a few photos speak for me.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We were on the road again today headed toward Rocky Mountain National Park.   We spent the night at St. Vrain State Park in Longmont, CO.   It’s a beautiful park with at least a half dozen ponds of varying sizes.  Our site is right on Pelican Pond.   Richie and Ricky did some biking and kayaking.  Rowan and I hiked  the Pelican Pond Trail with E T.

Next Stop Rocky Mountain National Park

July 17, 2015.    The Denver area is VERY busy.  Traffic is wicked.  It took us almost two hours to get to the Denver International Airport, to pick up the kids,  which according to the GPS should have been 35 minutes.   Our trip to Idaho Springs was 22 miles from the campground and  took us a little over  an hour and a half.   Anticipating  the traffic we gave ourselves two hours to get to Idaho Springs.   We made our reservation with just enough time to sign in.

Fortunately,  Richie’s  Marathon shuttle to the start and  finish line was less than 4 miles from  the Campground in Bear  Creek Lake County Park.

Indian Paintbrush Campground is O.K.   We do have very high expectations for National, State and County Campgrounds,  based on past experiences.   Like the Denver area,  the Campground is very busy.   This whole Denver and surrounding  area  is very fitness and recreation oriented.   Bear Creek Lake has horseback riding,  archery,  miles of  running,  biking  hiking trails and a very cool (69 degree water temp) Lake.    It’s very well maintained but,  there’s   minimal shade.   It’s very hot here during the day and the high elevation makes it more intense.   It does get very cool at night and is nice for sleeping with the windows open.

Richie did a  great time running the marathon (3:42:08).    He said it was the most scenic ,  but it was  also his toughest course yet.   This was his 19th State and 21st Marathon.

The finish line was in a cute park in the center of  quaint downtown Morrison.   We had a great time cheering on  Richie and the other runners.   We are having  lots of fun together.

If you don’t see the slideshow,  check it out on  www.barbsadventures.net

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Yesterday was a whirl wind day.   We moved from Cherry Creek Campground in Aurora to Indian Paintbrush Campground in Bear Creek Lake Park  in Lakeland, CO.   After getting settled,  we drove to Denver International Airport and picked up son,  Richie,  16 year old grandsn, Rowan and 14 year old grandson, Ricky.

Today we had a BLAST!  We went rafting on Clear Creek in Idaho Springs,  Colorado.    Our guide, Marcos, was fabulous.  He worked his butt off and kept us all safe.  I think we may have surprised him a little with how quickly we all caught on and how well we worked as a team.  There were other rafters that ended up in the 40 degree water,  but not us!    We didn’t get back to shore dry,  but we were unscathed and smiling like crazy.   Below we are conquering “Superman” a  category 4 rapid.   Superman likes to send rafters flying through the air!

This four hour adventure was fantastic from start to finish.  Clear Creek Rating Company in Idaho Springs, CO is a first class business.   The entire staff is friendly, helpful and very  professional.   The price was more than right.   $57 per person included a helmet,  wet suit, jacket,  PFD,  four hours of great fun and a photo CD.  The icing on the cake was our guide, Marcos.   He was not only very skilled,  but friendly,  informative and he was not one bit hard on the eyes 🙂

Tomorrow I am up at 3:40 a.m. with Richie.  I will drop him off at the shuttle pick up for his next marathon adventure.  The shuttle will take him up 11 miles on Squaw Path in the Rockies to the starting line.  He is guaranteed his most scenic marathon to date.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I’m going to let the slide shows speak for themselves about Cherry Creek State Park (Above) and all the fun E T is having at the Off Leash Dog Run (below).  The weather has been gorgeous, low 80’s during the day and low 60’s at night,  very low humidity.  We’ve rested up,  shopped,  did laundry,  cleaned the car and camper and are looking forward to picking up Richie, Rowan and Ricky at the airport tomorrow.

Next stop Bear Creek Lake Park  Lakewood, CO

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We’re here and we like it!

When I think of Colorado I always think of The Rocky Mountains.  Our first 200 Colorado miles, on  I 70,  were Prairie,  flat, flat, flat!

Natural gas drilling sites were added to the scenery.

The ever changing terrain was amazing.

It started becoming colorful!  The trees started getting bigger!

Our first PEEK at the Rocky Mountains.  It was a very hazy day.  If you look VERY closely  you can see the snow covered peaks.

The temperature went from 103 degrees in Oakley, Kansas,  to 83 degrees in Aurora, Colorado (about 250 miles west).

We are settled in for the next three days at  Cherry Creek State Park ($22 a night full hook up 50 amp).   We will not be putting on any miles  🙂    The park and campground are beautiful.   It has all the most common campground amenities like hiking,  biking,  swimming.   Add a Model Airplane Airfield,  Shooting Sports Center,  horseback riding  and an off leash dog park that is over 100 acres to the list and we will have plenty to do 🙂

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Today was another great day!    I was like a kid in the biggest candy store in the country.  Scenery is my thing.  Kansas views are amazing.   Windmill farms fascinate me.  The first  time I saw one was about 15 years ago in California.  Kansas has a little bit of everything    cattle and horse ranches,  animal refuge’s, all kinds of farms and a personal favorite oil drilling machinery.  They all have there own charisma.

David asked me if I wanted to stop in Abilene, Kansas and go to Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Presidential Library and Museum and visit his Boyhood Home.  Eisenhower is my favorite President.   I was having too much fun scenery watching.

I asked David if he wanted to stop at the  Kansas Auto Racing Museum.   He said “No”,  he was perfectly content cruising along.  It was a truly easy and enjoyable ride.

This may sound corny,  but at one point today,  David and I sang  America The Beautiful.   We had just passed a barn with a painting on the side of  the American Flag and it said God Bless America.   David said to me “You know what two things  people in The Heartland all have in common?  They are very religious and patriotic. ”   I couldn’t agree more.   Another reason for breaking out in song,  we had just been talking about why we can remember every word from so many songs of our youth,   but have a hard time remembering  two lines of any current song.

In five days we have traveled, approximately,  2,065 miles.   We have another,  approximate,  240 miles to Denver.   Seventy more miles before we’re out of Kansas.  From east to west,  Kansas is VERY, VERY  loooooong.  We thought we’d make the Colorado border today,  but we found an interesting campground.

High Plains Camping in Oakley, Kansas is less than  a mile off I 70 Exit 70 ($36 full hook up 50 amp).  They have an off leash dog run.  E T has been an awesome traveler,  but has spent all of her outside time on a leash.  We thought this would be a great place to let her run free.   It would have been,  but the temperature here is 103 degrees.  We are at an elevation of 3,055 feet.  It is HOT!  The grass in the dog run (park), is toasted.  Hopefully in the morning it will be cool enough for her to enjoy a little freedom to run.

This is a funny E T story.  She has taken to sitting UP in the passenger seat.  When we pulled into the campground she started to growl and then let out her 16th bark.  We were SHOCKED!   What had gotten her all fired up?      It was a statue of a Bison!  When I took her out to “meet it”  she was visibly  afraid.   Very timidly,  with lots of coaxing,  she approached and made friends with it.   Now all she wants to do is go over and sniff it!   What’s going to happen when we get to Yellowstone and she sees the real thing???

What don’t I like about Kansas?  It’s “Weather Emergency Warnings”.  There are LOTS of postings on what to do and where to take shelter.   If an emergency arises and we need to evacuate or take shelter while we’re at the campground(s) the management gives you verbal and written instructions at check in.   If we’re on the road, every so many miles there are  “if the yellow lights are flashing” signs.   I know it’s precautionary, but it’s creepy.

Tomorrows terrain changes and weather should be interesting … in Colorado

I have posted a 20 photo slide show.  If it’s not appearing in your email, please go to www.barbsadventures.net to view.