We had stayed at the Cedar Rail RV park in Raton, NM our second night of the vacation (remember the triple rainbow?), but this time we had a nice back in spot with a spectacular mountain and valley view. The reason the view was so nice was because just behind the spot is a "cliff" that drops off about 30 feet. I decided to clean the rear RV windows, and that was quite a challenge. I tried spraying water and using a squeegee, but that left an ugly mess. I ended up using a damp micro fiber cloth and that did a nice job with twice over the window.
The next day was occupied with researching a rescue of a Standard Schnauzer reported to be at a kill shelter in Midland, TX. The report did not have enough information, and even though I called SPCA and other shelters and in nearby towns we never found the dog. Since that was going on and since the day was cloudy and damp, we decided to take a vacation from our vacation and just laze around.
One "job" I did perform was to try to scrub out the black water tank (sewage). Whenever we empty it, the indicator never shows it as empty. This is most often due to paper or other material on the float in the tank. The RV has a separate hose connection to spray inside the tank, but when we tried to use it, we discovered that it leaked inside the walls of the RV and could not be used. I ran a garden hose into the bathroom so we could repeatedly fill and empty the tank to move all the material out. We would let it soak, then empty, then power spray what could be reached through the toilet. Hopefully, it will get the guage working properly. We need to take the RV back to the dealer to get the leak in the wall fixed.
The RV next to us had a hummingbird feeder, and there were normally about 6 hummingbirds there all day long. As we watched out the back window, we could see them in the bushes/trees along the cliff behind us. At one point, one bird would repeatedly fly straight up, then dive 75' straight at the ground, pulling up at the last minute to avoid the ground. On our last morning there, there were at least 20 hummingbirds fighting for a spot at the feeder (see posted videos).
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Great Sand Dunes Natioinal Park
Monday started as early as we could reasonably get around. We got up at 6am and were on the road by about 7:20. We wanted to get to the Great Sand Dunes National Park before the sun made it impossible to spend any time on the dunes with the dogs. The roads were two lane and very curvy, so we were limited in our speed. Once again, there was almost no traffic in either direction. A very nice scenic drive through canyons, plains, and eroded hills covered in grass and topped with trees.
We arrived about 10am, and the heat wasn't too bad yet, maybe 80 degrees. We had purchased boots for
the dogs to try to protect them from the heat. The boots have a rubber sole and "socks" that went up their ankles. In addition, there are velcro straps that tighten the boots around the heal of their feet. We brought out the water spraybottle and bottle of water with bowl, then headed out towards the dunes.
The first thing encountered was the stream that brings sand from the mountains and high side of the dunes (mountain side) out onto the plains. From there, the wind blows the sand back towards the mountains, creating the dunes. No new sand is entering the system, so the dunes are not growing, but constantly shift. The tallest dune is over 900' tall.It became obvious that we were at high elevation (over 8000') so we were not going to be climbing the big dunes. We also found that the boots soles were too thin to protect the dogs feet from the heat. We went to the first ridge with no problems, but the dogs were doing a very funny thing. They walked behind us in our shadows!
On the way back in, we were watching the dogs boots to see if they came off, and Annie lost one. We couldn't find it, even after searching for 10 minutes. It had disappeared under the sand as her foot went under and came up without the boot. Then Zoe lost one. I pulled off the remaining three boots from Annie and began carrying her to keep her feet cool. Since we were at elevation, that didn't last long, and I "ran" her back to the stream to get her feet into the water. Terri hurried as fast as she could. When we got there, it was easy to convince Annie to lay down in the shallow stream to cool off. Zoe took more convincing. We then took the dogs to the outdoor showers to rinse the sand out of their fur and feet for the ride.
We passed over the Continental Divide at North Cochetopa Pass at 10,135' elevation, and made our way to the Cedar Rail RV park in Raton, NM.
We arrived about 10am, and the heat wasn't too bad yet, maybe 80 degrees. We had purchased boots for
the dogs to try to protect them from the heat. The boots have a rubber sole and "socks" that went up their ankles. In addition, there are velcro straps that tighten the boots around the heal of their feet. We brought out the water spraybottle and bottle of water with bowl, then headed out towards the dunes.
The first thing encountered was the stream that brings sand from the mountains and high side of the dunes (mountain side) out onto the plains. From there, the wind blows the sand back towards the mountains, creating the dunes. No new sand is entering the system, so the dunes are not growing, but constantly shift. The tallest dune is over 900' tall.It became obvious that we were at high elevation (over 8000') so we were not going to be climbing the big dunes. We also found that the boots soles were too thin to protect the dogs feet from the heat. We went to the first ridge with no problems, but the dogs were doing a very funny thing. They walked behind us in our shadows!
On the way back in, we were watching the dogs boots to see if they came off, and Annie lost one. We couldn't find it, even after searching for 10 minutes. It had disappeared under the sand as her foot went under and came up without the boot. Then Zoe lost one. I pulled off the remaining three boots from Annie and began carrying her to keep her feet cool. Since we were at elevation, that didn't last long, and I "ran" her back to the stream to get her feet into the water. Terri hurried as fast as she could. When we got there, it was easy to convince Annie to lay down in the shallow stream to cool off. Zoe took more convincing. We then took the dogs to the outdoor showers to rinse the sand out of their fur and feet for the ride.
We passed over the Continental Divide at North Cochetopa Pass at 10,135' elevation, and made our way to the Cedar Rail RV park in Raton, NM.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Photos posted
We are in Palo Durro Canyon State Park in Texas, but there is no cell or internet at the bottom. We are at the visitor center now and I thought I would post photos. More later.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Black Canyon of the Gunnison
We had to drive 60 miles back west to the park, and took the South Rim Road and stopped at all the overlook trails. The temps started in the high 70's and ended near 90. The elevation is over 8200 feet, so short hikes are GOOD. We had lunch in the truck at the High Point because the tables were full. We also went down to the river level using the East Portal road, in 1st gear almost all the way down a 16% grade (normal highway maximum grade is 6%).
This was one of the best national parks we have ever seen. It is a spectacular collection of views of sheer cliffs, pinnacles, canyons, and panoramas. I shot and assembled some of the most complex multi-photo panorama shots because everything was so close and so large it would not fit in the wide angle lens. One photo of the Painted Wall has two rows of five photos assembled as one panorama (2300 foot vertical cliff, highest in Colorado). We recommend this park for everyone, but it is not a place to hike and explore for many days.
"The rocks that make up the cliffs of Black Canyon are some of the oldest in North America, dating to 1.7 billion years. The cliff walls are 40 feet apart at the river and rise 1750 feet to the rim at the Black Canyon Narrows. The river falls 480feet in this two mile section of the canyon, grinding and scouring the rocks in the relentless effort to cut even deeper. the river and the elements have been at work sculpting this magnificent gorge, season after season, age after age, so that 2 million years later we can wonder at the marvels of nature."
31 new photos posted at http://picasaweb.google.com/rosser.tom/RVVacation2010#
As a point of odd interest, we spotted the Hymer RV from Germany (seen at Canyonlands - The Needles) twice today. When we got back to town we were at 3/4 of a tank of fuel, so time to fill up!
This was one of the best national parks we have ever seen. It is a spectacular collection of views of sheer cliffs, pinnacles, canyons, and panoramas. I shot and assembled some of the most complex multi-photo panorama shots because everything was so close and so large it would not fit in the wide angle lens. One photo of the Painted Wall has two rows of five photos assembled as one panorama (2300 foot vertical cliff, highest in Colorado). We recommend this park for everyone, but it is not a place to hike and explore for many days.
"The rocks that make up the cliffs of Black Canyon are some of the oldest in North America, dating to 1.7 billion years. The cliff walls are 40 feet apart at the river and rise 1750 feet to the rim at the Black Canyon Narrows. The river falls 480feet in this two mile section of the canyon, grinding and scouring the rocks in the relentless effort to cut even deeper. the river and the elements have been at work sculpting this magnificent gorge, season after season, age after age, so that 2 million years later we can wonder at the marvels of nature."
31 new photos posted at http://picasaweb.google.com/rosser.tom/RVVacation2010#
As a point of odd interest, we spotted the Hymer RV from Germany (seen at Canyonlands - The Needles) twice today. When we got back to town we were at 3/4 of a tank of fuel, so time to fill up!
Lessons Relearned
We had a very relaxed drive to Gunnison, CO. The KOA campground there was intended to be our base for visiting Black Canyon of the Gunnison, but it turns out it is about 60 miles past the park entrance. Since the RV was too long to take to the park we decided to camp and then backtrack with only the truck.
Along the way we had a close up view of a black bear as it ran across the road in front of us. A very big animal. It headed down hill to the river, past an RV campground. We also saw a herd of bighorn sheep, probably a dozen or so, right on the road.
We had not filled the fuel tank before we left, and for various reasons (excuses) we passed up opportunities to fill up. The warning light came on that indicated we only had six gallons of diesel left, but since we only need to drive 40 miles and as that was enough fuel to drive 70 miles, as since we had no real choice we kept going.
At one point as she was driving, Terri complained about how the truck was shifting gears. I felt it was due to the steep up/down grades and how the tow-haul setting on the truck worked. Within two miles, the truck completely lost power. Terri had the pedal floored, and we were going about 10mph. Then the check engine light came on. Luckily there was a very big turn out and we stopped to assess our situation. I used my PPE gadget to read the diagnostic code, but as always we were out of cell phone signal to translate the code into English. This time it made no real difference, as it was 0087 that I remembered as low fuel pressure from earlier in our trip. I reset the code.
As we were trying to figure out what to do, a tow truck driver pulled up and asked if we needed help. He suggested that we should back up in the pull out and give it a try, and he would follow us and make sure we were OK. The truck seemed "normal" so we kept going. We made it to the KOA, set up the RV, and then went out to fill the tank. It took over 30 gallons, indicating we still had four gallons.
Early on the trip we "learned" the lesson of managing our fuel to not run low. Given the hills we were climbing, the braking and accelerating we were doing, six gallons of fuel sloshing around in a 34 gallon tank was just not enough for a reliable fuel flow.
The Gunnison KOA is very nice. All the sites are grass covered. We are in a double wide pull through so there is a lot of room to sit outside with the puppies. They also have a large fenced in dog walk area for the dogs to fun around in. The temperature is cooler than we thought it might be. Currently 56 with an expected high of 86.
Along the way we had a close up view of a black bear as it ran across the road in front of us. A very big animal. It headed down hill to the river, past an RV campground. We also saw a herd of bighorn sheep, probably a dozen or so, right on the road.
We had not filled the fuel tank before we left, and for various reasons (excuses) we passed up opportunities to fill up. The warning light came on that indicated we only had six gallons of diesel left, but since we only need to drive 40 miles and as that was enough fuel to drive 70 miles, as since we had no real choice we kept going.
At one point as she was driving, Terri complained about how the truck was shifting gears. I felt it was due to the steep up/down grades and how the tow-haul setting on the truck worked. Within two miles, the truck completely lost power. Terri had the pedal floored, and we were going about 10mph. Then the check engine light came on. Luckily there was a very big turn out and we stopped to assess our situation. I used my PPE gadget to read the diagnostic code, but as always we were out of cell phone signal to translate the code into English. This time it made no real difference, as it was 0087 that I remembered as low fuel pressure from earlier in our trip. I reset the code.
As we were trying to figure out what to do, a tow truck driver pulled up and asked if we needed help. He suggested that we should back up in the pull out and give it a try, and he would follow us and make sure we were OK. The truck seemed "normal" so we kept going. We made it to the KOA, set up the RV, and then went out to fill the tank. It took over 30 gallons, indicating we still had four gallons.
Early on the trip we "learned" the lesson of managing our fuel to not run low. Given the hills we were climbing, the braking and accelerating we were doing, six gallons of fuel sloshing around in a 34 gallon tank was just not enough for a reliable fuel flow.
The Gunnison KOA is very nice. All the sites are grass covered. We are in a double wide pull through so there is a lot of room to sit outside with the puppies. They also have a large fenced in dog walk area for the dogs to fun around in. The temperature is cooler than we thought it might be. Currently 56 with an expected high of 86.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Colorado National Monument
The high temp for the day is predicted to be over 100, so we got out fairly early to take the Rim Rock Drive (23 miles one way). Terri did the driving and I got to look at the scenery. Spectacular. Large panoramic views of the valley, steep cliff canyons, pillars/monuments, switchback roads with drops of a thousand feet just one foot past the road edge, tunnels. There were a half dozen or so bicycles making the 2000 foot climb along the road.
We took the Canyon Rim Trail from the visitor center to the Book Cliffs View and back. Then Otto's Trail (John Otto promoted the area to become a park), Coke Ovens Trail, and at the Red Canyon overlook. Temps started about 77 and ended at 90.
We took highways back to the RV to wait for cooler weather this evening. 101 and rising now. The dogs wanted to be walked, but their feet couldn't stand the heat of the asphalt roads in the sun, so only stayed in the shady corner of the dog walk gravel area.
20 new photos posted at http://picasaweb.google.com/rosser.tom/RVVacation2010#
We took the Canyon Rim Trail from the visitor center to the Book Cliffs View and back. Then Otto's Trail (John Otto promoted the area to become a park), Coke Ovens Trail, and at the Red Canyon overlook. Temps started about 77 and ended at 90.
We took highways back to the RV to wait for cooler weather this evening. 101 and rising now. The dogs wanted to be walked, but their feet couldn't stand the heat of the asphalt roads in the sun, so only stayed in the shady corner of the dog walk gravel area.
20 new photos posted at http://picasaweb.google.com/rosser.tom/RVVacation2010#
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Big Truck!
As we came back from Canyonlands Island in the Sky Grand View Point, we found a group of people gathered around our truck taking pictures. They were French, and had never seen a personal truck that big. We forget its size when we see so many at RV parks. So maybe our truck will be seen on some French blog too!
We encountered a European RV made by Hymer with German license plates. We asked, and it was shipped from Hamburg to Baltimore, MD. We thought that was unusual.
We encountered a European RV made by Hymer with German license plates. We asked, and it was shipped from Hamburg to Baltimore, MD. We thought that was unusual.
Canyonlands National Park - The Needles
The photos of yesterday's park visit start with a close up of the soil crust. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_crust
The rangers make a big deal about protecting it, but don't always say why. The Colorado Plateau is primarily sand, either loose or as sandstone. If nothing were present to hold the loose sand, then it would blow around and either bury plants or undermine the plant roots, both making it harder for plants to root and grow and survive. The crust is a combination of different microscopic structures that glue the sand together and keep it in place. Actually critical for life of the high desert.
The Needles section of Canyonlands was about 80 miles one way from our RV park. This time of year, they only get about 450 visitors a day (100K per year). Island in the Sky gets 200K and Arches gets 1 million. Much of the justification for the particular parks we picked for visits on this vacation was to visit the "less popular" places. The truck thermometer at 1pm was at 95 degrees, but Terri and I were sure the temp on the Pothole Point rocks was at least 105.
Terri wanted to get a pressed penny for the area. The parks visitor centers didn't have the machine, but we were told there was one in town. We found it and did a little more shopping, but wanted to get back to the RV to walk the dogs. By the time we got back to the RV, the truck reported 103 in the shade.
It was Terri's birthday, so we had a nice steak dinner at the RV.
20 new photos posted at http://picasaweb.google.com/rosser.tom/RVVacation2010#
The rangers make a big deal about protecting it, but don't always say why. The Colorado Plateau is primarily sand, either loose or as sandstone. If nothing were present to hold the loose sand, then it would blow around and either bury plants or undermine the plant roots, both making it harder for plants to root and grow and survive. The crust is a combination of different microscopic structures that glue the sand together and keep it in place. Actually critical for life of the high desert.
The Needles section of Canyonlands was about 80 miles one way from our RV park. This time of year, they only get about 450 visitors a day (100K per year). Island in the Sky gets 200K and Arches gets 1 million. Much of the justification for the particular parks we picked for visits on this vacation was to visit the "less popular" places. The truck thermometer at 1pm was at 95 degrees, but Terri and I were sure the temp on the Pothole Point rocks was at least 105.
Terri wanted to get a pressed penny for the area. The parks visitor centers didn't have the machine, but we were told there was one in town. We found it and did a little more shopping, but wanted to get back to the RV to walk the dogs. By the time we got back to the RV, the truck reported 103 in the shade.
It was Terri's birthday, so we had a nice steak dinner at the RV.
20 new photos posted at http://picasaweb.google.com/rosser.tom/RVVacation2010#
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Landscape Arch and Canyonlands Island in the Sky
We started the day yesterday at the Arches National Park Devils Garden Trailhead. This is at the end of the road farthest from the visitors center and took about 45 minutes to drive there. As we drove in, we saw a long line of class C (like a truck and camper integrated into one) lined up along the road and 75% of them were from RV rental companies. A lot of foreign travelers fly in to the US and tour in these RVs.
We had a nice walk to Landscape Arch as the day got hotter and hotter. By the time we took the side trails to Pine Tree Arch and Tunnel Arch, it was 95 degrees and uncomfortable. We drove back to the visitor center for lunch, but there were no picnic facilities. We sat in the truck with the engine and AC running, then went in to the center to buy our souvenirs. The temp in a black truck in an asphalt parking lot was reported at 118 degrees when we came out, and 98 after we got some air moving around the truck.
We then drove north to Canyonlands National Park. It is divided into three distinct areas that are not connected by roads. The easiest to access is Island in the Sky which is on top of a large mesa with canyons cut on three sides by the Green River and Colorado River. the other sections are Needles (basically hoodoos and fins) that we plan to see today and The Maze which is only 4wd and hiking accessible. As we entered the park, a rain storm lowered the temperature to 70 degrees. Nice! We rented the driving tour CD and completed our tour at 6:06. Unfortunately, the visitors center closed at 6 so it looked like we "bought" the CD for $10 instead of renting it for $5. A park ranger opened the door and was kind enough to take the return and give us our $5 refund. The CD isn't really useful outside the park.
The temp was back up to 92 degrees without the benefit of rain to keep things cool. Higher temps are predicted over the next week.
33 new photos posted at http://picasaweb.google.com/rosser.tom/RVVacation2010#
We had a nice walk to Landscape Arch as the day got hotter and hotter. By the time we took the side trails to Pine Tree Arch and Tunnel Arch, it was 95 degrees and uncomfortable. We drove back to the visitor center for lunch, but there were no picnic facilities. We sat in the truck with the engine and AC running, then went in to the center to buy our souvenirs. The temp in a black truck in an asphalt parking lot was reported at 118 degrees when we came out, and 98 after we got some air moving around the truck.
We then drove north to Canyonlands National Park. It is divided into three distinct areas that are not connected by roads. The easiest to access is Island in the Sky which is on top of a large mesa with canyons cut on three sides by the Green River and Colorado River. the other sections are Needles (basically hoodoos and fins) that we plan to see today and The Maze which is only 4wd and hiking accessible. As we entered the park, a rain storm lowered the temperature to 70 degrees. Nice! We rented the driving tour CD and completed our tour at 6:06. Unfortunately, the visitors center closed at 6 so it looked like we "bought" the CD for $10 instead of renting it for $5. A park ranger opened the door and was kind enough to take the return and give us our $5 refund. The CD isn't really useful outside the park.
The temp was back up to 92 degrees without the benefit of rain to keep things cool. Higher temps are predicted over the next week.
33 new photos posted at http://picasaweb.google.com/rosser.tom/RVVacation2010#
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Arches and Fiery Furnace
We rented a CD for a driving tour through the Arches National Park and took the tour.
I was able to get reservations for a ranger led tour called the Fiery Furnace. It is a section of the park with lots of closely spaced "fins" (tall, narrow rock cliffs separated by narrow canyons). Only two tours of 25 people per day. http://www.nps.gov/arch/planyourvisit/fieryfurnacevideo.htm
54 new photos posted at http://picasaweb.google.com/rosser.tom/RVVacation2010#
I was able to get reservations for a ranger led tour called the Fiery Furnace. It is a section of the park with lots of closely spaced "fins" (tall, narrow rock cliffs separated by narrow canyons). Only two tours of 25 people per day. http://www.nps.gov/arch/planyourvisit/fieryfurnacevideo.htm
54 new photos posted at http://picasaweb.google.com/rosser.tom/RVVacation2010#
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Capitol Reef - Grand Wash Trail
Today we decided to take the Grand Wash trail. We had to drive in over an unpaved road to the trail head. The trail follows a dry riverbed used to connect various wagon trails through Capitol Reef. It was a very easy 2.25 mile one way through shear cliffs. Quite a nice simple trail.
We hiked to the the end and had lunch. Then began the return. Both ends of the trail warn about flash floods, so of course the return trip had quite a nice thunder storm threaten. It ended up being only a mild sprinkle that cooled us off as we walked.
I found and saved two interesting rocks, very much like one I found yesterday. On the way back we stopped at a rock shop and they were identified as geodes. I have never found one before, and now have three. He said they had a nice blue interior.
14 new photos posted at http://picasaweb.google.com/rosser.tom/RVVacation2010#
We hiked to the the end and had lunch. Then began the return. Both ends of the trail warn about flash floods, so of course the return trip had quite a nice thunder storm threaten. It ended up being only a mild sprinkle that cooled us off as we walked.
I found and saved two interesting rocks, very much like one I found yesterday. On the way back we stopped at a rock shop and they were identified as geodes. I have never found one before, and now have three. He said they had a nice blue interior.
14 new photos posted at http://picasaweb.google.com/rosser.tom/RVVacation2010#
Capitol Reef National Park
This became a national park in 1971. It's name was derived from two different characteristics. The use of the term "reef" is in reference to the nautical designation of anything that obstructs navigation as this 100 mile long ridge made it very hard to cross. The white Navajo sandstone "domes" look like those on state capitol buildings. The formation itself was formed deep underground as part of the large block uplift of Utah/Colorado/Arizona/New Mexico, then was exposed as the land above it eroded (one mile in depth).
We drove to the park and stopped at Panorama Point. It was directly across from Chimney Rock that we thought we may hike. After photos, we went to the visitor center and saw the welcome movie on the region. We decided to change our hike to the Cahab Canyon trail. It climbed from the road into a "hidden canyon". It appeared to include the moraine deposits of an ancient glacier, as large rounded basalt boulders where everywhere.
We had a nice "Western Cookout" at the RV park, but it was really just dinner served on a picnic table under a shelter roof. Terri and I both had BBQ ribs. We had hoped that there would be a larger crowd, but there was only one other family from California. Food was good but a little overpriced. We ordered muffins for the morning.
In Glacier NP it was much colder at night, down to 38 degrees. We ran the electric fireplace all night and then used the LP gas furnace twice in the morning. Here in Capitol Reef, it is only getting down to 60 degrees at night so we don't even need the fireplace. Highs in the 80's. Terri looked up Moab where we will go tomorrow and it is supposed to get over 100 every day.
32 new photos posted at http://picasaweb.google.com/rosser.tom/RVVacation2010#
We drove to the park and stopped at Panorama Point. It was directly across from Chimney Rock that we thought we may hike. After photos, we went to the visitor center and saw the welcome movie on the region. We decided to change our hike to the Cahab Canyon trail. It climbed from the road into a "hidden canyon". It appeared to include the moraine deposits of an ancient glacier, as large rounded basalt boulders where everywhere.
We had a nice "Western Cookout" at the RV park, but it was really just dinner served on a picnic table under a shelter roof. Terri and I both had BBQ ribs. We had hoped that there would be a larger crowd, but there was only one other family from California. Food was good but a little overpriced. We ordered muffins for the morning.
In Glacier NP it was much colder at night, down to 38 degrees. We ran the electric fireplace all night and then used the LP gas furnace twice in the morning. Here in Capitol Reef, it is only getting down to 60 degrees at night so we don't even need the fireplace. Highs in the 80's. Terri looked up Moab where we will go tomorrow and it is supposed to get over 100 every day.
32 new photos posted at http://picasaweb.google.com/rosser.tom/RVVacation2010#
Friday, July 9, 2010
Glacier to Capitol Reef
July 5 - Glacier National Park
We decided to try the hike to Howe Lake. It required driving up an unpaved single lane narrow road through the burn area of 2003. We met a few cars coming the opposite direction and were able to get past each other, but we decided we would skip the hike as we felt spending several hours looking at burned trees with head high regrowth wouldn't be too scenic. We decided to take the Lake McDonald boat tour instead.
We turned around and made out way back to the Apgar Transport Center to pick up a shuttle bus. Our truck is pretty large to park in random spots along the Going to the Sun road or lodge parking lots that are generally full. We had 1.5 hours to kill before the tour, so we went to the Lake McDonald Lodge Bar to try some local drinks. I had "Moose Drool" brown ale and Terri tried a huckleberry daiquiri. It turned out that we "knew" the bar tender! We had met at the volunteer fire house car wash.
The boat tour used the historic DeSmit boat. We started in the bow, but were driven inside by yet another rain. Not really very much to see, and the beer may not have been such a good idea as there were no restroom facilities.
We took the shuttle back to the village area and did some shopping. It was 0.5 miles back to the transit center and we waited for about 1/2 hour with no shuttles, so we took a very nice paved path to get there. We drove out to Hungry Horse again to get diesel and more food supplies, then back to the RV.
July 6 - Drive to Arco, ID
We hitched up and started the long 408 mile drive to Arco, Idaho. The Montana scenery was extremly nice. We went through canyons, along large lakes, though broad rolling valleys with lots of cherry orchards. In Idaho we followed the Peaks to Craters Scenic Bypass that followed rivers cut through the weathered mountains. At Elk Creek Summit, I picked two sprigs of Sage (small shrub) that were very fragrant and we enjoyed them in the truck for several days. The road left the rivers in the Salmon River valley. 408 miles Not a single mile of interstate and we are getting 11.4 mpg so far for the entire trip.
July 7 - From Arco, ID
We wanted to see the Experimental Breeder Reactor (EBR-1) that was 18 miles outside Arco. The concept is to have uranium 238 absorb a neutron from U235 fission reaction and become Plutonium that can be used for fission reactions. Basically, create more fuel that it uses. This was the 1st reactor to create more energy than it consumed. It was designed to shut itself down in any situation, and even had a passive convection cooling system that did not require pumping (if not electricity is available). Of course, it used caustic liquid metal (Sodium/Potassium) that would burn on exposure to air or water, so not without some risk.
Back to the RV for lunch, then 25 miles in the opposite direction from Arco to Craters of the Moon NM. This is a section of a very large lava field formed by basalt erupting from an enormous crack (rift) every 2000 years. (Last one 2000 years ago.) We took several small trails to see various kinds of activity (cinder cones, spatter cones, rope lava, block lava, etc.). The "worst" form was A'a lava (Hawaiian for "hurts your feet", or as I spell it AHHHH, AHHHHH) that is sharp, jagged, and basically impassable. We took a ranger led tour of Indian Cave where a lava tube had collapsed. Lava tubes are long hollow tubes where the roof had cooled but hot liquid lava continued to flow. We learned the difference between a hot collapse where the roof was still flexible and just flattened out like a souffle that falls, and a cold collapse where it fractures into blocks. We had to scramble over rock falls to get out the far end, then travel over the lava fields back to the trail.
The entire valley of Craters of the Moon NM "points" at Yellowstone NP. The explanation was that the crust in the area has been moving west over a stationary "hot spot" that forms giant caldera every few million years. The expectation is that the rift will erupt in the next 100 years as it has been shown to do, and the Yellowstone will "explode" within the next 100,000 years as the geologic record shows it regularly does. See it now before it goes away!
The RV park in Arco included a breakfast in their cafe. Two large pancakes with two eggs cooked to order and coffee. The pancakes were wonderful, with some crispy parts on the outside. The cliff behind the town was covered with large numbers, obviously the work of the graduating classes from the high school. It appears to have started in 1922 or before. With all the good flat spaces taken, future years will have a harder job of it.
Every time we go to the store, I point at something interesting (scalloped potatos with garlic) and ask Terri "Do you need this?" Her answer is generally "Get it if you want it" or "I don't know." She decided to empty out all the cabinets and see what was in there, and merge similar items into the same cabinet. There was quite a pile of things on the counter, so I think we can probably survive for a while.
We continue to find things that are vibrating loose or moving while we travel. Terri spotted a small bolt on the floor in front of the TV and it took us 5 minutes to find that it fell out of the ceiling fan. Of course, other bolts were loose on other blades. There is a pull out pantry with three shelves to the right of the stove that appears to come open and allows the drawer handles across from it to rub the front panel of the pantry. We now have to pack pillows between them. The screws above the refrigerator continue to work them selves out, indicating to me that the slide they are in is flexing as we travel. That same flexing is what opens the freezer doors (my theory). We now put a bungee cord across them to keep the ice from dumping out.
July 8 - Travel to Torrey, UT
Once again we were treated to a day with almost no traffic for the 455 miles to Capitol Reef NP. We were generally going under the speed limit and we would never catch another vehicle and rarely have one come up from behind on us. The traffic in the other direction was just a light. We planned a 32 mile (each way) side trip to see the Golden Spike NHS where the Union and Central Pacific railroads joined track to create the first transcontinental railroad. This was the emblem chosen by Utah for their state quarter, really a huge thing in the opening of the west for settlement and trade. As we were there in the afternoon, we really couldn't leave the dogs in the truck, so we didn't get to see any movies or spend much time in the visitor center. We were there at exactly the right time to see two replica steam engines demonstrated. Very nice. The dogs were well behaved and popular.
Traffic in Salt Lake City was very heavy, worse than Denver. I guess that was to be expected as we were in Denver on a Sunday and Salt Lake City on a Thursday. We went through some passes at about 8400' elevation and arrived the Thousand Lake RV park (no lakes in sight, named after a nearby mountain). Beautiful views, nice wide sites, lush grass, lots of groups and families having a great time. We like our choice.
40 new photos posted at http://picasaweb.google.com/rosser.tom/RVVacation2010#
We decided to try the hike to Howe Lake. It required driving up an unpaved single lane narrow road through the burn area of 2003. We met a few cars coming the opposite direction and were able to get past each other, but we decided we would skip the hike as we felt spending several hours looking at burned trees with head high regrowth wouldn't be too scenic. We decided to take the Lake McDonald boat tour instead.
We turned around and made out way back to the Apgar Transport Center to pick up a shuttle bus. Our truck is pretty large to park in random spots along the Going to the Sun road or lodge parking lots that are generally full. We had 1.5 hours to kill before the tour, so we went to the Lake McDonald Lodge Bar to try some local drinks. I had "Moose Drool" brown ale and Terri tried a huckleberry daiquiri. It turned out that we "knew" the bar tender! We had met at the volunteer fire house car wash.
The boat tour used the historic DeSmit boat. We started in the bow, but were driven inside by yet another rain. Not really very much to see, and the beer may not have been such a good idea as there were no restroom facilities.
We took the shuttle back to the village area and did some shopping. It was 0.5 miles back to the transit center and we waited for about 1/2 hour with no shuttles, so we took a very nice paved path to get there. We drove out to Hungry Horse again to get diesel and more food supplies, then back to the RV.
July 6 - Drive to Arco, ID
We hitched up and started the long 408 mile drive to Arco, Idaho. The Montana scenery was extremly nice. We went through canyons, along large lakes, though broad rolling valleys with lots of cherry orchards. In Idaho we followed the Peaks to Craters Scenic Bypass that followed rivers cut through the weathered mountains. At Elk Creek Summit, I picked two sprigs of Sage (small shrub) that were very fragrant and we enjoyed them in the truck for several days. The road left the rivers in the Salmon River valley. 408 miles Not a single mile of interstate and we are getting 11.4 mpg so far for the entire trip.
July 7 - From Arco, ID
We wanted to see the Experimental Breeder Reactor (EBR-1) that was 18 miles outside Arco. The concept is to have uranium 238 absorb a neutron from U235 fission reaction and become Plutonium that can be used for fission reactions. Basically, create more fuel that it uses. This was the 1st reactor to create more energy than it consumed. It was designed to shut itself down in any situation, and even had a passive convection cooling system that did not require pumping (if not electricity is available). Of course, it used caustic liquid metal (Sodium/Potassium) that would burn on exposure to air or water, so not without some risk.
Back to the RV for lunch, then 25 miles in the opposite direction from Arco to Craters of the Moon NM. This is a section of a very large lava field formed by basalt erupting from an enormous crack (rift) every 2000 years. (Last one 2000 years ago.) We took several small trails to see various kinds of activity (cinder cones, spatter cones, rope lava, block lava, etc.). The "worst" form was A'a lava (Hawaiian for "hurts your feet", or as I spell it AHHHH, AHHHHH) that is sharp, jagged, and basically impassable. We took a ranger led tour of Indian Cave where a lava tube had collapsed. Lava tubes are long hollow tubes where the roof had cooled but hot liquid lava continued to flow. We learned the difference between a hot collapse where the roof was still flexible and just flattened out like a souffle that falls, and a cold collapse where it fractures into blocks. We had to scramble over rock falls to get out the far end, then travel over the lava fields back to the trail.
The entire valley of Craters of the Moon NM "points" at Yellowstone NP. The explanation was that the crust in the area has been moving west over a stationary "hot spot" that forms giant caldera every few million years. The expectation is that the rift will erupt in the next 100 years as it has been shown to do, and the Yellowstone will "explode" within the next 100,000 years as the geologic record shows it regularly does. See it now before it goes away!
The RV park in Arco included a breakfast in their cafe. Two large pancakes with two eggs cooked to order and coffee. The pancakes were wonderful, with some crispy parts on the outside. The cliff behind the town was covered with large numbers, obviously the work of the graduating classes from the high school. It appears to have started in 1922 or before. With all the good flat spaces taken, future years will have a harder job of it.
Every time we go to the store, I point at something interesting (scalloped potatos with garlic) and ask Terri "Do you need this?" Her answer is generally "Get it if you want it" or "I don't know." She decided to empty out all the cabinets and see what was in there, and merge similar items into the same cabinet. There was quite a pile of things on the counter, so I think we can probably survive for a while.
We continue to find things that are vibrating loose or moving while we travel. Terri spotted a small bolt on the floor in front of the TV and it took us 5 minutes to find that it fell out of the ceiling fan. Of course, other bolts were loose on other blades. There is a pull out pantry with three shelves to the right of the stove that appears to come open and allows the drawer handles across from it to rub the front panel of the pantry. We now have to pack pillows between them. The screws above the refrigerator continue to work them selves out, indicating to me that the slide they are in is flexing as we travel. That same flexing is what opens the freezer doors (my theory). We now put a bungee cord across them to keep the ice from dumping out.
July 8 - Travel to Torrey, UT
Once again we were treated to a day with almost no traffic for the 455 miles to Capitol Reef NP. We were generally going under the speed limit and we would never catch another vehicle and rarely have one come up from behind on us. The traffic in the other direction was just a light. We planned a 32 mile (each way) side trip to see the Golden Spike NHS where the Union and Central Pacific railroads joined track to create the first transcontinental railroad. This was the emblem chosen by Utah for their state quarter, really a huge thing in the opening of the west for settlement and trade. As we were there in the afternoon, we really couldn't leave the dogs in the truck, so we didn't get to see any movies or spend much time in the visitor center. We were there at exactly the right time to see two replica steam engines demonstrated. Very nice. The dogs were well behaved and popular.
Traffic in Salt Lake City was very heavy, worse than Denver. I guess that was to be expected as we were in Denver on a Sunday and Salt Lake City on a Thursday. We went through some passes at about 8400' elevation and arrived the Thousand Lake RV park (no lakes in sight, named after a nearby mountain). Beautiful views, nice wide sites, lush grass, lots of groups and families having a great time. We like our choice.
40 new photos posted at http://picasaweb.google.com/rosser.tom/RVVacation2010#
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Avalanche Lake
Terri and I drove to the Apgar Transit Center and took a shuttle bus to the Avalanche Creek stop. Our hike started on the Trail of Cedars trail, a wheelchair accessible .5 mile path with paved paths and boardwalks through an area of ferns and moss while strolling through a Western Red Cedar grove. The main trail we wanted to take split off to follow Avalanche Creek. It was advertised as a 2 mile (one way) trail with a rise in elevation of only 500 ft. It was a wonderful choice.
The day was partly cloudy, much improved over the past few days of scattered rain. We left the trail head at about 10:30am and arrived at Avalanche Lake about 12. The trail was damp and had many muddy spots. We left there at 12:30 and got back down in 50 minutes, just as it started to rain. Perfect timing.
We rode the shuttle back to the truck, and then drove west to explore what was out there. We were looking for a grocery store to pick up a few things but didn't find anything in the small town of Coram. We did find a nice store in Hungary Horse and picked up what we needed. From the parking lot, I saw a kettle corn stand (pop corn) and we went to pick some up. It was next to a volunteer fire department that was holding a car wash fund raiser, so I pulled the truck through and got a bad wash from two kids and an adult for which I volunteered to pay $20 and was completely happy with that.
There was a pot luck at the campground, but we decided to take a nap and grill some burgers.
28 new photos posted at http://picasaweb.google.com/rosser.tom/RVVacation2010#
Still raining, so we will watch fireworks on TV. Happy 4th of July!
The day was partly cloudy, much improved over the past few days of scattered rain. We left the trail head at about 10:30am and arrived at Avalanche Lake about 12. The trail was damp and had many muddy spots. We left there at 12:30 and got back down in 50 minutes, just as it started to rain. Perfect timing.
We rode the shuttle back to the truck, and then drove west to explore what was out there. We were looking for a grocery store to pick up a few things but didn't find anything in the small town of Coram. We did find a nice store in Hungary Horse and picked up what we needed. From the parking lot, I saw a kettle corn stand (pop corn) and we went to pick some up. It was next to a volunteer fire department that was holding a car wash fund raiser, so I pulled the truck through and got a bad wash from two kids and an adult for which I volunteered to pay $20 and was completely happy with that.
There was a pot luck at the campground, but we decided to take a nap and grill some burgers.
28 new photos posted at http://picasaweb.google.com/rosser.tom/RVVacation2010#
Still raining, so we will watch fireworks on TV. Happy 4th of July!
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Going-to-the-Sun Road
Today we took our second Red Bus tour, this time from the west side of Glacier along the Going-to-the-Sun road. It was another rainy day, but that was OK. The park has a beauty that is independent, perhaps enhanced, by the weather.
38 new photos posted at http://picasaweb.google.com/rosser.tom/RVVacation2010#
The most amazing thing is that the road was just opened June 24th (10 days ago). The snow at Logan Pass is the last to be plowed. The road is under restoration and we probably could have driven the truck over it, but it was much nicer to just get to look out and enjoy it. We hope you enjoy the photos.
38 new photos posted at http://picasaweb.google.com/rosser.tom/RVVacation2010#
The most amazing thing is that the road was just opened June 24th (10 days ago). The snow at Logan Pass is the last to be plowed. The road is under restoration and we probably could have driven the truck over it, but it was much nicer to just get to look out and enjoy it. We hope you enjoy the photos.
Friday, July 2, 2010
East Glacier
Wednesday was a travel day from Billings MT to the East side of Glacier National Park at St. Mary. A fairly long drive of 378 miles. Another day of unbelieveably good traffic. We chose to travel back roads and stay closer to the mountains for better views than the interstate route. There were almost no cars in either direction. A very nice drive. The last 30 miles or so were on very tight turns on Rt.89 where it became obvious that by keeping the truck centered in the lane that the RV would go over the yellow center line by up to two feet. Good thing that there were few cars going the other way, but I couldn't accept the risk. On each turn marked at 35mph or less, I hugged the outer right edge of the road which often had quite a drop off (not a cliff). Good practice for trailer awareness.
Our major east side activity was the Red Bus tour for the International Peace Park route. US Glacier and Canada Waterton parks were the 1st in the world to try to promote peaceful cooperation between countries using national parks, a model followed by many countries now. To us, it was more of a way to see the sights without having to drive. The photos tell most of the story about what we saw.
47 new photos added at http://picasaweb.google.com/rosser.tom/RVVacation2010#
Part of the story of the Red Bus tour is the history of it. Our driver/guide had a microphone and speaker and entertained us with stories about national parks where he worked, facts about the lodges of the park system, and the restoration process of the Red Buses. Turns out that Ford had to figure out how to rebuild 38 historic vehicles and spent about $225,000 each by the time they were done (tax write off). We were disappointed that the rain prevented pulling back the canvas cover. We will be taking another Red Bus tour tomorrow (Saturday) over the Going to the Sun highway.
Friday started out as a very rainy day. We had considered getting up early and taking some short hikes in Glacier, but we slept in late instead. Left the RV park at about 10 am and headed down the same narrow Rt. 89 we used to get there on Wed. We planned to take Rt 49 to save some miles, but a sign at the junction said that the maximum overall length was 21 feet. Since our truck is 20 feet long and our trailer is well over 1 foot long, we decided that the turns were too tight and proceeded to take the long way down to Browning.
We arrived at the North American RV Park in Coram and had to set up in the rain. We had a back in site with a dog leg left guarded by boulders and obstacles on both sides. We took it very slow, but made it in on only one attempt with a planned "pull forward adjustment" on the dog leg. The hitch was temperamental in disconnecting so we waited for the rain to stop then basically started over on the un-hitching process. The ground was soft anyway, so raising up the front landing gear to reset the hitch allowed us to put down boards to prevent sinking into the soft earth. We walked the dogs between rains and plan to take it easy tonight. Some TV stations, excellent internet (to do Blogging). We will be here for 4 nights.
No new problems, but the vibrations of towing are taking their tolls. We lost a marker light from the rear fender of the truck, a light cover under the RV at the rear of the truck broke, screws in the RV need to be tightened, lost a light plastic step stool from the bed of the truck (stolen or blown out).
Our major east side activity was the Red Bus tour for the International Peace Park route. US Glacier and Canada Waterton parks were the 1st in the world to try to promote peaceful cooperation between countries using national parks, a model followed by many countries now. To us, it was more of a way to see the sights without having to drive. The photos tell most of the story about what we saw.
47 new photos added at http://picasaweb.google.com/rosser.tom/RVVacation2010#
Part of the story of the Red Bus tour is the history of it. Our driver/guide had a microphone and speaker and entertained us with stories about national parks where he worked, facts about the lodges of the park system, and the restoration process of the Red Buses. Turns out that Ford had to figure out how to rebuild 38 historic vehicles and spent about $225,000 each by the time they were done (tax write off). We were disappointed that the rain prevented pulling back the canvas cover. We will be taking another Red Bus tour tomorrow (Saturday) over the Going to the Sun highway.
Friday started out as a very rainy day. We had considered getting up early and taking some short hikes in Glacier, but we slept in late instead. Left the RV park at about 10 am and headed down the same narrow Rt. 89 we used to get there on Wed. We planned to take Rt 49 to save some miles, but a sign at the junction said that the maximum overall length was 21 feet. Since our truck is 20 feet long and our trailer is well over 1 foot long, we decided that the turns were too tight and proceeded to take the long way down to Browning.
We arrived at the North American RV Park in Coram and had to set up in the rain. We had a back in site with a dog leg left guarded by boulders and obstacles on both sides. We took it very slow, but made it in on only one attempt with a planned "pull forward adjustment" on the dog leg. The hitch was temperamental in disconnecting so we waited for the rain to stop then basically started over on the un-hitching process. The ground was soft anyway, so raising up the front landing gear to reset the hitch allowed us to put down boards to prevent sinking into the soft earth. We walked the dogs between rains and plan to take it easy tonight. Some TV stations, excellent internet (to do Blogging). We will be here for 4 nights.
No new problems, but the vibrations of towing are taking their tolls. We lost a marker light from the rear fender of the truck, a light cover under the RV at the rear of the truck broke, screws in the RV need to be tightened, lost a light plastic step stool from the bed of the truck (stolen or blown out).
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