4/10/22 - Day 1

On our first day we stopped at Stable View Equestrian Center in Aiken, SC. It is a Harvest Host location which allows you to camp for free as long as you support the establishment. We were able to boon-dock in an open field beside grazing horses and bee hives. It was very windy and cold, but a beautiful setting. In the morning we watched the dressage competition, which neither of us have ever seen. It was a lovely place to spend an evening.

4/11/2022 Day 2

Sweetwater Valley, Villa Rica, GA. A very old campground with a few friendly goats. It was a quiet evening.

When we started our trip, we were told that if we had the chance, we should stop at one of the great new rest areas; BUC-EE'S! We had the opportunity and it was fun! If there is anything you need on your road trip, you can get it here.

4/12/2022 Day 3

R&R Winery. This Harvest Host location is a building in progress. It was a nice place to stop for the night. Very quiet.

4/13/2022 Day 4

We had been watching the weather and violent storms were forming south of us. This is springtime in the mid-west! It was exteremly windy on the highway. We decided to go off plan and stop at a KOA in Marion, AR for the night. We felt a little safer here because they had buildings to take cover in case a tornado did form. The rain was torrential during the night so we got very little sleep. As we were making our way further west we began getting tornado warnings on our phones. Eventually the sky looked so threatening I asked Jim to stop at a truck stop. We waited out the storm in the luxury "drivers lounge" which may have been more scary than the storms! You never know what adventures you will have when traveling in an RV!!

4/14-1 5/2022 Days 5&6

State Parks often turn out to be the prettiest and quietest of all campgrounds. Springhill Park COE was beautiful. The weather here was sunny and we were able to ride our bikes and explore the lock and dams at this location. We also did a little (unsuccesful) Geocaching.

4/15/2022 Day 7

It was a challening drive to this evenings destination, Oklahoma City, OK. Altough the sun was shining, the winds were once again whipping across the open praries and it was a difficult drive. We did arrive safely and enjoyed our stay at a campground that was built by a former Marine and his family. We also visited The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. If you are a fan of the cowboy or anything western, we highly recommend this museum. It was really interesting. The quirky highlight of our trip so far......The American Pigeon Museum! This small museum is dedicated to the history and heritage of domestic pigeons, with exhibits and live birds.

4/16/2022 Day 8

One thing you can't control when you are RV'ing is the weather. Once again, the wind was horrific. Luckily we had a short drive today, only 119 miles. We arrived early in Elk City, OK, home of the National Route 66 Museum. It is actually a small complex with multiple museums within it. Jim especially enjoyed the Farm & Ranch Museum. We will spend two days here. Hopefully, the wind will settle down a bit before we head to Amarillo, TX. Happy Easter!

4/18/2022 Days 9 & 10

Today we drove 142 miles to Amarillo, TX. We stayed at Big Texan RV Ranch. The RV park was nice and the people were very helpful. The first night there we took their shuttle to the Big Texan Ranch Steakhouse. Sounds good, right? Not so much! (always read the reviews first!) We had a much better lunch the next day at the Golden Light Cantina, which is the longest serving diner on Route 66! It is a dive, but the food was great! We walked historic Route 66 in Amarillo. It had a lot of antique shops and a lot of boarded up stores. Tough times everywhere. Our grandchildren call Jim "Pappy" so I thought the last photo was appropriate!

On our drive out of Amarillo, we stopped at the famous Cadillac Ranch! There are 10 Cadillacs, noses down, in the middle of a field. They are covered with layers and layers of graffiti and visitors are encouraged to participate. They even supply the spray paint! It was a little different, but we had to visit! We made another stop in Adrian, TX. This is the halfway point between Chicago and Santa Monica, CA. on old Route 66.

On our way into Santa Rosa, we stopped at The Blue Hole. It is one of seven sister lakes connected undergound. It is a natural artesian well, a type of spring fed by water under high pressure. This location has becomes a favorite among scuba divers because on the bottom there is an entrance to a labyrinth of cave passages and rooms. (these have been closed) The temperature is a constant 61 degrees. Of course, I had to test it!

4/20/22 Days 11 & 12

Santa Rosa Lake State Park, elevation 4800, is another Core of Army Engineers (COE) Reservoir and campground. The lake supplies water to the Pecos River which serves for irrigation in southern New Mexico. Another interesting point is that the town of Santa Rosa served as the train scene in the movie The Grapes of Wrath! We did several hikes over two days even after being warned that "the rattlers are waking up"! It was a beautiful area with clear skies for stargazing and fabulous sunrises.

4/22/2022 Day 13

This morning we left Santa Rosa very early. The weather forecast was for high winds with gusts up to 75 MPH and we did not want to be on the highway fighting the wind. We arrived safely in Grants, NM, elevation 6460, and got settled at the campground. The winds have been incredible and the view is nothing but dust! There are mountains surrounding us but they cant be seen through all the dust in the air. I am posting a few photos of our drive this morning. The landscape has changed from flat desert to desert mountains. There are lava fields in the location we are staying tonight. Those are the black rocks in the bottom photos. In the last photo, with the jeep, I am trying to show you the dust storm. There is actually a mountain range in the distance behind the jeep, but you can't see it!!

To date: 1,996 miles, 8 states

April 23-26 Days 14-16

We left Grants early in the morning and made a stop at the World Famous, Four Corners Monument. It is run by the Navajo Nation and is not a National Park/Monumnet. It is where four states, Utah, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico all meet. It was a fun little side trip where we ate Navajo Tacos and stood on all four corners of the states! We then met some firends in Monument Valley for a few days. Enjoy the photos!

April 26- May 1 The Grand Canyon and Glen Canyon Dam

We boondocked at the Grand Canyon! One day we hiked a short distance down the Bright Angel trail which leads to the canyon floor and beyond. We were able to hike the entire rim trail over the course of our stay. It was hazy most of our visit, but still an incredible site to see. On the way to Zion, we stopped at the Glen Canyon Dam.

May 1 - May 4 Zion Canyon National Park

At Zion we hiked the River Walk trail. A "must-do" if you visit Zion. This hike brings you to the Narrows where many hikers continue their hike in the Virgin River. Another day we rode our bikes along a paved trail and we able to experience the park from another viewpoint. It was crowded, but still a beautifully amazing park.

May 4 - May 7 Bryce Canyon National Park

I think Bryce Canyon National Park may be my new favorite! The rock formations, colors and hikes were phenominal. While we were there a "prescribed" burn was taking place in the Dixie National Forest. (That is the picture with the smoke.) The last few photos are during the Wall Street pportion of. our hike. You can see the very narrow passage we walked through and then the steep switchbacks we had to climb our of the canyon through. As you can see, I was a bit tired at the top but it was a magnificent hike!

Miles to date: 2858

May 17 Capital Reef National Park

As we left Bryce Canyon this morning we stopped for a few final photos. We then drove through Captial Reef. This beautiful park has interesting rock formations and colors. I'm glad we made the short detour to experience it. The "tunnel" is driving through Dixie National Forest.

May 7-9 Yuba State Park, Utah

Yuba State Park was a very small, quiet little oasis.

May 9-11 Antelope Island State Park, Bridger Bay Campground, Utah

One of the items on our list of "must-do's" was to see the Great Salt Lake. We did not want to stay in the city so we found this lovely state park. It is known for the Bison that live there and is notorious for biting gnats. Luckily we only had to expereince the Bison! The first night we camped, Jim stepped outside the RV and right beside him was a Bison bedding down for the night! (the dark blurry pic.) There are a lot of hiking/biking trails to enjoy. As you can see, the lake was very, very low.

Miles to-date: 3320

May 11 Golden Spike National Historic Site, Promontory Point, Utah

The golden spike (also known as The Last Spike) is the ceremonial 17.6-karat gold final spike driven by Leland Stanford to join the rails of the First Transcontinental Railroad across the United States connecting the Central Pacific Railroad from Sacramento and the Union Pacific Railroadfrom Omaha on May 10, 1869, at Promontory Summit, Utah Territory.

May 11-13 Bear Lake State Park, Idaho

I had driven by Bear Lake in 1994. I rememeber it being one of the most beautiful places I had ever seen and could not wait to see it again. I was not disappointed. We stayed at a campground directly on the lake. It was windy and cold, but the sunset made up for the weather. It was fabulous! The lake is a beautiful turquiose blue, but it was difficult to capture the true color.

May 14 Melving Brewing

This one night stop was a Harvest Host location. We parked in the parking lot!! The manager gave us a tour of the brewery because it was Jim's birthday! The beer was good and Jim enjoyed talking about brewing with the host. The scenery was pretty nice too!

May 14-May 18 Gros Ventre Campground, Grand Teton National Park

We drove through Jackson, WY on our way to Teton, but did not stop. Upon our arrival at the campground we were greeted by the moose pictured below! A great start to our Teton adventure. We spent four days here hiking, biking and relaxing. The mountains are glorious and the wildlife abundant. We were also able to view the lunar eclipse from our campground. It was probably the most magical thing I have ever seen. (I had a tough time choosing only a few photos)

May 18 Redrock RV Park, Idaho

This RV park was outside of Yellowstone and intended to be a day of rest. HA! We had to drive through the lower part of Yellowstone to get here. We stopped at Old Faithful and the Upper Geyser Basin. Yellowstone is an amazing place!

Miles to-date on the road: 3839

Miles (including driving around Grand Canyon and Teton): 4262

(more to come soon)

May 19 - 22 Yellowstone Park/ Mountainside KOA, West Yellowstone, MT

This campground is about 15 miles from the west entrance to Yellowstone. It was a convenient location and we enjoyed our stay, minus the snow on our last day. We managed to drive all through the park except for the East Entrance which was closed due to avalanche warnings. Driving through the park we added 255+ miles to the RV! It is an amazing National Park. We did see a lot of bison! Enjoy the photos I have posted here.

May 23 - 25 Garrison, MT

On our way to Garrison we could see this smelter in the distance, so we investigated. The Anaconda Smelter Stack is the tallest surviving masonry structure in the world, with an overall height of about 585 feet. It is now a super fund site that has yet to be cleaned up. There was also the remnants of a state park entrance that is no longer in existence. In Garrison we camped at a little RV park along the Little Blackfoot River. It was a good place to relax and take a break after 4 days in Yellowstone.

May 25 Black Wolf Ranch, St. Ignatius, MT

Black Wolf Ranch is another Harvest Host. It is one of my favorite stops so far. We camped on the lawn with a view of the mountains to our left and 150+ alpachas to our right! We were able to help feed the animals and met Wendy's beautiful 200 pound Anatolian Shepherds. She has nine guard dogs and they were the sweetest, largest dogs I have ever seen. We purchased some yarn for the weavers and knitters in our family!

May 26 - 28 Lakeside, MT

Edgewater RV "Resort" is located on Flathead Lake. It is a spectacular lake with the Mission and Swan Mountains as a backdrop. During our stay here we visited the quirky, Miracles of America Museum in Polson, MT. I highly recommend this museum. There is a lot of military memorablia and tons of other "stuff"! It was interesting.

May 29 Columbia Falls RV Park, MT

This is a very nice campground, 13 miles from the west entrance to Glacier National Park. We stayed one night and then were able to get into Apgar Campgound which is inside the park. Our first day in Glacier we stopped at the visitor center and then drove as far into the park as was allowed. There is still snow on "Going to the Sun Road". We drove up to Avalanche Creek and then slowly made our way back to Columbia Falls. There are several places to stop along the road for photo ops. You can see from the photos that there are many waterfalls and lots of raging water this time of year. It was breathtaking. The middle photo is Lake McDonald.

May 30 Apgar Campground West Glacier

We hiked Avalanche Creek Trail today. I was a little nervous because of the bear warnings, but we were prepared. We had bear spray and bear bells! There were also a lot of people on this side of Glacier. It was a beautiful hike up to Avalanche Lake.

May 31- June 3 St. Mary's, Glacier National Park, East Entrance

In my opinion, East Glacier is one of the most magical places in our country. The views are breathtaking and the wildlife is awesome. Below are a few photos from the drive from Apgar (West Glacier) to St. Mary (East Glacier) and our boondock site.

Going to the Sun Road is closed to cars becuase it isn't cleared of snow yet. We were able to drive as far as Rising Sun boat launch and ride our bikes seven miles up the road. A few photos from our fantastic ride.

Although we knew the grizzlies were out and about, we decided to do a short, well travelled hike. There were many cars on the trailhead, so we felt "mostly" comfortable on this short trail. It was a lovely hike with wildflowers blooming and pretty open meadows. Until...a deer started stalking us! We noticed her up on a ridge and it appeared she was following us. As we got further down the trail I heard something behind me and turned around to see the deer about 20 feet behind us! She continued to follow us for some time when two hikers joined us and the guy managed to scare her away. The rangers said she had probably been fed by hikers and was looking for food. It was a very strange encounter, but at least it wasnt a bear!

Even though we knew we would not be able to hike to Many Glacier, we decided to spend some time driving over to that area of the park. We were so glad we did! If you zoom in on the second photo, you will see why we decided not to hike today. The grizzlies were out and they were hungry!

On our return to camp, we saw this friendly fellow!

On our final day in Glacier we decided to drive back up to Many Glacier. Today was opening day for the historic hotel so we had lunch there. We just happened to be the very first guests of the 2022 season! It was a very enjoyable day with more wildlife spottings, a delicious lunch and a Huckleberry Smash! The last photo in this group is a moose on the shores of the lake. We saw her on our way to lunch. Not in the photo is a grizzly bear that was stalking her and her calf. I did not want to see the outcome so we continued up to the hotel. On our way back to camp, the moose and her calf were still on the shore and the rangers said the bear was long gone. Momma moose are badass!!!

Today begins our journey home. We still have a lot to see, so stay tuned.

Total miles to date, including all touring: 5309

June 4 - Great Falls, MT

One night stay. This was not my favorite place. OH wait! They had a Starbucks and I got my fix!

June 5 - 6 Billings, MT

We stayed at a KOA in Billings. It was a nice stop. We went into town and walked through some "antique" shops. We also visited an old estate called the "Moss Mansion," built in 1903. It has a very interesting history and over 90% of the content was original to the family. https://mossmansion.com

June 7 - 9 Medora, North Dakota

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

This park was a very pleasant surprise. We had not heard very much about it, but it was beautiful with strange rock formations and lots of wildlife. Most memorable for me was the scent of sagebrush whenever you hiked the trails and the spectacular views.

June 9 - 11 Sundace, WY and Devils Tower National Monument

Devil's Tower became the first National Monument, established in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt! It was made more famous by the 1977 movie "Close Encounters of Third Kind." It is a facsinating geological structure. While there, we saw several climbers who were doing volunteer climbs for the park service.

June 11 Wind Cave National Park, Hot Springs, SD

A short drive from Devil's Tower to Wind Cave National Park. Jim did a cave tour while I stayed above ground and did a very short hike. After being warned there were Pairie Rattlesnakes in the area, I was over-cautious and did not venture far. Worth a visit if you are in this area.

June 12

You can't drive all the way to South Dakota and not visit Wall Drug!

June 12 - 15 Badlands National Park and Minuteman National Missle Historic Site

We had a very interesting visit to the National Missle site. It is a deactivated missle silo. There is more info here https://www.nps.gov/mimi/index.htm

We spent two days touring Badlands National Park. It is another park that should not be missed.

June 15 - 17 Mitchell, South Dakota

The World's Only Corn Palace.

June 16 Taking a break at the campground today.

Miles to date: 6,729

States to date: 17