Glacier

Glacier National Park is the wildest, most rugged place we have stayed on this trip. We spent six nights in the park with no hookups, no internet, no electricity except our batteries and no water except what I filled in our tanks.

It was bear country; keep all your food locked in your camper. We joked that if Yogi Bear was written today, the ranger wouldn't be after Yogi but after the campers who leave food out.

But what an incredible place. After seeing so much, you start to lose words to describe it all. Glacier is a little bit canyon - like the Grand Canyon, but formed by Glaciers so different. It is a little bit like Rocky Mountain - but not really. It has lakes and mountains like the Tetons, and yet it isn't really like them, either. It is its own place and quite dramatic.

One day, we did a five mile round trip hike to a lake in the mountains. You could look up and see five waterfalls. They were fed by snow melt and a glacier that was hidden over the top of the mountains. On another day, we went along the Going to the Sun road up to Logan Pass. We hiked in a meadow and saw two kinds of Marmots, Ground Squirrels, and some kind of animal we couldn't identify; maybe a rare Fisher. When we got back, a Bighorn Sheep walked within about 100 yards of us.

On our last day, we rented a rowboat just to get out on Lake McDonald. What fun. Andres is pretty good at rowing, too.

The local specialty is huckleberry. No, not the cartoon character, but a berry that looks similar to a blueberry. We saw them growing wild along the trail - and tried huckleberry cobbler, huckleberry ice cream, and even huckleberry beer (well, Erling tried that one anyway).

It was a long drive to get to Glacier and well worth it. As we left, we began our journey East toward home. We still have a few stops along the way. Hope to have internet soon so we can keep you posted.

More pictures.

Erling

Yellowstone

You would think that the photo I would use to show off Yellowstone would be Old Faithful. True, we did see Old Faithful blow. Twice in fact. And it was very impressive.

But the thing about Yellowstone is that there is so much more to it that just one geyser. We spent only two days exploring the park. It is huge, so there is really no way we could see it all. Like most people say, it is also very crowded and has lots of traffic.

But, in just those two days, we saw an incredible variety of landscapes, from geysers to mountains, to grasslands and so much more. As you drive, you can be in one type of place and minutes later feel like you are somewhere completely different.

The list of animals we saw was long; a grizzly bear with her two cubs, a nest where an osprey fed its three young a fish, a herd of mule deer wandering in the road, an elk, and much more.

We stayed just outside the park in West Yellowstone at the Grizzly Campground. It was a good choice as a base. The campgrounds within Yellowstone aren't really geared toward campers and with the long distances, no matter where you stay you will be driving to get anywhere.

Yellowstone is impressive. Our two days just barely scratched the surface. Glad we had the chance to have a short visit.

More pictures.

Tetons

We visited Grand Teton National Park. It is just South of Yellowstone. Several people had mentioned it as one of their favorites. It was a fantastic place.

Most mountains have foothills. The Tetons just rise up from a plain. There are seven peaks. The area has many lakes and wonderful hiking trails. One day, we did a hike around part of Jenny Lake then took a boat ride back. We spent another day riding horses. We also rented kayaks one afternoon.

The parks have surprised us. We stayed at the Colter Bay campground. While we camped in the woods and were visited by deer and other animals, there are lodges, restaurants, and even a marina within the park. The restaurant at Signal Mountain was excellent and had a great view of a lake.

While we only spent a few days here, this is a place we would definitely want to return. More pictures.

Cherry Hill

Cherry Hill Campground in Kayesville, UT was the kid's favorite stop so far. Here are their reviews.

The water slides were fun! They had a pirate water playground, a medieval dragon water slide, a gold rush water slide and the greatest put-put course ever! The dragon water slide had really dark tunnels that misted you. the gold rush slide had gold walls and several basins. The put-put course had lots of tunnels, castles and secret passageways. Cherry Hill was fun! Andres

I like Cherry Hill. The water slides are really fun. Two are dragons. One is the Grand Canyon. there are pools and put-put. Cherry Hill is in Utah. If you are going to go on a vacation, go to Cherry Hill. Elena.

We had a great time at Cherry Hill. In addition to the water slides and miniature golf, I highly recommend the razzleberry pie. Erling

More pictures.

Las Vegas

We were in Boulder City, NV. Since our tour of the dam was canceled, we had a bit of free time. So, we decided to take a quick drive over to Las Vegas. It seemed like a daytime drive down the strip might be interesting - just looking at all the wild themed buildings. Elena had found a brochure for M&M World so we had a kid-friendly destination. We parked at the MGM Grand and walked to M&M World. It is a four story store of nothing but M&M stuff. I guess I can't write any more since what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

Erling

Hoover Dam

With the Grand Canyon, we saw one of the seven natural wonders of the world. It was only fitting that our next stop would be one of the seven modern wonders of the world - the Hoover Dam.

This is truly an engineering wonder that has transformed the Southwestern United States, providing electricity and water to millions. Of course, a beautiful canyon was lost in its making.

We stayed in Boulder City, NV the town that was created for the construction crew to live while the dam was being built. It was hot - 112 degrees. It is hard to imagine the crew working long days in the heat for very low wages. But, it was the Great Depression and people were eager for work.

We were looking forward to taking a tour through the dam and power plant. Unfortunately, as our tour was about to start, they canceled tours for the day. The excuse was that one of the two elevators was not working so it would not be safe for tourists. At least we got to see the dam close up.

More pictures.

Erling

Grand Canyon

I have wanted to visit Grand Canyon National Park for quite a long time. After two long and weary days of driving through Colorado and New Mexico, we finally arrived at the park. Thus far, we had traveled well over 4,000 miles and I was keeping my fingers crossed that this destination would be worth every mile.

We finally arrived at the park in the evening and decided to go to the South rim of the canyon to see the sunset. We walked through a forest of Ponderosa Pine to get to the rim. As we walked, I quietly thought to myself "Will the canyon 'wow' me as I have anticipated? When we reached the rim, the canyon more than 'wowed' me. It stopped me dead in my tracks and mesmerized me. I was wide-eyed and speechless as I viewed the vast landscape before me.

From the rim we were pleasantly surprised to see a California Condor. It is a somewhat odd looking bird with a very impressive wingspan. Near extinction until recently, it is a rare sight to see the Condor. This was my lucky day!

The next morning I woke up early to watch the sunrise over the canyon. I watched the canyon's palette of colors slowly change with the rising sun. That morning, in the grandest of canyons, the world stood absolutely still. It was a slice of heaven on earth.

I have thought of many words to describe the canyon's beauty and have taken numerous pictures to try to capture it. There are no words that truly describe its beauty nor pictures that can capture its enormity.

Was it worth every mile we traveled? Without a doubt - yes!

Now, if I can just see a moose and get my cowgirl hat...

Thanks for following.

Judy

More pictures available.

Glen Canyon Raft Trip

Judy is going to write about the Grand Canyon. What an awesome place. Look for her post soon.

While we were there, we took a day trip on the Colorado River near the Glen Canyon Dam. It was a very long, but very wonderful day. The raft trip was several hours on smooth water. It was hot - way over 100 degrees. The water was cold, 47 degrees, and clear. We used towels soaked in the water to stay cool.

The views of the canyon are spectacular. We had two stops along the way. At one of them, we hiked a short trail to see ancient petroglyphs. You really notice the heat once you are off the water.

Our guide stopped and played a few songs on the guitar which was nice. At one point, he let Andres drive the boat.

A great day in an amazing place.

More pictures are available.

Rocky Mountain National Park

Had a great time visiting Rocky Mountain National Park. The weather was a bit cold and wet - but it can't be sunny every day. This was our first national park campground and had no power, water, cell connectivity, or any other convenience. It worked out just fine.

We did the drive to the highest elevation - over 12,000 feet, stopped by the continental divide, and a few visitors centers. We saw a great program on coyotes and another on squirrels. We are all learning quite a bit from the ranger talks.

A special part of this stop was that Erling's friend Rob stopped by for a cookout. Rob, Robyn, and their son Ryan drove a long way for a visit. It was great fun. Elena and Ryan became instant friends. We hadn't seen them since their wedding. Thanks Rob.

The Rocky mountains are pretty amazing. Glad we had the chance to stop. You can find more images of this stop.

Erling

Wind Cave

While we were in the Rapid City area, we had the chance to visit Wind Cave National Park. Wind Cave is considered the third largest cave in the world. It has a unique rock formation that looks like a box or grid.

We took the Needles Highway to get there. Along the way, we saw a lot of wildlife including a herd of buffalo, a prarie dog town, and some mule deer.

After visiting the park, we did the President's Alpine Slide. You ride a chairlift to the top of a mountain, then ride a bobsled-like cart down. We all had fun and wanted to do it again.

Pictures of our visit are here.

Mount Rushmore

We knew we would be away this year on the Forth of July. After a bit of thought, we decided it couldn't get much better than to be at Mount Rushmore for the holiday. The common theme of the presidents on Rushmore seems to be freedom. Each one stands for freedom in a different way. Each is uniquely American.

Now they usually have one of the best fireworks shows in the nation that day. Unfortunately for us, there is a beetle eating pine trees across the Western US. Because of that, there was too much dead wood and the fireworks were canceled. We had a great time anyway.

We hiked around the trail and attended a ranger talk on the construction of the monument. Andres and Elena did the Junior Ranger program which is a great way to learn more about the parks.

While in the Rapid City area, we stayed at the Rafter J Bar Ranch. This campground was a stop on a famous stagecoach trail. It is a beautiful setting up in the hills and away from most city noise. Plus, it had a great pool.

More to come soon on Wind Cave, Rocky Mountain, The Grand Canyon, and Glen Canyon. Hope summer is treating you well. Look forward to hearing from you.

Here are pictures from Rushmore

Wall Drug

Well, we did another "Must See" attraction along the way. We stopped at Wall Drug in Wall South Dakota. The free ice water really brings them in. Got the fridge magnet - what else is there to say.

More images here

Corn Palace

On our way out West, we had to do a stop at the Mitchell Corn Palace. Each year, the building is redecorated outside using different colors of corn. Amazing.

More images here

Blake

On our way from Itasca to Rapid City, we make a quick stop in Wahpeton, ND. Well, actually, we stopped in Breckenridge, MN which is just across the Red River. We had lunch at Wilkins with Blake. Blake is friend of Erling's from the time they were four. It was great to catch up and have a good meal together.

One cool surprise was that Blake had just bought a Ram pickup almost like ours. We just had to pose for a shot with our trucks and the grain elevator in the background.

Itasca State Park

Itasca State Park is in Minnesota. It is where the Mississippi river starts. Judy and I have visited the park several times and have always enjoyed it. One thing we always dreamed of doing was riding our bikes through the park. Well, we did it.

What a great visit. We had good cool weather. Our site overlooked Lake Itasca. The bike trail was just feet from our site. We rode our bikes through the park to visit the ruins of the general store, a logging exhibit, and the pioneer cemetery. At the end of the trail was the Mississippi Headwaters. You can literally walk across the river. It was very cool. Later that day, we drove the rest of the park and climbed up an observation tower.

You can see more images from Itasca

We are having fun so far. But, our posts are a little behind. It is actually somewhat hard to get internet access from state and national parks. But, we hope to soon post about Mount Rushmore, Wind Cave National Park, and Rocky Mountain National Park. Hope your summer is going well.

Erling