2021/07/07 - Wednesday - Vacation - Day 20 - Hitting Flagstaff

We left at 9 and headed west...

Next stop Flying J for Gas.

We stopped at KOA but they had no opening for the next two nights, so we got online to find a place and we finally found a place - Black Barts RV Park

Unloaded the 4Runner.

I lost the pins to my flag poll so we stopped at a Tractor Supply Co. to get some new pins and few other things.  Next stop was at Home Depot to get stuff that Tractor Supply did not have.

I went ahead and topped off the 4Runner of the necessary go go juice.

We did several stop in the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument and Wupatki National Monument. 

Back at the RV to check on the animals.  We had made some reservations.  I did not know that it was a dinner and show at the Black Bart's Steakhouse.

2021/07/05 - Monday - Vacation - Day 18 - Off Road Trail

 We left the campground at 9 and headed into town to get some stuff for the adventure. 

We stopped at Smoothy's Juice Bar and had breakfast.

We stopped at the Great Sand Dunes Visitor Center again.

Before heading up the Medano Pass Primitive Road, we stopped at the base of the big sand dunes.  The sandy part was deep and the 4runner had no issues. We crossed the creek and it was not very deep.  There was a section that had deep nogales.  We stopped along the route to eat lunch, bugs were out also. There was one steep muddy climb and again the 4Runner did great.  Once at the top the down hill side was just a easy dirt road.

Back to the RV to check in on the animals

Went to dinner at St Ives A Pub & Eatery

2021/06/20 - Sunday - Vacation - Day 03 - Recovery Day

 Got a good wake-up call from Mom M.  She sound normal and wanted to get out there.  They never transferred her to the hospital because they did not have any rooms available for her.  So I headed on over to pick her up.  The doctor wanted us not to travel today and take it easy.

First stop was at a pharmacy to get her new meds.....

Back at the RV, it is still to warm for her so we are going to do some driving in the car where we can keep Mom M cool.

Next stop was for some cool fluids. - Starbucks...

We did the Saguaro National Park East driving loop, 

Lunch we stopped at Coyote Pause Cafe and had a good meal.

Next stop was at Saguaro National Park Tucson Mountain District (West) Visitor Center,  I drove several of the dirt roads.

Back at the RV, now we head out for dinner - Chef Alisah's Restaurant

Back to the RV for the night.  The heat of the day has not been nice to the fridge, we lost all the food in the fridge because the heat was to high.

J&C did go to the pool for a nice swim.

Mom M appears to be good showing no signs of having heatstroke!

2020/07/02 - Thursday - Vacation - Day 21 - Longest Drive

We finally left E place a little after 10.

First stop was at a Flying J's for the necessary gas for the RV and lunch for us.

Next stop yep Flying J's again.

Then the topping of the tank at another Flying J's

We finally pulling into the road to our friends place around 5:30.  I unloaded the van from the tow-dolly.  A drove the van up.  The road had a lot of washboards so I had to go slow, the tow-dolly did a lot of bouncing.

We didn't stay up to late, but we had a good time chatting.

Update:  The RV had a major issue around midnight.  A woke us up that the AC was a glowing fire.  We double checked and we could smell the burning and see the black scorched marks in the AC unit.  It did not trip the breaker, and it does not work any more.

2020/06/13 - Saturday - Vacation - Day 02 - Kings Canyon

We got up a little after 7.  We got things ready for the day and finally left shortly after 9.

First stop was to top of the tank for the van and then proceed over to Starbucks to get our breakfast and drinks.

About 5 minutes back on the road, I asked if we have the cameras, NOPE, so off at the next ramp and headed back to the RV to get them.  That only delayed us about a total of 25 minutes.

We finally made it to Kings Canyon National Park.

 - Big Stump - but we only pulled in to the parking lot and determine we did not want to walk to it.

 - General Grant Tree - we walked the loop and A took a lot of pictures

 - Panoramic Point - we walked out to the vista location and what a vista

 - McGee Overlook - seeing the old burn area down the valley

 - Junction View - looking down and seeing the Middle and South Forks of Kings River

 - (Before Kings Canyon Lodge) - stopped and take pictures of a water falls that some times the wind would not allow the water to reach the ground

 - Roaring River Falls - short hike to the falls and A took lots of photos

 - Drove around at Roads End Permit Station

 - On the way back, drove a dirt road

 - Grizzly Falls - very short hike to get close to the falls

 - Heading towards Sequoia, we drove as far as Kings Canyon Overlook before turning around.

 - Redwood Mountain Overlook

We made the decision not to do Sequoia National Park because it was already getting late, so we headed back to the RV.

After getting things taken care of at the RV (letting Turquoise out and feeding the animals) we headed out for dinner.

I loaded the van back onto the two dolly and we got a few things ready for tomorrow drive.

2018/07/11 - Wednesday - Vacation - Day 20 - Spiral and Tire

Today was an exploration day.  We got moving after 10.

We headed to Spiral Jetty.  Before turning off toward Golden Spike road, we stopped for lunch.

It was about 11 miles of dirt roads, and Waze had it incorrect, it had a ranch road instead of the intended road to the location, so that will need to be fixed.  When we got to the parking location, I can hear air escaping from someplace.  Well it turned out to be our friends Jeep tire got a leak.  While almost everybody else went exploring the spiral, we worked on the tire.  We could not get the three of the lugs to loosen up.  So I had a can of fix-a-flat, so when it was time to leave we tried to use it, we got more of the stuff outside the can then what went into the tire.

We started back and the tire looked like we had just aired it down for off-roading.  We made it back to Golden Spike parking lot and we need to put more air in.  I used our little pump.  Then the pump stopped working.  It appears the pump died. So now we have a tire not up to the proper pressure.

We drove to the next town and found a place what would patch it and they did it for free.  When they took the lugs off, the air gun did not even indicate that it was on very tight.

Back at home, we finally agreed on where to go to dinner. Yummm. And we thanked our friends for treating us.

We chit-chatted outside until late into the night - said our good-byes to several of them.

2018/07/06 - Friday - Vacation - Day 15 - River Drive

We got up late, because we knew it would be relatively short drive, got on the road about 10:45.  I almost got a speeding ticket but pulled the guy next to me over instead. 

Stopped for Gas and just outside of the town we then stopped for lunch. 

We made it to our destination about 3:30 and setup camp.

We visited the Niobrara National Scenic River Visitor Center and Amanda got the JR ranger booklet so she could work on it.

We then took a drive down the river, stopping at two different water falls.  A lot of the road was dirt and you could tell when it wet, the van would not have done good.

Back in town we stopped for dinner.

Now back at the RV relaxing.

2018/07/03 - Tuesday - Vacation - Day 12 - Pikes Peak and Family

I got up early and did a ten mile bike ride. 

We got going and stopped for drinks, donuts, and gas before heading over to B.G. place.

We headed out to go see P.B., but we took some dirt roads to get there and we stopped at the store before getting there.

She feed us lunch and had a great time chit-chatting.

Our next stop was and Pikes Peak to go see Bridal Veil Falls.  Amanda took several pictures.

We were going to have dinner in Clayton but they did not have a full menu, so we returned to Elkader (via dirt roads :) ) and ate at Fennellys' Irish Pub & Restaurant.

I dropped of Mom M and Cheryl at B.G. place and Amanda and I returned to the RV to check on Turquoise.

We returned to B.G. and spent the rest of the evening working on things and some great talking.

Of course we returned late to RV.

2017/07/01 - Saturday - Vacation - Day 17 - Full and Horses

After getting the RV ready and pulling out of our spot, I put the van onto the two-dolly.  We finally left about 9:20.

We arrived in Fargo and our first stop was at Flying J's to fill the RV.  At the next location, the RV park was full, so we went to choice number two and they are full also.  So I headed for the airport.  Found a big parking lot and stopped to do lunch.

Called a few more places further out of town.  Finally found one that could take us for one night.

After eating lunch we headed for camp, come to find out they are on a gravel road and they really tailor to the horses.

Unloaded the van and Mom D got her stuff ready for her flight home tonight.

We got into the van and headed back into Fargo, first stop was at Flying J's again but gas for the van.

Next stop - dinner

After dinner we went to the airport and dropped off Mom D for her late flight home.

We went to Walmart to do some shopping.

I took the route that Waze wanted me to go and that was longer and more time on the gravel.  The van is really dusty now!

I did laundry - two loads, the first load I had to do two cycles in the dryer.

2016/07/02 - Saturday - Vacation - Day 16 - Wind and Crazy

I got up on time, but we made the choice to make lunch before heading out.

The Van needed the necessary juice so a stop at Pilot was necessary.

On the way to Wind Caves, Waze took us via a dirt road.  It was ok but it did have several potholes (which I did not report any of them :) !)

When we got to the visitor center, we got in line to buy our tickets and the first one up that had room was the Garden Tour (the easiest of three main tours).  We had no real time to explore but head straight to the meeting location to head into the cave.

After done with the cave tour it was time for lunch, so we got into the van and headed to a picnic area, this also gave Amanda time to finish the JR Ranger program book.

After eating lunch we headed back to the visitor center so she can get her badge.

On the way to our next destination, we did the Needles highway, a little slow going but great views!

Today was a beautiful day and we got to see Crazy Horse.   We even did dinner there at the complex.

On the way back to the RV, we drove through Deadwood, man that has changed, now it seems like everything is just another casino no real shops.

I was hoping for a relaxing night, but found out Turquoise peed on our bed, so I had to do laundry!  So much for trying to get to bed early.

2016/07/01 - Friday - Vacation - Day 15 - Rain

I forgot set my alarm, so I got up late.  We finally left about 10:00. 

First stop was for more cash...

Next stop was to get the tire light to stop being on.  The back driver tire was low.

On our way to the next stop, the van needed more go go juice - we stopped at Pilot.

Because it was not raining hard, I decided we go ahead and stop at the "Black Bear Country" and did the driving tour.  We also did the walking part, even though it was raining slightly.  And of course went in and spent some money at the gift shop.

Next stop for lunch was at Ruby House Restaurant in downtown Keystone...

Now onto our driving part of the day.

We drove Iron Mountain Rd, and in Custer State Park, we paid our fee and went to the new visitor center.  The center is really nice and the movie screen is HUGE.

Next part of the drive was the Wildlife Loop Rd.  Part way through I made a detour and turned onto CSP Rd 3 (dirt road).  At the next intersection I turned onto Lame Johnny Rd and discovered a prairie dog city.  Amanda took several hundred pictures.

Finally back on pavement (87) we headed towards home.  The fog was very low.  I stopped at 87 and 16A to determine where dinner will be at.  After some research on the phones, we headed in the appropriate direction.

As we were passing through Custer, the fogs was thick!  And as we passed Crazy Horse we could NOT see it so we opted not to stop there.

We stopped at Slate Creek Grill in Hill City for dinner.

Before getting back to the RV we stopped at Safeway and got a few things.

Back at the RV, the dogs were walked, the pictures where unloaded and next thing we knew it was time for bed...

2013/07/12 – Friday – Vacation - Day 22 - Shuttle and Drive

I thought Amanda was going to get us up, but nope, about an hour later she said it is 8 and then crawled back into bed and went back to sleep, so much for getting an early start.

We drove the short drive to the visitor center so we can take the shuttle into the canyon part of the park.  We rode all the shuttle all the way to the end of the canyon and did a short walk to the river.  Amanda of course took several pictures.

Now we are heading back down the canyon and our next stop is the weeping rock.  A short but steep hike to get wet, cool, and watch water drop onto our heads.

Next stop was the Grotto, we walked around a little bet and then caught the next shuttle.

Now it was lunch time so we stopped at the Lodge, the café had a very long line so we went to the restaurant and got lunch.

Next stop was the museum where we watched a video and Amanda was able to turn her JR Ranger booklet in for review and to get her badge.

Finally back to the van, our next stop is at the RV to pick up the dogs.  We went for a drive, but before leaving town we stopped for gas to top off the tank in the van.

Our destination was Kolob Reservoir.  On the way, we go in and out of Zion Park.  We took a side road to Lava Point Lookout/Campground.  We watched a storm come in toward the park.  We made it to the reservoir, but a little bit around it the rain started and I didn’t want to drive on muddy roads so I turned around.  We passed a big group of Scouts doing a camp / rendezvous.  Heading back down the hill we noticed a lot of people were heading up for such a remote location.

Back to the RV to drop the dogs off and now off to dinner in town.

Again back to the RV to relax for the evening.

2013/07/10 – Wednesday – Vacation - Day 20 - Grand Staircase, Tire

Today was a lazy start, we did not get moving until a little after 10.

My plan for the day was to explore part of The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. 

We stopped to get gas in the van and then headed to the first visitor center, Cannonville.  We got some information and Amanda got her JR Ranger booklet to fill out, then headed on out.  We finally made it to an arch, down a long dusty road.  We took several shots of the arch and then headed back.

Next stop was at Kodachrome Basin State Park and toured around that area for a short time.

Now it was time for a late lunch, so we stopped at place that had food, but not a restaurant in Cannonville.

We then headed further East along 12 to the next town.  We briefly stopped at Escalante Petrified Forest State Park but we did not do any of the walks because it was over 98 degrees.  We proceeded to Escalante where we found another visitor center and that is where Amanda was able to turn in her JR Ranger program for the Monument.

We headed further East again towards Boulder (no not Boulder CO but Boulder UT).  The views were great. 

On our way back I took a different route.  I turned off the main road and headed over a Forest Service road.  The lady at the Escalante visitor center said it was a good road.  The road was in good shape for a FS road.  Almost near the top of the pass a deer jumped out in front of us and I barely missed her!!!  As we went over the pass I noticed the low tire light was on so I stopped and checked the tires, sure enough the passenger rear tire had a leak in it.  I back the van back to the top and found a relatively flat spot so I could change the tire.

Once back into Bryce City, I stopped at the auto repair place and had to buy two new tires.  The leak was in a non-repairable location and the tire did not have enough meat on them anyways, so replacement was the only option.  I needed to replace all four, but I was planning on doing that once we were done with vacation, so I will get the other two replaced once back home.

Everybody else walked to the RV while I waited for the new tires.  Once done, I picked them back up and headed out for dinner.

Back at the RV, we loaded the van onto the tow-dolly and got ready for tomorrows drive to our next two night stay.

2013/07/09 – Tuesday – Vacation - Day 19 - Hikes and Exploring

After getting up, we needed a few items from the store, so a shopping we went.

Once we got everything gathered up, we headed out for our first hike of the day.  Once we determined which one to do, we headed that way to Mossy Cave Trail hike.  This canyon had some water running in it.  Once at the location of the two items, we explored around the waterfall and then over to the “Cave”, which was an overhang with water trickling under through the moss.  That hike was about 1 mile round trip and we spent about 30 minutes there.

Next hike was at the far Southern tip of the park, called Bristlecone Loop Trail.  We finally got there and started our hike.  It is on the rim of the area.  The hike was about 1.1 miles round trip and we spent about 45 minutes exploring the area.

We returned to the RV for lunch and we wanted to make sure Turquoise was ok, and he was.

The last hike of the day for us was going to be moderate.  We headed back into the park and started the Navajo Loop Trail.  This trail starts at the top of the rim and head downhill. The view going down and going up are really cool with high cliff walls and very tall trees growing between very tight canyons.  The climb up was steep with a lot of switchbacks and we had to go through a small “tunnel” more like an arch along the route.  The hike was about 2.2 miles and it took us about 1.5 hours.

Now that everybody was tired, we still haven’t done all the viewing areas on long the route, so we returned to the southern end and proceeded to stop at all the viewing areas all the way back to the main entrance. 

We stopped at the visitor center so Amanda could get her JR Ranger booklet reviewed and she can get her badge this makes it her 55^th completed.

We started looking for a place for dinner and we finally decided on a place about 3 miles out of town.  The food was good, but it is not that cheap.

Before heading back to the RV, I decided to head out for a little adventure down a dirt road to a reservoir.  On the way there I had to hit the brakes hard because a doe ran across the road.  Once at the reservoir we made our way around the lake, we were able to see deer, a spring, and ducks with ducklings

Back at the RV, Turquoise is still not 100%, so we had to do a little cleaning up.

Offloading all the photos for the day will take a while.

Tonight I was told to make sure my light-stick was turned off because it is after “quite hours”.  I guess my light shines to bright.

2012/07/13 – Friday – Vacation - Day 22 - Redwoods

We got moving about 10, but our next location is only about hour and half to get to our next location.

We unload the van and headed out, first we headed north and waved at Paul Bunyan and his blue ox.

Now it was time for lunch.

We found a drive through tree, so we had fun and got pictures of me driving the van through the tree.

We explored several different area.  I was able to spot two different wale sprays.  Some of the areas we explored was down dirt roads to reach the coast.

We got dinner before heading back to the RV.

Van is loaded and we got ready for the long drive tomorrow.

2012/07/12 – Thursday – Vacation - Day 21 - BIG

We slept in today because our next stop was a short distance away.  We got going about 10 today.

We did a quick stop at the tunnel rest stop.  And the stop at the agriculture was quick and easy.

We stopped at the first of the Redwoods park ranger station.  Amanda got the book for the JR Ranger program.  We finalized our plans.

We stopped at the KOA but they had no room for us for the night, so on to the next RV park.  They could take us for the night.  Lunch was at the RV.

We unloaded the van and headed for the Redwoods and the dirt road that runs through it.  One of the roads leads to the river and we explored the area.  The other dirt road we made several stops and pictures opportunities.

Back in town we stopped one of the park headquarters and  Amanda got another JR Ranger badge.  We found a DMV in route to our next stop, so we went in and found out they had a long line, so the next stop was at Wal-Mart for some stuff and then back to the RV. 

We headed out for dinner, the place we picked was a burger joint. 

We made it in time to watch Brave before heading back to the RV for the night.

2012/07/03 – Tuesday - Vacation – Day 12 – Dirt Roads

Amanda did not feel good last night, so I wanted to make sure she was ok, so I let the family sleep today.  Mom M was up like normal, but the rest was at least catnapping.

Topped the van with the necessary go go juice and the next stop was for Amanda to get a pair of sweat pants that she wanted. 

We then stopped back in the West Glacier Village and did a little shopping.

We drove the west side of the Glacier National Park.  On our way to Kintla Lake, you travel on paved to gravel roads.  We had to move several blow downs that had fallen over the road.  Wished that I had the Jeep which would have made it easier to move the logs.  The dirt roads in the park had LOTS of pot holes.

Next leg was to head for Bowman Lake, which was a little rougher.  That lake has more camping and could accommodate larger RV, but I am sure that I would not bring any big rig in on those roads.

We stop at Polebridge and looked around got a few goodies.

We stopped for dinner and now back at the RV to relax before the day on the water.