2019/06/23 - Sunday - Vacation - Day 03 - Travel - Tire - Cross - Dinner

We got moving a little before 9 so a good start for the day.  I first stop was just down the street at a Pilot to get the necessary gas for the RV. 

As a  big rig passed one of the back passenger tire exploded - for a brief second I thought it was one of mine, but knock on wood, I was good and it was the big rigs tire.

Next stop was gas again and to get a quick bite to eat for lunch.  All morning my back is not treating me good, hurting is not fun!

Next stop was at "Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ Ministries" in Groom TX.  Amanda took some photos.  I was able to walk around for a little bit before the pain in my back was to great. 

As we were approaching our night stop, we kept checking the weather because the clouds look darker and darker.

We setup camp quickly and then we headed out to get a few things.  First stop was at a Petco to get a thunder shirt for Turquoise (which does help keep him calm when it rains (the noise in the RV is to much for him)). 

We tried out a new restaurant called Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen.  The price is good, the food is good. but if you have any allergies, make sure the manager knows.  I had to get a new stake because it had pepper spice in the rub. But they were falling all over themselves to make sure thing were good.  I will for sure go back to them.

After dinner, we stopped at Wal-Mart, Gas for the van, and CVS.

Back at the RV, put tape on the finder of the tow dolly so I don't loose the driver side tail light.

A busy late night.

2019/06/22 - Saturday - Vacation - Day 02 - Travel - Traffic

We got going at 9, but first thing was to stop and wait for the office to open at 9 and pay our bill.

A little before our next stop, the XM radio stopped working.

Next stop was at a Flying J's.  And they did not have the fuse that we need to fix the radio. I also had to tighten the battery connection, the instrument cluster was doing funky things...

We did stop just after the boarder to have lunch at the rest area.

Waze did route me around a major construction slowdown which shaved off about 15 minutes of delay time.

The generator is not staying running.

At our next stop for gas at Flying J's I added more oil to top it off generator, but that did not work.

We made it to Santa Rosa for the night a little after 7 (local time).  The camp site has only water and electric.  We unloaded the van and headed out for diner.  Driving my back does not hurt to badly but during dinner I have a really hard time sitting and not have my back hurt.

Back at the RV A,E,&J played our team game (RoC) and we won big time!

2019/06/21 - Friday - Vacation - Day 01 - First Day of Travel!

Getting things ready to leave, packing the last minute items into the RV.  And then trying to make sure all the vehicles will fit in the driveway (E.M. car, Graphite, Blue, and the Prius...)

We got moving a little after 9.  First stop was at Costco to get the Tow Dolly tires up to pressure.

Next stop was at Flying J's for the necessary fuel stop in Barstow.  And it is lunch time, so I went ahead and agreed to In-N-Out.  They have room for RV/Bus parking.   When we walked in there was a very long line for picking up and ordering.  Once we got ours we went out to the RV to eat it.

By back pain is not doing good.  Driving I am not having problems, but when we get out and walk around it hurts a lot.

Next stop was at Flying J's in Kingman.

After leaving I should have done what Waze suggestion - take route 66.  Because I didn't do it and got back onto the I-40, there was a very bad accident that delayed us almost 45 minutes.

We pulled off just after Williams at a KOA but they had no available spot, we got back on the road again.  Amanda made several more phone calls and found a place (Black Bart's RV Park) on the east side of Flagstaff.  We got in a little after 8:00 and finally found a campsite that would work.

Unload the van and then head out for dinner to Texas Roadhouse

The cats are doing ok somewhat.  Tiger and Amber are not happy with each other.  Amber will hiss then Tiger would hiss back.  At least Tiger and Pearl can walk by each other without a major ordeal. 

2019/06/20 - Thursday - Getting ready to go

Well, getting everything done did not happen. But what did get done I am very happy about.

Things we got done.
- Two new tires for the front.
- Oils changed (engine and tranny)
- Got CB working
- Replaced the trailer break controller
- Replaced the ABS sensor
- Put in an power cord so it can feed the power at the couch

Thanks to D.M. for getting several of these things done!

I did make a decision not bring the bikes, so removed the bike rack.

So we are not leaving today, we will leave in the morning.

2019/06/13 - Thursday - Brush off the Cobwebs

Well preparation are happening and we are excited for this year vacation.  Doing this post to brush off the cobwebs and making sure things are still working in the blogger world.

Getting the RV ready is not done yet.  Still need to put away all the laundry.

2018/07/13 - Friday - Vacation - Day 22 - Ghost Town

We left early, a little after 8:30.

First stop was for gas.

When I went through town I took the wrong turn.  So I had to back track a very short distance.  Amanda called a few more RV campground and finally found a place that had an open spot for tonight.

There was construction at Mono Lake, we had to wait about 5 to 10 minutes for our turn to pass.

We made it to the campground at 1. We setup camp then headed over to the Cafe for lunch.

We headed to Bodie for the afternoon. but before heading up the hill, I filled up the van with gas.

For dinner we headed to Virginia Creek Settlement Restaurant.

When we returned, Turquoise had issues and peed in our bed.  So we bagged all the bedding up.

Remainder of the evening was relaxing.

2018/07/12 - Thursday - Vacation - Day 21 - Drive and Hot Tires

We left our friends a little after 9.

We stopped for gas.

We stopped for lunch at a rest stop - but it was not much of one, it was at the top of a pass and it only had a pit toilet, it was basically on an off-ramp.

Stopped for more gas.

it was getting later in the day, and I started checking the temperatures of the tires.  I noticed the driver inside dually was at 170, so I slowed down form 60 to 55.  That did bring down the temperature to 168.  About  30 minutes later the tire was back up at 170, so I pulled off to cool down the tires.  We looked and found a campground in the town so we drove to check it out.

At the campground nobody was at the 'store front' but they had a way to register and pay, so we did.

Drove the van back into town to get dinner and try to find a laundry mat, but they all close to early to be able to do any loads. 

We had dinner and then back to the RV to relax.  While at dinner, I made a phone call to the location where we were going to stay but they are full, so now I am not sure where we will stay for the night tomorrow.  I guess we will wait and see.

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.

2018/07/10 - Tuesday - Vacation - Day 19 - New Tread and Friends

We got moving a little early - 8:45.

Our first stop was a rest area for the necessary bathroom break.

So because we were getting into Salt Lake early, I made a decision to stop at Discount Tire first.  We got there at about noon.  We replaced three RV tires (the one that bubbled, the one that blew and the spare that we put on that looked to have the start of dry rot)  two of them was covered under the cert, the third one I got tread/mileage credit.  Looking at the tow-dolly they needed replaced, so I went ahead and got both of those replaced.  That took a little over two hours.

We finally made it to our dear long-time friends.  I got the RV down the very tight driveway.

We all went and we treated them to dinner at Black Bear Dinner.

Amanda and Mom M and two of the kids (adults.....) went to go see a movie.

2018/07/09 - Monday - Vacation - Day 18 - Kaboom - Messy

We got moving by 8:40, on my way, I noticed that was below quarter of a tank.  The next gas was in Cheyenne, well I put in 50+ gallons, so I was getting very low.

Next stop was lunch at a rest area.

The next stop was unplanned, we had to stop because the driver side, outside dually exploded (and de-lamenated).  When it did that it also disconnected the sewer connections.  So when I first stopped I had fluids flowing out.  And because it was the driver side, I did not want to change it on the highway.  I drove VERY slowly on the shoulder for the next two miles to get to a ramp.  We changed the tire and headed to camp

We stopped again for the necessary gas for the RV, the parking lot was very small for all the RVs that were there at that time.

We made it to the Rock Springs / Green River KOA, they did not have full hookups.  I worked on the sewer connections and nothing was broken, it was just pulled apart, so I was able to put those back together.  But the metal box is now all messed up and that will require a lot more work.

We headed out and stopped at several more stores for projects that Amanda and Mom M wanted to work on.  We finally had dinner and after dinner they wanted yogurt.

Back at the RV, they worked on the projects.  

2018/07/08 - Sunday - Vacation - Day 17 - Chimney and Fossils

We started a little late, but we were waiting for Cheryl's co-worker to be done with what they had planned for the morning.

A little after noon, we headed out to Chimney Rock NHS.  This is not ran by the NPS, so no JR Ranger program for Amanda to do here.

Next stop was a lonely drive north. And we did not have cell coverage out there.  Amanda was able to get her 82nd and 83rd Jr Ranger Program at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, the other was for Paleontology.

Back into town for dinner and some more great conversation with Cheyl's co-worker and family.

After dinner we went back to Wal-Mart for more shopping and then headed back to camp.

The rest of the evening was relaxing and getting ready for tomorrow all day drive.

2018/07/07 - Saturday - Vacation - Day 16 - Bluffs

Cheryl and I did an hour and half bike ride on a converted rail bed to bike/walking path.

We left camp about 10:00 and stopped in town for gas before getting going.

I did stop at a park to let Turquoise have a break, he was pestering us.

At Carhenge we walked around and then back at the RV had lunch.

We made to Scottsbluff a little bit after two (we did change time zones.)

After unloading the van, we headed for Scottsbluff National Monument.  Amanda got her 81st Jr Ranger badge.

We were going to head to another park, but it was going to close so we drove around the old part of town which gave us more time to find a place to eat.

After dinner we went to Walmart and spend way to much money.

Back at camp, we did talk with Cheryl's co-worker that is here also.

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.

2018/07/05 - Thursday - Vacation - Day 14 - Short and Drive

We started about 9.  I did not spin the tires getting out of our camp spot.  I thought I was going to but not having the van on the tow-dolly most likely helped.  I put the van on the dolly out on the street where it was dry.

We stopped for the necessary gas for the RV.

We stopped for the day at noon - so an extremely early stop for the day.

We unloaded the van and headed into town for lunch.

After lunch we went for a long drive.  We stopped at 4 different places up and down the Missouri River.  We did the Nebraska side and then returned on the South Dakota side.

Before returning to the RV we stopped for gas for the van and dinner for us.

When we returned to the RV, Turquoise was not happy with the fireworks that have been going off near the campground and messed up our bed.  So I had to do laundry - I was not expecting to do the bed stuff also.  That took about 3 hours -  6 loads - they only have 4 machines.

So a late night.  Tomorrow is also going to be a short day.  So I am planning to sleep in a little bit.

2018/07/04 - Wednesday - Vacation - Day 13 - Wet and Pipes

We hit the road a little after 9.

Next stop was for gas.

An hour later, we stopped for lunch at a rest area just before leaving Iowa.

While driving we did drive through a major rain storm for about an hour.

We made it to Pipestone National Monument and Amanda go her 80th Jr Ranger Badge.

The Campground we are at is just outside of the monument.  They only have power and water available for us.  The ground is very soggy so we will see if I can not be stuck in the morning when it is time to leave.

I did unload the Van so we could go into town and get dinner. As we were leaving the diner, it started to rain.

It has been raining of and on for the rest of the night.

I did not load the van back onto the dolly tonight, I will do that on more solid ground tomorrow.

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.

2018/07/02 - Monday - Vacation - Day 11 - Mounds and Family

When the alarm went off, I did not hit snooze... so we got up a little later then we wanted to.

We went and picked up B.G. and headed towards Effagy Mounds National Monument.  But it was lunch time, so we crossed the Mississippi river and had lunch in Prairie du Chien.

Amanda got Jr Ranger number 79.  We also walked to the top to the overlook.

We headed back and dropped off B.G. and we went back to the RV.

I washed the pillows but man those machines were expensive 3.50 for one load and the machines were very small.

We went back to B.G. and had dinner with him.  G&N stopped by and we chatted.

2018/07/01 - Sunday - Vacation - Day 10 - Drive, Tire, and Family

It rained in the early hours and by the time I got up it had stopped.  We left about 9:15 heading North East. 

First stop was for Gas.

Next stop was for lunch at a rest area.

As we were heading around Des Moines, I started to noticed a vibration, so I stopped at a gore point and sure enough the passenger inside tire had a elongated bubble.  So I drove to the next exit and pulled into the truck parking lot of Flying J's.  We changed the tire in about 35 minutes.

On the way to our next destination I had to drive through some flood water that going over the road.

Getting close to our destination for the next three nights, I noticed that it appears there is no flooding in this region.

We setup camp and headed on over to family.  He (B.G.) fed us dinner and we spent the rest of the night there chit-chatting.   

2018/06/30 - Saturday - Vacation - Day 09 - More NSDC and Friends

I got up early and did three loads of laundry while Amanda and Cheryl slept in.

We got going to meet friends for lunch, but before heading to lunch we stopped at Walmart to get a few things.

Went to the convention center to check on a few things - we did not win anything on the raffles.

We watched the closing ceremonies and then headed out for dinner.

Our friends headed to a round dance hall while we watched the dancing in the live band hall.

Back at the RV, Turquoise must have not like the weather/rain and peed on the couch and on the one of the bench seats.  So off to do more laundry very late at night.

2018/06/29 - Friday - Vacation - Day 08 - NSDC and Friends

We got moving really late, but we all wanted some more sleep in time...

Once we got moving we left a little after 1.
First stop was at a bank to take care of a few things, then we stopped for a late lunch.

Once at the convention center, we did some dancing, meet some friends and did more dancing.

We went out for our expensive dinner today - 801 Chop House.  The place did not compare to last years Morton's dinner.

Back to dancing and Amanda got  her shoes.  Because there is no photographer at this convention Amanda found a place and took some pictures with her phone.

We went back to the RV and meet our long time close friends (F&L) that just drove up and had a great conversation.

2018/06/28 - Thursday - Vacation - Day 07 - NSDC and Picking up

We did not get moving early - no real need to get up early.

Once we got moving we headed to the convention center to get our registration packets and walk around to get the lay of the area.  We also ate lunch, but it was not very good.  Looking at the registration board (which has the numbers of all the states), the convention at that time had 3017, it will be interesting to find out how many will join this weekend.

We left and headed to the airport to pick up Cheryl, I was a little late picking her up.  She did not like waiting outside where it was HOT and MUGGY!

Back at the RV we rested a short bet before heading out for dinner and some Pokemon Go driving around. (I don't do it... Amanda and Cheryl do... I am just the driver :) )

We got back and got ready to head over the convention center.  We did some shopping and spent way to much like usual.

Before heading home, we stopped at a yogurt place.

2018/06/27 - Wednesday - Vacation - Day 06 - Education, HOT & Muggy

Regarding last night.  Power was finally restored about an hour later.

Today we got started on the road about 8:26

First stop was for gas.

The next stop was at Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site.  We spent about 1 1/2 and Amanda got her 78th Jr Ranger badge. After returning to the RV we had lunch.

Next stop is our stop for the next 4 nights so we can participate at the National Square Dance Convention.  Things are very hot and muggy currently.

We did got out and get some things (shopping - Costco and Walmart), returned to the RV and put those items away.

Out we go again for some dinner.

Back at the RV we relaxed.

2018/06/26 - Tuesday - Vacation - Day 05 - Outpost and No Dirt Road

We got moving early.  We left at 8:17.  Our first stop was at the local Post Office to mail off the necessary paperwork for this last weekend (Waze Receipts).  We had to circle the block to finally find a place for me to park.

Next stop was a short drive out of town to Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site we spent almost 2 hours there exploring the place.

Next stop was going to be at  Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site Colorado but it is down a 7 mile gravel road and I did not want to take the RV with the Car in tow and having all those flying rocks, so we continued on and stopped at the next town.  We parked near the post office and we had lunch.

Stopped for gas

We stopped for the night and Amanda made dinner.  After dinner I did a 6.2 mile bike ride (did some loops around the area).

Mom M and I walked to Sonic to have a milkshake.  On the walk back the end of town power went out.  And half hour later we still do not have power.

2018/06/25 - Monday - Vacation - Day 04 - Graffiti (Petroglyph) and Lonely Road

We left at 8:39.

Our first stop was at Flying J's for necessary gas.

Next stop was at the visitor center at Petroglyps National Monument.  Amanda got her 76th Junior Ranger Badge.  We went to Boca Negra Canyon and did part of the hiking trail to look at the petroglphs.

Back on the road, we stopped for lunch at one of the rest area (without services) along I-25.

Stopped for gas just before crossing into Colorado.  I was not expecting that much of climb between NM and CO on I-25.  I liked all the trees and the views.

When we turned off of I-25 and start heading more easterly, the US-350 is a very lonely road.

We stopped for the night at a KOA about 5:20.  Once we setup camp, I unloaded the van and headed out for dinner and a little shopping.

Once we got back to the RV we put things away and found out one item we got will not work, so Mom M and I walked back to Wal-Mart to return the item, but I had the wrong receipt so I walked back to the RV (Mom M stayed) and then back so we could do the return.

2018/06/24 - Sunday - Vacation - Day 03 - Going high

I must have dismissed my alarm instead of snoozing it.  So I got up late...  I checked the radiator bottle and added about 18 ounces (making sure it was at the cold line).  We finally left at 8:50.

The drive had a lot of hills and I went ahead and turn the AC off, (we turned on the generator and use the RV AC instead of the AC off the engine). 

We got above the 7,000 feet level and it was much cooler then down in Phoenix.

We stopped for lunch and gas.  All that hill climbing do not do well on the gas mileage.

We stopped for a quick break at the state line of AZ and NM.

Part of the drive I had a good tail wind.

Next stop was for the night at Route 66 Casino RV Park outside of Albuquerque at 5:28 PM (local time).

We went into the the casino to the steak place for dinner being a Sunday they were not busy.

Back at the RV, Amanda is doing school work and we are just relaxing.

2018/06/23 - Saturday - Vacation - Day 02 - Waze SWR Meetup

Today is the Waze South West Region (SWR) Meetup.
 
I was a little slow getting up, but we got to the hotel where the meetup was located about 10 minutes after the hour.

Mom M found a spot and Amanda and I went into the meeting.  At the morning break I checked with Mom M and she was good. 

For lunch we were treated to lunch. Mom M went and found something down the street.

For the afternoon break, Amanda gave Mom M her ice cream.

The meetup ended at 6 but some of us talked for almost another hour.

Now a group wanted to head out for dinner.  Not a lot of places are close to the hotel to choose from.  We ending back to the same place as last night.  And we had more good conversations.

Back at the RV, got a few things ready for the next leg of our adventures and off to bed.

2018/06/22 - Friday - Vacation - Day 01 - Wash, Hot, Meetup

Got up like normal for a work day, but instead of going to work, it is the first day of vacation.

We finally left the house almost 9.  The did double check to make sure the new bike rack bracket helped with making sure the bikes would not hit the van when I make sharp turns. 

First stop was at Costco to fill the RV up with the necessary go go juice.

We just got onto the 91 and Cheryl called me to tell me that Mom M left her purse at the house, so I made a detour and head back home to get it.  So that was 45 minutes later but hay we are on the road.

We stopped at Little Sister's Truck Wash to get the RV washed as well as the van.  Then went next door to fill the RV up again with go go juice.  We humans also needed some substance so we walked over to McDonald's for lunch.

The grade out of the Palm Springs area is steep.  The engine temp started to get close to the red zone, so off went the AC and on went the heater.  That brought the temp back down much closer to normal area.

We crossed into AZ and started that climb and the engine temp started to climb again, so I did the heater thing and that brought the temp back down.

I check the tire temps and noticed one was at 172 and another was at 174 so I slowed down from 60 to 56.  The tire that was at 174 dropped down to 172 and then finally both of them dropped down to 170.  The outside temps did not help matters being around 113.  Stopping at a rest area about and hour before getting to Phoenix, that also help to reduce the tire temps.

Gas stop at Flying J before heading to camp location.

Amanda was checking discord regarding the conversations around this weekend Waze SWR Meetup. We notified the group we are running late to get to dinner.

After setting up camp (unloading the van, disconnecting the tow dolly, and setting up the RV) we headed for dinner.

Dinner with other Waze SWR Meetup participates was great and that lasted until 11:30.  Mom M and Amanda had to strongly suggest it was time to go. 

2017/07/07 - Friday - Vacation - Day 23 - HOT HOT HOT HOT

I got up early and got things ready to leave.  We chatted a little bit with friends and got going about 8:45.

Stopped for gas and lunch at about noon.

As we were getting close to St George, I was checking the SmarTire system and noticed the tires were getting hotter, so I slowed down to 55 MPH (from 60 MPH).

As we approached Mesquite, I pulled off at the first exit and waited in a parking lot to cool down the tires and transmission for about 30 minutes

The next stop I had to do at the top of the hill from Mesquite because the engine temp was get very close to red.  We waited there for another 30 minutes.

We made it into Las Vegas before the SmarTire system went off complaining about the temp of the tire (177). O and the temperature here was 117

As we were transitioning from the 15 to 515 the ABS light turned on.

We are camped at the KOA.  When we setup for camp, the A/C did not want to turn on, come to find out the circuit breaker tripped.  Once that was reset the A/C turned on.

The Cats where very hot, so we got them wet and made sure they were cooled down before heading into Sam Town Casino.

We got dinner, Cheryl and Amanda did some gambling, Amanda and I did some walking around.

I left and once back at the RV found out that the dog had peed on the bed, so stripped the bed, turn the mattress over and make the bed.  Needless to say I was not a happy camper!!!

Amanda and Cheryl returned with pockets a little lighter of money...

2017/07/06 - Thursday - Vacation - Day 22 - Friends

We left at 9 and we started to head out of town and they have road construction - chip coating the road...

About an hour later I stopped for gas.

Next stop was for gas and lunch.  I noticed somebody was having issues with their hitch setup and he asked if I could help.  I offered two carbines and we used two locks and some chain to get him going again until he can buy a new pin.

Next stop gas before stopping for the afternoon.

We made it to our long time friends.  We moved things around, put the tow-dolly down the driveway. then snugly put the RV down the driveway (the RV temps were high....)

They allowed us to connect to power so having the A/C on to keep us cool is greatly appreciated.

For dinner we went out and we treated their family to dinner.

Back we continued talking late into the night!

2017/07/05 - Wednesday - Vacation - Day 21 - Yellowstone

We left camp about 9:45. 

On the way to Mammoth Hot Springs area the transmission got really hot.  The climb from Gardiner and the entrance of Yellowstone Park to Mammoth Hot Springs (MHS) is very steep.  The transmission almost hit 210.

We finally found a place to park in MHS (had to turn around once.)  We did some walking around. We got our parks passports stamped and we found a place to have lunch.  We picked the hotel restaurant - way to slow.

One section between MHS and Norris Canyon Rd had major road construction!

We finally pulled into West Yellowstone and went searching for the campground we used several years ago.

We pulled into Yellowstone Grizzly RV Park Resort at almost 3:00.  They only had one spot available for one night and it was a premium spot, so we took it.

Unloaded the van and headed back into the park.  Stopped at several places along the way.  We finally stopped for dinner at the cafeteria at Old Faithful, by the time we finished dinner Amanda wanted to watch Old Faithful.  Once it blew, we finally made it back to the RV about 11.

I received phone calls while we were out but could not listen to them until back at camp.  It was work, so I logged on and checked a few things.  All is ok. 

2017/07/04 - Tuesday - Vacation - Day 20 - Travel Day

I went ahead and set my alarm... well we got moving right on time 9:05 (ok five minutes late... but we are on vacation :) )

At noon we stopped for fuel for the RV and moved to a Walmart so us humans could eat our necessary fuel.

Again another fuel stop for the RV.

The first campground we went had a big sign that said FULL, so off to the next.  I noticed about three other RVs turned onto the road that we are planning to go.  Sure enough all three are heading to the KOA.  So we had to wait a little bit for them to get processed.  And thank goodness they had a spot for us - one of the deluxe spots.  But when they did not have anything else available you just take it and go with the flow.  It is a back-in so I had to unload the van and then back the tow-dolly and RV down the spot.  We have grass and our own "patio" that looks through the trees at the Yellowstone River.  Which is muddy and the level is currently high.

Cheryl made dinner.  While it was cooking Mom M and I worked on the A/C rain gutter.  We had bought some stuff yesterday to upgrade it so now it looks better and less likely to leak.

We watched a movie.

2017/07/03 - Monday - Vacation - Day 19 - National Park - Two

We got up early so we can get to the ranger led program for Amanda's Jr Ranger book.

We were about 5 minutes late, but no issue of us joining and listening to the talk.

We went back to the visitor center and Amanda completed her book so another JR Ranger book done.

We ate lunch along the way to our next location.  Getting close one of the roads was under major construction and it was basically a gravel road.

To get to "Fort Union Trading Post", the drive was is in Montana, but the fort is in North Dakota.  Amanda got another JR Ranger book completed.

We stopped at the "Theodore Roosevelt National Park - North Unit" but the visitor office was closed, but we did drive to the overlook. 

We came back to the RV so Turquoise could get some outside time.

We left again and stopped at two different locations and we got some wood to do a shelf in the RV for the computer above the desk, so I can stop worrying about the cats stepping on the computer while I am transferring photos.

We stopped for dinner and then went to Walmart to do some more shopping.

Back at the RV we got a few things ready for tomorrow drive.

2017/07/02 - Sunday - Vacation - Day 18 - Next National Park

We got moving a little late - around 9:45.  I took the route with the least amount of gravel roads for our travels.  I did not go straight to the 95, I waiting for awhile until heading north.

Around lunch time the rest area I was going to use was closed so I had to wait another hour before stopping and having lunch.  For some reason I was more tired today driving then I have been on this trip.

We stopped for gas, thinking it was a Flying J's but it is a Shell for gas (Flying J's for the truckers).

We are stopped for the night in Dickinson for two night, so we can go see the three National Parks in area.

Unloaded the van from the tow-dolly and we headed out.  I drove through part of town in search of a hardware store, but nothing on that route.

We stopped at "Theodore Roosevelt National Park - Painted Canyon Visitor Center"  and then continued on to "Theodore Roosevelt National Park - South Unit".  Amanda got the paper work so she can start working on the Jr Ranger Badge.

We did the Scenic Loop Drive - 36 miles and saw several animals, also during the loop a thunder storm moved over and we got to see the lighting show with lots of rain for about an hour.

Back out of the park, we stopped for dinner.

On the way back to the RV, the wind and rain was really bad for part of the drive.

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.

2017/06/30 - Friday - Vacation - Day 16 - Headwaters

Got things ready, but before leaving the campground I dumped the tanks (did not have full hookups).  Amanda called a campground to see if they had full hookups for the night and they do, so we set the computer and phone to that destination.

Gas stop of course was need to fill the beast!

Today was a very nice short day.  We got to the campground by lunch.  our site is a back in so unload the van and back the tow-dolly down the spot.

We ate lunch and headed out.

We went to see the headwaters of the Mississippi River.  We paid our $5 to get into the state park (Itasca State Park) for the day and headed to the visitor center.  We took Turquoise.  It was somewhat on the colder side so we did not want to go into the water, we did let Turquoise go in.

After doing that we continued the loop around the state park (which we did not do so many years ago).

We dropped of Turquoise back at the RV and headed into town.

After driving all the way through we stopped at the north end of town for dinner

Before heading back to camp, Cheryl wanted some ice cream so we stopped at a place to get some.

I walked the dog on the trail they have, and I did the two loops (long and short loops).  Once back I sat around the campground campfire and listen to the karaoke.

2017/06/29- Thursday - Vacation - Day 15 - Duluth

After moving and finally put the van onto the tow-dolly (slippery when wet) we got moving about 9:20.

Before leaving town we got the necessary juices for the RV.  The pump had the instructions for Credit and Debit reversed.  When I hit credit it wanted the debit pin (and the only other option was to cancel), but finally I hit debit and it worked as expected (processed as credit).

Next stop was at "Apostle Islands National Lakeshore" - "Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center".  Amanda worked on the JR Ranger program and got another one completed.  We also ate lunch in the parking lot afterwards.

Looking at the distances and time, we stopped at the KOA west of Duluth.  After setup we headed back into town and went to the "Lake Superior Maritime Center" and we also watch the Aerial Lift Bridge raise so some sail boats could pass.

Well, we are in Duluth so we had to find and do some shopping at the Duluth Trading Company.

We found a place for dinner and then we drove some more to a yogurt place for their dessert.

Back at camp I loaded the van back on the tow-dolly.  Cheryl and I walked around the campground twice and we relaxed.

2017/06/28- Wednesday - Vacation - Day 14 - Mining

Again, we got another late start... We left at 9:50, but then stopped to fill out the gas guzzling monster.

We are going to stop earlier then normal.  So the next stop was to camp on the outskirts of Hancock MI.  We only have electricity hookups for this park, the two reason was to be able to do laundry and the other was go visit two National Parks locations up the peninsula.  The office put us in a very deep spot, we are extremely secluded.

After eating lunch and getting dinner items made, we headed out.

We are doing the "Keweenaw National Historical Park".  The first stop was at the Quincy Unit location.  We decided that the mine tour (2h45m) was going to take to much time and the rain had started up so we opted out of that.  The next stop was Calumet NP Visitor center and Amanda worked some more on the JR Ranger badge.  She also picked up two other JR Ranger programs to work on.

On the way back to the RV, they wanted to get some shopping done, so we headed over to the Wal-Mart in town and got a few things.

We ate dinner and Mom M and I went and did laundry - which was only one machine for washing and one machine for drying and we needed to do three loads, and that took over two hours.

2017/06/27 - Tuesday - Vacation - Day 13 - Water

We finally got moving about 9:30.

We stopped at a hardware store and got two bolts for the tow-dolly (one is a spare...)

We stopped at Sam Club for gas and Cheryl, Amanda and Mom D went in for a few items.

I had to take a detour, but we finally made it over to the I-75.  We stopped at the first rest area and had a late lunch.  Cheryl also made items for dinner (sandwiches).

We drove over the Mackinac Bridge, nice and high, they were also doing construction so we were down to one line for each side.  We paid our toll of 14 dollars (RV-10, Car-4)

The next exit after the bridge we headed west on US-2.  Then headed north and west.

We are camped just outside of Munising MI at a new KOA location (the old location has been renamed)

We unloaded the van and took off for some sight seeing.  Waterfalls, some exploring, and finally into the national park.  We also eat our sandwiches and whatnot at one of the stopped we did in the park.

Back at the RV, Amanda noticed the drip tray in the fridge was frozen again, so I worked on cleaning out the line more this time and it seems to be draining now.  I also noticed that the external drip/splash tray is not totally clear, that will require more work at a later time.

2017/06/26 - Monday - Vacation - Day 12 - Sand Dunes

We got a late start, We all slept in.  We finally got on the road at 10.

Gas and a lunch stop was at a Flying J's.

I got a call from work wanting me to explain what had happen in the past, so I will do that later tonight.

We finally made it to the campground in the Platte River National Park Campground.  They did have a spot for us for the one night.

I stopped first to fill our water tank and then headed to our camp site.  I unloaded the van, that is when I noticed that I did not put the pin back in to stop the tilt of the tow dolly - sure glad nothing happened bad! I backed the dolly up and unhooked it before moving further back and setting up camp.

We jumped into the van and headed to one of the Sleeping Bear Dunes Visitor Centers. Amanda was able to get another JR Ranger badge.  We then found the scenic drive and made several stops.  We did a lot of walking in the sand.  The views were great and with clouds and all.

We finally found a gas station and then a place for dinner, but the wait was about 45 minutes.  The food was good.

Before heading back to the RV, we stopped and Amanda took some more pics of the sunset over the water

Back at the RV, I was able to process and store the photos that we have taken the last few days.

I also replied to the email from work...

2017/06/25 - Sunday - Vacation - Day 11 - Unknown Battles

We really got a late start, but that seems to be normal when we have been stopped for several days at on location.  And top it off I had to wait until I pulled out of the space before hooking up the tow-dolly and van.  We finally left the campground at 10.

I was going to stop at a Flying J's for lunch but the off ramp was backed WAY up.  At that same off ramp everybody was heading to a air show.  I finally got out of the right lane and just skipped it.

About half an hour later (about 12:25) we stopped for lunch at a rest area.

Finally we stopped for gas at another Flying J's.  I had to go into the store and complain to the manager about the no receipt and the squeegee was no good (both sides were bad (pad & rubber)).

We stopped at River Raisin National Battlefield Park.  Amanda got another JR Ranger badge.  One of the ranger talked to us for some time and gave us a lot of history of the battles at this location.  That took about hour and 15 minutes.

We stopped for the night at about 6:05, at the same campground from 5 years ago - Detroit Greenfield RV Park.

I unloaded the van from the tow dolly and headed into town.  We stopped for dinner then went shopping for food supplies.

Back at the RV, I put the van back onto the dolly.  I also went ahead and started the camera transfer computer, Amanda has over 1100 photos to transfer to the hard drive from the last few days.

2017/06/24 - Saturday - Vacation - Day 10 - Square Dancing

We got started late, but we made a decision last night to do lunch first before spending the rest of the day down at the convention center.

Lunch was at a White Castle (In-and-Out is way better!).

I forgot my badges so went back to the RV to retrieve them before going to the convention center.

We converted to the long form for Kansas MO convention and then paid for the Spokane convention.  We went to the vendor area to get a thing or two.  Then we watched them break the worlds record. But I have an issue with that.  Mom M, I, and plus about 18000+ other people danced in 1981 on a football field, so I am not sure what record they are trying to break!

We did do some dancing in the Mainstream Hall.

We walked to Morton's for some very good and expensive food for dinner.

Back at the convention center, we paid for the 2021 convention that will be in Jackson MS.  We went and watched two demonstrations and then headed to the youth hall to see how the turnout was.  Based on the numbers I seen, things look good.

On the way home, it took me a trip around a few blocks, but finally was able to go over the "John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge", in fact we drove over it three times.

Back at the RV we got a few things put away to get ready for travel tomorrow!

I think we all had a good time at this years convention!

2017/06/23 - Friday - Vacation - Day 09 - SQ, Wet, & Race

Got somewhat of a late start for the morning, but we finally made it to the convention center for Square Dancing Convention.  We did some talking, walking, shopping, and more talking.

Now it was time for lunch, so we headed outside for a "short" walk.  During lunch the rain started up. So for the return trip we tried to use the Sky Walk.  We crossed the street and went into that building to start to use the Sky Walk.  But that ends about half way back, so back outside we went into the pouring rain.  Once on the next section, about half way again, it had you find a very weird path to continue into the last section of the Sky Walk before finally getting to the Convention Center.

We did more walking and talking.

Now it was time for going back, changing, and getting dinner.  It was pouring down with Flash Flood Warning (Alerts came over our phones...).  Several time driving back to the RV, I was splashing big time through some very deep water.

Back at the RV Mom M discovered that the cab over part had lots of water.  We spent the next hour with towels to soak up all the water and trying to determine where the water was coming from.  Several towels are now hanging in the shower to drip dry.

We got ready and headed out for dinner on the way to the convention center.  After the long time at dinner the group decided that we will just return back to the RV.

Back at the RV the rain had almost stopped so no new water spots and we might have found where the leak is coming from (driver side window up in the cab over.)

Amanda, Cheryl and I headed out for some night time photo shots.  We came upon a bicycle race.  Amanda took several shot for the next two hours.  One of the racers wife also noticed Turquoise and she stop and talked with us for the last hour.

Back at the RV the moms were almost ready for bed.  We got most of the things put away and we left the section to dry out some more, so that meant Mom M to sleep on the floor using the half of the over the cab cushion.

2017/06/22 - Thursday - Vacation - Day 08 - Taft and Picked Upped

We headed out for an appointment for Amanda.  Once that was done, we headed over to the William Howard Taft National Historic Site and spent about two hours.  Amanda got another JR Ranger badge. 

Now it was time for lunch we found a small place and was extremely surprised on how little we had to pay for all three of us.

We came back to the RV and took Turquoise for a walk around the pond.  One section of it you were walking in the mud because the pond is over the normal level. 

I also went ahead and did laundry.

We headed over to the airport to go pickup Mom D and Cheryl.  On the way back we stopped for dinner.

Back at the RV we got everything put away and now it is time for some needed sleep.

2017/06/21 - Wednesday - Vacation - Day 07 - Arrived

Before we left the campground, I got the propane gas topped off.  So that delayed us from leaving until about 9:30 when we finally hit the road.

Next stop was gas, but I missed the first exit for Fly J's, but luckily the next exit had Pilot so we stopped there to top of the gas tank.

The traffic was not bad when we skittered around Indianapolis.

We stopped for gas and a late lunch about 30 minutes outside of Indianapolis.  That Pilot has no good location to park, so we had to go across the street and park at the casino to eat lunch.

We pulled into the RV Park a little after 4. Paid for the next four nights.  The RV park is in Ohio but the road to get into the park is in Indiana.

We got a back in space at the ponds edge.  Unload the van and unhook the tow-dolly.  Once we got the RV leveled Amanda noticed that the AC unit was leaking on the inside.  It appears that the condensation vent holes are plugged again.  So that meant we spend the next half hour building my red neck a/c rain gutter to weep the water out of the condensation tray and down the plastic into the sink.

We also put on the Thunder Shirt for Turquoise because we can see on the weather app that rain was coming.

We left to go explore, so we left and headed to the convention center.  We picked up all the packets.  I also spent some money on two new belt buckles (current and next convention).  We also visited the youth/family hall and they have carpet floors, so not very good to dance on.  On our way out we stopped and watch a little bit of the Trains In Dance down in the live band hall.

The parking is charging $20 for the event - very expensive for only 2 hours being there.

I took a different route home and went to find dinner.  We left the convention center (Ohio) and drove into Kentucky, passed where Mom D and Cheryl will be landing and then into Indiana.  We drove further south looking for a place to eat.  After turning around we stopped.

After dinner we filled up the van and headed back to the RV.

The rain gutter did its most of the job, we only had one minor part that needed to be fixed but nothing major.

We watched a little tv and then headed for bed.  The next few days will be busy days.

2017/06/20 - Tuesday - Vacation - Day 06 - Arch in the distance.

It was hard leaving friends in the morning, but finally we left a little after 9:30.

On the way to the freeway, we got stopped by a train, so I took that time to double check the straps on the van, yep they needed tightening. 

The toll road cost a little less then $10.

We stopped for fuel and lunch at Flying J's in Joplin.  I could not see any signs of the tornado from several years ago.

Next stop again was another Flying J's for more fuel of course.

St Louis is not fun to drive through in a big vehicle.  Several of the ramps backed way up onto the freeway causing some major slowdowns.  And that down town exit to cross the river is really bad!  But of course you can see the Arch while we were waiting for traffic to move.

 We stopped about an hour east of St Louis for the night.

Amanda started working on dinner and Mom M, Turquoise and I walked around the pond.

We watched two movies tonight. 

Amanda noticed that a rain cell was going to move over so we put the Thunder Shirt on Turquoise and that did seem to work.  He was a little nervous but not totally freaked out.

2017/06/19 - Monday - Vacation - Day 05 - Friends

We got going almost on time 9:05

We got gas at Fly J's and Amanda and Mom M went in to grab something quick and simple for a lunch/snack.

The toll road cost us $11

Waze did a total reset for some reason in the middle of the city freeways.

We got to your friends place shortly after 1.  I had to unload the van from the tow-dolly and then back in the RV to setup for the night.

We put Turquoise in the back yard so he could get some running and rooming in.

We headed to Wal-Mart for some items (we ran out of paper towels)

Back at the friends place, dinner was in the process of being cooked/made.

Dinner was very good and we had good conversations.

L.G., A.M. and I played a game on the PS2 system until it was way late in the night...

Lets hope we can get up in a reasonable time.

2017/06/18 - Sunday - Vacation - Day 04 - Accommodating

We got a little latter start then planned.  We left at 9:20 and our first stop was shortly afterward.

Gas stop at Flying J's and Amanda went in and got a cinnamon roll and she also got some biscuit bites for me and Mom M.

We stopped at a rest area for a little lunch.

Another gas stop still in New Mexico.

Crossed into Texas a little after 3 and we left Texas at 6.

Another gas stop before finding a camp ground.

We stopped at a KOA at 7:20 for the night and found out they do somewhat of a dinner, so we went back to the office after setting up to have dinner.  Their menu is not much and with all of our issues with food, they were VERY accommodating.  When they gave us the bill it was very small, so I gave a very good tip!

2017/06/17 - Saturday - Vacation - Day 03 - Route 66

We got up and headed into the house for breakfast.  Thanks again for the great food.

We got on the road about 9:15.  We stopped at Sam Club in Flagstaff for the RV and food next door for us around noon.

Around 4 it was time to get gas again for the RV.

I was using Waze (of course) and I noticed that it wanted me to get off the freeway and then get back on about 7 mile down the road.  The detour was at the exact same spot as last year.  Waze was routing us around a construction zone that had traffic backed up (one line).  But the on ramp we were to use was closed and Waze did not have it closed, but of course Waze just recalculated and we got back onto the freeway (three miles further) at the next exit/on ramp.  And we still made time. The only issue I had using the detour was the road was ruff.  Using the ruff and winding road, the SmarTire system alarm went off telling me the rear inside passenger tire was extremely hot (177).  The next several miles I stayed at 55 MPH to help bring the temps down on the tire.

We stopped for the night around 7:30 at Route 66 RV Resort.  We went into the Casino and had dinner.  A band did entertain us for part of it.

2017/06/16 - Friday - Vacation - Day 02 - Another Tire

We got moving about 8:40.  First stop was at Flying J's to feed the RV the necessary fuel.

Once on the road, the pulsating vibration seemed to be worse.  So I went ahead and stopped at the Barstow Wal-Mart.  Well, the tire I thought was bad is bad.  So I changed the tire.

Now the drive was smother, well as smooth as California roads are.

We stopped at John Wilkie Rest area for lunch.  Amanda would not make my lunch, but my mom did :)

The tire sensors was indicating the tires were getting hot (174) so I slowed down from 60 to 56 and that help lower the tire temperatures.

Amanda did some research and we found out that Kingman does have a Discount Tire store so we stopped there to replace the bad tire and get the front two re-balanced.  The manager noticed that I did not have a spare for the tow-dolly and stated that he can check to see if he had a rim and tire for it.  He did and now I have a spare tire for the tow-dolly. 

Uncle P. came and picked up Amanda and Mom M. while I waited to get the tires done.

Once the RV tires were done, I headed over to get gas at Flying J's, and then headed to family by 4:24.

E made a very good dinner even with trying to learn of all of our restrictions and the home made cookies were great.  We watched a movie before calling it a night.

2017/06/15 - Thursday - Vacation - Day 01 - Heading Out

I worked most of the day today.  For lunch I went to the Bar and Mom M and A.M joined me.

Once I finally made it home, put in the last minutes items and waited for Cheryl to get home.

Got the RV, tow dolly, and the van all together.  Of course the Dog was ready to go, but fishing Amber out of the cat walk was a challenge.

I stopped for gas, because after the last trip I did not fill up the tank and it was over half empty.  We also went and parked to get some dinner.  TGIF had a 30 min wait, Islands had a 20 min wait, but the Peruvian place had no wait.  Peruvian it was - yum.

Cheryl and D.M. went back home and Mom M., A.M., and I headed on the first leg of the trip.

On the way up the pass, the RV felt like one of the tires had developed a bulge, I stopped at Cleghorn Rd, but could not find any bulge.

We stopped at Little Sister's Truck Wash to get the RV and Van cleaned.  Now they look nice, but they did not do a really good job.  They did not do all the tire dressings.  And when I tried to complain they just went back into the bay to start working on another customer and because of that I did not leave a tip!

We stopped close to the Barstow Outlet.  We are camping in the OHV area for the night.  I checked the tires again. I think I might know which tire but nothing visible and purely speculations.

Late night getting the last minutes items put away and organized.  Wish us luck and no major issue with the tire tomorrow...

2016/07/10 - Sunday - Vacation - Day 24 - Home - Normal Stuff?

So travel part of vacation is over and now we are back in the stuff we do when we are home.  So this is Sunday the whole family went to church.

My back was hurting bad, so DM and I left church to go to The Joint to get my back worked on.  That was somewhat quick, so back to church to finish out the service.

Lunch we went to Fuddruckers.

Dinner we went to The Old Ship.

2016/07/09 - Saturday - Vacation - Day 23 - Home

We got a early start, I did not want to be out in the desert to late because of the heat.  We left at 7:40 (really early start :) )

Next stop was gas at Costco.

Next stop was at Pilot to get gas.  Then on over to Little Sisters Truck Wash to get the RV and Van washed.  We also ate lunch while they did the washing.  The RV had not been washed for about 3 years so desperately needed.  That took about an hour.

We got gas at Sam Club and then dropped Mom D at home.

We made it home about 3:16 and proceeded to do the vehicle shuffle.


For the last week, my back has been getting worse and worse, sometime during the vehicle shuffle, my back really hurts!

Once we somewhat got settled, Cheryl wanted to go pick up my bike and get new bikes for her and Amanda.  She order two new bikes!

Starbucks was a required stop on the way home

For dinner we went out to Red Robin....

So off to bed early for me.

2016/07/08 - Friday - Vacation - Day 22 - Drive - HOT

We said our goodbyes and left basically right on time - 9:06

First stop of the day was at Flying J's in Beaver, we also got some lunch.

As we had passed Mesquite and was doing the climb up to the high plateau on the 15,  the SmarTire system alarm went off and said my inside rear passenger tire was at 177 degrees, so at the top is a parking area, I pulled into that to cool down the tires.

I waited about 10 minutes before heading out again.  I stopped two more times to get the tires to cool down.

As we got into Las Vegas we hit traffic and now the tranny temperature was getting warm.

We finally made it to KOA at Sam Town for the night.  This time were are camped in the North camping area.  We unloaded the van, the temp outside was about 111 (based on what the van had on the reading).

After we got things setup, we drove over to Sam Town to have dinner at TGI Friday's.  The north lot is further away from the casino then the south lot.

After dinner Cheryl, Amanda, and Mom D did some gambling.

They stopped in time for the light show in the atrium, which was a patriotic themed display.

Back at the RV, Mom D was heading to the bathhouse, she tripped and fell, so we had to do some TLC to her right hand.

The rest of the night was relaxing.

2016/07/07 - Thursday - Vacation - Day 21 - No Cave and Falls

I got up and attended a meeting for work - CAB.  After the meeting I got a hold of Tech Support and worked on the issue with my work cell phone.  Final resolution was I needed a new Sim Card.

We finally got everybody moving to go for a little drive today.  But our first stop was at AT&T to get the new Sim Card for the work phone.  Cool the phone works.

We had Mom M, Cheryl, Amanda, C, and myself in the van, W on his motorbike and R on his motorbike.  We were finally off to go see Timpanogos Cave National Monument

But before getting into the canyon R need fuel for his bike and I went ahead filled up the Van.

Then it was time for lunch so we stopped at Blue Lemon Restaurant and Cafe.

We finally made it to the park, but all the tours we full for the day and none of us really wanted to do the 1.5 mile hike up the hill.

Now done with the visitor center we went for the drive up the canyon and over to the next.  That drive was really cool, nice tight turns and great views.

We stopped at Bridal Veil Falls, but the first stop was in a viewing area and we noticed that there is a road below so we went and found the way to get closer to the falls.  We walked over to the base of it and the water was cold.

We headed back to our friends house to relax.  They made dinner for us and we talked until late into the night.  Sometime during this time I noticed that my work phone is no longer working again... I think I need  a new Sim Card again.  The magnets in my carry case might be wiping the card out.

2016/07/06 - Wednesday - Vacation - Day 20 - Drive and Friends

Before leaving a neighbor asked me a few questions about towing and gas mileage and stuff, so of course I gave him several pointers and information.

We got on the road a little after 9.

Gas was necessary for the RV at a Flying J's

Before stopping for the next two nights, we stopped at another Flying J's in town of Salt Lake City.

Our long time friends made accommodation for us and the RV.

After setting things up, we headed out for a late lunch at Apollo Burger.

Back at the house, we talked and made some plans for the night.

We headed over to Temple Square and City Creek Center.  We did the tour at "The Beehive House" and walked by the Temple.

Dinner was needed and we found Brio Tuscano Grille.

After dinner we walked back over by the Temple and took some pictures.

We finally found the way to get to the cars and headed home.

I got onto the computers to do some work and to create the necessary report.

2016/07/05 - Tuesday - Vacation - Day 19 - Drive and Rain

We left around 9

Waze and Street Atlas was not agreeing on the route to our stop for the night.  The route we took was part Street Atlas and part Waze

Our first stop for day was at Flying J's, just before the Continental Divide.  I pulled to the side and we ate lunch.  Cheryl made some while one went in and bought something.

At one point along the drive, I noticed lighting and dark clouds and we were heading right for it.  Sure enough there was a lot of rain that slowed down the traffic for about 5 miles.

Amanda had made reservations last night, and our stop for the night was at KOA near Rock Springs and Green River WY.

Now it was time for dinner, Cheryl and Amanda did some searching and found a place, so I unloaded the van and we headed out for Pasta Vélocé. 

After dinner we noticed a billboard about Boot Barn, so we stopped in and was not able to find the boot that I like.

Back at the RV we relaxed and watched some TV.

2016/07/04 - Monday - Vacation - Day 18 - Fort

We left a little after 9.

We stopped in Lusk for gas and then pulled to the side and Cheryl made lunch for us.

When we pulled into Fort Laramie Historic Site, the parking lot was over flowing, I had to park on the grass.  Amanda got another JR Ranger badge.

Heading back into town we stopped at Chuck Wagon RV Park for the night.

Unloaded the van and heading into town, but only on place was open and that was the bar, so we drove to the next town west and got dinner.  We brought it back to the RV. 

The little dog was not good, left us a present, so the kennel will be used for the rest of the trip (even for when we are out for a short time).

We had to do laundry again.  Turquoise has issues last night with the thunder and rain, he left wet spot on the bed again.

The fireworks that the volunteer fire department put on was good.  They used donations to buy all the fireworks.

2016/07/03 - Sunday - Vacation - Day 17 - Cave and Rain

We got going about 10, but before going Cheryl got lunch made for later.

We went the eastern route to get to Jewel Cave.  When we checked in to see the time, everything was one to three yours out, so I opted not to do any tours at this location.  Also the JR Ranger program requires two ranger programs, so Amanda could not get that done - maybe next time?

But it was time for lunch so I moved to the west end of the parking lot and found a picnic table so we could have lunch.

Next stop was in Custer to get gas.

We made it Rushmore Cave.  Mom D did not want to go in, but the rest of us did.  It was an ok cave.  They run a lot of people through all day long (15 minutes apart)

We came back to Hill City to walk the town and have dinner.  Dinner was at Desperados.  Cheryl and Mom D spent some money - o joy....

About an hour once back at the RV a storm rolled through, a lot of thunder and lighting.  Turquoise REALLY does not like the noise from that and from the rain hitting the roof of the RV.  For some reason the power went out in the park and the surrounding area.  Amanda had check the website for the power company and they acknowledge the power outage in the area.  

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...

2016/06/30 - Thursday - Vacation - Day 14 - Underground

I got up and got ready for work.  Now that we are in Mountain Time, the meeting is at 9:00,  I was able to to get on and start the meeting.  The family got up while I was on the meeting, so I did not get onto the next meeting

We got going about 10:25, We headed up 14A.  First stop was at Bridal Veil Falls.  We saw a sign for another fall so we headed up that onto a dirt road.  The water was so clear we could see the fish and we viewed Roughlock Falls from both sides of the bank.

We were passing through Lead and on the radio they were talking about free hotdogs, so I turned around and headed to Homestake Mine Visitor Center.

The next stop was Thunderhead Falls, but when we got there it was closed, so onto the next stop.

Black Hills Caverns, we all did the longer tour which was about an hour.

On to the next... Wonderland Caves.  The Moms did not joins us on the tour which was about 45 minutes.

On the way back to the RV, it was time for dinner, so we stopped at Lucky's 13 Pub.

I worked on getting all the photos off loaded from the cameras.

Cheryl went and worked on laundry.

2016/06/29 - Wednesday - Vacation - Day 13 - Heads

We left about 5 till 9 so right on time...

Next stop was for gas at a Pilot, when I pulled away from the island, I forgot about the time, so I had to go find a spot for lunch.  I found a so called city park to pull into and we had lunch.

Next stop again was for gas (but closer to the end of day) at another Pilot.

We stopped at a Camping World and spent way to much.

As we were approaching our night stay, we could see a fire in the hills.

Our base camp for the next 5 nights will be Spearfish KOA, that was the only one that Amanda found that we could easily check to see if they had openings for us.

We jumped into the van and headed for Mount Rushmore. On the way there we ran into a major down pour.

Amanda found out that this year JR Ranger badge has a year in, so she filled it out and got her badge.  We also got dinner.  We stayed for the illumination program.  They asked for all prior and current serving persons to come down on stage at the end of the program.  Eric by chance helped with retiring the colors which was cool!

On the way home I filled up the van.  As we got closer to camp, we can see the red glow from the fire.

Back at the RV, I had to work and produce the necessary report.

2016/06/28 - Tuesday - Vacation - Day 12 - Getting to Next Destination

We got a late start today to our travel today, but for a very good reason,  a family member came over to say goodbye, which we really appreciated.  We finally got on the road a little befor 10:00.

We got gas in Preston, while there we also ate lunch.

The next gas stop was at Flying J's in Sioux Falls.

Next stop was for the night in Mitchell at the KOA just outside of town.

I unloaded the van so we could go into town.
Mom D was not feeling well, so she stayed back at the RV.  We drove by the Corn Palace and went to eat dinner at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery.  The service was not that good and the food was just ok.

Next stop was Walmart to stock up on things.

Back at the RV, I did some work while everybody relaxed.

2016/06/27 - Monday - Vacation - Day 11 - More Family History

We left about 8 minutes till 9, so basically right on normal time.

Next stop was gas at Costco for both vehicles.

We finally made it to Elkader, got set up and then headed for Decorah to meet at a museum and view some of the stuff that is there from the family.  We did stop before getting there for lunch at a Subway.

Once done we went to Seed Savers Exchange to see what they do.

On are way back to the RV, Cheryl was making arrangements for the night.

We did some relaxing, which included Eric, Cheryl and myself walked over to a tank so Eric could check it out.

We went over to one of the families house had dinner and good time talking.

2016/06/26 - Sunday - Vacation - Day 10 - Family Day

 Before the day started, there was a major thunder storm moved through the area around 3 to 4 in the morning.  Some really good lighting.  Turquoise went to Eric to get confront, but the Thunder shirt really helped to keep him calmer then in the past.

We finally got moving about 10:30 to head for the Mather Family reunion.  A lot of talking and story telling.  We also had lunch (some people brought stuff for the luncheon like a potluck...)

I took the family group photo, so need to make sure people get the link once it is uploaded.

After that we went to the local cemetery to see several of the older generation graves.

Next was visiting the local family farm operations - there is somebody that is a 7th generation that is running the farm.

Now it was time for dinner, so the family and us that are camping in the same campground went into Iowa City for dinner.

Back at the RV we both got the vehicles ready for tomorrow travel day.  The other family retired into their RV while we stayed out and worked on things . . . . . . Fireflies . . . (sorry back to writing the blog)

We even let Moonstone out on a leash (we did that last night also), so he could explore a little bit.

..... Fireflies....

It is getting late so time get things ready for travel tomorrow.

2016/06/25 - Saturday - Vacation - Day 09 - Moving to Family

We left the campground about 8:50, so almost on time....

Next stop was near Springdale for the next two nights.  We arrived about 11:30.

About 15 minutes later a distant relative of Cheryl's pulled into the campground, so we greeted each other.

The arrangement for today was to go to the historical society, we headed to Iowa City and found the place, but because we where hungry we wented to find a place to eat for lunch.  Pop's "Old N' New" Bar-B-Que.  Most of us had light snacks to tide us over until dinner.

Back at the Historical Society, we looked over a big collection of stuff from Cheryl's family side.

Once it was closing time, we left and we wanted to find a place for dinner.  Pullman Bar & Diner was recommended to us, so we went.  They did not have a place where all of us could set so were split into three groups. (total of 12 us)

Back to the campground, more genealogy was discussed around the picnic tables until it was dark.

Tomorrow is the main event for the family reunion.  The last number I heard was at least 25 people are planning to be there.

2016/06/24 - Friday - Vacation - Day 08 - Dancing

The three usual people slept in a little bit today while the other three got up early like usual.

Before getting to the Event Center, I had to go find Starbucks for Cheryl, so she would be happy.  We finally made it to the Event Center to dance a few tips.

For lunch we went across the street to Buzzard Billy's.

Back to the Event Center to dance and drop off a book for a caller (one of Cheryl's co-workers wanted a book to be delivered to a caller)

For dinner we left and went back to the RV, made sure the dogs were taken care of and then headed out to go eat at Twin Peaks.

Once back to the RV, Mom D and Eric stayed back while the rest of us went back to the Event Center to go dancing.

While we were dancing Eric did a few loads of laundry for us which was very nice of him.

After dancing, we headed back to the RV, we put the clothes away and got a few things ready for departure for tomorrow.  I went ahead and processed the necessary records for work...

Notes:  I had to fix my red neck rain gutter, I had to add another towel to help wick the water better, the humidity has been high.  So far this has stopped the water from dripping out and socking the ceiling and floor (I guess I really should take a picture of it so other may see my so called fix...)

2016/06/23 - Thursday - Vacation - Day 07 - Arrived and Walked

Today we slept in (well me and the kids, Mom M seems to be always an early riser)

I had to get ready for work, trying to get the printer to print was a challenge, but finally printed the 22 page report. I helped co-chair my normal Thursday morning Change Advisory Board Meeting.

I was getting text from Cheryl about where they were at in their travels.

We went out for lunch, Cheryl and Mom D had us order something to bring back to the RV.  We returned back to the RV and did a few quick things before leaving again.

We headed for the airport to pickup Cheryl and Mom D, even though we left late, we still had to wait for them.

Cheryl and Mom D ate their lunch

We went into the Square Dance Convention and did our shopping and got all the necessary spending taken care of (hopefully...)

One the why back to the RV we stopped for dinner, good Italian place (even had gluten free stuff for Cheryl).  We also stopped for gas for the van and Mom M got some milk.

We changed and headed back to the convention. We tried to look for the photographer but could not find one, so hopefully there will be one tomorrow so we can get our group photograph. We were able to chat with old friends!

2016/06/22 - Wednesday - Vacation - Day 06 - Arrived

 Before we started to head out on the road, I noticed that the pin for the tow dolly is missing, which means that sometime yesterday I lost the pin.  So I found something in my storage to somewhat fix the issue.

We got going about 9:00.

So we changed plans again to find a Camping World and the next town had one.  Amanda changed the route and we headed for it.

When I passed it on the freeway, I noticed that it looked to have a very small parking lot.  So finally I was approaching the location via the frontage road, I stopped in the middle of the road to check out how I would be able to turn around. No such luck, so I opted to not to pull in and stop (so for anybody else wanting to go to Camping World of Kansas City and they are flat towing or tow dolly do not stop you will have to unhook!)

Next stop Flying J's for the necessary juice for the RV

I did stop at lunch time at one of the rest stops.

Once we got close to Des Moines another stop for Gas at Costco - this one had nobody waiting!

We have arrived at Timberline Campground to spend the next 3 nights here.

With the van, we went into Des Moines to find where the National SQ is located and the parking is going to be like.  We also delivered the CA State Council display so it can be put up by somebody that know how to set that thing up.

We picked up our packets and paid for AM and EM and got a program.  We will have to pickup the kids badges when we go back in tomorrow.

We returned back to the RV for dinner prepared by Amanda and we also relaxed.

Mom M did a load of her laundry, while I did my work,

For the internet we had to use our Mifi because the campground wifi is really bad.  Most of our devices could not get to the internet using the campgrounds wifi.

2016/06/21 - Tuesday - Vacation - Day 05 - Fort

We were a little late to leave 9:15... :) 

First stop was at Flying J's across town.

Next stop was at Fort Larned National Historic Site.  DM's son and family came and joined us at the fort.  We walked the grounds and of course Amanda got another Junior Ranger badge.  She also helped out the two little ones with their programs.  All three of them got sworn in together.   This is also where DM will leave us and spend the rest of the week on his vacation while we continue on ours.

After spending to much time at the fort we started researching and determining that the stops that I had planed would have gotten us into Des Moines late on Wednesday.  So the route was changed, the stops removed. 

The change in plans resulted in us stopping in Topeka for the night, hopefully making tomorrow an easy drive.

I did get a phone call from work, hopefully my backup can do most of the work that needs to be done everyday.

We stopped at KOA about 6:00

Amanda made dinner and Eric was coerced into doing the dishes.

After dinner I checked on work, I still had to process records. :(  

Other wise we relaxed for the evening.

2016/06/20 - Monday - Vacation - Day 04 - Valcano

It was hard for me to get up this morning, not sure why, but based on Fitbit it was not to bad of a night...

We got on the road at 8:50, but our first stop was for gas about 5 minutes later.

Next stop was at Capulin Volcano National Monument, of course Amanda did get the paper for the JR program.  We did unload the van so we could drive to the top.  Once done and back down, Amanda got her badge and we ate lunch and of course loaded the van...

The roads in OK were very ruff!!!!

We stopped for the night just on the outskirts of Dodge City, KS, around 6 o'clock.

We unloaded the van and head for dinner at a local casino.

Once back at the RV, the little dog had an accident, so not good.

The new TV pickups over the air very well.

I worked - processed several records that needed to be processed.

2016/06/19 - Sunday - Vacation - Day 03 - On The Trail

The RV park offered continental breakfast, so DM, EM, Mom M, and I got there at opening time of 8:00, not a lot to choose from but it was not terrible.

We were on the road by 8:40. 

Now from this point in the trip, I have not traveled these roads, so all new views..

Our first stop was at Sam's Club to get some go go juice for the RV.  And while we were there they went into the store to get a few items.


We stopped at Pecos National Historical Park, which is on the Santa Fe National Historic Trail.  Amanda of course did the JR Ranger program and we did part of the walk to tour the grounds.  Total time there was about 2 hours

Once back at the RV it was lunch time so we had a late lunch (around 1:00)

On to the next stop, for some reason I thought it was closer but nope.

We stopped at Fort Union National Monument.  There is really no specific place to part the RV, so I pulled into an area and hopped I would not get in trouble.  Amanda got several JR Ranger programs for several things we would be doing for this trip.  This weekend turns out to be a special weekend with several things that are being done in period style.  We were only able to see one demonstration and that was regarding the canon.  They fired it twice!  Amanda and I walked the grounds and both of us got sunburned!  The total time there was about two hours.

When we pulled away from our location the RV was feeling weird, something was wrong with the tires.  I stopped to check and sure enough!  But this was something I had not expected nor experienced.  The tires tore a chunk of the pavement and the pavement was sticking to the tires.  So in the middle of the road I had to scrape off the gooey mess.

It was worm today, so I decided I wanted a known campground and the time to stop was still reasonable, we pushed on by the original campground and went about 1.5 hours further.  We stopped at KOA in Raton, but they only had water and electric.

We walked to dinner.

Back at the RV we watched two movies, I did log into work and processed records, and we enjoyed our relaxing time.

2016/06/18 - Saturday - Vacation - Day 02 - Waze Win

The relatives cooked an awesome breakfast and of course we had a good time chatting.

We finally got on the road about 9:20.  When we started to pull away, I was flagged down because the relatives found a phone, well it was Mom M phone.

We stopped for the necessary fuel for the RV.

Come to find out, Mom M phone screen had broken and could only see a very small part of the screen.  So the next stop was changed.  We stopped at a Verizon store to get her a new phone, with the necessary phone call to LM to authorize the new phone for the account.

Lunch was at Subway in the same shopping area.

The tires got hot - up around 177 degrees, it stayed that way for about an hour until we stop to fuel the RV.

Getting closer for the stop for the night, Waze recalculated, so I went ahead and followed, listening to the CB there was a major accident so Waze routed us around the 3 mile backup.  Once back on the freeway, Waze again routed me off the freeway to take the old Route 66 around a 2 mile backup at a construction zone.

We finally made it to a RV place for the night just on the outskirts of Albuquerque.

Once in our site, now it was time for dinner.  So we unloaded the van and headed back down the road about 10 miles to a casino.

After dinner of course we headed back to the RV and went ahead and loaded the van onto the tow dolly.  And as a note the little dog did not have any issues so things are looking good on that front.

2016/06/17 - Friday - Vacation - Day 01 - Interesting Start / Hot

So, I set the time like a normal day - up around 6 and starting to get things ready. 
During the time to get things in the RV, I got a call from Work, so I went in and put things away (the order for the coffee stuff came in a day late.)  Yes I help with making sure the coffee supplies are stocked up.

We were able to leave the house about 11:30.  but immediately, we still have an issue with the tow dolly doing the noise and hard turns (like it is binding up).  The other item was the RV was pulling very hard to the left.

First stop was to top off the tanks in both the RV and Van.  After filling up, we pull over in the Wall-Mart parking lot and DM and I proceeded to take off the Safety Steer, while Mom M, AM, and EM. went into the store to do some shopping.   If it wasn't for DM, I would not been able to take the bolts off, they were rusted on.  After getting the part off, we fixed the city water connection to stop it from popping out / sticking out of the RV.  It has been great having him around to help out with things.

Next was the necessary stop at Americans Tires to top off all the tires to make sure they are at the correct pressure.

Lunch was needed so we drove towards In-N-Out.  When we checked on the Van, we noticed that the straps for one of the van tires needed to be redone and the Van readjusted on the dolly.  We took the long walk and got lunch.

We were finally on the road/freeway heading out of town.

Taking off the Safety Steer resolved the pulling to the left!  So we need to buy a new one of those (not cheap.)

The traffic was bad, going from the 605 to 210, the RV started to over heat and the RV tires really got HOT ~180 degrees.   So turn off the AC and just deal with the heat.  Of course the normal slowdown for the pass.

Gas stop at Flying J's in Barstow. DM fixed the strap (passenger side)

Crossed the river and stopped for dinner and a Pilot/Wendy's but no parking for the RV - so I parked in the red zone. DM fixed the strap again but for driver side.

We finally made into Kingman and got gas at Flying J's before heading to relatives.

It is always nice to visit!

2016-06-16 - Wednesday - Meeting and Prep

Work like normal.

DM should be able to work on van.  He got the pad replaced.

Adopt-A-Trail meeting tonight, DM, Mom M, and I attended.

We thought Eric was coming home tomorrow, but we got a Glymps this afternoon and he is coming down today.

Yet another test...

Yes another test... making sure the mind dump is ready...

Another test of the Mind

Yep another test of the mind and its connections

Testing of settings

Testing - is the mind dump ready for more letters to be added to the forever retained interweb.

2014/06/30 – Monday – Vacation - Day 10 - Relaxing again

I got up later today.  But nothing was planned.  I should have done some work yesterday, but I waited for today.  So I spent about 3 hours processing emails and records for work.

I finally finished trimming Zircon.  We need to buy some replacement blades for the clipper, I had use a pair of scissors to finish the trimming.

 I did go for a quad ride which was fun...

Another good relaxing day!

2014/06/29 – Sunday – Vacation - Day 09 - Relaxing

Today was a relaxing day.  Working some Waze stuff and just goofed around on the computer all day long. 

2014/06/28 – Saturday – Vacation - Day 08 - Errands

Well our host needed to go into the big town today to get a few things.

Amanda came down with a cold so we let her stay home to rest!

The gas light in the van was on when we started out of the canyon, but by the time we got into town the low gas light was off and the gauge was at 1/5 full. Something about elevation....  We stopped to get gas for the van and then for us at the Star place.

Our fist stop in the big city was at a Farmers Market, it was a little small, but had mostly produce.  Next stop was at a Smart place to get a few things.  After we got smarter we stopped at a Cost__ place and got a few more things.

It was time for lunch so we stopped at a Togo place.

Now the next two stops was the main reason for going to the big town - meds.

Before heading back to the mountains and base camp, we stopped at the Star again.

2014/06/27 – Friday – Vacation - Day 07 - Sherman Pass

Today is a drive day.  

We stopped in Techachapi for the necessary go go juice for the van and then stopped at the Star place to get the same for the occupants.

The first part was from Tehachapi to Isabella Lake via Caliente and Twin Oaks.  Very interesting to know how far away people leave out in the middle of no where in the mountains.  We did stop in the Isabella Lake area because we do that later during vacation.  I did stop on the side of the road near Kernville to make a phone call to tell my friend that we are starting the trip up and over...  By this time it was lunch time.  We finally stopped right before the turn off for the pass and ate lunch along side a creek (Brush Creek) that feeds into the Kern River.  While eating lunch three different times a jet pass over head, close to the canyon floor banking hard, it was sure loud. 

We started up the Sherman Pass Rd, we stopped at North Meadow Creek and explored up the creek a little bit.  A lot of wood logs all over that canyon, with a lot of debris that looks like it clogged the big culverts.

We finally made it to the top of the pass at 9200 feet. I finally did get to see the Sherman Pass 4x4 trail (entrance/exit).  

We stopped at several locations to take pictures of different things.

We finally made it to Kennedy Meadows and stopped at the "General Store" and spent some time with our friends.  We even talked with some people that are doing the Pacific Crest Trail.

It was time for us to head home.  We stopped in Ridgecrest for dinner and finally made it back to our home base after dark.  

I really enjoyed the drive!

2014/06/26 – Thursday – Vacation - Day 06 - Relaxing

I got up really early and headed into town so I can do my work and get onto some conference calls.

Well, back at camp, we were able to relax and enjoy no activity day.

2014/06/25 – Wednesday – Vacation - Day 05 - Goats, Mine, and Museums

Today was going to be a easy going day.  We had two things planned.

We finally found the correct location of a goat cheese making location.  The owner took us on the tour of the location and he makes several flavors of cheeses that go all over area.  They even have other animals on the ranch - dogs, horses, cow, sheep, ducks, chickens, burrow, potbelly pig, and of course goats - Lots of goats.

Next we stopped at the gas station to top off the van. 

We were getting hungry so we went past the next location and proceeded onto Kramer Junction for lunch.

We stopped at the Rio Tinto Borax Mine.  The visitor center was interesting and we got lucky and had a very informative instructor from the company.

We then found out about two museum in town of Boron.  We visited the Col. Vernon P. Saxon Jr. Aerospace Museum and the 20 Mule Team Museum.

We stopped at a store to get something to drink.

If you look, you can find interesting things that our out there!

2014/06/24 – Tuesday – Vacation - Day 04 - Relaxing and Running Around

Today was going to be a relaxing day.  But plans changed for me.  Amanda and Cheryl stayed back while I went with our host and went into town.  They treated me to lunch and then we went shopping.  We got some railroad ties, plumbing stuff for the garden and parts for a chicken feeder.  The last stop for the day was to get gas and top off some gas containers.

Once we got back, I was then able to relax.

2014/06/23 – Monday – Vacation - Day 03 - Visiting Old Friend

First stop was at the post office to pick up a package and then top off the gas for the van. 

Now on our way, I made a phone call, before we got out of phone coverage.  It takes about 45 minutes to an hour to get up the mountain.  Mr McK. was waiting for us and guided us to his house.

It was so good to see him and his wife with their "kids".  The weather as great and we had a very good time getting caught up on things.  They even feed us lunch.  The time flew by to quickly and we finally had to say good bye.

Once we got off the mountain we headed to Ridgecrest for dinner.

We got home after dark.  The day was great visiting old friends and see their great homestead!

2014/06/22 – Sunday – Vacation - Day 02 - Church - Running Around

Our first stop for the day was at Starbucks, now we are late for church but not by much...

After Church we stopped for lunch and then did some shopping.

2014/06/21 – Saturday – Vacation - Day 01 - Getting There

We got a later start then I had planned but we finally got going.

We only  made it a short distance while traveling on I-710 and I start feeling a possible tire issue.  I pulled over into a gore point to check and sure enough, the outside rear dual tire had a bubble in the tread.  I went ahead and got off the freeway and found a parking lot to change the tire.  Finally we got on the road again...

We stopped in Mojave to top our tank off and headed to our final destination for the next three weeks.  We did unload the van before heading up the dirt road.  The tow dolly did bounce a lot going up the road.

The RV was completed a few days ago and it is great.  We will be parked for the duration of this vacation.

2014/06/20 – Friday – Vacation - Day 00 - Getting Ready

Normally we would be leaving today but not this year.  We are doing a more of staycation or a local-vacation. 

So we got things ready, went to dinner and got the last minutes things necessary.