2010
FAMILY VACATION
Click on Date/Title to view pictures
Jul 8, 2010 - STL to Sioux Falls, SD
We left this morning at 5:45am. We drove across
a raining, cloudy, and at times foggy Missouri.
Not real exciting yet. The family slept most of the way across Missouri.
We stopped in Falls Park in Sioux Falls to look at the Falls. We stayed
there about 90 minutes.
We are at A Flying J for the night. Out generator is giving us trouble and keeps
dying. Hopefully, we can figure it out.
Jul 9, 2010 - Corny Day
We got up around 7 this morning. Cleaned up, gassed
up and hit the road.
Our first Stop of the day was Mitchell, South Dakota and the Corn
Palace.
It was easy to get to, and they had free parking for the RV.
The first Corn Palace was built in 1892 when the city of Mitchell was 12 years
old.
The idea was hatched to showcase the crops grown in the area and to attract
immigrant farmers to settle here.
Each year a new decorating theme is chosen and the outside of the Corn Palace is
stripped and redecorated with new corn and grains. In early summer the process
begins with removal of the old grasses and grains. Over the summer, 3,000 bushes
of milo, rye oat heads, and sour dock are tied in bundles and attached. The corn
murals have to wait until late summer when the corn crop is ready. Over a half
million ears of corn are sawed in half and nailed to the building following
patterns created by local artist.
After spending a couple hours in Mitchell, we hit the road again. We stopped at
Al's Oasis, and took pictures with the "Big Buffalo". It's just a silly road
side attraction, but it gets us out of the RV and walking around a bit.
After the Bug Buffalo, we were on the road again. But...not for long. We had a
flat tire. It was the rear inside dually tire. Something we can not replace
ourselves. I called roadside service. It will be 2.5 hours before they can get
there. Well, what choice do we have. :) After waiting on the side of the road,
the guys shows up, jacks up the trailer and removes the tire. While at the back
of the RV, the RV falls off the jack. That was scary. I was hoping there was no
damage. It seems the pavement under the jack gave out. There was about and 8
inch hole in the pavement when the jack collapsed. He re-jacked up the RV and we
inspected for damage. We could not find any. Wheeew.
While under the RV, the tire guys notices the inside tire on the other side was
flat also. So after replacing the right side, he went to the left side.
A few weeks ago, I had Byerly's RV install valve stem extensions on the inside
dually's so it would be easier to add air. He was able to test the extension on
the left side and it leaked (the right side extension got tore up when the tire
blew). Since the tire had been flat for a while, you could see the heat damage.
I decided to replace that tire also, just to be safe. All this was done on the
shoulder of the highway.
After 5 hours, we were on the road again.
Next stop...Badlands, South Dakota. we arrived at the Badlands Campground
(Cedar Pass Lodge) about 6PM. We got an hour back since we moved into the
Mountain Time zone, :)
The Badlands are really random, that just pop out of nowhere. A must see if you
ever drive though the area. They have a scenic route that will add 60-90 minutes
to your trip, depending on how much you stop.
We went driving around. We saw a
very interesting landscape and prairie dogs also. Jessiy was getting upset
because she was sitting in the middle and could not see them. SO we pulled over
and got out of the car. We did notice in the the car, but when we got out, they
started running. They were everywhere.
Jessiy is also a little upset. We do not have cell service in Badlands National
Park. How do people survive out here. :)
We headed back to the campsite before it got dark. BBq'd some brats and
hamburgers and then played cards till bedtime.
Jul 10, 2010 - Cold War
Today we woke up to a great view of the Badlands.
We are scheduled to take a tour of Launch Control Facility Delta-01 and Launch
Facility Delta-09. Otherwise known as the Missile Sile.
We played around in the Badlands some more in the morning.
We got to the ranger station around noon. We still had 1 hour 20 minutes until
the tour. So we went down a road a bit where there were Prairie dogs you could
feed.
The kids seemed to enjoy the Prairie Dogs. They are wild and not caged. I guess
they stick around because they are getting fed. There were friendly one, fat
ones, young ones that liked to play a lot. Jessiy and Josh got a couple of them
to take the food from their hand.
Finally time for the tour. We me at the ranger contact station and caravan-ed to
the Launch Control Facility. This facility is located 5 miles from the missile
site. It is where the personnel that maintained the missile site lived and
worked. Part of the facility was above ground and part was below ground. This is
the place you see in the movies where it takes 2 people to turn to key to launch
the missile.
After that, we went to the missile site. They have the door removed and have
placed a glass structure over it. You can see the missile (not armed). The
"hole" is 80 feet deep and the missile is 53 feet tall.
After the tour, we headed to Wall, South Dakota. We are staying in Arrow
Campground for the evening.
We plan to visit Wall Drug tomorrow.
Jul 11, 2010 - Happy Birthday Josh
We stayed at Arrow Campground in the very small
town of Wall, South Dakota.
The first thing on the list today. Visit Wall Drug Store.
Quite a huge store and quite the tourist trap. We did all the usual tourist
things.
Take pictures, buy stuff. :)
After that we went back to the RV, cooked breakfast and got the Motor home ready
to move.
Next stop...Black Hills
The day started out nice. The hour, or so, drive to Rapid City was
uneventful...until we got close.
No, nothing bad, except for the weather.
You could see the Black Hills in the distant you could see the rain.
The hills looked really neat with all the clouds around them. We were all
commenting on how cool it looked, but we forgot to take pictures.
We got to the campground near Keystone, SD around 1pm. It started to rain
right when we parked. We tried to wait it out, but it kept coming.
We decided to eat at the Outback in Rapid City for Joshua's Birthday.
When we got back to the Motor home, I decided to get on Facebook. I found out
that a friend from St. Louis is here and staying less then 20 miles away. If not
for the rain, we might have seen each other at Mt. Rushmore.
It's a small world.
Jul
12, 2010 - Rushmore Area
We woke up to a great weather day.
After getting packed up and ready. We took off for the Norbeck Scenic Byway,
the wildlife loop in Custer State Park, and Needles Highway.
Norbeck Scenic Byway is a wonderful drive with great views. The one lane
tunnels are interesting with great views of Mount Rushmore through the tunnels.
I will let the pictures do the talking.
As soon as we got to the Wildlife Loop in Custer State Park we saw a lone
buffalo walking along the road. There was a small Nissan truck in front of us
that pulled along side it. The truck was moving with the buffalo. All of a
sudden, the buffalo started to charge the truck. The truck tried to move, but
the buffalo got it near the end. It put a nice dent in the side of the truck. It
was scary to watch, but pretty cool to see.
We then continued through the park. Seeing deer and elk along the way. We did
see one buffalo herd, but they were quite a distance away. We finally came upon
the wild burrows. We had brought lots of carrots because I had heard they like
to beg for food. They walk right up to your car and stick their whole head
inside looking for food.
After the wildlife loop, we continued on to Needles Highway. The needles are
quite interesting and the one lane tunnels were once again a hit with many of
the drivers.
After that we went to Crazy Horse. Sorry to say, but at $27 a car load, it did
not think this was worth it. I could have taken pictures from the highway. It
seemed to be just as close.
After that we went to Mount Rushmore. This is the primary reason we are here.
They have the area set up real nice. The view is great. We hung around the paved
areas for a while. We then went back to the RV to rest for a while. After that,
we went to the night ceremony at Mount Rushmore. We did not realize they showed
a movie. We were sitting where we could not see the screen. But, we listened and
waited for the lighting of Mount Rushmore. It was a nice view.
Jul 13,
2010 - Blackhills
We got a late start today. We slept in and took our
time getting ready.
We started off by going to Mount Rushmore again. We found out last night that
there is a trail and a sculpture center that we did not know existed. It is
about a 1/2 mile hike, but a lot of stair. But it was worth it. The sculpture
center has a large sculpture of what the original design was to look like. Plus,
a park ranger was there giving a history of Mount Rushmore and the carvings. The
hiking trail takes you right under Mount Rushmore. It is a different perspective
than the other views.
After that, we headed to Jewel Cave, it is a couple miles west of Custer, South
Dakota. All the cave tours were reserved for the day. So, we did not get to do
that.
We went back into Custer to a restaurant we saw. Cattleman's Steakhouse. It was
very affordable and the food and service was good.
Debby had heard of Flintstone Park and wanted to go. We saw it in Custer on the
way to Jewel Cave. Well, since we now had time, that is where we went. I thought
it was one of the cheesiest things I ever spent my money on. Debby, said she
really enjoyed it. There is a coupon in the local books they give out almost
everywhere. :)
After that, we headed back to the RV Park. We BBQ'd and are now getting ready to
pull out early tomorrow morning.
We will be in Yellowstone for the next week. So, we may not have internet
connection for the next week or so.
Jul 14,
2010 - Devilish Drive
We left Rushmore Shadows and the Black Hills early
around 6:45am.
It was cloudy and the the wind was terrible. The first hour of the drive I was
fighting the wind and driving
only 55-60mph. After the first hour or so, it seemed to get better.
Today is a driving day, well mostly. We did make a detour to see Devils Tower
We did the hike all the way around the tower. It is a very easy hike. about 1
1/2 miles.
Devils Tower was the first national monument in 1906. It is the core of a
volcano exposed after millions of
years of erosion brought on by the Belle Fourche River. The tower is 865 feet
tall.
After a couple hours there. We got back on the highway. We got to Cody,
Wyoming about 5PM.
We stopped at the local Wal-Mart to restock supplies. There are a lot of RV
parked here, so we said what the
heck. And parked at Walmart for the night also.
My
iphone crashed and the only way to restore it is on my home PC.
Not too happy that every time I travel, I
will need to bring a PC with itunes, just in case the phone crashes.
So, unless I find another way to restore it, I will not have a cell phone the
rest of the trip. :(
We happen to find wireless internet at Walmart. It is a very slow connection,
but it is internet. :)
No telling when we will have it again.
Jul 15,
2010 - Yellowstone
We got a late start out of Cody, Wy for
Yellowstone. We did not leave until 10:30. I was playing around trying to get my
iphone fixed and everyone else was sleeping in.
After we got going, it didn't take long for the sites to start.
We went to a fairly long tunnel. On the other side was a rather larger lake. It
is the Buffalo Bill lake created in 1910 by damning the Shoshone River. This
lake is user only for irrigation.
After viewing the lake for a while, we got back on the road. I can see why the
need the lake, it was very barren. All that water, yet nothing grows. But, the
views were incredible.
After driving through man hills, and curves, we finally made it to Yellowstone
National Park.
This is where the hill climbing started. We were at 6000ft and before no time at
all (well, a slow climb for the RV) we were at 8000ft. We were now at the same
level as the snow capped mountains. I thought the snow were be at a higher
altitude this time of year.
We got into view of the Yellowstone Lake. It is a very large natural lake. I
believe it is the highest lake in the country.
We drove around the shore of the lake for quite a while. We were getting close
to our campground when we saw our first buffalo.
After another 1/2 mile we reached our campground, Fishing Bridge.
We checked in and headed to our campsite. Nothing exciting here. We got
everything situated and decided to head to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.
We crossed over Yellowstone River via Fishing Bridge and followed the river
north.
On out way we came across Mud Volcano and Dragons Mouth Spring. We could smell
the sulphur from the road. To me. the sulphur smells like lit fireworks.
We first came up to Dragons Mouth Spring. This spring created violent waves that
come out through a shallow cave. The steam and gases crash against the walls of
the caverns making a sound of a dragon growling.
After that we continued on to Mud Volcano. It is boiling mud. Quite interesting
and quite smelly.
There are a couple other lakes and caldrons in the area we went to also. When
getting ready to leave, we watched a buffalo approaching, scrathing himself and
walking toward the caldrons.
We then continued on to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. We
parked close to the Upper Falls. What a site. Very scenic. We decided to walk
the south rim trail. After a while we got to Uncle Tom's Trail. I had not heard
of this. It is a trail that take you pretty close to the bottom of the Lower
Falls. It is 365 steps down. Here we go...
The first glimpse of the Lower Falls is amazing. What power.... We continued down
the steps until we got to the bottom of the path. The site and sound was
incredible.
We watched the falls and took tome pictures. Now time to start back up. ugh.....
This was more difficult for Debby and I. The kids glided right back up. Debby
and I took many breaks. But, it was all worth it.
Next stop, Artist Point. This is a spectacular view of the Lower Falls and the
Grand Canyon of Yellowstone from about 1 1/2 miles away. The view just can not
be explained. Hopefully the pictures will do it some justice.
After that we went to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. From
this side you get another view of the Upper Falls. There are trails that take
you down in the canyon, but we decided not to do those. :)
We started back to out campsite. On the way, we saw quite a few buffalo here and
there.
We checked out the General Store and parted with some money.
Finally, back at the Motor home. We cooked dinner, talked for a while and went
to bed.
Jul 16,
2010 - Old Faithful
Today, we headed to Old Faithful.
We got to Old Faithful around 12:20 and it was predicted to erupt at 1:19PM, so
we decided to get a seat and wait.
During this time, they had a ranger talking. We learned that there are only 4
counties that have geysers: Australia, New Zealand, Russia, and the US. There
are approximately 900 geysers in the world and 500 of them are in Yellowstone.
We could see geysers going off in the distant as we waited for Old Faithful.
Finally, the time came. It was a couple minutes early. This was one of the
shorter durations for the geysers, but that did not matter to the crowd.
After Old Faithful, we walked the tail to see other geysers, pools, and springs.
There are quite a few of them in this area and the camera got a lot of pictures.
One of the geysers I liked most was Riverside Geyser. It is on the river bank
and shoots into the river. It was going of when we got there. We watched it for
about 10 minutes and it was still going off when we left.
At the end of the trail is Morning Glory Pool. This pool is clear in the middle
and has vibrant colors extending outward.
After walking the trail/boardwalk we took a break at the local cafe. The kids
got ice cream and soda. We watched Old Faithful again. While sitting there, a
buffalo walked through.
After shopping a little at the General Store, we headed north to the Fountain
Paint Pots. There are springs that have boiling mud. They smelled quite awful
also. Sometime the mud would boil many feet in the air.
Everyone was getting quite tired by this time, so we headed back to the RV to
eat and rest for the night. We seem to be sleeping very good. It is getting down
to the low forties at night.
Jul
17, 2010 - Mammoth Springs
We started off heading to Mammoth Springs. It is
about 1 1/2 hours away.
The fist thing we saw were 2 buffalo's swimming across the Yellowstone River.
Quite interesting.
On the rest of the drive we did see quite a few buffalo here and there. We did
pull over to watch one digging and rolling around in the dirt.
We finally arrived at Mammoth Springs. These springs are quite large and
interesting. From the Springs, you can see Mammoth in the valley below. Mammoth
is the Old Yellowstone Fort.
We drove though Mammoth on our way to Boiling River. Boiling River is a hot
spring that runs into Gardiner River. You are allowed to swim in this location.
Boiling River is quite hot and Gardiner River is very cold. Swimming where they
mix was an interesting experience. You could feel extreme heat on one side of
you body and extreme cold on the other side. You had to find the right mix to
soak in.
After swimming for about and hour, we headed back into Mammoth and ate at the
Terrance Grill. This is a fast food place. Not too bad, but expensive.
We then drove back to the RV. We were don site seeing for the day. Debby did
some laundry and we all laid around.
Jul
18, 2010 - Tower Falls
Today we are headed to the Tower Falls area. It is
in the Northeastern section of Yellowstone.
But, Before that, Josh and I got up at 6AM to do some fishing. We had already
had a spot picked out on the lake the night before. When we got there, a buffalo
had taken our spot. So, we had to find a new spot. The spot we found was pretty
shallow and we did not get any bites. So, we decided to move out of the lake and
try fishing in the Yellowstone River. We did not have any luck there either.
Up until today, we have seen a couple buffalo here and there. Not the herds you
hear about. Well, that changed today. When we got into Hayden Valley, we saw
hundreds of Buffalo. They were everywhere. This is what Debby and I expected to
see. So we were happy campers.
After viewing the buffalo, we continued on to Tower Falls. The elevation in that
area is a little higher. We are going through 9000-1000ft mountains. We finally
arrived at Tower Falls. The parking lot was crazy. There were cars everywhere.
with no organization. Park wherever and hope someone does not block you in. We
took our chances on a fairly close spot and started the hike.
The walk to the overlook is only 150 yards and very easy. The waterfall is
beautiful. These falls are 132 foot tall. Artist Thomas Moran found it in 1874,
which inspired one of his most famous paintings.
We then hiked close to the bottom of the valley. We thought we were going to the
base of the falls. But, we could not see it from the bottom of the trail. Oh
well, the view of the Yellowstone river and surrounding mountains were
wonderful.
After hiking back up the road, we talked to a couple that said they had just
seen Black Bears up the road. So off we went. We came across a wildlife traffic
backup, but still could not see any bears. We pulled over in a turnout and
talked to a ranger. He told us they went down the valley some. So, off we went
again. :)
We finally found them! People are crazy. One women got so exited, she pulled her
car off the road. Where it drops off. I thought she was going to roll it down
the hill. Other people were parking half on the road and leaving their car. Then
no on could pass.
I dropped Debby and the kids off so they could see the bears better. All the
girls have been saying is they want to see a bear. So, they finally got to se 2
bears. A mother and her cub. The mother was just walking along. The cub was
behind trees and hard to see. But, every once in a while he would poke out from
the trees.
We finally got on the road again. We drove to the top of Mt. Washburn. The
mountain is 10,234 ft. The drive takes you up to around 10,000 feet. From here,
we got a great view of the area. You could see storms all around us. You could
spot the rain with no problems. We were told that it snowed there yesterday.
Jessiy and Josh walk about 400 yards to get some snow. They both came back with
snow balls. But, they did not throw them.
We left the mountain top and looked for a picnic site. We figured it best to
bring food, since there is nothing around. :) After a short picnic, we were back
on the road. Not too long of a drive, there was a grizzly bear siting. We could
not see him because of the angle of the mountain, so we headed on.
After going around the bend and up a hill, there was a turnoff. With binoculars,
you could see the grizzly bears and 2 cubs in the distance. I got a picture, but
it is hard to make out. We were all happy to see a grizzly bear though. After a
while, people realized what we were doing, so the turnout started getting really
crowded, so we decided to leave.
We drove back to the Fishing Bridge area seeing buffalo here and there again. It
is comical to watch the people. I'm sure our first day here, we were the same.
Excited to see buffalo and stopping to get a picture. Now, we just point them
out and keep on driving. Except, we had to stop when one lady decided it would
be best to stand in the middle of the road for the best photo shot. :)
Jul 19,
2010 - Last Day in Yellowstone
Well, today is our last day in Yellowstone. There
is so much to see here and you can not see it all in 5 days.
We decided to hike to Natural Bridge. This bridge is much smaller than what you
would see in Utah, it is was pretty neat to see anyway. The hike is 1 1/2 miles
one way. It is a very easy hike with very little climbs. That is until you reach
the bridge. We decided to hike up the hill and around the back side of the
bridge. There is a stream that passes through he arch that is difficult to see
from the bottom.
After hiking back from Natural Bridge, we went to the Visitor Center/Museum.
They have a lot of animal displays and we were able to identify what we had
seen.
After that, Josh and I decided to try fishing one more time. We had a spot
picked out on the Yellowstone River. No buffalo this time. :) We did not catch
anything, but this time we got some bites. We had a great view.
There is about 1 5 acre forest fire west of us. While we were fishing we could
watch the helicopters dipping those huge buckets in Yellowstone Lake. That was
interesting to watch.
After fishing, we went back to the RV ate then headed to Hayden Valley. We were
told the wildlife comes out right before dark.
As we entered Hayden Valley, we got caught in a buffalo jam. They we walking up
the road and across the road. Lots of them. A few crossed in front of us while
crossing the street. We even saw some baby buffalos this time.
After we got through the buffalo jam, we headed down the road. We say a bunch of
people pulled over, so we pulled over also. There were 4 grizzly bears in the
distance. A mother and 3 cubs. They were quite a distance away, but we could see
them wit our binoculars. A guy next to us had a really nice camera. He could see
the bear with no problem in the preview window. We all crowded around his camera
and watched the mother for a bit.
Jul 20,
2010 - Gros Ventre/Jackson, Wyoming
We left Yellowstone early in the morning. I wanted
to get a campsite at Gros Ventre, which is first come, first served.
It was a very cold morning. I had frost on my car. Some of the lows while in
Yellowstone have been down to 33 degrees.
The drive to Gros Ventre, which takes you through Grand Teton NP, was wonderful.
We saw a few elk and pulled over a couple times to take pictures of waterfalls
and mountains. IT made the road construction worth it.
We got to Gros Ventre (about 20 minutes from Jackson Hole) around 9:30am and got
checked in.
After we were all situated, we went to Jackson Hole. This little town is quite
the tourist trap with a western theme. We parked the car and walked through
town. The weather was wonderful. We ate lunch at the Town Square Tavern. Then,
rode a stage coach through town.
At 6pm, we watched an old west shoot out. It was fun and they got the crowd
involved.
Jul 21,
2010 - Whitewater
We had to wake up early today and be at the the
boathouse by 8am. The weather was really crappy. It was raining. The clouds are
so thick you can not see the mountains. And they are close. Well, we got there
about 7:45am and waited until 8:30am to take the bus to the river. It was still
raining on the bus ride to the river. When we got to the river, they decided to
cancel the trip because of lightning. Bummer, this was the scenic part of the
trip. But, we still had the whitewater portion at noon. We are going to leave
for home tomorrow, but rescheduled this part of the trip for tomorrow morning.
Hopefully the weather will improve.
We showed back up at the boat house at 11:45am. It was still raining. They said
we were going to do the trip, because we were going to get wet anyway. :) We got
on the bus about noon and took a 45 minute ride to another section of the river.
We got all out gear on and got in out raft. We had 2 other groups with us and
the were enjoyable. Somehow, Debby go stuck sitting in the front of the raft,
which is who gets the wettest. Pretty soon into the trip we hit some good waves
and got soaked. Boy, is that water cold. There are some calm sections of the
river and some people jumped out.
Josh tried the "rodeo." He stood on the top of the boat while the rest of us
spin it in circles. He did not last even a couple seconds before he fell in the
water.
The river guide mentioned the names of rapids and areas we were in, but I don't
remember them. But, the Big Kahuna, I remember, Those rapids pretty much covered
the whole raft when we went in. There are photographers taking pictures there. I
will post some photos when they come in.
After getting back to the boathouse and changing into dry clothes, we headed to
the Snake River Brewery. I love micro-breweries... We had a great dinner and I
had to try all the different beers. Josh was out designated driver for the
evening.
Jul
22, 2010 - Scenic River and Drive Home
We had to get up early again to try the Scenic
portion of Snake River. It was sunny and looked like a nice day. As we got
closer to Jackson, it was cloudy, foggy and raining. Not really my idea of
scenic.
The float was still going to happen. We got bussed to a foggy river. After
getting on the river, it was not too long until we saw a bull moose on the
shore. We all enjoyed that. That was one of the animals we had not seen on this
trip.
We saw quite a few eagles and osprey, but no other wildlife. About 3/4 of the
trip, the fog started burning off and we could see the mountains. It was a nice
relaxing trip.
After the trip, it was time to head home. We had to work through quite a bit of
road construction. I had to drive through about 10 miles of pot-hole gravel
construction crews. Very bumpy.
The views through the mountains were great. But, soon we were back on highway 80
and heading east. We drove for about 7 hours before stopping in Cheyenne,
Wyoming for the night.
Jul 23,
2010 - Drove to MO
Nothing exciting about this day.
We hit the road about 7am and drove all day.
We did pass through Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri. OK, not "through" Missouri, but
to it.
We went through downtown Lincoln, NE. While there I stopped at a mall to get a
few hours sleep and the family had something to do while I slept.
We drove to about an hour east of Kansas City and pulled into a rest stop about
midnight.
JULY 24, 2010 - Home
We only had 3 hours to drive home. I woke up
about 6am and we were on the road by 6:30am.
We made is home about 10am. What a great vacation.
Videos (may take a minute (or two) to load)
Some Vacation Stats
We drove 2960 miles total.
We used 385 gallons of gas.
We got 7.7 miles per gallon.
The average gas price per gallon was $2.70
The highest was 3.09 at the Yellowstone NP.
The lowest was $2.49 in Warrenton, MO.
We spent a total of $1030.36 in gas.
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