May 30, 2008

We went to the visitor center, the original governor's mansion and the walking mall. Then went to the usual, Wallyworld and Home Depot. Still need groceries even in vacation land!

May 29, 2008

We hated to leave but it is time to start north. We are in Helena, MT. There is so much to see in this area. It was an uneventful drive from Yellowstone except for the weather. There is a lot of beautiful country along the way. After we arrived we mostly cleaned house and did laundry. Visited with several other RVers, all from different parts of the country, all headed to different places. So much fun!

May 28, 2008

Sue & Jerry had to go back to work so we were on our own today. We did the grand loop tour, the Canyon Interpretive Center and the north rim. AND WE SAW ANOTHER GRIZZLY!

We have thoroughly enjoyed this week in Yellowstone with many other tourists and their interesting vehicles, the geysers, creeks overflowing from the snow melting, abundant wildlife and beautiful scenery. Yellowstone lake is still frozen but starting to thaw....it is cracking in some very pretty patterns.

May 27, 2008

WOW!!!! Today was super. We hiked to Mystic Falls. It is a 3 mile easy hike......HA! It is an 800 ft vertical climb. That wasn't the bad part. The top of the mountain had about 3 feet of snow and we had to cross a stream. Mike and Jerry did okay but Sue and I had a few problems with the snow and the stream! The falls were well worth the climb....beautiful. We left from Biscuit Basin. It is so hard to believe you go from thermal areas to mountains in only a few yards.

We had planned to hike to Fairy Falls after we finished but NO. After getting showers and few minutes rest we went in to West Yellowstone for dinner. We also went to the local playhouse to see "Oklahoma". The actors were very good. It was a GREAT DAY!

May 26, 2008

It has been a LONG day but so much fun. We went to Jackson, WY with Sue & Jerry. On the way we passed the spectacular Teton Mountains!! Jackson is such a great town. The visitor center with it's sod roof has so much information and history. The antler arches are are at each corner of the park. We went to the Cadilac Bar with saddles for seats....Back In The Saddle Again! And, of course, RAIN, RAIN, RAIN!! Jerry has been very accommodating in providing lots of animals....elk, buffalo, eagles, moose AND A GRIZZLY! Yep! Saw a bear.

After we left Jackson we drove thru Yellowstone. We were gone from 7am to 9pm. Jerry is wonderful!

May 25, 2008

We drove to Ashton, ID. It was a great drive, Of course, we still had to see things in the rain

The little cabin with the water wheel was built by Johnny Sack in the 1930 as the water system for the main cabin. Quite an ingenious man. The water was so clear we could see the trout spawning. Saw both rainbow and cut throat. The beautiful waterfall is on the Snake River at Henrys Fork. It was well worth the walk in the rain to see this one.

Had a great pot luck with the Madison campground workers. Got to sample foods from various regions as everyone brought their special dishes. We took queso...several people had never had queso!!!! The Mexican restaurant here does not even serve it.

May 24, 2008

Toured Yellowstone in the rain and snow. Saw tons of buffalo and elk. Still looking for the elusive bear! Because of the weather the park is not as full as would be expected for a holiday week-end.

Yellowstone had more snow this year than they have had in 10 years. It is probably going to be July before it all melts. The falls are absolutely beautiful, they are flowing so FULL with all the melting snow. Such a beautiful day!

May 23, 2008

FINALLY!! We got the brakes fixed and are on our way to Yellowstone. Sue & Jerry Brooks were able to get us a campsite in Madison, the campground they work in. There was lots of snow on the way but we got here before the weather arrived.

Sue & Jerry came over for a visit after they got off work. It was so good to see them.....looking forward to doing lots of sightseeing with them.

May 22, 2008

Well today was a non-travel day...not by choice!!! We decided to have the entire brake system replaced since the RV weighs 1700 pounds and we are not sure if any of the metal was stressed. The truck has never had any major repairs so guess it was time. Also, the weather has not been the greatest! It has rained, snowed and hailed all day. So far, I am not impressed with WY weather.

The truck is SUPPOSED to be ready before 10 tomorrow morning. If that works out, we will head for Yellowstone.

May 21, 2008

Today started out wonderful...we SHOULD have gotten to Yellowstone in the early afternoon. But life happens!!! Hwy 16 from Buffalo to Ten Sleep is a steep crooked road. We have traveled it before with no problems but not so this time. On the first switchback we broke a brake line. YIKES! The RV brakes were able to slow us down enough to avoid any major mishaps but there was no place to pull over. By the time we found a wide spot in the road, our right rear brake was on fire and blew out a tire. New $300 tire!! To make a long nerve wracking story short, all's well that ends well!! Changed the tire, made it to Ten Sleep----no services--then went on to Worland. They have Ford house so we are getting a new brake line, got a new tire, and are staying the night. Everyone we have encountered has been so nice and helpful.

Tomorrow the brake line part will be here and we will continue to Yellowstone. Called Sue & Jerry to let them know what is happening. It is SNOWING in Yellowstone. I think we are destined to have snow most of this summer. Maybe time to pack the shorts and sandals??

May 20, 2008

Well the BIG day is finally here! ON THE ROAD AGAIN!!!

We left the kids house at 9am after we got the scooter loaded, the boat loaded, the generator loaded......way too many toys! Took us well over an hour to get across Denver. Sure don't miss having to drive in traffic on a regular basis.

We are spending the night at the Indian Camp RV Park in Buffalo, WY. We stayed here last fall. We think it is a nice campground. Tomorrow we will be headed for Yellowstone. Gonna see a bear! These were the best pictures we could get crossing the WY boarder. The road is under construction so we could not pull over and there was traffic. You can see the welcome sign in the middle left of the picture on the left

May 16, 17, 18 & 19, 2009

We have been 24/7 grandparents since Friday. WOW!! Now I remember why you have kids when you are young! Such busy little beavers!

Friday night we mostly hung out at their house. Fixed pancakes for supper!! Played games, (Ryan and I played with his bull riding setup), watched TV, etc. After snacks, baths and so on, if was bedtime. Saturday was a busy day for Ryan. He had a baseball game in the morning. They won. YEA! Then he had a birthday party Saturday evening. Of course, we had to go shopping for the birthday present after the game. After the party, we played games and watched the PBR.

Sunday we went to Chatfield Lake to try out the new Sea Eagle boat. We had not decided if we needed a motor--oh yeah! Rowing is way too much work to have energy left to fish. Of course, both boys helped row. Justin was a lot of help but Ryan's arms are still a little short. Then back t0 their house for dinner, baths and more games. Bedtime was early tonight because tomorrow's school.

Monday everybody was up early for school. Had forgotten what a mad house it can be getting everyone off with all their assignments and on time. John will be home late this afternoon and Tanya will be in tonight.

May 15, 2008

People think TX weather changes often, it doesn't have anything on CO!! Sunday was beautiful, Monday it was cool and overcast, Tuesday it snowed, Wednesday it was 70 degrees and today it SNOWED, sleeted, hailed and now the sun is out.

We spent most of the morning at the vet's office. CoCoa got cut on the barb wire in Tan's fence. So now we get to clean and soak her head, give her antibiotics and baby aspirin twice a day for the next week. Just like having a baby again.

Sue Brooks called to let us know they got us a spot in their campground. We are leaving CO on the 20th headed for Yellowstone. We will be there at least a week. We are starting to get "Hitch Itch". If both Tan & John weren't both going to be gone this weekend, we would leave now. We are ready to be on the road again!!

May 14, 2008

Mostly just hung out today. Went to lunch with Tanya before she left for New Orleans. She had a fraud conference in NO, from there she will be going to CA for a job interview with PayPal. If she gets the job, they will be moving back to TX. PayPal is opening a new office in Austin.

We watched Ryan's baseball game this evening. He got 2 hits and scored 1 run. YEA!! Little ones are so cute to watch.

May 13, 2008

IT SNOWED TODAY!!! This is just wrong.....it is not supposed to be snowing the middle of May. Spent most of the day rearranging the 5th wheel and truck tool box. Did things we could do inside. Thank goodness for the kid's garage!

Didn't realize we had accumulated so much "stuff" in such a short time!! Thought we had been so careful not to overload this time. Don't guess we need so many dishes and clothes. More stuff for Goodwill.

Finally started to warm up this afternoon...got all the way up to 39.

May 12, 2008

We had a little problem with the 5th wheel so drove to Ft Collins to the Excel dealer. Of course they didn't have the part we needed in stock so ended up ordering it from the factory. Nice drive and saw parts of Denver we haven't seen for 40 years.

Of course, we had to stop at a truck accessory store and spent lots of money. Mike wanted a computer chip for the truck and a new tail gate. Our current 5th wheel tail gate is plastic and not holding up well. We should not have gone there!!

Today was a beautiful day but tomorrow it is supposed to rain YUK!

May 9, 10 & 11, 2008

OOPS!!! Didn't keep up with the blog. We are in Elizabeth, CO at Tanya's house. We got here Friday afternoon. Just a short jaunt from Colorado Springs. We plan to stay here until the 19th. Tan has business in California on the 16th & 19th. She and John are going to spend the weekend there. We will stay with the boys until they get home. Some alone time with them will be fun!

Saturday Tan & I went shopping...sure do miss having her to shop with. Does save us a lot of money! The guys mainly hung out at the house and worked on shutters. The kids have their house for sale. It needs some more street appeal; hence, the shutters.

Today (Sunday--May 11, 2008) is a special day for our family. It is our only granddaughter's 8th birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Casey Michelle. Can't believe she is growing up so fast All of our grandkids are....Justin is 12, Tyler is 12, Zach is 8, Ryan is 8 and now Casey is 8. Each and everyone of our grandkids and of course, our kids are a blessing!!!

May 8, 2008

Tomorrow we will be leaving Colorado Springs to go to the kids house in Elizabeth, CO. So got all of our sightseeing done today. We drove up Pikes Peak as far as the road is open. The top 4 miles still have too much snow and the winds are too high. Snowed on us while we were up there. Didn't know the North Pole was up there until today! Breathtaking views...well worth the drive.

May 7, 2008

Today was another necessary day..............do laundry, clean house, grocery shop, etc. Yuk!! Also took CoCoa to the base vet for new shots and a health certificate for Canada. While there we went ahead and had her microchipped. She is USUALLY great about not wandering but you never know. At the base it is not expensive and good insurance just in case.

Just another fun filled day in paradise.

May 6, 2008

We toured the visitor center of the Air Force Academy. It is very interesting. A beautiful place to go to school.

Tonight we went to Justin's 6th grade band concert. He plays the saxophone. It was very good. His jr. high has a jazz band that also performed.

May 5, 2008

We finally got the fridge fixed. Hopefully it will work for more than a few hours this time.

We traveled on to Colorado Springs today. We are staying at the Air Force Academy family camping area. It is one of the prettiest area we have been in lately. There is so much to do in this area. It is rainy today so no hiking. Hopefully we will make it to Pikes Peak this time.

I need to go to Michael's to find a frame for my duck picture. As you know, I worked with the Texas competition for the Jr Duck Stamp art contest. We had over 460 entries. Our TX best of show won the national contest. I am so excited. The complex manager we worked with a BNWR had a print made for me and it is wonderful. The young person that painted it is so talented.

May 3 & 4, 2008

We spent the entire weekend with the kids. Played cards Friday night and showed Ryan how to bead.

Saturday, Tanya and I toured Buena Vista and Salida. Checked out the little shops. Didn't buy much......no space! The guys went fishing. They tried a couple of places but no luck. John fixed poppers and grilled chicken then we all watched PBR.

This morning, I fixed the boys waffles with strawberries and whipped cream for breakfast. (Tan says they are spoiled rotten since they tell her, "Grammy does that for me!!!") Then we all went to the Saint Elmo ghost town. Because there is so much snow, the buildings are still closed for the season. Of course, the drive was worth it as the Arkansas River Valley is beautiful. There are several hot springs pools in the area but we did not stop.

They left about 2pm to head home. We will stay here tonight and HOPEFULLY tomorrow the part for our fridge will be here. After it gets fixed, we will head to Colorado Springs for a couple of days. About an hour from Tan's house. Don't know yet if they are going to come down and we'll camp next weekend or if we'll just go on to their house Friday morning. It's up to them.

May 2, 2008

No snow today but it is still COLD. BRRRRRRRRRR We are still searching out fishing spots. Went to Cottonwood Lake but most of it was frozen. Justin will like that as he is always wanting to go ice fishing. Of course, the ice isn't thick enough anymore!! We saw several mountain sheep on the way to the lake.

Kids arrived about 3pm. Sure is good to see then and I know the boys have grown several inches!!! Justin is way taller than I am. Can't be lieve he will be 13 this summer.