Westbound

[Tweiland]

My husband is going to be 50 years old this year. Throughout our lives together, we have gone from giving each other senseless birthday presents to picking our wish from out bucket lists, and going out west to visit beautiful American landmarks is what his heart desires this year.

Our journey will begin in early June. The total traveling days is estimated at 18-20 days depending on how much ground we cover. We will be visiting Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone National Park, Grand Canyon and other scenic places along the way. Our first day will end up somewhere around Mitchell, South Dakota and since we will just be there overnight, we plan to tender our night @ Super WalMart lot. While my husband will be driving our Forester River Class C camper, I will be trailing in our family sedan. We also have two children traveling with us. I know some are curious of our traveling arrangement – we researched car rental in some of the famous landmarks and found that they appeared to be pricey and hard to obtain hence the decision to bring our own “zoom-around-town” vehicle.

This will be an exciting trip for us as we look back on our past family vacations and the profound memories we hold closely to our hearts; our oldest child has been out of house and we sincerely miss her for not being able to vacation with us often.

We welcome any word of wisdom from any seasoned campers and road warriors to enrich our experience.

[NoviBill]

Tweiland, Sounds like a great trip. We will be following you a month later to Mt Rushmore and Custer State park (great place to visit).
CBs work great for talking between vehicles, FRS work well also (both are better than cell phones).

[CAT-RN]

As said Custer State Park while at Rushmore. And the Cody night Rodeo is great for children & adults.

Russell

[Tweiland]

We booked at Hartland RV Resort for two days based on the proximity of distance from our overnight spot and GoodSam website recommandation. Our kids are a bit older, 19 & 15, not sure if they are into rodeo but we have foretold them that this is a brand new experience, so anything goes:-) Personally, I like anything pertaining western, so rodeo, cowboys, shout of hee-haws will get my attention.

My co-worker mentioned several fancy and historical spots in Cody so we are going to do our best to check them out. This trip isn't going to be one of those park-n-rest types, I know it will test our patience and tenacity of road trip as a family. Then again, we love pushing the envelope when it comes to vacation. We are driving our family car as well so that we can get around town.

Are there any reputable/safe free overnighters in these areas?

I am puzzled by the cost of car rental in Yellowstone Park - I would think it would be more accessible and less costly since the annual crowd in this area shows an astunning peak comparing to others that are less known? Maybe we are researching for the right thing?

[CAT-RN]

Ok. On adult children--a stop at the visitors center at the east entrance of the Badlands National Park. Drive thru the park worth the drive. You will come out at Wall SD Couple campgrounds there and of course Wall Drug Store is worth a walk thru.
Before the Badlands is Pioneer Auto Museum in Murdo SD. Has 50ties restaurant and many antiques & a small town set up from the 30 ties.
Maybe $12 fee. Campground just west of it. Right at the exit

Russell

[dutch]

Tweiland we also are planning to leave early June and are heading out that way first stop Hill City SD Rafter J Bar Camping couple of days then on to Cody WY, and to Yellowstone and to Utah, Maybe we will see each other on the road this will be our first long trip in our coach. Save travel.

[Tweiland]

Dutch,
We take off early Friday (6/5) around 4am and "plan" to drive approx 900 miles depending on how brave we are...this is almost the same distance from our place to Orlando Florida. We have done straight drive-through many times before, ahumm, when we were much younger.:-) We read articles about how RVers' opinions about being "spontaneous" when it comes to "booking ahead" when going out west...the general concensus is "not recommended during summer season"; however, most RVers find it relatively easy to check in a spot on the fly when traveling to Canada or Alaska.
I will look out for your rig...we are easy to be spotted...probably odd clothed family with Ohio plates:-) Please do post your journey in case we drive through the same towns.

[CAT-RN]

Whoa--- 900 mile --that huge-- good luck. We have been to Yellowstone in June & July before. Never made advance reservations. Even stayed in Grizzly in West Yellowstone for 2 nights once in July without reservations. Good luck on your trip.

Russell

[bob caldwell]

Originally Posted by Tweiland

Dutch,
We take off early Friday (6/5) around 4am and "plan" to drive approx 900 miles depending on how brave we are...this is almost the same distance from our place to Orlando Florida. We have done straight drive-through many times before, ahumm, when we were much younger.:-) We read articles about how RVers' opinions about being "spontaneous" when it comes to "booking ahead" when going out west...the general concensus is "not recommended during summer season"; however, most RVers find it relatively easy to check in a spot on the fly when traveling to Canada or Alaska.
I will look out for your rig...we are easy to be spotted...probably odd clothed family with Ohio plates:-) Please do post your journey in case we drive through the same towns.

The reason it's easy to find a site in Canada......those folks are all here, or the bear's got 'em. Dare you to try to find a site in a state park at the coast without a reservation that wasn't made last Jan.

[jbk]

The Cabella's in Mitchell, SD also has free overnight RV parking. Just past the WalMart, slightly more accessible and definitely quieter!

[abjb]

Originally Posted by Tweiland

We booked at Hartland RV Resort for two days based on the proximity of distance from our overnight spot and GoodSam website recommandation. Our kids are a bit older, 19 & 15, not sure if they are into rodeo but we have foretold them that this is a brand new experience, so anything goes:-) Personally, I like anything pertaining western, so rodeo, cowboys, shout of hee-haws will get my attention.

My co-worker mentioned several fancy and historical spots in Cody so we are going to do our best to check them out. This trip isn't going to be one of those park-n-rest types, I know it will test our patience and tenacity of road trip as a family. Then again, we love pushing the envelope when it comes to vacation. We are driving our family car as well so that we can get around town.

Are there any reputable/safe free overnighters in these areas?

I am puzzled by the cost of car rental in Yellowstone Park - I would think it would be more accessible and less costly since the annual crowd in this area shows an astunning peak comparing to others that are less known? Maybe we are researching for the right thing?

Check Cracker Barrel and Casino's (you don't have to go inside the casino)

Cracker Barrel

Casino Camper - RV Friendly Casino Locations

[Tweiland]

6/5 Day 1


We left Cleveland around 5:30am, an hour later than our original projection. The goal was to reach Cabella, Mitchell, SD today - total miles : 920.


The temperature was around 72 in Cleveland when we left; when reached Indiana to gas up, the temp dropped to 52 and windy. Umm..we also decided to take I90 through some major cities - well, not recommended if you really wanted the wide-open-roads. We basically navigated through two-lane high ways all the way and didn't pick up the speed for more than 60/mph until after Minnesota.


One good thing was the gas prices in all the places we had to fill out tanks - on the average, they were between $2.59 - $2.99/gal - our projection based on last year's fuel cost was $3.99 - $4.25/gal while driving down to Florida. If we keep this up, we won't encounter any budget buster - at least not for the fuel.


Stopped in Missouri for lunch - a great thing about getting in most travel plaza these days is that they all have electricity hookup...not that we need to. We fired up the generator to run the microwave and enjoyed a quick lunch (Stromboli's my husband made the day before).


We reached Brandon, S.D. around 7:30pm and checked into Yogi Bear Camp - we, or at least, I was already road weary for multiple reasons, but the primary reason was the 15 hours driving since Ohio. My concern for parking @ Cabella was trumped when our black tank showed 2/3 full and to lighten the load, we only filled up our water tank 1/2 full this time...well, we were very much out of water by the time we reached South Dakota.


The temperature dipped down to a pleasant and breezy 60's at night. This camp is wonderful and full of children with various activities kids can really enjoy - large pool, jumping pillow (you got to try this even if you are over 40's), valley ball court, sand pit, and playground. They also have bikes kids can rent to cruise around the camp ground. We were assigned to the far end of the camp ground which was very much close to highway. We heard the drive-bys all night along with our neighbors who seemed to talk into the wee hours with smoke of fire pit permeating our rv...we ended up closing part of the windows so to get a good night sleep. We wish we had more time to enjoy the amenities but tomorrow we have 6-hour drive before we reach Hermosa, SD where we will be parking for a couple of nights.


Both kids have been great and I am glad they are older not needing my constant attention or entertainment.

[Tweiland]

6/6/15
Day 2
The speed limit is 80 – Yee-Haw!! What am I going to do with myself? The last time we drove on any highway with more than 65 speed limit is on high way 66 between Oklahoma and Texas. 80 is a permit for flying…well, almost!!
We left Yogi Bear Camp Ground around 10am – our journey today is apprx. 6 hours before we reach Hermosa, South Dakota. Now we are talking about WIDE-OPEN-ROADs…the entire journey comprised of open green field stretched as far as your eyes could see. The most common theme on display were farm houses and black herds of cows in clusters – and lots, lots, lots of billboards of what would at the nearby towns. Corn castle, Naked Winery, Red Ass Rhubarb Wine, Reptile Garden, etc…the repetition of miles and miles of nothingness but green plains eventually took over the initial excitement of driving in high speed. I was able to finish 8 disks of books on tape, “An Irish Country Girl” and listening to my son’s current favorite band, Barenaked Ladies…..we sang to “Odds Are” a few times so that I wouldn’t feel exhaustion of long drive. At some point, I didn’t see my husband and my daughter being in the RV far behind us…guess I was going along just a little bit too fastJ
We arrived Hartland RV Resort – this camp ground is apprx. 5,000 + above the sea level. The temp was about 60’s and we were told that since there had been 45-min rain this past week, some areas were flooded. The altitude didn’t bother us…we were trying to get used to rough camping as we possibly could. Hartland is also closer to the high way, in fact, it is much closer to S Highway than Yogi Bear. The difference is the frequency of any vehicles driving by is so spotty that by 7pm, we could hear the crickets loud and clear. I didn’t know what kind of insects would be out in this kind of environment but our neighbors seemed to burn some sort of smoke fire that keep the bugs away. It looked like the camping season is not yet in full bloom here – there are several campers but we are happy to have two empty spots on the either side of our space, especially after the experience of last night with close campers who seemed not wanting to go to bed at all.
We settled in quickly and had a quick dinner. Mt. Rushmore is about 15 minutes away and my husband took both kids to see the lighting ceremony at the Mount. I have been nursing a stomach bug for days and finally the fatigue overtook me. I bowed out for the night hoping I will be a more normal self tomorrow.

[Tweiland]

6/7
Day 3
Mt. Rushmore is as grand as anyone who visited and photographed the place. We also learned that Thomas Jefferson was the first person to have created the recipe for ice cream..umm, that's certainly was a news to us. The weather was absolutely beautiful and the scenic route we took from Custer State Park to the Mount would take any city slicker's breath away. The turnings and the curving of the mountain roads (well, the locals called them hill trails) were a bit challenging and required full attention - once we reached the height of hill, WOW, we could see the view of the two presidents' carving and the entire valley below.

We started off in Custer State Park and I would highly recommended to spend the $11 for the wild life route. The park drive is free, but to encounter herds of bison, the Wild Life trail had most of them. Now looking back, I just wonder if these bison actually read the sign saying "Wild Life" and knew it was them? Silly thoughts, all in good faith, they roam wherever they please and we certainly took enough pictures to boast about our trip. One of the pictures we took actually include two prairie dogs - they were next to these four large beasts and we didn't see them until the photos were downloaded. What a bonus!!

We proceeded to Crazy Horse Memorial - the admission was $28/car and as we were there, we were told that additional of $4/person was necessary to get on the bus to the foot of the monument. We abandoned the bus tour but entering the museum and gift shop atrium where traditional Indian dances were performed. The museum also showcased the creator of the sculptor - currently the work of Crazy Horse is still being worked on - I suppose that was why we were not informed of additional costs. They also offer rocks from the mountain for a donation if anyone is interested.

This morning we had a little difficult time getting the hot water to remain hot and consistent. We were a little perplexed searching for problems - one thing about the manual, it never really tells you in detail where everything is. You would think that any hot water thermos would be easily spotted and adjusted - we found there were 3 tubes under the sink behind the sliding drawers (who would have thought??) each one of them has a shut-off valve - we turn one of those valves, assuming that's where the hot water will be directly dispensed instead of going through the mixing with the cold, viola, we could be instant plumbers!!

We returned to our camp site around 8pm, mountain time and preparing for dinner. My husband's passion for his basketball team, Cleveland Cavalier was frustrated by non-committal cable signals. He was grilling food and cursing at a time - it was good thing Le Brown came through and won at the overtime...my o my, we would have a really sulking camper here!!

Signing off for day 3.

[Tweiland]

6/8
Day 4
Leaving for Cody, Wyoming!!
Miles: 420
We left Hermosa, S. Dakota around 10am – the process was much faster than before. Think we are getting a hang of this?:-) I certainly wouldn’t mind getting out of bed to see beautiful sight of horses and barn and green hills. The early morning air at our camp site was so like pure oxygen that invigorated my senses. I am an early riser so the time between the sun rise and the rest of the family getting up allowed me much of me-time which I am sincerely grateful for.

The drive was a little more pleasant today – there was almost no one on the road but camper travelers and a few transporting truckers. The speed limit is still 80 and I only passed two high way troopers on a 420-mile drive. My husband’s GPS was set for an alternate route so we decided to take that – instead of going at I90, we jumped off that route and went onto US route 16, Big Horn National Forest. I am really glad we did…the views, well, no words would properly describe what we saw along the way – it was almost religious to cruise through the mountains that chiseled with stern rocks with sun light dancing between the formations. They were majestic!! They were beautiful!! They were eternal!! We managed to stop to take some photos and looking at these rocks standing tall for centuries, feeling humble was only one of mixed feelings we felt.

At some point, we didn’t see any travelers but us two with Ohio plates in a wide-open red hills surrounding road. It’s good thing we had our gas tanks full – we drove almost 2 hours before we came to a small town with a gas station.
We reached our camp site, Yellowstone Valley Inn around 7pm and it was most one of the most beautiful places on earth. The backdrop of hills and water running below, one could see miles and miles of various shades of green intermixing with the blue sky.

One thing we did notice that was absolutely memorable – while driving, the bugs that flew into our windshield were phenomenal – we thought it was raining but then quickly realized that they were flying insects carrying a suicide mission….they actually sound quite like a bowl of rice crispy cereal when you just pour milk in it.

Does anyone know how to minimize the banging sound from the cabinet doors? I know they are constructed as such to prevent things flying out while the vehicle is in motion, but if I have to hear another banging…..
Our rare view camera somehow went out of commission – there isn’t any signal…we called Camping World yesterday trying to see if we could trouble shoot with them via phone, we didn’t get any call back yet. Anyone can offer a solution?

Played Scrabble with family, again, our 15-year-old straight-A son creamed us. We were pleasantly defeated.

[Tweiland]

6/9
Day 5

One of the reasons we decided to visit the first national park, Yellowstone National Park was when we were lazing around one evening watching the documentary of this park…we were awed and amazed and mostly magically enticed by the showing of mesmerizing landscape. The drive from our camp site to the entrance of the park was nothing short of Wyoming signature rugged view – this trip surely reaffirms my personal belief that God is the perfect artist. We have taken so many photos trying to preserve and capture what we have witnessed that if I didn’t download and clear out the camera before we take off the next day, we would not have any more room to have more photo taking capacity during our day trips.

Every turn we navigated around the hill roads coming to surprising giant rock formation with sun light dancing in and out of these ancient sculpted walls; we saw trees densely covered the surface and with snow capping the tips of these hills which blending with white clouds and periwinkle blue sky. It’s a perfect blend of nature’s harmony in a sort of silent poetry. What’s more, we were driving past so many ranches that either have rustic gates indicating the entrances or in an almost hidden spot among the olive green hills, with sun light glittering on the river before these ranch properties, there were 50 shades of green plastered in our way that seemed to heal our eyes. Green isn’t a luxury here, it’s just part of the silent blessing!!

We purchased a national park pass a few months ago as we planned to spend at least a couple of days here then we would head out to the Grand Teton before we leave for the Grand Canyon. The staff at gate told us that it would be apprx. 27 miles drive before we actually reach the visitor center. Very well, we took our time and enjoying the sight. There were many travelers and nothing short of fancy large tour buses as well as motor-cyclists – we tried our best not to get behind the tour buses. One thing they strongly advised us not to do is to stop in the mid traffic when spotting any wild life and warn against coming near more than 100 yards of these beasts (bears, buffalo, mountain cats, etc) – they were considered dangerous since no one can predict their natures – well, I just hope they won’t having a bad day trying to take it out on the tourists, after all, none of us has driven hundreds of miles from home and spend loads of our saving so that we could be attacked. We stopped by the Lake Butte, holy mother, the lake is in such a state like a miles-long-wide crystal glass, it was so beautiful that we thought we were being photo-shopped into it….there were several fabulous spots we could boast about seeing but this certainly was on my top list.

Along the way, many tourists did just what they were advised NOT TO DO – we had to stop at the traffic because some excited tourists stopped in the mid traffic because they spotted bison feeding on the grass; they just hopped out of their cars and left the doors open and raced to take pictures and didn’t even seem to mind getting run over by the traffic coming from the opposite site. Ok, if I were these animals, I would have a bad day and maybe I would just do some snorting and scare them off. Silly buggers!!

The temperature went from 80’s to low 60’s as we climbed around the road. We took a walk at the Volcano site and saw a large bison just enjoying his breakfast…then we saw a bunch nervous tourists either excited with sighting the bison and squealed with happiness or pointed at this beautiful beast with clicking of camera. There were people from all over the world to this area, some foreign languages were spoken while we were out here. We saw a group of radical Indian young men getting really close to the bison trying to take a photo to show off to their friends back home; it’s almost comical that they holler at their nearby friends to hurry up and take the pictures. One of them was most daring who actually got close to almost 5 yards away – we walked around this group and couldn’t help but praying for these people….I hope they could run very fast!! The Dragon Breath on the volcano site was something to see – the hydrothermal action was very constant drew enough crowd to admire the large amount of sulfur steam coming out of a large cave.

As we drove on, the traffic became a bit more congestive due to the “o-m-g I just saw an elk’ or “o-m-g I just saw swans” tourists impulsively rushed out of their cars/vans to take photos. At one point, between the Canyon Village and Artist Point, the traffic came to a halt even with police force 100 feet away directing traffic. It’s good thing we came during the week day…..our waitress when we dined tonight at the lodge told us that they usually pretended they saw something and when tourists got out of cars with their cameras, her family would dash off to avoid the traffic jam.

When we reached the Canyon Village we decided to have lunch. We brought our own picnic and just enjoyed the crowds milling around in and out of the stores surrounding the area. We didn’t see anyone eating at the picnic table but we didn’t really mind being stared at by some. We like eating out as much as the next person, but we have determined to make this trip a more family-bond in a more traditional way than our city life. We walked around the Village after lunch and decided to head back to our camp site. There were dark clouds rolling in this way and we figured we would visit the Old Faithful during tomorrow’s visit.

My husband was determined that if he could not get any signals from the cable he would try the lodge to watch his precious Cavs game or, his exact words, “Even if I have to drive 50 miles out of this place to watch the game”…. Our kids and I were unphased by his determination and declaration. We were tired from today’s trip and since my husband’s so very much a family man, we knew he would feel lonely without us. It’s a good thing that the lodge in Yellowstone Valley Inn has the cable and he was able to watch his game. There weren’t many people and the bartender, a woman moved from Indiana with her husband who was attired in a cow-girl getup, was very friendly. We decided to dine here – several billboards on the road saying “Wyoming is BEEF country” - we certainly did not mind to have good meals with their infamous claim of beef. The food was superb and the service was very much friendly and fantastic in its own special way. We were informed that many wild animals, bears, wolves and buffalo are now “protected” wild lives that unless they attack you, they could not be killed. Even if one shoots these animals, it’s a crime until it’s proven innocent. The bartender also told us that her neighbor was charged and attacked by a grizzly bear while gardening in his own backyard. After his face ripped off and recovering from such attack, the authority began their investigation of why the bear was injured. She said everyone carries a gun here – there’s no crime here and of many reasons her family moved here was because of the land and what her and her husband wanted to raise four children in a big country. I was very much attempted by her description of owning large land (10 acres with very small amount of property tax) and no state tax, no crime…until she mentioned the rights of the wild lives that supersedes the ones of human….guess, you just can’t expect too much perfection.

We returned to our camp site after the Cavs game and yes, Le Brown did it again, we won. The winning emotion is very infectious and motivating, my husband started the camp fire without being prompted tonight. The temp now was about 60’s and very breezy. The smoke from the fire pit reminded my yester-years (many years ago) and hubby sat out there with his guitar signing Pearl Jams, and some other songs for a while. The Queen of the Night above us wearing the most ostentatious display of black velvet gown with over-duded stars that looked like various sizes of diamonds. The night was quiet and we could hear the river next to our campsite rushing through. Far away, we saw lightening lit up the sky like a theatrical performance – the light came behind the clouds illuminating the sky in such a way that you would never have seen this in the city. What a light show!!

Today is a very good day!!

[lbrjet]

Wow, you are an excellent writer. Enjoy everything, especially the family time together. We are going to Wyoming later this summer for the first time as well.


2010 F250 5.4L 3.73
2011 Flagstaff 831FKBSS
Equal-i-zer 4pt 12K

[Tweiland]

You will love it here...an enchanting place!

[Tweiland]

6.10.
Day 6
Old Faithful

Today’s agenda was to see the popular Old Faithful – a grand display of hydrothermal action which would spew the water from its underground pressure to a great height. The temperature wasn’t as warm as yesterday but we were surely prepared for the adventure at hand.

Our campsite was about 15 miles from the east entrance of the park – the drive was a little bit more relaxing today in a way – instead of trying to busy taking pictures (hey, we are still tourists!!) we just enjoyed the grand view. We had to chuckle at clusters of enthusiastic tourists at various pull-out points taking photos since it was not just too long ago we were one of those excited people doing exactly the same things. We were as eager today as before just not jumping off the car every 5 minutes to stall the traffic;-) We had to stop at the Fishing Bridge general store since my husband forgot his jacket – the temperature warranted a cold day – it said 60 degrees as we were driving through the park.

We didn’t rush out of the door early this morning so by the time we reached the Visitor Center, after talking with the information center guides, we decided to have lunch at the nearby picnic table. The travelers continued to roll in and the crowd didn’t in any way reduce while we were there. Our lunch was mostly delicious since it was done outdoor and we were all together. We saw some families also sat down to have their meals – we couldn’t help but exchanging a very understanding and grateful smiles with them.

After lunch, on our way back to the car, we stroke up a conversation with a lady who was coming out of a class B camper. Well, actually, we sort of pretended we were just walking by this lady’s camper. Hubby and I have been discussing about downsizing after our adult children stop wanting to vacation with us.

It turned out that she and her husband were from Holland and they were here renting this camper for 30 days to travel in the U.S.. What a clever idea!! She also showed us inside the camper, there was a TV, kitchenette area, sleeping quarter with an additional drop-down bed. There was a shower/restroom area as well. She indicated that they didn’t really watch TV since they spent most their time outdoor and by the end of the day, they both were exhausted and just relax with books and tea. The cost for the rental is apprx. $3,400 for 30 days. Not a bad deal. They were able to travel through various states and see the beautiful landscape America has to offer. She claimed that Class B is very sufficient for just the two of them. I must agree with her that having to drive our own RV, we have spent most of our vacation time outdoor – however, to downsize to their level of minimalist life style, well, I didn’t need much of convincing but it would be quite a mental and life style adjustment for my husband. Americans love to live and live well, and within our own rights, we should if we work hard for what we want in life. We had some interesting discussion when we drove off on our way to Old Faithful…I could see my husband calculating or trying to figure out how he would ever be able to live with only one TV onboard….there will be a few years yet before we need to make any decision about downsizing; I am a patient woman, I will wear him down.

The views on the Grand Loop to Old Faithful was just as impressive as many others around the park. At some point, it came to a stop because …well again, the geyser basins stationed along the way attracted many travelers. I must say that I couldn’t blame them. These steam pots were everywhere as we came closer to our destination. The total drive time was almost 2 hours. During the traffic standstill, there were people got out of cars and went into the nearby shrubbery taking care of business. One or two travelers decided to turn back. We were determined to see this old geyser even if we had to do something unthinkable – like the ones who ran out of their cars and crapped in the woods. You got to do what you got to do…I have to admit that I miss traveling in an RV where toilet is readily available.

We arrived at Old Faithful around 4:30pm and saw a crowd leaving. After a few rounds of finding out the information of when the steam would come out again, we were told somewhere around 6:15pm. We were a bit deflated to say the least. Lori, our daughter was feeling under the weather but we didn’t want to just turn back after driving this long time. We decided to wait this out, after all, we wanted to be able to look back and knowing that we actually persisted on reaching our goal would give us some solace in our old age. The Lodge had various shops we could look around; Lori graciously accepted our decision to stay until the next eruption of the old geyser – we got her a cup of cappuccino and sat around the Lodge along with many other tourists. There were several large viewing windows that aligned at the perfect angle where Old Faithful was situated. It was beginning to rain.

Somewhere around 6:10pm, the crowd started to stir and getting up from their comfy chairs and going out to the old geyser. It’s probably about 50 yards from the Lodge. The rain had calmed down with cold drizzles – my husband and son went by the old geyser Observation Point. Before we knew it, the area was full of people with cameras ready – then we saw the pressure of the water coming out of the hole excitedly then lots of steam smoke rose up to the air in a hurry…the crowd was murmuring with excitement and aiming their cameras at it. Nope, nothing happened…then we saw more steam water bubbling at the base and got more excited …then it stopped with trail of steam smoke rose up laughing at us. About 100 feet away, one of the geysers in the same area shot up the water and steam – we could see the pressure pushed the water and created such grand display of water work; the crowd was ooh-awing over the consistent spewing of water and steam.

Suddenly, the water from Old Faithful started to rush out again, and steadily but surely, the increase of the thick steam smoke, the consistent pressure of the water started to rise and rise, and yes, finally, after the initial anxious teasing, the water and steam together went up with such a force that we could hear the gurgling sound of the water as well as the hissing of the steam. Other than the camera clicking sound, there was a moment of silence and I couldn’t help to sing “America, the Beautiful” silently – it was the most beautiful sight that embraced so much natural power in one on this land and we were so blessed to witness this. How could we not be thankful? The entire display of Old Faithful eruption sustained for about 15 minutes, believe it or not, it is not the longest eruption have been documented. The Grand Geyser have been recorded to have the more than 200-foot eruption with ground shaking roar that could be heard miles away. Since these geysers share the same plumbing, eruptions of them have not been really consistent except Old Faithful which was predicted to erupt every 90 minutes within minus/plus 10 minutes.

When we left Old Faithful and driving through the Grand Loop again, the sun was behind us. By this time, the temperature had dipped down to mid 50’s. The rain stopped and we knew the dusk was about to settle soon. We had to stop at the Lake Butte to take pictures of the sun setting over the Lake. It was something to behold – the sunset cast a spell-bond soft illuminating lights across one side of the Lake leaving the shadow of creeping dusk on the far end of the water. We got out of the car and shivering from the wet and cold wind, but we enjoyed so much of this moment together as family…this is one of the most precious Kodak moments!!

The drive back to the camp site was a bit frightening – it was like driving half-blind folded that we could only make out shades of mountains and rocks along the way. It was raining again about 5 miles away from the campsite. We tried to proceed with extreme caution since we never drove in such a condition where speed limit didn’t stop other motorists to slow down. When we finally arrived at our campsite, we found our outdoor furniture and the towels I hung out this morning were soaked with icy rain. The ground was muddy so we had to hopped around to our RV entrance (like that would help from avoiding the mud on our shoes). We left the windows open and the water came in and made a little mess of the dining area; note to self, never leave the windows open when we are not around. It’s good thing we closed the ceiling vents!!

A busy day and we closed it with a light dinner.

[dj3spots]

Your re creating a trip DH and I took several years ago. So glad your enjoying it as much as we did!


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