Category: State Park
Family Fun in Florida

Family Fun in Florida

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Hey Guys! Somehow…I’m not sure how…I talked Jerl into another round of Universal Studios and Disney before we wrap up this year’s travels. On our way from South Carolina to Florida, we made an overnight stop in St. Mary Georgia.

I couldn’t resist taking a pic of our home-on-wheels with the beautiful hanging Spanish moss at our spot in Georgia. We don’t usually get to an overnight spot and then do anything, but we spotted something we couldn’t pass up on our way to the RV park…

Tabby Sugar Works or McIntosh Sugar Mill…depending on where you look for info… was built by John Houston McIntosh sometime around 1825…again, this is fuzzy and depends on where you look for info. McIntosh installed the first horizonal cane mill worked by cattle power.

Honestly, I just wanted to have a look at some cool looking ruins. And they were pretty cool! Unfortunately, all of the mosquitoes in the state of Georgia were there to greet us and try to get a free meal. We didn’t stay long. We were all super itchy after that.

When we head to the Orlando area, we always stay at Lake Louise State Park in Clermont. It takes planning because the park books up about a year in advance…especially if you’re wanting to snag one of the few full-hookup spots…but it’s so worth the effort. This time we saw some new things at the the SP! They’ve got these really cute “glamping” tents set up. It looks like they’re equipped with AC and they’re really close to the bathrooms. We also found that they’re offering guided horse rides! We’re usually in the area in the off season…so I’m not sure if these things are actually new or if we’ve just never been there while they were available. Either way, it makes Lake Louise SP an even better option when staying in the Orlando area.

One of our favorite things to do in the evenings while staying at Lake Louise SP is walk around and look at the different ponds/lakes. There are four that you have access to…three that you can easily walk to from the campgrounds. You can rent kayaks, canoes, and SUPs to get out on the water.

Just watch out for the residents. I’m pretty sure people feed them…which is a big no no…because they’ll follow you around on the docks as if they’re waiting for you to drop some food over into the water. Guys, don’t do that. Don’t feed wildlife. Gators aren’t smart enough to differentiate between the hand giving them food and the food itself. Once wild animals associate food with humans, they get dangerous and often times have to be killed. Let wildlife stay wild. They can get their own food.

I know I’m always talking about sunsets…but check out these sunrises! We caught a few while we were heading to the various theme parks and decided to get up early a couple of other days and head out to the docks to catch the sunrise there. It didn’t disappoint. It’s not something I’m going to get in the habit of doing…I’m not a morning person…but I might try to get up early once in a great while just to catch a sunrise.

Maybe.

We’ll see…don’t hold your breath.

The real reason we went to the Orlando area was…Harry Potterverse…aka…Universal Studios. We are, and will forever be, Potterheads. Always. I didn’t get very many pics during our two days at Universal, but we had an amazing time hitting all of our favorite rides and finding a couple of new favorites! Someone was kind enough to take our picture in front of Hogwarts…this is tradition for us, but sometimes it has to be a selfie.

This probably won’t surprise you, but we spend 95% of our time in the two Harry Potter sections of Universal. One of our favorite rides is Escape from Gringotts. I’m pretty sure we rode this one the most this time. The wait times were kind of ridiculous at times. We usually visit Universal during the off season…either in between Thanksgiving and Christmas or in mid January/early February. The temps are fantastic and the crowds are pretty much nonexistent. We went in October this time and Guys, it was a totally different experience.

We were super excited to ride the newest Harry Potterverse ride…Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure! Universal does such an amazing job at designing ride cues. When you’re waiting in line for a ride, there are so many things to look at, listen to or watch that go along with the ride. It’s all part of the ride. You actually start the journey before you actually get on the moving coaster and Hagrid’s is no different. This is such a great ride. It’s an actual coaster but just tame enough that our kiddo who refuses to ride coasters (Nicholas) will ride it…in fact, this is his new favorite ride…which shocked us all since it goes really fast, has some super dark spots where you can’t really see anything, and goes backwards. All things he isn’t too keen on, but he loves this ride.

Butterbeer is a required treat while visiting Harry Potterverse.

Required. Non-negotiable.

It has to happen.

End of story. Thank you very much.

But, butterbeer isn’t the only yummy drink offered. We took some time at the Leaky Cauldron and each got a different drink so we could have some of them all. Plus, we got to sit down in the AC…and when it’s 90+ degrees outside…that cold drink and AC was totally worth the moola!

I will never get tired of visiting Harry Potterverse. In fact, we were discussing how the park should expand the Potterverse sections and how they should go about doing it while we were there. If anyone from Universal Studios is reading this…reach out…we’ve got it all planned for you!

I would be perfectly content to find a shady spot to sit with a butterbeer in hand and just people watch all day in the Potterverse sections. Now, that said…I do have one complaint from this visit to Universal Studios…well, actually two…the rides broke down way more than usual and the selection of souvenirs was slim pickings. I know both of these things are due to current situations found in our Country right now, but I feel like these particular issues could have been foreseen and fixed by using American made products by American brands found here in America. So…Universal Studios…step it up and support your Country while making your brand even better.

We spent two very full days at Universal Studios…so, of course, we took the opportunity to enjoy some foodies!! We always hit up VooDoo Donuts. We found Hotdog Hall of Fame during our last visit to Universal and enjoyed it enough that we went back this time. The dogs didn’t disappoint! We’ve had more than our fare share of hotdogs…some we wish we’d never had…but all of the hotdogs we’ve gotten at the Hotdog Hall of Fame have all been really good. We also hit up Bubba Gump’s for the first time during this visit. And Y’all…I wish we’d gone sooner. It was such a fun place and the food was top-notch!

We are reluctant Disney fans. Reluctant because Disney as a company has made some very shady…very questionable…absolutely avoidable choices lately. If I’d known about some of these choices before I’d purchased our non-refundable, non-transferable tickets…we would have skipped Disney this visit because like I said before…We are Potterheads. And Universal is our home Park. That being said…we had the tickets, we had the reservations…so we went. Grudgingly, but determined to have a good time despite our misgivings about Disney as a company.

We only went to Disney for two days this time. One day at Hollywood Studios and one at Epcot…the two Disney parks we like the best. It was October and 90* and there were a gazillion people there. It’s a real number…gazillion. We’d never experienced Disney in these conditions and I have to say…we never will again. The lines were insane. The fact that we had to wear a mask on the rides was ridiculous. And the rides kept breaking down.

Now, I know you’re going to point out that I said the rides at Universal kept breaking down this time too, but at least at Universal we didn’t have to wear a mask…at all…not once. Disney not only required masks any time we were inside, the mask had to be a specific type of mask and the mask had to cover your mouth and nose the entire time. Some of us have trouble with masks…especially in heat and humidity.

The main reason we went to Hollywood Studios was for the Star Wars stuff and that’s really where we spent the majority of our day. We did ride a couple of other rides in other areas…but we kept finding ourselves back in the Star Wars sections. There were two new Star Wars rides for us this time…Smugglers Run and Rise of the Resistance. Both are great rides. Both broke down so many times during the day. I was surprised by the lack of story telling in the Rise lineup. It was pretty basic. I also didn’t like being required to be a part of the ride…I don’t want to be a part of the show, I just want to be entertained. Other than that…Rise is a totally different kind of ride and I see it as the beginning of a new era for the 3D/4D rides. Disney has always been on the cutting edge for this kind of tech and they’ve, once again, really delivered. Smugglers is unique in the way you’re each given something to do with the ride…if you want to.

Let’s talk about the blue milk. I’d seen someone mention this stuff on the Socials before we went and I’ll admit I was both repulsed and curious at the same time. When we were standing in the Smugglers line, the family in front of us had some so I asked them about it and based on their reaction to it I figured we should probably try it. It was an unexpected treat that the blue milk is actually dairy free. Since we have a kiddo with a dairy allergy, that was huge for us. So often, he’s left out. So, kudos to you Disney for making a popular treat that everyone can have! The blue milk came in two variations…blue and green. Only Alex got the green one…green is his favorite color. They taste pretty much the same…which is kind of like a fruity smoothie. And for those of you interested…there is an adult version of this treat and yes one or two of us got it and thoroughly enjoyed it.

One of the things I really love about Disney is the foodies. Each season there are new foodies thought up by top chefs to try in each park…there’s also all of the usual amusement park fare but even that is leveled up. It’s not just a hot dog…it’s huge and covered in some really good chili and cheese on a freshly baked bun. Did you know all of the rice crispy treats are made freshly in a Disney kitchen?

We ended up having a better time than we thought we would. Even with the heat and the gazillion people. Disney has a way of sucking you in…I think it’s their superpower. Its a little annoying.

Alex decided to get a little souvenir. It’s a cool Mandalorian helmet. I have no idea where we’ll put it in our home-on-wheels. But, he couldn’t pass it up.

Our second day at Disney was at Epcot. The magic is in the little details. There are eleven lands to explore and an outpost that looks like they should just officially call it Kenya and make it land number twelve. You’ll find foodies and shops in each land. Some lands have a show…like Norway with the Frozen show or France with the new Remy ride. You can spend all day just moseying around the world without actually leaving Orlando.

Up at the front of the park it’s all about space and tech. There’s a new space ride that takes you through a “training” run to become an astronaut. You have two levels of intensity to chose from…Green takes you around the world while Orange takes you to Mars. This was another new kind of ride…you actually feel like you’re pulling Gs as you blastoff. It’s crazy. We went right at the beginning of the day and basically walked right on the ride with no waiting. I noticed later in the day there was a hefty wait to get on.

Did you know Epcot has four different festivals throughout the year? Festival of the Arts (this is the one that’s usually happening when we’re at Epcot), Flower and Garden Festival, Food and Wine Festival and the Festival of the Holidays. In October you’ll find the Food and Wine Festival. We ate ourselves silly. I mean, that’s the point of going, right? To eat all day? I think we got something from almost every land…and quite a few of the little kiosks that represent different countries.

When we first got to Epcot that morning, I found these little trays that hold your food and a drink. It was a lifesaver! We could walk and eat at the same time. As cool as Epcot is…Disney could really invest in some more seating and some shade. There were so many people there that day that we spent most of it on our feet and in the sun. These little trays let us keep moving or stand in a little spot of shade.

So, the new hot ride at Epcot is Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. The first thing you need to know about it, is that to ride it…you have to do the Virtual Line through the Disney app. You’ll want to have it before you go and have it linked to your tickets and reservations so you’re able to try and get into the virtual line. You have two tries to make it in line. 7am before the park opens and then once more at 1pm. If you miss it…too bad, so sad…no ride for you. Once you’re confirmed in the virtual line, you get a group number and then you wait for your group number to get called before you go get in the actual line. It’s a clever system, but I feel bad for those that don’t know about and miss out. The actual line moved pretty quickly…I think we stood in it for maybe forty-five minutes. That’s not bad at all since we stood in the Rise of Resistance line for three hours while we were at Hollywood Studios. The ride itself uses the same new high tech system that Rise uses and takes you right into Remy’s world as a mouse. You skitter your way through the world and get a mouse’s view of everything.

Disney World is celebrating it’s 50th anniversary starting Oct 1, 2021 and running through March 2023. That’s a full eighteen months of party! Each park has it’s own celebratory thing, but all parks have these cute golden statues. We had a good time looking at all the 50th celebration stuff.

Epcot at night is the best Epcot. The lights are beautiful. The big globe has new lighting that Disney has coordinated with music. Out of all of the Disney parks, Epcot is our favorite.

We managed to slip in a date night. We found a burger place called D-Luxe Burger at Disney Springs. These burgers were huge! The fries were a little weird, but the burgers were spot on. There’s no shortage of foodie spots in the Orlando area.

That’s pretty much it for our two weeks in Florida. We rode all the rides, ate all of the foodies…and saw some epic sunsets…and sunrises!

Until next time, Florida!

See y’all down the road!

#NationalParkTour
Founders, Fun, and Foodies in South Carolina

Founders, Fun, and Foodies in South Carolina

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Hey Guys!! We spent a week on the coast of South Carolina, near Charleston, as we made our way down to Florida. The last time we were in South Carolina was way back in 2016 and we’d forgotten how much we enjoy the states coastal areas…and the foodies. We didn’t do too much…we mainly stayed at the campground, but we did manage to squeeze in one National Park unit!

Charles Pinckney National Historic Site sits on what remains of the Pinckney coastal plantation called Snee Farm. This was Charles Pinckney’s country retreat and was used as a working rice and indigo plantation in the 1700s until 1816 when the property was planed in trust to settle debts. Now owned by the National Park Service, Snee Farm preserves the story of one of America’s founding fathers and gives visitors a look at what life was like on a Lowcountry plantation.

Charles Pinckney was 29 when he was chosen to represent Carolina at the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. He was the second youngest delegate in the 55 member group and out of those 55 delegates, Charles was the only one to introduce a complete plan for what would become the new federal government of the United States. While not all of his recommendations were used in the final document, many of them were which earned him the nickname “Constitution Charlie”. Charles Pinckney was one of the principal authors and a signer of the United States Constitution.

When I planned this stop, I had a hard time finding a place to stay. There aren’t too many RV parks in the Charleston area and the ones I checked all refused to make reservations. I stumbled on the James Island County Park and Guys, I’m so glad I did! We absolutely loved this park! This park has it all, including climbing walls, paddle boats, slacklines, disc golf course and an obstacle course…and some of the best walking trails. We walked every day we were staying here and enjoyed it so much.

My favorite walking trail took me down by the fishing dock where the sunsets were always spectacular. There were people fishing in several of the little ponds and off the dock every day. There are also gators to watch in the park.

When you reserve online, you can go through and pick what site you want from the ones available for the dates you’re going to be there. We loved our site! It backed up to this little pond where an extra picnic table and swing were set up. We had our own firepit and tons of shade. Now…this park cost a little more than what we usually like to pay, but you get so much while you’re there that we didn’t mind and will definitely stay there again.

I’m not gonna lie to y’all…when I planned this one week pit-stop…it was with the foodies in mind. I’ve been pining for the PBT sandwich from Page’s Okra Grill since we left the area the first time back in 2016. I almost chickened out going back once we got to the Charleston area because I was afraid it wouldn’t live up to the memory I had. It did. It totally lived up to the hyped up memory living in my brain. This sandwich is still my favorite sandwich of all time. Page’s PBT is made of pimento cheese, bacon, and fried green tomatoes on buttery Texas toast and it is so freaking good. I’ve tried to recreate it, but it’s never the same.

We also hit up a few BBQ joints. South Carolina BBQ is amazingly good. And, if you ever find yourself in Lowcountry…make sure you try the hash over rice and have a bowl of the Brunswick stew! We recommend Swig & Swine for a top-notch BBQ experience that offers all of the essential Lowcountry BBQ options. And, of course, you need to go to Page’s Okra Grill for the PBT and the rest of their southern food options. You can’t go wrong at either one of these places.

Even with the warmer temps of southern South Carolina in early October, we still saw a few little signs of the coming fall colors. There were some summer flowers still in bloom too.

Well Guys, that’s all of the adventure we had during this stop!

See Y’all down the road!

#NationalParkTour
Basecamp Custer

Basecamp Custer

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Hey Guys!! We made Custer, SD our basecamp four two weeks as we explored the black hills area of South Dakota and Guys…there was so much to see and do! Lets get started!

Y’all know we’re on a National Park Tour, so it shouldn’t surprise you that our first stop in the area was Mount Rushmore National Memorial. We drove the Iron Mountain Road to get to Mount Rushmore because I’d heard that there were some interesting views of the Memorial on the way there. There are three tunnels on the Iron Mountain Road and they all frame Mount Rushmore NM. The first one you’ll come to (and probably the most photographed) is the Doane Robinson Tunnel, but the other two are just as good. You can also stop at the Peter Norbeck Scenic View for another view of the Memorial.

Before it was known as Mount Rushmore, it was known as “The Six Grandfathers” and “Cougar Mountain” by the Lakota Sioux. American pioneers knew it by several names…some of them are Cougar Mountain, Slaughterhouse Mountain and Sugarloaf Mountain. In 1885 David Swanzey, Bill Challis and Charles Rushmore started coming to the mountain for prospecting expeditions. They visited so often that Charles Rushmore, a wealthy investor, started joking that he was going to have the mountain named after himself. In June 1930, the US Board of Geographic Names officially changed the name to Mount Rushmore…five years after Charles Rushmore donated $5k towards Gutzon Borglum’s sculpture project.

In 1924, Doane Robinson conceived the idea of a sculpture cut from the needles of the black hills to represent “American West heroes”. He thought people like Lewis & Clark, Sacagawea, Lakota Chief Red Cloud, Buffalo Bill Cody and Lakota Chief Crazy Horse should all be represented. Renowned sculptor, Gutzon Borglum (pictured above) was brought on to the project. He immediately threw out the idea of carving on the needles section of the black hills due to the fragility of the rock there. He suggested the carving be done on what was then known as Cougar Mountain. By the end of the planning phase of the project, the subjects had been changed to George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln to represent the nation’s birth, growth, development and preservation. Peter Norbeck, a US Senator from South Dakota, sponsored the project and found the federal funding to make it happen.

Gutzon Burglum started carving out George Washington’s likeness in 1927, but sadly passed away before he could see the project to completion. His son, Lincoln Borglum, who had been working with him, stepped in and finished the sculpture in 1941. There’s a great museum where you can watch a film about the Memorial and see some very interesting exhibits that include actual tools used, old photos, and information about the entire project from start to finish. We got there late in the afternoon and only had about 45 minutes to see everything in the building before it closed, but you could easily spend a couple of hours there.

Over two million people visit Mount Rushmore National Memorial each year to see what has become to many, a symbol of freedom and hope. We’ve been to quite a few National Park units now and Guys, I’ve never seen a parking set up at a NPS unit like what we saw at Mount Rushmore. I told the boys as we were driving in that I felt like we were going to Universal Studios instead of a National Memorial due to the number of parking garages and attendants to guide you to the correct one. That was definitely a first for us at a National Park unit. We felt like this park was…OK…and maybe that’s because of all the hype about it? I don’t know…but it kind of fell flat for us. Maybe it was the number of people there? Maybe it was the construction going on? I’m glad we went and learned about it…but I’m also glad we didn’t come to the area to see just this particular Memorial.

When we first planned this area of our South Dakota loop, Jewel Cave National Monument was completely closed, but as our visit drew closer, parts of the park started opening up. When we went, the only thing that wasn’t open…was the cave. The park is currently updating the elevator that takes you in and out of the cave. Now, I know what you’re probably thinking…something like, “Why the heck would you visit a NP unit about a cave if you can’t actually go down into the cave?” I know, I know…I hear you. But, there are some scenic hikes and a video that lets you see the cave and since we’ve been into several other caves…we went.

Jewel Cave was found in 1900 by Frank and Albert Michaud as they were exploring Hell Canyon. They felt cold air blowing out of a small hole and became curious about what was in it. They came back and enlarged the hole with dynamite to find a cavern lined with calcite crystals lining the walls and sparkling in their lamplight…which is why they named the cave “Jewel Cave”. Frank and Albert developed the cave and tried to capitalize on the beauty of the cave but their plans ultimately failed.

Word of the cave’s beauty made it all the way to President Theodore Roosevelt and on February 7, 1908, Jewel Cave National Monument was made official. Today, the 1,279 acre park protects the world’s third longest cave (208 miles of mapped passages) along with the forest above it where you can enjoy a few different scenic hikes.

Jewel Cave National Monument is known for its jewel like frostwork and hydromagnesite balloons, but you’ll also see stalactites, stalagmites, draperies, flowstone and a little bit of boxwork. This cave is also an important hibernaculum for nine species of bats! Stay with me here…I know I’m nerding out a bit… hibernaculum is just a fancy way of describing a winter home for a hibernating animal… and yes, there are some types of bats who hibernate instead of migrate. And yes…we probably spent way longer than most in the little park museum as we nerded out over the science found at this park. We’re nerds. It’s what we do. We definitely want to come back to Jewel Cave National Monument to take a tour of the cave!

When we first planned this section of our South Dakota loop, Wind Cave was closed just like Jewel Cave. Luckily, it opened back up before we got there. Tour spots were offered on a first come basis and we squeaked in on the last tour of the day (we got there just after they opened). We spent the day hiking around and seeing what else Wind Cave NP had to offer as we waited for our tour that afternoon.

Wind Cave has been around for a long long time. The Lakota call it Maka Oniye or “breathing earth”. Wind Cave and the area around it is a sacred, spiritual place to Native people and should be treated with respect during your visit. The Lakota believe that this small hole is where their people first emerged into the world. One of the best things you can do is learn about the culture, beliefs and history of another culture. You’ll be better for it.

So….we had our tickets and we had an entire day to fill until we could go on our cave tour. We hit several hikes to enjoy the rolling hills of the largest remaining natural mixed grass prairie in the US and forests that make up the above ground portion of this park. It wasn’t the worst way to spend a day. The views were pretty stellar.

What would become Wind Cave NP had been known by Native Americans for a long time before it was found by Jess and Tom Bingham in 1881 as they were exploring the area. Jess and Tom are credited with being the first western explorers to find the cave. They were out riding their horses up a draw and heard a loud whistling noise. When they got off their horses to explore further, the wind coming out of a small hole blew Jesse’s hat off his head. Well, some say it was Jesse’s hat that got blown off his head…other accounts say it was Tom’s… Someone’s hat was blown of their head when they looked into the small hole.

Eventually, we would learn that this cave actually “breathes” as the air constantly moves in and our of it in concert with the outside atmospheric pressure. It’s this barometric wind you feel at the entrance and what the cave is named for.

Wind Cave became a National Park on January 3, 1903 to preserve the world’s largest concentration (95%) of boxwork. Boxwork is a honeycomb looking formation made of calcite fins that is as fragile as a potato chip. This large concentration of such a rare formation is what led President Theodore Roosevelt to set aside the 33k+ acres and make Wind Cave National Park the first cave to be designated a national park in the world.

We did the Natural Entrance Tour which is about 2/3 of a mile in length and includes about 300 stairs. No, I didn’t count them…I felt them…but, I did look up the number of stairs on the official website. Guys, this cave isn’t going to win any beauty contests. People don’t tour it to see pretty shining gem like formations (like Jewel Cave), and you’ll probably only see the boxwork and a little bit of cave popcorn (even though you’re supposed to see some snowballs and frostwork too)…but it’s worth taking a trek into Wind Cave to see the massive amount of delicate boxwork. The stairs were mostly all going down and we got to take an elevator back to the surface (thank goodness!!).

We saw a surprising amount of wildlife during out Wind Cave NP explorations! We saw another badger and another coyote! Guys, if you want to see badgers and coyotes…go check out the prairie dog towns because that’s where we seem to always find them! The fluffy cows were definitely out and about. We ran into one while out on a hike and it got a little…puckery. He was startled…we were startled…he did some stomping and grunting…we did some fast back stepping and tried not to piddle right there on the trail… All kidding aside, it was nerve-wracking to pop up over a hill and come face to face with this battle cattle. He, of course, had the right-of-way and we just tried not to trigger his charging instincts as we crept away. It all turned out fine, but we were done hiking for the day after that. Fluffaloes might look like big fluffy cows, but Guys, they will kill you dead. Dead! They’re really fierce battle cattle that can run faster than you.

I saved the best for last. Custer State Park is definitely the crown jewel of the Black Hills. Custer State Park is South Dakota’s first and largest state park. I, honestly, can’t believe it hasn’t been made into a national park. Custer SP has it all. Scenic drives, epic views, wildlife, hiking, lakes and ponds for watersports…. It’s 71,000 acres of jaw-dropping beauty. We spent two weeks going in and out of Custer SP and it was by far our favorite adventure of the area.

Custer State Park is a drivers dream. You’re not into hiking…no problem! There are three scenic drives that will get you to some of the best views in the park. I mentioned the Iron Mountain Road earlier in the post during the Mount Rushmore section. What I didn’t tell you was that the Iron Mountain Road was designed in the 1930s by Peter Norbeck and he purposely made it narrow with one lane tunnels and pigtail bridges…the road is meant to be a slow scenic drive so you can appreciate the beauty you’re driving through.

Needles Highway is a fourteen mile scenic drive that winds its way in, out and around the high granite “needles” and the ponderosa/spruce forests that make up this part of the black hills. Two narrow tunnels have been carved right through the granite wall…you’ll find scenic views and trailheads and if you’re lucky…you’ll spot some mountain goats. We didn’t see any goats, but we were told by a few different people that they like to hangout in the needles section of the park. Funny story about the mountain goats…they’re not native to the area. Back in the 1920s the park wanted to put in a zoo and they started with mountain goats…they didn’t count on the goats escaping after only six days. The zoo idea pretty much stopped after that.

The last of the three scenic drives in Custer State Park I’m going to tell you about is the Wildlife Loop Road. This is where you go to find the fluffy cows and the begging burros. We saw sooo many baby bison…affectionately called red dogs by some due to their size and their red coloring. I’d been looking forward to seeing some red dogs during our South Dakota loop…we didn’t see any in Badlands…none at Wind Cave… I was getting pretty bummed at the thought of not seeing any at all but, we found them at Custer! So many mammas and babies!!

Alright, let’s talk about the begging burros. You can see them in the pictures above with their heads stuck into a vehicles windows. These burros are the decedents of a pack of hard working burros that used to take visitors of the park from Sylvan Lake Lodge up to a nearby summit. When the pack animals weren’t needed any more, the lodge let them loose in the park. The burros you’ll meet today don’t have nearly as hard of a life as their ancestors and they’re not above begging for food. Any food will do. They’re not picky. The Rangers do request that you stick with apples or carrots to help keep the burros healthy.

One more tip for Custer SP area… the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway includes the three scenic drives I told you about plus a bit more. Make sure to check it out if you’re in the area!

For a smaller town, Custer has some really good foodie spots! We found a place called Black Hills Burgers and Buns…Guys…this place has The. Best. Burgers! I’m drooling just thinking about those burgers…

We found these Chubby Chipmunk Hand-Dipped Chocolate truffles at a little market right next to Black Hills Burger…they’re a little pricey, but so good! Tip: You can find them in Deadwood too!!

Nicholas celebrated a birthday and started his senior year in high school while we were in Custer. I can’t believe our youngest is almost done with high school!! My mama heart is feeling a little weepy about it.

Custer and the surrounding towns are all fun to explore. You’ll find little hidden gems in all of them. We really enjoyed looking at all the bison art throughout Custer and the huge Smokey in Hill City.

We didn’t make it to the Crazy Horse Memorial this trip. I’m looking forward to going back to the area someday and spending an entire day there. The museum and cultural demonstrations look amazing!

That’s all we had time to do while we were in the Custer area. We had some pretty bad weather while we were there. A tornado landed close enough to the RV park we were staying in that we could hear the tornado and feel the pressure changes that come along with it. It was probably the scariest day we’ve had as Nomads. South Dakota weather is no joke, but we’ve definitely found another favorite state!

See y’all down the road!!

#NationalParkTour
Battlefields and Ghost Towns

Battlefields and Ghost Towns

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Hey Guys! We spent one week in the Dillon, MT area as we were making our way up to Glacier National Park. This stop was basically just a big hopping point between Ketchum and West Glacier, but I chose it specifically so we could visit Big Hole National Battlefield and Bannack State Park. I figured…we might as well make the best of the week, right? Let’s stop someplace where we can continue our National Park Tour.

Every single National Park Unit tells a story. Battlefield stories are usually hard to hear, but I feel like they need to be remembered. History should never be forgotten…our history reminds us of how far we’ve come and how far we could fall if we make the same mistakes. Learning our history…all of our history…not just the history that’s pretty or makes us feel good… helps keep us from making those same mistakes again. We’ve learned. We’ve grown. Let’s not forget it.

Every story has two point of views. We’ve found that the National Park System is excellent at portraying both sides of the story equally and without prejudices. Our school system could learn a thing or two from the National Park System about teaching the true history of our country.

Like so many battlefields, Big Hole National Battlefield is considered a sacred place…a place where blood was spilled and life was extinguished. This National Park Unit tells of the battle between the Nez Perce (nimí•pu) and US Army troops. But really, it’s the story of the Nez Perce’s struggle to survive. The Nez Perce can trace their heritage and their life on the land back 9,000 years. They were one of the biggest tribes in the US with around thirteen million acres of land spanning across what is now Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and up into Canada. As the US struggled to find it’s footing as a new nation, the Nez Perce lost most of their land and conflicts began to occur.

In 1855 the US government proposed a treaty. The Nez Perce would give up over half of their traditional lands to the growing US nation but they would still keep the right to hunt, fish, and gather on those lands. Everything seemed to work for five years, but then gold was found which led to an influx of over 15,000 miners and settlers and once again conflicts started to occur.

In 1863 the US government met with all of the leaders of the different Nez Perce bands to try and come to an agreement that would cut the Nez Perce lands by another ninety percent and the Nez Perce would go live on specified land reservations. During the meetings the leaders of five bands were so disgusted by what they were hearing, they got up and left the meetings. The meetings didn’t stop though. They continued with the leaders who stayed and in the end the leaders who stayed agreed to the treaty because it didn’t affect their bands as much. Those leaders signed the treaty for all Nez Perce…even the bands who had left the meetings. The bands who left refused to acknowledge the new treaty and would become known as the non-treaty Nez Perce.

The US government gave the non-treaty Nez Perce thirty days to move onto the reservation or they would be put there by force. The Nez Perce had lived on this land for thousands of years and didn’t see what gave the US government the authority to tell them where they should and shouldn’t live. In the end, the non-treaty Nez Perce gave in and started the long process of gathering all of their things and livestock to make the journey to the reservations. Before they could reach their destination though, conflict and fighting broke out as they were going through land that had once been theirs, but had since been claimed by settlers. This started the the long chain of events that would be known as the Nez Perce War.

On August 7, 1877 around 800 non-treaty Nez Perce made their way to a place they knew well from past buffalo hunts. They called it The Place of the Buffalo Calf (Iskumtselalik Pah). They knew there would be fresh water, a big field for their horses to graze and the nearby forest would provide trees for the tipi poles. They had been relentlessly pursued… fighting and fleeing for several long weeks and they were all weary and worn. The leaders of the five non-treaty Nez Perce bands believed that by moving across the Idaho border into Montana that they would leave the war behind.

The next day, August 8, they spent the day setting up camp. Eighty-nine tipis were set up throughout the field. They spent the day hunting and gathering food and water, looking after their tired horse herds (close to 2,000 horses), and planning the next step.

In the early morning on August 9, a Nez Perce elder went down to the river to check on some horses. What he didn’t know, was that during the night the US Army, led by Colonel Gibbon, had caught up with them and was positioned for an ambush at the river front. What happened next was pure chaos. One of the military volunteers got itchy and shot the elder. The Nez Perce woke to gunshots and screams. At one point soldiers started setting fires to tipis with women and children hiding in them.

I should point out that this particular unit of the US Army had just come from Little Bighorn where they saw what was left of Custer and his unit (not much). They were worked up and scared for their lives. Most of this unit was new to fighting. I don’t think you can ever really justify the brutality of what they did though.

When it was over, 90 Nez Perce and 30 military/civilian volunteers had been killed. The US Army had expected the Nez Perce to be surprised and to quickly surrender, but that’s not what happened. The Nez Perce fought back to protect their families and pushed the military back across the river and up the bank. The military retreated and dug shallow rifle pits to hole up in. Several Nez Perce volunteered as sharp shooters to hold the US military troop pinned down so their families could quickly do what they could for their dead and then flee.

After the sharp shooters left, the unwounded soldiers did their best to help the injured. There wasn’t a doctor and they really weren’t sure if the Nez Perce would come back or not. With no medical supplies, equipment, clothing, or food Colonel Gibbon decided to camp where they were until reinforcements could arrive.

This was just one battle in the Nez Perce War. From Big Hole, the Nez Perce eventually made their way up to the Canadian border where some of them crossed over and continued to fight and some chose to stay and surrender. It had be a long hard journey stretching over 126 days and close to 1200 miles that spanned over 4 different states. Today, the Nez Perce visit the Big Hole Battlefield to honor the memories of those who were killed on August 9 and 10 of 1877.

We only spent a few hours at Big Hole Battlefield, but what we learned will stay with us for the rest of our lives. We remember and we honor all those who fell.

On the way to Big Horn Battlefield, we kept seeing these unusual structures out in the fields. Being the inquisitive nerds we are…when we got to the National Park unit, we asked a Ranger if she knew what they were. Luckily, she knew exactly what we were trying to describe. Which…look at that structure, how would you describe it?

They’re called beaverslides. Yup, you read that right. A beaverslide is a hay stacker. Invented by two ranchers in the Big Hole Valley in 1910, the ranchers of this valley used them to stack hay up to 35 feet high and contain close to 20 tons of hay so they could feed their cattle from it all winter. There was a time when the Big Hole Valley was known as the Valley of 10,000 Hay Stacks. Most ranchers in the valley have switched to more modern methods, but there are still a few who are using the beaverslides.

The other place we wanted to explore while in the Dillon area was Bannack State Park. Bannack is said to be one of the best preserved ghost towns in the US. We’ve been to our fair share of ghost towns and I have to agree. Bannack is the best we’ve seen.

One of the best things about this ghost town is that you actually get to go into the buildings. And I don’t mean go in and look through some plexiglass at a few decorated rooms…nope…you can actually go in and explore. The Hotel Meade was one of our favorite buildings to go through. We were able to go through the rooms downstairs and then venture upstairs to see most of the actual rooms that guests stayed in. They’ve been left alone, but preserved…if that makes sense. Montana Fish and Wildlife oversees Bannack and has done an excellent job of keeping the buildings authentic but as safe as possible. Quite a few buildings had a sign at the entrance that warned people to enter at their own risk. They are old buildings…

This building, built in 1874, served as both a school and the Masonic Lodge. The first floor was used as a public school for grades K-8th while the second floor was used as Masonic Lodge Number 16. We were able to go into the first floor school, but the second floor was closed off the day we went.

Like so many towns of that time, Bannack (named for the Bannock Indians who frequented the area) started as a mining camp when gold was found in July of 1862 at the nearby Grasshopper creek. The camp grew from around 400 people that fall to over 3,000 people the next spring. During the winter of 1862, Governor Sidney Edgerton named Bannack the first capital of the Territory of Montana. The Post Office was established in November of 1863.

And, like most mining towns of that time…Bannack wasn’t a safe place…especially after dark. We found a hidey hole in the floor of every building we went into. And…there was a rumor that Sheriff Henry Plummer and his posse were actually a gang of thieves and murderers called “The Innocents”.

Most people came to Bannack to find their fortunes in gold mining. Some, came to start businesses like butcher shops, saloons, craftsmen, and ranching. Any supplies had to be brought into Bannack from a great distance and at a pretty big expense. While the town of Bannack wasn’t exactly hard up for money…the residents found that most of their earnings were going to the high cost of goods and services. $500,000 in gold was mined in the area by the end of 1862.

When World War II started, all non-essential mining was prohibited. Bannack’s existence was dependent on the mining of gold. Mining did start back up as soon as the war was over, but the price of gold was so low that the mining town couldn’t survive. People went elsewhere to find jobs and by the late forties, most of the population had moved on. The Post Office closed in 1938, the school closed sometime in the early 1950s and just like that the mining town of Bannack became a ghost town. The gold rush is over, but the spirit of the old west can still be found at Bannack State Park.

We spent a few nights trying to see the Neowise Comet that was visible at the time. We were so far north and the comet was so bright that we didn’t have to wait too long each evening to try and spot it. We think we saw it one night. I circled it in the right picture…It’s not the best shot, but it’s all I got.

Our week flew by. We didn’t really do much of anything else since we’re still trying to avoid going out too much. We mainly just go get groceries and stay home…when we’re not out adventuring in the wild places.

See y’all down the road!

#NationalParkTour
Lava and Mountains

Lava and Mountains

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Hey Guys! We stayed in Ketchum, ID for two weeks and had some pretty cool adventures! Originally, before the whole CV 19 thing, we hadn’t planned on being in this area. I couldn’t make it work around getting to the other places we had planned. We’re still bummed to have missed out on some of the other adventures we’d planned, but being able to make it to this area takes some of the sting out of it.

At this time, CV 19 numbers were on the rise again and some states were starting to close back down. In Ketchum and the surrounding areas, face masks were required anytime you were out and couldn’t socially distance or anytime you were in a store. We were worried that we’d have to miss the rest of this travel year.

Because we were worried about National Parks closing back down (some of them were), the first thing we did was go to Craters of the Moon National Monument. There were more people there than I thought there would be, but it was by no means crowded. Pretty much everyone wore a mask when in close proximity to other people.

Craters of the Moon National Monument is a collection of three major lava flows with cinder cones sprinkled here and there created between 15,000 to 20,000 years ago. The NP Monument was created in 1924 and then expanded in 2000. Lava tubes, tree molds, lava rivers, spatter cones…there’s a lot to explore at this National Monument.

You can see some of the cinder cones in the picture above on the left. There are a couple of trails that lead up to two of them where you can look down into them. We were surprised to see snow in one of them since it was close to 90° the day we were there.

We also made it out to see some tree molds. We’ve seen these before and they never cease to amaze us. The lava here didn’t erupt out of volcanoes like Mount St. Helens, but rather oozed out of fissures and occasionally spewed out of vents. A tree mold is made when lava flows through an area with trees. The lava coats the outside of the tree and cools just enough to make a cast or mold of the tree, but the tree inside burns up.

We were surprised to find flowers in an old lava flow. The flowers and trees offered a vibrant pop of color in an otherwise monochromatic landscape.

We spent an entire day trying to soak up as much of the Sawtooth Mountains as we could. We stopped several times to ogle the Salmon River.

Guys, we found some geothermal hot-springs coming right out of the side of the mountain! Right across the road from the river. People have used boulders and rocks in the river to make soaking pools. It was really cool to see. We didn’t have our swimsuits so we didn’t try any. We did walk up to where the water was coming out of the ground and let me tell you…that water comes out HOT!! Wowza!

When we headed out that morning, we had two specific destinations in mind. Both of them are part of Land of the Yankee Fork State Park. The first one was the Bayhorse Ghost Town. Y’all know we love to explore ghost towns. We go to as many as we can. Bayhorse is probably one of the better ones we’ve seen. Tucked back in a narrow, rocky canyon, the old mining town of Bayhorse was built on steep slopes. Only the most determined prospectors ventured here to make a life.

During it’s heyday, the Bayhorse Mining District produced ten million dollars worth of different metals. In the end, a horrible fire and dropping silver prices doomed the town of Bayhorse. For a long time, the town was closed to visitors due to hazardous conditions, but in 2006 Bayhorse became part of the Idaho State Park System and they began to clean it up and make it safe for people to visit. When we arrived we were handed some info pamphlets…one of them was a safety brochure about all of the hazardous minerals still found in the town-site. So, if you go…don’t lick anything or crack any rocks open and you should be just fine. 😉

The second place we were hoping to see that day was the Yankee Fork Gold Dredge…which is another unit of the Land of the Yankee Fork State Park. Yankee Fork is a tributary of the Salmon River. Due to the sever winters, this area was called “Land of the Deep Snows” by the tribes who hunted there. The dredge is 112 feet long and weighs 988 tons. They brought it to the Yankee Fork in pieces starting with the huge pontoons it sits on.

From 1940 to 1952, the dredge worked non-stop. In the end, they’d dredged up over a million dollars in gold. Today, the dredge is one of the best preserved in the lower 48. When we were in Fairbanks, AK we went to Gold Dredge No. 8 and toured it. We found the two dredges to be extremely different. Maybe that was just our novice eyes? There were a few volunteers stationed around the dredge the day we went and they all did an amazing job educating us about the daily workings of the dredge.

After spending an entire day in the car, we had to talk the boys into getting back out the next day for a hike. We tempted them with a trial through an ancient pine forest to Titus Lake. The info we had said this hike was an easy trail with only a 500′ elevation gain. It sounded like it was going to be an easy peasy walk in the park…it wasn’t. When you start your hike at almost 9,000 feet…it doesn’t take much to feel winded. Honestly, I was too busy swooning over the flowers to mind the work. I was in summer wildflower heaven and stopped frequently to take pictures. And breath. The views were spectacular, the flowers were vibrant and the lake was a brilliant emerald color! What more could you ask for?

We celebrated Charlie’s birthday while we were in Ketchum. Our oldest is twenty years old. Twenty! Guys…how is that even possible? I mean, I’m way too young to have a twenty year old, right? He got a new board game called 7 Wonders for his birthday and we love it. It’s quickly become one of our faves.

We went out for some foodies a few times. Surprisingly, we found a bbq place called Smokey Bones that was pretty darn good! Nicholas, of course, had to hit up a pizza place during our lunch date.

I know y’all only come to see the pictures of flowers…that’s why I leave them for the end. You have to make it all the way though the post to see the pretties. Ha!!

We had a great time adventuring in the Ketchum, ID area! We’re a fan!

See y’all down the road!

#NationalParkTour
Waiting In Idaho

Waiting In Idaho

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Hey Guys!! We spent a month in Twin Falls, ID as we waited to see what would happen with the whole Covid 19 thing. Places are still slowly opening up but most National Park Visitor Centers are still closed. There’s been talk of state border crossing check-points but we haven’t seen anything about the states we’re near. Right now, it’s all just wait and see for us as to whether or not we’ll be able to continue our National Park Tour this year.

The second week we were in Twin Falls, the Visitor Center at Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument opened up so we took a chance and went to check it out.

Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument is most known for the Hagerman Horse but the monument has many different types of animal and plant fossils. We were hoping to get to hike to an area where we could see where some fossils were found…but there’s not a trail for that. In fact, the only fossils you’ll find (unless you want to hike an unmarked trail by the river where mud and snakes are often found) are in the Visitor Center.

This area has sediment layers that span 550,000 years to 3.15 million years old. Hidden in the layers of sediment area countless fossils. Due to the shifting of the river and the frequent earthquakes, more fossils are found often.

We felt like this NP unit was…ok. The lack of hiking trails was a bummer and the inability to get to a place to see any fossils was also a downer. Also, the Rangers wouldn’t stamp my cancellation book due to the virus, but they would gladly handle our cash… um… that really stinks.

We spent a Saturday exploring Thousand Springs State Park. Well, actually, we only made it to one of the five units that make up this state park…the Niagara Springs Unit. We saw so many waterfalls at this state park! We also found an abundance of marmots. So…many…marmots!

We spent some time gazing at the Shoshone Falls. You can find these falls at the Shoshone Falls State Park in Twin Falls. We spent a morning there walking the trails and checking out the lake. Shoshone Falls is called the Niagara of the West and it really is a must see attraction if you’re ever in the Twin Falls area. At 212 feet, Shoshone Falls is actually taller than Niagara Falls. There are some amazing overlooks that are super easy to get to plus there’s a great trail that takes you up above where you can see the falls and the snake river. Did you know that people have been visiting the Shoshone Falls since the mid 19th century? Yup, travelers along the Oregon Trail would take a little detour just to see the falls. If you’re going to go, visit in the Spring when the water is at it’s fullest.

One of the coolest things we saw while we were staying in Twin Falls…people base jumping off of the Perrine Bridge. Some locals told us that if it’s a nice day then there will be someone jumping off the bridge. Apparently, Perrine Bridge is one of the only bridges in the US that it’s legal to base jump from.

One Sunday morning we got up and headed down into Snake River Canyon. We found a little hiking trail and saw so many waterfalls! We were really surprised by the number of waterfalls we found in this area! We don’t often have time to thoroughly explore an area. Usually, we only have two weeks at a location and we almost always have our adventures pretty much picked out and set. It was kind of nice to have so much free time in an area where we could really explore so much of it.

We celebrated Nicholas’ birthday while we were in Twin Falls. I can’t believe my baby is 16. Time really flies! He’s also the tallest right now…which he just hates. *wink, wink*

We played a lot of board games and I baked a lot of sweet treats. I stress bake and this year has been on the stressful side of things. So…I’ve been baking pretty much non-stop.

We found some foodies. Just a few. Actually, we didn’t eat out all that much. We’re still trying to take one of the kiddos to lunch each week. Sometimes we get to dine in and sometimes we have to find a park or view to enjoy while we have lunch, but it’s always so nice to get some one-on-one time with one of the boys. We also took advantage of being close to a Dutch Bros! They are the best coffee shop but we don’t find them too often. And yes, that’s whipped cream on my blended chai. mmmm….

The late spring/early summer flowers were showing off for us!

We found the potatoes that Idaho is so famous for. So…Many…Potatoes! Huge fields of them!

Oh yeah, and a boat ran into us. Yup, you read that right. A boat ran into us while we were parked at the RV park. Does this kind of thing happen to anyone else? No? Just us then? Oh well, never a dull moment…

That’s it for the Twin Falls area!!

See y’all down the road!

#NationalParkTour
Back In Arizona

Back In Arizona

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Hey Guys!! We made it back to Arizona! We stayed two weeks at a state park called Kartchner Caverns that looked interesting when I found it online…plus, there aren’t very many RV parks in this area of AZ.

The Benson area of Arizona is really close to several National Parks so we used it as a base camp to knock a few parks and places off of our to-see list.

One of those places was the old mining town of Bisbee. We’ve had a lot of cool experiences on this grand adventure we call OurRVTrip, but we hadn’t toured a mine yet so we headed to Queen Mine for a tour down into an old mine. We hadn’t made reservations for the tour, but managed to snag spots on one of the earlier tours of the day. Everyone gets a light that hangs around your neck, a cool neon safety vest and a super stylin’ hardhat to wear for the duration of the tour.

We also stopped by the Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum. I’ll be mixing the pictures I got from both of these places…just FYI.

While we were on the mine tour, we learned about the mule trains they used to have down in the mine. The mules were only supposed to pull four carts at a time and if the miners got in a hurry and tried to tack on another cart…the mules refused to move. Ha! We also learned that the mules spent so much time down in the mines that the iris/pupil in their eyes would stop working after a certain time. The mining company would watch it closely and when it happened the mules had a special hood that would go on and they would be taken back up to the surface. Every day or so a slit in the hood near their eyes would be made bigger until their eyes were back to normal. Once their eyes were normal, the mules were retired to a nice field where they got to live out the rest of their days in comfort.

In 1877, while on a mission to find renegade Apaches up in the Mule Mountains of southern Arizona, tracker Jack Dunn found signs of mineralization. Not long after, the first mining claim was staked in what would eventually become the city of Bisbee. It wasn’t long before Bisbee became known as the “Queen of the copper camps.”

By the early 1900s Bisbee was the largest city between St. Louis and San Francisco. People from all over came to the area to try and get a piece of the mining dream. In true mining town fashion, the mining company owned the town and all of the stores.

Over the years, Queen Mine produced almost three million ounces of gold, more than eight billion pounds of copper, and over three hundred different minerals…including silver, lead, and zinc. Bisbee’s minerals still rank as some of the world’s best.

In the mid 1970s the mine closed down even though the minerals weren’t depleted. There are still tons of minerals in the mine. But the company moved to other parts of the country and world where they’re still mining today. It’s said…that eventually, the company will go back to Bisbee and continue mining the Queen Mine. When the company left, they gave all of the buildings and businesses to the residents of Bisbee.

We really enjoyed our day in Bisbee. Walking around the town, checking out some of the old businesses that are still open. If you’re ever over in that part of Arizona, Bisbee is definitely worth a day or two of exploration!

It always feels more like camping when we stay at a state park. You’d think that most RV parks would have fire rings, but they don’t. At least…not the ones we stay at. So, when we get a spot with a fire ring…we thoroughly enjoy some actual camping.

Kartchner Caverns State Park is really known for its…well…caverns (caves). We were looking forward to doing a tour, but decided that the $25 a piece plus not being able to take any pictures or videos…made it less interesting for us. So, we went hiking instead. We couldn’t complain about the views.

The day we pulled into the park, we spotted a trail that meandered its way up the hill. We went into the park visitor center to ask about it, but the Rangers there told us that the trail we were looking at wasn’t a trail and that it wasn’t even in the park…that there was no way to get to it from the park.

We actually found our way up to that old mining road. There was a trail right from the back of the park up to it. I’m not sure what that Ranger thought we were talking about. We saw several old mines on our hike…all with signage for people to stay out. We didn’t get anywhere near them, but they were neat to spot.

We also found a cow. Just one cow out chilling by herself…she didn’t seem to appreciate us popping up over the trail on our way back to the campground. We figured if the area was safe enough for a single cow…we should be safe from any big predators (mountain lions).

In Benson, we found quite a few really neat murals. I somehow only got pictures of these two…but the others were all just as good.

We were pleasantly surprised by the foodies we found in Benson! We spent several meals at the Horseshoe Café. If you go there make sure to get the Almond Joy Cake…it’s probably the best cake I’ve ever had out. We also found a spice store and Prickly Pear gummies!!

In the next post I’ll tell you all about the National Monuments we visited while we were in the area!

See y’all down the road!

#NationalParkTour
Slot Canyons, Petrified Wood, and Sand Pipes… Oh My!

Slot Canyons, Petrified Wood, and Sand Pipes… Oh My!

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Hey Guys! While we were in the Panguitch area the weather was so cold, but we didn’t let that stop us from exploring! We crammed in a National Park, two National Monuments, and two State Parks all in the two weeks we were there! This is the second post of our time in Panguitch, UT…let’s get started!

It’s not considered one of Utah’s Big 5…but it really should be on your list of must see National Park Units to visit while you’re in Utah. Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is so big (somewhere around 1.9 million acres) with so many diverse things to do and see…it’s easily one of our favorite NPS units. This National Monument is BLM managed so I think it tends to fly under the radar of most National Park enthusiasts.

We got a taste of what a slot canyon is back at Little Wild Horse Canyon a couple of weeks before we got to Panguitch and we all loved it! The Peek-a-boo/Spooky slot canyon loop has been on my list for a while and I was really excited to finally get the chance to explore them. These are family friendly slot canyons…meaning, you don’t need technical gear or experience to explore them. They are still slot canyons though…so there’s some scrambling, climbing, and squeezing involved. To get into Peek-a-boo, you must first climb up a twelve foot entry wall. There are a few hand and foot holds that help a bit, but it’s still difficult. I wouldn’t have made it up on my own…Jerl had to help pull me up part of the way. But we all made it up!

Peek-a-boo was so fun! You had to climb through holes, squeeze between walls, and work your way around some easy and fun obstacles. It was like a playground. Grand Staircase-Escalante is divided up into three distinct sections. In the Canyons of Escalante section, you’ll find the most extensive network of slot canyons in Utah.

Once you make it through Peek-a-boo you climb up and out of it and follow the trail over to Spooky to continue the loop. Or you can retrace your steps and go back through Peek-a-boo to get out the way you came. Grand Staircase-Escalante is a unique park. It’s considered the flagship unit of the newly established National Landscape Conservation System. This new conservation initiative’s goal is to basically preserve the wildness of the land. You won’t find defined trails like you will in other NPS units. While there are trails, there is minimal change to the land. So, you’ll need a map and you’ll have to watch for the cairns that have been built on some of the trials. The trial system isn’t as defined as what you might be used to.

Once you reach Spooky, you have to make your way down a fifteen foot drop. Like I said…it’s still a slot canyon and you’ll still have to do some climbing and scrambling. This drop was the hardest part of the whole loop for us. You’re coming out of the bright sun down into a dark canyon so it was hard to judge where you were and how far of a drop it was. Jerl went first here and helped the rest of us down. He also might have cracked a rib or two here…

Once we all made it down the drop, we caught up to a big group that was in front of us and so we had to wait while we were in some of the tightest sections of Spooky…which are ten inches wide. Ten inches. If you’re claustrophobic at all, I would suggest skipping Spooky. If I started to feel a little closed in, I would just look up at the blue sky. It helped quite a lot knowing if I absolutely had to, I could climb up the canyon walls to get out. They were narrow enough and they weren’t so tall that I couldn’t have made it. There were places that Jerl had to exhale in order to squeeze through. Always research the hike you’re going on and know what you’re getting yourself into.

I have to give a shout out to Tanya from Florida. When I saw that first climb up into Peek-a-boo…I thought briefly about copping out. It was intimidating…especially with an audience. But, she totally called me out…and said we can’t wimp out now after coming all this way. And she was totally right! The group of people we found ourselves exploring these slot canyons with really made the hike so much fun. We all helped each other and encouraged one another to make it through. So, thank you Tanya from Florida for pushing me to not wimp out!

The Dry Fork Narrows where Peek-a-boo and Spooky Gulches are found is the perfect way to experience Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument the way it was meant to be…wild and free. Go be adventurous. Step outside your comfort zone and find out who you really are. But, always know your limits and be prepared when you’re out in the wilderness. If you’re going to explore a slot canyon…or really any canyon…be weather aware. There was a sign at the beginning of this hike that said the two most common causes of death are dehydration and drowning. Don’t go if it looks like it might rain anywhere in the area and always take plenty of water.

The last thing we did in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument was go see Grosvenor Arch. Like everything else we’d done in this National Monument, the drive to get there was on a dirt road. Ten bumpy and washboard miles down the road, you reach the little pulloff for Grosvenor Arch. You can see it from the parking lot, but if you want a closer look at the arch you can take the little “paved” trail out to it. We didn’t walk out there. I feel like the best view of an arch is from a distance. This arch is actually two arches that tower about 150 feet above the ground.

We had so much fun learning about and exploring Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument!

Kodachrome Basin State Park is known for it’s sand pipes and it’s red rock sandstone chimneys. Kodachrome was named by a National Geographic Society Expedition back in the late 1940s. They named it in honor of Kodak film for it’s color.

We did the Angel’s Palace Trail to catch some views of the sand pipes, hoodoos, and chimneys that the park is so known for. There are over sixty sand pipes that range in height from 6 to 170 feet throughout the park. This is a pretty easy, well marked trail that offers some fantastic views of the park and the surrounding area.

Kodachrome Basin is located on the Colorado Plateau. Most of the layers exposed in the park are made of the Carmel Formation (the white rocks) and the Entrada Formation (the red rocks). While scientist know what the sand pipes are made of…they’re not really sure how they were made. There are a few different theories out there, but no one has been able to prove exactly how these unique rock formations were formed.

While we were exploring Kodachrome Basin State Park and Grosvenor Arch which are on the same road, we kept running into this group of cowboys (and girls) doing a roundup. They were moving their herd from the summer grazing field to the winter one. It was really neat to watch. We first encountered them on the way into Kodachrome, then caught up with them on the dirt road out to Grosvenor Arch…then met up with them one more time on our way back out. The cows didn’t think much of our car and they weren’t too inclined to walk around us. lol! A few of them bumped our car as if to say…”Hey, we’re walking here”… I think a couple of them were trying to hitch a ride on our bumper as we slowly moved through the herd. We stopped and asked the owners if we could drive through them…we were prepared to follow along behind them, but the owner assured us it was fine to drive next to them.

One day while we were driving around the area, we encountered three of these gorgeous Golden Eagles. Three! I, of course, didn’t have my good camera on me…and like the doofus I am, I just sat there too dumbstruck to even think of whipping out my phone to catch a video. We watched three giant golden eagles fight over something that one of them had just found in a field. It was…unforgettable.

We stopped by Escalante Petrified Forest State Park late one afternoon on our way back to our home-on-wheels after a long day of exploring. We always take the chance to see petrified wood. On top of a mesa that used to be the bottom of an ancient flood plain, you can walk a trail and see several specimens of petrified wood. The trees this wood came from were standing close to 100 feet tall around 130 million years ago. One of my favorite things about petrified wood is the variety of colors! The minerals in the soil determine what colors you get. For example, iron oxide will produce an orange, red or yellow coloring while manganese oxide tends to create blue, black or purple coloring. Yes… we’re nerds…we know things like that. Ha!

We had the honor of being featured in the November/December 2019 issue of Escapees Magazine. The whole process was a really fun learning experience. The author, Rene, is also an Escapees member and writes articles for the magazine on a regular basis. If you don’t know about Escapees, go check them out here. If you are living the Nomad life you definitely need to be an Escapee member. They make life so much easier and give Nomadic families, like ours, a community of likeminded individuals we can count on. We’ve made friends, learned from other members experiences and have found places to stay with Escapees help over the last almost five years.

That’s all for this post, Guys! I can’t believe our Utah explorations are almost over. It’s gone by so fast!

See y’all down the road!

#NationalParkTour
Goblins and Canyons and Foodies

Goblins and Canyons and Foodies

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Hey Guys! This is the last post for our time in the Torrey, UT area. We crammed so much into the two weeks we were in the area.

Goblin Valley State Park is the home of hoodoos and goblins. One of the coolest things about Goblin Valley is that there isn’t a set trail. You get to wander around three square miles filled with thousands of varying sizes and shapes of hoodoos that the park affectionately calls…goblins.

Before the park was known as Goblin Valley, it was called Mushroom Valley. We spent a couple of hours roaming around the goblin city and exploring the valley. It’s weird to think that millions of years ago this dry desert was once a tidal flat area next to a huge ancient inland sea.

While we were at Goblin Valley State Park we went to Little Wild Horse Canyon where we got our very first taste of a slot canyon. We got there late in the day so we couldn’t do the whole hike. We went in a mile or so then turned around. We did go far enough in that we did some rock scrambling and get a feel for what a slot canyon is. The sun was setting so the lighting wasn’t there for the glowing slot canyon pics you normally see.

Our first slot canyon was a success…it gave us the bug for more and now I’m trying to find family friendly (non-technical) slot canyons near our next stops.

Torrey, UT is a small town, but we did find some tasty foodies there. At one of the nearby diners, we found a pie sampler that consisted of oatmeal pie, pinto bean pie, pickle pie, and buttermilk pie. Each piece was just big enough that we could each have a bite. Well, I’m going to let you guess at the two flavors that none of us liked. At least we tried it. The last night we were in town we tried a burger place called Capitol Burger. Guys, this was the best place in town and it was just a little food truck!

With all of the rock formations around, we started seeing animals and patterns in the rock. Can you see them? We found a turtle, heart, baby dragon, and a turtle.

We had such a good time exploring this part of Utah! I didn’t realize just how much we’d seen until I started setting aside pictures for the posts for this area.

See y’all down the road!

#NationalParkTour

The All-American Scenic Byway

The All-American Scenic Byway

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Hey Guys!! While we were staying in the Torrey, UT area we stayed right at the beginning of Highway 12…also known as The All-American Road Scenic Byway. With a name like that, we couldn’t help but explore at least some of it! The entire scenic byway is 124 miles with sooo many stops, hikes, and scenic backway roads that lead off to even more adventures.

All along highway 12 are scenic pulloffs to some absolutely stunning panoramic vistas.

You’ll also find three State Parks spaced out along highway 12. We stopped at one of them during our day of exploring. Anasazi State Park Museum sits at the site of an Ancestral Puebloan community that was used between 1050 to 1200 AD. Most of the site has been left unexcavated, but they have uncovered ninety-seven rooms along with several pit structures. There is a small replica (that you can explore) of what some of the structures would have looked like when the Ancestral Puebloan people were there. We spent a couple of hours checking this small State Park out.

One of the best…maybe the best… section of The All-American Road Scenic Byway is what they refer to as The Hogsback. This is the part of the highway that follows the thin razorback ridge of a mesa with steep drop offs on each side of the highway. Luckily, they put in a nice wide pulloff right at the top where you can get out of your vehicle and ogle the breathtaking views. I think I must have taken twenty pictures of just this pulloff alone.

When I did my research on places to stop and things to see on highway 12, one place kept coming up. Kiva Koffeehouse. Everyone said to stop for a snack and soak in the view…Guys, they weren’t lying. The view here was spectacular and the food was super fresh and tasty! We sat outside while we ate and the picture on the left was our lunch view. Then we drove around the corner and ran into the view in the right picture. And for probably the 100th time that day we all stood there saying wow!

Ancestral Puebloans used this area long before highway 12 was built. If you look closely, you can see the upper valley granaries still stored. A granary is where food was stored to keep it safe. They would wall up the area to keep animals and other people from getting to their storage. If you don’t know where to look, I’ve zoomed in and put an arrow pointing to the granary. It really blends in with the cliff side.

We made it all the way to Powell Point before we turned around. At Powell Point you can see the very topmost layer of the Colorado Plateau’s Grand Staircase. You can also see this same layer at Bryce Canyon NP.

On a different day we went back to highway 12 to tackle the scenic backway known as Hells Backbone. This is a thirty-eight mile dirt road built by the CCC to connect two mountain towns. So many of the reviews I read about this road kept saying how dangerous it is and under the wrong circumstances, I can see how it would be dangerous. You’d definitely want dry weather and no snow or ice on the road, but Hells Backbone is a great short scenic drive. Just watch out for the cows along the road (upper right picture).

We still had some light left, so we headed over to the Burr Trail Scenic Backway. Yup…another scenic trail! Ha! Burr Trail started out as a cattle trail to get cattle from their summer grazing pastures to their winter ones. We drove to the end of the paved part and found the view above. Not a bad view of the Circle Cliffs with the Henry Mountains in the background.

On the way back out of the Burr Trail, we stopped at a pulloff that led to a deep cleft in the side of the canyon wall. When we walked up to the cleft, there was a family there with two girls who were singing songs from The Sound of Music and Guys…the acoustics in this cleft were amazing! The girls sounded wonderful. While we were chatting with the family, a small owl flew out of a nearby tree, floated right over our heads, and landed in a little alcove in the canyon wall. It took us all by surprise! It was a really cool experience.

Hells Backbone Road and Anasazi State Park Museum are actually part of a bigger National Monument. Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is divided into three different units and spans across close to one million acres. Besides the fact that this is one huge National Monument, the area within it is the last place in the US to have been mapped. We explored some of this park from Torrey and some from our next stop, Panguitch…so stay tuned for more on this amazing National Monument!

I have one more post for our time in Torrey! We’re going to need a vacation once we finish with Utah so we can get some rest… There’s so much to see and do here.

See y’all down the road!

#NationalParkTour