Friday, July 16, 2004

All good things come to an end.

Our last night on the road.[@more@]
Well, we're at our last stop - Casino Magic. Bob, Mindi, and Chris are out trying their luck. Mike and I are baby-sitting Sarah. We just stuffed ourselves at the buffet and are feeling VERY uncomfortable! Tomorrow will be a really long day but it will be nice to be in a place that doesn't rock every time someone moves. Now we'll have to start planning for next year. I wonder where we'll be?

Pictures have been very hard to post. Check out Karen's Korner for more pictures.

Thursday, July 15, 2004

Boo hoo!

We're on our way home.[@more@]I guess all good things have to come to an end. We're headed back home. We left Pike's Peak yesterday, stopped in Amarillo TX and are now in Kilgore TX. Our last stop will be Casino Magic in Bay St Louis MS. Gotta try out "Lady Luck"! We want to apologize for the inconsistency of our postings. We discovered that internet service is not all that easy to obtain. Cell phone service is even tricky in the mountains! Plus we had to learn how to use this program. And to top it off Mindi has come down with the flu! Thus pictures will probably be added after we get home. We've had a great trip, have seen amazing sights, have learned a lot, and have gotten along as well as 6 people in a small RV can be expected to.

Tuesday, July 13, 2004

Check out our day at Pike's Peak.

Traveling to the "top of the world".[@more@]


Today we traveled from Laramie WY to Colorado Springs CO. Wonder of wonders, we actually arrived at our destination, Fountain Creek RV Park, by noon! We even had time to treat Sarah to lunch at McDonalds before the taxi arrived to take us to the Pike's Peak Cog Railway station. The trip to the top of the mountain is a "not to be missed" experience. Over 14,000 feet in the air can do weird things to your head. Even Sarah commented that her head felt funny. Check out our mug shot, first view of Pike's Peak, cog railway car, and views from the top . . .

Pike's Peak family Photo

After we got back to the motorhome, we celebrated Bob's birthday with a hotdog feast and a birthday cake. Tomorrow we start on our way home. Rats!

Sunday, July 11, 2004

. . . and more touring!

Today we toured Yellowstone Park. [@more@]
The guide was not as personable as yesterday's but still very
knowledgeable. We discovered that there is way more to see in the park
than what you can do in one day. We definitely will have to come back.
Today we got to see bison, elk, antelope, and other deer. Of course, we
also saw lots of geysers. Only a few erupted while we were there but we
did see the most famous one - Old Faithful. I was very surprised that
the mist from the geyser was cold by the time it got to us. The Grand
Canyon of the Yellowstone was a surprise - very awe-inspiring. The
Upper and Lower Falls were breathtaking. I could have stood and watched
them for hours. Unfortunately, we didn't have that kind of time.
Tomorrow we will have to leave this wonderful part of Wyoming and start
for home. We do have one more vacation stop - Pike's Peak.



Check out www.turn3.net - Karen's Korner for more pictures.

Saturday, July 10, 2004

Tetons, here we come!

What a trip! [@more@]
The bus driver was great and the scenery was fabulous. Only the pictures that we took can really tell the story. It was a very long day and Sarah was an angel. Quite an accomplishment for a 4 year old. We also learned that the parks like to hire retirees for their seasonal workers. Possible retirement option!




Check out www.turn3.net - Karen's Korner for more pictures.

Friday, July 9, 2004

More touring!

Today was a rest and relax day. [@more@]
We could sleep in! Of course, no one did. Everyone wanted to get out and see stuff. We made our reservations for the Yellowstone Circle of Fire tour and the Teton tour. We then took a hike around Yellowstone Lake and ran into deer! We also saw white pelicans. I thought pelicans were warm climate birds but obviously I was wrong. Sarah was fascinated by the baby squirrels at the visitor center. Later in the day Bob, Mike, Chris and I went for a hike on the Howard Eaton Trail. The only wildlife we saw besides ducks and pelicans were the mosquitoes that were big enough to carry us away! Mindi stayed at the RV with Sarah and had supper ready for us when we got back. Thank goodness! I was pooped!



Thursday, July 8, 2004

Parting is such sweet sorrow.

We had to pack up this morning and leave our mountain hideaway [@more@]
but we only moved on to another bit of paradise - Yellowstone. It was a long day. We didn't reach the park until after 8 and were a little worried about running into unexpected wildlife but we only saw one deer who ran in front of the motorhome in front of us. We're staying at Fishing Bridge which is well known for bears. Will we see any?


Wednesday, July 7, 2004

A touring we will go!

Today's itinerary - Mt. Rushmore, Old MacDonalds farm for Sarah, and Deadwood. [@more@]
Mt. Rushmore may be smaller than Crazy Horse but it is still very
impressive. Because this monument is finished you get to go right up to
the base. Sarah enjoyed the farm and got to pet and feed lots of
animals. Deadwood was not exactly what I expected. It was more modern
than Virgina City. We took the bus tour and went to Mt. Moriah Cemetary
to see Wild Bill's and Calamity Jane's graves. Of course we had to
visit at least one casino and have a buffet!


Tuesday, July 6, 2004

The Black Hills

We picked up the rental van this morning. [@more@]
It already has over 140,000 miles on it. I wonder how many more we'll add? Our goal today - Crazy Horse Memorial, Needles Highway, and Custer State Park. We arrived at Crazy Horse Memorial in time to watch them do some blasting. We then took the bus tour to the foot of the mountain. The memorial is huge! It dwarfs Mt. Rushmore. The tour guide was very knowledgable and was able to answer all of our questions. One of the best parts - I got to bring home a piece of the blasted-away mountain and it was legal! The Needles Highway was awesome but, boy, am I glad we had a van! We would never have been able to fit the RV through those tunnels. They do take tour buses that way. Those drivers must have nerves of steel! At first we were a little disappointed in Custer State Park. We expected to see lots of animals but apparently we went the wrong way around the loop. Just as we were ready to give up we ran into a herd of bison and a bunch of donkeys blocking the road. We also got up close and personal with some prairie dogs. That side trip was worthwhile after all!



Monday, July 5, 2004

Happy Birthday, Mindi!

Today we toured the Badlands on our way to the Black Hills. [@more@]
Very impressive! At our first stop we hiked way out to the edge of a small canyon. We had to follow these little markers set in the rock so we wouldn't get lost. The rocks are kind of like really hard clay and they get very slippery if they are wet. The sky was getting very black and we were afraid it was going to start to rain and we sure didn't want to get stranded so we headed back to the motorhome. It did rain later in the day as we were headed to our next RV site - Mt. Rushmore KOA. We had to drive right by Mt. Rushmore to get to the park. We all took pictures but plan to actually visit the monument either tomorrow or Wednesday. Mt. Rushmore KOA is really nice. It's nestled in the mountains with lots of trees and a great view. We all ate at the KOA restaurant to celebrate Mindi's birthday.



Sunday, July 4, 2004

Happy 4th!

Today's destination - Onawa, Iowa. [@more@]
We passed by the St. Louis Arch this morning. It was just as impressive this year as last. We watched fireworks from the Blue Lake campground. They reminded me of the fireworks we used to watch in PA. We had to wait between each set for them to light a new set. Not as impressive as some I've heard but, boy, were they loud! They really echoed across the lake. We could also hear fireworks from several of the neighboring cities.


Saturday, July 3, 2004

On the road again!

Our destination today - Cahokia, Illinois.
[@more@]
Sarah got to add Tennessee and Kentucky to our motorhome map. When we got to the RV Park in Illinois, we discovered that we did not have a reserved spot waiting for us. Apparently my Internet reservation did not go through. I guess personal contact by phone is more reliable. The office was closed but they had a few empty spots so we took one and left the money in the night registration slot. Lesson learned!

Friday, July 2, 2004

On the road!

We're off!
[@more@]The last few hours have been hectic like usual. I always think I have every thing under control . . . ha! ha! Hope we get to our first stop at a decent hour.