Wednesday June 9 -- Traveling and Crazy Horse

Yesterday we travelled all day. I would say we pushed it a little since it was a nine hour day on the road. Usually we do around six. We stayed at a campground in Lusk, Wyoming. It was a good place. For the first time, I did not have to fight to stay connected to the Internet. It was a secure site and great. I got quite a bit done on my blogs. I had several entries in Word so I just had to post them and work with pictures. I still need to work more with the pictures.

We are ready to hit the road again for a three hour drive today.

10:45 PM – Horse Thief Campground
We are at Horse Thief campground near Mt. Rushmore. We got here around 2:30 so we had some time for sight seeing. We feel lost without AT&T service here at the campground, but this afternoon we had a Wifi signal so I was able to do necessary communication with it.

This afternoon we went to see Crazy Horse, which is a carving in progress, with the 22 story high horse’s head now one-half blocked out. The face of the Indian has been carved and refined. The first blast for this monument took place June 3, 1948. It is a tribute to the great Indians and what they gave the settlers. There is a huge Indian museum with a scale model of Crazy Horse on the veranda from which drilling and blasting can be viewed as they continue to work on the monument. They were not working while we were there, so we didn’t get to see the work in progress. We went to a nice café off the veranda, and had a bite to eat.

A sculptor named Korezak Ziolkowski, with no formal lessons in art, sculpture, architecture or engineering started this project. He worked on it for over forty years, but passed away in 1982 and is buried at the base of the mountain from which the monument is carved. Before he died he told his family to carry on his dream if they wanted to, but to take their time and make sure it was done right. The family is very dedicated to keeping up the work. Some predict another thirty or forty years might see it finished.

If you go to see Mount Rushmore, do not miss Crazy Horse because to us it was as impressive as Mount Rushmore. We spent a lot more time there because of the way our time worked out.

They had a show that night telling the history behind the project, and following that was a laser light show. We got there around 4:30 PM and did not want to miss the laser show so we were there until 9:50 PM when the laser light show ended.

June 7 -- Monday -- Leaving Yellowstone

June 7 ---- More of Yellowstone National Forest

Monday, June 07, 2010

It was still raining and cold this morning. We did not get cold last night. I added a blanket on the bottom and at afghan on top of our trav-a-sack. We were both warm and cozy and slept well last night. The hard part was getting out of the warm bed. We wanted to get an early start out of the park.

When we got back in last night from our venture though the park we could not find the cell phone. We looked and looked. I had finally had a signal down near Old Faithful and had used the phone. We had gotten out to see some animals on the way back and thought we might have dropped it. We kept looking and feeling more panicky every minute. Of course it is our communication with home and family. We need that. I had checked my pockets by feeling the outside of the pants I had been wearing and later decided to go down in the pockets and check. It was deep inside my pocket. Thank you Lord was all we could say. We were so relieved.

We decided we did not want to be cold and wet any longer, so we turned three nights into two nights and drove through another part of the park to leave. It was truly a different type of beauty. We saw some more of those boiling, bubbling pools, but these did not smell very good. They smelled like sulfur. Some were coming out of canyons.
We went up to much higher plains. It was a breath taking drive. Harry asked the attendant at the camp ground about road work on the road he planned to take. He said that it shouldn't be much of a delay. It turned out to be a 15 minute delay for road work and then we were going again.

Soon into the trip traffic slowed again. For nearly an hour, we barley moved. We wondered if it was more road work, but just kept creeping along. When we finally were able to see what the problem was, a herd of bison was slowly moving on both sides of the road and in the middle of it. People were taking pictures and having to wait until they moved out of the way letting just one or two cars pass at a time. The animals truly own Yellowstone. People have to give them the right of way. There was one old one that looked like it was about all he could do just to walk along. There were little calves along with many grown bison.

After a little progress, we see the traffic slowed again and many stopped. It was the bear that we had been looking for. Harry was able to get a picture from the window. It isn’t very close up, but I believe we will be able to identify it. I am glad we got to see at least one bear on our trip through Yellowstone.

Somewhere on that mountain we saw the Yellowstone River. How can there be so much water on the mountain? I don’t know, but it was there. Yellowstone Lake also covered a huge area. I almost felt like I was looking at an ocean. Part of the lake was still frozen over. I have to use my imagination to see what it would have looked like with sunshine gleaming down on it, since we were still traveling through rain which was close to being snow.

As we climbed higher and higher on the mountain, we began to see snow at the sides of the road. Higher still and snow was everywhere except on the road.

One thing Harry is not fond of is going down big mountains, but he had another one today. The road moved along beside a deep canyon and then next to the canyon was another huge mountain. We keep moving along very slowly. After many wonderful sites, and much gripping of the steering wheel we were down the mountain.

We moved on out of the national forest. We ate lunch just outside Yellowstone at Pahaska Tepee Resort. We enjoyed our first buffalo burger. After eating lunch, we drove on to Cody, Wyoming. We are camping for the night at Ponderosa campground. We will move on in the morning. It sure felt good to have a shower and have a warm camper. I like having electricity and heat.

Our next point of interest is Mount Rushmore and maybe some other attractions around it. Harry said that we should be able to get two thirds of the way there tomorrow. Traveling east instead of west makes us feel closer to home.

The Internet Connection is very weak so the posting will have to wait. I am wondering if the problem is on my computer receiving end.

Sunday, June 6 Continued "Yellowstone"

First four pictures are of Old Faithful and the others are boiling pots and buffalo pictures.

June 6 Continued – Trip to Old Faithful

All day it has been cold and rainy. We go out today for our drive to Old Faithful. It is still raining and cold, but as Ferne says, “It has been a beautiful day!”

We have seen more of God’s magnificent handiwork. We started our drive to see Old Faithful and got many surprises along the way. Here near the top of the mountains were many flat plains and basins. There were numerous loops off of the main roads to see boiling pools, and spouting fountains of hot water. This water would form little streams through colorful beds of chemical deposits down into the big streams of water. On a day like today there were huge amounts of steam coming from these boiling pots. Bubbling sounds mixed with the sounds of birds and other water creatures made you just want to stop look and listen.

Finally we are huddling with raindrops pelting on our umbrellas, waiting for the eruption of Old Faithful. The walkways are crowded with others doing the same things we are, just waiting and watching with anticipation.

Old Faithful was expected to erupt at 2:35 PM, plus or minus 10 minutes. Steam keeps rising from its small spout. We keep waiting. Finally there are a few spurts of water. She’s just teasing, more waiting. Here it comes!! The water shoots out and spurts into the air. It lasts for several minutes and is something to behold. As the water springs forth, it makes gushing sounds. Then slowly the gush and sound of water gets lower and quieter. Finally it stops completely. Now there is only steam again.

I will add this bit of information that I read about Old Faithful. Eruptions are usually around 135 feet in the air, but can be as high as 190 feet or as low as 100 feet. These eruptions occur approximately every 92 minutes and last from three to five minutes. Seeing Old Faithful spout off is truly an experience to behold and one worthy to learn about by any means available.

Today was another awesome day that no words can describe.

We are now back at the camper with me writing and Harry planning the next phase of our trip. This is the turning point. We are now going east. Leaving Yellowstone National Forest is another story to be posted later. Mount Rushmore and attractions around it are our next points of interest.

Sunday, June 6 -- Arrival at Yellowstone

Sunday, June 6---Yellowstone National Park

We are at Yellowstone National Park campground called Madison Junction. There has been quite a change in our weather. We arrived here on Saturday afternoon. We got set up and decided to cook some steaks. We pulled out a little grill that we have had for some time but had not used. We cooked these along with potatoes, onions, and carrots wrapped in foil. We enjoyed a garden salad along with this.

By bedtime it started to rain and rain it did, for the duration of our stay. It was cold and damp. We had turned our double sleeping bag over to the winter side. Both of us got cold, but were not brave enough to get up to find more blankets. Neither of us slept very well. We woke up early.

Shortly after we got up a huge bison came ambling through our campsite between our camper and fire pit. Harry saw it and shouted, “Louise, come and look at this!” We both got a good look at it. Harry was so excited that he grabbed the camera and went out in the rain. He got a couple of good pictures, but none of its head. That part was always behind a tree or bush.

The outside temperature is 48.7 degrees. Inside it is 62.2 degrees. We are layered in clothing to be warm. I used the oven to bake a can of biscuits this morning. That warmed the camper a little bit.

We have reservations for two more nights, but one more night might be enough. We do not have electricity or any hook ups. Roughen it, if you can call it that with a camper.
We are definitely much better off than those pioneers I keep thinking about.

June 4, 2010---Utah to Idaho

Friday, June 4 was a traveling day. We drove from our campground at Fillmore, Utah to McCommon, Idaho. We passed through Salt Lake City and saw the Mormon Tabernacle. The ride was pleasant with much beautiful scenery along the way.

We stopped at the Idaho Welcome center and got information about Yellowstone. We got maps and the attendant was very helpful to show us the different routes and campgrounds in Yellowstone National Park. She recommended that we call ahead for reservations.

When we arrived at McCommon the weather was still very nice. We set up for the night. As we have made this trip, my mind continually goes to things I have read about the pioneers and all the troubles they encountered as they came west. It is hard to imagine this trip the way they had to make it. At times we get tired and a little aggravated when things don’t go exactly the way we want them to, but how easy we have had it. Our main problem is not being able to find things in the camper.

Both of us remembered the marked map that we knew would be so helpful, but we could not find it. We looked and looked through the materials she had given us with no results. We decided that we must have walked out without it. I picked up one more magazine and decided to look at it, and there inside that book was the fold out map she had fixed for us. Now we could get things worked out and call the campground for reservations. We did, but it was too late. They had already closed for the day. The next morning we made the call again, and made reservations for three nights at Yellowstone National Park. One more day and we should be there.

Genetta's --Alpine, California

June 2, 2010 -- Time at Genetta's in California

Several days have passed since I wrote. We have not had access to the Internet and will not for at least the next two days. The cost for it here is $5.99 per day and it is just in and out so I will not be connecting to that.

We arrived at my cousin, Genetta’s, place on Thursday evening, May 27th. She welcomed us to her home with open arms and we enjoyed our stay very much. She insisted that we bring our laundry to her place and take care of it, so we took her up on this on Friday morning while she went over to her daughters and took care of Jack. She brought him back to her place for us to meet. He was a precious three year old who won our hearts right off. After taking him back home, she was trying to schedule different things for us to do while we were at her place. We told her we would be more than content just to relax and visit with her.

That night she was determined to take us out that evening for steak and lobster. It was a delicious meal in the restaurant area of a casino. We enjoyed walking around the noisy place and seeing the activities going on. Time is already flying by.

Other things we did while we were there was touring the Midway, a huge decommissioned Navy ship from World War II, seeing an Indian light show, and enjoying a delicious meal prepared by her son-in-law. Harry especially enjoyed the trip to the shipyard and touring the Midway. The Indian light show was a water and light with an Indian dance which was impressive and beautiful. The night before we left, we had dinner at Keith and Kim’s place. Cindy, Scott and family joined us, so we were able to spend time with all of her California family. Keith is a very talented chef and prepared a mouth watering meal of barbequed chicken, steamed vegetables, corn, garden salad and fruit salad.

All too soon it is Tuesday morning and time to leave. We went to Keith and Kim’s to get the camper hooked up, Once we were hooked up we had to turn around in a tight spot, so after about an hour we were ready to say good by and be on the road again. It was about 9 AM when we pull out on the road again. Traffic as we moved north wasn’t too bad. We drove until around noon and stopped at a Pilot truck stop, gassed up the truck, filled our own tanks and were ready to get on the road again. It was a long drive through the Mojave Dessert; this was a colorful, desolate, beautiful landscape. As usual Harry took pictures when we stopped and told me to take them while we were moving along.

We finally arrived at our destination, the Oasis RV Resort. We had gotten reservations for Tuesday and Wednesday nights. The camp ground is very nice with concrete pads. There are 900 sites. We spent a good restful night here. The temperatures are creeping up. We are using the air conditioner more than at any time during the trip.

Today we have our little picnic bag packed for a trip to Hoover Dam. I will tell about at later and post when I have a chance.

Wednesday, June 2 -- Hoover Dam

June 2, 2010 – Trip to Hoover Dam

We are still at the Oasis campground. It is 9:24 PM and I am catching up on my blogs. We do not have Internet here, so I will have several things to post when I have Internet again. While I am working on this, Harry is planning our trip for tomorrow. He said a few minutes ago that he thinks it will take us two days to drive to Yellowstone National Park. Planning from one place to another is a big part of a trip like this. The Lord has truly been with us as we plan and as we travel. We are truly thankful a safe trip thus far.

We drove to Hoover Dam today. President Hoover, for whom the dam was named, was head of the Hoover Dam project in the 1930’s. It is another overwhelming sight in a very different way since it is man made instead of a natural wonder like the ones we have seen in the national forests. We learned how the workers who started building the dam only had to access it from the Colorado River as there were no roads or railways. Many people lost their lives while working on it. To them an impressive memorial was constructed as thanks to those who gave their lives.

This project provided jobs for many workers with various skills. Roads had to be built to get to it. Camps had to be set up for the workers to live in. A massive amount of concrete was slowly poured in blocks to build the actual wall. The work was non-stop 24 hours per day, seven days per week. The constructing of the wall took from 1931 to 1935. We never realized the vastness of the project or the real purposes of it, nor did I realize this is still a main road, US Route 93. It really slows down traffic, but passengers in those passing vehicles were seeing the dam and getting pictures as they slowly passed. .

It provides water for parts of California and Nevada. It also serves to help with irrigation so that crops can be grown. The water level has dropped drastically.

They are now constructing a US Route 93 bypass below the dam with a huge arch bridge made of concrete. This bridge looks a lot like the West Virginia New River Gorge bridge, except not as long. It is scheduled to be finished in September, 2010 and fully in operation by November, 2010. This will really help with traffic control on the dam.

We took a tour of the Power Plant, which was informative. I enjoyed the tour, but I’m sure Harry enjoyed it even more. We did a lot of walking and it was very hot. I was glad I took my water bottle with me.

We had seen the dam from air when we flew to California in 2005. It looked very small from the air. What a difference perspective we got standing beside it. The depth and vastness of it were overwhelming.

I will post some pictures. Hopefully they will show more than I can describe.

As we were coming back home, we drove up to an overlook of Meade Lake. This was a view of the gorgeous lake and its surroundings.