Trip 3 for 2014, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, South Dakota, Nebraska & back home

Well we got to hit the road again this year for the 3rd time and it was a blast, we spent 5 weeks on the road. We wanted to do this as cheaply as possible so we did stayed in several State and National Forest campgrounds.  Our use of the commercial venues were kept to a minimum.  Colorado was our main objective, touring the old gold mining camps and doing some mountain trail 4 wheeling in the Jeep. There is something exhilarating about traveling on mountain ledge trails and riding above 13,000 feet in the Colorado back country.  Encountering the three mountain goats was a treat of a lifetime.  On this trip between the bus and the Jeep we traveled over 5200 miles in a five week period.  No major problems, but we did have a blown airbag, got a load of bad fuel and had a broken hose clamp on the turbo intake of the bird, all was corrected and on with our trip we went.  We visited several old mining camps, rode cliff ledge trails, saw mountain streams and waterfalls only accessible by Jeep or a suitable 4wd vehicle.  Later on traveling to Moab to recapture the joys of a previous trip in March, then later on to the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, and back through the Black Hills area of South Dakota was great.  Seeing Bull Moose in rut and hearing Bull Elk calling for that special cow was a once in a lifetime event.

 

Traveling to Colorado communities such as Frisco, Breckenridge, Leadville, Ridgway, Ouray, Telluride, doing the Monarch Pass in the bus and the Mosquito Pass, Georgian Pass and Imogene Pass in the Jeep was a thrill.  Then heading north to the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, and the Montana back country was very enjoyable. None of the Colorado trip or trails could not have been done without the help and guidance of our friends John and Nancy H.  leaving Colorado was bittersweet but we moved on up to Moab to see more friends and to tour some sites that had left a lasting impression on us while we were there in March.  Moab was too warm for us in September so we headed further north to the Grand Tetons and the Yellowstone National Parks.  In the Tetons we ran into Keven, Brandyce, Jim & Barb more Blue Bird friends.

 

 

 

 

 

In the Grand Tetons we paid $11.50 per night w/ electric, we saw the fall colors at its peak, we saw Bull Moose, Elk, Buffalo, Coyote, Wolf, Pronghorn, Mule Deer, and the American Bald Eagle.  The Tetons were not as visible for us as they have been in the past but the fall colors and the crisp blue sky with the large puffy white clouds it was still a wonderful sight.

We also saw some pretty spectacular sunsets.  Not to forget the Black Canyon of the Gunnison in Colorado for $9 w/electric.  In South Dakota we revisited the Custer State Park and we did the Wind Cave National Park for $11 w/electric.  On the return trip home we drove the Warrior Trail and saw the Battlefield of the Little Bighorn in Montana, and drove the back roads and traveled the little used highways of Nebraska.  One of the things we did on this trip was to stay more in the NFS campgrounds as much as possible, it makes for cheaper travel and you can find plenty online and it is well worth the time to look them up for the areas you may be going through.  We even found a couple which offered free camping, one was in the Custer National Forest, near Ashland, MT., I think the name of the campground was Red Shale.  It had 14 gravel pad sites and many could accommodate our 35' bus and a 42 footer could get in a couple or a 35 w/trailer.  Custer National Forest offers 3 fee campgrounds.  Dry camping in a NFS park is much better than Wal-Mart in my opinion.  If you have all the essentials with you why overpay for what you don't need.  Oh this free campgrounds had a 14 day limit.  Several of the NFS have 30 and sometime 50 amp electrical services for as low as 11 bucks a night with an American Senior Pass aka the geezer card:) Don't expect full hookups in the NFS properties, that is hard to find even in the federal parks, but basic 30 amp electric is all you will generally need for a night or two.  This was a great trip, oh yes and we did do some work along the way:)

 

Moab, UT 2014

A little late but: We had wanted to go to Moab for many years and for one reason or another we couldn't make it but this year we did. After our Quartzsite trip we left the bird in Tucson and flew home for about 6 weeks and went back in March. Well where do we go from here? Moab! Moab in March is nice and warm in the day and cool at night. We always wanted to get off the road and see what you read about in the off road magazines. Moab is a great place to visit and even a better place to explore, going off road is the only way to see the true beauty. Riding the highways you can see alot but to truly enjoy Moab you will need a 4x4 and not a Mall Crawler but a real beater of a Jeep. We did do some moderate 4 wheeling nothing extreme but we did drag bottom a few times but every bump, hump and jerk was worth every bit. Traveling up to Moab from Tucson was also a pleasure, above Flagstaff we went through Monument Valley and the Painted Desert, well worth the trip. Moab is on our return to list. If you have the opportunity to go with friends it makes it even better; we met 2 other couples there and we had a ball. Four wheeling is not too difficult, you could hire a guide, take a tour, buy a guide book and GPS but we had the pleasure to be with friends who knew the places to go from 17 years of experience of four wheeling in the area, we can't wait to do it again. They knew all the cool places and we felt safe. I would say Moab is not a place we would want to go during the summer months.

Quartzsite Trip 2014

It had been 3 years since I've been to Quartzsite and 4 for Fran; it took some serious begging but my girl gave in and went along for the trip.  We departed home on 4 Jan 14, driving madly to beat an approaching winter snow storm.  If we had delayed our departure by 12 hours we would most likely had to cancel our entire trip.  So we headed pretty much due south to beat the storm.  We travelled 2 days until it was warm enough to go without the heavy jackets.  Our first memorable stop was Amistad near Del Rio, TX close to the Mexican border.  At the visitor's center we check on the local sites and it was also suggested we visit Big Bend National Park on the Rio Grande at the Mexican border.  Passports on board we were off to the Big Bend National Park.  US 90 in west Texas is a great road for the views west Texas countryside and the peaks of the mountains across the border.  Here is a shot of Fran in a hot springs of a former health resort on the banks of the Rio Grand. We spent 2 night in the park, went to Mexico via a roll boat for lunch one day and off again making our way to El Paso, TX then on to Tucson & Quartzsite.

 

 

 

Canada 2013

 

One of the things we enjoy most in Canada are the sunsets we are able to view from our campsite.  This year we were able to expirience many beautiful sunsets.  Each day the weather was just great, the daily temps were in the mid to upper 60's without a drop of rain until our last day.  It was a good year spite the fact we were a little early for the blueberries and the mushrooms.  A bad day in Canada is better than any good day at work.