Great Sand Dunes NP and Homeward Bound...

July 9-12

Left Durango on the morning of July 9 (Happy B-Day Beth!) and headed to the Great Sand Dunes. We didn't have a campground reservation, but didn't think we needed one because it is not one of the more heavily visited parks - besides there were 2 possible campgrounds, one in the NP and one just outside. We knew the one in the park had no hookups so that was going to be the back-up option. We arrived at our 1st choice campground and were a little dismayed by what we saw, actually, what we didn't see. There were no other RVs, trailers or even tenters there - not a good sign. It was touted as a full-service campground with a store, gas station, restaurant, lodge, laundry...you name it, all the info. on the place described it as an oasis in the desert. Hence the name for the place, The Oasis at the Great Sand Dunes. As we drove in to the parking lot of the Oasis we were immediately struck by how deserted and run-down it looked. We didn't even put the truck in Park - I just kept on driving figuring we could still do the no hook-up option at the NP. As we double-checked with the park ranger at the entrance we confirmed that there was no water or electric at each site nor was there a bathhouse for cleaning some of our gaminess off... The Anderson women opted for a third choice, not previously known, of a state park about 15 miles out from the NP which reportedly had "hook-ups." After trekking to the state park we found that it was very similar to the Oasis - deserted and didn't have the reported hook-ups. Our choices were dwindling.

On our return trip we saw what appeared to be some other RVers at the Oasis and decided we'll just have to give it a try - heck, it's only one night. Now that we had circled the area for nearly an hour we arrived back at the Oasis and registered for the night. It was very fitting because just at the moment of unhooking a thunderstorm unleashed its fury with thunder and lightning and a brief shower - what a good time. The Oasis wasn't really all that bad in the end except for the charter busload of teenage boys and girls who were tent camping on the hill behind us...

After all our messing around we still had time to hit the visitor center before it closed at 6:00 and plan our evening and morning activities. While there a ranger described an off-road trail that skirted the dune field and followed the path of the Medano River up into the Sangre de Christo Mountains - sounds good to me. But first we need to get gas - so back to the Oasis.

The first part of the off-road journey began in the soft sands which we had no trouble navigating. The truck, I kept remarking, was made for this kind of stuff... Then the trail headed up into the mountains. I didn't mention that the trail was 11 miles one direction and crossed the river 9 times, all of those on the mountain portion of the trail. It started off rather tame - a little bouncy, but certainly doable. It wasn't until a little later that things started to get interesting. The trail in most sections was barely wider than the truck and quite rocky - kind of like an off-road trail should be. It started to get more rocky though and a little more tight and then there were those river crossings...remember I mentioned we had a thunderstorm earlier. After about 9 miles in and 7 of the 9 river crossings everyone was real quiet in the cab - Katie was feeling car sick, Terry had a terrible headache, and Matt and I knew better than to say anything and the trail was getting rough. At one point, appropriately called "The Squeeze," I had to admit it got a little too dicey for even me. Bull-headed me promised everyone that after we make it through this spot we'll turn around at the next opportunity. Phew, made it through and found a spot to turn around not long after that - now we just have to do it all again, but downhill this time.... It ended up being a very quiet ride back, with the exception of the occasional yelp of "owww" from Matt as he hit his head on the window when we bounced back and forth over the rocks, roots and stumps...btw, there aren't any pictures of this adventure for some reason....

Starting anew the next day, everyone was feeling better (and speaking to me), we set out to actually climb some dunes. The sand dunes are quite remarkable, I won't bore you with the story of how they got there or any of the other inane things that interest me, but will say that they are the highest dunes in North America with the tallest being over 750 feet high (and at over 8000 ft above sea level) - we weren't going to be climbing that one though. We set out with drinks in hand and the landscape looking like we were entering the Sahara Desert. Before we knew it we were all huffing and puffing and not even near the top, but we labored on. We picked out a particular peak to summit and journeyed on all the while marveling at how far away everything looked and how much higher and steeper our destination seemed to be. Terry, a true East coast girl, remarked, "what good is a sand dune if the ocean isn't on the other side?" We didn't make it to the top of our chosen peak, but in the interest of maintaining the health and well being of our little clan, and the fact we were spending the rest of the day in the truck driving to Kansas, we celebrated our climb by carving a huge "A" in the dunes to mark our claim.

Back to the truck and trailer in the parking lot we pointed eastward for our 2000 mi. trek homeward. Made it to Goodland, KS that first day. Not much to say about Goodland other than they closed one of the main roads in town and didn't post any detour signs for the out of towners to know where to go. We figured it out eventually, but had a lot of good laughs about it en route. Next day we made it to Kingdom City, MO. I would have to believe that most, if not all of you, have never heard of either of these 2 towns. Nothing remarkable, although Goodland had a huge replica on a giant easle (house size) of Van Gogh's "Sunflower" and our little campground in Kingdom City rivaled the Oasis in popularity and reminded us a little of the movie Deliverance - it did have a huge paintball course and when the local boys military school arrived in the early AM today we knew it was time to get out of Dodge.

hey ppl its me....katie just wantd 2 let u all know im stil alive nd well....no need 2 wry
i have 2 admit i have been havn alot of fun on ths trip but my gawd i cant wait 2 sleep in my own bed nd c all my friends....i mean i LOVE spendn time w/my family nd all but 4 weeks is a vry long time.... wel yea anyways id have 2 say my favorite part was eithr the train ride(not includn all tht soot....yuck) or the boat rides in the Grand Tetons....but Steam Boat Springs was real nice 2.....oh nd u know what stil no boys....thy r all ugly or just definatly not my type...its vry depressn:'( k my parnts r buggn me 2 get off the computer b/c its like 11:30 so i geus ill tlk 2 u all later or when i get home....luv always katie<3

Durango, CO and the Griswald Tour of Mesa Verde NP

Durango area, CO - 7/7-9

Our trip from the Black Canyon of the Gunnison to Durango was our first real mountain driving experience. The drive went through the old mining towns of Ouray and Silverton and over the Red Mountain Pass at greater than 11,000 feet elevation. The truck handled it fine both up and down the mountains. Seeing some of the abandoned mines was interesting.

The highlight of our stay in Durango was going on the coal fired, steam driven Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Rail Road. The trip started at 9:00a and we paralleled the Animas River through the San Juan Mountains to Silverton. Durango is around 7000 ft. elevation while Silverton is around 9500 ft - quite an elevation change for a train. Part of the charm of the ride is hearing the chug-chug of the steam engine, sway of the period rail road cars, and the soot from the burned coal covering everything and everyone. It is a 3.5 hr trip up to Silverton where you get 2.5 hr stop before heading back to Durango. Silverton exists, it seems, almost exclusively because of the train. Three trains a day make the round trip and deliver a bunch of tourists for shopping and eating. The town hasn't changed much from the heyday of the mining industry that gave it it's start. On the trip home we got to see some Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep running through the canyon. I had people all over our train car, not just my family, hollering at me to get a picture. Although the pressure was high, I was able to get one shot where you can see 2 of the sheep.

We arrived back in Durango around 6:30p and we jumped in the truck and raced off to see Mesa Verde before dark - hence, the reference to the Griswald tour. We got to Mesa Verde NP around 7:30 and the park ranger at the entrance says we have only about 75 minutes before they close the main cliff dwelling viewing/driving area. Not bad one would think, but it was another 20 some miles to get to the damn cliffs on 30 mph National Park Service roads (which are notoriously bad we have found) weaving up and over the mesa. The ranger was also kind enough to point out that there were 2 speed traps along the route as well. Luckily sunset out here isn't until 9:00 or so. We got to see one of the main attractions, Cliff Palace, but missed the last tour. So we only saw it from a distance and snapped a few pictures. I suppose that was perhaps serendipitous because neither Katie, Matt or Terry would get caught climbing one of the off limits ladders and get sent to the car - right Jules? All-in-all, it made for a long day. We got back to our KOA campground and had just enough energy to wipe the soot off our faces before crashing into our beds. The next day we would be shoving off from Durango and heading to the Great Sand Dunes NP.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP

Black Canyon NP - 7/6

We only got to spend one night at the Black Canyon because we spent an extra night in Steamboat Springs. We got one of the last sites in the campground on the south rim of the canyon. Had a few complaints about our campground selection because it didn't have water hookups nor did it have showers or flush toilets - my how we've been spoiled. The other problem was that we had very little water in the fresh water tank on the trailer. We did survive one night of roughing it, but like I said, not without complaint.

The Black Canyon is quite an amazing site to see. The Gunnison River has carved the canyon in spectacular fashion. It is very deep and rather narrow at the same time - which makes for sheer drops nearly straight down to the canyon floor. At one spot the canyon is over 2700 feet deep, maybe 30 feet wide at the bottom and only 1/4 mile wide at the top. For the spatially challenged, that's a hell of a long way down with only a little opening on the top. Standing on the edge gave me vertigo. The pictures we took don't do it justice.

standing on the cliff's edge

see the river at the bottom?

everyone still smiling....

Steamboat Springs, CO

July 2-6

We sure are enjoying our time being able to spread out a little and relax. Not that the trailer isn't comfortable, but it isn't that big. We really did relax with our time here - not rush out to do anything, sleep in, watch tv or whatever, particularly since I got a little intestinal thing. We did some wandering around town and went to the rodeo on the 4th of July - what could be more American.

Since we really didn't do much but lay around, do a little shopping and go to the rodeo and fireworks there isn't a lot to describe. Katie and Matt seemed to enjoy the relaxing time. Katie spent a fair amount of time on the computer and texting her friends since we have pretty good service here while Matt tried to make up for his tv deficit of the last 3 weeks. We were having such a good time laying low that we stayed an extra day. Not a big deal since we actually had the condo for a full week but never planned on staying that long. See some of the pics below.

view off our deck of the ski slope

The Steamboat Springs Professional Rodeo Series - held 20 days throughout the summer.

all decked out in our western wear...

some of the rodeo action...

the animal does win....

Flaming Gorge NRA and Dinosaur NM

July 1-2

We left the Grand Tetons on Sunday, July 1 and traveled to Manila, Utah to spend the night in the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area. Other than the interesting name, the Flaming Gorge is a huge reservoir and surrounding area of high desert with buttes and red rock formations. We didn't get to spend any real time exploring the area or enjoying the reservoir, but seeing the change in scenery was refreshing as we drove to and from the area. In particular, as we left the area on the 2nd and made our way to Steamboat Springs, CO, we traveled up from the valley floor to have expansive views of the gorge area and saw some very interesting geologic history. Along the road they had signs posted identifying the various rock formations and at what time in geologic history they were laid down and what type of fossils could be found in them.

On our way to Steamboat we stopped at Dinosaur National Monument in Jensen, UT. It is known as one of the richest deposits of dinosaur fossils in the world. The visitor center is world-renowned because it actually encloses a huge section of rock face that has exposed fossilized bones of literally hundreds of dinosaurs and other critters. They call it the quarry - the highlight of any visit to Dinosaur NM is to see the quarry. We didn't get to see it - it is closed indefinitely because the building is falling down. Falling down? We saw pictures of the quarry and of the falling building but we didn't see any fossils. Oh well, it was 98 degrees and we got to do the driving tour and see some petroglyphs.

We then had to race our way across western CO because we needed to be at the timeshare condo (that's right we are getting out of the trailer for a few days) by 5:00 so we could check in and find a place to park the trailer. We made it with plenty of time to spare - about 8 minutes. Good thing they didn't decide to go home early. Our biggest dilemma in Steamboat was going to be where we could park the trailer for the days we were going to stay there. We worked it out with the resort to park it on the edge of the parking lot thankfully. More on Steamboat in the next entry.

Grand Tetons NP

Grand Tetons - 6/28 -7/1

Since it was such a short drive from Yellowstone to the Tetons (~80 mi.) we were there by noon and all checked in and unhooked by 1:00p. The Tetons are are an amazing sight with the mountains rising nearly 6000 ft. straight up from the valley floor. We stayed at Colter Bay campground which is located right on Jackson Lake. Our first day was spent relaxing (and recovering) since we had such an early start with our wildlife viewing at Yellowstone. We wandered around our campground "town" and took a walk along the lake edge with plans to swim at the beach. However, the mosquitoes caused us to cut the walk/hike short and retreat to the trailer. Surprisingly the blood suckers were most attracted to Terry, who is normally not their main meal when Matt and I are close by. I didn't mind the fact that I wasn't the one donating blood, but when Momma's not happy, nobody is happy.

The next day we went to the marina and rented a small motorboat to cruise around the lake a little. The lake is quite large - over 400 feet deep and something like 40+ miles all the way around - and kind of cold at only 61 degrees. Our cruise started rather calm with a park ranger reprimanding the captain of our ship (that would be me) for making a wake in the "no wake zone." Our craft had a measly 10 hp motor that generated barely enough speed to mess what little hair I have left...So I laughed off the ranger and challenged him to prove I was creating a wake - nevermind we only had the ship for 2 hours and we needed to get out of the marina area before our time was up. It was a rather windy day so we stayed close to shore rather than brave the chop on the open water. However, with the prodding from my deckhands, we ventured into the open water. Having faith in their captain we believed we could ride out the storm. Before we knew it, a rogue wave appeared and nearly swamped our vessel. Were it not for my skippering skills we would have a had a rather unpleasant swim in some pretty cold water. To ease the angst of my crew, we moved closer to shore and finished our cruise with no other mishap. It's not quite Gilligan's Island or the Titanic, but we have our own little saga to tell now....

Folowing the excitement of the previous day on the water you would think we would stay on terra firma for awhile. Well to prove that we could get right back on that horse, we went on a float trip down the Snake River. Much less excitement on this boat trip - one of my crew made the suggestion that it could have been the captain. Mutinous words for sure. The excitement of the trip was seeing a couple bald eagles and getting an education on the geologic history of the Teton mountains and the valley. We spent the afternoon doing a 4.5 mi. hike up to the Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point overlooking Jenny Lake and the valley below.

Just had to include this picture of Katie enjoying our little boat trip on the lake. Clearly she is enjoying herself....but chose to ham it up for the photo. She was saying something like, "Drown me now" I think.

wildlife viewing in the Tetons

Yellowstone NP

Yellowstone NP - 6/25-28/2007

We departed Custer SP after a fine breakfast at the Game Lodge (President Calvin Coolidge's summer White House...) to continue westward to Wyoming and Yellowstone. Based on some sound (?) advice from some front desk clerks on the best way to head out of Custer and west to Yellowstone, we headed east. Considering our vehicle combination and the roads, we figured it would be best to take the long way - making our trip for this day just over 500 miles....quite a few more than we had planned. Oh well, what's another tank of gas at this point.

For those of you who haven't traveled in this section of the US, I can see why most people fly over this territory rather then drive it. If anyone has seen the horror movie The Hills Have Eyes, you know what we're talking about. The gist of that fine (lol) flick is a family on an RV trip end up getting eaten by mutants exposed to radioactive tests from the 40's and 50's. I don't think we saw any mutants....maybe because we didn't see a soul for hours on end...but the landscape was just like in the movie - desolate and eerie. There was a stretch of road in WY (Rt. 20 across the Bighorn Basin) where the wind was so bad we experienced a major dust storm. Pretty neat to see, but not to drive through. Hit the Yellowstone east entrance around 8:30p and learned they were doing major road construction - the first 7 miles of the 26 we needed to travel to the campground were all chewed up and unpaved. Nothing better to experience after 12 hours and 500 miles of driving... Needless to say, we had to squeeze into our campsite, and I mean squeeze, after dark with the temperature a balmy 45 degrees F - quite a change from the 90+ earlier in the day in Mutant Land, WY.

Our first adjustment at Yellowstone was to the weather, specifically the temperatures. Setting up the trailer that first night when it was 45 outside it was still relatively warm in the trailer when we went to bed, so I figured no need to turn on the heat. Around 4:30a as we were shivering and trying to stay warm under the covers Terry told me it was time to turn on the heat. I looked at the thermometer and the outside temp was 38 and inside it was a cool 46....aaahhh, summer in Yellowstone. Now I know some of you hardcore campers wouldn't think that is too cold, but my lovely bride is not a hardcore camper. Thankfully the heat works and we didn't have to turn around for warmer climates the next day - I didn't think we would need to use both the A/C and heat on this trip.

First full day in Yellowstone we went and saw all the geo-thermal activity around Old Faithful (OF - pic at left). There is a lot more activity (geysers, pools, etc.) in that part of the park then just OF (see pics at bottom). Amazing stuff. Katie and Matt remarked how the earth seemed to need a large dose of antacid - complete with jingles from current commercials. "Nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea...the smells helped add to the atmosphere. After finishing with that area we continued with the lower loop through the park and caught a glimpse of a variety of wildlife. Matthew spotted a coyote which we were able to snap a pretty good photo of. Matt is our budding wildlife biologist - he is quick to correctly identify animals from a distance or by footprint or scat. He has developed a particular passion for wolves. Therefore, we ended the day by looking for wolves in the Hayden Valley - didn't see any then. That put in motion plans to catch a glimpse of a wolf somehow while in Yellowstone.

Day 2 begins at 6:00a because the best time to see some of the more elusive animals in the park is at dawn or dusk. Remember the temps? We set out with the temp. at 41 - so were wearing most everything we packed. No luck with the wolves, but we did get to see a grizzly bear and meet with a ranger very knowledgeable regarding all the wolf packs in the park and he gave us invaluable information for trying again later that day or the next. Bottom line, we needed to start earlier because the "professional" wildlife watchers at this one location saw more than 10 that morning before we got there. Part 2 of this day included a hike and tour through the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone - including the absolutely beautiful upper and lower waterfalls (lower falls at right) of the Yellowstone River. Visited the Mud Volcano area (pretty cool, huh?) and saw buffalo up close and personal right on the trail. Oh yeah, this happened to be our 15th wedding anniversary so Terry and I went out to dinner at the Yellowstone Lodge.

Day 3 is our travel day from Yellowstone to the Grand Tetons, but that didn't mean we weren't going to try to squeeze in another chance to see some wolves. So up at 4:00a (temp. again at 40) and out the door so we could be at the best viewing location (45 minutes away) by first light. Did I ever mention that Katie and I are not really morning people? Katie was a trooper though and actually got into the truck by herself. However, she didn't move out of her seat until probably 7:30a - no matter what was being seen. The early morning rewarded us with a spectacular viewing of black bears (2), grizzlies (5, including 2 males sparring and a momma and her 2 cubs), 6 bull elk (huge racks), a lone bull moose, buffalo, and an elusive wolf. Matt was the only one of our group who actually saw her, but that was why we went out there. We had the great opportunity to hook up with professional wolf watchers and National Park staff that guided and educated us on the wolves of Yellowstone. Many of them had high-powered scopes for long distance viewing/watching. It was through the generosity of some of them that Matt was able to see his wolf - the alpha female of the Agate Pack (#432F). Sounds like a full morning, right? Wrong, we still needed to get back to our campsite, pack-up, dump the tanks, hook-up, and sign out before 10:00a. Completed in under 40 minutes and out of the campground at 9:55a - early for once, which might be a record for the Andersons.... Onward to the Grand Tetons which will have to wait for another post.

Castle Geyser steaming away

Custer SP/Mount Rushmore - 6/22-25

I need to split up our posts because each time I add a picture it screws up the text and formatting that I constantly have to fix. I'm sure there is a way to fix it up, but I'm not that into it...

Custer State Park is in southwestern SD and as we found out it is a spectacular place to stay. At over 71,000 acres it rivals some national parks in size and is known for it's abundant wildlife (buffalo, pronghorn antelope, elk, etc.) and unique geologic formations. We went on the hunt for buffalo the first night and figured the road called the Wildlife Loop would be our best bet. We did get to see plenty of pronghorn antelope, mule deer and a giant bull elk (no pic though), but no buffalo. Not for the lack of trying as we spent what seemed like hours on paved and unpaved roads and in the end didn't get back to our campsite until well after dark. It seems no matter what we plan, we are rarely eating dinner before 10:00pm. It wasn't until the next day we saw buffalo. Some animal pics are below.

Our first full day at Custer we spent on the hunt again for buffalo and then off to Mount Rushmore, Bear Country USA (more on that later), Crazy Horse Monument and some scenic driving - a lot for one day. Mount Rushmore was one of the places Matt specifically requested to see and we had a mission to accomplish there as well. Kylie, one of Katie's friends and soccer teammates, was having a birthday party that Katie couldn't attend since we were over 2000 miles away. We wanted to send her a birthday message though...

When we see you Kylie we will give you this poster actually signed by 2 Mount Rushmore National Park Service rangers (we couldn't get the superintendant). Everyone was impressed with Mount Rushmore. Matt has developed a keen interest in grey wolves and we learned they had some at Bear Country, USA - a kind of free range zoo that you drive through to see all the animals. We saw just about everything but wolves - we saw elk, reindeer, mountain lion, bears (black and grizzley), buffalo, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, fox, albino raccoon, lynx, bobcats, river otter, skunk, porcupine, coyote, and a lone arctic wolf that was hiding in the tall grass. Apparently it was too hot for the grey wolves to be out and the pups were recovering from an early morning vet visit to give them shots. Oh well, we enjoyed seeing all the critters anyway.

Next up we went to see the Crazy Horse Monument - no offense intended, but it wasn't worth the $25 to see a no way near complete mountain carving expecially since it was only $8 to see a complete Mount Rushmore. They've been working on it since 1948 and estimate it will be another 75 years before it is complete. I'm not holding my breath. We turned around at the gate, snapped a couple of pictures out the back window and said, "Maybe we'll come back when it's finished." Yeah, right.

To cap the day we took the Needles Highway back through Custer SP and saw some amazing rock formations and went through some very small tunnels. We left Custer SP on the 25th to head to Yellowstone. The pictures below are from our adventures in and around the Black Hills of SD.

pronghorn antelope

Terry feeding the "wild" burros in Custer SP











Mount Rushmore, of course.



















Elk at Bear Country, USA








Reindeer







black bear








black bear cub

Crazy Horse









Needles Highway Tunnel

campsite at Custer SP