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
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Durango, CO and the Griswald Tour of Mesa Verde NP
Durango area, CO - 7/7-9Our 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 ran
ger 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.
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....
Friday, July 6, 2007
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, slee
p 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.
some of the rodeo action...
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, slee
p 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....
Thursday, July 5, 2007
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.
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 becaus
e 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. 
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 becaus
e 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.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
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 che
cked 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.
cked 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 lak
e 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 o
n 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....
e 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 o
n 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 e
xcitement 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 co
uple 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.
xcitement 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 co
uple 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
Sunday, July 1, 2007
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.
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
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