Home Again, Home Again- Cottonwood, AZ

Yesterday we traveled from Colorado City, Colorado to Acoma, New Mexico. It was a smooth travel day. We stayed at the Sky City Casino RV Park, which I believe is in Acoma. Although on Mapquest I had better luck plugging in Acomita or Sky City. It is on the Acoma Pueblo Indian Reservation west of Albuquerque and east of Grants. When we settled into the park, there were only 3 other RV's there. One more came in after us and that was it! It is a pretty new park and they allow you to just "pick your spot". That was nice because the pavement they used for the slots was not heavy duty, and some spots were more level than others. So we pulled into one, checked for level, didn't like it and pulled into another. :-) We stayed hooked up to the truck for our last travel day. The scenery from the park is beautiful. In the park they xeriscaped with Russian Sage and some other pretty desert plants. You are able to use the casino hotel's facilities...so Caleb and I cooled off in the pool. We checked the pool's hours so that he and his dad could go back later! We decided we were tired of the food in our trailer and would eat at the casino's restaurant. We all enjoyed the buffet- the food was decent and we didn't have any dishes to wash! Oh...one more thing...the cashier gave Chris a Senior Discount...LOL! For those of you that know that Chris is not quite to that age group yet, he let his hair grow out a bit and it grows gray!

This morning we were the last over-nighters out of the park for our final travel day home. God blessed us with another smooth day and we arrived home at about 1 PM Arizona time! When we pulled into the driveway, the truck was reading a hot 98 degrees outside. So inside we went to get the AC cranked up!

We sure did enjoy our time on the road, but it was also nice to arrive at our stucco-n-sticks! And if you're wondering what will happen to the blog now... here goes. I'd like to give some of you a taste of Arizona Boondocking. We usually take the trailer out about once a month or so... so that will probably be the frequency of my posting! I'll let you know where to go and of course, share some pictures and events along the way.

To all who have been reading, thank you! May God bless each of your journeys- both on the road and in your lives!

Colorado Thunder

Sunset in Wyoming

Today we traveled from Glendo, Wyoming to Colorado City, Colorado. Make no mistake...this Colorado City is the one in Colorado, not AZ. We are at the Pueblo South KOA. We pulled in minutes before the thunderstorms came crashing through. We're planning on 2 more travel days to be back in Arizona. We will probably stop near Albuquerque or Grants, New Mexico depending on the afternoon thunderstorms.

A Bit More Cody and Travel- Glendo, WY

Yesterday we went back to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. This '57 Chevy Belair is being auctioned off...and Caleb decided we could win it and store it for when he gets his driver's license! He's only 8.
Chris and Caleb visited with Hollywood the Bull. You can get your picture taken on him at the Cody Nite Rodeo. Caleb refused that! But he did pet him at the Historical Center. They had some special activities for the annual "Day of the American Cowboy".
Today was a travel day...down WY 120 to WY 20 to I-25. We were able to see these rafters going down the Wind River. We always seem to be heading home during the Cheyenne Frontier Days. Cheyenne is not an ideal spot for RV parks and during this time of year they are full and the price is jacked up. So I did some research on rvparkreviews and decided we would stop in Glendo, Wyoming.
We stopped at the Glendo Lakeside RV Park, which is fairly new. The spots are very wide, long and level to allow us to stay hooked up. We were also able to get a great satellite signal! The only downfall is the 1/4 mile washboard dirt road before the entrance.
Here's a view of the washrooms and picnic pavilion. Unfortunately they don't have the code-lock worked out yet, so you can't really get to the washroom unless the office unlocks the door. As the trees grow a bit, this will continue to be a better park. Full hook-ups are $29. Travelling through Wyoming is a plan ahead RV drive. There aren't too many towns and therefore there aren't too many campgrounds.

Tomorrow we will continue South on I-25...through Cheyenne, Denver, and Colorado Springs. We will probably stop near Pueblo or Walsenburg...until then, safe travels!

Western Flair- Cody, Wyoming

Here's a campground review of the Buffalo Bill State Park- North Fork Campground. There is a daily fee, which I didn't catch on the drive-by, but the nightly camping fee is $12 with no hook-ups.
Here are some of the views from the campground of the Shoshone River.
The drive pictured is typical of all the pull through sites...they are all paved and nicely separated from your neighbor. We aren't staying here...but it is definitely on our list for a future stay! It is west of the town of Cody by about 15 miles or so and definitely in a beautiful location!
In case you forgot where Cody, Wyoming is ...here's the local MapQuest flair! This is actually a map completed in small tiles at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. We spent a few hours there today. There are actually 5 different museums inside and we only got through 2 today. But the Historical Center knows that there is lots of good stuff inside, and your ticket is good for 2 days.
This is Chris, Caleb and I in front of the building.
Following a picnic lunch on the grassy grounds of the historical center, we challenged each other to a fierce game of mini golf. Chris offered to keep the score card for the scrapbook...because he won.
Every night there is a gunfight in the street in front of the historic Irma Hotel. After 20 minutes of trying to sell us posters, and a weak attempt at a show, we went back to the truck shortly after it actually started. Don't waste your time stopping. If you want to see an entertaining gunfight, go to the Grand Canyon Railway in Williams, Arizona. That is a good show!

Another nightly event for Cody is the rodeo. With a bit of hesitation, we went. You see, it is not a professional rodeo every night and sometimes amateur rodeo can be a bit disappointing. But they know how to rodeo in Wyoming! The rough stock was bucking and the cowboys were flying! They also have junior events...and we saw the cutest little cowgirl, only all of 3 years old or so, make a spectacular barrel run! I think she got the loudest cheer for the night! Definitely add the rodeo to your Cody itinerary!
We took a drive west of town, towards Yellowstone National Park, and came upon this house in the Wapiti Valley. The Wapiti Valley has some beautiful ranch homes. The area is also frequented by Grizzly Bears.

Tomorrow's plan is to return to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center to check out the museums we didn't see today. And the rest...well...check back tomorrow to see what the day will hold!

Cruised into Cody, WY

OK...I had a few pictures from the other day. This is the sign by the Red River State Park in East Grand Forks, Minnesota.
We traveled from Dickinson, ND to Billings, MT. All interstate highways are not created the same. I-94 has very little traffic, which is nice. One thing about travelling with a 13 year-old, black lab is that she doesn't always time her stops with ours. So this picture of the flag above was taken at a Historic Site off the interstate which has some of the only evidence of the Lewis and Clark expedition; some carving in the sandstone on the Yellowstone River. We didn't check out the site, but stopped for a nice dog walk spot. :-) As we approached Billings, we noticed a smokey haze. Since we haven't watched the news, we contemplated where it might be from. Apparently there was a lightning strike fire in Billings the night before which was being problematic. But the smoke wasn't too thick where we stayed, at the Billings KOA. And wouldn't you know it... no pics. What was I thinking? This is a VERY nice KOA too! I would highly recommend it...check out their website...their pics don't hide anything. It's only downfall was a very weak to non-existent wi-fi signal.

Now....today we had a short drive...Yeah! 2 hours! And we arrived here...at the Cody KOA. Hopefully you can tell from this picture that I did take that this is NOT our kind of place. Dead attempt for a tree, narrow site on top of your neighbors...but we shouldn't be spending too much time at the campsite. I looked into the Buffalo Bill State Park, which IS our kind of spot, but there is no electricity. With the temps in the mid-80's this week, we need AC for the dogs. We will be here 3 nights. Our plans include touring the Buffalo Bill Museum, seeing the nitely rodeo, and who knows what else. :-)
Now Chris was embarrassed that I would actually put these pictures on the blog...but some of you will surely understand. This pic is our vacuum assortment in the 5er. 3 vacuums for a 35 ' 5er is a bit excessive. We started with the green Bissel...should have known that just wouldn't clean up enough. Then we added the little shop vac...well that only worked if I vacuumed on my knees, but we're going to keep it in here in case of a 'wet clean-up'. So the new vac is a GE vertical from Wally World. So far so good! Wow- there was a lot of dog hair on the floor.

So I should be able to get some more interesting pictures than my new vacuum cleaner in the next few days ;-) Until then...safe travels...and a special thanks to our friends at home feeding our horses! :-)

3 Travel Days (Dickinson, ND)

Travel Day 1- We left Canada on Monday morning to start our journey home. We crossed at the Pembina, ND border. The border agent asked for our ID's and then asked if we had birth certificates. We had 2 birth certificates and one expired passport and he was fine with that :-) Then we told him the nature of our visit and he asked if we had any gifts. He was very friendly and asked us to pull to the left for the agriculture agent to chat with us. OK...we were greeted (or not!) by Crabby Appleton the Ag Agent! After Chris got out to talk to Crabby, she came back to the truck and asked, "What kind of food do you have?" So I listed a few things from the fridge, freezer...she didn't specify WHAT she wanted to know. I told her I had an apple and a potato, and that ALL my groceries were from the States. "Good!" she replied. She asked if the sticker was still on the apple. Who knows! And she asked if I had any sausage. Then she wanted to know the dreaded dog food question...and yes we left ours in the original U.S. bag so that we would be OK.

For any of you who haven't yet crossed the border between U.S. and Canada with dog food...beware! Every year it bounces back and forth...the dog food war at the border... either the Canadians on their end or the Americans on our end will confiscate your dog food if it is not from "their" country. This year the US is being the dog food Nazis.

Back to Crabby...she and Chris entered the trailer to check the food supply...opened the fridge...and oh no! I did not declare my U.S. grapes or my U.S. lemon. She chastised Chris for not having a list of every food in our posession and threated to fine us $300! It didn't matter that she didn't specifically ask what fruit I had...it was that 'I didn't declare!' But she went on and on about the little bit of leeway that she has and this time would not fine us! Whatever! It's harder to get back into the country we're citizens of than go to Canada! And we're talking about grapes and lemons, not suspected terrorists! Ridiculous!

We stayed at the Red River State Park in East Grand Forks, MN. It is a new state park that was developed by the C.O.E. after flooding in 1997. It is a nice full hook-up park...sorry no pics. Nice bike trail and at $29 total a night (with parking pass), it's a decent value.

Travel day 2- Dickinson, ND
It was an interstate travel day...thank goodness we were off the Canadian roads! They chucked us back and forth and back and forth! I-29 to Fargo and west on I-94, not a bad drive. We have the air conditioner cranking in our water and 30 amp site at Camp on the Heart, a Passport America park. We wanted to stay hooked to the truck, but there would be none of that....for $14 a night you get the most sloped site available. But hey! Can't complain for what we paid.

Travel day 3- Heading towards Billings, MT

Happy Birthday Chris!

Chris celebrated his birthday today! Happy Birthday! Caleb made sure to give him the appropriate number of "spankings". We enjoyed a sunny day and an enjoyable Prime Rib dinner at the White Birch Lodge in Sioux Narrows.
We went fishing for Northern Pike after lunch. I think the sun spooked the fish and they had no interest!
During the guys' afternoon swim, the 3 younger dogs were contained on the cabin porch. They were not happy and this ginormous hole in the screen is proof of "The Great Dog Escape!" Duke, the fishing Golden Retriver, made a sprint for the lake. There would be no lake swimming without him! So there was some screen repairing for Chris on his birthday... Grandma and Grampa were in town, which is another reason Duke was not a Happy Camper.

This morning we checked out another RV park in town and it will most likely be our "spot" for next year. It is called Laughing Water Trailer Park. Tomorrow is our final day on Lake of the Woods for the summer. We will visit with some friends and enjoy the raspberries that we picked this evening after dinner.

We will head for the border on Monday, stopping in the Grand Forks area of North Dakota for some shopping and service. For all of you that need to know, there IS a Cabela's there (and a Super Target) :-) There is a state park in East Grand Forks, MN that we plan to stay at. I will include pictures and a review...as there aren't any yet on RV Park Reviews. For many of our RV friends in our hometown, a great site to check out is the RV Dreams website and journal. I chat almost nightly with a wonderful group of RV'ers through this website. There is a wealth of Fulltiming information. We would like to fulltime in our 5'er one day and Caleb wants to "trailer school". So with some planning and a bit of time, one day our wanderings may be more full-timings!

Wild Raspberries!

Today I'll tell you a bit about the campground we are at. Ta Da! Here is the entrance...
and here is the hiking trail! As Chris walked the dogs on this woodland trail, he noticed wild raspberries in the bog. One morning he brought home a handful, which Caleb quickly devoured. Caleb exclaimed, "These are the sweetest ever!" So yesterday morning we headed out with containers in hand, in search of the elusive raspberry. Jack pot! We gathered and picked and talked loud enough that the bears would know we were there....and came home with quite a stash. After dyeing our fingers pink removing the wild stem, we had 1 1/2 cups of wild raspberries. Pretty good considering we didn't pick for very long...we forgot to put on bug spray! Mosquitoes were continually planning their attack strategies. Next time, bug spray. At Grandma's we debated what should become of our stash...muffins, pancakes, dessert, or Caleb's choice, let him eat them plain! We decided on Raspberry-Rhubarb Crisp...so Caleb and I went out to Grandma's garden and cut off a big stalk of Rhubarb. Mmmm...the final result was yummy! :-)
Here is our Arizona 5'er in the Canadian Northwoods...it's definitely not static-y inside with the humidity. As you can see, these new sites are nice and wide...and although you can't see, they're also long. They are full hook-up sites, up to 50 amp with both filtered and unfiltered water.
Here's a view of some of the other empty, new sites. I believe the cost keeps these sites empty. I'm hoping they readjust their cost structure for next year. We would like to stay here again, but probably won't at these rates. These sites are $44 a night or $265 a week Canadian funds. And there is a $4 a night dog fee. We leave Shadow (our old black lab) at the cabin, but that is still $8 a night for our two dogs. We can't figure that one out. So it's pretty pricey! Definitely the highest we've paid our entire trip and we're here the longest, go figure. But it was a last minute decision when we couldn't fit in the site given to us at the Provincial Park. The park has nice amenities: a full service marina, swimming beach, free firewood, wi-fi, a 24 hour laundry, and free wild raspberries for the pickin'!

Weather report: part sun and cloud

Here is a sunny shot of Lake of the Woods! This was during a time of part sun :-)
Caleb has taken advantage of the sunny spells to do some fierce dock jumping, under the watchful eye of a shepherd.
This Golden Retriever of my parents took a break from his continual lap swimming to do a little fishing from the dock. He's enthralled with the bass down below and will sit, and sit, and sit. He is a true fisher-dog.
The rain clouds moving in are our sign that the raindrops are quickly approaching. We've had quite a bit of rain, but luckily we've had the sunny patches in between storms!

The guys made another Walleye trip this morning...sure is rough having Walleye for dinner every night! ;-) Chris also caught a small Lake Trout last night, which will make some fine Trout salad.

There is plenty of wildlife to see...deer are as plentiful as people, loons billow their eerie call, and a large black wolf majestically crossed in front of the police department into the deep woods.

Chocolate Cake and Fishing- (Sioux Narrows, Canada)

Here is Caleb and Grampa with his first Bass of the season. He caught this (with a little help) off the dock at Grandma and Grampa's cabin. The sun is shining today (Monday) and the boys went on a Walleye fishing trip. I'm sure this afternoon will bring some lake swimming for Caleb, despite the shivering temp of the water. And he is determined to go tubing and learn to water ski!
We had a break in the rainy weather on Sunday afternoon and the dogs enjoyed the lake! There is a definite order to their water retrieval. Russell is much faster and takes a flying leap into the lake to get to the toy first. And although he's getting better, he often loses interest on the swim back to shore and drops it. That's when Laser is on the prowl, following Russell to retrieve the toy! The dogs are definitely enjoying the unlimited swimming opportunities!
Caleb decorated the chocolate cake below for his 8th birthday! He has also decided that he likes Rhubarb....bars that is. First we had to tell him it was a fruit, and a couple hours later we told him that it actually is a vegetable!
According to the locals, it has been an unusually cold and wet summer here. We're hoping today's sunshine will break the cold spell. A little history about Sioux Narrows visits for our family: I've been coming to Lake of the Woods since I was 3 months old. One year we figured it out and I had only not been here, I think, 2 summers since that time. At first, we stayed at our friend's cabin on an island. Then, when I was 7 or 8, my mom saw a cabin for sale at the flea market and bought it. Hmmm...it had to be moved and we didn't have any land. We moved it onto our friend's island where we had been staying. How do you move a cabin? It was pulled over the ice during the winter. We spent summers in that large, single room cabin (with no indoor facilities, electricity or phone) for many years. Another set of friends decided their days in Canada were about over, and my mom and dad purchased that cabin. It is on a smaller island and has all the facilities! My mom and dad spend their time here from mid-May to mid-September. Lake of the Woods has great Walleye, Bass, Northern Pike and Lake Trout fishing and the clear water is great for all your water sports. Hopefully the guys will catch some Walleye for dinner.

Sioux Narrows, Ontario- Canada

We arrived in Sioux Narrows, Ontario early in the afternoon today, the 11th of July. We stayed at Lilac Resort last night, which is East of Winnipeg. The resort has mostly seasonal sites with a variety of set-ups, but there are a few spots for over-nighters like us. They have an extensive array of entertainment options. Unfortunately I was too tired to snap any pictures. Our route yesterday took us across the USA/Canada border without any difficulty. We took route 10, which is North of the International Peace Garden. We encountered Canadian Construction. Ten kilometers of highway completely torn up...we were driving on a dirt/mud road! We did make it up to the Transcanada 1 at Brandon, Manitoba. There is one thing for sure, we're not going back the same way we came! The frost heaves in the roadway make for a great back and forth chucking action which is not pleasant. Lilac Resort had paddle boats, and three swimming pools complete with water slides, sprays, and lily pads for climbing! Caleb enjoyed it! A full hook up site was $28 canadian.

We left this morning amongst raindrops. We drove through a bit of rain and the rest of the time it was overcast. We had reservations at the Sioux Narrows Provincial Park, where we stayed last summer. Assessing our site, there was no way our rig was going to fit! The area has also had alot of rain, and there were standing puddles. We knew if the tires hit the puddles, there was no getting out. So we s-l-o-w-l-y made our way back to the office. The park could do for a bit of maintenance and the roads were very, very tight with trees. Chris got us out without any damage and the office shrugged their shoulders at the idea of a different site. We came to Tomahawk Resort in Sioux Narrows. We couldn't ask for a better spot! And internet! Caleb called grandma and grampa to come over, but the storms are blowing in and there was no getting off the island. The chop on the lake was way to bad! So we're setting up...and did I mention cleaning up and locating our mouse infestation? Ok so it's probably not an infestation, but the poison will surely take care of them. It's spring cleaning...in the summer. The rain is coming down hard and it is lightning. So I better go! I'll post some pictures soon.

No internet access= beautiful places!

We've had quite a few days without internet service, which is definitely a test of my patience! My cell phone is no longer connecting as it used to, so I'm relying on campground wi-fi. Fort Welikit had very spotty and often, non-existent service. Our final day in Custer was on Sunday, July 6th. We took another drive through Custer State Park and toured Jewel Cave National Monument. Here is a parting shot of Mount Rushmore! We traveled on Monday into Medora, North Dakota. Medora is the home of Theodore Roosevelt National Park's South Unit. The photo below is on the Wind Canyon Trail. From this overlook we could see both a herd of bison and on the butte above, a herd of horses.
Here is one of the horse herds we found! The park has approximately 130 horses which are descendants from old ranch stock which were possibly let go in the area. The horses have developed some distinct traits, although they are not a separate breed. Many are roan colored; grayish bodies with an undercoat color and a colored face. Many also are Ovarro paints; having white patches on their faces. They also have a characteristic white apron on their bellies. They are considered feral horses and their wild instincts are evident.
This bachelor stallion was hanging out at the entrance to our campground.
We attended the famous Medora Musical. It was a great show! Prior to the entertainment, we enjoyed the Pitchfork Fondue dinner adjoining the amphitheatre. They "fondue" steaks and it has all the cowboy fixins. The musical was very well done and gave a history of the area within the production. There was also a special feature, Mark Nize, a professional juggler. He was funny and had some amazing stunts. Caleb loved the show!
We stayed in the National Park at the Cottonwood Campground for $10 a night. It is a primitive camp, but there is water throughout the park with a station to fill up across from the check-in station. Last night we attended the campfire talk and there was a special guest...a bull bison about 100 feet away decided that was his spot to enjoy the show! Ranger Dan kept an eye on him while the rest of us glanced back to make sure he wasn't going anywhere. The animals can and do roam freely through the campground. Chris and Caleb were riding bikes and almost rode up on a bull bison. Good thing the nearby tenter gave them a heads up! At one point during the campfire talk, our bull got up and was swishing his tail...a sure sign of irritation. At that point Ranger Dan said, "If he comes this way, start going that way!" Caleb and I had already planned our escape behind the building :-) Medora is quite an enjoyable little company town. It is very family friendly. The temperature was in the low 80's while we were there.
We got a late start this morning. Our plan was to head to the International Peace Garden near Dunseith, ND. We made it to Minot for a Wal-Mart stop...and after shopping I decided we should park for the night. So we are staying at the Roughrider Campground in Minot, ND for the night.

Independence Day weekend excitement!

On the 4th of July, we took a short drive to Custer State Park. The picture on the left is Caleb and I panning for gold. Caleb's treasure hunting spirit wore down quickly as the process takes patience. And also because we didn't hit the jackpot! The mountain goats below were right by the side of the road having a picnic lunch. They were kind-of shaggy.

We also drove up the Needles Highway in the park. Chris finds it quite entertaining to take the dually through these narrow tunnels...and I get quite nervous. But there was a tour bus a few vehicles ahead of us that fit through just fine. We drove down to the end of our campground road at sunset to take in the Custer fireworks. They were nothing in comparison to what we had seen at Mount Rushmore, but it was an enjoyable show.



On July 5 we went south towards Hot Springs. We stopped at Wind Cave and were lucky to get in for a Natural Entrance tour with only about a 30 minute wait. The photo above is the - you guessed it- natural entrance to the cave. Wind Cave has the largest amount of boxwork of any cave in the world. We chose the tour that climbs down the 300 steps and rides the elevator back up :-) It was awesome! Only approximately 5% of the cave has been explored based on the information scientists have gathered. When we entered the cave was breathing in but by the time we were finished with the exploration, it was exhaling. It strives to be in a state of equilibrium with the outside air. From wind cave we came upon some Buffalo that were clearly moving toward Custer for the day. We went the other way, into Hot Springs for some lunch. After we were fueled up, we continued to the Mammoth Site. Here is an active dig of a sink hole. They have discovered 56 mammoths so far, both Columbian and Wooly mammoths.


Caleb's favorite part of our day in Hot Springs, was our stop at Evans Plunge. Evans Plunge is fed by spring water which completely turns over every 1 1/2 hours. Most of the water park is inside, but there is a portion outside. Caleb preferred the water slides! The water stays at 87 degrees- just about perfect. We've had a great couple days here in the Black Hills. We continue to explore the national forest and national park campgrounds to decide where we could stay on future trips.