Travel Days

Where have we been?  We left Custer State Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota on Friday morning.  We were treated to one last look at the Bison herd on our way out of the park.

We absolutely loved staying at the Game Lodge campground!  While there we rode the trail over to the Grace Coolidge Campground, along the creek.

We made our way over the swollen Missouri River at Pierre, South Dakota.  On our trek east on Hwy 12, we drove over a section of the road that was built up with a dirt dike to get across due to the flooding!  We arrived in Aberdeen, South Dakota at our namesake campground, Wylie Park.  Wylie Park is great for kids with lots to do- a small zoo, storybook land, playgrounds galore, bike paths, mini golf, a lake, go-karts.  We only stayed overnight and continued north to the Red River State Recreation Area in East Grand Forks, Minnesota.  This is a "usual” stopover for us, but I had to call ahead to make sure they weren’t flooded!  The campground was still OK even though the Red River was rising.  Tonight we’re on the border!  One night in Baudette, Minnesota and tomorrow we cross the border into Canada and will be on our way to Lake of the Woods!

See you soon U.S.A.!

Custer State Park- Bison, Burros and Rainbow Trout

We settled into our campsite at the Game Lodge Campground at Custer State Park.  We have a wonderful site with a huge yard and wildlife for neighbors!  This big bison above and his 4 bachelor buddies decided this was a good place to call home for a few days and they’ve been hanging out about 100 yards from our fifth wheel!

We took a drive around the Wildlife Loop Road and came upon the burros.  They are the only wild animal in the park that you are allowed to feed, and they know it!  They orchestrate burro road blocks, sticking their noses into your windows to see what treats lurk in your vehicle. 

Of course this time of year there are adorable babies.  The burros were not native but were released into the park many years ago after they were no longer used to transport visitors to the top of  Harney Peak.

Along the route there were also pronghorn grazing on the lush green grass and white-tailed deer playing in the meadows.  The herds of bison must be grazing elsewhere, so we will look for them.  We stopped at the Coolidge General Store to obtain a fishing license and were able to get some fishing tips.  So today was fishing day!  We hiked into the Grace Coolidge area, along the creek.

We stopped at various pools along the way, took a break for lunch and were ready to fish our way back, when the Rainbow Trout got hungry!

Caleb caught some good sized trout and kept Chris busy putting them on the stringer.  Fresh trout for dinner!

Another beautiful day in South Dakota,  we have so much to be thankful for!

Black Hills, South Dakota

We’re now in the Black Hills of South Dakota, one of our favorite places to visit.  We stayed a couple nights at Broken Arrow RV and Horsecamp and will be moving into Custer State Park today.  This is a picture of the Cathedral Spires area on the Needles Highway.

For Father’s Day, we made our way over to Jewel Cave National Monument.  Jewel Cave is believed to be the 2nd longest cave in the world.  We have taken the Discovery tour before, so yesterday we signed up for the Lantern tour.  If you look closely, you’ll be able to see the faces of two cave explorers!

The way was lit by oil burning or LED lanterns.  We climbed up and over rocks, stooped down to get under passageways, and felt our way through the darkness in this Limestone cave covered with Calcite crystals.  Caleb thought the exploring was very fun!

Stay tuned for North American Buffalo!

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument- Colorado

A visit to the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument near Mueller State Park revealed a forest that is quite different than what we see today.  Amongst the living Ponderosa Pines are massive Redwood  stumps fossilized by volcanic mud.  This trio of Redwood stumps are related, because Redwoods will grow from a parent tree.

We hiked the Petrified Forest trail to view more Redwood stumps and along the way this Blue Flag Wild Iris was blooming.

Officially named “The Big Stump”, it is believed this tree stood at 250 feet tall.  Scientists studying the fossilized rings believe this ancient stand of Redwoods lived in a more nourishing environment than the current stands in California. 

There were about 5 stumps to view along the trail, this one with a flowering Western Wallflower at it’s base,  and another 5 protected near the visitor center.  The area was ravaged by treasure hunters in the late 1800’s and most of the petrified wood was removed.  The National Monument now protects what is left and is making efforts to preserve what remains by building shelters over some of the larger specimens and even reburying others for protection. 

The Hornbek homestead provides a glimpse of early Pioneer life.  Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument marks Caleb’s 5th Junior Ranger Program this summer!  We will soon be making our way towards one of our favorite places, the Black Hills of South Dakota, with a much anticipated Cabela’s stop en route.

Front Range- Colorado

We traveled up and over Monarch Pass to get from the Western Slope to the Front Range of Colorado.  While at the summit, which is a continental divide at 11,312 feet elevation, Caleb played in knee high snowdrifts!

Making good use of our Colorado State Park pass purchased last summer, we arrived at Mueller State Park near Colorado Springs.  We climbed in elevation from Ridgway and are at 9,400 feet with temperatures reaching the low 70’s  in the afternoon.  The weather is perfect for hiking and biking in the woods.

Although a popular park, there is plenty of space to spread out and wildlife to be seen.  There was a black bear spotted at the entrance station a few days ago.  Chris saw a Golden Eagle soaring on thermals overhead while on a more challenging bike ride and a group of 5 bucks hanging out while on his morning walk with the dogs.   The campground  is well designed for big rigs and reservations are necessary.  Of course, I tend to spot wildflowers and the Wild Irises are in bloom in the meadows.

We plan to explore the nearby Florrisant Fossil Beds National Monument while in the area.  There should also be plenty of time for enjoying this beautiful campsite!

Parting Shots of the Western Slope- Ridgway, CO

We are leaving the Western Slope of Colorado for now and are moving towards the Front Range.  Here are some parting shots…

Rails to Trails- Ridgway, CO

We started our day on the extensive trail system at Ridgway State Park on the Cookie Tree trail which joined up with the Marmot Run trail.  Caleb and I chose to walk our bikes down most of the Cookie Tree trail, looking for the elusive tree that bears cookies!  Or maybe because we were next to a steep drop-off and didn’t want to bite the dust!  But once we joined the Marmot Run trail we were on a leisurely, paved sidewalk that ran alongside Dallas Creek and the Uncompahgre River.  This was a “Rails to Trails” route.  The trail goes all the way to the town of Ridgway, but we turned back before we got that far.  We’re still acclimating to the elevation.  On the return trip, Caleb and I paused to play at the Dallas Creek playground while Chris rode UP the Cookie Tree to the truck.  Then the nice taxi service picked us up! 

Later in the day we took a drive up to Ouray.  The scenery is amazing!  But the town seems like a mix between Jerome and Sedona, near our hometown.  Since we’re more into nature than shopping, we didn’t stay long.  After fueling up in Ridgway, we meandered over to the Railroad Museum.  The Galloping Goose is on loan from the Telluride Volunteer Fire Department for restoration to it’s original condition.

Then it was back to the State Park where Caleb braved the chilled waters of the reservoir and convinced Chris to also!  I took the position of photographer on the sandy shore.   More hikes, bike rides, s’mores and campfires… life is good!

Ridgway State Park- Ridgway, Colorado

This morning we departed from the James M. Robb State Park in Fruita, Colorado to head for a higher elevation.  We traveled to Ridgway State Park, which is south of Montrose and north of Ouray.  We are now settled in for the weekend at 7000 feet elevation and the temperature is in the mid 70’s.  Camped in the Elk Ridge section, we are shaded by Pinyon pines  and Junipers while being treated to majestic views of snow-capped mountains.

Ridgway State Park has over 14 miles of marked, well maintained trails.  We will be hiking and biking this weekend!  The reservoir will host a fishing tournament tomorrow, so we will likely stay off the water.  But Caleb quickly located the swim beach and tested the mountain snow melt.  He said, “It takes some getting used to.”  Nonetheless, he swam and loved it!

Colorado National Monument- Fruita to Grand Junction

Colorado National Monument is an area not to be missed!  One can access the monument either in Fruita or in Grand Junction and travel the scenic 23 mile drive.  There is plenty to do and we only scratched the surface.  There are plenty of overlooks, hikes, and an informative visitor center.  The monument has a campground, but it is much more suited to tents or small campers. 

We hiked to the Book Cliffs overlook to enjoy the vast view.   The Colorado Plateau’s erosion takes shape so differently depending on the area.  All of the park’s we’ve seen this year, including the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Zion, Capitol Reef and the Colorado National Monument are all part of the Colorado Plateau.  The Kayenta Sandstone on the top of these formations is harder than the layers beneath.  Spires are formed when a portion of the Kayenta layer is thinner or is eroded more and then the softer layers beneath erode away.

There are three tunnels in the monument to travel through.  They were originally blasted in the 1930’s by the CCC work crews.

The monument stretches from valley to valley but peaks at 6640 feet elevation.  The valley floors had few flowers still in bloom but the higher elevations were blanketed with Rocky Mountain Penstemon, Indian Paintbrush, Perky Sue and more!  Without shoulders on the road, however, we had to view from afar.

Caleb completed his 4th Junior Ranger program thus far!  Tomorrow is a travel day to another Colorado State Park for the weekend, where more exploring awaits.

Colorful Colorado- James Robb State Park–Fruita

Before leaving the Capitol Reef area, we took a scenic drive up over Boulder Mountain.  Climbing to the summit at 9,000 feet we saw grand views of the valley below and snow at the top!

Many of the Aspens still do not have their leaves and there are many fallen trees and branches, apparently from the heavy snow fall.  After descending down into the town of Boulder and further into Escalante, we were greeted with completely different scenery.

We traveled over the Hogback, a section in which Utah Scenic Byway 12 travels along a ridge that drops off on both sides.  We saw many RV’s traveling this route, but we were glad on this very windy day to just be in our truck!

With winds predicted to fade away, we departed Utah on Tuesday morning, traveling north and east into Colorado.  Eventually we will end up  in Northwestern Ontario on Lake of the Woods before making our way back to Arizona.  For now, we are at the James Robb State Park’s Fruita section campground.

The Colorado River next to the park is near flood stage with the recent snowmelt.

Colorado State Parks are wonderful for stays during the week, but the weekends are usually full months in advance.  We will do a bit of kayaking on the park’s ponds, make a visit to the local Cabela’s, wash many loads of laundry and restock the fridge while we’re here. 

Capitol Reef National Park- Torrey, UT

We made our way north to visit Capitol Reef National Park near Torrey, Utah.  This park protects over 100 miles of the Waterpocket Fold, which exposes several layers of the  earth. 

It was named for the top formation, which the pioneers thought looked like the Capitol building.  The waterpocket refers also to the top layer of sandstone because as it erodes it holds precious water for plants and animals along this ridge.

Capitol Reef has far fewer visitors than the other national parks in the area.  There is a paved scenic view spur with maintained dirt roads that lead further into the canyon.  There are also some strictly 4 wheel drive roads, which we didn’t attempt. 

The desert was blooming with hearty flowers that have adapted to the varied elevations.

Yet amidst the desert is a lush riparian area that people have used for centuries.  Today Fruita still has productive orchards filled with apricots, peaches and apples.  We are too early in the season for harvest, but when the fruit ripens, guests are welcome to enjoy the bounty.

We chose to camp high above the valley floor in a forest service campground called Singletree  at 8600’ elevation for cooler temps. 

The forest service campground is a gem and we hiked down to Singletree Falls.  Caleb got his feet wet and was prepared to get doused, but the mountain stream was cold!

Even the dogs got to ride along earlier today for our scenic drive.  Caleb completed yet another Junior Ranger program.  Our campsite is cool and comfortable in the pines.  God has given us many reasons to be joyful!