Home

We went up the St. Louis Arch on Tuesday morning (over 600 feet) and got some wonderful views of downtown and the Mississippi River.  We then started home and made an overnight stop in Indiana.  After a long day of travel, we arrived home on Wedsnesday evening.  We travelled 7,700 miles (and Rich did ALL the driving) using over 700 gallons of gas, saw seven National Parks, three Memorials and one Monument, went through 19 states in 37 days.  We thank God for an absolutely beautiful and safe trip.

Rich and Dottie

St Louis

We have made progress east since we last posted. Friday we were in Amarillo, Texas for the night.  Saturday we moved on to Oklahoma City and visited the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum.  A very moving tribute to those who lost their lives that day.  There was a race track and casino very close to where we were staying so we stopped to see the horses race for awhile that evening.  Sunday we travelled most of the day and stayed in a very small campground in the middle of Missouri.  Today we drove to St. Louis and toured the Budweiser brewery ( where it all started).  Visited downtown and went thru the museum below the Arch.  However we have to return there first thing in the morning to ride the tram because the tickets for today were all sold out.

Albuquerque, NM

We spent all day Wednesday at the Grand Canyon.  It was just as beautiful as we remembered when we visited here several years ago.  We stayed until sunset then returned to Williams.  On Thursday we set out on our journey toward home.  We stopped and visited Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona and it was interesting to learn about the petrified trees.  We continued on and are spending the night just outside of Albuquerque.  Tomorrow we will continue to head eastward.

Grand Canyon

We are staying at the Grand Canyon Railway RV Resort.  Today we rode the train from Williams, AZ to the Grand Canyon.  It was a good day, beautiful weather.  Enjoyed the train ride, the wild west show, the music, the train robbery and of course the views of the Grand Canyon.  Amazing!!!  Going back again tomorrow, this time driving, to enjoy more of the beauty.

Las Vegas

We've been staying at the Las Vegas RV Resort which is a very nice place but there is no shade.  It's hot here in the upper 90's.  We have gone to visit a lot of the hotel/casinos along the strip.  They are huge pieces of property.  Very impressive.  And there are a lot of people here which makes it interesting to people watch.  Also visited Hoover Dam today.  Tomorrow we will leave for the Grand Canyon - back to the beauty of God's creation. 

Zion and Bryce Canyon

We are now in Las Vegas with better internet connection.  Spent the past 4 days divided between Zion & Bryce Parks.  Already gave you a brief description of Monday and Tuesday in prevous posts.  Wednesday we spent at Zion hiking more "strenuous" trails.  Did the hike to the Emerald Pools which was very nice.  Also hiked some on the bottom portion of the West Rim Trail heading towards Angels Landing but it got really steep so we turned around but not until we saw many wondrous views of the canyon.  Good thing we did stop because a heavy storm came along.  But we had a great day taking in the sights of Zion.  Thursday we returned to Bryce to finish seeing the rest of the park.  We went to Inspiration and Bryce Points to overlook the canyon where we had ridden the mules.  We were able to pick out some of the trails we had ridden.  Good thing we did the mule ride because I don't think we would have been able to hike to far down into the canyon.  They say "remember, when you go down, you must come up to return".  We drove along the park road stopping at all the overlooks which presented such wonderful views - you could see for miles!!!  It was only in the 50's there all day.  Now we are in Vegas where it is close to 90.

Bryce Canyon pictures

Zion photos - finally

Bryce Canyon National Park

Today was an amazing day.  Drove to Bryce Canyon from Zion.  The first part of the drive on Rt. 9 thru the mile-long tunnel and into the slickrock mountains was interesting.  Bryce is another magnificent park.  And today we took a 3 hour mule ride into the canyon.  Dottie rode Bonnie and Rich rode The Judge.  It was awesome!!!  The views were beautiful.  The mules did a great job down and up especially on the edge of those steep trails.  Wait till you see the pictures!!

Zion National Park

Staying at Zion Canyon Campground right outside the park.  Monday we took a couple of  walks on the easier trails.  Just beautiful!  Perhaps another day we will try a more strenuous hike.  The canyon, cliffs and river are lovely.  Saw mule deer, turkeys, a fox and a couple of tarantulas.  Will be here till Friday morning.

Grand Tetons

Our 3 days in the Grand Tetons was wonderful.  The mountains are majestic as they rise straight up from the lakes and flat lands.  The view of the mountain from the Jackson Lake Lodge is gorgeous and we saw elk there as well.  Wednesday morning we did a scenic float ride on the Snake River.  The views were lovely and we saw 3 eagles and a moose as we floated.  Thursday we hiked on the Cascade Canyon trail to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point.  Visited Teton Village and Jackson.  Saw 2 more moose as we were riding.  Coulter Bay RV campground was nice.  Left Friday morning for Utah.

moose

Got to Provo, Utah Friday afternoon.  Stayed here today to relax before heading to Zion and Bryce Canyon.

Yellowstone Pictures

Yellowstone

Yellowstone is too beautiful for words.  We enjoyed every moment of our time there.  The Yellowstone lake, river, the mountains and valleys, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone with its waterfalls, the geysers and hot springs and the wildlife are all awesome!  We saw lots of buffalo, elk, 5 wolves, 3 coyotes and 1 bear (the bear was only seen from afar thru binoculars).  The weather was lovely.  But it did get cold at night (27 degrees one night) which had our heater working hard.  We saw Old Faithful go off several times - bringing back memories for Rich who was here on a family vacation when he was 12).  Pictures to follow.
Today upon arrival at the Grand Tetons we went to the visitor center to get some info on the park.  We were attending a ranger program about the park when a man came in to join the group.  When he sat down he accidentally released bear spray into the room.  We were told to leave quickly but still felt the affects - burning eyes, throat and nose.  Took some time to wear off. They closed the building for the rest of the day to clean it.  Can't wait to see more tomorrow!

Cody, WY

Left Buffalo around 8:30 after having a valve stem replaced on one of the trailer tires.  Praise God for providing a gas station with a garage!  Beautiful ride on the Cloud Peak Skyway.  We made it over the 9,677 ft. pass (Thank you Jim and Wendell)! The road continued thru Ten Sleep Canyon which had awesome views.  The ride to Cody continued thru the vast landscape of Wyoming.  Got to Cody around 12:45 and we stopped for the day at Absaroka Bay RV Resort.  Visited Buffalo Bill Dam and visitor center and then walked around town.  Stopped to see the Irma Hotel which was started by Buffalo Bill Cody.  Enjoyed the gun fight show out on the street outside the hotel.  Weather was beautiful today!  Yellowstone tomorrow!!

Buffalo, WY

Sunday we spent the day roaming the Black Hills.  Visited the towns of Keystone, Hill City and Deadwood with one last look at Mount Rushmore.
Today we were on the road once again travelling to Wyoming. Rain showers this morning.  We visited Devils Tower National Monument - a huge rock formation resembling a colossal stone tree stump.  Hiked the tower trail.  Saw deer and prairie dogs.  Continuing on thru the great plains with awesome views.  Arrived at Deer Park Campground in Buffalo Wyoming around 3:15 pm.  Time for a swim before heading into town.  One of the things there is the Occidental Hotel, a historic place from 1879 where some of the guests include Buffalo Bill Cody, Butch Cassidy and Teddy Roosevelt.  Enjoyed an ice cream social ($1 for 2 big scoops) back at the campground where we were able to share stories with fellow travellers.

Black Hills

Beautiful blue sky was a great back drop for Mount Rushmore, our first stop.  Enjoyed learning all about the monument and the amazing views!  Then we were off on the scenic roadways complete with twists, turns, narrow tunnels and awesome views.  Visited Custer State Park.  Drove the Wildlife Loop and saw pronghorns, prairie dogs, burros and buffalos wandering along the roadway.  The Needles Highway thru granite formations was very interesting.  So was the rain storm that came along, complete with hail.  We returned to Mount Rushmore after dinner for the evening lighting.

Rapid City, SD

We're here! 
Yesterday we spent the day travelling thru Iowa and Minnesota.  Corn fields everywhere and more wind turbines.  Iowa is the place where John Deere is headquartered (saw many pieces of equipment being transported on the highway) and where Meredith Wilson is from and which inspired the "Music Man" (one of Dottie's favorite musicals)  Stayed overnight at a very nice campground, Big Sioux Recreation Area near Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Today was all South Dakota!  The plains go on forever!  The sky surrounds you.  Visited Badlands National Park.  Amazing!  Enjoyed the many overlooks.  Hot, in the 90's.  Stopped at Wall Drug Store (just had to after all those billboards!), got our free glass of ice water.  Arrived at Happy Holiday RV Park in Rapid City around 6 pm (mountain time). 
So far it has been well worth the 1,777 mile drive!

Davenport, Iowa

We left home early Tuesday morning and made it to Buck Creek State Park near Dayton, OH. We had a great day of travel, going 478 miles. We had a nice camp site looking out over the lake and enjoyed our dinner, a walk and sitting out on our lawn chairs until dark.  Sorry, we missed the earthquake and I guess we'll miss the hurricane.
Today we were up early once again.  Travelled thru the rest of Ohio, thru Indiana and Illinois and are now in Davenport Iowa at Interstate RV Park.  Another great day of travel, although hotter today (mid 90's), and once again travelled 478 miles.  Passed thru an amazing amount of corn fields today!!  Was able to go for a swim once we got settled on our site.  Dinner, a walk around the campground and an opportunity to get online. 

The Start

This is the blog for Rich and Dottie's trip west.  We hope to update the blog on a regular basis to keep our family and friends informed of our adventures.