Day 15 -

These aren't complete but I am posting them for now.  Hope all is well on the east coast.  We have started in that direction now.

Day 15 Heading out of Yellowstone and into Grand Teton

This morning we must have been tired.  Everyone but mom slept longer than normal.  We've been getting up at 7 or a little before, but today I did not even rouse until 8:30.  Must have needed that sleep.  Hey – at least I am sleeping!  We ate breakfast and headed out to Flagg Ranch.  We did not realize how close it would be to our Yellowstone campground.  So, we weren't in a big hurry.  David was sitting in his usual spot next to Grayson and the large window.  He asked mom to turn around and go back.  We knew it must be something good.  We saw two wolves!  It was awesome!  They were trotting along the meadow.  The one in front would stop & wait on the one in the back. The one in the rear did not look that much older so we weren't sure if they were siblings or mom and cub.  We again felt like outsiders looking in on their world.  We sat and watched the two until they disappeared into the forest.  It was difficult to tell their size because we did not have anything to judge by.  

We pulled into Flagg Ranch and were happy that is was more space between the campers, flat roads for bike riding, a restaurant, store, etc.  The office staff member was very nice.  I can't say the same for the convenience store employee.  Gabe tried to engage in conversation about Virginia and the man was really rude. We have been rather lucky to encounter very few people like this on our trip.  

This time we could have a campfire so we knew what was for dessert tonight.  Roasted Marshmallows!  Grayson & Gabe can't wait.  We noticed that our next door neighbors were from Virginia.  It was a family of 5 and not only were they from Virginia, but from Standardsville!  It was great to meet them and get to know the Yost family.  Gabe thoroughly enjoyed their son, Alec.  They rode bikes & threw the football.  It was a nice ending to a great day.  

Day 16 Full day in Grand Teton

This morning we decided to take the quick way through the outside area & drive back through with the mountains on the window side where the boys and David were sitting.  There wasn't much traffic on the highway we had chosen which was kind of nice because we could take our time & look at all of the cool views and wildlife like our little moose baby & mom we saw ducking down along the river with the pine trees as shade.  Also, the buffalo crossing with Tetons as a backdrop was amazing!  They were crossing through a gated pasture into another gated pasture just plodding along like an old work horse in the garden plowing.  It was quite a sight.  We took a stop at the Snake River overlook to search for Eagles and moose with no avail, but the brief stop let Gabe & Grayson work on their Jr. Ranger papers.   David is an amazing teacher – maybe that would be a career on the side  :-)

The historic area of Menor's Ferry was our next destination in an attempt to fulfill  G&G's Jr. Ranger requirements.  There is a ranger talk about Menor's Ferry.  So, we walked over to the “general store.”  I was not prepared that it would actually be things for sale because it was the original building constructed by Bill Menor himself. It started as a one room cabin & later he added another room as a kitchen to provide more space for the occasional visitor he would have passing through.  He was the only homesteader on the west side of the Snake River closer to the Tetons.  After receiving many guests that were in need of supplies, meals, etc., his entrepreneurial spirit took over.   Creating a general store was a great idea, but he needed a way to transport wagons, horses & pedestrians to his side of the river, so he built a cable ferry.  He charged people 25 cents each way for horse & rider & 50 cents for  wagons, then of course they had to buy their supplies and/or meals.  

½ way point favorites - 

David – Mueller State Park

Mom – Yellowstone

Gabe – Hailey, Idaho Skate Park

Grayson -  Buffalo Bill Bob

Toni – Seeing Liz & reliving Colorado with my family

Day 17 Heading to Arco, Idaho July 1, 2009

The roads were still a bit rough.  

Day 18 We came across many big buses.  We counted at least 30.  We saw strange billboard signs.  I felt like we were in Area 51.  But it was actually a research area of engineering and nuclear power.  It was bizarre how large the facility was and all of the traffic.  Once we got past this area, the traffic dissipated like a mirage in the desert.  

Day 19

Day 20 July 4th 2009

Today was going to be a great day.  I just sure this was going to be an amazing day.  We headed out to Arlee to see the PowWow

Day Heading to Glacier

Day 2 in Glacier at Fish Creek

Mom and I woke up early & headed out on the kayak.  The lake was perfectly smooth like a sheet of glass.  The wind wasn't bad & the mountains were towering over us like we were  a speck on the lake.  The light was soft.  It was such a peacefulness.  Our trip was uneventful.  We played tag with a duck on the water.  She won!

After breakfast, we headed around the bluish green Flathead Lake towards the eastern side of Glacier.  The road led away from the mountains a ways, but it was still such a beautiful place.  We left Flathead Indian Reservation and headed to the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.  These tribes were eneimies.  I had wondered if the reservations were placed so close together because of that.  

When we got to St. Mary's village David and I made a quick trip into the grocery store and then headed only about 1 mile or so past the visitor center to our campground.  Unfortunately, it started raining and the wind blowing just as we arrived.  

Day 3 in Glacier Awoke to high winds on our trek to Logan Pass which entailed 4 bus rides total for the day. A path led us to the visitor center so meet our first bus to Logan Pass.  The rock here is so beautiful on the paths, rivers & mountains. We found out that this was the strip of rock in the glaciers that had been exposed to oxygen.  The red rocks whether dry or wet were such a rich color.  

Mom had gotten up early and gone ahead of us on her hunt for big horn sheep.  We decided to watch a film on how the Going to the Sun Road was built because we were a bit early for the next shuttle.  Taking our minds on a journey through the early 1900s, imagining how these men built these unbelievably steep roads with immediate drop offs and without OSHA to make sure they were being safe.  They have much more of an iron stomach than I! 

As we stepped off the average sized bus, the cool air & wind hit our faces like an icicle hitting the ground.  Instantly we dug for sweatshirts, hats & coats that we had packed in the boys' backpacks.   Looking around 360 degrees gave us another diverse landscape to observe.  On one side, there were “horns” that were carved by the glaciers that had tumbled, broken & softened these mountains.  Another view showed beautiful meadows with “upside down flowers” as Grayson called them.  These lilies were a soft yellow with a deep green stem, the snow as a back drop.  Wish I could paint a picture of this – oh yeah, that is mom's job when we get back.  Another view gave us dry rocky mountains that had mountain goats – no big horn sheep – sorry mom.  There were small glaciers still visible.  The path was partially snow covered which the boys loved – at first anyway.  The ground squirrels and marmots were peeping out of their homes at us.  We climbed as high as the snow and boys allowed before major meld downs occurred with both!  We found a quiet nook with large rocks off the busy areas to stop for our packed lunch.  

We have seen very few fast food restaurants, watering holes, walmarts, etc. along our trail we have blazed.  I know I have talked about hating those stores at home & I truly have not missed them here!  We have gotten everything we have needed and only paid outrageous prices in one Yellowstone area.  It has been nice to stay off the beaten path.  They warn you in Glacier to pack enough food and drink for the whole day.  They were right.  There were only drinking spouts in certain areas and no food anywhere.  Most of the parks have had some things available.  These roads are so narrow and expensive to keep up, the extra travel from supply trucks would not make the trip easily or without making damage.  

As we were eating lunch a ground squirrel was VERY interested in our sandwiches.  He kept coming around.  He even tried to sneak in David's pocket.  They were obviously used to people picnicking there.  Mom actually walked around the corner as we were finishing lunch.  She had already travelled on to Avalanche Creek and was back for one more try of sighting a big horn.  

Little did I know how steep these drop offs were until we started down the other side of Logan Pass on our second and much smaller shuttle.  Diana was our driver and said the wind this morning was nothing compared to last year when she was actually fearful that her shuttle was going to turn over.  Going down this mountain, there were many signs of avalanches, waterfalls, unbelievable vistas, and of  course construction!  At our first short delay, we sat and watched two men who were held up by a crane in a metal bucket as they repaired stone along one of the walls.  You could not pay me enough to do that job!

Once we got to the bottom at Avalanche Creek, there were ancient cedar trees along a cedar lined path.  It was very similar to being in the Redwoods, but a different smell.  There was a river winding through this area & the boys threw some of those beautiful oxidized rocks in the river.   Gabe & Grayson were wound up tight! They were picking on David on the path.  I warned them that it wasn't a good idea.  David told Gabe that if he kept on, he was going to throw him in the river.  Gabe of course did not believe him.  David grabbed one of Gabe's arms & the back of his pants.  He picked him up and spun him around.  I have never seen Gabe's eyes get SO big.  He was smiling with fear.  

We waited for the shuttle go back up the mountain.  It took about an hour to get back up.   This time we had Darryl.  He moved here from the coast of southern California.  He wanted to experience the seasons.  What a place to come to experience the seasons!  He said it is nothing to have 10 feet of snow.  Even though he described the temps as 40 below, he said it wasn't that could because of how dry the air was.  I just can't imagine that no matter how dry the air is that 40 below isn't REALLY cold. The shuttle was packed, so I got the passenger seat which was great because I got to have a long conversation with him, but also did not feel as sick after that ride as I had before in the back of the shuttle.  He told us about how there once was a 40 foot tractor trailer that someone had let through & he got stuck on the road. They had to shut down the entire road & have a highway patrol escort him down.  Nothing over 21 feet is supposed to go up there.  I am glad that did not happen while we were there or we would not have gotten to see this magnificent place!

I bought the boys each a book – Grayson's was an ABC Glacier Park and Gabe's was called Buffalo Jump which described how the black feet would select a ahwa waki which means buffalo runner.  This young man would find the buffalo & lure them into the awaiting tribesmen.  The buffalo runner would disguise himself as a bufflo or a wolf and find the head buffalo cow who are described as curious animals.  After he got their attention & got them to follow him, he would run & jump over the edge of a cliff & the buffalo would follow.  This would allow the others to shoot any with arrows that did not jump.  A successful jump would allow the tribe to have enough meat, skin, horns & other materials to last them through a winter.  

I got a CD that had Blackfeet stories & songs.  I wan't sure whether or not it would be a good purchase.

We returned back to St. Mary's campground and ate another great meal by David.  Steak potatoes & onions on the grill.  Mom, the boys and I went for a bike ride around the campground then, Mom and I got everything ready to take off in the morning.  We put the CD in and I was glad that not only was it something I enjoyed, but the boys, David and mom all listened as a nighttime story.  It was a great family gathering to listen to these stories.  Also, I learned that the Blackfeet did in fact live next to the Flatheads – the Salish tribe.  One of the stories depicted a great woman warrior who snuck into the Salish camp and stole many horses.

July 8th Moving on to Great Falls, Montana

This morning woke us again with high winds & chilly temperatures.  Gabe actually woke me up last night because he needed another blanket.  It was 55 degrees in the RV this a.m.  Gabe & Grayson finished their Jr. Ranger booklets this morning so we could take them to the ranger.  Gabe worked harder solo on this one than all of the others even though it did not require us to go to specific places for information.  The ranger did a nice job with giving Grayson & Gabe congrats on their hard work.  Since Gabe finished the entire book, he not only got his badge but a patch as well.  We are going to have to ask Granny to do a little sewing when we get home!   

We needed another t-shirt/souvenir stop.  As we were checking out, we asked which route would be the best to take.  Seems like on this trip even when we get frustrated as things aren't going as we planned, things have tended to work out for the best.  A sturdy gently was behind me in line.  He asked, “are you going toward Browning.”  We told him yes & he recommended going down the road we came in on then take a left right before Cut Bank creek.  The young lady behind the counter & the gentlemen said to watch for the wild horses, they liked to walk on the road.  Of course, we were eager to get started now to add a new animal to our count.    

The road was much calmer, even though the wind had not gotten anything but swifter.  We in fact did see wild horses & plenty of poop.  The colts were playing by their mom's sides  and nursing.  What a cool sight.  After we passed Browning I again wished we had timed a few things differently.  It was the beginning of North American Indian Days.  There wasn't any activity going on so we drove through and took some shots of their Tipis.  

We traveled down 89 and saw more horses on the side of the road.  Gorgeous.  This highway gave us a true understanding of why this is called Big Sky Country.  The views are incredible and far reaching.  

Delayed

Hello everyone!  It is day....hmmm can't even remember the number.  We are in Missoula Montana.  Today we went to a Pow Wow.  AWESOME!  Not at first, but I will fill you in later.  We are headed to Glacier National Park tomorrow and will be out of the wifi world for several days.  At Glacier we actually turn east in preparation for our trip home after the Dakotas & Nebraska.  Anyway, I have been too busy to write much lately so I don't have anything to post at this time.  I will work on that tonight.  Love to you all.

~the sheets clan & Grandma too!

Day 10 - 14

Day 10

The next morning, the sun was shining and the clouds had dissipated.  The show was still playing over and over in my head.  The colors were something mother nature could have only created herself!

The drive to the Rocky Mountain National Park was just was I was hoping for.  Before we had gotten very far into the park, David said, I saw something in the woods.  We pulled over & there was a moose cow laying quietly in the forest.  Soon we noticed a calf there as well.  This got us all excited, but especially the kids.  It was awesome!  Next, we were offered a valley with beautiful grasslands AND a huge heard of elk.  They were incredible!

We stopped at an educational area that had the oldest cabin in the park.  A family in the late 1800s had created a camp along the Never Summer Mountain for visitors to come & enjoy this scenery.  A park ranger was giving kids a chance to investigate the pond's health along the stream in the park.  They were given a net  & asked to try & scoop out anything alive.  Gabe caught some dragon fly larva and Grayson caught some black fly & mosquito larva.  The ranger said these showed that the pond was healthy.  She gave them bug boxes so they could scoop up some of the water bugs to take a closer look.  I am truly shocked that we escaped that adventure with Grayson not toppling into the pond himself!  Thank goodness for David!

The next thing on Gabe's agenda was the “wooden horse.”  This was an area in the camp where they could sit on a saddled strapped to a log & try their hand at roping a wooden horse.  The boys loved it! We saw “Mama's cabin”, tried on cowboy hats & got caught in the rain on the way back to the RV.  As we drove through the Park, we saw lots of elk & snow capped mountains.  The views were getting higher as the temperature dropped.  It was really chilly & windy at the top.  The boys were doing the Jr. Ranger program here as well.  When we arrived at what seemed the top of the world, we took the boys papers into the Ranger to have them check out their papers.  It was a nice older gentlemen.  He took the  boys to a bench and went over their papers and asked the boys some questions. Then, without us knowing, the gentlemen stood up and took the boys over to a very crowded visitors center & with a booming voice said, “May I have your attention everyone.  Almost the entire place stopped & he announced that he had there the 2 newest Junior Rangers of Rocky Mountain National Park.  Gabe & Grayson Sheets.  I thought at first that Grayson was going to shy away and come stand with david & I, but he stood right beside his brother.  They both were proud.  It was a great feeling.  David chuckled  mom and I got teary eyed.

As we were coming down the mountain, we saw an elk standing in the middle of a snow.  It was like a post card.  Things sometimes are so beautiful here they truly seem unreal!  This trip sometimes seems unreal.  We have seen so many diverse things & sight we never thought we would get a chance to see, it has been great.  My children have grown in their appreciation for this beautiful area.  They have been engaged, asked questions and been GREAT “spotters!”  

Okay, so they haven't been perfect.  Usually around dinner time when we are seeing some cool things. They are hungry & dinner isn't ready, they get silly & drive us nuts, but over all, I can not complain about their behavior at all!

We arrived at the Estes Park Spruce Lake campground was waiting on us with a roaring river – thankfully not right at our site, a swimming pool, flat and great for bike riding, putt putt, a playground and fishing lake.  COOL!  The boys were thrilled.  The pool was heated so the first on the agenda was to head out to the pool.  They met some kids to play with diving toys.  What a great break for them.  David & I were hoping to get them settled in & ready for bed so we could take a dip in the hot tub, but it did not happen....oh well.  The campground was great for all of us.  A nice break.  

Day 11

We are leaving Estes Park.  This is kind of the end of “my journey” because I am going to be out of familiar territory and the beginning of the adventure for me.  Estes Park offers a pedestrian walk beside the river with beautiful vistas.  I was afraid at first that we would not be seeing the familiar site of Elk just wandering through the streets and thorough fairs.  It was just a little wait until we found this beautiful site.  There were elk in the upper areas after we strolled through downtown.  Gabe and Grayson of course only saw the downtown as a way to beg for ice cream which was available on every other store front.  Shame on these people for torturing parents of young children! 

Another memory that I was afraid was just in my little brain cells was that of a GEORGEOUS road that led to Estes Park that had a road, a canyon & a river right beside it that followed it all of the way.  Again, I was not disappointed!!  The road was as beautiful or more so that I remembered!  I have attached pictures on my FaceBook page.  Oh thank goodness that my infatuation with Colorado was again verified instead of denounced!  I love this state all over again!  

When I was out here 16 years ago, I was just coming off of a long stint of working at Chriswell Farms – a spanish arabian horse farm.  The only job I was able to land when I was searching my soul for a place to call home & an income, was the home of the Denver Bronco horse farm.  It only offered $700 a month which was $100 less than what I had been paid at Chriswell in Waynesboro,VA.  Not quite enough to support the $500+ expenses that I would have incurred trying to live out here.  But, driving out of Estes Park & on our way to Thermopolis, WY, we passed Cheyenne, WY.  This was naother place on my quest for employment which turned out void as well.  The drive proved to be just as beautiful as I remembered.  It provided beautiful vistas filled with buffalo (although on a ranch environment), prong horns, and old borken down farms.  

Once we got to Thermopolis, we found a nice little campground, but not a lot going on around it unless you wanted to pay to swim in the 90 degree water park in 100 degree weather – no thanks......did not tell the kids about that possibility!  So, we decided to let the boys ride their bikes & skateboard that night & head out early going to Yellowstone.  

Day 12  

This morning greeted us with another beautiful morning.  As we drove towards Yellowstone, every time we see a buffalo (or horse or cow!)- Grayson continues to say  hi to  “Buffalo Bill”    & “OIL WELL” as well every time we saw one.  

Also, I thought mom was literally talking about the sheep dog that was in the field when she said look at the prairie dogs.  But, there was actually a colony of prairie dogs! There continues to be funny things happening on this trip!  We drove through Cody and thought about stopping at the Buffalo Bill museum & historic center, but the weather had turned rainy & unpleasant so we continued on to Yellowstone.  So glad we did.  After we stopped by the campground check-in and found our spot for the night, we decided to head out and to see if we could find anything.  Oh man!!!  We were barely 10 miles up from Fishing Bridge & the on coming traffic had stopped.  We saw 2 HUGE and I mean BIG HUGE buffalo headed straight for us.  We completely stopped.  I had never felt like we were small in this RV until this very moment.  Even though they came up to our side window – barely – which is higher than my whole entire car – I was completely intimidated!  So was Grayson.  He really wanted to see “Buffalo Bill,” but at the same time, he was scared!  Understandably so!!!  Their horns, neck & whole body was enormous.  See my FB page!!

As we continued on this beautiful road which is lined with pine trees on both sides & the Yellowstone River, we saw a huge pelican floating down the river!  It feels like we are in Mrs. Frizzle's school bus & the wild doesn't even know we are here.  (For those of you whose children did not have the Magic School bus, she is a great hands on teacher with fuzzy hair like mine who takes her kids on great adventures) We drove up through a crooked road that we eventually learned was not recommended for RVs (glad we did not know that because it was well worth the risk!) it started to snow & hail on tis tiny, narrow, mountainous & very crooked road!  We saw elk & buffalo around every turn, well that is a slight exaggeration.  The boys were getting hungry. I think Gabe is 15 already because his appetite has quadrupled since we left home. (must be a growth spurt!)  We were looking for a pull off that would provide a nice scene to look for wolves, grizzly & coyotes.  Well, we did not see any of those, but there was a heard of buffalo slowly flowing over Lamar Valley.  We found a pull off & I started cooking quesadillas while everyone watched tis herd get closer & closer to the RV.  There was also a herd of elk to watch.  We literally had dinner in the middle of a herd of about 300 buffalo including fairly young calves.  They just sauntered around us like we were not there.  I have never had a better view for dinner, even at a great restaurant which I paid a lot more money for the view than tonight! It was exhilarating!  

Wayne was not sure about us staying here for 3 nights.  I don't think he came on the east side of Yellowstone because I think I could live here! 

Grayson fell asleep on the way back as we were still searching for the wolf, grizzly, mountain goats, & big horn sheep.  The weather was a little better on our return.  Every time you see a lot of cars pulled over you are tring to see what they see.  Up the road about a mile or so we could see large groups of people in the pull offs.  We were already searching because we knew we were back in the area where many of the animals we needed to check off had been spotted.  David said, “There's something moving across there quickly after something.”  We spotted it & knew it couldn't be anything but a grizzly.  The elk & buffalo were on full alert & moving.  Unfortunately, mom was driving and did not see it befroe it disappeared behind the hills. Talk about chill bumps!  It is still hard for me to believe that we are in the same area where all of these animals are carrying out the life cycle without much attention paid to all of the binolulars, cameras, and cars.  There are people here they call wolf watchers that will hunker down in the afternoons with their binoculars stuck to their faces.  

The campground doesn't give us an abundance to do or incentive to do anything outside.  The mosquitos were terrible & the boys just road bikes.  There was  a small trail to the country store.  What the campground lacks, the views from today certainly made up for!

Day 13

Our first full day of Yellowstone greeted us with yet again beautiful weather!  After our breakfast, we started out for Old Faithful. Judging by the size of the crowd, we knew it was pretty close to the time for eruption.  We were right  There were steam pots (not the technical term) steaming all about while we waited so we had plenty to look at.  Old Faithful, we learned was a young geyers.  You can tell by the size of its dome it has created over time.  After a few 3-6 foot high spurts, I was beginning to think that was it, but shortly we saw the show & it was a show.  Grayson's mouth stayed open almost the entire time.  From that point on, every time he saw a geyser go, Grayson would say, “There she blows, again!”  It was great to watch his amazement & excitement.  Gabe liked the thermal pots better.  He did not understand what the signs meant “Stay off the bacteria mats.”  So, he asked a ranger.  From that point on, he enjoyed talking about photosynthesis & telling me that the buffalos were ruining bacteria mats.  He also learned the reason the buffalo walk through the thermals is because they do not have nerves in their hooves.  It actually pretty dangerous because they can not feel when the ground is hollow and the ranger told us there were many deaths each year by the buffalo falling into thermal pools.  We saw more buffalo herds which of course prompted Grayson to talk about buffalo bill! He is a great spotter.  I think the mud pots were fun.  Even though we saw several that had splattered out onto the  walkways!  That was a bit scary after seeing how hot they are.  Granny would be relived to know that Grayson did a great job of holding hands, not trying to touch the water & staying close.  It was extraordinary that there were kids there barely walking and their parents were even terribly concerned with keeping them close.  Then there was a young lady who stepped off the trail put her hand in the water & rubbed it on her face.  Hope she did not have any openings the water got into after the way they described the organisms living in there.....yikes!  Not to mention the water was anywhere from 100-400 degrees.   

Day 14

This is our last full day in yellowstone, so we are heading up to the farthest northern part close to Montana to see Mammoth Hot Springs.  As we started out, Grayson was spotting the buffalo again.  We saw some “big boys” right beside the road.  We headed to the upper & lower falls and the Artist's Point is at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.  The water fall was beautiful & it allowed the boys to hear a ranger talk to earn towards their Jr. Ranger badge.  It also gave the boys a chance to “walk the plank”  now Granny, I am not talking about over the water.  There was a huge concrete wall in the parking lot and of course Gabe & Grayson could not pass up the chance to climb up the wall & walk across.  The river, canyon & waterfall were gorgeous.  Mom got some good pictures & ready for some more great paintings.  We next stopped at the Steamboat Geyser.  It was beautiful & Gabe spotted an elk behind the water as it spewed.  The walk was easy but it was a bit hot today!  The hot springs were gorgeous.  When we pulled into Mammoth Hot Springs, there were mama & baby elks just laying around on this beautifully groomed lawn.  People were getting very close, but they did not seem to pay any attention.  It was so cool to get an up close look at these beautiful animals.  I am not sure whose house it was, but they had plenty of fertilizer to keep their grass green! 

It was right in the middle of the day & we hiked up to the top of the terraces at the hot springs.  We listened to a very energetic park ranger talk about the biology & geology that went hand in hand to create these terraces.  You know, if I would have had her as a geology professor in college & not just look at pictures in a book, I might have been a bit more interested! The colors & shapes here were incredible and so was Grayson's ability to keep up with us.  Gabe was tired today and I wasn't sure he was going to make it through until David and I reminded him that he needed to get into shape for football & he increased his speed & had a bit more positive attitude.

After we left the hot springs, we headed to the park headquarters  and the boys hot their patches fr being Jr. Rangers.  Everyone clapped again. The neatest thing here to me was that Gabe wanted us to stay and listen as others got theirs because, “They stood there and listened to us, so we should do the same for them.”  I never feel like a great parent, but when you heard your child say things like that, it makes you grateful for the children that you have.  

We headed back to the campground through the Lamar Valley hoping that we would get another shot at seeing the mammals we are missing from our list: swans, big horn sheep (or as mom keeps calling them – long horn sheep), black bear, & wolves.  David spotted something down in the holler.  As we turned the corner and there were cars lining the road & a ranger.  It is so bizarre how these rangers appear whenever there is a bear around.  You don't see any park ranger cars, bicycle, horse or any other type of vehicle.  The rangers just seem to appear.  We were lucky enough to find a spot to park the RV.  Not only was there a black bear but 2 cubs as well!  It was so awesome.  The boys were glued to the side of the road.  We were talking to the ranger and said there was a grizzly bear down the road as well.   We were torn as to whether we should stay here & watch these 3 play on the logs or go on and try to see the grizzly.  Staying was worth the wait  We even named the bears.  I was the mama bear.  Gabe was the bear cub that was independent & Grayson was the cub that kept falling of the logs & taking risks.  We thoroughly enjoyed watching this little family on their afternoon outing.  

Catching up! Day 6 - 9

Day 6

This morning was yet another glorious day in Colorado!  Pikes Peak was calling us.  We decided to do the railroad this afternoon & take a hike this a.m.  After breakfast, we put on lots of layers & headed out to our 3 mile hike.  David “eagle eye” Sheets lead the way.  We were hoping to see some wild life this a.m.  The boys did a great job keeping up.  Gabe took some photos & Grayson looking was for another good spot (wildlife).  The valleys were green & beautiful.  We saw old cabins & shelters from hikers.  There was a small stream we crossed at the bottom of the valley with snow capped mountains around was completely phenomenal & inspiring.  I could live here!  You guys might not get me to come home.  Grayson was wearing down about ½ way through.  Of course it corresponded with starting up hill!  As we slowly walked through a tight trail with woods all around, we stayed together just in case.  We arrived at Mueller just in time for the last week of elk calving season & even though we were on a trail that was open & not known as an elk trail we were still careful & mama bear may just be around the corner.  We came out into a larger road & sure enough we had an elk cross right in front of us.  A bit farther up the trail a mule deer ran across – spotted by Grayson.  After seeing an animal, we all get a little more energized.  Grayson wanted down & walk.  At the top, we took a breather & David gave the boys a map lesson.  

We had all worked up an appetite.  After we ate lunch, we headed off to Pikes Peak.  We had reservations for 1:20 – after a major time miscalculation, we squeaked on the train right before it took off.  Grayson had fallen asleep on the way there and woke up as the train pulled off.  This is a cog railroad that has been running since the late 1800s.  The first person to try to take advantage of this incredible mountain carried guests half way up on horses and the rest of the way on burrow because the burrows were less effected by the altitude.  The trip took 3 days.  Even on the cog railway if took us about 4 hours to make the up and back trip.  Once we got on top, the views were breathtaking.  Being at over 14,000 feet and looking down at Colorado Springs made the Garden of the Gods look like pebbles.  As we progressed to the top, we saw the yellow bellied marmot, the air increased its crispness, the snow deepened and the views just kept getting more and more fascinating!  At the top, it was a poor demonstration of organized chaos with trying to get the boys to the restroom, a snack & back to the train in 40 minutes wrestling will all of the other people that were trying to do the same thing.  On the way back down, Gabe made a friend with a 10 year old who was there with his dad, sister who lived in the area & his grandparents that were visiting.  They played I spy &  other games.  It kept them entertained.  Gabe said the cog railway was like having the RV on a treadmill. 

Once we got back, it was steak & veggies over the fire.  YUM!  Thanks David.

 

Day 7

This morning greeted us with a snow cloud hovering over Pikes Peak.  It was beautiful.  We all were hating having to leave this beautiful place.  If it did not take 3 days to get here, we would be back every chance we got.  The boys were taking their last turns on their bikes before we started our next journey.  The trouble with traveling is that I never want to miss anything, so I always want to see what is around the corner, but I have learned that my children enjoy the road trip part, but absolutely love the sitting in one spot (the RV – NOT their bodies!), riding their bikes & cooking over the fire.  So, I have tried to limit our site seeing between the arrival destinations so we don't get to the campsite so late.

On the way to Gunnison, it rained most of the time.  Sighting & taking pictures of animals wasn't as easy, but we saw more prong horns, buffalo & a few elk.  The peacefulness of the surroundings here are so amazing.  It is great to be back.  After talking so much about Colorado & my love for this state, I began to believe it may have been a bit of hype on my part longing for that time in my life, but after being here again, I realize, that it isn't hype but truly a love for this part of the country.  Now, don't get me wrong, I am glad that I had to move back to Virginia after a few months of not being able to land a steady job – because I met David several months after that.  I am glad though that I am finally able to show him “my” Colorado!  He hasn't been disappointed!

Right after we left Mueller, we saw Florissant Fossil Bed National Park.  So, we decided to stop since we did not have a long travel day today.  Gabe wanted to do the Jr. Ranger program, but we did not think we were going to stay there for an hour.  After we took a little walk out and saw what the park was about, we probably could have stayed longer than that.  I think it was about 65 million years ago, this area was lush & resembled the redwood forests of California.  A volcano erupted near this site & buried many of these giant trees.  This area since then had become a potato farm.  The local tale is that a man with hook for a hand was out digging potatoes.  He hit something really hard and started digging out this huge  tree.  The story has been confirmed by local oral investigations that this man & the farm existed & it was this farmer that dug out several of the petrified stumps with dynamite.  They are now held together with large metal bands because they were fractured by the blasts.  The tubes created inside the tree when it was living allowed the volcanic matter to enter in and over time hardened to become rock.  Even today, the petrifying process continues, so there still remains some of the tree matter.  The ranger said that the process is continuous.  We went out through a small ½ mile trail & saw a stump where we saw at least 4 saws still stuck in the stump where the owners were trying to take off part of the stump to tour with it at the fairs.  Obviously there efforts were only rewarded by people being willing to come & look at the stumps were they were now & not at the fair!

Our plans were to head to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison today and then head out in the morning, but with the rain, we opted for a stop in Gunnison and a tour of their prairie museum.  The boys loved it.  They had entire buildings of old cars, homesteading, music & numerous other great examples.  The car collection was impressive!  They had a car like mom learned to drive in, a bulldozer like grandaddy drove, a buggy like we had and many other things.  It was fun.  

Once we got to the campground, it was time for the boys to get on their bikes & ride.  Luckily, the rain had stopped and they had a great afternoon, until, Grayson who had just gotten in trouble for not putting his helmet, ran into the side of the wooden little bridge (luckily we had just made him put his helmet on) & busted his lip, got a knot on his head & put a dent in his helmet (Mendy – don't tell Granny!  She'll make us fly him home. :-). It really scared him, but other than a nasty scrape on his face & being a bit stiff the next morning, he is fine.  

Mom and I went for a spin to see if we could find some firewood.  We saw more chipmunks, cottontails & evidence of prairie dogs, but none sighted so far.  The campground was located on beautiful Curecanti Reservoir lying underneath incredible red Mesa type canyons.  Most people there had boats.  It wasn't rowdy, but it was a different atmosphere than most campgrounds.  Just interesting to see how different groups of people really put a different spin on how the feel of the campground is.  We had a nice dinner & let the boys ride their bikes & skateboard until they were exhausted & ready for bed! David pretty much sat in one spot with his binoculars & gazed at the mountain because there was a dead deer on the side & he figured there had to be more there, but he did not see anything be claimed to be able to sit there forever.  It was truly amazing & peaceful! I am so glad David appreciates this state like I do!

Day 8

We packed up after letting the boys ride a bit, even though Grayson wasn't too eager to get back on his bike – but he did.  We at breakfast and headed out.  We decided to take Route 50 instead of 92 after a ranger who did not look old enough to even drive described 92 as beautiful but would take a long time in a car because it stuck closely to the canyon the entire way.  We are glad we listened.  The road was beautiful but much smoother than how we entered Elk Creek yesterday.  The canyons were so beautiful coming up to the National Park, we could not believe that Black Canyon of the Gunnison could get any more beautiful!  Boy, were we wrong!  It was a really steep climb up to the park entrance.  During this entire planning, mom, Granny, me, and everyone else wanted Grayson strapped down because this is the deepest chasm in the world.  He is so quick, skinny & unpredictable, we felt like this would be the riskiest place for us to take him.  He survived but only because David was diligent in holding his hand & someone always had a grip on him.  The first overlook was unbelievable.  You see pictures that look completely unreal & then you see it in person & you still can't believe your eyes.  No pictures can do this justice!  Then we made it to the visitors center & the views from there were even more breathtaking!  We met a Ranger there named Gabe.  Gabe was thrilled!  We went in and got the information to do the Jr. Ranger program.  They had a separate booklet for Grayson which was perfect.  They went out to Ranger Gabe  and he led them through a program describing which animals had horns vs. antlers, the adaptations, and more.  Both the boys enjoyed this, especially doing he stamps of the different types of animals on their papers.  We drove all the way to the end with Gabe & Grayson completely engaged with the park.  The painted wall was beautiful.  The dragons that were formed by the pegmatite sparked G&G's imagination so they started pointing out all different kinds of pictures that were painted on the wall.  It was gorgeous.  

We came back to the visitors center & the four of us went back into get the boys their Jr. Ranger badges, mom fixed sandwiches so we could continue on to Glenwood Springs.  The boys received their badges after taking their pledge to protect the plants, animals, and rocks of the National Park.  Emerson was the ranger.  Then, we had to go back out to the porch where Ranger Gabe was to say good-bye.  He really enjoyed hanging out with the boys.  

We all got settled back in and headed to Glenwood Springs after much discussion as to which way to go.  Wayne recommended us to stay in the higher Rockies.  I had seen the Mesa Mountains, so I stayed neutral.  David decided he would like to see them.  So, we headed to Grand Mesa.  We are glad we did.  It was a great drive & beautiful drive.  The wind was a bit much, but the views were worth the side to side!  

Once we arrived at the campground following a visit to the grocery store, we realized our site at the campground was located DIRECTLY on the Colorado.  I am not talking about the nice little leisure part of the CO River either!  IT was rushing water! All of us were quite concerned.  Mom and I walked up and asked if we could at least move across the road, which we did.  It was still quite unnerving.  We let the boys ride their bikes just around the tree & back.  A little too confined for Gabe.  Grayson was much more involved with setting up our fire & chairs with David.  Gabe made some friends & then showed them the ropes of what it takes to be a Jr. Ranger.  He gave them the training & offered them badges (pretend of course).  I was fun to watch.  

We decided we would do another load of laundry.  There were few positives about this campground.  The laundry was completely outrageous, the wireless did not work where we were & there was little to do for the kids.  I have to say though, the laundry was the worst.  Mom & I started way too late & it took us until almost 2 a.m. To finish.  We were whipped!  The worst thing is, they weren't even dry so we had to spend more time & money the next morning.  So, we decided this wasn't the place for us & we called Stillwater & asked to see if there would be a space for us.  This was supposed to be 2 nights for us at Glenwood Springs, but man are we happy we moved on.  

Day 9

On the way out, we were mean......we did not tell them we were leaving because we did not want them to be able to rent our spot.  This was an expensive place to stay with little benefits.  I know mom felt responsible & guilty about this, but I don't think we are doing too bad seeing that this is the first negative experience in over a week, especially planning the entire trip on the web!

At Stillwater, we had beautiful Lake Granby, Grand Lake or Shadow lake depending on which one of us you ask, to kayak on.  David was out & early on spotted an Osprey.  They were so graceful and elegant as they swooped down to catch their fish!  We had an electric & water hook up this night, but we decided it was worth the sacrifice to be on the water right near a place to put the kayaks in the water. Me, Mom and the boys got on the water as soon as we had everything set up.  The lake had a lot of ripples but was still pretty easy to navigate around.

As we were coming into the park, we spotted a large white bird.  Mom thought it was a swan.  I said it was a pelican even though I had never known of a pelican that far away from the ocean.  As we kayaked around the lake, the boys loved it when the boats went by & would paddle with all of their might to get to the waves as fast as they could.  Then Grayson would tell me – Mom stop paddling – just relax & enjoy the waves!  He said it using his most endearing voice!  So, of course I had to obey!  Since we were going to be here for 2 nights, it was great to just relax & let everyone do what they wanted.  We were in a spot where we could let the boys ride their bikes without direct involvement & we could take them down to the edge of the water for a dip.  It was windy & hot in the afternoon sun since there weren't any trees to shade us.  The pine beetle had taken a toll on the trees here.  The campground was wooded in the pictures on the web.  But, the beetle had killed all of the trees & we were left to our own resources to stay cool! David fixed us another delicious meal.  Mom is not going to know how to act when she gets home & doesn't have someone cooking for her! :-)  With all of the activities every day though at least mom and I aren't packing on the pounds! 

In the afternoon, a cool breeze came through.  We started watching the beautiful clouds rolling in.  Then they started to look a it dark & scary.  There was lightening, thunder, snow showers & rain, but never quite reached us!  Check out the pictures on my Facebook page, because I truly can not do them justice!  The storm continued & David & watched the lightening over the lake.  It was behind the mountain,but I actually had to close the blinds to be able to sleep because the light was so bright.  If anyone of you have ever experienced North Carolina heat lightening, this was similar but was literally continuous, without a break.  The clouds were like strobe lights!

The next morning, the sun was shining and the clouds had dissipated.  The show was still playing over and over in my head.  The colors were something mother nature could have only created herself!

BEHIND!

Hi everyone!  Sorry I haven't been keeping up with the writing part!  I will work on it tomorrow as we are driving 6 hours to Wyoming.  Will keep in touch as we can!  Miss you all!

There are new photos on Facebook if you are interested.....

Day 5 Mueller State Park, CO

Day 5

Our tummies probably weren't completely empty from the spagehtti, but we have food that we can't waste – so we decided to fixx eggs, baxon & biscuits for breakfast.   I looked out the front of the RV & saw David coming back.  I could just tell by the way he had a bounce in his step he had seen something!  2 elk.  Awesome!  It was great hearing his description of them.  They are HUGE! David was talking to this lady about seeing the elk & she told him they were having bacon, eggs & biscuits.  He was pleasantly surprised we were having the same thing!

After breakfast, we got everyone dressed in layers because we were heading to the Garden of the Gods.  Liz was already there waiting for us.  Her girls are adorable & beautiful!  (Did not expect anything else!)  Garden of the Gods was amazing!  It was privately owned.  Once the owner passed, it was his wish that his children donate the land and that it always be open to the public for free.  I am so glad there are people out there that appreciate the fact that land is a beautiful & precious thing.  Giant red rocks punctured the sky in a way that I had forgotten in my many years away from the area.  It was amazing seeing the birds fly into these tiny holes in the side of the mountain.  Garden of the Gods is fairly flat – even though it is still at probably about 9,000 feet – then you have these amazing red rocks jetting up into the sky.  Some are slender & rise straight up.  Others round & smoother.  I truly enjoyed hanging out with Liz & catching up.  I just wish it could have been longer!  Her girls are amazing.  Hope I can see them again sometime soon.

On the way back to the campground, we stopped in Woodland Park at a privately owned dinosaur museum.  When we first walked in & I paid, there was doubt that it was worth it.  But the more we heard & saw, the more we all enjoyed this stop.  Large boxes with rubber shavings covered up bones that the kids took paint brushes and had to “uncover” the fossils.  They loved it!  I think we all enjoyed the ocean mammals part.  There were huge shark's teeth & large replicas of ancient sea creatures.  One thing Gabe seemed to be impressed by was actually getting to see the working lab.  There were openings in the shop where you could see all the equipment & stations where they work on uncovering the fossils.  

As the sun was setting on our drive back into the campground, mom earned many beads towards her official invitation into the Sheets' Sighting Club.  There was a coyote in the turn.  He saw us and went into the woods, but not before we were able to get a couple of good shots. He was long, lean & slinky looking.  We stopped by the visitors center just to cehck it out since it was nearing their closing time.  Large elk, mountain lions & big horn sheep towered over us as the boys explored the hands on exhibits.  We knew we would need to return the next morning to make a few purchases.  

The evening took a turn for the boring.  Mom and I carried the laundry up to the coin washers. The boys had been playing “survivor man” with the branches they found in the forest.  Each of them created a fort.  Needless to say, they were in desperate need of some soap & warm water!  After I got them clean & ready for bed, I went to see how the clothes were progressing.  One hour later, the dryers finally went off.  That is crazy!!  Anyway, now we have clean clothes.  

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Day 4 Mueller State Park CO

Day 4

Time zones – even though only 2 hours difference it can still mess with your schedule.  All of us woke up early even for our time.  Dressed in all of the clothing we could find – oopps a bit of mommy mistake – packed too many warm weather clothes & not enough cold ones – we headed out for our first official hike in the Rocky Mountains.  Shortness of breath, feeling very tired, dry eyes & dry noses were symptoms we all had.  We drank lots of liquids & seemed to get better as the day progressed.  The trees & meadows that led to the pond were all filled with little daisies – they must have known I was coming.  We learned that the wildflowers show up around July.  Looking at the aspen reflecting in the pond with fresh mule deer tracks all around us gets your heart beating really fast – oh wait – that is the altitude!  :-)  Gabe and Grayson were great troopers along this hike.  Gabe was all about the quartz crystals he was finding a long the trail.  (I think you have a couple of geologists on your hands, Lori.)  Whenever David holds up his hand & tells us to stop & be quiet – oh do I get excited.  Sure enough, there were 3 mule deer crossing the path right above us.  Luckily for us the wind was in our favor & blowing towards us.  The kids were really excited to see the deer.  Grayson later spotted them crossing back over the trail again.  I believe the altitude was getting to the kids because they tired out pretty easily.  Mom and I decided to take the kids back to the RV & fix breakfast.  We all knew that David was not finished.  Even though we were in bear country, we all agreed that David would continue exploring the trails & come back with a report.