The home stretch

Day 13. Wyoming to South Dakota. Otherwise known as the day JM Oakes "let" Meredith drive.

The plan from the start had been that JM Oakes and Mere would share driving responsibility, but then the driving began and JM Oakes felt confident (or at least he was able to have more control over us not careening off the side of a mountain). Regardless, on day 13, M took the wheel. She expertly guided us through the twists and turns of the eastern half of Wyoming into South Dakota.

Lots of shoes to accommodate lots of different terrains

Around 5pm, we made it to Mount Rushmore. Spencer was beside himself with excitement. The twins were rather amazed as well, but only for a fleeting moment. The real draw for them were ants and stairs. Both worthy choices for entertainment. So while we ran stairs into the amphitheater, Mere and JM Oakes were able to take some lovely photos.  

Squeezing some rock hard skulls

And a little ninja action for the dead presidents

And then JM Oakes took the wheel again and we headed over to our campsite for the night outside of the Badlands. We arrived before 10, which apparently was late, and angered the owner of the lovely little campsite/hotel/lodge area. Luckily, Mere swatting wildly at mosquitos finally broke his icy exterior. We (meaning me and D Money) had specifically selected this site for the amazing sunrises over Badlands National Park. Unfortunately, the weather was not overly cooperative with that. We did get to enjoy some time around the fire sans kids before the rain commenced though. We had hoped that we would be able to see the Aurora Borealis from our locale, but it was not meant to be. Mere did seek out and catch a frog barehanded simply because it was croaking and making her twitch. After showing it to the kids, she set it free - far from our RV.

 

 

 

 

 

Day 14. Badlands, SD to Palisades State Park.  After some drenching rains (which in case you are wondering, sound a whole lot like golf balls being thrown on a tin roof), we headed off to Badlands National Park. Personally, I was looking forward to this park because of its diverse terrain and the gorgeous color patterns in the rock formations. It definitely exceeded our expectations. As we approached the first area where we wanted to take a short hike (a fossil trail), I noticed an ominous sign that was seemingly posted as an aside - like oh, no big deal:

If there is anything that will keep me directly on a path with my eyes stuck to the ground, that would be it. After stopping at a few scenic overlooks to take in the different and diverse views, it seemed like a non-issue. That was of course until we stopped at one overlook that did not have the signs posted. That of course happened to be where Mere, Spencer, and D Money crossed paths with a rattlesnake. I luckily was seated safely inside the RV and not privy to the slimy slithering reptile, but D Money made it back to the RV in record time. Mere took some pictures before it made its way back into the tall grass to frighten some other should be, but probably isn't, suspecting park visitors. Since I refuse to even look at the picture, it won't be posted. Sorry reptile fans - check with Mere if you want to see the rattlesnake. Instead, here are some lovely pictures of mountain goats and scenic vistas and kids in various forms of cute and crazy.

 

Following our time in the Badlands, we headed over to Wall Drug. Quite the experience. I am not even sure I have words for it... Giant jackalopes, animatronic T-rex, free iced water, lots of animals who had visited the local taxidermist, and other kitschy things to entertain and overwhelm. After grabbing some ice cream, we reembarked on our drive across South Dakota to get to our final campsite outside of Sioux Falls. And that is where I will pick up our final entry...

Wyoming is the last state in the fifty states that rhyme...

Day 12: Idaho to Wyoming.  Waking in a parking lot in Idaho Falls, Idaho is not entirely what I envisioned when we were planning this RV adventure. But you learn a lot of things rather quickly while on the road and among those things is to be adaptable. Things change. Weather changes. Kids nearly get heat stroke. And some team members need to depart for a bit. You just go with it and it makes everything better for everyone. Anyhow, you also learn that most W@lmart's lets you sleep in their parking lot. For free. So when you are going to be arriving late and leaving early there is absolutely no need to pay for a campsite. But still, it seems strange. (At the first one outside of Denver, D Money called and the woman told her multiple times that it was fine but we had to sleep in the RV - as though the housewares or camping department were an option. We were also informed that we needed to buy something. Done and done.) But yes, Tuesday - our day 12 - was a whirlwind. Literally. We woke up early under the blue glow and headed out to conquer Wyoming! First though, we had to make it through a bit of Idaho. And that meant deep ascents. Followed by minor ascents. And more deep ascents. At this point in the journey though, JM Oakes was pretty much an expert RV driver - knowing when to downshift and when to let it right. I think he almost stopped to pick up a CB radio at one point to talk to the other "truckers"...

 

All of the rollercoaster driving was well worth it as we headed into Grand Tetons. Wow. Mountains. Majestic is an understatement. These were peaks that simply made us all just stare in wonder. Well, most of us. Harper wanted to run wild through the foliage and pick flowers (which is so not allowed in national parks in case you were wondering). But yeah, Grand Tetons. More than worth the trip. Another place on my list of parks to return to and spend some time really exploring and hiking and breathing in the mountain air (which in my mind smells minty, but in actuality does not. kind of a disappointment...)

JM Oakes - The amazing driver/photographer/child carrier caught in a picture

 

 

 

And then on to Yelllowstone (or Jellystone as I like to call it). I was personally hoping we could throw out a picnic basket to entice a bear (namely Yogi and Boo-boo) to visit us, but my efforts were deemed a bit much. And alas we did not see a bear - grizzly, black, or otherwise - during our time in Wyoming. Yellowstone in June is pretty much like D!sney World, well, anytime. Insanity. Bad drivers. Confusion and meltdowns galore. But the weather was lovely. After circling the lot and unsuccessfully running anyone over, we parked and stepped out to take a look at Old Faithful. At first glance, it is just some smoke billowing out of the ground. But then it erupts, and well, that is remarkable. (I actually didn't see it, but Mere, Spencer, and D Money did and they all say it was incredible). While they watched hot water shoot hundreds of feet into the sky, I retired to the waiting rig to do puzzles with the young minions and wonder what day it was and which time zone we were in (seriously this gets complicated).

After our brief visit to Old Faithful we reversed our loop and headed back south and then east to get to our campsite before midnight. Finding a place to stay in this area was rather difficult, but after several phone calls and diligent internet searches (with very spotty service), we were able to secure lodging at the fine Abs@roka Bay RV Park in Cody, WY.  We arrived to learn that fires were not allowed and wi-fi passwords were some odd combination of braille, Hebrew, and pig Latin. But as far as sleeping and having a place to dump our "black water" (ie. sewage), it was all good. While I had envisioned roaming Bison and the occasional bear crossing our path in Wyoming, none were to be seen. And I had to settle for this...

The only bear we saw in Wyoming

 

 

In the morning we embarked on another exciting adventure to the place where "Under God, People Rule". Otherwise known as, South Dakota. But that will have to wait for another post...

And this is where I found them...

Day 8.  The meetup in Zion.  After literally running to catch my airplane at JFK I arrived in Salt Lake City just after 10am and embarked on a five hour road trip down to Zion to catch up with the crew. While I was driving, adventures were being had in the city of Virgin and at the lovely RV park right outside of Zion National Park.  I arrived around 4:30pm to find the crew lounging outside of the RV. I have never been so thrilled to be in 103 degree temperatures in my life. While the kids ran around playing with a caterpillar, I was able to relax and hear a bit about the adventures I had missed. D Money and I took a little jaunt down to the river while Mere cooked up an amazing welcome back dinner of sweet potato fajitas and roasted corn salsa and I tried to pretend I was not exhausted. 

 

Day 9. Zion. An idealized, harmonious community; utopia. That was where we headed on Saturday morning. Utilizing both the RV and the rental car we were able to make it to the park in record time before the record heat set in. Zion is indeed a gorgeous place. We meandered down a 1.75 shady trail - and I do mean meander because anyone with kids knows that four year olds have two speeds - slow as molasses or sprinting like Us@in Bolt. All three kids were fascinated by, of all things, the squirrels. As well as the water. After emerging from the first hike, we headed to another "easy" hike that we quickly realized would not be easy with the twins in the, by then, scorching heat. So Mere and D Money herded the twins back to a lodge for some ice cream and local brews (for the adults, not the kids) while JM Oakes and I forged ahead with Spencer. If this hike was easy, I would definitely question what is considered hard. (And for the record - any hike that is prefaced with a sign indicating that people fall off this trail and die is not something I want to be taking H and C on any time soon..) We made it to the Emerald Pools and then rejoined the gang at the lodge before heading back down to the waiting RV and SUV. Zion is a place that requires time. And energy. And calm. I am not sure most of us had any of that to give at that moment, but I would enthusiastically return at any time (maybe when it is less than 100 degrees out) to check out more of what the park has to offer.

 

Then on to Richfield, Utah's best kept secret (or so they told us) - the K@A. It was, um, interesting. But if I can lay my head and let the kids swim in the pool for a bit then I am not complaining. It was kind of amazing how things changed from Saturday night to Sunday with a packed campsite emptying out and there being actual silence for a bit.

 

Day 10. Bryce Canyon.  A supposed 2.5 hour drive in the rental car with seven of us packed in turned into a nearly four hour drive with me at the helm due to motion sickness, strange little towns, and the readaptation back to a regular vehicle after spending over a week in an RV where movement was much less restricted. And then we arrived with overtired kids and a bit of a reluctance to do too much. But then, well, then I walked up to the amphitheater and I can honestly say I was awe struck. There was something so visually stunning about the rock formations that I was literally moved - and not just by the small child repeatedly jerking on my arm asking where the play ground was located. We opted to follow the Navajo Trail. A rather steep decline of switch backs which seemed okay going down, but on the latter part of the loop were rather hellish. It was hot and the going was slow. H and C were troopers and while they were clearly exhausted and on the brink of heat stroke they pushed through (with the help of water and power@ade and promises of fun things in the future). As difficult as it was, I would do it again in a minute. And I am pretty certain the other individuals in the group over the age of 10 would as well... After making it back to the car, we drove to a few of the scenic overlooks. (As much as I love the national parks, it would be way more convenient if all of the cool stuff was closer together...just saying). Once more pictures were taken and incredible views were absorbed, we headed back to our beloved Richfield K@A for a night of playing at the park, eating dinner, and just relaxing. After the long day in Bryce, we ditched the plan to head to Arches (huge disappointment, but most logical given the temperatures and the small travel companions). We threw around some ideas about what to do the following day and decided to sleep on it and make a decision in the morning. 

 

Day 11. Utah to Idaho, no U-da-ho. We woke up to another gorgeous Utah morning and opted to take a down day. Meaning we took the kids swimming, did some laundry, showered, and then started to drive. While the gang drove up to Salt Lake City, I followed behind in the rental car for the nearly three hour drive. We reconvened in a BigK parking lot and decided to head up into Idaho for the evening. Returning the rental car was interesting. After depositing the car seats and other random items into the RV, we drove to a gas station where the RV crew stood in wait since the airport was not accommodating to the height of our house on wheels. I took the 4 minute ride to the airport and deposited the rental that I managed to rack up 1000 miles on in three days and then took a ridiculously priced cab back to the RV where we headed north into potato country. Idaho is absolutely stunning. Not that I expected otherwise - I guess I just never really thought about it. We, as in JM Oakes, drove north for several hours until we reached another beloved W@almart parking lot in Idaho Falls where we spent the night listening to the consistent and ever present train horn in the background under the blue glow of the store sign.