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* Updated with Pictures Post 220 * 45 Day 'Round the US Camping Trip w/ Grands
- Thread starter NE GA Pappy
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NE GA Pappy
Mr. Pappy
After the trip over Beartooth, we settled down in Cody, Wy for 3 days. We had planned on going to the June Night Rodeo, but Covid... They started the rodeo the day we left Cody, and it didn't start until 8pm, so hanging around was not an option. I asked the kids what would you really like to do that we haven't gotten to do yet.
Go horseback riding.... OK. Neither one of them had ever even been on a horse, yet they both wanted to take a 2 hour trail ride. They did great, and we got to see some territory up close that we hadn't seen before.
After the horse riding, we went to the Buffalo Bill Museum. There are, IIRC, 5 museums under one roof. Firearms, Nature, Native American, History, and another one I can't recall right off.
The buffalo outside....
Inside the Nature part of the museum....
and then for my favorite part of the museum. The firearms. The sign there said they had over 14,000 guns on display, and another 16,000 that were in storage and not displayed.
The pistol that James Arness used as Marshal Dillon.
Michael Landon used this pistol when he played Little Joe Cartwright.
The pistol carried by Dan Blocker, as Hoss Cartwright
Pistol used by Audie Murphy in several movies.
Samuel catching the same bug that has infected his Pappy
I had never seen a 2gauge before. The barrel was a big as a Coke can, and the gun was probably 7 ft long, overall. I bet that would reach out and touch a turkey, huh?
The full sized gun to the right is a 6 gauge.
Go horseback riding.... OK. Neither one of them had ever even been on a horse, yet they both wanted to take a 2 hour trail ride. They did great, and we got to see some territory up close that we hadn't seen before.
After the horse riding, we went to the Buffalo Bill Museum. There are, IIRC, 5 museums under one roof. Firearms, Nature, Native American, History, and another one I can't recall right off.
The buffalo outside....
Inside the Nature part of the museum....
and then for my favorite part of the museum. The firearms. The sign there said they had over 14,000 guns on display, and another 16,000 that were in storage and not displayed.
The pistol that James Arness used as Marshal Dillon.
Michael Landon used this pistol when he played Little Joe Cartwright.
The pistol carried by Dan Blocker, as Hoss Cartwright
Pistol used by Audie Murphy in several movies.
Samuel catching the same bug that has infected his Pappy
I had never seen a 2gauge before. The barrel was a big as a Coke can, and the gun was probably 7 ft long, overall. I bet that would reach out and touch a turkey, huh?
The full sized gun to the right is a 6 gauge.
NE GA Pappy
Mr. Pappy
The next morning we traveled into Yellowstone to stay at Bridge Bay campground. On the 50 mile or so drive, we saw this bear on the ridge above the road.
After we got camp set up, we explored right around the campground, and settled in for the evening. There is no electrical, bath houses, or water available at Bridge Bay campground, so you had to be ready for night when it came.
The next morning we headed out to see the southern end of Yellowstone. This is one of the first sights we met, about 1/2 a mile from our camper.
We drove on south, and came to the Continental Divide. We crossed the Divide several times on this trip.
The Black Sands Geysers were interesting, and colorful. This is Rainbow Spring Geyser.
There are all kinds of wild animals in the park, and I hoped we would see some predators, but no such luck. They are there, but we just didn't see them, but we did see their tracks.
We traveled on up to Geyser Valley and saw Old Faithful. This is Old Faithful at rest.
Old Faithful at about half mast...
Old Faithful at full bore.
We moved on to the Grand Prismatic Pool. The pictures don't do the colors displayed justice at all. Samuel made this picture, and started using my camera for a bit almost everyday. He told me I needed to buy him a camera like mine. I told him, Son, you are holding pretty near $1500 in your hands there.
After we got camp set up, we explored right around the campground, and settled in for the evening. There is no electrical, bath houses, or water available at Bridge Bay campground, so you had to be ready for night when it came.
The next morning we headed out to see the southern end of Yellowstone. This is one of the first sights we met, about 1/2 a mile from our camper.
We drove on south, and came to the Continental Divide. We crossed the Divide several times on this trip.
The Black Sands Geysers were interesting, and colorful. This is Rainbow Spring Geyser.
There are all kinds of wild animals in the park, and I hoped we would see some predators, but no such luck. They are there, but we just didn't see them, but we did see their tracks.
We traveled on up to Geyser Valley and saw Old Faithful. This is Old Faithful at rest.
Old Faithful at about half mast...
Old Faithful at full bore.
We moved on to the Grand Prismatic Pool. The pictures don't do the colors displayed justice at all. Samuel made this picture, and started using my camera for a bit almost everyday. He told me I needed to buy him a camera like mine. I told him, Son, you are holding pretty near $1500 in your hands there.
georgia_home
Senior Member
@NE GA Pappy , awesome thread!
NE GA Pappy
Mr. Pappy
Our next camp base was a Canyon Campground in the upper part of Yellowstone. They had water and showers there, but, doggone it, Covid. We were stuck taking baths in our camper, and that shower just ain't big enough for a full growed man.
Anyway, we did see several bears at this campground. Bearproof food boxes had to be used if you stayed in a tent, and I read after we got out, someone didn't and a bear destroyed their camp for them.
We spent the day looking at the sights around camp, like the rapids going at the upper falls.
The kids climbed about every rock in sight, as long as I gave them permission. I think mostly because their mom won't let them do stuff like that.
We found a place to rest while we were hiked into some of the overlooks.
The canyon has some great views of the Lower falls.
The overlook downstream of the Lower Falls is great.
The Yellowstone River flowing down the valley below the Lower Falls.
My sweet grands at the canyon overlook
Pappy and Meeno. Marisol took this picture. Those kids are getting pretty good at using my camera.
A look back at the Lower Falls.
Anyway, we did see several bears at this campground. Bearproof food boxes had to be used if you stayed in a tent, and I read after we got out, someone didn't and a bear destroyed their camp for them.
We spent the day looking at the sights around camp, like the rapids going at the upper falls.
The kids climbed about every rock in sight, as long as I gave them permission. I think mostly because their mom won't let them do stuff like that.
We found a place to rest while we were hiked into some of the overlooks.
The canyon has some great views of the Lower falls.
The overlook downstream of the Lower Falls is great.
The Yellowstone River flowing down the valley below the Lower Falls.
My sweet grands at the canyon overlook
Pappy and Meeno. Marisol took this picture. Those kids are getting pretty good at using my camera.
A look back at the Lower Falls.
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NE GA Pappy
Mr. Pappy
That night I tried to get some pictures of the stars, but I had forgotten my heavy tripod. The little one for digital cameras just wasn't heavy enough to hold the camera still, but I did like this picture even if it is a bit blurry.
Another try at the stars.
The next day, we traveled on up to Mammoth Hot Springs. Some of the mountains still had snow on top, even at the last of June.
They say the indians lived here and hunted big horn sheep to eat, so these cliffs became known as the Sheepeaters Cliffs.
Another geyser on the way to Mammoth Hot Springs.
I wonder how long those rocks took to slide to the bottom of the mountain and clear out that pathway?
Half way between the equator and the North Pole.
Another try at the stars.
The next day, we traveled on up to Mammoth Hot Springs. Some of the mountains still had snow on top, even at the last of June.
They say the indians lived here and hunted big horn sheep to eat, so these cliffs became known as the Sheepeaters Cliffs.
Another geyser on the way to Mammoth Hot Springs.
I wonder how long those rocks took to slide to the bottom of the mountain and clear out that pathway?
Half way between the equator and the North Pole.
NE GA Pappy
Mr. Pappy
After Yellowstone we traveled pretty hard for 2 days down to Moab, Utah. There we visited The Arches National Park, Dead Horse Point, and Canyonland Park.
The entrance to The Arches National Park
The park gets its name from all the holes eroded thru the sandstone, creating free standing arches.
One of the most famous arches there is Delicate Arch. From the parking lot, it is about a half mile hike, with about a 200 to 250 foot rise in elevation. That doesn't sound so bad, until you add in the elevation of the park, at almost 5000msl. An the fact that it was 106 that day. We waited until the cool of the evening, 102F, to make the hike. Pappy had to sit down a couple times to get there and back.
This area is called The Windows because of all the openings.
I don't know what this formation was called, but I told Meeno that I would name it Pear Rock from the shape of that balance rock.
The next day, we explored Dead Horse Point. It is a natural corral that cowboys in the 1800 would use to gather up wild mustangs. The story goes that a herd was left out there to long and died from exposure and lack of water.
This is a look at the cliff dropping off the point. No way a horse can get down that.
A different look a the cliffs of Dead Horse.
We also visited Canyonland that day. It reminds me of the Grand Canyon. If fact the Colorado River runs thru it also.
The entrance to The Arches National Park
The park gets its name from all the holes eroded thru the sandstone, creating free standing arches.
One of the most famous arches there is Delicate Arch. From the parking lot, it is about a half mile hike, with about a 200 to 250 foot rise in elevation. That doesn't sound so bad, until you add in the elevation of the park, at almost 5000msl. An the fact that it was 106 that day. We waited until the cool of the evening, 102F, to make the hike. Pappy had to sit down a couple times to get there and back.
This area is called The Windows because of all the openings.
I don't know what this formation was called, but I told Meeno that I would name it Pear Rock from the shape of that balance rock.
The next day, we explored Dead Horse Point. It is a natural corral that cowboys in the 1800 would use to gather up wild mustangs. The story goes that a herd was left out there to long and died from exposure and lack of water.
This is a look at the cliff dropping off the point. No way a horse can get down that.
A different look a the cliffs of Dead Horse.
We also visited Canyonland that day. It reminds me of the Grand Canyon. If fact the Colorado River runs thru it also.
NE GA Pappy
Mr. Pappy
From Moab we went to Page, AZ. We had planned on a raft trip down the Colorado, but ...... Yeah, you guessed it. Covid. So we looked around and decided to rent a UTV and go on a ride in the desert. I guess the 'Rona don't spread if you are traveling on rubber tires.
Loading up at the UTV rental place. It was named Epic Adventures, and they had a great program for renting, guiding, and educating us about the desert while we were out.
One of the first stops we made was at a big cave. They say the Indians used this cave for shelter and lots of artifacts had been found there. All I know is that I was surprised my wife would climb up there. She gets dizzy standing on a step stool.
We sat in the shade for a few minutes as the guide discussed the different plants around us and how these caves were formed.
Then we had to climb back down from the cave. Some of us decided sliding down was the easiest way to get down, instead of climbing.
Antelope Canyon was closed, but we did find a few slot canyons to walk thru and see how they are formed.
Stopped for a picture in the buggy. It was over 100F then.
Later on, we drove down to Horseshoe Bend. It is a beautiful spot in the Grand Canyon, with the green Colorado river flowing in the U shape.
Loading up at the UTV rental place. It was named Epic Adventures, and they had a great program for renting, guiding, and educating us about the desert while we were out.
One of the first stops we made was at a big cave. They say the Indians used this cave for shelter and lots of artifacts had been found there. All I know is that I was surprised my wife would climb up there. She gets dizzy standing on a step stool.
We sat in the shade for a few minutes as the guide discussed the different plants around us and how these caves were formed.
Then we had to climb back down from the cave. Some of us decided sliding down was the easiest way to get down, instead of climbing.
Antelope Canyon was closed, but we did find a few slot canyons to walk thru and see how they are formed.
Stopped for a picture in the buggy. It was over 100F then.
Later on, we drove down to Horseshoe Bend. It is a beautiful spot in the Grand Canyon, with the green Colorado river flowing in the U shape.
NE GA Pappy
Mr. Pappy
We drove on down the road to cross the Canyon at Marble Canyon. It was the first bridge put in so people could drive across the river. They have built a new bridge there, and the old one is open for the public to walk across and get a bird's eye view of the river.
Just across the bridge, you turn right and travel down to Lee's Ferry. It is where they crossed the river before the bridge was built in the early 1900's
On the way down to Lee's Ferry there is a big field of balancing rocks. The kids were fascinated by them.
After we left the ferry, we traveled along the red cliffs over to the north rim of the Grand Canyon. We weren't able to actually get to the rim because of a huge forest fire. They had the road closed at the fork where the gas station is located. We traveled on over to Zion National Park and enjoyed our drive to the western side of the park. It is an awesome drive. I highly recommend that you see it one day.
The roads are so curvy that I had to drive slowly to make sure I didn't run others out of the road. The long tunnel there is narrow and the rangers had to stop traffic on the other side, so we could drive down the middle of the road and not tear up the camper. I believe the charge for them stopping traffic was $15.00. When I approached the tunnel, the already had traffic stopped, so I didn't have time to take a picture of the entrance. I did stop on the other side and get some pictures of the views.
These aren't small hills. Some of them reach up over 5000 ft above the river that flows by the campground on the west side.
After a full day of driving, the kids said it was pool time. Their swimming has really improved on our trip. We let them in the pools every chance we got. They are little water bugs anyway.
Just across the bridge, you turn right and travel down to Lee's Ferry. It is where they crossed the river before the bridge was built in the early 1900's
On the way down to Lee's Ferry there is a big field of balancing rocks. The kids were fascinated by them.
After we left the ferry, we traveled along the red cliffs over to the north rim of the Grand Canyon. We weren't able to actually get to the rim because of a huge forest fire. They had the road closed at the fork where the gas station is located. We traveled on over to Zion National Park and enjoyed our drive to the western side of the park. It is an awesome drive. I highly recommend that you see it one day.
The roads are so curvy that I had to drive slowly to make sure I didn't run others out of the road. The long tunnel there is narrow and the rangers had to stop traffic on the other side, so we could drive down the middle of the road and not tear up the camper. I believe the charge for them stopping traffic was $15.00. When I approached the tunnel, the already had traffic stopped, so I didn't have time to take a picture of the entrance. I did stop on the other side and get some pictures of the views.
These aren't small hills. Some of them reach up over 5000 ft above the river that flows by the campground on the west side.
After a full day of driving, the kids said it was pool time. Their swimming has really improved on our trip. We let them in the pools every chance we got. They are little water bugs anyway.
NE GA Pappy
Mr. Pappy
Our next trip was from Zion National Park, down thru Vegas and over to Lake Mead. The dam tour was shut down, and we couldn't even get close enough to take a picture of the dam. I started to rent a boat and go across the lake to see the dam, but the only rental was for a whole day, and I wasn't going to pay $500 to drive down to the dam. The campground at Lake Mead was nice.
Next morning, we got up early, traveled over to Arizona, and stopped in Williams.
We ate lunch at Pine Country. It was a home cooking type diner. When we got ready to leave, there was a Smokey Bear statue outside, so we got a picture, filled up with fuel, and headed toward the South Rim.
We got to camp, and set up. It was a bit cooler, in the 80's. We rode bikes for a bit, then fixed dinner. We went to the canyon about sundown, and watched the moon come up. This if Mather's Point. The next day, a mid 50's aged woman would decide a better picture could be had from the other side of the railing, and fell to her death at this point. I am glad we were back at our camper eating lunch. I can't imagine how the children would have handled seeing a lady fall to her death.
A view of the canyon the next day.
After dinner that night, the kids wanted to play checkers. Later, Sam wanted me to teach him to play chess. I showed him the basic moves, and we played a couple of games while his sister watched. Before you know it, they were playing each other. I think they will make decent players after a bit more practice.
The next day, we traveled to Winslow, AZ to fill the gas tank. We traveled downtown to get a picture of "The Corner". It didn't mean anything to the kids, because they don't know the song, but hopefully it will one day.
Next morning, we got up early, traveled over to Arizona, and stopped in Williams.
We ate lunch at Pine Country. It was a home cooking type diner. When we got ready to leave, there was a Smokey Bear statue outside, so we got a picture, filled up with fuel, and headed toward the South Rim.
We got to camp, and set up. It was a bit cooler, in the 80's. We rode bikes for a bit, then fixed dinner. We went to the canyon about sundown, and watched the moon come up. This if Mather's Point. The next day, a mid 50's aged woman would decide a better picture could be had from the other side of the railing, and fell to her death at this point. I am glad we were back at our camper eating lunch. I can't imagine how the children would have handled seeing a lady fall to her death.
A view of the canyon the next day.
After dinner that night, the kids wanted to play checkers. Later, Sam wanted me to teach him to play chess. I showed him the basic moves, and we played a couple of games while his sister watched. Before you know it, they were playing each other. I think they will make decent players after a bit more practice.
The next day, we traveled to Winslow, AZ to fill the gas tank. We traveled downtown to get a picture of "The Corner". It didn't mean anything to the kids, because they don't know the song, but hopefully it will one day.
NE GA Pappy
Mr. Pappy
you should really look at planning one. I don't know that I would do another 6 week trip, but 3 or 4 weeks would be nice. Maybe the next one going up to DC and a lot of the Civil War battle fields.
NE GA Pappy
Mr. Pappy
We had to end our adventure a couple of days early. My mother in law fell trying to hang curtains in the window behind her washing machine. She landed on the machine and broke some ribs, her clavicle, and her arm, along with bruising her lung badly. They put her in ICU and the next morning had to operate to remove blood clots in her chest cavity.
We left Brandon, MS and drove straight on in home, thru some tremendous rains storm where I couldn't drive more than 20 mph or so. It was 10 hours of hard driving. We got home, and my wife got to visit her mom the next day from 2pm to 4pm. 2 days later they shut down all visitation at the hospital.
Ma got to come home Saturday. She is sore and in a cast and sling. She says her shoulder hurts, but she is doing really well now.
Overall we drove a bit over 8300 miles. We were gone 43 days, and we had the time of our lives. I am in the process now of going over the trip and trying to make some notes on what worked, what didn't work, and how to improve for the next trip.
Any suggestions would be great.
We left Brandon, MS and drove straight on in home, thru some tremendous rains storm where I couldn't drive more than 20 mph or so. It was 10 hours of hard driving. We got home, and my wife got to visit her mom the next day from 2pm to 4pm. 2 days later they shut down all visitation at the hospital.
Ma got to come home Saturday. She is sore and in a cast and sling. She says her shoulder hurts, but she is doing really well now.
Overall we drove a bit over 8300 miles. We were gone 43 days, and we had the time of our lives. I am in the process now of going over the trip and trying to make some notes on what worked, what didn't work, and how to improve for the next trip.
Any suggestions would be great.
NE GA Pappy
Mr. Pappy
it did help, and prep work kept us from having any real issues, even with the Covid crud going on. We did have one campground cancel our reservation without calling us, emailing us or anything. When we pulled up in the yard, the woman told us our reservations were cancelled by her, and she guessed she should have called us and let us know.... DUH!
We ended up driving another 50 miles down the road to a KOA and had no issues staying there.
I was really grateful that we didn't have any issues with the camper or the truck. No flats, dead batteries or anything. Even getting the truck serviced on the road was a breeze. I didn't even have to unhook from the trailer. They just let me pull the camper right thru the service bay.
Triple C
Senior Member
Pappy - As good a thread as I've ever read on here. You only get one shot at being a grandparent when the grand pups are young enough to want to hang with you. You my friend, are doing it right.
NE GA Pappy
Mr. Pappy
We had wanted to take another grandson with us, but that fell thru because of a mom/ex squabble. It's a shame too, because that boy may never get to see those sights. I know he won't get to see them with me.
That stinks! Hopefully he’ll get to see them one day.We had wanted to take another grandson with us, but that fell thru because of a mom/ex squabble. It's a shame too, because that boy may never get to see those sights. I know he won't get to see them with me.
You’d think they’d want him to take that trip. It’s a trip of a lifetime.
