Day 15 and 16- Yellowstone National Park

“Lord, O Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” Psalm 8:9

I have to admit, that I am getting tired.  It is now Friday night.  We left Yellowstone this morning and are now camped in Salt Lake City, Utah.  We spent 1 ½ days in Yellowstone National Park.  Reflecting back, it is really too much to take in.  I think you could spend a couple of weeks in the park and not go down all the trails and see all the wonders.  Just to stop myself from rambling, I am going to talk about what we saw in categories.  Beginning with:

Traveling

Traveling was uneventful through Wyoming and very pretty.  We did camp the night before at a campsite called Crazy Woman Campsite.   I looked it up on the internet and there were some bad reviews so I didn’t want to camp there.  This was in Gillette, Wyoming.  The only other campsite was called High Plains.  We made a reservation and I was skeptical of this place because they didn’t require a deposit.  Once arriving in Gillette we drove through it and thought it should be called High Times Campground instead of High Plains.  We didn’t stay.  We decided to eat first and went to a nice restaurant to celebrate my Dad’s 74^th Birthday and their 53rd anniversary, which is the same day.  John and Dad decided we should try the Crazy Woman Campsite.  I told them I wasn’t going in to check in.  I am scared of crazy women.  Well there was no crazy woman, just a nice young man.  The campground was clean and cheap. So much for internet reviews.  So the next morning, we were on our way to Yellowstone. It was a long drive, but we saw some great scenery and my favorite part, animals.

Animals

Oh my gosh, the animals.  We had just entered Big Horn National Forest, the gateway to Yellowstone when a 6 pointer, John called it, walks out onto our road.  A very large male deer with huge antlers (for those of us not familiar with the term 6-pointer) just crossed the street. He was amazing. 

In Yellowstone, we saw antelope, bald eagle, elk, bison, Canadian geese, chipmunk, killdeer, maybe a bear, more bison, fish and more bison.  Did I mention we saw bison?  There were lots of bison.  They caused traffic jams.  Oh yea and people, people who are crazy.

I say they are crazy because they stop practically in the middle of the road, jump out of their cars and run to get close to an animal.  These are wild animals!!!  There are signs everywhere telling people NOT to do this.  In fact, there was a crowd of cars and people, people running down the side of a hill, in this one area.  We slowed down and I opened my window and asked them what they were looking at, they said, “a bear.”   They were running towards a bear!  The crazy people were handy in the fact that when we saw them we knew to look for animal.  That is how we saw the Bald Eagle up in the tree and also I am not afraid to yell out the window, “What are you looking at?”

Water Falls, Bubbling Pools and Geysers

I have to admit, I didn’t know what I expected to see in Yellowstone.  This was where my Mom really wanted to go.  She has seen a lot of documentaries about it and has read about it, so she knew exactly what she was seeing.  I was amazed at the volcanic activity going on in Yellowstone.  In fact, the middle of the park is called a caldera, which is the crater of a volcano.  It could erupt at anytime!  The volcanic activity we saw were bubbling pools of hot water, molten mud gurgling, steam and the smell of sulfur. (Rotten egg smell)  Very cool.  I want to say right here and now, I wanted to touch the water.  I wanted to see if it was as hot as it looked.  Just my pinky, but John mentioned that there were other things in the water that might not be good for my skin.  So I didn’t touch it, but I really wanted to.

My favorite part of Yellowstone was the water and waterfalls.  I know we didn’t see them all, but we saw some incredible waterfalls. (Check out the video) Again, I have to commend the National Park Service.  They have made it possible for people who have a hard time walking to experience these natural wonders.  There is a huge amount of water in Yellowstone.  Rivers, waterfalls and lakes are everywhere.  We saw some people fly fishing, but maybe only two boats on Yellowstone Lake, which is a very huge lake. Not sure why there is not more boating.   


We did have one minor oopsy.  We had pulled off to an area called Paint Pots.  They were bubbling mud things that looked like paint in pots.  I guess.  Well anyway, it was 1/3 of a mile walk to get to see it.  John and my Dad went ahead to see if it was Wheelchair accessible and to see if the path was easy to push a wheelchair.  Well, I am not a good waiter. We waited about 15 minutes and they didn’t come back.  So Mom and I decided that we could do it.  We got her chair out, her out and off we went.  So far so good.  The path was good. Then the path became dirt.  Then I remembered we were supposed to be talking loud and making noise if you are walking on a trail.  This is so the bears can hear you coming and they will leave. (Our ranger told us this.)  I told Mom to start talking, but I was getting out of breath pushing her, then we started to laugh because we think we maybe shouldn’t be out here.  About ½ way there, Dad comes up the path and tells us that it is too far and the path is too hard, so he turns her around and I continue on, hoping to catch up with John.  I just arrive and John is returning.  He says I should go see it since I made it this far.  It was beautiful, colorful, steamy, bubbling and muddy.  I reached for my camera….I forgot my camera.  The only pictures I have are in my mind and I still think Mom and I could have made it.  Hiking back would have been interesting. 

Of course we finished off our tour of Yellowstone with Old Faithful geyser.  We saw many geysers throughout the park and we were told that there are geysers that are bigger than Old Faithful, but very unpredictable. What a remarkable sight! 

Mountains and Views

Breathtaking is all I can say about the beautiful mountains we saw during our trip around the park.  You can literally go around the park.  The road is shaped like a big 8.  We went through the middle on the first day, entering the East Gate and then exiting to our campsite at the West Gate. (Our campsite was actually in Montana) The next day we made a large circle around the park, stopping when we wanted to see more or go exploring.  We noticed there were a lot of downed trees in some areas that looked like there had been a fire in the past and there was a fire, back in 1988.  It burned 36% of the park.  It looks like it is coming back, but it will take many more years for the small trees to get as tall as the ones burned.

You could spend weeks traveling, walking and hiking this park.

All in all, it was an awesome visit to one of God’s glorious creations.  I am in awe and wonder of how vast and diverse this area is.  It is one of our National Treasures.   

How many are your works, LORD!
In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures. (Psalm 104: 24).\

 Next:Salt Lake City, Utah and Rest!

Day 14- Mount Rushmore

Dad told me for his 74th  birthday, he wanted to see Mt. Rushmore, so John and I moved heaven and earth to get him there.  We made it!  Happy Birthday, Dad.  No not really, but I think he will never forget his 74th birthday!

On our way to Mt. Rushmore, we stopped in Wall, SD.  Now the reason we stopped in Wall, SD is because just about every mile there was a huge billboard advertising Wall Drug.  Free ice water, homemade ice cream, anything you can think of, they advertised it on a billboard .  So we stopped and it was a great place.  Great food, a lot of shops and cool stuff to look at, but of course we must travel on to our destination.

Once at Mt. Rushmore, we actually spent more time there than I thought we would have.  I mean, how long can you stare at a big rock carved with faces?  One thing I think our Government does right is running our National Parks and Monuments.  The history they have available, the accommodations they make for people with disabilities and the effort they put into making a visit to our national treasures informative and interesting. 

John and I got to hike around the area, getting to see different angles of the faces.  We saw a short movie about the making of the sculpture and ate some great ice cream.  Mom thought it was fantastic, a wonderment and beautiful.  Dad was very impressed with the visitor's center.  When he visited 55 years ago, all he could do was walk to the pile of rocks and look up.  Now they have a lot of information to read and a better way to view the faces  John thought it was awesome, a must see for all. 

Next stop: Yellowstone National Park.  Moving West.

Day 13- Captain Ron's Jet Boats and onto Sioux Falls, SD



Can you see our travel line?

We wanted to see something in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin before we headed west.  Dad was here when he was about 19.  He and his friend Gary traveled the U. S. and stopped here.  He said we could probably take a boat tour the Dells, which is part of the Wisconson River. It had stormed the night before and was still overcast so we weren't sure we could get on a boat.  Of course, John wants to take the fast, jet boat.  I am thinking Mom would get on a slow tour boat.  Well Captain Ron's gave us both and Mom was willing to go!!! 

The path to the boat

In the boat.

Heading down to the boat.

What a thrill!!  As we cruised we learned about the terrain of the river and rocks.  Sandstone is the main element and you can see how the water eroded and created the beautiful banks.  Then, he would kick the boat into high gear, speeding on the top of the water with our hair blowing in the wind, except John's.  Then our boat captain, Captain James would break hard and the water came up over the front of the boat.  Then we would go fast again and then do a 360.  It was like a roller coaster on water!  Mom loved going fast, but didn't like the 360.  She said she felt out-of -control.  We were on the water for an hour and a half.  Oh yeah, we were the only ones on the boat!!  Their policy is they won't go out unless there are 8 people.  We told them we were leaving today and we couldn't come back.  We got our own private boat ride!  

Captain James

Sandstone

They were excellent in helping us get Mom down the ramp, which was no small feat.  It was very steep.  John was in front, Dad was pushing Mom and I was in the back as we headed down this ramp about 1/8 of a mile.  At one point, Dad was going faster and faster, kind of losing his footing.  I grabbed the back of his shirt (like that was going to help) and then John turned around and helped us slow down.  We are crazy.  Anyway, we got down to the boat ramp and the crew took over helping mom in the boat and out when we got back.   Captain Ron's is first class!  I recommend them highly.  They made this seemingly impossible event into a reality.  Mom can't believe she did that!

Great Ride and Great Times.

On to Sioux Falls, SD.   370 miles of corn, on both sides of the freeway.  No kidding, no exaggeration.  Beautiful farms, silos and barns, but only corn, as far as the eye can see.  No animals or other crops.  We got into Sioux Falls around 6:30 p.m.  We cooked hot dogs on the fire, had salad, water melon and chips.  Mom would rather eat at a restaurant, although she said the food was great.  I love the process of cooking out and eating outside at the campground.  Sioux Falls KOA was not as fancy as the Wisconsin Dells, but it sufficed.  We went to bed earlier than usual because we are leaving early to get to our next destination.......Mount Rushmore.  Oh of course it has started to rain.  Tomorrow (July 12) is Dad's 74th birthday and Mom and Dad's 53 wedding anniversary!   I wonder what tomorrow will bring?

Day 12 – National Air Force Museum and Destination-Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin

 Our little detour into Dayton, Ohio was for this purpose, visiting the National Air Force Museum.  John and my Dad had been there before and they loved it.  It was amazing.  They have just about every plane the Air Force has used, displayed in hangars with video, dioramas and informational signs to give more life to the history. The museum is full historical artifacts and all the displays are grouped by the war or conflict. 

They also have an excellent missile section that is my Dad’s favorite.  He worked on the Titan l and Titan II when he worked for Aerojet.   My Mom loved the bomber jets and the dioramas that were set up with realistic looking soldiers depicting a scene from a part of history.  John loved seeing the B2 Bomber and the SR-71.  I loved reading the history of some of the decorated soldiers.  They also had a section on the WASPS which was very cool.   We couldn’t see it all because of time.  We went through 3 hangars pretty fast and then looked at some airplanes outside on the tarmac.  We saw a Japanese kamikaze plane as well as WWII German planes.  There were 3 hangars we didn’t get to which has Franklin Roosevelt’s Presidential plane that was outfitted to help him get on.  We also missed the Space Program hangar.  We’ve got to go back one day.  Best of all, it was FREE!!!!  Free-Ninety Free!!!  Also, Mom got to use a motorized chair, kind of like a scooter.   She loved it and it gave her more independence than if we were pushing her around where we wanted to go.

After the museum, we headed North and West trying to get to Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin.  Boring drive, other than we got to see the Chicago Skyline and Wisconsin is a beautiful state.

It took us until after 9:00 pm to get to our campsite.  I do have to recommend KOAs.  They are clean, have stuff for the kids to do, accommodating and have everything you need.  After setting up, which doesn’t take long in a motor home, John and I decided we would go and do all the laundry, while Mom and Dad got ready for bed.   We didn’t get to sleep until around Midnight.  About four hours later the first sound of thunder woke us up.  We had the loudest, brightest and wettest thunderstorm that we had ever been in.  Lightening just kept flashing, rain was falling in sheets and the thunder sounded like a war battle.  It lasted about an hour and we were all awake, looking out the windows.  Of course it was still very warm outside.  Bacon and eggs, coffee and toast for breakfast.  What to do today before we head west?   Hmm…….

Day 11- Amish Country and Dayton Ohio

First, kudos go out to Rusty for pointing us in the right direction regarding the Amish country and good food.  Also, kudos goes to our daughter-in-law, Angela, who works for Trader Joe’s and helped us shop for our food supplies for the motor home.  Everything we have eaten has been scrumptious.  Thanks Rusty and Angela!

Well, just to let you know there really are people who live as if they are in the 1800’s.  We saw them.  We saw them tilling their soil using a horse drawn plow, traveling along the road in a horse drawn carriage and picking up their cut hay using a horse-drawn wagon with men using pitch forks throwing it up on the wagon.  Way cool.  The men all dress alike and have the Lincolnesque beard, kind of like the beard my son is sporting.  The women all have their hair in buns covered by a little hat.  Of course, the women all wear plain dresses. 

Hand-made quilts made by the Amish were one of my Mom’s wishes for this trip.  Well I have to say she is an over achiever.  She didn’t buy just one quilt….not just two quilts….I am not going to say how many she bought because it might make my Dad have another anxiety attack.  She had a blast.  Vacationing with just adults is a different kind of fun, unlike doing things with your grandkids and seeing things for the first time through their eyes.   Although watching my Mom get to fulfill something that she has wanted to do for a long time was just as fun.  I am glad I get to be here with her and my dad on this trip.

The one on the right is NOT me.

We went to eat at a hole in the wall restaurant that was excellent.  I had chicken noodle dressing casserole with green beans.  It was very country, very comfort-food good.   No Berkeley tofu in Amish country.  We tried the sweet potato fries and didn’t like them too much.  They served them with cinnamon butter.  Too sweet, fries should be salty was the consensus.

We went to a very cool store called Lehmans.  It had 19^th century farming tools throughout the store and also some cool kitchenware, stoves and tools.  Of course, John and I bought some Lehman soda, in the bottle and some homemade fudge.  I can’t remember what Mom and Dad bought.  Anyway, we finally take off to make it to our first KOA campground in Dayton Ohio.

We made it to the campground by 7:30 pm.  John cooked the awesome Trader Joe’s steaks and vegetables.  Mom and I cut up potatoes for fried potatoes and put together an awesome salad.  Our first dinner camping out was delicious.  Another great day on the road to California.

Next:  National Air Force Museum and then destination Wisconsin Dells, Wisconson.

Day 9 and 10- Goodbyes, Motorhome and Clifton Cousins

On Thursday, Day 9, we went swimming with the kids at Grandpa Bob’s and Ya Ya’s hotel.  I was already getting sad because we were leaving early the next morning, so this was the last day.  “That is all I am going to say about that…..”  (Forrest Gump and me.)

 John took the first shift on driving.  It is louder in the back of the motor home and less stable than I thought it would be.  My mom is less than thrilled but she is hanging in there.  We saw some beautiful countryside and finally stopped for the night in Parkersburg, West Virginia.  Parkersburg, WV, you say?  Why stop in Parkersburg?  Because my Dad has the nicest cousins you will ever want to meet.  They got a campground for us, on the house.  They came and got us and cooked the best food ever.  I really ate too much and who knows how many weight watchers points I consumed.  The best thing of all was the conversation and laughter.  What great hospitality.  Thank you very much, Peggy and Dave, Bev and Rusty.  It was great to see you again and  meet the rest of the family.

FYI,  Parkersburg, WV was originally surveyed and owned by George Washington!  Such great history, thanks Rusty.

We are still in awe of the beautiful green countryside and rivers we are seeing.  

On to the next leg of our trip, Amish Country and then to Dayton, Ohio, home of the Air Force Museum.

Day 8- Driving back to Greenville through the Smoky Mountains.

Wikipedia states, “Grits are a food of Native American origin common in the Southern United States and mainly eaten at breakfast. They consist of coarsely ground corn, or sometimes hominy, in which case they are referred to as hominy grits. They are also sometimes called sofkee or sofkey from the Creek word.  Grits are similar to other thick maize-based porridges from around the world, such as polenta, or the thinner farina.   

I have had the opportunity to try grits while on this vacation, three different times.  The Cracker Barrel restaurant serves them plain, no salt or sugar.  I added some sugar and it tasted like cream of wheat.  I tried some at the Waffle House.  They serve theirs with salt in it and very runny.  If I had tried those first, I wouldn’t have tried grits again.  The third time I tasted grits was at the Old Grist Mill Restaurant, again they were made with no salt or sugar.  I added Splenda to my portion and it was good.  I guess there are many ways people like gritls.    They are definitely a staple down in the South as is sweet tea.

We left Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee heading back to Greenville.

 We ate breakfast at the Old Grist Mill, built in 1830. After breakfast we shopped for a little and then we were on our way.  We decided to go the scenic route through the Smoky Mountains. (Side note: Smoky is spelled correctly with no “e.”)  What a great drive with beautiful scenery.  We stopped along the drive when we saw great views and stood on the North Carolina/Tennessee border.  We also stopped in Maggie Valley to stretch our legs and eat ice cream.  Another great day ended with Jade and Cole and sparklers!  They love fireworks.  I created a slide show using Smoky Mountain Gospel Hymns.  Enjoy.

Day 9- Getting the motor home, packing up, getting ready to leave our babies. L

Day 7- Dollywood

Reading their maps..

Dolly's Old House

This was her favorite ride.

Real steam/coal train.

How do I describe Dollywood?   Well  it is a beautiful theme park that reminds me of Frontierland at Disneyland and the old time part of Knott's Berry Farm.  Dolly Parton bought an old Silver Dollar City Theme park that was not doing well but located in Pigeon Forge Tennesse where she grew up.  Her dream was to create a place where the people of Pigeon Forge, mountain people, could make a living and stay in the mountains.  This was in 1986 and it worked.  Every employee that we encountered at the park, from the ticket counter, to the concession stand, to the people who help you on the ride was my age or older!  My experience at amusement parks has been young people, high schoolers or twenty-somethings going to college are the ones that work in these types of parks.  So I thought that was interesting. 

Today was about the kids and the grandkids.  Mom and Dad stayed at the cabin to recoup some energy.  So JR, Angela, Jade, Cole, John and I ventured out to Dollywood to ride rides, see craftsman do their crafts, eat food and make great memories, and we did!

Dollywood has a Bald Eagle rehabilitation area at the park.  It is a huge roped in area, so the eagles can live sort of normal, although they can't fly away. After being rehabilitated, they are rereleased into the wild.

Towards the end of the day we visited an old-time chapel at Dollywood where they had a overall wearin' iteneret preacher lead some old songs from church and VBS.  Some of you might remember, "I've Got Peace Like a River" or "This Little Light of Mine."  He also told stories about his Granny and how she influenced his life.  What I thought was cool was when he spoke about whittlin' versus carving.  Whittlin' is when you are passing time but not creating anything and carving is when you are creating something.  He likened that to spending time at places like Dollywood with your kids and grandkids you might think you are whittlin'  just wasting time, but you are really carving, investing in your kids and grandkids. 

Last thing we did was see a Bubble Show.  The bubble artist holds the worlds record for the biggest bubble. Jade and Cole loved the show.  There were bubbles everywhere and the music, lights and tricks he could do with bubbles were amazing.  What a great day we had!   Keep on carving!


Day 8-Traveling back to Greenville through the Great Smokey Mountains!

Day 6- Bears, Whiskey and Rain

Mom had bought herself, Angela and me matching shirts while in Greenville.  We thought it would look great if we took our pictures  in them at the cabin in Gatlinburg.  We took these pictures in the morning, before our visitors came. The back says, "Country girl, wearing camo, packing ammo."  That's us!
We were wondering why a lot of the store knick knacks, carvings and especially our cabin decor was of bears, black bears to be specific.  Well we met our resident bear family this morning.  The pictures tell it all.  It was exciting and scary at the same time.  Only the sliding glass door was between us and this mama bear and her three cubs.
Angela first thought that a dog had come onto our deck, but shortly discovered that they were black bears.  They were so cute, but we knew better than to think we can make friends with them. They were just looking for food.  It appears that we are on their food hunting route.  Mama bear knew exactly what to do. She climbed onto the deck picked up the ice chest, overturned it and then let the babies eat whatever was in the ice chest.  We just had water, so they licked it up. 

Can you see the bananas?

After the morning excitement we went into Gatlinburg to eat lunch and shop.  It is hard to describe Gatlinburg.  There are many shops and touristy type places.  Two things I would like to highlight during our lunch and shopping experience.  One was the food some of us tried.  At the Pancake Pantry, which was recommended to us by a local, Big John and Angela shared a hamburger that was called the All American.  Regular hamburger stuff except it had a sliced banana in it.  The waitress said it is amazing.  They loved it!  

Second was the moonshine tasting.  You could try regular old White Lightening or their many flavors of White Lightening.   The lady asked for Mom and my ID!  No kidding!  Mom says, "I am 72 years old and you want to check my ID?"  I said, "Yea my mom is 72 years old and you know that makes me way over 21 and you want to check my ID?" Anyway, we got to taste the moonshine without our ID's.  Maybe people age fast in Tennessee, so you could be under 21 and look 72?  I was not impressed.  Mom couldn't finish her taste of White Lightening.  She said it was too strong.  I thought my peach flavored moonshine tasted like sweet rubbing alcohol.

I want to end this blog to talk about the rain.  It was warm and sunny when we got to the restaurant to each lunch, but by the time we were done, it was pouring rain.  It poured for more than an hour.  We got some ponchos so we can continue shopping.  Jade and Cole thought it was cool. Cole thought it was cool for about 1 minute and then he took it off.  After the rain, steam started coming off the mountains around us, hence the name Smokey Mountains.  It does look like smoke lingering over the mountains.
What a fun day.  We ended the day playing poker.  Big John won all the money.  JR and Angela decided to go into the jacuzzi before retiring to bed, but knocked on our door wet and shaky.  The bears had returned while they were outside.  JR wanted his dad to help him put the jacuzzi cover back on.  Never a dull moment.









Tomorrow:  Dollywood