Hood Canal - July 10 - 20

Yellowstone - Grand Tetons

My first night I stayed at Headwaters Flagg Ranch just south of The Yellowstone entrance. It was a nice campground with hook ups and maybe 20 other motor homes there. The lodge was not open yet. With a lot of snow still on the ground it felt very peaceful and quiet. Kind of nice having such an empty campground.  But it was cold with the occasional snow flurry. 

Driving into Yellowstone, there was lots of snow and the scenery was beautiful. Once in the valley the snow was mostly gone. It was a perfect time to visit as it felt so empty! There was only one pull out for some pools that was busy. All the other places had plenty of parking and few people. At one point I just pulled over in Hayden valley and parked for an hour, enjoying lunch, the views and only the occasional tourist. The bitter cold wind prevented me from walking very far and sure made me appreciate my tiny house on wheels.

I was missing the hiking and heading back to Madison campground I decided to bundle up and look for a trail. I found one connected to the campground and went for a nice hike along the river.  About a mile in it started to snow so I decided to turn around and head back. As I turned around I ran into, well almost,  a giant Bison. It was like he snuck up on me. I quietly backed away to a respectful distance and just watched as he munched away and eventually headed off into the trees. That certainly made my day!

Zion and Bryce

The drive heading east from Zion is called the Zion Park Scenic Byway and it really has amazing scenery the whole drive. The Mount Carmel tunnel, completed in 1930, is an experience itself. The 1.1 mile long tunnel is dark, except for the occasional rock cut out window. It has height and width limits and vehicles over 11’4” have to pay a $15.00 fee so they can shut down the tunnel for just that vehicle and they have to drive down the middle. Luckily my van fit just fine. 

On to Bryce! I headed for Ruby’s Inn RV park located just outside the entrance. It is a very nice park with hook ups, trees and decent sized spaces. It also has showers and laundry.  Bryce was cold as I went early in the morning, and the main trails were closed due to snow and ice, but I easily traveled the rim trails and enjoyed a very uncrowded visit. 

Arches National Park

Today was a great day. I have been reading about how bad the crowds are at the park and they recommended getting there before 9 AM. So I decided to take it further and got there at 6:30 AM. Nothing was manned yet and you could drive right in. There were very few cars around. I had a great day of hiking and exploring. I hiked the windows area, double arch, Devils Garden, Balanced Rock and several more. This is a spectacular place. The landscape changes around every corner and many arches are short hikes off the road. I parked at Devils Garden at about 9 AM. They have a huge parking lot and it was about 1/3 full. I was gone for about 2 hours and when I got back it was almost full.

The van fit in all the regular spots perfectly!

After a few more stops I finally left around noon. The line to get in was a mile long. I am exhausted but it is that good exhausted. Now for a shower, dinner and some ice cream!

Originally I planned to drive half way to The Tetons, but I might just make the whole trip in one day. I will decide in the morning.

Traveling to Zion

May 14 - ZION

I am feeling the joy of the open road!

The transition from the green forest, waterfalls and rivers of Yosemite took awhile. Coming out of the hills to flat desert at first seemed depressing. But slowly I was able to come to appreciate this  very different landscape.

Just over the border of Nevada is a mini casino town. I spent the night in a big parking lot of a casino called Buffalo Bills with a few other semis and 2 other RVs.

I have also come to a new appreciation of cruise control. The straight roads are a nice change from twisty mountain highways. I also see a lot of trains on this trip. Somehow, I don’t know why, they feel comforting. And sure enough Willie Nelson singing City of New Orleans comes on from my playlist.

Just as I am enjoying the desert, Las Vegas explodes out of the land and punches you in the face. The ginormous buildings, casinos and bill boards all scream at you and pull your eyes in all directions. But it passes fairly quickly and the peaceful desert takes over again.

The beautiful town of St. George gently pops up out of the desert. In big contrast to Vegas the town of St. George feels like it has made friends with the landscape, and even compliments it. The red rock

cliffs seem to hug the town and a big snow capped mountain stands watch in the distance.

On to Zion.