A Night at Walmart

Night at Walmart – Sept 14

With some repairs and maintenance work needed for our RV, we headed to a repair location in Colorado identified by the RV manufacturer.  To get there, we needed to spent an oversight in Brigham City, Utah.    We thought we had arranged space at a campground in the area – Wrong!  The campground had us coming in the next day.  No other campground availability in the area, but there was a Walmart.  Many campers have stayed overnight at Walmart and this was our turn to try it.  We checked in with the Walmart manager, who said ‘no problem’ and pointed us to where to park.   Sure felt strange to do this, yet it worked out quite well.   We did some grocery shopping there and settled in for the evening.   Not that noisy and not too many lights around.   We even had horses grazing on the land right on the other side of the fence from our RV.

Colorado Visit

Visit to Colorado for RV repairs:  9/16 – 9/29

Grand Junction, Colorado – our location for RV repairs.  We stayed here off and on during a two week period having work done on our motor home. While waiting for parts to be delivered, we spent the other time at Ridgeway State Park, about an hour outside Grand Junction.   Both areas beautiful – so much to see!  The Colorado National Monument located west of Grand junction is a large plateau with incredible red rock canyons and panoramic vistas.  The Rim Rock Drive, with its many twists and turns and breath-taking drop offs, reminds me of the Going to the Sun road  in Glacier.

Colorado Monument Canyon
Colorado Monument Canyon
Colorado Monument Canyon
Colorado Monument Canyon
Colorado Monument Canyon
Colorado Monument Canyon
Colorado Monument Canyon
Colorado Monument Canyon
Colorado Monument Canyon
Colorado Monument Canyon
Colorado Monument Canyon
Colorado Monument Canyon
Colorado Monument Canyon
Colorado Monument Canyon
Colorado Monument Canyon
Colorado Monument Canyon
Colorado Monument Canyon
Colorado Monument Canyon

On the east of Grand Junction is Grand Mesa, the largest flat top mountain in the world with elevation reaching 11,000 feet.  We visited Grand Mesa ‘Color Weekend’, when the aspens turn brilliant yellows and golds.  Lots of great hiking in this area.

Fall Colors on Grand Mesa, Colorado
Fall Colors on Grand Mesa, Colorado
Fall Colors on Grand Mesa, Colorado
Fall Colors on Grand Mesa, Colorado
Fall Colors on Grand Mesa, Colorado
Fall Colors on Grand Mesa, Colorado
Joan and Steve Squinting at the Camera at Land O Lakes Overlook, Grand Mesa, Colorado
Joan and Steve Squinting at the Camera at Land O Lakes Overlook, Grand Mesa, Colorado
Fall Colors on Grand Mesa, Colorado
Fall Colors on Grand Mesa, Colorado

Ridgeway State Park, located near Ouray and Telluride, is another wonderful, quiet state park.  Maybe a third of the campsites in use.  In Ouray, a town considered ‘The Switzerland of America’, we fell in love with hot springs!  The town owns and runs a public hot springs that has been in place since the 1920’s.   The sulfur free pool is open year round.  We spent three evenings there, relaxing in 97 degree waters, looking at the mountains and stars all around.    The Ouray area is filled with unforgettable scenery – rugged mountains, once booming mining cities; True Grit and other old Hollywood westerns were filmed here, most roads are dirt.

Million Dollar Highway South of Ouray, Colorado
Million Dollar Highway South of Ouray, Colorado
Million Dollar Highway, South of Ouray, Montana
Million Dollar Highway, South of Ouray, Montana
Million Dollar Highway, South of Ouray, Montana
Million Dollar Highway, South of Ouray, Montana
Fall Collors on the Million Dollar Highway, South of Ouray, Montana
Fall Collors on the Million Dollar Highway, South of Ouray, Montana
Red Mountain Pass, Million Dollar Highway
Red Mountain Pass, Million Dollar Highway
Million Dollar Highway, South of Ouray, Montana
Million Dollar Highway, South of Ouray, Montana
Fall Colors on the Million Dollar Highway, South of Ouray, Montana
Fall Colors on the Million Dollar Highway, South of Ouray, Montana
Fall Colors on the Million Dollar Highway, South of Ouray, Montana
Fall Colors on the Million Dollar Highway, South of Ouray, Montana

Another town we visited in the area was Telluride, a popular ski resort town, located in a deep canyon.  Here a route of three gondola rides connects the town to ski resort areas and the rides are free.  Great way to see this area!

Thoughts:

– Aspens, trees located in the West and at higher altitudes, are fast becoming my favorite tree.  They are the largest, single biological unit, with trees interconnected.    They are beautiful, with their white bark that contrasts with other colors around them and their brilliant golden colors in the fall.   The movie, Avatar, comes to mind when I think of aspens – a deep sense of community

 

 

Yellowstone

Yellowstone National Park – Labor Day Weekend through September 13

Magnificent Yellowstone National Park, where elk and bison own the roads, plains and rivers.  Here we met up for a day with my sister Cathy and her husband, Ray (from Georgia!), as well as Bobbi and Diana (from WA state).  So great to see family and so sad to say good bye….                   So much to see at Yellowstone – the geysers, mud pots, hot springs, fumaroles…..an ever changing landscape, with volcanic activity ever near the surface.  And such a large national park, we never made it to all parts of the park.   Memorable events here, over and beyond family visit include the 5-6 mile round trip hike up Mount Washburn, with a Ranger residence above the look out tower on top.  The Ranger lives there the full season May through early October, without leaving, checking for fires.  Supplies are brought up.    Also, learning about the smoke jumper community – a smoke jumping training center is located in West Yellowstone.   Temperatures ranged from 20 degrees in morning to highs in the mid 70’s  – perfect!   Yellowstone may need a re-visit.

Thoughts:

  • Such a treat to see family while on this trip!  And homesickness returned for a bit
  • Long lines/traffic to get in and out of Yellowstone.  Definitely worth staying in the Park if possible
  • The sky is so expansive out west – it feels ‘bigger’ than the sky we have in the east.  And the night stars feel so close and are so bright!
Family meet-up in Yellowstone. Steve, Cathy, Joan and Ray
Family meet-up in Yellowstone. Steve, Cathy, Joan and Ray
Steve’s new look when hiking in cold weather. Just needs an earing
Bison all around!
Bison all around!
Bull Elk in Park Superintendent Front Yard 2
Bull elk in park superintendent front yard
Fire that started while we were at Yellowstone
Yellowstone hot springs
Yellowstone hot springs
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone at Top of Upper Falls
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone at Top of Upper Falls
Geyser at Yellowstone
Old Faithful geyser at Yellowstone
hot spring at Yellowstone
hot spring at Yellowstone
Fumerals and Hotsprings at Norris Basin, Yellowstone Park
Fumerals and Hotsprings at Norris Basin, Yellowstone Park

 

Glacier Park and a layover in Helena, Montana

Glacier National Park and a layover at Court Sheriff Campground outside Helena, Montana  – Late August/early September

Our drive back into the States was through an entry that is only open during the summer months.  And the ride to Glacier, which was only an hour or so away, was memorable.  Our first introduction to free range cows!  As we came around a bend, there were cows in the road!!  And they were very clear they owned right of way and just hung out for a while in the road, looking at us.   Too funny!

Glacier National Park, where the wind howled for several days, rocking and rolling our RV.  Bears galore and we learned to distinguish black bears from Grizzlies!  Definitely better to have a run in with a black bear. Many big horn sheep, mountain goats and deer.

Grizzly Bear Coming Out of the Woods, Glacier Park
Grizzly Bear Coming Out of the Woods, Glacier Park
Grizzly in Woods, Glacier Park
Grizzly in Woods, Glacier Park

The Red Bus tour through the park was so worth it, introducing us to the ‘going to the sun’ road, park history, rock formations, etc….

Fossils at Glacier Park
Fossils at Glacier Park
Along Glacier Lake
Along Glacier Lake
Along the Road to The Sun, Glacier Park
Along the Road to The Sun, Glacier Park
Along the Road to The Sun, Glacier Park
Along the Road to The Sun, Glacier Park
Along the Road to The Sun, Glacier Park
Along the Road to The Sun, Glacier Park
View from Logan Pass, Along the Road to The Sun, Glacier Park
View from Logan Pass, Along the Road to The Sun, Glacier Park
Along the Road to The Sun, Glacier Park
Along the Road to The Sun, Glacier Park

Some parts of the park were off limit due to fires that were mostly extinguished.

Glacier Area Burned the Day Before We Arrived
Glacier Area Burned the Day Before We Arrived

The 4.2 mile long, 1,840 feet of elevation hike up to Grinnell Glacier was truly memorable, hiking under waterfalls on slippery rocks, incredible birds-eye views of three lakes, having my hiking shoes fall apart, seeing the glacier up close and melting into a lake and racing the last .6 mile down to make the boat that takes you back.  (Denise, thanks for recommending this hike!)

View from Our First Break on Hike to Grinnell Glacier
View from Our First Break on Hike to Grinnell Glacier
View from Second Break on Hike to Grinnell Glacier
View from Second Break on Hike to Grinnell Glacier
View of Grinnell Glacier from our Third Break on Hike
View of Grinnell Glacier from our Third Break on Hike
View of Third Lake on Trail to Grinnell Glacier from Glacier
View of Third Lake on Trail to Grinnell Glacier in Glacier Park
Joan With Grinnell Glacier in Background
Joan With Grinnell Glacier in Background
Grinnell Glacier
Grinnell Glacier
View of Lakes on Our Way Back from Grinnell Glacier
View of Lakes on Our Way Back from Grinnell Glacier

Steve and I traveled into the park a couple of nights to see if we could find wildlife and we always did! Usually bears, sometime mule deer… By the way, driving the ‘Going to the Sun’ road takes patience, is very doable and provides incredible views of the mountains way above and canyons way below.A few days layover in Helena, Montana…..at the small, lovely and quiet Court Sheriff campground.  Replaced my broken hiking shoes, replenished supplies and enjoyed laying low.

thoughts:

  • Montana wins our award as having the straightest roads of any state.  They also have 80-90 MPH speed limits!
  • Glaciers are disappearing.  The glaciers in Glacier National Park are expected to be gone in 10-15 years;  a few years later in Banff
  • Free range cows are common in the West.  Coming around a corner to find 2-3 cows in the road staring at you is unnerving and just not something seen in the East!
  • My favorite campgrounds so far are generally county, state or national parks or on BLM public lands.   More space, further removed from towns, more connected to nature
  • My fear of heights shows up when on narrow trails (less than 18″ wide) with sheer, steep drop offs on one or both sides.
  • Need to be discriminating is selecting a Laundromat!
  • So enjoying this trip!

It’s Been A While & ‘Oh Canada’ update

It’s been since mid August that I’ve last updated our ‘Brown About’ blog.  And there is a good reason – me and ‘shoulds’ have been fighting a lot recently.  When feeling like I’m doing something because I ‘should’, I resist, think about it and then think about it some more.  Long/short, the last several weeks, updating the blog felt like a ‘should’ and now it feels like a ‘want to’.   So I hope to be posting a couple of updates today.  The title will describe the area we are traveling (I hope!) and the next few updates should catch up to where we are currently traveling.

Oh, Canada – Banff and Waterton Provincial Parks    Mid to End of August

We had just arrive in Banff, Canada in the last update.  Banff is my favorite spot of all places visited on our RV travels so far.  The incredible mountains; Lake Louise;  the Icefields Parkway, with more than 40 glaciers and countless mountains between Banff and Jasper;  walking on a glacier, with more than 250′ of ice below us;  being introduced to the importance of carrying bear spray while hiking; hiking the continental divide on the top of mountains;   the welcoming and international feel of the town itself…..

Along Icefield Parkway, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park
Along Icefield Parkway, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park
Along Icefield Parkway, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park
Along Icefield Parkway, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park
Along Icefield Parkway, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park
Along Icefield Parkway, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park
Along Icefield Parkway, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park
Along Icefield Parkway, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park
Along Icefield Parkway, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park
Along Icefield Parkway, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park
Along Icefield Parkway, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park
Along Icefield Parkway, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park
Along Icefield Parkway, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park
Along Icefield Parkway, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park
Along Icefield Parkway, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park
Along Icefield Parkway, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park
Along Icefield Parkway, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park
Along Icefield Parkway, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park
Along Icefield Parkway, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park
Along Icefield Parkway, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park
Along Icefield Parkway, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park
Along Icefield Parkway, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park
Along Icefield Parkway, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park
Along Icefield Parkway, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park
Along Icefield Parkway, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park
Along Icefield Parkway, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park
Along Icefield Parkway, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park
Along Icefield Parkway, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park
Along Icefield Parkway, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park
Along Icefield Parkway, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park
Along Icefield Parkway, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park
Along Icefield Parkway, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park
Along Icefield Parkway, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park
Along Icefield Parkway, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park
Along Iceland Parkway, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park
Along Iceland Parkway, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park
Glacier on Icefield Parkway, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park
Glacier on Icefield Parkway, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park
Transportation to/from walk on glacier
Transportation to/from walk on glacier
Walking on Glacier
Walking on Glacier
Steve boarding the bus from trip to glacier provides context for size of bus
Steve boarding the bus from trip to glacier provides context for size of bus

Two favorite hikes:  1.  One  was up Mount Sulphur, just outside Banff.  We could have taken the tram up and back, but decided we’d hike up and tram down.  Up 5.5 KM, with many switchbacks.   Painfully learned the importance of taking a break to snack on a rigorous hike – we were both drained by the time we reached the top.    Large visitor center on top, along with an observation tower another 1.5 KM away.  Breath-taking views of Banff from on top.    45 minute wait for the tram back down and shared to ride back with a grandfather/granddaughter from Alberta area.  Fun to hear their perspective on the area, weather…..  Starved by the time we got back to the RV!   2.  Mt. Sunshine – a large ski area outside Banff.  We took the bus up 6+KM and then hiked around the summit, walking  over the continental divide, the point where water flows either West to the Pacific or East to the Atlanta.  Also crossed into British Columbia from Alberta on hike.   Many trails around meadows and lakes, hiking approximately 5KM.  Shirt-sleeve weather!

Continental Divide

Simpson Point at Albert/British Columbia Border on the Continental Divide
Simpson Point at Albert/British Columbia Border on the Continental Divide
View At the Intersection of Alberta, British Columbia and The Continental Divide
View At the Intersection of Alberta, British Columbia and The Continental Divide
Joan at Cosmic Ray Station on Sulphur Mountain
Joan at Cosmic Ray Station on Sulphur Mountain
View of Banff from Mt Sulfur. Hiked 5.5 km, up 655 km in elevation. Took tram down from here
View of Banff from Mt Sulfur. Hiked 5.5 km, up 655 km in elevation. Took tram down from here
Lake Louise, with its 'green/gray' water and glacier in the background
Lake Louise, with its ‘green/gray’ water and glacier in the background

We love Banff so much, we plan to re-visit it again around the June 2016 timeframe.  Maybe with family guests??

Waterton Lakes Park, the Canadian side of Glacier national park and a couple of hours south of Banff.   Incredible mountains, many lakes, but sadly, it was filled with smoke from the many fires burning in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, etc….  Many great hikes, with the most memorable to Forum Lake, a 5+ mile hike up to a sub-alpine lake surrounded on three sides by a rock wall.   And two very scenic parkways in the Park:  Akamina, which ends 16 KM at Cameron Lake and Red Rock, a beautiful 15 KM road.  Many hikes off both parkways.   And we visited the Bison Paddock just about every day to drive among the bison….