Posts Tagged With: Hiking

Our Galapagos Adventure, Part 2

Posted on December 2, 2025 by Doug and Jackie

Let’s continue with this fantastic adventure cruise to the Galapagos Islands.  As I mentioned earlier, the Galapagos Islands lie 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador, isolated for centuries and only visited by whalers, pirates and eventually settlers who tried to cultivate a living on the islands.  The volcanic islands lacked dependable sources of water, with a few exceptions, and thus put a huge strain on the bird and animal life that arrived to the islands.  The need to adapt for survival resulted in species that are totally unique and were what we wanted to see on this trip.  We were not disappointed.

Part One VIDEO is now posted: Our Galapagos Adventure – Part One

Part Two VIDEO is now posted: Our Galapagos Adventure – Part Two

Our fourth day aboard was off the coast of Santa Cruz and North Seymour Islands.  Overnight we were rocked pretty good by large swells, caused by the deep water Humbolt current we were told, and this was the first time seeing lights of other boats and onshore activity.  Choices of excursion for the day were a morning beach walk with beach snorkel or simply the beach snorkel.  Up early to catch breakfast and get ready, we chose the beach walk, since it involved a brief visit to a brackish pond where other birds were expected.  An 8:30 wet landing meant wearing wet shoes and changing into dry socks and hiking shoes.  The beach was white sand, the color of the water was a beautiful blue and frothy white waves crashed over the black volcanic rocks and over the red crabs and brown sea lions scattered about.  It was very cool. The pond behind the dunes was quiet and we saw some ducks and a great look at a black-necked stilt.   

Back at the beach landing we changed into our snorkel gear to check out the sea life.  Turns out it was pretty stirred up and hard to see clearly, so we opted to slip off our fins and get out.  As we were doing so, someone pointed out “octopus in the water”.  Sure enough, there in the wave wash was a dark grey/purple octopus, maybe 12” across the spread tentacles.  We watched a bit before it disappeared deeper into the water.  How very exciting!

Back on board we went through the washing routine with our gear, showered and headed to lunch.  Today was a Spanish inspired lunch with lots of delicious choices.  We had a little chill time while the ship repositioned around the island, just off Baltra and North Seymour Island.  As the ship moved north we closely passed two protected islands: Daphne Major and Daphne Minor. These treeless islands experienced severe drought in the ’70’s and as a result their finch population had to adapt to eating much larger, harder seeds. It is very protected and is the site of finch studies. Moving along the cliffs we spotted some of the red-billed tropicbirds fishing.

Doug skipped the 3:00 snorkel but Jackie went out on this deep water snorkel that she said was a bit rough with some of the same fish and was back onboard by 4:15.  It was a quick turnaround for her, as we both took the 4:45 tender for a dry landing on the rocky coastline.  This was a big nesting area for the frigate birds and blue footed boobies.  There were lots and lots of frigate birds soaring around, some who would try to snatch fish from the nesting boobies, others hovering just above us.  

Of course I was clicking away with my camera and also filming with my gopro camera the whole time – carefully stepping over the many rounded rocks and around the sleeping sea lions.  I was filming a very curious juvenile frigate bird who was just a foot or so above Jackie when he shifted over to me and came in way way too close.  I backed away as his long hooked beak headed straight for me. What else could you do, their wingspan was nearly 4 feet across and I really didn’t want to swat at him – so as I was shouting “too close, too close” I toppled over some rocks and went down.  Everything was fine, I was just a bit humbled and embarrassed by this silly bird.  Yes, it’s on video.

Further along we encountered a cute group of three sea lion pups flopping about.  The group circled around them to take pictures and the pups kept creeping closer and closer to us.  Once again we were telling them “too close” but they didn’t listen of course and they curiously kept advancing.  It was really quite amusing watching as another couple of pups joined them and there was much barking and jostling and flopping around.  Very special and up close look at them.

Onboard for the drink of the day – the Yellow Warbler (well at least I got the drink, if not the photo just yet) – dinner and then choices for tomorrow’s excursions.  Jackie has been very careful on this trip with her dining choices, since she has an allergy to shellfish (crab, lobster, shrimp) that she wants to avoid.  The cruise line was advised in advance and our servers have always asked, but somehow something was overlooked.  She had a rough night and the next morning just wanted to stay in bed.  I shared that with the maitre’d and he ordered up a bowl of chicken soup for her and followed up all day with how she was feeling.

The morning activity was a trip ashore on San Cristobal Island to visit a nature center and then have time in town for shopping or wandering.  Lots of sea lions on shore and laying about on sidewalks and benches – you had to once again watch your step.  I watched several pups splashing around in the tide pools.  Town was pretty quaint, with lots of open air cafes and shopping nooks.  I snapped pictures, did just a little shopping and was back on board before lunch.  It was a rather busy port compared to every other spot we visited.  Only 3% of the islands are inhabited, but where they are it is pretty crowded.

Jackie was still not feeling too good, but I told her it was not a real important excursion day and to stay aboard and rest.  We had some chill time again onboard as the ship repositioned off Punta Pitt and we waited for our scheduled time to visit the island (visitation is strictly controlled).  At 4:00 I boarded the tender for a wet landing, then changed into dry socks and shoes for the long hike up and around the island.  This was a hike up a dry, tight creek bed, much like a small slot canyon, and it was a nice challenge.  You pretty much had to watch your footing the whole time, but as I stopped to get a picture of the blueish lichen on the rocks I noticed something odd on the rock ledge.  Oh, wow it was a small owl.  I pointed it out to our naturalist, who got very excited to see the Galapagos barn owl.  It was just roosting on the rock, not paying a bit of attention to all of us who were snapping lots of pictures.  Nice catch.

Further along the hike we reached some shrubs where blue footed booby chicks were sitting in nests – all white and fluffy.  There was also a new bird for us, the red footed booby, both adults and juveniles.  They were much more gray colored, but the feet were definitely red.  Along the cliffs we saw the third booby, the Nazca booby.  These were white with black wing patches and a yellow bill.  Several flocks were flying along the cliffs and you could catch a few nesting out on the rocks.  Very scenic area, with red and orange plants scattered on the rocks (probably a variety of sedum).  We turned back and found the barn owl still sitting on the ledge, ignoring us.  

Back onboard the ship Jackie was feeling better.  She said the captain and other staff checked on her all day and they figured there must have been some cross-contamination.  The chef prepared a special chicken plate for her and I tried their pumpkin soups and a flounder plate.  The drink of the day was the red footed booby.  After dinner we went up to the darkened 8th deck to look at the stars, even though we couldn’t find the Southern Cross or recognize any of the constellations (too many stars!).  

Saturday was our day to visit tortoises and to do some reforestation on Santa Cruz Island so after breakfast we departed at 8:00 for a dry landing at Puerto Ayora and a short bus ride to the Charles Darwin Research Station and a walk into the Fausto Llerena Giant Tortoise Breeding Center.  We saw our first adult saddleback tortoises here and pens with many other younger ones.  This breeding center is where they hatch and grow the tortoises until around 5 years old, then introduce them back to the islands where they are native.  Great spot for lots of information about how the tortoises were removed so heavily by whalers and pirates as a long-lasting source of food onboard their ships and the efforts now to repopulate them.

Walking back to our buses in town we had some time to shop for shirts, souvenirs and chocolate.  We made sure to get some that was tagged “Darwin’s favorite chocolate.”  Right.  Chocolate was top of his list.  Our next journey was up into the Highlands for a tree planting activity.  We hopped out of the van and found our sizes of rubber boots before hiking into the green, tropical Highlands to plant some Galapagos Scalesia trees to replace the cleared invasive species that had taken over.  This tree is important to the island because of the lichen that grows on its branches and traps moisture from the air.  Each of us had two saplings to plant, with tags that indicated our specific cruise and date, so if we choose to return in years to come, we might just be able to find our trees.  

Changing out of our boots and back into hiking shoes, we boarded the vans for another short drive down the mountain to the El Mansanillo Ranch and a tortoise preserve.  The Highlands were rather lush, filled with pastures of cattle, groves of fruit and greenhouses of vegetables.  It helped us understand that when our cruise chef said they locally sourced all of their food for the cruise, it was indeed possible from Santa Cruz island.

At the ranch we were greeted in a beautiful open-air pavilion for welcome drinks and a delicious buffet lunch.  One of the featured drinks was their own Boobies Beer, which was a nice blonde ale.  After fruit, salad, ceviche, fish and dessert – plus wine and shots of their distilled moonshine – we were treated to a local high school dance performance of traditional dances.  Very colorful and entertaining.  But of course the big event was stepping out to find the giant tortoises.  Not too hard to do, since we had been watching these large moving boulders since we arrived.  In fact they were on the dirt road leading to the ranch and our driver had to gingerly weave around them.  

In the lush green fields we walked among the domed tortoises as they munched on grass, moved about, watched us carefully … and it all just seemed so strange.  These animals were two and maybe three times our age.  They had the freedom to go wherever they wanted on the island, they weren’t penned in.  Wherever the food source took them is where they went.  These domed tortoises had shells that differed from the saddleback tortoises we saw earlier, the result of adaptation that was all part of Darwin’s observations and concluding theories of evolutionary change.  The food they ate (saddlebacks needed to reach the prickly pear fruit) determined how their necks grew and shells molded.  The grass did not require these tortoises to have the long necks and saddleback shells.  It was just amazing to see so many of these big creatures all over the fields and pastures.

We had a little more time in town before heading back to the ship.  This waterfront avenue was filled with pretty high-end shops and restaurants and was lots of fun to shop, even though we really didn’t have much extra room in the luggage for extra souvenirs.  Oh, and I finally got a clear shot of that elusive yellow warbler – on a windowsill no less!

Speaking of luggage, our briefing before dinner was all about how to pack up before midnight, followed by a photo review of our week’s cruise adventure.  Each of us received a jump drive with the powerpoint slide show to take back with us – and we toasted the entire crew with champagne.  Dinner that night was special – a group of 12 of us who had become pretty close on the excursions asked to be seated together for the last night.  It was a lot of fun, as we laughed and chatted about the adventures we all just experienced together.  The meal was delicious, with most choosing the beef Wellington, while I had grilled octopus (sure hope it wasn’t the one we spotted).  If I recall correctly, it was Ena and Al, Andy and Kristy, Carol and Kathy, Judy and Linda, Adam and Janice who joined us for that last meal (which seemed to have bottomless glasses of wine). 

Well we did get our bags all packed up and outside the door for pickup by midnight.  We were up early to leave the room by 7:30 and catch breakfast before hopping aboard the tenders one last time.  The captain and crew were all there to wave us off, no doubt anxious to prepare for the next arrivals.  It was a contented bunch who docked and rode the shuttle to the airport, just a bit sorry the adventure had come to an end but thrilled with the experience.  We claimed our bags, passed through immigration, got our boarding passes and waited in the VIP lounge where there was food and water.  Unfortunately, due to national elections the next day, all alcohol sales and service in the country were shut down for 36 hours.  Ah well, we had our fill the day before.  

The chartered 2 hour flight back to Quito was just fine, with another delicious lunch served.  One in Quito the group broke up in several ways.  Some folks were headed to Peru for adventure, a few were going to the cloud forest in Ecuador and others had flights home a day later.  We were part of the group that had an early flight back home the next morning, so we were escorted to a hotel near the airport: EB Hotel.  This is a very posh euro style hotel that welcomed us with drinks (juice) and had wonderful rooms.  Once again, the lobby was filled with large arrangements of long stemmed roses.  Gorgeous.  Dinner in their restaurant was included and once again I had grilled octopus with shrimp over fettucini, with coconut shrimp for appetizer and a chocolate mousse for dessert.  

Breakfast buffet the next morning, early, and off to the airport by 6:30.  Celebrity helped guide us through the self-check process for LATAM Airlines and we were set to board a 9:05 flight to Miami.  There was just a bit of time for last minute chocolate and coffee shopping before boarding and we had no problems with the flight.  We learned later that some of the group who had a red-eye back home had their flight cancelled and spent the night at a less-than-stellar hotel.  That’s too bad. 

We connected through Miami and on to Atlanta, although neither of us found the Miami portion to be enjoyable at all.  Completely full and not a very polite group of travelers.  Perhaps we had been so spoiled with the Celebrity crew and escorts and the wonderful cruisers who joined us that nothing would have matched that experience.  But we were soon back home chatting about the wonderful memories we had exploring the Galapagos Islands. 

I hope you enjoyed this recap of our experience and will consider this for your future “life list.”  We can both guarantee you won’t be disappointed.  And when I have a bit more time I will edit the video I took and post it on my YouTube channel.  Thanks for joining us on the adventure.

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Yes, Our Adventures Continue …

Posted on October 30, 2025 by Doug and Jackie

Oh my, it is now fall and I haven’t updated our adventure blog since our trip to Jekyll Island, the Okefenokee Swamp and Panama City Beach.  That was a wonderful adventure.  We haven’t had any other big camping trips, just keeping busy locally.  Moving to a new house has been a big step for us and is keeping us quite busy – some improvements and discovering what will grow on our acre.  Figs were a big surprise, keeping Doug busy with making preserves, tarts and breads.  We planted two crops of delicious corn, were overrun with yellow squash and were surprised with so many blooming flowers and shrubs.  And Doug has been crafting lots of new glass sculptures, bird baths and solar fountains, now that he has a new dedicated studio space over the garage.  Several new videos have been posted to his YouTube channel – check them out! 

We have also been exploring the “neighborhood” by visiting some fun wineries in the Georgia Mountains with friends and family – part of our Brew Crew. We still have a few great breweries nearby that feature some delicious craft beers and food trucks. We went kart racing at Atlanta Motorsports Park with family and had a blast! Jason is head chef there and is building out several great eateries for guests. A Taste of Woodstock local food festival was lots of fun and we volunteered to pour at Acworth’s mimosa festival (that featured a monster thunderstorm that drenched us just as our shift began!).

We did have a camping week at our nearby Lake Allatoona, which was great.  Our grandsons joined us overnight and we had fun with the kayak and paddleboards.  It might just have been our last camping adventure in the motorhome, as we have decided it is time to clean it up and put it up for sale.  It is rather sad, since we have had such amazing, exciting adventures in it over the past 10 years.  It took us to all of the national parks we could reach (excepting the Pacific coast), many fantastic state parks and so many wild and crazy adventures.  That may not end, just not in this particular motorhome.

You might wonder why this post, given that we really haven’t been camping at the beach, in the mountains, or someplace off the grid in the West.  Well, we have our next adventure coming up and I wanted to alert you to what may be posted on the blog by Thanksgiving.  To celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary this year, we decided to visit a place that holds a lot of meaning for wildlife biologists like us: visiting the Galapagos Islands off Ecuador.  This is a special place that instructed Charles Darwin on his theory of evolution.  Our trip will start with a day in Quito, Ecuador before flying to the coast and boarding our ship, the Celebrity Flora – limited to 100 guests and reached by a zodiac raft.  

Each of our seven days onboard will include morning and afternoon hikes, snorkels, exploration and discovery, moving between several islands.  We are so excited and maybe just a little nervous about this exploration cruise.  It should truly be a trip of a lifetime and I hope to have enough stories and pictures to share when we get back.  I will take a notebook instead of the computer, so it may take a while to compose the blog … and to sort through what should be awesome pictures and video.

So stay tuned for the big post-cruise posting while you are sipping your pumpkin spice latte and bundling up in the chilly fall weather.  Hope to share more soon.  And thanks for being a faithful reader.  Why not check out some of my glass sculpture videos?

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Red River Gorge and Rain

Posted on May 8, 2024 by Doug and Jackie

As we left the campground of Hocking Hills State Park and made our way along the narrow serpentine roads out of the hills it was West Virginia in our sights, one more state to add to our “places camped” map.  We mostly followed along the Ohio River on the West Virginia side, which was a pretty torn up two lane due to a lot of trucking activity, railroad crossings and a patchwork of road repairs.  What fun in a large motorhome!  But as we got closer to the destination, Beech Fork State Park, the roads got narrower, winding once again, and then a complete stop for the trailers, cars and trucks ahead of us.  What was up?

It happened that a fairly large mobile home was being moved/towed out of the area and they might have managed to get stuck in the shoulder or something.  It was a half hour of sitting, watching the engine temperature to be sure it didn’t spike while at idle, asking folks who were walking to check it out, and then we began to move.  Yep, there it was, taking up most of the road, with traffic slipping past, half on/half off the roadway.  It was a tight grip on the wheel, slow as she goes, hope we don’t scrape kind of move that put us finally past the “house” and maybe a mile up the road to camp.  Ok, enough excitement.

Campground was pretty large, sitting alongside a quiet lake and less than half full.  We unhooked the Jeep, backed into the site and got ready to relax for two nights.  No big hikes here, no caves, just a quiet spot by the water.  Well, some drizzle overnight with a chance of more rain the next day.  We’ve been lucky to only have some brief overnight showers and otherwise gorgeous sunny weather daytime, so we couldn’t complain.  But this big thunderstorm rolled in just after lunch and pounded the RV.  Booming claps of thunder and just a lot of water came down as we smugly congratulated ourselves for not being in a tent.

It cleared off by dinner and we sat out to watch some good birds around us.  Yellow warblers sang “sweet sweet, I’m so sweet” and flitted in the nearby trees and then we spotted a larger yellow and black bird.  Hmm, wait, there is the male … a bright orange and black Baltimore Oriole.  Nice.  The female kept coming back to pull strips off the old milkweed stems, no doubt getting nesting material.  And while watching a couple of mallards walk around the shoreline, we noticed another pair that were in fact wood ducks.  Tried to get some good pictures as they swam off and we remarked that this evening on the lake was pretty cool indeed.

As we got ready to hit the sack, Jackie said her pillow felt wet.  Wait, the bedspread was wet, too.  Very wet, as were the layers below: the blanket, the sheets, the mattress topper, foam egg crate and the memory foam mattress below!  What?  It seems that the rain must have puddled on top of the slideout and made its way inside (were we not fully extended?).  That meant we were draping sheets and blankets around the motorhome to try to dry out.  We pulled out the couch and slept with just two small afghans – but it was surprisingly comfortable.  

In the morning there was a slight breeze and plenty of sunshine, so we draped the blanket over the awning support, used the dashboard as a drying rack and raised the mattress off the platform to get some air circulation.  After a walkabout with the dog (saw a box turtle), morning showers and a garbage run, it was time to dump the tanks and hit the road.  Our trip back into Kentucky was barely 3 hours, but the twisty 2 lane was waiting for us.  Jackie volunteered to drive the Jeep out until we found a spot, maybe a rest area/welcome center in Kentucky, to hitch back up.  That made it easier to navigate the country roads until we were on the Interstate.  

But signs announced the rest area was closed, so Jackie exited and headed for a Flying J gas station.  Only problem was that a nearby ATV/UTV/Motocross event must have just concluded – there were super muddy 4-wheelers on trailers everywhere.  Absolutely crazy busy, but we found a level spot to connect the Jeep and get on down the road.  

We found our way to a nice parkway going into the Red River Gorge area that had a large, level rest area that was perfect to have lunch, get a few maps and unhitch, since the Natural Bridges State Resort Park was just 2 miles up the road.  Perfect.  Up the winding road and we found our destination: Middle Fork Campground in the park.  As we dropped down into the riverside camp spot I had to wonder if the posted sign “Warning, Flash Flood Area” would come into play, with rain and thunderstorms predicted for the next couple of days.  

Since it looked like wet weather was headed our way, we quickly drove around to the one feature we wanted to see:  Natural Bridge.  You have a nice option to ride a chairlift “Sky lift” one way to the top or round trip.  Oh heck, the trail down looks to be about a mile, so let’s ride up and hike down.  The trip up was gorgeous, with lots of blooming wildflowers and ferns below us, mountain laurel in bloom, even some Sweetbay magnolias blooming.  At the top we hopped off and hiked over the sandstone bridge and then circled down and under the arch.  Very cool spot and some pretty narrow stone stairways and passages.  And although the hike down to the parking area was mostly downhill and the blooming mountain laurel was colorful, we are certain it was much longer than the “1.75 miles” noted on the trail sign.  Jackie was ready to crash as we finally saw the parking lot, with more steps yet to go!  Wow, that took the last of our energy. Watch the video of the hike here: Hiking Natural Bridge

And yes, back in the RV our bedding had finally dried and we could get a proper night’s sleep.

The next of our two days here was a kayak adventure through an underground, flooded mine.  Certainly not something we have ever done.  Several layers of light clothing, water shoes and the GoPro camera – we were set. After our safety briefing, suited up with life jackets and helmets, we grabbed our paddles, slipped gracefully into the kayaks and off we went into the cold darkness.  What fun.  As we paddled along the 40 degree water that went as deep as 12 feet, we saw some of the large rainbow trout that were stocked and fed in the waterway.  This wasn’t a wild, natural cave system, but it was certainly a unique experience that we loved. A video of the trip is posted here: Kayaking Gorge Underground

As if that wasn’t enough exercise for one day, we headed out after lunch for a drive around the Red River Gorge and the Daniel Boone National Forest to do some short hikes to arches and sandstone rock outcroppings.  The weather prediction is for more rain and thunderstorms, so we wanted to get out before the rain hit.  But somehow the rumbling stayed in another valley and we stayed dry.  A short hike to Angel’s Windows and then Whispering Arch (half miles out and back) convinced us that we had seen enough of rock walls, arches and outcroppings for now.  But one cool drive through a tunnel on the way back to check out the lodge, I hear they have a Trails End Tavern that would be a nice end to the day.  Yeah, but it’s closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, so we were left to sit in the lobby and connect to WIFI.  

That’s ok, we had a nice bottle of wine and a steak on the grill back at camp, with a cool evening to sit by the river and wonder about the coming rain and flash floods.  

Final day in camp was spent editing pictures and writing updates for the blog, once again heading to the lodge for a WI FI upload.  Thunderstorms rolled through the park and maybe 200 yards below our spot several trees came down. One hit a camper’s car and the wind blew a canopy into the creek. Lucky all we had was rain at our campsite.

The next morning we pulled out and headed home, with one last stop outside Knoxville at a KOA.  Big storms on the drive. We both reflected on this 3 week trip and decided that it was really pretty great.  We were able to follow the spring awakening through a part of the country we had not yet explored.  The caves, caverns, rock formations, waterways and hiking trails really made this exploration special.  And of course we love staying in National and State parks when we can.  Wildflowers in bloom, spring birds singing, even the rainstorms all refresh the spirit and make you thankful to be able to enjoy it all.

This is probably the last post of this adventure.  Thanks for coming along with us.  Sign up for notifications so you don’t miss our next adventure.  And yes, check out some of the many videos I posted on our YouTube channel. I hope to post video highlights soon.

What’s next?  We have some repair work we will be doing in the RV.  The carpet ripped during our Pigeon Forge trip so we have plans to replace the carpet and flooring in the main part of the motorhome.  We have a few days reserved at our nearby lake this summer when we will have our two grandsons stay with us and a fall break cruise aboard the new Utopia of the Seas ship.  Oh, and another trip to St. Andrews State Park on the Florida panhandle in the fall. Stay tuned.

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Kentucky Caves and Camping, Part 2

Posted on May 1, 2024 by Doug and Jackie

It was time to leave the bourbon sampling behind and head out to Carter Caves State Park, just east of Lexington.  To update you on the gasoline situation and check engine light, my next fill-up was with a higher octane gas and another can of high mileage Seafoam cleaner and the engine seems to be running just fine.  I believe the source of the problem was a low octane gas from Buc-ee’s that caused the problems.  We did just fine on the drive to Carter Caves.

Our camping spot this time is at Carter Caves State Resort Park, arriving on a Saturday.  The excitement here is for the caves and hiking trails.  We wound ourselves along a pretty narrow road, creek on one side, wall of limestone on the other and plenty of cars heading past us.  Seems awfully busy for a rather remote spot in the Daniel Boone National Forest.  Arriving in the campground explained things, it was loaded with trailers, trucks and kids and bikes and more kids and more bikes … wow.  Fortunately our spot was a pull thru but once we unhooked the Jeep we decided it would be a better back-into spot.  Very tight quarters among the pickups and trailers.  Let’s hope things change by Monday morning.  We leave on Tuesday.

At the Welcome Center we learned there was an afternoon tour of X Cave, so we booked it, changed into the proper shoes and sweatshirts and followed the guide into the very cold cave.  X Cave is so named because you can traverse two passageways that cross in the middle, each one passes through the hill, so you enter, cross, exit the back, then return back into the cave to walk the other passage.  The cave was a dry cave with very few drip stones but some nice formations and pretty easy walking, if narrow.  It had lights added and some modifications made in the 40’s and 50’s to make passage easier (you used to have to climb a rope ladder to get to the entrance).  Even though not pristine, these are very cool caves.

As we drove back to camp I spotted some distinctive black and white birds that compelled me to grab the camera and walk back to catch them.  Not much luck, so back to the campsite I went.  Our neighbor noticed the camera and said “you looking for those woodpeckers?”  “Yes, but no luck,” I replied.  “Well they’ve been busy all day in the tree above you.”  What?? Sure enough, a pair of red-headed woodpeckers were digging a nest into the upper trunk of the tree – right above us.  So, I was able to get a few good shots.  Nice bird.

Gorgeous sunny weather meant the temperature climbed into the 80’s, then dipped down pretty cool at night.  I feel like we have traveled back in seasonal time, too, since the leaves here are just coming out – mostly a lot of oaks with pollen (I thought we were done with that).  Back home we went through this about 2 – 3 weeks ago.  

Sunday morning we booked an early tour of another cave, Cascade Cave.  This cave had some water dripping and flowing into it, with a few more formations and several large rooms.  We saw some small bats along the way and got a pretty good picture of one hanging tight to the ceiling.  Maybe the size of a large prune.  Excellent hike though. Video of the two caves is posted here: Hiking Carter Caves

We also hiked short distances to see some of the natural bridges here in the park.  Some of them are huge, wide and tall tunnels through the rock, one seemed ready to fully collapse, with stacks of shale looking more like stacks of books.  One has the roadway crossing above.  Lots of wildflowers blooming, most of which I remember, some ID eludes me (and I left our books at home).  All of them look very cool up close.  I found out the lodge on property had pretty good WI-FI so I was able to upload the first part of the blog for you to read.

Tonight is steaks on the grill and some bourbon drinks sitting out in the very nice evening while we watch the campground empty out.  It is about 90% empty now, as the weekenders head home.  Much quieter and relaxing.

Monday morning was our day to try another cave, self-guided Horn Hollow Cave.  We needed a permit to hike this, so at the Welcome Center we filled out the form as the ranger asked “You have flashlights?”  Yes. “You know about the water, right?”  No, what water?  It seems a creek runs through this cave, from ankle to mid calf deep, and we needed to rethink our shoes and pants.  Back to the campsite to put on shorts and pack some water shoes.  Now we were set to begin the hike to the cave, up and around some boulders, cliff faces and such, pretty much up most of the way until we slipped down to a dry creek bed where the cave entrance beckoned.  We changed into the water shoes, got our flashlights ready and I put my GoPro on a headband mount.  Ready!

Well, when you are the only ones entering a dark, wet cave, it’s a bit intimidating.  And the water was COLD.  Left? Right? Let’s follow the flow of the water to the right.  It was pretty low in spots, but plenty wide and the flashlights were a big help, obviously.  A small fish and a crayfish were spotted in the water, but no bats around.  After about a quarter mile through the cave, the water began to run downward through a smooth channel and we were quite suddenly at the other end of the cave.  How cool was that?  So now what?  We didn’t see an obvious trail out of the stream bed, so we opted to retrace our steps and go back where we entered.  Changed back into our hiking shoes, had some water and granola bars and rejoined the trail back to the car.  Altogether it was about a 2 mile hike, but once again an uphill climb awaited us just before the end.  A video of the cave portion of the hike is posted here: Horn Hollow Cave

Ok, back at camp and time to chill for the rest of the afternoon.  In the morning we will pack up and drive to Hocking Hills State Park in Ohio for more trails and caves and maybe another week earlier in the spring! Keep an eye out for more of the adventure, and try to look at these pics on a big screen.

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Bourbon, Bats and Caves

Posted on April 28, 2024 by Doug and Jackie

It’s April and we are off on another adventure!  Let’s get you caught up.  When last I posted we were waiting for the repairs to our motorhome to be completed.  The damage from a collision took out several of our basement doors, the boxes around the electrical and water hookups and generally made a mess of the left rear of the motorhome.  Well the long wait for parts, installation and paint matching was complete by the end of March.  I have to give a shout out to the folks at Open Road RV in Acworth for getting this done and keeping me posted on progress.  Also, thanks are due to GEICO for covering this major repair.

Next on the list was to have some preventative maintenance on the engine.  Our local mechanic did a one day service to replace the serpentine belt, spark plugs, wires and coils (awesome!) and then alerted us to front brakes that were 90% worn.  Ok, new brake pads then.  Plus a charge to the cabin AC.  Ouch, that was a hefty bill, but much better than a breakdown on the road.  We are just shy of 100,000 miles, so it was worth the peace of mind.

So after a good cleaning, inside and out, sanitizing the fresh water tanks and packing all our gear we are off on this next trip: the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.  Yes, we will sample what we can, but rest assured it won’t be while driving the motorhome.  It starts off with a visit in Nashville to our niece Rachel, who is graduating high school and her brother, Colin, who is celebrating his 21st birthday.  A good time for the family to gather.

You may have noticed in the photos that we have a new travel companion: Binx.  It’s been two years since Merlin passed and Jackie felt it was time for a new young cat around the house.  This is the first motorhome trip for Binx, and so far he is doing just fine.  He and Kodi bump noses and stare at each other, but they haven’t quite gotten to the “let’s play” stage yet.  A little more time in this large box of a motorhome and they should be best buddies.

Up the road then to Mammoth Cave and camping in the park.  It was a pretty easy drive up from Nashville, only a few climbs – I was sure to keep an eye on the engine temperature and that did not seem to be a problem at all.  However, we had a new one pop up way back before Chattanooga, which I kept to myself until I met up with my son and brother-in-law in Nashville.  It seems that only a few miles away from a fill-up at Buc-ees mega gas station I noticed the check engine light came on.  And it stayed on, teasing me to be worried about the engine.  With all the work we just had done on the engine, I was kind of scratching my head about the cause.  It was familiar, as I think the last time it happened and I got all concerned about NOC sensors and the code that the computer gave, it was after another fill-up at Buc-ees.  Well just get me to Nashville.  

Before heading out of Nashville I added a can of Seafoam gas cleaner and crossed my fingers.  I was surprised then that the light went out before we made it to Bowling Green and I was certainly happier.

Rolling into Mammoth was gorgeous.  Just a bit behind our spring leafing in Kennesaw, but everything was greening up nicely.  We pulled into our site, a dry or boondocking site, and leveled up, put out the slides and fed the pets.  It was early afternoon so we went over to the visitor center and booked a 3:30 tour of Mammoth Passage.  The cave is only accessible by guided tour (except in the busy summer season), so we were curious to try this extra tour that entered through the Historic Entrance.  We have hiked in a few cave systems before: Carlsbad Caverns, Florida Caverns and one near Pike’s Peak.  This was totally different.  

After a low passageway we found ourselves in a huge underground tunnel.  Of course this is a well maintained system of walkways, railings and lighting, but it is also massive.  And dry.  There were no dripping springs, pools or stalagmites and stalactites.  Just rough walls that opened up passageways that felt more like underground subway or railroad tunnels.  One intersection aptly called the Rotunda had a huge open and circular ceiling.  It almost felt like the underground lair of some superheroes or maybe MI-6’s lab for Q.   Very special, quite cold.  We saw a few small bats on the ceiling, but not massive colonies.

This campsite had no electricity or water, but we had onboard water, the generator for electricity, gas for heat and the fridge and stove and although it was getting below 50 degrees, we figured we were fine.  Until we weren’t.  Running the generator seemed to leave gasoline fumes in the camper, so we shut it off and aired out.  Overnight Jackie’s CPAP machine quit, the heat didn’t come on and the fridge was off.  A bit of morning panic, as there was no power from the house batteries at all. And it was cold!

The next day we had another tour booked that started off at 9 am, so we were out and hiking into the cave early.  This tour took us to another entrance area by bus and it felt more like traditional caving experiences.  A more narrow passageway that tried to bang your head or poke your side was fun to traverse on our way to stalagmites, stalagtites and flowstone.  Lots of those formations to see and a final stairway down behind Niagara, a large formation that was very cool.  This area Iof the cave had lots of cave crickets, who we learned leave the cave every week to feed and return.

Back at camp after the tour we unhooked the house batteries, called an auto supply store in Cave City, about 30 miles away and when they said they had replacements, off we went.  With the new batteries installed, we felt much better.  The fridge was running again (even though it runs on gas, it needs electric for the control panel) and except for charging the phones and making coffee, we were ok.  Took the Keurig to the restroom to make coffee and charged phones in the Jeep.  Never a dull moment.  But the generator will have to wait until back home.  I suspect it has something to do with last fall’s accident.

We had time to wander around the trails a bit, since it was such a nice afternoon. The Green River flows through the park and there was an actual free operating ferry across one of the roads. Plus a really great loading ramp for kayaks up and down a long stairway. We also saw numerous wildflowers some springs and a few of the original CCC camp cabins.

Overnight it wasn’t nearly as cold and we had some rain. Lying in bed while trying to ignore the barking dog asking for breakfast, Jackie said her CPAP machine stopped again overnight.  Oh No!  Please tell me we didn’t kill the new batteries!  Actually, it must have come unplugged, since everything else was fine.  Sigh of relief.  We showered at the camp store, feeding quarters into the shower to keep the water running, then packed up, hooked up the Jeep and made our way off to Bardstown.  This was maybe 80 miles away, easy drive on a smooth interstate with little traffic.  We opted to veer off the interstate on a nice 2 lane road that took us to Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace and boyhood home.  A unplanned but beautiful stop on a gorgeous drive through green Kentucky fields.  Today’s final stop was the campground in My Old Kentucky Home State Park just outside Louisville.  This is the week before the Kentucky Derby and we are set to celebrate the upcoming race with some mint juleps and lots more bourbon sampling.

Bourbon sampling was easy, since less than a mile down the road was Heaven Hill Distillery, featuring Elijah Craig and Evan Williams.  Since I had my Kentucky Bourbon Trail Guide and time was running short, we hit the bar and ordered a flight each.  I had a rye sampler and Jackie went with bourbons.  And I got my book stamped.  Well we couldn’t stay long, since we found out the distilleries all closed their tap rooms at 5 and it was already nearly 4!  Next stop was Bardstown Brewing, maybe 4 miles back.  Great tap room and they had a nice selection of bar food.  We ordered their special meatballs and greens and a plate of ahi tuna tacos.  And we learned something new: benedictine.  It is a sour cream and onion spread that is usually served on cucumber sandwiches, but ours was served with the meatballs.  Yummy.  Oh, and an Old Fashioned each of course.  Best food at a bar I have had in a long time, and the drink was yummy.  And I got my book stamped.  But it was too late to visit any others.

Something that really surprised us was the way they stack and age the barrels of bourbon.  These huge barns/aging houses (rick houses) really are monstrous and numerous.  There is an entire art to their design, construction, temperature, humidity – all of which affects the bourbon.  BUT I was reassured to see there would be no shortage of bourbon for the foreseeable future.

Day 2 of our bourbon sampling was to begin with a quick stop nearby at Lux Row Distillery.  Another gorgeous operation, very modern buildings amid some historic ones and the most beautiful Kentucky bluegrass you will ever find.  We had a sample of their Rebel 100 Rye and promptly bought a bottle it was so good. I got my book stamped and we drove in to Louisville to sample Whiskey Row.  Whoops, wait, was that Jim Beam we just passed?  Quick, turn around and let’s stop.  So we saw the green grounds of the distillery, dotted with the warehouses and the iconic white barn and family farmhouse.  Just had to sample some Knob Creek and Basil Hayden before continuing onward (plus a stamp in the book).

The challenge was to find a couple of distillery tasting rooms but more importantly to get checked-in at 6 different bars on the Urban Bourbon Trail to earn a shirt.  It involved a lot of walking along Main Street, but the weather was great and the rewards better.  So an Old Fashioned and Mint Julep at Evan Williams Experience, a stop at Old Forrester and Angel’s Envy, a photo op at the Louisville Slugger bat factory, ummm lunch at Troll Under the Bridge for a delicious Reuben sandwich and beer cheese with pretzels followed by a few other spots for bourbon drinks … and then to the visitors center to collect the t-shirt!  Yippee, mission accomplished.  We drove back to camp and kind of crashed for the rest of the evening, skipping supper (but fed and watered the pets).

Day 3 in Bardstown/Louisville we drove to Versailles, KY to visit two distilleries:  Castle & Key and Woodford Reserve.  Plus, I was going to connect with a good friend from my days with the Professional Lawn Care Association.  The drive was easy on the Bluegrass Parkway and we were soon sipping on cocktails at Castle & Key Distillery.  The grounds of this restored distillery were amazingly beautiful, with the original buildings nested in the green valley.  The folks at this spot were very friendly and the drinks impressive.  Jackie had a Bloody Mary and I had a four cocktail flight that was terriffic.  I was so impressed with their gin that I snagged a bottle to take home.

It was time to venture just a few miles down the road to the mother ship:  Woodford Reserve.  It is one of my favorite bourbons, so I was excited to stop by.  But I have to say the experience was lacking something.  The grounds were beautiful, but other than the rick houses that you could only see from a distance, the buildings were recently built and really lacked charm.  It was just a retail store (that was out of much merchandise) and a small bar.  Of course we both had Old Fashioneds on the deck, but it just didn’t match my expectations.  Perhaps if we had booked one of the tours it would have been different.

Then it was time to drive the beautiful bluegrass countryside and find my friend from days past.  Sandy was waiting for us on the porch of her gorgeous farmhouse and we had fun reminiscing over the good times of our past together.  It was good to meet up after 25 (?) years.  She even pulled out one of the group pictures from our PLCAA days.   

The next day in Bardstown was pack-up and get moving day, but we had just a bit more time in the morning to find two distilleries:  Maker’s Mark and Willett Distilleries.  Maker’s Mark was supposed to be within 30 minutes, Willett was 2 miles away.  But a half hour down the road and the directions said another half hour to Maker’s Mark, so that was scuttled and we stopped at Willett instead.  Again it was beautiful grounds and an old distillery, where I got my book stamped and we headed to hitch up and head east beyond Lexington.  

Our next stop is Carter Caves State Park in the Daniel Boone National Forest.  Our big bourbon sampling adventure is over for now, but not forgotten.  My recommendation for any who want to try this is to focus on the actual distilleries and not get too excited about the downtown Louisville bars and tasting rooms.  But do take note that all the distilleries, downtown or out in the hills, all close at 5 p.m.  Well, I hope to find some Wi-Fi soon to post this story and some of the many pictures so you have an idea of what we have been up to. More to come, and thanks for reading along.

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New Videos of Western Trip

Posted on December 15, 2021 by Doug and Jackie

I finally managed to coax my GoPro Studio to stop crashing and I have some videos of our trip our west this fall (2021). Some pretty amazing sights, a few classic drives and “bucket list” adventures … and yes, some of the driving ones are a bit on the long side. But heck, you want to see the whole experience, right? Put them on your widescreen TV, grab a brew and sit back to enjoy (or chuckle) and maybe plan your OWN adventure!

Exploring Canyonlands Island in the Sky

It is hard to describe just how vast and beautiful the landscape of Canyonlands National Park is, even pictures don’t fully capture the breathtaking beauty. Our Western adventure in October 2021 took us to the Moab region of Utah to camp in an amazing campground: Dead Horse Point State Park. We explored the Island in the Sky region of Canyonlands in this video, with a snippet of our drive down the Shafer Trail in our Jeep.

Exploring Dead Horse Point to Moab

Camping at Dead Horse Point State Park in Moab, Utah was an unforgettable experience for us. This stop on our October 2021 trip to Colorado and Utah was the highlight for sure, with 4-wheeling adventures on Long Canyon Road, Shafer Trail and Potash Road plus grand overlooks and hikes across the mesas and slickrock. This is but one of the videos of that adventure in Canyonlands and more.

Rafting the Colorado River in Moab (UT)

While camping at Dead Horse State Park in Canyonlands we booked a half-day rafting adventure on the Colorado River. It was a pretty amazing trip between the red sandstone cliffs as our guide navigated the muddy rapids and our raftmates had a wet and wild time.

Snow Day in Colorado (Crawford, CO)

Part of our big western trip in September and October, 2021 – we were camped in Crawford Lake State Park, Colorado and planned to visit the nearby Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. But an afternoon sleet storm postponed that till the next day – which turned out to be our second snowy day of the trip. Absolutely gorgeous and made for a nice trip over to the Canyon later in the day. We were a bit worried about the 19 degree overnight temperature, but everything worked out fine.

Corona Arch / Bowtie Arch Trail Hike (Moab, Utah)

A fall 2021 hike to the Corona Arch and Bowtie Arch outside Moab, Utah. This 3 mile out-and-back hike was surprisingly tricky for a Sunday morning, traversing some dry washes, rocky climbs and slickrock outcroppings with cables and ladders. But the view and interaction with Corona Arch was worth the effort, though, and in some ways more spectacular than similar ones in Arches. Easy access from a parking lot along the Colorado River and a good addition to a drive along the Potash Road/Shafer Trail.

Shafer Trail / Potash Road (Canyonlands, Moab, Utah)

This was an amazing down-the-canyon drive even the video can’t fully capture. A trip from the Dead Horse Point State Park and Canyonlands National Park to the Colorado River outside Moab, Utah. The GoPro Hero9 is so good at image stabilization that it looks like a smooth ride – and it was anything but. No guard rails, either, so you had to hope you didn’t run into someone coming the other way!

Long Canyon Road (Canyonlands, Moab, Utah)

Another “bucket list” off-road drive not to be missed in Canyonlands outside Moab, Utah. Who wouldn’t want to experience “Pucker Pass” and this massive chunk of rock you drive under … very slowly. Watch for Jackie to jump out for a closer look (that I missed on editing). We love our new Jeep.

Bryce Canyon Hike (Utah)

An otherworldly landscape that we experienced on a beautiful, crisp fall day. The day was perfect and the scenery was breathtaking – literally, since we were huffing and puffing our way along the 3 mile hike that dropped down about 600 feet at the 8,000 ft. elevation — and then back up again along some challenging switchbacks. You don’t want to miss the Wall Street section of the Queen’s Garden/Navajo Loop trail. The next day we left the area in a snowstorm that dropped about 6 inches of snow, so our day turned out to be the best chance for hiking.

Great Sand Dunes Hike (Colorado)

While camping at Great Sand Dunes National Park we headed out to hike up to the summit of the dunes. Well, it was a pretty cold start to the day, about 35 degrees, and gradually became more windy. But we hiked our way about halfway to the top, we figure maybe a 450 foot elevation gain. Given that we were already at about 8,200 feet elevation, it was a surprisingly “breathless” hike – plus, we learned that sand dunes are not the easiest to climb. One unintentional glitch was with the lens shade I put on the GoPro. I was hoping to cut down on lens flare, but in the widescreen mode it caught it in the edges of the picture. Ah well, another learning experience. The hike was worth it though – seemed like something out of Star Wars – how the heck did C3PO do it?

More videos to come …

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OF PRECIPICES AND PORCUPINES

Posted on October 11, 2018 by Doug and Jackie

We have arrived at our big destination for this trip, Acadia National Park in Maine.  After our arrival day, driving through Bar Harbor and dodging the tour buses and cruise ship tourists, we set camp in Blackwoods Campground.  Nice wooded spot in the spruce woods, dry camping but we have a full tank of water and plenty of propane. Of course we had rain overnight, so the chairs and footstools we set out got wet once again, but they will dry.  Cold and dreary morning, but we set out anyway to explore.

Our first stop on the loop road, some of which is one-way only, was at Jordan Pond.  It has the only restaurant in the park and the pond (more the size of a lake) has two mountains as the backdrop known as the bubbles.  This morning it was pretty socked in, so we really couldn’t see much. Nice gift shop where we might end up buying some long-sleeved tee shirts.

As we drove further on and upward along the roadway to Cadillac Mountain’s summit, the air started to clear and by the time we reached the top it was clear blue skies east toward Bar Harbor, but still low clouds on the west side.  Wisps of mist and cloud would roll over the summit from time to time. We had a gorgeous view of the harbor, the cruise ship in port and the out islands. The pictures will tell you how awesome it was. We walked around the summit trail, down along the rocks for a better view of the harbor and back to the car.  We continued along the loop road to the visitor’s center, watched the short film and then continued on the loop road until we got back to the motorhome to eat lunch and let Kodi out.

Since it had turned out to be a much nicer, sunny afternoon, I thought we should try one of the hiking trails.  Our book listed the Precipice Trail as challenging but about 1.7 miles and I thought it sounded like fun. When we reached the start of the trail, Jackie was very cautious, in fact she really didn’t think we were up for it, but I was a bit stubborn about it and said we should try.  Well, I might have been wrong on this one. It was definitely a challenge, mostly because it was way longer than it should have been. I am certain it was closer to 3 miles before we were done.

 

So what was it like?  Well definitely more of a rock climb than a hike.  We climbed our way up a boulder field, over some big rock faces using iron rungs and grips, along other sheer rock slabs, under boulders, up stone steps and down stone steps … it really was a workout for us both.  We reached an intersection where the trail either continued further up the mountain (ohhh, no) or down to the roadway. But that trail back to the road still went up! It was a long way back. But we did have one cool moment that ALMOST made it worthwhile.  While chatting for a break with some other hikers headed the other way, we spotted a porcupine ambling along. Seriously. He seemed as curious as we were and we quickly snapped pictures. Further along we saw another porcupine, or perhaps the same one. He might have made faster progress than we did.

Ok, once back in the car and headed back to camp, I was told firmly to listen to the advice of my partner in these adventures and if it was a “no way” then that is what it should be.  But we both kind of admitted it was a huge personal challenge to have done it. We both took showers and hit the sack pretty early.

Day 3 in Acadia was a rare sunny day that got rather warm – upper 60’s.  We heard it was to be nice, so we packed a lunch and hit the loop road along the shoreline to see some of the rocky coast.  

Sand Beach was just that, a nice sandy cove. Thunder Hole was rather tame, but loaded with the tour bus crowd. It is a spot where the surf roars into a slot in the cliff and makes a big splash and a lot of noise.  But not if the water is calm like today.

 

The coast has lots of cool vistas and the rocky shore is very picturesque with the clear, dark water. We circled back to Jordan Pond and got to see just how scenic it is. But crowded, with parking spots at a premium.

One cool bit of architecture is the gatehouse beside the gated carriage roads put in by John D. Rockefeller, Jr.  

We had lunch at the edge of the ocean in one of the coves, then drove around to the town of Bar Harbor to play tourists.  Just as crowded as the first day we drove through, but the harbor is a pretty sight. A different ship was in port today and if you were careful, you could spot many of the crew around town on shore leave (seemed like the hospitality and entertainment group).  After buying some long-sleeved t-shirts we found our way to a wifi spot that served beer. Yes, we found yet another brewery: Atlantic Brewing. Actually, their beer was darn good. We loved all their ales, but particularly the Weiss and Scottish Ales. Blueberry Amber Ale was a close second.  We met some folks from Michigan and had a chat about beer and some of the places we saw and that was fun.

Since we have yet to find a laundromat, Jackie washed some essentials back in camp and we hope they will dry by morning.  What started as shorts and t-shirt weather today has quickly turned to much colder air and we expect 50’s and rain for the next few days,  Who knows, maybe it will change. It was a good day all around.

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New Hampshire and Hiking

Posted on October 7, 2018 by Doug and Jackie

It is now Friday, Day 13 of our leaf peeping adventure and we finally have sun and blue skies!  That’s great, because we have a short drive east across the rest of Vermont, over the Connecticut River and into New Hampshire.  We are heading toward the White Mountains and Franconia Notch State Park. The colors of the leaves are pretty much near their peak, with oranges, yellows, and reds interspersed with dark green triangles of spruce and fir.  White trunks of paper birch pop out and in many spots there is a bright green carpet of pasture to set it off. With the blue sky and wispy white clouds, this is our best day yet for viewing.

 

 

A spot along the way, Beaver Pond, is just the perfect mix of water, sky and fall colors.  Actually, the AT crosses our path here and we took a moment to walk maybe 100 feet of it, just to tell our nephew Adam that we did it.

Further on, the town of Lincoln, New Hampshire also sits along the AT, with several hiker friendly trail stops, and a little bit of crazy with the Hobo Railroad and Clark’s Trading Post featuring bear shows.  

Just beyond that is the start of the state park and we pull off to hike the Flume Gorge. It is a pretty popular spot with the bus tour crowd, but once we got through the gift shop and started uphill it was fine.  I remember coming to this area with my family as a youngster and hiking up through the flume, a cool, damp hike up stairways and ramps. I was not disappointed with this return visit at all.

The gorge is a split in the granite outcropping through which the Pemigewasset River flows.  The entire hike is about 2 miles round trip, but the actual gorge is less than half a mile. I will let the pictures tell the story of the catwalk through the gorge (which is removed in winter and rebuilt each spring).

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It was a great hike up and back, not too strenuous at all, and we were soon on our way back to Vermont and camp at Ricker’s Pond.  Since it was such a nice night, we bought some firewood and sat outside around our first campfire (really?) until it got too darn cold.  Mid 40’s is winter for us Georgians!

It is now Day 14 and our last one in Vermont.  Dry camping in Vermont means we are being conservative with our water supply and careful with our propane for heat.  We fire up the generator a bit in the morning and evening to heat food, water and charge devices. We have both been hauling water in a gallon jug from the spigot down the hill to keep the tanks at two-thirds.  One reason is the shower house is metered (feed quarters) and we aren’t certain there is hot water. There certainly isn’t heat in the cement-floored building, so that isn’t an option. That means a very quick shower onboard.  This will be much the same situation in Maine for 5 days – and it’s not a problem, just a shift in how you do things.

 

 

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Ok, then, on with our day.  We opted to stay close today and take Kodi along for some hiking.  As you can see by the pictures, the colors are even more vivid. We walked the Cross Vermont trail a bit – an old railroad line that actually goes through our campground along Ricker’s Pond.  Then we hiked up a bit more hill to reach Owl’s Head overlook and were glad we did. What a spectacular view of the mountains to the east. Just breathtaking.

   

   

   

We made a loop drive that took us to Danville, where we stopped for lunch at the only place in town that was open: Bentley’s Bakery & Cafe.  Sandwiches were huge and delicious (pastrami panini and grilled chicken with cranberries and walnuts) on fresh made breads. Washed down with maple iced coffee and we were set.  

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Actually, we took half the meal back for dinner. The liquor shop next door had some Vermont beer from 14th State brewing that I just had to buy: “Maple Breakfast Stout” made with coffee and maple syrup.  The heck with breakfast, that was going to go great with dinner!

    

 

The route back took us up and over rolling hills and bright green pastures, dotted with barns and silos.  One of the cutest towns, and not a tourist stop at all, was Peacham, dating to 1776. Oh my goodness, the houses were charming and everything just looked postcard perfect.  We soon arrived in Groton (pronounced like “rotten”) just as their fall festival parade ended and the town was jammed with people and cars. Just yesterday it was empty. But since there was no traffic light in town, just the Constable directing traffic, it didn’t take too long to pass through and back to the campsite.

Kodi was pretty quiet back in the camper, falling asleep in the passenger seat while Jackie took a power nap and I tried to burn off the last of the firewood.  Tomorrow is going to be a hitch-up and get-outta-town day. Destination: Farmington, Maine (with full hook-ups!).

 

 

 

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Grand Tetons Moose Hunting

Posted on September 11, 2017 by Doug and Jackie

Smoky in the Tetons

Getting from Yellowstone National Park to Grand Tetons National Park is not really a long drive at all.  It took us maybe an hour and a half, through the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway (a link made possible by the family’s donation of land).  That meant we actually got here earlier than the Coulter Bay campground wanted us.  No problem, we simply unhooked the car, fixed lunch and walked to the camp store and visitor center.

Coulter Bay Camp check-in

Coulter Bay campsite

Once in our pull-thru campsite we actually then took off 30 miles for Jackson, or Jackson Hole (it seems to go by both) to restock on groceries at a beautiful Albertson’s market.  The town seems to be trying for a wintertime mecca along the lines of Vail and the Colorado ski towns.

Some of downtown Jackson Hole

One of several elk antler arches

Lots of timber, rock and steel in construction, and a bit pricey around town.  Naturally we had to stop in at the local brewery for lunch and a flight.  Snake River Brewing was a great spot to hang out.

a Snake River Brewing

Snake River Brewing

Jackson’s town square was really cute, with several arches made of elk antlers.  Since it sits next to the National Elk Refuge, it plays up the animals.

Visitor Center at National Elk Refuge

The NER visitor center was pretty cool, featuring a herd of elk inside (stuffed), but we didn’t see any on the long drive through the sagebrush flats.  One lonely bison, not the large herd we were warned about.  A few small groups of pronghorn, that’s all.  Once back in camp we reviewed the park literature and maps and plotted out the next 4 days.

Since the Tetons were all but invisible in the smoke of wildfires, we decided the first day should be a local hike around the Coulter Bay area.  This is a different sort of National Park, because the whole backdrop of the park is the Tetons – they rise up out of the sagebrush flats and tower over the Snake River, Jackson and Jenny Lakes below.  You almost don’t interact with the mountains; you just gaze at them and hike to their base.  And if you can’t see them, it diminishes the experience.

Beaver lodge on Heron Pond

Beaver dam … but no beavers active

So our hike took us to Heron Pond and Swan Lake, which were marshy beaver ponds that looked like prime spots for moose.  Our goal here in the Tetons is to find moose!  The hike was a bit like walking on bowling balls, since the rounded stones are pretty much everywhere, and we did see two beaver lodges and a beaver dam, but no beaver and no moose.  Had a nice lunch next to the pond though and then made our way back.

Around Jackson Lake

Jackson Lake shoreline

Whitewater

Next day was to be a big adventure for sure.  We had booked a small-boat whitewater rafting excursion on the Snake River and were ready for action.  With quick-dry clothing and water sandals on, we joined the others on the school bus and rode the half hour to the drop-off point.  We were using Jackson Hole Whitewater Rafting, although there are many other outfitters in town, and the total group was 4 rafts, both small and large.  We snapped into our lifejackets, grabbed a paddle, paired up with a family of six (raft of 8), joined our river guide Sky, and set off into the river.  Air temp was 80 or so, water was probably 65 degrees.  Clear and swift.  As we moved along, Sky gave us instructions, we practiced our paddling moves and got into position.  Doug and Adam, were the two lead paddlers in the front, Jackie a few spots back.  But everyone paddled when told.

And what work it was.  Splashing and bouncing our way through some rapids, we paddled, spun around, hit the waves and cheered as we made it through.  Soon we got some total dunks and did a high-five with paddles.  Ah, but it gets better.  Someone could volunteer to “ride the bull” at the very front, one leg in, one leg out, holding tight on a strap.  Stuart volunteered first and got some good dunks.  About halfway down the 9 mile trip Doug took the front spot and got totally drenched in the Big Kahuna rapids.  In truth, the entire raft got doused, Jackie was bounced to the center of the raft and we all were very wet, but excited.  Photos were cleverly captured at that spot and they reveal a wild ride and crazy expressions from the crew.  What a rush. I highly recommend it.

Moose Hunt

Discovery Center at Grand Teton NP

Thursday was to be an early morning drive to a spot just off the south end of the park where beaver pond marshes were known to have moose.  Up at 5:30 a.m. we were off to find those critters for sure. Just past Jackson Lake dam we spotted a beautiful bull elk on the shoulder of the road with a beautiful rack, a female just a bit further – a good sign that we were finally going to see wildlife today.

On the road along the marshes we noticed a Wildlife Management pickup and a ranger in the roadway, which meant something was nearby.  Yes, there was a bull moose not far off, sloshing his way through the marsh.  We tried to stop for a look, but he waved us on.  When we got the chance, we turned back around for another look, but he was moving farther off and out of sight.  Darn.

Moose at last!

We found a small parking area, pulled in and followed another group to the bank of a large wetland.  We were probably 50 feet above the marsh, so it was a good chance to scan for moose.  Nothing.  Heading back to the parking lot, we met one of the other couples who had also been scanning the area for moose and they said “you just missed the female and calf …”  Really??

Actually, they were still moving along the water’s edge, so we hustled and huffed our way further along to watch them.  What fun, as they moved along, in and out of the water, eating the willow shoots and other greens.  Junior would stop and look up at the crowd on the hill every once in a while, mom paid little attention.  Good day for moose.

Drove back on Moose-Wilson road and were rewarded by a great view (and pic) of the bull moose.  Awesome!

We made our way north back into the park, stopped at another beautiful visitor’s center and then to Jenny Lake.  The plan was to follow a short hike to the other side of the lake to see Hidden Falls, have lunch and hike back.  All the maps had this listed as about a 2.5 mile hike one way, so we were pretty confident it was do-able.  It did give us a good look at the mountain peaks, even though still hazy.

Partway along a ranger told us there were moose at Moose Ponds, a short diversion.  So of course we had to go, and we got a great look at another female in the pond, munching on something underwater.  Her calf was nearby, but we couldn’t see it.

At Moose Ponds, naturally

Back on the main trail it was a definite uphill climb.  As I recall, we had gone up almost 700 feet.

A narrow slice across a boulder field was downhill for a bit, with a great view of the lake below, but we knew it would be uphill on the return.  Just before the falls we stopped to have lunch and catch our breath.

Little further along, and downhill, we found the falls.

Hidden Falls

Nice, but it was quite the hike to reach.  You can shorten the journey by paying for a boat ride across the lake, which we opted not to do (after all, we were tough hikers).  But on the way back we were reconsidering the wisdom of that decision.

In fact, it got downright tedious and exhausting as we kept going uphill … until it finally began to slope down toward Moose Pond and finally the parking lot.  Checking our fitbits and also Jackie’s phone step tracker, the hike came in at over 10 miles!!  Not what we had expected.  But we made it, just a bit sore and weary from the effort.

Arriving in camp we were delayed by a mule deer doe and two youngsters, as they crossed the road in front of us.  They do have a peculiar “bouncy” way of running.  So it really was a good day for critters.  Dinner was a quick bite at the lodge restaurant, a couple glasses of wine in the Winnebago to recover and off to bed.

Kodi at the Tetons

That meant the last full day would be restful.  We did some laundry, checked the weather and news online, called Dad to review Hurricane Irma evacuation plans and then made some plans for our next destination.  It was probably best, since the sky is once again hazy and smoke-filled.  You can’t even see the mountains across Lake Jackson, which is right along the campground.  They say there is a chance of thunderstorms tonight, but it seems doubtful.  Crazy that it is so dry in the upper west and so wet from hurricanes in the south and southeast.

Sunset at the lake

Finally clear on last morning

Tomorrow we break camp and head southeast ourselves, hoping to pass Rock Springs toward Cheyenne.  From there it will be one nighters across Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Mississippi until we reach Grayton Beach on the panhandle of Florida.  Probably won’t be another post until we are in Florida, but I do appreciate that you are following along on the journey.

Stick with us, there is more to come (and one day soon, some video from my gopro)!

 

His adventure look …
Visitor Center at National Elk Refuge
Tetons Last Day
Snake River Brewing

 

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Badlands: Prairie Sandcastles

Posted on August 20, 2017 by Doug and Jackie

Badlands vista

If someone dropped you here blindfolded, then said to open your eyes, you would probably think you were on some alien planet.  It is a strange landscape.  What the Lakota Indians called mako sica and early pioneers just called the bad lands, can be a wonderful experience for today’s adventurers.  After all, we don’t actually have to guide our horses and provisions down steep slopes and rocky ravines, we simply have to follow the scenic loop road through the park.

Down to the Missouri River

We arrived in Badlands National Park after leaving Mitchell and the famous Corn Palace.  On the banks of the Missouri River we stopped at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center to learn about their trip up the Missouri River for President Jefferson.  Also on the banks of the river was the tribute statue Dignity.  There was a definite change in the landscape as we moved further west across the grasslands and prairies, with crops of sunflowers, millet, and flax and less corn.  Spotted a small herd of pronghorn along the way.

Dignity sculpture

Rest stop tipi sculpture

As we drove into the park, we began to see the wall, an eroded landscape of rock and silt that is the edge between a northern prairie of higher elevation and a much lower prairie leading to the White River (aptly named due to the light color of the sediment it contains).  All of it used to be an ancient seabed, so the layers of silt, sand and ash are subjected to wind and water erosion, leaving behind a landscape that looks like giant sandcastles.  It’s hard to believe it doesn’t just collapse on itself, but with only 16 inches of rainfall a year, these hills have baked into a hard rock known as popcorn rock.

Backdrop to our campsite

Our campground is below the wall in the area called Cedar Pass.  We have the backdrop of scraggy brown peaks behind us and flat open prairie in front of us.  What a sight!  Before the day was done, we hiked some short trails to view the landscape and took the longer stairway trail along one face of the wall at Cedar Pass.

Relaxing

Back in camp we had a nice breeze and were glad the temperature dropped from the low 90s to 65 or less.  We relaxed with a few adult beverages, grilled the last of the fresh corn from Minnesota and tucked in under the covers.

Foggy start to the day

Next day was an early start, thanks to Kodi.  As we move west, now in the mountain time zone, he seems to wake closer to 5 am.  Argh.  But it gave us time to get ready for more hiking – besides, a bank of fog rolled in and we had a light drizzle to start the day.  Great hiking weather to try two trails before it got too hot and sunny.  The Notch Trail is a mile and a half round trip across the sandy rock ledges to get a view of the White River valley from behind Cedar Pass.  It involves a trail ladder of sorts that is a one-at-a-time ascent or descent.  Some narrow edges and steep slopes made it a tricky hike at times, but it was truly a strange landscape.  Reminded both of us of Arches NP and Zion NP.

You can see the ladder climb in the distance

The ladder climb

Driving west on the loop a bit further we stopped for the Saddle Pass Trail.  

Saddle pass

Saddle Pass

This one was half as long, but much steeper and one with lots of loose sand and gravel underfoot.  But the view and the challenge were definitely worth it.  

Golden Eagle

Bighorn sheep

Prairie dogs

Down from our climb we continued west on the loop road through the jagged landscape.  We spotted another herd of pronghorn and two large groups of bighorn sheep.  Also caught a golden eagle circling overhead.  The photo isn’t as crisp as I would like, but it sure does evoke the paintings of thunderbirds by the Native Americans.  Probably the most entertaining were the several prairie dog villages we saw.  At first you thought you were looking at large ant mounds in the grass, but soon noticed the critters pop out of their holes and whistle out a warning.  Off they went to gather grasses and bring them back to the den, tails upright as they ran.  

Ahh.. the Jackalope

Last stop before camp was in Wall, the home of the famous Wall Drug Store.  Probably has twice the roadside signs than Rock City.  Kind of a strange collection of western wear, Native American art, souvenirs and whatnot.  Of course, this is where you find the jackalope, stuffed and mounted for you to take home.  But we only bought some of the recommended maple-glazed donuts that certainly did taste awesome.  Across the street was the Badlands Bar, with cold beer on tap calling out to us.  I had a local brew with a Brunch Burger.  Lesson learned here: a fried egg on a juicy burger with onions, hashbrowns and cheese sounds like a good idea, but it is waaaay too drippy.  The beer helped, though.  Dinner tonight might just be PB&J.

Sunset over Badlands

Tomorrow we strike camp and head to nearby Custer State Park for more wildlife sightings and exploring  as the adventure continues. . .

Badlands
You can see the ladder climb in the distance
Saddle pass
Notch trail
The jackalope
Relaxing
Prairie dog Kodi
Golden Eagle
Badlands vista
Ladder climb
Sunset over Badlands
Prairie dogs
Badlands vista
Sunrise over Bandlands
Mountain bluebird
Rest stop tipi sculpture
Badlands vista
Saddle pass
Down to the Missouri River
Notch trail
Mule deer out for a morning stroll
Dignity
Sunset over Badlands
Saddle pass
Notch trail
Saddle Pass
Bighorn sheep
Foggy morning
Backdrop to our camp

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