Tag: camping

Adventures from Utah, Colorado, and Kansas

~ Wandering Cindi ~ Leave a comment

This post will cover all of our October travels. I am All of my Alaska posts put me a few weeks behind on our travels.

LZJ Ranch’s Hiawatha Hideout outside of Price, Utah, was our first time at a Hipcamp. Hipcamp is a camping version of Airbnb. Private property owners offer a variety of campsites for people to stay at. This one did not disappoint. Our site sat near old stone buildings from the 1800s and 1920s. There were rock walls from the original homesteaders and building remains from a brothel that was in business in the 1920s.

While Aaron worked, Murphy and I explored the campground. We had the entire area to ourselves for our stay, so Murphy had some freedom from the leash to explore. I also had freedom from holding the leash and was able to catch a few landscape views.

Just before we booked this campsite, I had started reading Pioneer Girl: an Annotated Biography by Laura Ingalls Wilder, annotated and edited by Pamela Smith Hill. This autobiography was not published in Wilder’s lifetime. It gave a more realistic view of her childhood than the series of novels she wrote for children (the Little house on the Prairie series). The reason I mention this is that the campground had old wagons, and that camp in the wild feel, that brought the book more to life as I was taking pictures of the types of conveyances she used in her lifetime.

Here are a few photos of the old buildings…one even had an outdoor shower for those adventurous enough to use it.

We even had three of the ranch’s cows pay us a morning visit.

There were even old tin cans from the 1920’s still in the dirt.

The campground had really cool decorations, and even a roping practice cow.

We had a great stay here in Eastern Utah, but we needed to keep heading east toward Kansas City. We still had to cross the Colorado Rockies before the first snowstorm, which was forecast to happen soon. So we packed it up and hit the road.

This was my first time in Colorado, and I was not disappointed. We spent one night at Rifle Gap State Park, and we both really want to revisit that area again.

It was October, and a big snowfall was headed our way. So we kept heading east to stay ahead of the storm. Neither Aaron or myself wanted to be towing the Airstream in the Rocky Mountains during a snow event. There was already a little bit of snow on the mountains; we did not want to deal with snow on the roads.

Aaron needed to visit another job site outside of Denver. We stopped at our second Hipcamp, this one on a family farm. For whatever reason, I did not take any pictures of our four-day stay there. It was a really nice spot, and the property owners were very friendly. It was an adjustment on the eyes. We were in the plains of Colorado, with no mountains in sight. After Aaron finished his site visits in Colorado, we headed east again. This time, we drove into Kansas. We were closer to our goal of Kansas City, but we still had a couple of days of driving to get there.

As we went down the road, we saw a sign for Salina, Kansas. Aaron’s mom and stepdad had lived in Salina for a while, and his stepdad, Jimmie, was buried there. Jimmie had grown up on the family farm there in Salina. After he passed away, Aaron’s mom, Barbara, moved back to Louisiana. Barbara passed away about seven years ago and chose to be cremated. We have been traveling with a small urn of her ashes with us. We decided to make a detour, pay our respects to Jimmie, and leave the urn with some of Barbara’s ashes there with him. Aaron and I left the cemetery with such happy hearts that they were reunited again after all these years.

Our next stop was in Wakeenee, Kansas, at a Harvest Host. This host was the Prairie Rose Inn, which also had a bar and restaurant. Just across the street was a dog park and a World War II Iwo Jima memorial with an old military jet on display. We parked our home, took Murphy to the dog park, and checked out the memorial and the jet before Aaron and I went inside to grab some dinner.

The shadows on the wall of the sculpture seemed to bring the soldiers to life for me. I am not sure if that was the intention, but it was very powerful to look at.

When we took a seat at the bar to order some food, we saw Space Camper Cosmic IPA. Aaron had to give it a try. He enjoyed the IPA with his dinner while I had a vodka and tonic with mine. The food was great, and so was the service.

After a good night’s sleep, we got back on the interstate and headed to our extended stay outside of Kansas City, Kansas. We were really excited to get there. Our son, Mason, was going to be in Kansas City working with Aaron, which meant we were about to have some family time! We planned to be there throughout November, so we found a Hipcamp that allowed extended stays in Ottowa, Kansas, just outside of Kansas City.

My next blog will cover our November adventures in Kansas with Mason, some horses, and a quick trip to Iowa for Thanksgiving.

California, the Covered Bridges of Madison County, and a little John Wayne

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Aaron and I spent four hectic weeks in California; this is just about the only picture I took. We started at Logger Campground north of Lake Tahoe. Aaron was needed for work in Jacksonville, Florida, so he flew out of Reno, and Murphy and I held down the camper while he was gone. I was only an hour north of Lake Tahoe, where Aaron’s cousin Ethan and his wife, Lara, live. Ethan was out of the country for his job, so Lara and I decided to spend a day together. It was just us girls and the dogs. I had a great visit with Lara, and Murphy and her dog, Tango, had a great time playing together.

Aaron returned from Florida just in time to move to our next campground, Anthony Chabot Regional Park, outside of Silicon Valley. He had planned on working at the office there in Fremont for a couple of weeks, but things came up with his job, and he ended up flying to Atlanta. Once again, Murphy and I hung out, took care of the camper, and even made a few new friends. This was about the time the aurora borealis was visible just about everywhere, so I tried to get a picture of it, only to realize that we were too close to San Francisco to get a dark enough sky.

Aaron made it back in time to move the camper to Coyote Lake County Park and take me to the airport. I needed to get to Iowa to take my dad to an unexpected doctor’s appointment. Aaron still needed to go to work at the office in Fremont, so Murphy got to go to a dog sitter and play with other pups. He really enjoyed himself.

I had planned a week in Iowa to spend time with my mom, my brother, and his family. Mom and I decided it would be a great time to go see the Bridges of Madison County. The bridges are historical and famous due to the book Bridges of Madison County, written by Robert James Waller, and the movie based on that book starring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep.

At the height of covered bridges in Iowa, there were an estimated 100 just in Madison County. Most were destroyed due to fire, collisions, flooding, and demolition. We were able to visit five bridges and the really cool town of Winterset, which held a few surprises for us.

Our first stop was the Imes Bridge in St. Charles, Iowa. We were confused by the yellow canisters hanging inside of the bridge until we figured out that they were sprinkler systems in case of fire.

The next bridge we visited, Holliwell, was Clint Eastwood’s favorite and was used in the movie. It is located in Winterset, Iowa. It is also where I was able to catch my favorite picture of the day. A couple was walking the bridge, and I got them silhouetted in the bridge. It hit all the romantic feelings from the book and the movie.

This is also the first bridge we noticed security cameras and bird nests.

The third bridge we drove to was in the middle of the town of Winterset, in a fantastic park! This is the Cutler-Donahue Bridge.

Winterset City Park had more to offer than just the bridge. As we drove through the park, we saw beautiful wood sculptures. I could only get a photo of one of them, as I was driving most of our time in the park.

While driving around the park, I saw a sign that just said “tower” with an arrow pointing the direction. So, Mom and I decided we needed to see this tower. We followed the sign to a one-way road that wound up a steep hill. We finally made it to the tower, and it was awesome!

The views from the top of the tower were great. Sadly, the trees were not in their full fall color. One more week and the pictures would have been filled with yellow, orange, and red leaves.

As we were driving through Winterset, we saw a sign outside of a house that caught our attention. Winterset was the birthplace of one of America’s most famous actors-John Wayne. We decided we should visit the museum and home.

The museum contained movie memorabilia, a brief film introducing you to the museum, and a few personal belongings. One of my favorite pieces was his custom station wagon. He was very tall and did not want to duck his head when he got in and out of his car. So, the car was customized with a raised roof to fit his stature.

The following are shots I took with my cell phone camera of different items in the museum, including an Andy Warhol of John Wayne.

Outside of the museum was another cool thing I had never seen before. It is a Freedom Rock. There is one rock in each of the 99 counties of Iowa. The artist Ray “Bubba” Sorensen started painting Freedom Rocks to honor military veterans. The one in Winterset honors veterans, prisoners of war, John Wayne (even though he was not allowed to serve due to having 4 children), and Quilts of Valor. Quilts of Valor was started in Winterset. Volunteers create a quilt and present it to a veteran in honor of his service to our country. My father was fortunate enough to be honored with one of these beautiful quilts. The picture of Dad receiving is the quilt is courtesy of my brother, Chris.

After our detours in Winterset, we continued on to see the last two bridges. The next bridge was a nice surprise. We could actually drive across it! It is the only one available to drive. Of course, we did drive it! This is the Cedar Covered Bridge. It also had a nice gazebo and picnic area. This bridge was rebuilt twice due to arson.

The last bridge and finale of our tour of Madison County was Hogback Bridge. This bridge was situated on some farmland and it made a beautiful setting. It also had a journal for people to sign, share feelings, and experiences.

We had a wonderful day exploring the Bridges of Madison County.

Mom and I had more plans for the week, but they were cut short. Aaron’s job needed him to start heading east to Kansas City, with a stop in Utah and then Colorado on the way. I changed my flight, returned to California on Thursday, and Aaron and I packed everything up and started our drive east on Friday. Next week, back to Utah. We stayed at our first Hipcamp, Hiawatha Hideaway.

South Fork State Recreational Park, Nevada

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We said goodbye to Idaho and made our way into northeast Nevada. We set up the trailer at South Fork State Recreational Park just outside of Elko, Nevada. Elko is known for its gold mines and UFO sightings. We did see quite a few mines driving to the campground. Unfortunately, we did not see any UFOs, mysterious lights, or aliens.

The campground sits above South Fork Reservoir, a man-made reservoir for water-based recreation. Boating, fishing, and swimming are encouraged. Murphy and I spent quite a lot of time down at the water’s edge. He swam every day, and I took too many pictures of the beautiful landscape.

The campground is also close to the Ruby Mountains. They provided a gorgeous view every day, which changed with the light.

It was a quiet week for us. Aaron worked quite a bit, and Murphy and I enjoyed our surroundings.

Here are a few shots of the landscape, the ducks, and the dramatic skies. We did have some rain, which was nice.

The campground was never really crowded, but we did have neighbors with small kids for a few days. Murphy would watch them play from the windows of the camper. Once, he fell asleep watching them and gave me one of my favorite pictures of him.

After a week of enjoying our site, it was time to move west again. Next stop- back to Tahoe National Forest in California. We stayed there last year and decided it was the perfect stop on our way to Fremont, CA.

Back to Idaho

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Plans change. A big part of our travels is our ability to adapt to Aaron’s job’s changing needs. We had planned to head east into Wyoming and then south, but he needed to spend time in his company’s office in Fremont, California. So, we headed west out of Montana for one more trip through Idaho, leading us west to California. We decided to check out Massacre Rocks State Park in American Falls, Idaho. That was a really good decision.

Massacre Rocks State Park is situated on part of the Oregon and California Trail, which pioneers used in the 1800’s and early 1900’s to emigrate west to Oregon and California in their covered wagons. This park was named for a fight between the Native American tribe, the Shoshone, and settlers in 1862. The Shoshone lost at least 20 people, and at least 8 people from wagon trains were also killed in this fight. Regardless of its bloody history, the park is beautiful. It sits above the Snake River with hiking trails, a museum, large boulders, and a hilly campground.

There were a lot of rabbits for Murphy to chase. All the boulders and rocks were formed from volcanic eruptions about 14,500 years ago.

Register Rock is part of the state park and is a few miles from the campground and the rest of the park. This spot was a regular stopping point for a night’s or a few days’ rest. Quite a few of the emigrants that stopped here carved their names into a large boulder and other rocks in the area. The rock has a protective shelter built over it and is fenced in so that people do not deface or destroy this piece of American history. I find it amusing that even back then, people were putting graffiti on rocks. It makes me wonder what future generations will think of the graffiti that will be left behind from our age.

The carvings are not easy to make out, and because they sit in a hole in the ground, they are hard to photograph.

The park also has a trail that leads across an interstate to a set of wagon ruts that still exist from the pioneer wagon trains of the past. It was inspiring to see part of the perilous journey thousands took to find/make a better life for themselves. Many, many people died along these trails trying to manifest a better life for themselves and their families. On the flip side of that, the Native Americans who already lived on these lands were displaced, their homes and lands invaded, and lots of bloodshed occurred due to this drive west. Entire cultures were changed and lost. I had lots of conflicting emotions, standing in history, encompassing loss and gain for both sides of the perilous time of wagon trains, Native American and pioneer battles, displacement of tribes, and growth and expansion of American culture. These themes are still controversial today, and I do not want to get into debates, especially on this site.

We also visited the museum on-site in the park. It had a nice display of some fossils found there, a journal of a pioneer on the Oregon Trail, and some recreations of what covered wagon travel looked like.

When our stay was over, we packed it up and started west toward Nevada. While looking at our route, I noticed that we would be passing very close to Shoshone Falls. This waterfall is called the Niagara of the West. So, we decided a short side trip was in order. The falls are controlled by damns, so sometimes their water flow is high, and sometimes it is low. The flow was low the day we went, so we did not witness the full power of the falls. Even with low flow, the falls were beautiful. We also saw a mountain goat just hanging out, watching cars come in and out of the park.

After an hour of taking pictures, we continued heading west into Nevada. We had been to Reno the year before, just for an afternoon of laundry and lunch. So this was to be our first time camping in Nevada and we were looking forward to another new state and experience, but still in a desert environment. Next week will be all about our stay at one of Nevada’s beautiful reservoirs.

Back to Aaron, the Airstream, and Yellowstone!

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I flew back to Bozeman, Montana, and got settled back into the camper with Aaron and the dog, Murphy. We had a few days before it was time for us to head further west. We had a sweet doe visit us. She was shy for the first picture, then she came out from behind the tree.

We only had a few days left in Montana, and Aaron had to work them all. So, I decided to take a day and drive around Yellowstone National Park one more time. I had hopes of catching some wildlife photos. The best times for viewing animals there are at dawn and at dusk. I woke up super early, made a coffee to go, and was in the truck driving into the park by 5:00 a.m.

The sunrise was beautiful, and I saw my first bison of the day.

The morning was looking promising! As I was driving, I saw a coyote jogging down the side of the road. Between my surprise, my excitement, and the pace of the coyote’s jog, I could not catch a great photo. I did the best I could from the driver’s side window.

Even though it was past Labor Day, the park was still very crowded. I could not get to the most popular spots due to the lack of available parking and the size of our truck. But I still really enjoyed the day. Driving through Lamar Valley, I saw some cars parked on the side of the road and people with their cameras and tripods set up to take pictures. That is always a sign that something cool is out there. I pulled over, grabbed my camera, and tried to find what they were looking at. There was a herd of pronghorn antelope way off in the distance. Even with my strongest telephoto lens, the pictures I took were not great. They were beautiful to watch.

One guarantee when visiting Yellowstone is bison. They are everywhere, all the time.

After the pronghorn herd and the buffalo, I was able to catch a mated pair of ospreys near their nest. Again, the distance made for less-than-desirable photos, but I was able to at least capture them. One is sitting atop the nest, the other lower on the tree.

The rest of my day was spent looking for wildlife, and I did not really find much. There are bears, moose, elk, eagles, wolves, and many other types of animals there, but they were not where I was this time around. I did see a duck and a a few birds, and some people fly fishing.

Yellowstone is never disappointing, the landscapes are beautiful and dramatic. There are gravel roads to explore, and many majestic sights.

Even though I could not reach the main part of Mammoth Springs, I was able to drive to the top and take pictures of the backside and the calcium deposits made by the springs.

I really missed having Aaron with me while I drove through the park. It is easier for one person to drive and the other to spot animals, places to stop, spots to park, and, most importantly, someone to share the experience. I did not see all that I wanted, but it was still an excellent way to spend the day.

I made it back to our campsite in time for dinner. It was good to be back. In a few weeks, Aaron needed to be in Fremont, California. We planned our route, packed it up, and headed west. Our next stop was Massacre Rocks State Park in Idaho. My post next week will have lots of pictures and a little history about this campground that sits on part of the historical Oregon Trail.