Mt. Rainier

We originally had planned to try to get a “walk in” campsite at Cougar Rock campground in Mt. Rainier National Park – meaning that we take our chances – arrive early & hope there is a campsite for us. Given our planned dates there were Saturday & Sunday, I rethought and decided it was not a good idea. So we booked at a RV campground a bit further away from the National Park and it was a great decision. Harmony Lakeside RV Park was such a nice campground – near a lake but also with live music (and a dance floor) down by the lake that Saturday night. Given our late start after yoga & the Central Market in Poulsbo, we arrived with enough time to get things set up, walk around the campground and down to the shoreline and have dinner. When the band began to play and the evening light dimmed, we wandered down to hear them play and had the best time dancing together. First, though, B did his own dance at our campsite. He was ready to go enjoy the show.

It was country music, and I just loved the way music makes people commune. Some folks knew each other, but most didn’t – this was a great way to bring us together in joy.

We were STOKED to climb Rainier (not to the summit, mind you; we did the Skyline Trail). Mt. Rainier is a large active stratovolcano. Ascending to 14,410 feet above sea level, Mount Rainier stands as an icon in the Washington landscape. An active volcano, Mount Rainier is the most glaciated peak in the contiguous U.S.A., spawning five major rivers. Subalpine wildflower meadows ring the icy volcano while ancient forest cloaks Mount Rainier’s lower slopes. Mount Rainier has 25 named glaciers, plus numerous unnamed snowfields. Nisqually Glacier is perhaps the most visited and best surveyed glacier on Mount Rainier.

After reading how busy Mt. Rainier gets this time of year, we headed out super early for our climb. If you wait too long, parking is a long wait and the trail is very crowded. The drive up was what one might expect to get to that elevation!

As we parked the car, we observed other hikers getting ready outside their cars for their hike. Several had on full mountaineering gear so we got a bit worried we might not be dressed warm enough, especially B with shorts! But, we were there already – not going back down the mountain for more gear. In the end, we were more than fine; I was in a tank top by the last part of the descent.

We did the trail counterclockwise based on the information we read on the All Trails site – clockwise you are seeing the Nisqually Glacier as you climb. Counterclockwise, you don’t see it until you reach the vista. I like the drama of that! And, when we arrived, I wept. Glaciers make me cry.

  • Nisqually Valley Falls
  • We made it!
  • That blue color is amazing

On the way up (1,778′ elevation gain) we encountered steep ascent, rocks, snow on the tail, and a marmot deciding to flop down on the snow bank to cool off. The wildflowers in the subalpine zone were spectacular. By far, the most amazing thing we encountered was the sound of the glacier moving and cracking. Cannot even pretend to try to describe it, what an experience.

  • Lower trail water flow
  • Place to rest and honor
  • water flow
  • View from lower trail
  • She awaits us
  • Dense wildflower cover
  • subalpine wildflowers
  • Marmot chilling
  • Snow on trail

After ogling the glacier for a very long time, we turned around and took in Panorama Point. Mindblowing. We had a clear day and could see for miles & miles & miles, Mt. St. Helens, Hood, Baker…

We had a snack took some pictures and then I FaceTimed my daughter Meg! I really did not think it would work but it did & she picked up. Ok, first I did FaceTime Audio by accident, but then I switched to video and was able to share that moment at trail crest with her as well. She is an avid climber and mountain lover, so I knew she would appreciate that incredible vista.

The trail was much more crowded on our descent and it was still rather early in the day – so if you ever plan to do this trail, getting their early is a must. Pictures don’t really do it justice, it was a jaw-dropping life altering experience of enormous power.

That was Sunday evening and it was very quiet at the campground. We had a nice campfire which may be our last on this trip, come to find out. No fires permitted in OR and as we make our way south into fire hazard territory, unlikely to be able to have another. Everything changes, nothing is permanent, enjoy while it lasts and move on.

Ferries, Trails, Hot Springs: Olympic National Park and Seattle

The GPS said only 124 miles but 3 hrs and 14 minutes to Poulsbo, WA – our next stop. Seemed odd, so looking at the detail I see there is a ferry crossing involved. Now, of course, GPS doesn’t know we are pulling a camper; so I get a bit worried. But if the RV park is in Poulsbo, well, there must be a way to get on to the island and hopefully it doesn’t mean looping around some way to gain access. Looking at the Washington ferry website, all looked fine to take the trailer on the ferry – which would be so cool. BUT to be sure, I called the campground and they assured me yes, your camper would fit.

Cool! What a nice break from driving; and indeed it was a lovely scenic ferry ride from Kingston to Edmonds. We left the truck & camper below and went up top to cross the Puget Sound. It was a lovely trip.

We got setup in the campground and decided to bike into town to pick up a few things. Unfortunately GPS took us on the highway which was a bit dicey, but we made it to the Central Market Poulsbo and I was blown away! Since we only had a small backpack, we vowed to return the next day to restock (we didn’t get there until the day we left, but we did get there). Fantastic market … maybe better than Wegmans.

The next day we ventured in to Seattle for some urban hiking and sightseeing. The ferry from Bainbridge to Seattle is even better than the day before – reminded me of my days taking the Staten Island Ferry into Manhattan. And you could easily see Mt. Rainier from the ferry.

We first went to see the statue of one of my favorite rock stars, Chris Cornell that was unveiled outside the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPop) last year. Amazing musician, gone way way too soon. IMO, statue did not do him justice. He was much better looking than that. The image on the right was better.

  • Honored in bronze
  • Much hotter here
  • If only…

One has to do the Space Needle, doesn’t one? So, we did. Since I was last there with my BF Ann in 2014, they have added a revolving glass floor on another level. Whoa, kind of a freak out for B – was very leery of stepping out and seeing the world down below. But, he did, sweaty palms & all.

We also met up with Riley Bauer, a (HS & college) friend of Keefe’s, for lunch. It was so nice of him to come and meet us and to find out how he is doing there. He gave us a few good tips about his city and I was so impressed by this smart young man who not once during our conversation take out his phone. Don’t see that very often these days.

We had to pay a visit to the flagship REI store and spent a decent amount of time wandering around and picked up a couple of items. Had some free sorbet outside at the Thursday event, featuring live music, for valued customers. The we went over to the marina to watch the sea planes come in and to visit the Center for Wooden Boats.

  • REI – outdoor show!
  • Marina
  • Center for Wooden Boats

We had a looong wait for the ferry back to Bainbridge, but the dusk view was worth it.

Our second full day on the Olympic Peninsula we crammed in riding, hiking and the hot springs (mineral springs). We thought the bike ride was going to be short and sweet because the trail (Spruce Railroad Trail: Lake Crescent) said 11.2 miles out & back. The start of the trail was not good – many rocks and treacherously small trail near the lake dropoff; but we kept going, even through the dark tunnel. It was a mixed use trail, so also had to be mindful of hikers. But after the really hard part (some of which I walked my bike through); we came to gravel and then asphalt that just kept on going, so we did too. But not many others did, which was even better. Quiet, peaceful, lake view and forest. Come to discover when we met up with a quad of other bikers, it is part of the Olympic Discovery Trail.

The Olympic Discovery Trail is a designated non-motorized, multi-use trail spanning the north end of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. The route spans around 140 miles[1] between Port Townsend, Washington and La Push, Washington. As of August 2017, 80 miles of this trail are complete and additional miles under construction.[2] The remainder of the route can be ridden using a combination of public roads. Someday it would be cool to bike the entire trail. But for now, this is a snippet of the Lake Crescent area trail:

We ended up going nearly 21 miles. Loved it.

Luckily we brought lunch and devoured it when we returned to the truck. That not being enough, we drove over to the Lovers Lane Trail near the Sol Duc Hot Springs so, duh, we could “take the waters” as they say. Which was a very good thing, because after the hike, we were exhausted – but it was a beautiful hike in the woods with waterfalls and gigantic trees.

  • Invitation to Peace
  • Tree with a tumor
  • Tree Cave
  • Bridge over falls
  • Giant trees
  • Falls
  • Falls
  • Sol Duc Hot Springs

Since we were so late, we did not get to the market, so we decided to make a late start the next day as our drive was short to our campground near Mt. Rainier. We rose early and went to a vigorous (read very sweaty) yoga class. After which we hit the local bakery for scones and some bakery bread. We felt like we deserved a treat! Poulsbo is a very interesting little town with a Scandinavian theme and I wished we had more time to wander around. But, we had to get to the market where we LOADED up on many items, including our favorite, not yet found elsewhere on the road, Fruffalo wings. Mmmmm…

All in all, the Olympic Peninsula, ferries, proximity to Seattle made this one of my favorite places so far. Most of the places we leave feeling like we got most of the best of it, but I felt like there was more to be had in Olympic.

North Cascades (ADK on steroids)

The rugged North Cascades were an unexpected pleasure. I thought it sounded like a cool place and there was no way we could make it all the way to the Olympic Peninsula in one day. That said, it took 10.5 hours to drive here from Kootenay, AB, Canada. Brian did the entire drive. He is a better driver than passenger. And I am a better passenger than driver (not from a skills perspective mind you).

I am usually busy in the passenger seat looking for a place to stop and eat, get gas, go grocery shopping or planning our itinerary for our next stop. And once in a while, I nap. Brian – who can fall asleep in an instant, has some trouble with this as a passenger. I wake him with slightly too hard braking or minor swerve (as far as I see it). I just don’t drive the same way he does & he worries. Don’t blame him – until this trip, I never drove a truck pulling a 4500lb. camper. And I live in NYC – where I rarely drive, except in or out of the city. Fine with me, I don’t really like to drive anyway and when he is tired I drive. Except on those scary chestnut drives – like this one into the No Cascades; the Northern Cascades Scenic Byway. Who knew? Google maps doesn’t give you much info on topography, elevation gains/descents, etc. even in terrain mode. Someone probably made an app for that though. Give him much credit, no way could I have driven that far and ended with the byway pulling the camper.

The campsite – Newhalem Campground – was very nice but is a government site, with no hookups for water or electric and no hot water (and no showers). We were only there 2 nights, so made the most of our time and really came to appreciate the Northern Cascades. It definitely reminded me and B of the Adirondacks, but on steroids.

  • Uniqueness of No. Cascades
  • Topography map
  • Cedar Stump House

After sitting that long in the car, we needed to get moving. So we hiked the Thunder Knob Trail trail up to a vista of Diablo Lake. 4.1 miles, but not too difficult, and a pretty reward at trail summit.

  • Not too bad
  • to get to this [note, see power lines]
  • we’re pretty happy

It it very interesting that three lakes there are used for power via the Skagit River Hydroelectric Project which consists of three power generating developments on the Skagit River – Ross, Diablo, and Gorge. The three developments are hydraulically coordinated to act as a single project and supply approximately 20% of Seattle City Light’s power requirements, while providing instream flow conditions favorable to salmon and steelhead reproduction and rearing downstream of the Project. All three of the dams are upstream of a natural barrier to fish passage.  Very cool.

Well, that trail was not enough, so we thought – we will do the one across the street, the Pyramid Trail. WOW…that was a very difficult hike with not a great reward at the end of trail. It was a lake, but meh. 4.8 miles but with 1,500′ ascent over rock & root, with some more manageable terrain in between. You know it is hard when ascenders ask “how much longer” and descenders feel obligated to tell you you are almost there.

  • yea, crazy
  • Many tree roots lining the trail
  • Lake at the top of trail. Meh.

We were depleted by day’s end – did the best we could to wash the trail dirt off in cold water and wet wipes. We didn’t have a super long travel day ahead (125 driving miles & a ferry crossing), but we were out early and slept long.

Oh, Canada!

When my buddy Frank shared his photos from his family trip to the Canadian Rockies (Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper) I thought they had been seriously photoshopped. They did not look real to me. There was no name for the color of the water. But he assured me they were real. I also heard from people about the wealth of wildlife sitings and to die for vistas on the spectacular scenic Icefields Parkway (road from Banff to Jasper). So, of course we had to go!

Booking campgrounds in Canada was not the same as in the US, so I was surprised when I went to book in April only to find nothing available in the areas close to where we wanted to stay. In my searches, they were all government campsites, nothing privately owned – which may be a function of knowing how to search for them, but in any event, I could not find anything. So we wound up booking in Kootenay National Park on the west side – which turned out to be helpful for our drive back to Washington State. That said, it was the saddest campground ever. First, it was 6 degrees celsius.

There were no hookups for water or electric at the site, so we were very cold! And no internet or cell service. Actually, as we drove there from Banff area, the highway sign warned us that there was no gas or cell service for the next 105km on the highway and our campsite was within those km. We were warned…

In the US when we arrive at a campsite, there is usually a registration office and folks there give you a map and tell you where everything is. At KNP, we were confused to find only a “self-registration” kiosk. Our name was there for a reserved site and if we wanted a fire, we could leave $8 for a permit and help ourselves to the wood. Knowing ahead of time it would be a long drive to Jasper, we decided we would book a hotel so we could spend more time there rather than drive there & back in a day. As we thought about it, we also decided why not stay in Banff too and enjoy a break from the camper. It was a very good call.

We left early the next morning, leaving the camper in Kootenay and drove to Banff Park Lodge. Fantastic hotel with an amazing steam room & jacuzzi which we took advantage of. Much better than 6 degrees & freezing. We also had decided to try to make the most of our time and save ourselves some driving and booked a couple of tours. That afternoon, we toured with a small group to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. Frank was not lying. Moraine was more brilliant, it was a bit cloudy so the vibrancy at Louise was not as bold – but in any event, quite remarkable. We also spotted our first Black Bear along the highway.

  • @ Lake Louise
  • Chateau Lake Louise
  • Moraine Lake
  • @ Moraine Lake

When I texted these photos to my twins, Meg was very impressed saying “That is so beautiful it doesn’t even look real”. To which Jack replied, “it’s not real, mom is just trying to show how much photoshop she learned”. Haha.

We were impressed by our tour guide’s knowledge and learned about how the Canadians work to preserve wildlife (and human life frankly) by keeping them off the highways with underpasses, overpasses and fencing. When they built the first 2 test overpasses, they counted 2 animals crossing in a year (having spent $3M, that was $1.5M per animal). But eventually they learned to use the overpasses and are now copied in other countries. They are designed to obscure the animals as they cross so as not to scare the animal with the cars nor the humans gawking at the animals.

  • Black Bear!
  • Roadside sheep
  • Wildlife Overpass

We went to a restorative yoga class and then had a delicious dinner at Masala Authentic Indian Restaurant, enjoyed the jacuzzi and a great sleep in a KING SIZE BED.

The next day we slept in, took a steam (ok and the jacuzzi) and then traveled to Jasper. The Icefields Parkway was indeed a spectacular drive. Brian drove up to Jasper and I drove back to Kootenay the next day so we could both take it in. It is one of those drives where you just keep going, wow.

We stayed at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge. A town unto itself (really). I wish I had done a bit more research so as to take advantage of what the property had to offer, but instead we booked a wildlife tour for that evening and a day trip to Maligne Lake and Spirit Island and Maligne Canyon. The wildlife tour was a bust – cannot predict when the animals will grace you with their presence, but the only ones we saw on that tour were right by the hotel property! The next day, though, was well worth it. The only way to get to Spirit Island is by boat – even the campers have to paddle out to their campsites.

  • Maligne Canyon
  • Maligne Lake
  • Spirit Island

Views from the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge

And when sending pictures from Spirit Island and the lake by the hotel, Meg sent a “gasp” emoji and Jack replied, I think mom is just sending us the default macbook backgrounds. Hahahaha.

We were grateful it was a bit warmer on the Sunday we went back to Kootenay, our stay in the camper that evening was very nice, peaceful and firelit. We had a very, very long drive the next day to get to the Northern Cascades, and leaving from Kootenay rather than Jasper helped save 4.5 hours.

We got a very early start the next morning on our return to the US. At the border, the crossing agent took our lime and avocado. I think he was planning to make some guacamole. Just a guess.

Origin Story

I read about the receding glaciers resulting from the climate crisis, including those in Glacier National Park. I became rather fixated (like I sometimes do – I see you laughing out there) with the notion of seeing them before they disappeared. In 1966, the park had 35 named glaciers large enough to be considered active. By 2015, only 26 named glaciers remained. [source]

If the global climate change trends continue, researchers predict that Glacier National Park will no longer have glaciers by 2030. Many of the remaining active (over 25 acres) glaciers will be gone before that date. [source]

Look at this:

GRINNELL GLACIER 1910 AND 2017
A mountainous glacier.
A small mountainous glacier.

One of the most moving moments was on our hike to Grinnell Lake/Grinnell Glacier. When we arrived, I wept. I was overcome by the majesty, beauty and grace. And I was sad to think this may be lost. A couple of my pictures:

We would see more glaciers in Canada and the PacNW, but GNP was first. It meant so much to me.

Overall, the park was just magnificent. The Going-to-the-Sun-Road was a human creation just as awe inspiring as nature. I marvel at the engineering and labor that goes in to making these treacherous scenic byways. We were very grateful for the free shuttle that operated on the road so we (Brian) did not have to drive it. He has an expression for what it feels like when you look off the side of the road & see a sheer drop – chestnuts. Think about it, what happens when he feels his nuts in his chest LOL – perfect description, even for a lady.

We spent 3 days seeing the sites of the park. First stop, Sun Point trail where we saw Baring Falls and a deer who basically walked on the trail pushing the hikers out of her way. We knew who owned these woods. Next day we hiked to St. Mary’s Falls and Virginia Falls and then shuttled to Logan Pass and hiked up to Hidden Lake where we saw our first Grizzly Bear — luckily down by the Lake (closed to hikers due to bear activity) through the binoculars as well as a mama goat & her baby. We saw another small Griz on our way out of the park – safely from the window of the shuttle. We also walked the Trail of the Cedars, so immense and peaceful. On our last day was our hike to Grinnell Lake & Glacier.

St. Mary’s Falls – fed by three glaciers to create this iridescent color and unimaginable power.

Sun Point

  • Sun Point
  • Sun Point
  • Mama & baby goats
  • Pool beneath St. Mary’s Falls
  • Virgina Falls
  • Made it!
  • I own this trail
  • Hidden Lake
  • Hidden Lake Trail
  • Trail of the Cedars

Our campsite, as previously mentioned, though lacking viable internet, did have a hot tub and pizza delivery and we took advantage of both! It was too windy for a fire & weather wasn’t the best during our visit, but we were graced with a double rainbow as we left the park. It was magical.

  • Campsite Pizza, delivered!
  • Double rainbow goodbye.

Weeks behind! Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Glacier National Parks

The blog is far behind our reality! No – or bad – internet connectivity is mostly to blame. That and it is not as easy as it should be to update this thing. In Wyoming & Canada we camped in national parks where there was no WiFi and in Montana at a KOA park where there might as well have been no internet (note: they were quick to point out that they do NOT advertise WiFi access). The KOA did two better though – they had an awesome hot tub AND they had a pizza kitchen & delivered to your campsite! Will sum up as best we can from our adventures in Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone & Glacier National Park.

Grand Tetons

Holy Cow! We LOVED the Tetons – as of today, we both agree this has been our favorite place so far, even though I thought I was going to die after a 35 mile bike ride. We also trekked around Phelps Lake where we spotted a moose drinking and a western tanager bird (no photo, he was too quick) so colorful, exquisite. We took the Jackson tram to the top of the mountain, spotting Corbets Couloir along the way. Brian might have feared death as he parasailed off that 10,000+ foot mountain; BUT yep, he really did do that.

The scenery is just spectacular and we enjoyed the town of Jackson as well even if it is a bit touristy. Had some great ice cream (sorbet in my case) – where Brian lost his phone (later recovered) and had an intense yoga class at a studio we picked so we could also use the shower facilities. AND we got to ride horses into some beautiful terrain. I forgot how much core work is involved in that but I was reminded the next day when every time I moved involving my mid-back. In addition to the horses, we also got to see antelope, moose (one right in our campground) but did not see Elk even though Jackson is home to the National Elk Refuge. The four corners of the square in town have arches made from Elk antlers collected every year after the shed. Took our bear spray – but no bears.

In the visitor center, there was an exceptionally beautiful picture of the Teton range made from individual pictures from the area. Stunning. And I loved the quote on the wall there too.

Yellowstone

Most of our time in Yellowstone was spent driving from place to place. Not our idea of fun – but there really isn’t anther way to see the major sites or get to trails. The roadways are very scenic – some of them gave me the shivers driving along the sheer drops. It was very busy at all of the top places. The Falls were definitely a highlight and we were very happy Old Faithful did not let us down especially after it started raining. She took her time to show, but she did eventually. We enjoyed other geysers, the Grand Prismatic Spring and Mammoth Hot Springs as well. It was very interesting to learn about the Park, the fact that it is a super volcano and to see the caldera on the topographical map was enlightening just to see how enormous it is. We did get to see Elk in the park – one particular lady elk did not seem to care who was wandering around Mammoth, she was just hanging out by the buildings for all to see. We also captured a couple of bulls and crossed the Continental Divide. The Upper Falls were stunning – great way to wind down our visit there.

  • Old Faithful
  • Upper Falls
  • Mammoth Hot Springs
  • Grand Geyser
  • Steamy

We did discover how reliant we are on the internet during our stay there! My recipes are all online and I do all our day planning via the web. We were far from internet service at the campground, so when we went to Mammoth, I took screenshots of my recipe for dinner as well as the directions out the next day. We decided to leave a day early and split the drive to Glacier in half (was originally 7.5 hour drive), so booked a campground last minute as we drove out (and got cell service) the next day. Good call.

Glacier National Park

The genesis of this entire trip was that I wanted to see GNP before the Glaciers all disappeared. I am going to write another post on Glacier so I can put this one up. Stay tuned, more to come (soon, I hope – we have already been to Canada & Washington – leaving for Oregon tomorrow!)

3 earthquakes and a wedding

Love…

  • Ashley & Keith
  • Some fancy socks there!
  • Love is love

And marriage. What a great wedding and a fantastic long holiday weekend in Lake Arrowhead, CA. Ashley & Keith tied the knot on July 5th with grandfather Paul Garrett officiating – which was both funny (because really, Paul as minister…) and touching (when his voice cracked as he made his remarks and created the union of husband & wife. His comments were heartfelt and his love apparent. I do think he might have a great idea for a new business, “Toot And Tell or Go to Hell” – a new drive through confessional in LA.

The pre-wedding BBQ & games night and the reception dance-a-thon AND of course the photo booth with funny props were plenty of fun. Brian really liked that hat.

Good times.

  • Sandy & Paul Garrett
  • The Baumeister family

This was my favorite moment (not including the actual wedding, of course).

The Garrett lineage of the family (15-17 people) stayed at a fabulous AirBnB with a gorgeous view of Lake Arrowhead. It was nice to sleep in a queen bed in a house for a few nights! The very long journey up the very steep mountain in the dead of night was so scary, but Lynn did a great job even if the men picked on her for forgetting to turn off the brights for a brief period and possibly blinding the drivers coming down the mountain. We got there safe and when we went back down the mountain on Sunday – it was even more impressive in the light of day – and only slightly less scary.

  • Crazy elevation & switchbacks
  • Spectacular views

4th of July fireworks over the lake were so great, such an incredible vantage point to take them in.

  • Not bad to wake up to.
  • Evening view
  • Happy 4th!

And we got to experience our first earthquake – Brian felt the first one (6.4 magnitude) and I felt the second one (5.4). Neither of us felt the last and biggest one (7.1) – probably because we just assumed it was the dance floor moving under our feet since it was during the reception. Thankfully, all was well.

Congratulations to Ashley & Keith. It was a beautiful celebration and a lovely time in sunny California.

Meanwhile, back IRL

I am missing my family reunion in Seneca Falls, NY this week and my niece Sarah Parrow’s HS Graduation party. Go Sarah! Miss you all…

Kevin celebrated his 34th birthday with his siblings who paid him a surprise (sort of) visit in San Francisco. It makes me so happy to see them spending time together. Parents want to know family will continue without them.

My niece Samantha & her husband Paul announced that they are expecting with the most clever announcement ever.

Kevin & Jesse were in New York for a surprise baby shower – complete with customized onesies!

L

And it was officially my retirement day (though I am still contributing, I am not on a schedule anymore).


The beat goes on, the beat goes on…

La-de-da-dee-dee…

…And then things go awry

After such a long time in the truck, we like to go on a vigorous hike to get the body moving again; this time to Black Elk Peak SD Highpoint Trail in the Black Hills. 7.8 miles with a 1000+’ elevation gain (from 6000+’ already) taking us past amazing granite towers rising out of the hills with a historic stone firetower at the top (no longer in use, but open to public).

We got there early in the morning and set off. The trail glittered, it was a beautiful clear day. We stoped at the first vantage point (not too far in) and exchanged photo taking with another couple.

Not a particular rocky point, but as I turned to head back to the trail, I rolled my ankle pretty good. In my head I was thinking “oh no, I’ve ruined everything, if this is as bad as it feels, the rest of the trip is a washout” and then I calmed down and waited and it was fine enough to continue. We kept going, knowing as soon as I took that boot off, it was going to blow up. The vistas were stunning, cathedral spires, and the topmost firetower views. Also noted the devastation of the pine beetle and massive tree loss. Flies buzzed everywhere, the trail was getting busier and we were happy to take a less trafficked trail back down.

My favorite picture – this rock formation made me think of Grumpy Cat. Which was just about how I felt at the bottom of the trail.

  • Grumpy Cat , the mountain

On the way down we stopped to replenish our energy with a very chewy bar. I bit in and felt something hard – only to find it was not a misplaced nutshell in the bar, but my crown. Ugh! At least I didn’t swallow it. We packed it away and dragged ourselves to complete the last few miles. Wiped out but exhilarated.

Returning to camp I began a search for a dentist in nearby Rapid City. Most were closed Fridays and those that weren’t couldn’t squeeze me in – we were scheduled to leave Sunday – so waiting until Monday would not work and who knew what schedules might look like for the holiday week. . Annette from Carpenter Dental must have sensed my desperation; she talked to the dentist on schedule for Friday and got me in. They were FABULOUS and I was repaired. Took this picture of my ankle there, it (the right one) was swollen and tender, but not bad enough to miss out on plans. Took in a few sites and lunch at the local (heavily advertised) brew pub and get advice from a lady we crossed paths with to eat the quarter pound chocolate chips cookies (we passed).

  • Carpenter Dental saves the day
  • the right ankle
  • Firehouse Brewery

On the way back, we stopped to see Mt. Rushmore. I’ll just put it out there, we weren’t that impressed. I almost forgot to include it in this post. Yea, it’s amazing to think about how that got created and fascinating to look at; but once you look at it, there just isn’t that much more to do there. There was some work going on, so not everything was open and we didn’t do the hike because it was like 96 degrees and humid there, but even then – the hike didn’t really look that interesting. There were people working on Teddy Roosevelt’s head. That was cool.

We got back to camp and hit the George S. Mikelson Rail Trail on our bikes thinking it would be easy. It was on the way out, because THAT was all downhill!!! We did get to see a ton of white tail deer on the ride, making Brian very happy.

Pine pollen was everywhere at the campsite – everything was covered in a coat of thin green dust, but by that point we did not care. We sat right in it and ate a quick bite, showered and fell exhausted into a deep sleep knowing we had a relatively relaxing day ahead visiting Moccasin Springs Spa in Hot Springs, SD for a massage and the mineral baths. Delightful. But our plan was to stop at Wind Cave National Park on the way back and see the Cave. As we left Hot Springs and checked the website, there was an alert posted that the elevators were down & there would be no Cave tours that day. You can’t see the Cave on your own. So we stopped by the park and saw some exhibits, but now the Cave. Oh well, it was a nice day anyway and we had a roaring campfire and the stars were out in droves.

We left the next day to trek to Bozeman, MT where we are now. On the way, we stopped off for a visit to Devil’s Tower in WY. Did the trail around the base – you can see a couple of climbers on the picture on the top right.

We continued on to Bozeman – where we are until we head out tomorrow for Brian’s niece Ashley’s wedding in Lake Arrowhead, CA. a great town, we could almost be convinced to live here. But then the snow, and that people refer to it as BozeAngeles because so many people are moving here; but I really like it here. Brian had a head on collision on the mountain bike trail with a young dude, but walked away unscathed, I did not join that part of the ride, thankfully. We caught the World Cup during a rainstorm today – packed to empty as soon as the women were victorious! Enjoyed a couple of much needed yoga classes too.

  • Downtown Bozeman
  • Before the game
  • After the game
  • Rainbow is barely visible
  • View driving in
  • 6′ stone artwork
  • Greetings from our campground.

We return to Bozeman Sunday, the head to Yellowstone (we bought bear spray).

Zzzzz… and a few Surprises

Travel days are not our favorite days. As noted last, we decided to leave Wisconsin a day early because the weather forecast was calling for rain. We went west to Sioux Falls, SD adding a day to our stay there – was originally supposed to only be an overnight to break up the long journey to Custer, SD. The trip across took us across the bottom of Minnesota and it was SO boring. Plains and more plains (there is a reason they are called plains). Nothing to see. We did notice lots of unplanted farmland – due to rains this year (uh, climate crisis) there just isn’t as much getting planted. We will certainly feel those effects soon enough.

But then we had to eat, so we found a place to pull off in Blue Earth, MN to our surprise, the home to the Jolly Green Giant.

  • Jolly Green Giant
  • Hello from Blue Earth.

Sioux Falls was a very sweet surprise. We did a great bike ride on a trail around the river – the city has done such a nice job creating green space and using the natural terrain to center the city. We were very impressed.

You never know what you are going to get with campsites, and Sioux Falls we had a very loud bird nest above our camper, so we were awakened early to head off the next day.

Our next long journey across the state of South Dakota (we literally went from one side to the other) seemed like it was going to be more of the snoozefest but we then we came upon a great change in the landscape and stopped for an amazing visit to the Badlands. We also kept seeing billboards for Wall Drug Store. Wall coffee 5 cents; Wall homemade donuts, Wall this, Wall that – the billboards reminded me of that movie, 3 Billboards outside Ebbing Missouri (great movie); so we had to stop and see what all the fuss was about. It’s not a drug store, it’s more like a town – very interesting (?) and weird.

Coffee was good though. And the donut (chocolate covered).

We didn’t really plan to see the Badlands during the drive to Custer, we were going to make it a day trip — but we realized it was quite a hike from camp, so why not go ahead and see it now. And so we went a bit backwards from Wall into the Badlands, then over the same route through Wall to get to Custer. But really glad we did it that way – late afternoon is a great time for wildlife to be out and about. I have to figure out the video link to add a couple of interesting ones to this thing; but for now, still photos will have to do. We had to wait for the Bison to cross the road as we drove in, it was gigantic. We saw big horn sheep – up hillside where the baby chased after her mom and then a couple of rams roadside. MY GOD, this was so vast, amazing and the loop drive around the park was just breathtaking. Really wished we had booked a night to camp there, I bet the stars at night were incomparable.

The terrain changed again as we went further west into the Black Hills. We made it into Custer pretty late that night – we had a few scares with deer crossing our path but luckily, no collisions. We set up camp and promptly fell asleep.

And we had really bad WiFi in Custer, thus the delay.