As a general rule, we limit our mileage to 150 miles per day. Our outer limit is 200. However, if you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you’ve probably figured out by now that when we use the term “rule,” we really mean “suggestion,” and we pretty much just do whatever we feel like and then figure out how to justify it later. This applies to things like driving mileage, caloric intake, and monthly budgets.
Sometimes, though, there really is a method to our madness. Some of our rule breakage simply comes from us realizing that the rules we developed were wrong, or wrong for that situation.
So, when I started looking at how to route us from Texas up to our summer spots in Idaho and Montana, I broke some of our rules right off the bat. Others, we broke along the way when we realized our plans needed adjusting. Either way, a lot of rules were broken. Fortunately, it all worked out.
Central Texas to Northern Texas
We rolled out of Austin on June 15 and immediately started with a longer-than-normal day – about 250 miles. We wanted to get through the Dallas Metro area (which, if you’ve never been, is quite large) before stopping for the night. We stayed at a Passport America park (that is also home to an alpaca farm) for two nights.
“Why two nights?” you ask? Good question.
The answer is that in our time on the road, we’ve learned that if something is going to go wrong, it will often go wrong on our first day of travel. This is especially true if we’ve been sitting in one place for a while. In this case, we hadn’t really driven Barney since we arrived in Austin way back in March, so we figured there was a good chance something might go haywire on our first big outing, and if it did, we might need time and supplies to address it.
And what do you know? Something did break, and we did need supplies!
Sadly, however, we didn’t realize we had a problem until the morning we were leaving, and by then, we didn’t have time to fix it.
Foiled again!!
Fortunately, it wasn’t a huge problem. The valve we use to change the direction of incoming water from our house faucets to our water tank failed. Kevin was able to force it into position to fill our tank, but that meant we couldn’t switch to city water and the valve itself was leaking into our wet bay. It’s not that big a deal to fix but you have to get a replacement valve, and when you’re trying to move 1700 miles in 11 days, it’s not possible to do that. Oh well. We managed.
Oklahoma City and the National Memorial
After a short day of just 150 miles, we pulled into our Oklahoma City campground and found it to be the most “Oklahoma” place ever. It had an operational oil derrick placed right at the entrance, multiple tornado shelters located in the center of the campground, and warnings that made clear the shelters weren’t just for decoration.
After getting set up, I jumped in the car and headed down to see the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial.
The memorial protects the site and the surrounding area of the Alfred P. Murrah building. Visitors gain entrance to the memorial through large gates on either side of the park. The gates are known as the “Gates of Time,” one inscribed “9:01” and the other “9:03.” The bomb exploded at 9:02. The idea is life as people knew it stopped at 9:01 and the healing process began at 9:03.
A tranquil reflecting pool lies between the two gates, with tree lined grassy areas on either side.
One of those grassy areas protects the original rectangular footprint of the building.
168 chairs, one for each of the bombing’s victims, are lined up in rows which correspond to the floor of the building they were on at the time of the blast.
19 smaller chairs commemorate the 19 children who perished at their daycare on the second floor of the building.
Surrounding the field of chairs is part of the original wall of the Murrah building, its concrete encased rebar no match for the force of the bomb.
On the opposite side of the reflecting pool, a plaza protects a beautiful American Elm that became known as the Survivor Tree, since, against all odds, it survived the blast and has continued to flourish.
Outside the gates, on the sidewalk, a fence similar to the one that originally protected the site and became a memorial, still exists, and people still leave items to remember the dead, honor the survivors, and give thanks to the first responders, recovery teams, and community members who came together to help.
Also preserved was this raw message spray painted by a recovery worker on an adjacent building:
I walked around the back side of what had been the building to find its original plaza still intact. It looks like a million D.C. federal buildings built in the 1960’s and 1970’s.
However, off to the side is a fenced in grassy area with a sign noting that it was the location where the daycare’s playground once stood.
Cordoned off from the rest of the city, the memorial is quiet, peaceful, and moving, with elements that honor the individual victims, the survivors, the rescue and recovery crews, and the greater community. It is a solemn memorial but also a place that lives and grows, demonstrating the efforts of the community to defiantly stand up to those behind the atrocity.
A Kansas Sized Surprise
The 300 mile drive from Oklahoma to Kansas was, as expected, flat.
So, so flat.
Fortunately, though, it offered plenty to think about. For example, ‘Do commuters see this billboard and think: “Ya know, I need to lock in some good funeral pricing…”
Of course, all of this reminded me of another funeral home billboard I saw up in Michigan (while, as I mentioned in my last post, I can’t remember crap, what I can remember is thoroughly worthless information like in which state we drove by a weird billboard). Anyway, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, it’ll cost you several hundred dollars more for presumably the same cremation services, so keep that in mind when you’re planning for your demise.
You’re welcome.
Anyway, back in Kansas, if you need a pick me up after all that death talk, there’s a free pickle bar just up the road…
300+ flat miles later, we were surprised to see a “scenic byway” sign as we exited the interstate. All we had seen thus far was flat farmland, wind turbines, and oil derricks,
but, sure enough, as we drove down the road toward Wilson State Park, we were greeted with tree dotted rolling green hills as far as the eye could see.
Turning into the drive for the park, we were floored by the beautiful views that extended in every direction.
And while the campground was a bit tight, with sites arranged parallel to one another around several loops:
our site was right on the lakefront and offered easy, direct access to the water.
The lake was huge, multiple trails meandered up into the hills, and the views from the park’s highest points went on for miles. We would have loved to stay longer, but we only had one night.
Flat Kansas to Flat Colorado
The following day, we drove 250 miles from central Kansas, through the creatively named town of…
…before stopping for two nights at Shady Grove Campground in the tiny (and I do mean tiny) town of Seibert, Colorado.
Seibert, a five block by five block town with a population of just 216 people, has no shops or restaurants, one small grocery store, a couple churches, and no gas stations. There’s some sort of industrial complex and a very large school that apparently serves several local communities, and that’s about it.
Some of the roads aren’t even paved. We saw them come through with this grading contraption…
We stayed two nights (which was one and a half too many) and headed out.
Wonderful Wyoming
Our plan had been to drive from Seibert across the northeastern section of Colorado and into Wyoming where we’d stop at the Walmart in Laramie for the night, followed 200 miles later by a Walmart in Rock Springs, followed by a trek north to a BLM campground called Warren Bridge for a night.
We quickly tossed all those plans out the window.
The roads were decent, there was no traffic, and the weather, while at times stormy, hadn’t been a real problem. So, from Eastern Colorado, we crossed the northeastern section of the state and headed due west across Wyoming. The total mileage for the day was about 350 miles.
We stopped for the night at Western Hills Campground in Rawlins, Wyoming, a large parking lot style campground that pretty much exists for people doing what we were doing.
Rawlins, Wyoming to Ririe, Idaho: The Homestretch
After a good night’s sleep, we hit the road once more. As we headed out, we expected to travel about 230 miles before stopping for the night, but over the course of the afternoon, we decided to just push through to our final destination.
Lucky for us, the whole drive was smooth and the scenery through Wyoming was increasingly picturesque.
350 miles later, we arrived at the lovely Juniper Campground in Ririe, Idaho. We discovered this gem in 2018 and it’s one of our favorites. Spacious sites, full hooks-ups, lots of greenery, on a huge reservoir, for $25 per night. I was able to tack on two nights to our original reservation which gave us a nice four night break to decompress from our lengthy northbound trek.
Grand Teton National Park
Even though we had done a ton of driving, we were only two hours from Grand Teton National Park. When we last visited GTNP in 2018, we only had one day to drive over, and it was during a summer filled with wildfire smoke everywhere we went. The photos I took that afternoon were gray, flat, and disappointing.
I really wanted to get some good photos of this gorgeous national park, so, this time, on a bright, blue sky, sunshiny day, I grabbed my camera, jumped in the car, drove two hours over Teton Pass… and arrived at the park just as storms were rolling in.
Dammit!
It just kept getting darker…
until it actually started raining on me…
So, basically, I spent four hours in the car and ended up with the exact same pictures I took in 2018.
I think I now understand why Ansel Adams just shot this stupid place in black and white.
Covid Travels
One of the reasons we broke some of our mileage rules was we wanted to limit the number of times we had to check in at campground offices and interact with people in general. Before leaving Austin, we stocked up on groceries so the only non-campground stops we had to make were for gas fill-ups. In the end, of the six campgrounds we stayed at, five offered some version of remote or distanced check-in (pay in advance/paperwork emailed or texted/paperwork left on bulletin board or table, etc.)
We’ve continued to see campgrounds take the issue seriously as we’ve moved north through Idaho and into Montana. We’ve also noticed increasing mask compliance at local grocery stores – especially now that it’s been mandated by the governor in Montana (it was about 40% in Idaho Falls (where there was no mandate), 70% in Missoula (where there was a local mandate), and 90% in Columbia Falls (where there is now a statewide mandate).) All of this has made us feel more comfortable with traveling – though we seem to be staying ahead of the various hotspots and assume, at some point, we’re going to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and have to call an audible. Until then, we’re going to keep doing what we’ve been doing and just try to stay vigilant.
Next up on the blog: We head further north to another old favorite, Henrys (with no apostrophe) Lake State Park in Island Park, Idaho.
______________________________________________________________________
Where we stayed:
Wagon Master RV Park, Sanger, Texas
Roadrunner RV Park, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Wilson State Park, Sylvan Grove, Kansas
Shady Grove Campground, Seibert, Colorado
Western Hills Campground, Rawlins, Wyoming
Juniper Campground, Ririe, Idaho
Great post as always. I was surprised that Kansas isn’t all flat land.
Thank you. And yeah, us too! We subsequently learned there are several beautiful state parks that we need to check out. We had no idea.
We almost always drive 250-300 miles a day, unless we have planned stops on our way to “wherever” we are going. We are usually just trying to get to a destination, we should probably try to find more things along the way to keep us entertained. The memorial is sad and uplifting at the same time, and beautiful.
I’m sure you’re happy to be mobile again, I know we are anxious to head north (only a week before we head out woohoo). We loved Idaho, especially Henrys with no apostrophe! Enjoy and stay healthy!
I think it definitely depends on where you’re driving. 200 miles through the northeast is very different than 200 miles through Kansas. I think we’d definitely do this kind of mileage again across the middle of the country, but once you start dealing with heavily congested areas, it gets exhausting quick.
It was really good to be out on the road again, especially since, like you, we were escaping the heat for cooler climates. Safe travels!!
Hahahhaha “ I think I now understand why Ansel Adams just shot this stupid place in black and white.“
Love it!
Look, I’m not saying the guy was overrated; I’m just saying, maybe he was a little lazy. That’s all.
🙂
Adams (the world’s most famous landscape photographer) took his most famous photograph in Hernandez NM, a town I drove through yesterday. Hernandez would be near the top of most people’s list for least scenic location ever.
I guess he really had a knack for making places shine! I just looked up the photo and have actually never seen it before. That would be a fun roadtrip itinerary – tracking down the most famous places he photographed.
Those Teton Mountains can surprise and disappoint us within minutes! It all depends on the weather. Your tale reminds me of my surprise and disappointment five years ago when I found myself passing through Jackson, Wyoming from the Idaho side. To see that incredible display (perhaps my best photos ever) of “gold mountains” visit my five-year-old post https://lalaironwheels.blogspot.com/2015/10/golden-leaves-and-sunrises.html
Those are great photos! I’ve heard the mountains are magical at sunrise, and your experience certainly supports that. I was hoping to catch some of the same magic at sunset, but unfortunately, it didn’t happen. That’s alright, I’m sure we’ll be back at some point. Perhaps the third time will be the charm.
By the way, I envy your ability to just get up and go and travel down random roads, and hike on newly discovered paths, and camp wherever you feel like. Certainly a nice benefit of having a smaller sized RV.
Well done!
I am so glad I stumbled upon your blog. The quality of your posts and the pictures are second to none. I like how you review where you’ve stayed on your 2019 map. It is a valuable and much appreciated resource. So much useful info for your fellow campers. I thank you guys.
I also like that you have a Tiffin RV too. Ours is a 2017 Tiffin Open Road 34PA. We are not full timers yet but once our primary home sells near San Antonio, TX, our base will be our cabin near Red River, NM. The winters will be when we head south to warmer spots. We will refer to your archived resources for recommendations.
I hope our paths cross so we can thank you in person… face masks of course.
Cheers!
Laurent and Candis Perron (and our rescue pup Carlee)
Thanks for stopping by and thank you for your kind comment! That 2019 map is sorely in need of an update. It should be the 2020 one by now, but we were stuck in one place for several months, so it dropped out of our minds. Now, all the sudden, it’s July and we were just discussing the other day how we need to update it (Kevin handles the GPS data and I fill in the content.) Hopefully, we’ll get it done in the next week or two.
Anyway, I hope you love your Tiffin as much as we love ours. The 34PA is a fantastic layout that we definitely would have considered had it existed when we bought ours. By the way, if you’re on Facebook, there’s a group called Tiffin Open Roaders that offers a lot of helpful information – travel/campgrounds/mechanical issues/upgrades, etc. You might want to check it out as well.
I like your plan to have a home base. We were starting to to consider that idea when the pandemic hit and derailed our plans, but overall, it really does offer the best of both worlds.
Anyway, I, too, hope we cross paths down the line. It would be fun to sit down and chat. Hopefully all this craziness will be behind us sooner rather than later.
Stay well!
So glad you safely traversed those many miles from Texas to Idaho. Despite the long travel days and short stays, you discovered some interesting things along the way. You do a good job of finding beautiful places to stay, including that gorgeous lakeside campground in Kansas. I’m making note of that, for when the day comes that we ever get back on the road. The Oklahoma Memorial is a place we’ve wanted to visit…your photos of the empty chairs are hauntingly beautiful.
And your photos of Grand Teton are beautiful, even if you didn’t have blue skies! I like the mountains against the silvery sky. But yeah, I’m betting you’re right about Ansel Adams…
By the way, thanks for continuing to post about your travels. I’m feeling STUCK. And it’s hot as hell here in Florida.
I have to say, Kansas was quite a nice drive. I could see us routing through there again next time we cross the country, and we’d definitely stay at Wilson again. It was a gem.
I know you’re sick of being stuck in the heat because we were feeling the same way, and I’m not gonna lie, it’s nice to be back out exploring again in more comfortable temperatures. On the other hand, as California (and every other winter destination for full time RVers) blows up, it’s unsettling to think we might have nowhere to go again in a couple weeks. Hell, if things get really bad, we could have the opposite problem and get stuck here in Montana during the winter. In which case I am definitely gonna need a sweater… and a snow shovel.
That is why you need to plan a week long stay in GTNP. Stay at Coulter Bay RV Park so you can work with the weather, it will never fully cooperate with your plan but if your flexible you can beat it….
I know! You’re right!! Colter Bay is THE place to stay at that park and I definitely want to get there at some point. If we snagged a spot there, I MIGHT even get up early and head out for a sunrise photo shoot. (Probably not, but it’s nice to think about…) 🙂
Great to “see” you again. From the perspective of one stuck in place for awhile, it’s especially wonderful to see someone actually moving about and seeing new things. We visited the Oklahoma City Memorial a few years ago and were so impressed and moved by it. Kansas has become one of my favorite traveling through states. We’ve been whoa’d up there more than a few times, due to weather, and our explorations have revealed some pretty nice scenery and quirky little towns.
Say safe you two, and stay in touch.
Hey Sue!
One of the reasons I actually wanted to go visit that memorial is because you had written about it. I remembered your post and pictures and wanted to see it for myself. I think you stayed at the same campground too (See? I steal lots of ideas from you!)
As for Kansas, I posted some pics from Wilson State Park on Instagram and got several comments mentioning that there were a lot of beautiful natural spots as well as cute towns worth checking out. I had no idea, but we’ll most certainly be back. It was a nice easy drive.
Hey Laura, I love your posts and always show Ed, the handy one in this partnership, the references to mechanical failures. He smiled when he read about the valve failure, and told me he always carried an extra one when he traveled. He sold the RV in January and noticed the other day that we now have one of those in the basement!
Safe travels!
Judy
That’s funny because Kevin had a hard time finding the right valve. I think some of it is just due to pandemic related supply line issues, but he definitely had to search around to find one. Eventually, he got one shipped to a Home Depot store and we picked it up from there. Like Ed, though, Kevin now carries several random spare items. These things tend to “go” at the worst possible times and sometimes it’s nice to just have an extra available. The only problem with that practice is we only have so much space to store all this random stuff!
It is amazing how far you can see when everything is super flat! Great pics as always, even the ones that had the darkening sky – I actually like that! The memorial looks powerful, thanks for sharing that. Keep safe!!
Thanks. I do love a good stormy sky. I just had hopes for a nice pink/blue sunset, but alas, I have it on good information that Mother Nature does not care one bit about what I want. Ah well. I guess we’ll just take the storms then!
Love your crazy sign pics. How do you do that? When we see a strange sign on the road that puzzles us or makes us laugh we’ve already passed it before we can get a good shot of it. And … What?! No dogs allowed in the storm shelter! I guess they want you to put Thor in a crate and put him in the bath house? So glad you didn’t have a dangerous storm event. Our friends just went on a hiking trip to Idaho – so looking forward to your photos! Be safe out there. xoxo
Carmen
Well, they say everyone is good at something, right? Some people are good at math, some people are good at painting… apparently, I am good at taking cell phone photos while driving. I’m like a ninja… with a cell phone camera instead of a weapon. (shrug…) 🙂
And yeah, I saw the thing about the animals in the storm shelter and to that I say: “Screw that! Thor is coming with us…” I understand they are concerned about dogs getting into fights or whatever, but in the grand scheme of things, I don’t think most people would take issue with it and I sure as hell am not leaving my dog somewhere unsafe.
Another great post. The Oklahoma Memorial looks amazing. I would love to see it, but am saddened that such a thing even exists.
Your method of travel is very similar to ours. As we zipped across Nevada, Idaho and Oregon, we were doing many more miles per day than we liked. BUT, with our new to us bus, the ride is a dream and we don’t mind it so much.
Speaking of mechanical failures, the day we were to leave our previous location, we also had trouble. The dreaded slide coming in crooked failure. Scott called Tiffin, explained the problem and they knew exactly what it was. A sheared bolt on the slide drive. He was able to repair it in 30 minutes or so. Boy, that was the first time I was really, super anxious if would be able to repair it and leave.
We’re at an Air Force Base Recreation Area outside of Spokane and social distancing is not happening at all this weekend. In Spokane, however, everyone was compliant about wearing masks inside of stores.
Ugh, slide failures. We’ve had issues with both of ours at one time or another, and they are definitely concerning. They are one of the few things that can really strand you, and it always happens when you’re butting up against check-out time. I’m glad you were able to resolve it quickly. Tiffin’s service has always been great for us. Very helpful and knowledgeable folks over there.
I think we would definitely do this kind of trip again if it were across the flat states, but once we’re on the coasts, or anywhere with large cities, we will continue our much slower pace. It’s a whole different world when you’re dealing with major congestion or mountain driving.
Our “rule” is 1 night per 25 miles. Of course we make exceptions, for any and every reason.
We just crossed 200 miles of Washington with one stop for one night in the middle.
Now we are staying for a week.
Yeah, in an ideal world, we’d love to travel 150 miles and stay for at least a week. Sometimes it works out that way, but sometimes we have to be somewhere by a certain date, or, we just don’t feel like sitting in that spot for long (see: Seibert…) But, as a general rule, it is the most relaxed and cost effective way to travel.
Great photos and writing, as usual. The long travel days helped with your social distancing, even if you arrive a bit more worn than you’d like. Idaho is one of our favorite states to explore, looking forward your posts from there.
The pandemic is definitely having an impact on how we are handling things like travel days. Of course, it helped that we were traveling through very flat, easy driving states. It would likely be very different if we were driving along the California coast or something.
Wow you sure have covered a lot of ground. I actually think those photos of the Grand Teton are wonderful. The skies and cloud formations make them more dramatic than they would be if it were just clear blue skies. Glad to read you are doing well and staying safe. Here on the coast of Mexico our barriers were lifted early July and there has been a trickle of newcomers. Still no cases of COVID in our little village but we know that things are destined for change…
Peta
Thank you… I don’t hate the pictures from the Grand Tetons. It’s just not what I had in mind. But really – it’s pretty difficult to take a bad photo when the scenery is so beautiful.
I was wondering how things were going for you guys now that things are opening up. I’m sure it’s just a matter of time until you start seeing some cases there, but every day that goes by gets us a little closer to a vaccine and better treatments. Things seem to be moving in the right direction on those fronts, so I remain cautiously optimistic.
Stay well.
I am really glad that there was no cause for you to have to use the storm shelters in OK since they don’t allow pets. I can only imagine having to make that decision. They should add “snack” to the list of things you need to take with you into the shelters because what if your prescription meds have to be taken with food?
I am not surprised by Wilson S.P. — I’ve had that bookmarked for years in case we’re traveling across KS (and sooner or later, we’re all traveling across KS.) Nice to know it lived up to the internet descriptions. We stayed at Western Hills in Rawlins in 2016! It’s not scenic, of course, but their showers are fabulous.
Sorry your Teton side trip didn’t pan out the way you’d hoped, but like everyone else, I love the moody pics. Added bonus that you got four hours of ALONE time.
So glad to have a good travelin’ post to read in this time of little travelin’ amongst us travelers. It’s balm for the ache in our souls!!
I saw that thing about the pet restrictions in the tornado shelters and instantly decided it would be unenforceable. I mean, really? Who is gonna deny entry to a bunch of helpless dogs and cats when a deadly storm is bearing down? Obviously, whoever wrote that rule has never gotten a full dose of “puppy dog eyes” right in the face. Jeez, amateurs.
Wilson State definitely lived up to its billing. I was just looking for something reasonably priced right near the highway. Little did I know it could actually be a destination campground in its own right. Who knew?
It’s good to be out on the road again, but let me tell you – things are NOT the same. There’s a lot more thinking and planning and avoiding and worrying, not to mention the actual experiences are not comparable. It’s all fine, but life is decidedly NOT what it was pre-pandemic. Hopefully, we can all get back to some version of normal soon.
After so many days of driving I can’t believe you were ready to hop in the car for another 4 hours for photos of the Tetons! But we are lazy. Though, come to think of it, we’d be so gleeful to be on the road again that we probably would do the same thing at this point. Bummer about the weather not cooperating for the perfect shot, but I do think clouds often add a lot of character and interest to photos. You got some great ones on this trip despite the rapid relocation sequence.
Your are also correct in your observation that things pretty much always break when you are about to move/have just moved and therefore are in the worst position to deal with the issue. When we recently took a short trip after 3 months stationary we had the hardest time stowing away our stairs under the rig — they were basically locked in the down position. Nothing like an absolutely necessary and unavoidable lubrication project to start off your travel day, right?
Haha… yup. There’s always something that breaks because it’s been sitting too long, or you screw something up because you’re out of practice… Then there are the times that you combo-pak them into one catastrophe. Those are the really fun days!
The stair steps are a constant issue for just about everyone. Automatic ones, manual ones… they all seem to be expertly engineered to fail. I’m sure you were less than thrilled to have to deal with that when you were trying to head out AND it was super hot and soupy. Not cool.
I hope you guys are staying reasonably cool down there. If it makes you feel any better, we’re in a heat wave up here… though it’s only high 80’s. And there’s no humidity. So. I’ll stop talking now.
🙂
Love your posts – and am glad you’re back on the road! I had to laugh at your description of Kansas and Kanorado!! We travel from Atlanta to Denver to visit family – and have spent too many hours on those loooooooong stretches. Seibert, CO – that comment I snorted soda out of my nose!! Cuz…yep! Thanks for the chuckles and the photos!!
Thank you! I think part of it is if you’re not familiar with Eastern Colorado, you don’t realize what it’s really like. People think of Colorado as the Rocky Mountains. Little do they know there’s this huge chunk of it that is just one big extension of Kansas. We found the same thing in Eastern Oregon, and I’m sure we’ll see it again in Eastern Washington. You just don’t know if you don’t know. It really isn’t a bad drive, though. I’d take that over some of the other more congested and stressful routes, that’s for sure. But yeah, Seibert. Wow.
🙂
We have stayed at the same campground in Oklahoma and found it as “Oklahoma” as you did 🙂 The tornado shelters were interesting but I’m sure glad we didn’t have to use them.
I had shivers as I read about the chairs at the bombing site, especially the ones for the children.
Your recounting of Grand Teton NP was good for a laugh and even though your pictures are still fantastic, I do understand the frustration the weather can bring, especially when you drove four hours!
Hopefully you stay ahead of the COVID hotspots.
One of the reasons we haven’t been to Oklahoma before now is I never wanted to travel through that section of the country during Spring – which was when it was usually an option for us. Tornado season scares the hell out of us. Luckily, they haven’t had many outbreaks the last several years, however, we’ll still keep it in mind when planning our routes. Those storms are no joke – especially for RVers.
If you ever get the chance to visit the Oklahoma City Memorial, definitely do. It’s really beautifully done and very powerful.
And speaking of Covid, if there’s any way for you all to do a cross border adoption, please let me know. We would very much rather be there than here. 🙂
I am glad the wind wasn’t too bad. I kind of like clouds in the photos. They give it character.
Thanks! We actually did have substantial wind on part of our drive, but it was northerly, so it was at our backs most of the time. Probably saved us some money on gas!
I bet is was nice to get back on the road and Idaho is just the place to go to get away from it all! Thanks for the tip on the Kansas cremations!
I mean, really, what other RV travel blog is gonna give you tips like that??
🙂
Wow, you guys covered a lot of ground in not much time. I’ll have to make a note of that favorite campground of yours in Idaho. We have just driven through this state in the past, but friends of ours recently visited the southern part in depth, with amazing scenery and blog posts as a result. That makes me want to visit in the future. I’m looking forward to your next post about Idaho as well.
Sorry you were unlucky – again – at the Tetons. Yikes! We had issues with heat and dust when we visited a couple of years ago, but boondocking on the edge of the park for almost a week allowed us a few decent days and gorgeous hikes as well. Happy travels!
We were in Idaho a couple years ago and were blown away by the scenery. We still haven’t even visited some of the most beautiful parts (The Sawtooth Mountains, in particular). It’s a stunning and surprising state, and Boise was a fun city to visit. The only downside to Boise is it can get hot, hot, hot. Additionally, the state is home to a ton of national forest land available for camping. You guys would love it!
Sounds like you put in some long travel days like us. Sometimes it’s just easier to keep rolling when there’s no traffic or weather to worry about. We enjoyed that Juniper CG too and ended up staying there a couple of times. Seems like you’ll just need to plan a week at GTNP for those photo-ops. Not the worst place to return to LOL.
We definitely put in long days, but your last trip put us to shame. I am still tired just thinking of all the miles you traveled in such a short time. But yeah, I agree, sometimes it’s better to just get it done and get to where you’re going. And yes, next time we go to GTNP, it will be for at least a week. There’s plenty to do there and, apparently, you need to be patient to get the good weather.
Hope you guys are enjoying the summer!
Hi,
First time email to you but have been enjoying your posts for the last year or so. Thank you for documenting your travels.
While you are in Idaho you should go check out Farragut State Park on the south end of Lake Pend Oreille…about 30 miles northeast of Coeur d’Alene. Very pretty country.
BB
Hi Bill,
Thanks for reading my blog. I appreciate it! And thanks for the tip on Farragut State Park. I’d never heard of it, but just looked it up and it looks fantastic. Right now, we’re in Montana, and basing most of our future travel plans on where it makes sense to go during this crazy pandemic (I fully expect another round of shut downs, so we’re trying to stay in places that aren’t going to suddenly kick us out.) At some point though, we will spend much more time exploring Idaho. There are huge chunks we haven’t seen thus far, and it feels like the kind of place we could spend an entire summer. So, I will add this park to that list. Thanks again for letting me know about it!
Kansas. Oh my God, crested a hill, noticed the road went dead ahead to infinity and clocked it as a 22-mile straightaway. Stayed in an OKC park that, what a coincidence, had a derrick in the front yard. Not yours, attached to a Days Inn. At the attached Denny’s for breakfast we talked with two Oklahoma state troopers, and remarked about the bulky steel cages around the front bumpers and fenders of their cruisers. “Saves on ammo.” Okay, OK.
LOL. So, did you look at each other and remark: “Well, we’re not in Alexandria anymore….”? 🙂
Boy am I missing our MH. Your blog has taken me to several fun places I fondly remember. Not being able to take our two month trip this spring/summer has me so missing the travel. Your photos of the Tetons are gorgeous!! I don’t blame you for traveling further each day with the virus. Glad you doing well. Take care.
Hey Pam!
It really is a mixed bag. We’re happy to be back on the road and chasing better weather, but it’s tough with this pandemic. There’s a ton of uncertainty with our plans and the experiences themselves are limited and require extra planning. If we had a home base, we’d undoubtedly stay hunkered down, but for now, this is our best option. Speaking of your travels, I was just on your blog the other night researching hiking options around here (we’re at Glacier at the moment) and in California (where we may be headed this Fall). So thanks for letting me steal some ideas!! Hope you guys are well!