Southwest Road Trip 2016 - Destination UTAH!

Our adventures chronicled: June 18 - July 4, 2016

Sooooooo.... We left home around noon, made a few pee-stops, spent some time really cleaning out the holding tank, had some snacks, and arrived in Neola, Iowa by around 7:15pm. Not too bad.

We found a place called Arrowhead Park - and got site #26 in Campground 3, on a canal in the woods. Loads of frogs could be heard - including GIANT BULLFROGS! We didn't know they were THAT size, even as far north as southern IA. When going for a walk around our campground at night, one jumped out and we thought it was a rabbit at first. (Yeah - we're talkin' HUGE!) In the faint light of a nearby streetlight, we realized it was a frog. AWE-SOME. 

The place was also covered in fireflies. Gorgeous! 

Winging-it for campsites along the way proved to be beneficial - as we found something right up our alley with each intentional stop along our route. [Joel found a fab app for this, complete with reviews and ETAs - which worked great!] So the trip was much more free-flowing, as well as rustic (our style) than our previous extensive road trip to Yellowstone NP a few years ago.

If you re-visit that trip to Yellowstone, you'll notice we did have an ongoing joke about our 'shitty views' from the campsites. Although some of them actually WERE pretty shitty, many of them were also pretty damn nice (and we were using this sarcasm to express our lacking disdain when we arrived at such sites). So - this became our travel joke. This round, the joke continues, only we really did have fantastic views throughout! (ALMOST. Scroll through to our final night's stay and the associated story, for our one truly 'shitty view'!)

*Notes to remember: Brought six 3-gallon carboys + four 1-gallon jugs of our collected spring water. "Showered" in bathing suits using plastic jugs of water left on picnic tables in the sun. Worked slick.

Night #1) Joel had a (Thousand Hills 100% Grass-fed) Father's Day steak for din-din (one day early.)

  

Our campsite in IA... (Non-Shitty) "Shitty View" #1

 Happy Camper!

Day #2) We crossed through ALL of Nebraska entirely - in 9 hours/ 504 miles - our one big 'push' of the trip. (Bama!)  We also gained an hour once we crossed over into Mountain Time. Sought a decent place to camp for the night (other than a typical big-rig 'parking lot' or wayside rest style line up.) We found our way to this state park: Jackson Lake SP, CO. We were literally just a few feet from the lake, and the breeze kept the water lapping against the rocky shoreline. It hit 102 degrees on this day... We swam at dusk by (full) moonlight on the beach. Mmmm.

Adore this image of this little lady :)

Day #3) We headed into Denver and picked up a few grocery items at Whole Foods. We also desperately needed something to support our stumps! The seats in the truck suck, but we customized them with a few cheap bar stool cushions to prop ourselves up to a normal height. Mo betta, and worth the $12 per cush. 

We drove about 60 miles down 285 S. in the mountains to find the road was closed.... Could have been an accident, fallen rock, or a wash-out - as it had been raining, hailing, and storming for the majority of that trek. (But hey - we got to witness a foggy lightning storm in the mountains. Woot!) Had to turn around and go all the way back, and found a restaurant near Morrison, CO called "The Fort" - specializing in classic old western fare with a modern flair. Delish & SO worth the splurge! We all tried the buffalo tongue on home-made corn tortilla chips with a horseradish-mustard dipping sauce. Kinda chewy for our pref, but still a fun new thing to experience. I had the BUFFALO filet mignon - DIVINE. Melted in thy mouth. Sugar peas in the pod cooked to perfection and exceptional potatoes prepared with beans, corn & onion. Addie had gourmet mac-n-cheese cowboy style. Joel had himself a local cattle NY strip. (Another steak, lol!) Myla had Buffalo ribs and ate 'em CLEAN! 

The girls enjoyed a virgin strawberry diaquiri, dubbed "Margaratinis" by Addie-B. :D

 

The girls got into a little trouble as you can see....

But then they zenned-out in the nearby tipi.

BRILLIANT! Sunset in the mountains!!! So far, we'd seen the mountains in bright sun with stunning blue skies, with fog & clouds + rain & lightning, viewed during SUNSET (woot - I loves me a sunset), and at night! Stellar variety, wouldn't you agree?

This night, we almost found ourselves in a Walmart parking lot (our worst-case scenario if unable to find a place to camp for the night.) It was late, dark, and Joel still wasn't quite assured that we'd have continued consistent luck finding a spot - on the spot.... But that app he found was amaze-ballz. I suggested we head another 10 mins out of the way to find this little place.... We didn't really know what to expect, but it had good reviews. Kind of set up parking-lot-style, but there were reports of breathtaking surrounds, and it was a National Forest campground. So we tried it. Found a spot. Set up camp, and in the morning - we woke to THIS! (see below) Tadaaaaah! High above town, across from snow-capped mountains, right on the lake! (Not bad, eh?) We landed the ONE spot that could accommodate our camper length, and listened to frogs-galore all night long. [Love.] Addie's remark went something like this, "This is Walmart? This is the NICEST Walmart I've ever seeeeeen!" - Lol! 

We told her we had found something much mo betta whilst they were sleeping.

Day #4) We stopped in Leadville, CO. Couldn't find anywhere to actually 'pan for gold' any longer, but shopped the Main Street area gift shops, and found a small magnet of a pan with real gold flakes for our collection.  

We found ourselves another National Forest Campground outside of South Fork, CO - called Big Meadows - literally IN the mountains! We were in a secluded hillside spot, overlooking the lake, mountains, and listening to the nearby waterfall, watching the sun set. FAB! Hiked to 2 waterfalls just before nightfall. Had a campfire with gf and more wholesome S'mores (using my gf cookie recipe, the best chocolate I can find with no icky stuff added, and marshmallows containing the least of the evils. Much less degrading to the bod than most!)

Notice the dare-devil on your right...

The next morning before heading out - we traversed the rock slide residual that extended up above our campsite. Always nice to get in some hiking in between driving sessions. 

Drove through Pegosa Springs, CO - my new fave area of CO (considering where we've visited within CO so far!) The area just East of this town was gorgeous. The only downfall = cool temps much of the year. ('Tis my one hang-up with MN living as well, so not sure it'd be worth the transition!) 

This town is also where we found a miniature shop & stocked up for the Dollhouse - since there is nothing in MN anymore!

We arrived at our first National Park of this venture.... Mesa Verde, CO. (With the "Every Kid in a Park" pass for 4th grade students - Myla got us into 4 national parks on this trip for free! Bonus.) 

We liked site #263 in the Orabi Loop. Mule Deer everywhere - including in our site...

You can see Addie & one of them in a stand-off in our site. Darn, another "shitty view". ;)

We took in an amphitheater show on our first night - featuring old B&W photos and some of the history of M.V.N.P. Fascinating. The next day we toured Cliff Palace - the largest of the cliff dwellings - seen below....

I have a serious love of trees... This one is a unique lil' beauty.

This is a smaller cliff dwelling across from one of the hiking paths, where we could take photos.

We got in as much hiking & exploration as we could in the heat & elevation (which was lots!) TIP: Bring loads of water... See Joel's backpack? Sunblock, snacks, and 5 water kanteens!!! (We even picked up larger klean kanteens for the girlies on this trip in a co-op in a little town along our route.)

Funny & classic first attempt at the 'family selfie'...

Ah, success!

This is the Balcony House. I'm not good with heights.... and the girls aren't too steady on their feet on ladders & cliff edges - so we decided to forgo this tour. We viewed it from a distance from a nearby hiking trail.
Freaky-deaky, yo!

We got to see the Ferrel horses 2 times during our tours. I guess they don't show themselves terribly often, and especially not so close up. Lucky us :D

There were a few precarious hikes.... on narrow paths along steep cliff edges - with chains holding back some of the rocks to prevent them from falling. NOT too reassuring! ;)

Day 6) This is Long House - very intricate & detailed.

The remains of their 'quarry'

More narrow, steep, cliff side paths.... (Breathe. Remember to breathe.) But in my defense, the scenery itself was also breath-taking. :)

Pretty sure I was repeating "stay to the right" in my sleep after this...

The young Barbies (Skipper & Stacie) had themselves some fun camping & kayaking too!

Day 7) We are now entering UTAH! Our first day of tripple-digit temps... (It eventually hit 106 on one of the days we were here, and averaged highs of about 104 for our 4-night stay.) I took this shot with the ipad as we were finding a spot to stay for night #1 in Utah. Love it!

Everywhere you looked it was beautiful. You can't go wrong with the scenery there~

Decided to eat dinner out again after some perusing around the city of Moab. More 'Margaratinis' at Eddie McStiff's. (Yup. That was the name of it!) I got to enjoy a rare treat of HM gf fish & chips! 

Oh dang, and another 'shitty view'! This was our first stay in a more standard RV park with pool and other amenities, but with a stunning view of the nearby parks! We got a quiet spot at the back of the campground, and the girls enjoyed a swim while I captured pix and documented a serene sunset in the mountains once again. :D Was Archview Campground in Moab. We got to recharge the camper batteries & plug in for the night before heading out into the wilderness for a few...
The crew is admiring the view :)

If it wasn't for those views all around... Shitty. ;)

Golden hour of sun on the surrounding rock formations - just behind the pool.

And that sunset!

View from our bed. :D We sat out much of the night star-gazing. They were so close and bright, it felt like you could reach up and grab them. Lots of shooters... Stunning!

THIS was our backyard for the next 3 nights!!! ON the Colorado River (on one of few rapids in this area. Mmmm.) The list of BLM campgrounds were mostly geared toward tents and small equipment. No trailers. Others were for 1 night only. So this morning we headed out early (by our standards) and nabbed THE BEST spot available for trailer camping in the BLM campgrounds in the area! Our 'shittiest' view yet - yeah? ;) ;) Trees, shade, seclusion, red rocks, rapids, a nearby beach... BAMA! This was Big Bend Campground - site #13. We set up, mosied around Moab, and ate dinner at a farm-to-table restaurant called Peace Tree. Delish real juices prepped in juice machines + home-made lemonade with basil, rosemary, & mint. Oh yum! Cooled off at nearby beach on CO River. COLD water - but at 102 degrees, it was refreshing to wade in - especially for the girls.

This is at Peace Tree.

We took some family photos with the timer before heading out exploring.

We girls needed a nice breathable hat - and found ourselves some western wear to accommodate this desire. (I forgot mine at home, but found this one for a deal!) My other 2 are cuter, but I didn't want to spend big $$ on a 3rd western hat, lol...

The silly shot...

Our second National Park - Arches. VERY HOT DAY... (104-106). Minimal hiking. More driving through, stopping, taking pix, and moving on.... Hiked to Double Arch & climbed it. Hiked to upper viewpoint to see Delicate Arch.

I was a little bit disappointed that we didn't actually find anyone hoola-hooping across the road 1000 feet ahead.

"The 3 Gossips"

Ancient Sand Dunes

The Whale

I love this dress I found for her for the trip, and her hat she found while shopping in Moab... But even more - I love this GIRL! And wow, how gorgeous is she?
The sun came out to play with us for this photo-opp.

My 2 beautiful babes!

Double Arch!

Oh sweet sun, I love when you come out to play with me and my camera. :)

The view from just beneath the Double Arch... VERY high up. Photo doesn't do it justice.

I WANT That tree!!

Look at all the different formations!!

The next 2 photos were taken in The Devils' Garden - the one campground IN Arches National Park. Would be some VERY COOL camping!! But - shitty views. ;) Note for future ref.

Delicate Arch

Cooling off like the snakes in the area do...

Sun-spires!!!! Whoohooo!

This was WELL worth the visit. AMAZING history! Loved the tour. This house is something else!!
[They didn't allow photos inside the home....]

This is Canyonlands N.P. BIG WOW.

The off-road road Joel wanted to venture down. Eeek! (NO - we didn't. No time anyway.)

The road that nightmares are made of - lol!

There was a storm brewing in the distance kicking up a lot of dust - uniquely gorgeous!

Here we are heading to the iconic Mesa Arch in Canyonlands...

Peering through the arch at the approaching dust clouds

Another family swapped family-photo-opps with us. LOVE this! Accomplished just before the storm hit us. We were literally sand-blasted - eating it, getting it in our eyes, EVERYWHERE. But SO worth the photos!!! :D

We were allowed in near the time of closing to check out Dead Horse Point State Park (already full months in advance) and the sand storm continued to pound us! We checked out the campground and then hiked around the paths to view Dead Horse Point... AMAZINGGGG. The girls were troopers and there are some outstanding fun memories captured here!!

A fave series of fun girlie shots in the intense wind!

Some mini-Marilyn Monroe action here...

The views were RIDICULOUS!

The 'silly shot' is a fave tradition with these 3.

*Our fave camping spots in order of pref in Deadhorse Pt. St.Pk: #16, 

#6, #21, #17, #11, #19....

Hello there color in the sky!

This looks like it should be our exit....

I could not get John Denver out of my head....

Our next stop: Stagecoach State Park, near Steamboat Springs, CO. On a lake in the foothills of the mountains! Site #39. *(Liked sites 6 & 7 on the water...) Hiked to overlooks and watched the sun set.

Oh darn.... yet another shitty view! ;) This is taken through the window of our door.

Addie is a bit blurred, because the words "hold as still as you can" still don't quite apply to her. 

It was dusk and this was a slow-shutter shot in the wildflowers.

So.... On the road again. We decided to push through to the Black Hills before the holiday weekend. We made a number of stops en-route... fuel, groceries, a quick wing-it meal in the camper at a rest stop, bathroom breaks, and general stretching. We eventually made it to the coolest sounding campground near the 'attractions' in the area, per the "RV Parky" app. 

FAB STORY OF UNIVERSAL GUIDANCE comin' atcha! 

This was Pactola Lake Campground on Pactola Reservoir. 'Twas our 'style' - off the beaten path, more rustic, giant pines, and part of the Black Hills National Forest. 

We braved the mountain passes through deer, elk, & big-horn-sheep country (literally with lights flashing warning you to 'be prepared to stop') - in the DARK of night. The narrow, winding gravel road leading into the park brought us to the ranger station at exactly 10:01pm - as our headlights glared off of a sign stating, "Area closed after 10pm". (Side note, numbers 101 & 11 play a significant spiritual role in my life besides.) There just so happened to be a ranger still at this station! 

We asked if they still had anything open on a first-come basis. He asked how long we planned to stay, and we answered with our anticipated 2 nights. His reply was, "OH! I have a GREAT place for you - open for just 2 nights!" He wasn't exaggerating. It was secluded, at the top of the hill overlooking the lake, surrounded by giant pines. MEANT. TO. BE.

During the gorgeous drive to this spot before sundown, we spotted several elk, antelope, cattle, horses, and even some big horn sheep (though we weren't sure if those particular sheep were wild.... or just in someone's yard??)  We dreamed about one day finding ourselves an ideal location in a warmer climate, complete with trees, water, lots of land to garden & farm... The girls concluded that upon such a move we'd have the following animals: 

Addie = a pig named Schloop that would wear a diaper and sleep in her bed...

Myla = a boy horse named Steve and a girl horse named Daisy...

Joel = a horse named either Burt, or Shitts. (lol!)

Me = a horse named Sunshine (Sunny for short), and a cow named Mosey. And lots of (free-to-roam) chickens!

We also found some fun radio stations and I have to remember how much I enjoyed watching those cute sets of little orange toes (still dusty from Moab) peeking up next to our arms during the drive, bouncing to the music. :)

We had made it through portions of Colorado, Wyoming, and South Dakota on this day... It was our one 'push' type of driving day on our route home. (Though not nearly the push through Nebraska!) It was sooooo nice to be able to really take our time for most of this trip, and play things more by ear. No reservations. Will continue this tradition on future road trips, most definitely!

The next morning, it was raining. This turned to fog that lasted all day. We decided to take a chance and see if we could find our way to Mount Rushmore anyway.

This was what the drive there was looking like...

And this is our very first shot OF Mount Rushmore - lol!

We decided to hike the path that leads you down beneath the monument....

Here we are - with the monument behind and above the girls in the background. Still no sight of 'em!

Looking directly up at the monument from the viewing deck below.

I REALLY wanted this shot (several versions of it, actually!) We waited over 2 hours - hoping hoping hoping the fog would part just long enough for the girls to get a glimpse (their first time here) and me to get shots like THESE... THANK YOU UNI!!

Can you hear the park visitors cheering? I still can!

We actually got 2 brief glimpses before we left. (We were there just over 2 hours - but worth it!)

Meanwhile, back at camp...

Ah yes - familiar territory! We are back in the Badlands.  We found a place to camp called Badlands Campground & Motel - in Interior - just outside of the park. (Last time we stayed within the park. So this was another new experience, clearly with shitty views of the Badlands formations... and fun tipis to boot!)

This was found roaming outside the local gas station...

We explored new areas of the park that we had missed on our first visit! AND - we saw a real live, wild, big horn standing RIGHT on the side of the road. *(We actually thought maybe it was a statue at first.) I didn't have my camera ready yet, and we were all amazed to see one in this area after trekking through big-horn-country all of that time with the flashing signs.

It was so nice that there weren't that many people around... I set the cam on the steps for a family pic.

Hello there!

Another one. :D

What a view!

'Tis a tradition!

"The Baddest of the Badlands"...

Feels like a whole nother planet~

Lovin' this fam-selfie

She's on top of the world!

Pretty much one of the cutest photos ever.

Here they wanted to 'give me sass'

My number again. (Did you notice it by the "Mack" exit sign as well??)

Uh oh. Car trouble. But if it was going to happen, it couldn't have happened at a better time - on a straight-away, flat land, near a rancher's gravel driveway - just outside of the Badlands. We spent SEVERAL days meandering through mountainous terrain, over steep slopes & sharp curves... Our serpentine belt gave way on this straight, flat stretch of road, just after whizzing around through the curves and peaks of the Badlands as well... (We lost power steering & our brakes! The camper brakes enabled us to stop - thanks to Joel's quick thinking, while his buff arms helped us get off of the road.) 

SO - one of the best gifts we ever received - AAA - came in QUITE handy.

Here are the girls - excited to be in the tow truck!

Small miracles are happening all the time.... We found some angels once again - who helped Joel acquire the parts needed (and many thanks to my brother for recommending a part we'd have not thought of - as it was needed too!) Then, they also - out of their own genuine compassion - stayed to help Joel put the parts on in the lot after the shop had closed - on the Sunday before July 4th! So - we were actually back on the road again that very eve thanks to these 2 kind, skilled & knowledgeable souls + Joel's willingness to try to tackle the project in the parking lot! 

Lessons: Joel = not to over-think or over-worry, attempting to predict or prevent every possible 'break down' before road trips. (Side note: he actually had the belt replaced right before our trip - but we hadn't realized the tensioner was bad; this was the tip from that wise brother of mine!) He also bought a brake caliper 'just in case' - which we were able to return after not needing it this time! 

(For more on that miracle occurrence and lesson - read up on the article titled 

 "Trust with Wild Abandon" that can still be found on Medium/ Thrive Global....)

My lesson from this trip's car trouble? A definite YES to renewing that AAA membership! 

So - on our very last night before getting home, we made it to your typical "RV Park" in SD - and had to endure an actual SHITTY view - lol! We got there late at night, and left first thing in the morning... And, we still made it home with one day to spare for us to unpack and unwind before Joel headed back to work.

We're already looking forward to our next adventures!!