August 30, 2012

Last night we had to keep all the windows closed because the smell of smoke was overwhelming.  We tried sitting outside for a bit when we first got home but both of us were having trouble breathing.  We watched a DVD on the computer and went to sleep at 11.  We didn’t wake up until 8 and it was cold so we were glad we hadn’t left any windows opened before going to bed.

We decided to travel towards the Northeast entrance of the park towards Cooke City, WY.  We kept going, stopping at a few National Forest Campgrounds along the way. 

 We saw the sign for Cody and made a spur of the moment decision to drive there.  It was over 60 miles from when we exited the park until Cody but it took almost three hours because at many areas the speed limit was only 20MPH.  We also stopped at quite a few overlooks along the way.  The sights were truly breathtaking.

 

We drove around Cody for a little while.  We would have liked to have checked out the town more but were concerned about the time.  We left Cody around 4:30 and headed towards the East entrance to Yellowstone National Park.

I was driving and Monte noticed a sign that stated just ahead was the Buffalo Bill Dam. 

Even though it was getting late we decided to stop.  Since 9/11 no cars are permitted up near the visitor center so they provide a shuttle service for free.  We timed it just right as the cart driver was dropping off passengers in the parking lot.  It was a neat place to visit and again we would have liked to stay longer but were concerned about the time.  On the way back to the parking lot the cart driver told us we had a 5 and a half hour drive back to Mammoth Springs Campground.  I laughed because I thought he was joking.  Then when we got back to the car I looked at the map that indicates the driving distances and oh my goodness, he wasn’t kidding!

The 52 mile drive from Cody to the East entrance was spectacular.  There were so many mountain formations, one more amazing after another.    

 

When we arrived at the entrance, the Ranger told us that the road to Norris was closed and that we would have to travel up towards Canyon Village and Tower-Roosevelt.  When we got to Fishing Bridge we were rewarded with a spectacular sight-Yellowstone Lake.

  Even though we were concerned about the time we had to stop for a few minutes, take some pictures and just enjoy the scenery.  The rest of the ride home was a little exhausting as it was getting dark and there are so many sharp curves.  BUT we made it home in less than 4 hours so I guess either the cart driver at Buffalo Bill Dam was kidding or taking the route we did was shorter.  In any case it was great to get home. 

We had been trying to figure out what we were going to do about not having a generator.  The battery in the rv was getting weak.  Then our wonderful neighbors, Linda and Howard, came to our rescue by suggesting something so simple that Monte and I had to say duh after we heard it.  They said to simply plug into the truck to charge the battery.  I bet you are thinking or saying, “DUH” also.

We watched a dvd on my laptop and then went to sleep around 11.  We set the alarm for 6am because we were going to go with Linda and Howard for an early morning swim to Boiling River which is located just down the road from our campground and has been called on You tube, one of the best kept secrets at Yellowstone National Park.

 

August 29, 2012

Mammoth Springs Campground, Yellowstone National Park

We attended the Ranger presentation last night.  The topic was about the wild life in Yellowstone.  It was very informative and entertaining.  This morning Monte woke me up at 6:30.  He said look outside the window.  There was a herd of elk munching away right outside our rig. 

 We grabbed our jackets and quietly slipped outside and began taking photos and video.  It was amazing.  We stood on our picnic table for quite some time just watching these beautiful creatures.  Shortly after we went inside I heard a bugle like noise so Monte and I grabbed our cameras and again went outside to see what was making that noise.  We didn’t have to wait long before we spotted a bull elk maybe 20 feet away from our campsite.  We stood very still as we clicked away.

 

We were so excited to the bull elk because just the night before the Ranger had told us that it is very rare to see bull elk. 

We eagerly awaited 8am when generator use was allowed.  We had bought a generator on August 16 in Elkhart but hadn’t had a need to use it until today.  Monte added the oil and gas and fired it up.  I was able to make coffee, charge my phone and laptop and even plug in my waffle maker to make waffles for breakfast.

We had planned on just having a relaxing day but it didn’t end up that way.  After about three hours of running the generator, it died.  Monte is very mechanically inclined but he couldn’t figure out what was wrong with it.  We called the place we bought it in Elkhart and were pretty much told that it was our problem. 

Monte then called Dometic, the maker of the generator.  He was number 12 in line for customer service.  When he finally talked to someone he was given a few telephone numbers of generator repair places.  The closest one was located in Bozeman around 85 miles away.  Monte called all the numbers and was told by each one that they do not service generators.

He tried calling Dometic again and was on hold for 20 minutes before finally talking to another customer service agent named Rhonda.  She said she would have to put us on hold while she looked up other repair places.  We were on hold for another 10 minutes.  Just as she was getting back to us we got cut off.  Monte called back and left a message with his phone number asking her to call right back..  She never did.  I am not impressed with the customer service at Dometic.  They apparently do not care about their customers!

To make my day even brighter I had a comment on my blog from a stranger taking me to task about an entry I made when we were in Elkhart, IN.  On the morning we were scheduled to go into Mor/Ryde for service to our rig we had to first go to a campground a few miles away to dump our tanks as Mor/Ryde does not have the facilities for dumping.  We had called the campground for directions and when we got there the office was still closed.  We rang the bell and an upstairs window opened up and we heard a voice instructing us to put $12 in the slot and then proceed to the dump station.  Monte only had ten dollar bills so he put a ten dollar bill in the slot and we went on to the dump station. 

According to the gentleman who commented on my accounting of this incident he was appalled by our actions.  It seems we are criminals and are going to give campers a bad name because we short-changed the campground $2.00.  I know I shouldn’t let what a stranger thinks about me affect me but it did.  I am a good person and try to always do the right thing.   

Getting back on track—I called Visa to find out what recourse we had since we were not getting any satisfaction from the merchant we purchased the generator from nor the manufacturer.  I was told I could dispute the charge.  The service rep gave me instructions on how to accomplish the dispute.  We decided to take a ride into Bozeman to see what our options might be as far as possibly buying a new generator.  On the road leading to Livingston we saw a large cloud of smoke and as we got closer we realized it was a fire.  There were planes circling the fire.  I think they might have been dropping water on the blaze.

In Bozeman we went to Home Depot and Lowes.  Their generators are too large.  Someone suggested Ace Hardware.  They carry Honda generators for around the same price as Camping World.  We decided to hold off buying anything else until we see how the dispute with Visa pans out.  We took advantage of being in Bozeman by stocking up on groceries at Walmart.  On our return trip we passed the fire again and were amazed by how much it had spread in just a couple of hours. 

August 28, 2012

Mammoth Springs Campground, Yellowstone National Park

We had a very restful night and actually slept in a little.  (7am). Considering we went to sleep at 10:30, 7am really was sleeping in.  We lounged around all morning.  After packing a picnic lunch we left around 11:30.  Today our plan was to go to Norris Geyser Basin and then on to Canyon Village and Tower-Roosevelt.  We first stopped off at Yellowstone Village where we were pleasantly surprised to see elk roaming all over the village.

  We went into the visitor center so I could stamp my passport

 and then made our way to Norris Geyser Basin.

  We wound our way around the path which consisted of some boardwalks and some dirt area.  We timed it just right to listen to a Ranger giving a speech on geysers and springs.  It was very informative. 

After the exhausting walk around the basin we continued on to the Madison Information Center.  Monte was going to purchase a fishing license costing $25 that was good for 7 days.  But before we paid for the license I asked where there was fishing near where we were camping and there really isn’t any place close by.  We would have to drive about 30 minutes so we said forget it.  The fishing is really limited because the geysers are making the lakes so hot the fish can’t survive according to the ranger we spoke to.

I drove back to camp to give Monte a break.  We had a quick bite to eat and are planning on going to the Ranger presentation at 9pm.

Today was wonderful—the weather was perfect.  I got to spend time with my sweetie and see some really spectacular things.  I feel very blessed.

August 27, 2012

Mammoth Springs Campground, Yellowstone National Park

We were packed up and ready to go by 7am.  It took less than a half hour to arrive at the campground.  There was no one manning the check in station but we noticed a board that read, “self check in” and it was almost full.  Uh oh.  Monte stayed with the rig and I took a ride around the campground.  On the phone he read off the few numbers of sites that were available and I drove by to see if they would be suitable for our rig. He did notice a couple of sites that indicated the people would be leaving that day.  Checkout time is 11Am.   I went back to where he was and he got in the car with me and we drove to the sites to check them out.  On was perfect and it just happened to be next to Howard and Linda Payne. 

The people on the site were sitting at the picnic table having breakfast.  Monte approached them and asked if they were leaving or staying and they said they were leaving within the hour.  We raced back to the entrance.  When we got there, the camp host, Richard, was pulling tags from the board.  It seems a lot of people were going to be leaving that morning.  We told Richard we would like site 20 and he said it was available.  I told him we knew the people were going to be vacating the site and he asked me how I knew that.  When I told him we had asked them he said, “THAT IS A BIG NO NO.  IT IS CALLED HARRASSMENT.”  OOOPPPSSS!  I told him we were new to this thing and he said just don’t do it again.  He actually turned out to be a really nice guy.  He and his wife have been camp hosting here for the past three months.  They have to work two thirteen hour days a week in exchange for a full hook-up.  It is a wonderful way to really explore the park and surrounding areas.  

We chatted with Richard and his wife until site 20 was available.  We quickly set up, made some lunch to take with us, and set off for Old Faithful.  It was 52 miles away.  The speed limit is 45MPH unless otherwise posted.  Some areas, around sharp curves, the speed limit was only 25MPH so we knew it could take from two to three hours to go the 52 miles to Old Faithful.  There were so many beautiful overlooks and picnic parking areas along the route that if one stopped at each one it could take hours to go 52 miles.  Shortly after leaving the campground we came across a little town.  It was adorable.  There was a post office, restaurant, visitor center, gas station, etc.  We didn’t stop because we were anxious to get to Old Faithful and since the town was so close to our campground we knew we could go there another day.  Around the half way point we came across a lake with a picnic area.  We stopped and had lunch and of course took pictures. 

 

We finally arrived at Old Faithful and had to drive around the parking lot a few times before finding an empty spot to park.  We started walking towards the visitor center when Monte noticed a big crowd sitting on benches. 

 He said he thought that maybe they were waiting for Old Faithful to erupt so we decided to check it out.  Sure enough within 5 minutes it blew.  It only lasted a couple of minutes but it was quite impressive.  We walked around the path looking at all the different hot springs.  The colors were amazing.

 

After checking out the visitor center and stamping my passport we started the drive back to the campground. 

 We stopped at a couple of places along the way to look at the view.  We were quite exhausted by the time we got back.

 Monte did some chores and I called Mom.  After I got off the phone with Mom Linda came over for a visit.  We chatted for a while.  We also chatted with a couple who were passing by our site.  They were full-timers also.  I can’t believe the amount of people we are meeting who are living this lifestyle.  Quite a few of them have been doing it for years so we are benefiting from their experience by learning different things.  People living this lifestyle tend to be very friendly, happy and helpful people.

After Linda left, I made dinner.  I had one piece of left over pork, noodles and some green beans. It would not have been enough for the both of us so I cut up the pork chop, diced the green beans, added some carrots in a pot with a can of vegetable stock and we had a delicious soup with crackers for dinner. 

I had read there was a ranger presentation at the amphitheater at 9pm.  We followed the sign marked amphitheater and we kept expecting to see it at every bend in the road.  But it was all the way at the top of the hill.  When we got there the ranger said hello and asked us how our evening was going.  I said great and asked if she had an oxygen tank.  I really hope that as we do more hiking I will build up my lung capacity.

The program was quite entertaining.  The ranger gave a slideshow and explained what the early visitors to Yellowstone would have experienced.  It was a very dark and cold walk back to our site.  I kept expecting an elk or bear to come out of the woods.  But we didn’t encounter any wild animals.  It was only 10:30 but we were both so tired that we went right to bed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

August 26, 2012

Rocky Mountain RV Resort, Gardiner Montana

We slept ok at our first Walmart camping site.  The street lights were bright causing us to put pillows and towels in the windows to darken the room.  It wasn’t as cold as the night before.  We got ready to leave quickly.  It was a little difficult to breathe outside because of the smoke from nearby fires.  The ash was falling like snow.  I missed having my coffee.  I kept looking for some place to stop along the way but there was NOTHING for mile after mile.  Luckily we only had to travel around 170 miles.

  We arrived in Gardiner around noon and found an RV place (a little more than we wanted to spend).  But since we plan on dry camping (Camping without any hookups) for a few days we needed to fill up on water, dump our sewer tank, do laundry, take showers and buy some staples.  Monte got to experience driving up a steep road leading to the RV resort.  FUN.  We quickly set up and did laundry.  Monte did some outdoor chores and I did some indoor chores before taking a ride into town. 

When we drove into town we noticed a sign that indicated Yellowstone Park was only half mile away. 

 We decided to take a ride in to see what the campsites look like.  Since Monte has the America the Beautiful Senior Pass he will get in for free but because I have my car also I would have to pay $25.  I decided to purchase a year pass for $80 instead that will allow me to enter all the National Parks with my car.

It was less than 5 miles to the campsite.  As we entered the camp, Monte noticed a Cambridge RV that had a jeep in the site.  It turned out to be Howard and Linda Payne.  They have been full-timing for seven years.  Howard posts a journal that I have been following and although I had never met them I already felt like I knew them well.  In fact it is their rally that we are planning on attending in Oregon next month.  Monte had met them back in January at the Tampa RV Show.  I was in AZ at the time and didn’t get a chance to meet them then.  They graciously invited us to stay for dinner-Homemade Chile.  YUM! 

They plan on being at the campground for a week or so and I will definitely invite them for dinner one night.

After chatting with Linda and Howard for a while we bid them goodnight and made our way back to town.  We parked and walked around for a while.  Then Monte spotted an ice cream store and of course we had to get a couple of cones.

 

Back home we took hot showers and settled in for the night.  We plan on getting up very early to get in line at the campground as it is a first come first served type of situation.  There are no guarantees that we will get a site.  If we do get a site I may not be able to post for a few days.  I have no idea if we will be able to get a signal in the park.