Home again!

Bosco, Zack, Wyatt, Kathy and Holly

September 3, 2014 We're home!! Drove home from Jackpot, NV where we spent the night. Gambling was fun but not productive. Didn't lose our shirts; nobody wanted to see that. Then we started the final trek home. This drive is so familiar to us it felt like being home but nothing could beat the pulling into the drive feeling. HOME. What an adventure we have been on; how much fun it's been, how many memories we've stored up. The truck drove 15,723 miles , we visited 27 states and the District of Columbia; saw friends we haven't seen in years and had the adventure of a lifetime.

Massacre Rocks State Park, Idaho

Snake River Valley

September 2, 2014 Arrived here, in Idaho, yesterday.Headed home! We've always talked about staying in this park and this seemed the perfect chance. This doesn't appear to be a mid-summer stopping place as the sun could be brutal but our visit has been perfect; down last night into the low 50's and warm in the daytime. We drove to see Register Rock after we finished setting up camp. It is neat to read the names of hopeful settlers, and wonder about their journeys west. The earliest we could find was 1849!
On to Jackpot today and then tomorrow home; friends, dog, house, horses, cats, HOT TUB, car, and space. Our 5 month odyssey is coming to an end and we're both still intact and talking to each other! Of course we're not home yet either.

Our campsite

Knothead Jamboree, West Yellowstone, MT

Yellowstone River & Midway Geyser water running in

Dawn & Les

August 31, 2014 We spent the morning in the Park, still raining intermittently and the temperature was in the 40's so everything was steaming. We made a big loop and saw elk and buffalo, forest and lake and lots of people. It really is a beautiful place. I was a mite concerned that we might see snow. When we got back to town we made an appearance at  the plus dance we had intended to attend. Made arrangements to go out to supper early with Jeanne and Joe Hefner and Dawn and Les Hutchinson. Had a nice time at the Slippery Otter talking and "telling lies", like Bosco likes to say.

Bosco & Jeanne

Bosco

Yellowstone National Park, West Yellowstone, MT

Two old Geisers at the Geyser

August 30, 2014 Drove to present camp from Osen's RV Park in Lexington, MT. Lexington was a good stopping point between Yellowstone and Teddy Roosevelt NP. The Osen's RV park is first rate. We left early enough so we arrived and made camp at the Pony Express RV park, West Yellowstone, with time left over to visit Yellowstone Park. It was a quick visit but we made it in time to see Old Faithful erupt. What a marvel that park is; we thought so and so did thousands others. Parking spots near boardwalks were in short supply on this Labor Day weekend; so some attractions had to be skipped; but we saw most everything; geyser's, paint mud pots, vent holes and the like.

Yellowstone landscape

Little Bighorn Battlefield National Park, MT

7th Ranch Camp

August 27, 2014 We are at 7th Ranch RV Camp, near Glenowen, Mt. This is a beautiful camp built into the side of a rolling hill on a ranch. We spent today walking about Custer Battlefield. They have what they call the deep ravine walk which we did. We also walked up to the Memorial atop Last Stand Hill where Custer died with the last remnants of his troop.  Erecting a monument to those soldiers who died in the battle; they dug up all the bodies that they found and buried them in a mass grave under the monument. This was necessary because the original burials were hurriedly done and shallow.


We've seen a great diversity of battles in our 5 months of traveling; from the Indian wars, through the Revolutionary War to the Civil war.

Indian Memorial at Little Bighorn NP

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Medora, North Dakota

Red Trail Campground 

August 25, 2014 Woke up this morning at Red Trail Campground, and the temp was 45*! Can you believe it? We had a tremendous rain yesterday afternoon and evening; I think they've had a rainy summer here. We spent today, after a slow start, visiting the Visitor's Center,  driving the South loop road and doing the hikes. All of the hikes were short scenic hikes mostly up, up, up and down, down, down but the views were worth the hiking. Our only problem was the wind; which made you shiver, freeze and bundle up.

Before we left the trailer we put a stew together in a crock pot and when we came home the smell wafted out the door. Might just be heaven to have a nice warm meal ready and waiting. Just as we were coming back from the loop we made the clouds started breaking up and the sun came out. Blue Sky! It's been a while since we've seen much of that. The park has a herd of Bison and we saw about 30 head grazing; and earlier a single male, rolling and scratching himself in the sand.

Little Missouri River

Buffalo

Glenwood, Minnesota

Jim Gerde

Barb Gerde

August 21-23, 2014 We spent two days with Jim and Barb Gerde on their farm 9 miles South of Glenwood, MN. The views out their dining room window and their kitchen/ TV room are pure Minnesota; lovely rolling hills and a good sized pond. Lots of rain this year so everything was green and growing and the lakes were all full. The last time we visited it was a different story as they were in the middle of a drought. Barb is an accomplished quilter/ seamstress and a marvelous cook. We waddled away from the table at every meal. We arrived on Thursday night and Bosco and I tried to buy fishing licences; he being successful and me not quite so. So, I got to sit and soak up the lake views and tell fish stories and the rest of them had to work. The winner was Jim who caught a nice 2 lb. bass. The others were not so lucky. Saturday we spent the day fishing; well once we got started that is, none of us being speedy in the getting up and getting going mode. The day was beautiful, the sun Minnesota warm and the sky mostly blue. What ever snarls my fishing licence records had gotten into we got straightened out so I was able to wet my hook, cast my line, catch a fish. Didn't happen. Jim, as before, was the only one to catch a fish except we couldn't land it so we came home without, tired out from sun and fishing to eat one of Barb's great meals.

Jim, Barb Gerde with Bosco
and dog Sami

Jim and Barb in front of their home