Day 18 Dalhart to Home

Home is where the heart is! We drove 12 hours straight to get here! ...through rain all the way I might add.
We covered 4,355 miles, and crossed the borders of 8 states!
What a wonderful experience it all was.
A few things we have learned on this trip:
1. Trust Tom (our GPS system)
2. Talk to people--everyone has a story to tell.
3. Most people are friendly if you give them a chance.
4. Seeing these wonders in person is much, much better than seeing them in a book or on the internet!
5. It is a Big, big world out there.
6. Every place has its history...take the time to find out.
7. God has created a marvelous world for us to explore.
8. There's No Place Like Home! (and sleeping in my own bed!)
Great to be home! Now, who wants to help with the unpacking and laundry? ;-)

Day 17 Home to Texas!

"Rocky Mountain High....Colorado" John Denver
and we did see the Rockies as we zipped from Rawlins, Wy, through Colorado, New Mexico, and Finally landed in Dalhart, TX! We left camp at 6:30 this morning and were set up here in Texas at 6:30 pm...ok, I'll admit it, we added on an hour for time zone change! But that is still a lot of driving in one day. Tomorrow will probably be even longer as our sites are set for home!
One humorous thing in Denver. We came to an exit that said Santa Fe and Alameda! We thought for a second that we were back in Corpus! (2 streets in Corpus near my 50+ year childhood home)
Took a picture of the Denver Bronco stadium, but not sure how good it is as Phil did not stop! We had rain on us all the way from Colorado Springs until after Raton, New Mexico. But not bad.
Guess that is all the news from the McCamper tonight. Sorry it is boring now, doing nothing but driving, driving, driving. Phil listened to an Audio book about the building of the train that connected the Florida Keys, and I finished my book about Henry the VIII and took a good nap! So, goodnight from the McCamper, where the women are cooking Nachos, the men are watching TV, and the children are doing something I'm sure!

Day 16 --On the Road Again!

I was awakened this morning by an air raid siren! Thought I had a childhood flashback to the 50's! That is the Lander, WY call for the volunteer fire department!
We spent most of the day waiting to hear from the mechanic. Finally picked up the truck at 2:52 MT! Loaded up the camper and we are off again! We made it to Rawlins, WY.
They are so excited up here to be playing UT tomorrow! But, no one has illusions that Wyoming could win! I guess we'll drive by the whole thing in Laramie! I'll have to throw out a "Hook 'Em" sign or 2!
No pictures today, but we did drive through some wide, wide country. The hills are covered with wheat colored grass and sage brush...not really very attractive. But talk about some wide open spaces!
No news from the McCamper tonight where the women are strong once again, the men are stuffed with a rib-eye, and the above average children are starting their weekend. Goodnight all...wish us safe traveling!

Day 15 Lander, WY / South Pass City

"When Life hands you lemons, make lemonade"
Had a great day!--thanks to Susan! We decided to "never give up" and try once again to get down to South Pass City. That is where we were headed when our truck gave up the ghost! We found out that South Pass City and the South Pass are actually 2 unrelated places and events! I actually could have done some panning for Gold today, and may still have to after we pay for our new transmission! South Pass City is an old, deserted mining town off the highway down a curving, dirt road. We didn't care today, we were in our "Rent a Wreck". The sad thing is that it is very unadvertised, but one lady told me they get about 14,000 visitors a season so someone must know about it! Not touristy at all, more like a giant, spread out museum. South Pass City was laid out in 1867 when gold was rediscovered there. It quickly became populated by 3,000 people, mostly miners, and was the largest town in the territory of Wyoming! As we walked through I could picture the movie "Paint Your Wagon"--anyone remember that one? The town is pretty much non-existent now, but what they have done is remarkable. They have completely restored any remaining buildings, down to having the original wall paper reproduced, re-nailing painted muslin on the walls which I have never seen done before. In several buildings they even had photographs of the original rooms so you could see how accurately they have been restored. It was amazing! In each building they have added all the furnishings which you can observe behind a glassed-in wall. Some buildings had only a two foot space inside the entry way for you to stand and see the entire room. The buildings included homes, general store, hotel, saloon, butcher shop, and barber shop. Where the buildings no longer remain, they have put markers in their spots. We spent several hours here going through each building. The most amazing one was the hotel, with 9 of the upper bedrooms all completely restored with old iron beds and some high back beds. During those times you might have to share a bed with a stranger who might even be dirtier than you! And often they woke up with a thin layer of frost covering their blankets. South Pass City was in a windy desolate draw. I also got to go in a real dugout, which I have been wanting to do since we started seeing them up here. You would not believe how much cooler the part underground, or dug into the hill was! But, a little creepy for claustrophobic Duellen. I did learn one interesting fact: Ever heard, when you were a kid the old joke about which is heavier, a pound of gold or a pound of feathers? I always thought the answer was that they both weighed the same....INCORRECT! Gold is measured by the Troy weight system, where 12 oz. equals 1 pound. Feathers are measured by the Avoirdupois weight (American and English) system where 16 oz. equals a pound. So really a pound of feathers weighs more! Am I the only dummy here?
We got directions to the South Pass, which Susan recommended! Either the lady did not give directions well or Phil and I both thought the other was paying attention but really neither of us were! I think we went down every dirt road for miles searching for the wagon wheel ruts of the Oregon Trail! We were mostly on public land so we weren't too worried about tresspassing and proclaimed several farm roads as being The Trail! Even had my friend Mary Alice searching in her travel books...and she was in Helena at the time! We finally stumbled on 2 game wardens. Today is opening day for antelope hunters. And ladies--I might add that the game wardens here in Wyoming are mighty fine looking men! Well, believe it or not, we were finally on the right road, just needed to go about 1-2 more miles. I cannot describe the awesomeness of standing there and seeing that trail stretching for miles into nothing with the lonely sounding wind blowing dust! Found a pillar marking the trial as the Oregon Trail, The California Trail, The Mormon Trail and the Pony Express! Travel had worn down the ruts 2 feet and even 3 feet in a few places. What perseverance those emigrants had. I was hot and dusty after just standing there 10 minutes or so! Thanks Susan, great experience!
And to my Scrapbooking friends and Jacalyn, both daughter-in-law and scrapbooking friend---I am trying to stay up with my scrapbook, at least printing the pictures and putting them in the slots. Not much decoration yet...no time! and will probably save that for home.
The last bit of news from the McCamp...the McCampers have "seen the elephant". If you have read the blog, you know that means we are heading home--hopefully tomorrow. If all goes well with the truck repair we plan to head south back to good old Texas either tomorrow afternoon or early Saturday morning. I'll let you know if we happen to Whiz by anything interesting! When Phil picks up the scent for home, he doesn't like to stop! So, goodnight from the McCamp where the women are ready to go home, the men are readier to go home and the above average children are the readiest of all!

Day 14 - Sad and broken down in Lander, WY

The Middle of No Where, WY--where we broke down!

#1 McCormick traveling rule--Never, never back-track. That rule cost us today! But, then again, our bad luck could have happened anywhere! We had pretty much done Yellowstone and had planned to go explore the Tetons. Instead of driving south and then back to Yellowstone, we decided to just leave, drive south through the Tetons, and then camp somewhere in southern WY, to get to Colorado sooner! My sister-in-law, Susan had suggested a stop I wanted to make, to South Pass, a historical site on the old Oregon Trail that actually still has the old wagon ruts. Long, lonesome drive in the middle of nowhere....our transmission went out. Coulda', shoulda', woulda'! Other than that, things are hunky, dory!
This morning we left Yellowstone at 7:00 am and the temp. was 24! Drove to the Tetons and they are awesome! Took some pictures that I wish I could post, but this wifi connection here is the pits!
Stopped to eat in Dubois, Wy. Great little town! If you are looking for a place to retire, it would be high up on my recommendation list. One small thing, men, you would have to grow long hair and a beard and wear a bandana (on your head) . I think it is a requirement in this town. We ate at a great restaurant--best food I have had since we left. The owner, long grey hair, bandana, long grey beard...was from Edinburg, TX. Small world! He had gone to engineering school at The University (his words, not mine Jeremy!), and then moved to Florida. He got sick of 7 months of summer, so moved up here for 7 months of winter. Really nice guy. I think this may be where old Hippies from the 60's go to die! ;-) All the businesses, homes, etc. in Dubois are log cabins. Really very quaint! From there we drove south through an Indian Reservation, with beautiful painted mountains. We had gotten about 20 miles south of Lander, WY in the middle of no where....and now you know the rest of the story! The good thing was that our cell phones worked (in the middle of no where, remember?) and have not worked for most of the day! We called an RV park and the lady gave us phone numbers to call a wrecker and the Ford dealer in Lander--20 miles BACK! So, we ended up breaking the McC#1 rule of travel anyway! So, I'll have to let you know tomorrow what is going to happen to the McCamper...we don't even know ourselves. That is about all the news I have for now at the McCamper where the women are very sad, the men bewildered, and the above average children are all saying "I told you so!"

Day 13- Northern Yellowstone-Mammoth Hot Springs

“Life is not about the breaths you take, but the moments that take your breath away!” We have had several such moments today. Woke up early (as usual) to a chilly 34 degrees. When we left camp 2 ½ hours later at 8:45, it had warmed up to a whopping 36 degrees! Warm clothes today!
We drove the north circle of Yellowstone today hoping to see some game. I got excited to spot some Elk high on a hill, too far away for pictures but fun to watch through the binoculars. Made a side trip to see a petrified tree. It stands on a hill side. It was covered in ash 50 million years ago by volcanic action. When the trees were discovered in 1917, there were 3 trees, but only 1 remains today from tourists taking home “souvenirs” of the other two. Now the tree is fenced in. Further up the road we took another side trip called the Blacktail Plateau Rd. You are supposed to see lots of game on this 6 mile dirt road…none.
On down the road a bit more with no game sightings we came to Mammoth Hot Springs. Nice hotel here. There are several “villages” throughout the park some with lodges, grocery stores, gas stations, souvenir shops, and/or restrooms which makes it very convenient. Mammoth is larger than most villages, and we think that the dorms for the employees are here. Teens and even older folks (my age!) come work here for the “season”. We met people working here from Florida, Missouri, China, Taiwan, New York, Alabama, and more…sounds like a fun thing to do if you are “footloose and fancy free!” The hot springs here at Mammoth are beautiful, different than the ones around Old Faithful. These hot pools are active in limestone and build up sometimes 1 foot a year! They are mostly a brilliant white, with terraced ledges and puffy marshmallow looking rocks. The micro organisms live here too, and make ridges along the rock that make beautiful patterns like sand blowing on a desert.
We drove through a pass that is called Golden Bridge. At one time the bridge along the cliff circling the mountain was a wooden trestle bridge built in 1875 “ish” to allow people to get from Mammoth to the Yellowstone Plateau – where all the game is supposed to be. Thank goodness now it is a strong sturdy steel bridge!
Finally we saw a buck Elk, close enough for photos. Beautiful, huge, rack—Phil is still drooling. Made a restroom stop down the road and as I walked out there was a female in the woods, 25 feet away! Then our animal highlight comes along! The traffic was backing up, tail lights flashing and a huge crowd gathering. We asked a bystander what was happening, and she told us (in a strong British accent!) that a buffalo was in the road (AGAIN!) and they were also watching a grey wolf. WOLF? We pulled over quick, spotted the wolf and watched him until he disappeared over the bluff going down to the river. We left and pulled over up the road where we could see the other side of the river. Sure enough, here he came, swimming across! We watched him for a long time stalking prey—sometimes catching it and sometimes not. Then…here came another wolf, swimming across the river, following the same path as the first and then…yes! A third followed! We probably watched wolves for 1 hour. Very exciting. Have any of you ever seen a wolf in the wild?
Tomorrow we are driving down to the south entrance of Yellowstone and into the Tetons. Hope the old truck transmission holds out!
That is the news for today from the McCamper….where the women are going stir crazy with no phone or wifi, the men are watching “Planet Earth” (thanks Mom!), and the way above average children and grandchildren are being missed by their momma!

Day 12 Yellowstone Upper Geyser Basin

Need a geyser picture? –how about another hydrothermal feature (there are 10,000 of them in the park!...and I think we saw them all but 3! ;-) ) such as a hot spring, fumarote, mudpot???? Got ‘em—by the hundreds! Today we went first to Old Faithful (called that because of its predictability, not size) —quite an experience. Eruption times are posted and folks start gathering up to sit on the provided benches. It is so exciting! We then took the 2+ mile walk around the entire Upper Geyser basin. Geyser, after geyser, after geyser! The pools are really very beautiful because of their coloring—which is determined by heat loving organisms, algae, bacteria, and archaea. Believe it or not, scientists extracted an enzyme from one of these bacterias which contributed to developing DNA finger-printing! Maybe they could find an enzyme to take care of that Pine Bark Beetle that is destroying all those beautiful pine trees in the Black Hills. ;-) The different rings of colors in the pool are attributed to the type of organism that can live in the temperature of the water…blue-160 degrees, green-140 degrees, yellow-120 degrees, orange-100 degrees, and red (my favorite color) 80 degrees. They are difficult to photograph because the steam rising from them clouds the picture. But they are spectacular to view. Jeremy and Jacalyn…not sure you could stand it up here…so much Burnt Orange! My pictures almost don’t look real, the colors are so vivid!
It got cool here today. We left the camper at 9:00 (after sleeping almost 11 hours!) and the temperature was 46, but the sky was clear with the sun shining. As we progressed on our walk the wind would pick up in spots and blow straight through us. Seems even cooler tonight.
We crossed the Continental Divide twice today, well, actually 4 times if you count coming back to camp and stopped to take a picture like all the other tourists!
I am getting so many beautiful photos. I am trying to keep up with my printing and getting them in my album, but am starting to lag behind. Mary Alice was right…I’ll probably need 2 albums for this trip!
So, that is all the news today from the McCamper, where the women are tired, the men cooking frozen pizza for dinner, and as far as we know the above average children are still at home after an extra long weekend!