Yellowstone!

We departed Cody noon-ish on Saturday after a skillet breakfast at "Granny's", a small shopping spree at the Sierra Trading Post outlet where we bought some chew toys for Matilda, and completing some housekeeping chores in the coach. Our drive across the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway to Cooke City was outstanding. It actually takes no longer than the drive through the East Entrance from Cody. We had been waffling about whether to stay at the campground at Mammoth Hot Springs or Madison River. This route forced us through Mammoth, and it would be another hour or so to Madison, so we made Mammoth.our first choice. It occurred to me as we were driving over the mountain that we would be arriving late in the afternoon on a weekend, at a popular campground, in a popular national park, in a largish rig, without a reservation. In fact this campground did not take reservations. However, when we arrived they had a site that would fit us. There are no hook-ups here, but our site was in an open space, and we had excellent solar gain and the satellite TV had a clear view. Bison and elk were wandering through the campground and you needed to carefully watch your step in order to not foul your shoes. Cool.

Wildlife and thermal features are the elements that make Yellowstone most special. There are more thermal features: hot springs, geysers, fumaroles, etc. in Yellowstone than in the rest of the world combined. We left camp about 8:00 each morning to explore the park, returning about 6:00, dead tired. Many of the short trails and turnouts were closed because they had not been cleared of snow. Yellowstone had received 250 inches of snow this year, almost twice the average. We, of course, explored the most popular geyser basins, but spent most of our time looking for wildlife. There were bison by the thousands. They were everywhere. Elk were almost as common. This is my third trip to Yellowstone, and I have never seen a bear here before. This time we saw three grizzlies on our first day, and at least one bear every day. We saw one very large "cinnamon" black bear. My previous visits were all in the fall. I think the bears are more active in the spring and therefore easier to see. I was disappointed not to have seen a moose. During previous visits I had always seen moose. I saw one coyote sitting in the campground. I was walking Matilda in the campground about 7:00 am and I spotted a coyote about 100' away under some trees watching us. It was very interested in us and watched us intently. I was moving in its direction, and it moved away as we approached, keeping its distance, but would continuously stop and turn to watch us. Finally, when we reached the end of the campground, it turned and went up the hill and stopped at a high point to watch us. I guess some wildlife enjoy watching the tourists as much as the tourists enjoy watching the wildlife. Matilda never saw the coyote, but did become a little excited when we crossed its path.

Our weather here was outstanding. It was generally sunny and clear, with lows near 30-40 degrees and highs near 60 degrees. We stayed at Mammoth Hot Springs for five nights, and then on Thursday continued north into Montana and towards Canada.

Cody WY: Deja Vu All Over Again, Again!

It rained all night at Devils Tower and was raining when we left camp. The coach looked pretty good after we cleaned it before leaving home, but now the coach and the car are two big mud balls. We continued westward on I-90 before cutting off on US 14 to cross the Bighorn Mountains. The road across the Bighorns had only been open a few days, and there was still a significant snow pack on the mountain. It was a beautiful drive across the mountain, and then we dropped down into the Bighorn basin.

We entered Cody late in the afternoon. We drove through town and went a short distance up the Yellowstone highway towards Yellowstone's East Entrance when disaster struck. There was a sign saying the road to Yellowstone was closed! Deja Vu all over again! The only other time I was ever in Cody was in September 1988. That summer was the period of the most devastating fires in Yellowstone's history. In the spring of '88 we made plans to drive to Yellowstone and spend about a week there, then go to Arizona for a raft trip through the Grand Canyon. The fires started in Yellowstone early in the summer. I figured: no problem, they'll be out by September. Each week the fires spread and became more intense. We left home with all the optimism we could muster, but it was not to be. When we arrived in Cody, intending to use the east entrance, the fires were at their peak. The Yellowstone east entrance was closed. In fact every entrance and every road in the park was closed except a short section from the north entrance to Tower Junction. Bummer! That summer, after a day in Cody and no prospect of the park reopening soon, we regrouped and headed to Utah. Dang.

This time the road was closed because of an avalanche that had occurred the day before. The road at Sylvan Pass was under 30 feet of snow. It had been opened for the season for several days, but recent high temperatures had softened the snow and caused the fall. Park officials were non-committal about when the road would open. They hinted for several days that it "might open tomorrow", but apparently the work was more difficult than expected, and the opening date stretched on. We were told they could only work for a few hours each morning before the temperatures warmed to the extent that it was unsafe to work in the area. When we left Cody on Saturday AM, they were looking at Wednesday or later.

So, we spent a little time in Cody seeing the sights. By far the best thing to do in Cody is visit the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. We spent a whole day and part of another exploring the five museums of the BBHC. The museums include Yellowstone Natural History, Western Art, Plains Indians, Firearms, and, of course Buffalo Bill Cody. It is a wonderful place that everyone should visit if they are in the area. We also visited the Buffalo Bill Dam on the Shoshone River. When completed in 1910, it was the largest concrete arch dam in the world. We also drove up the South Fork Road into the mountains along the South Fork Shoshone River. We saw hundreds of mule deer and pronghorn and dozens of elk. While waiting for Sylvan Pass and the East Entrance to open, the road to the Northeast Entrance and Cooke City, the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway, opened. We had lingered long enough in Cody and departed Saturday morning for Yellowstone National Park via the Northeast Entrance.

Devils Tower National Monument: Close Encounters of the Natural Kind

This morning we had breakfast at our Walmart camp and picked up some groceries. The Walmart had an in-house McDonald's, but they did not serve my favorite, bacon, egg and cheese biscuits. In fact, they had no biscuits at all. They served biscuits across town at the other McDonald's, but not here. Go figure. I had to settle for an egg McMuffin (Dorcas' favorite).

We hit the road westbound on I-90 headed for Wyoming. We only had 110 miles to our next stop, Devils Tower National Monument, so we considered some side trips. Our choices were Sturgis, a biker's mecca and Deadwood, a historic western town. We decided to pass on Sturgis and head to Deadwood. Big mistake. Parking in Deadwood is at a premium, but they did have a dedicated RV parking area on the far end of town. The problem was that they were having a school walk/run event that day and had converted the RV parking lot into the staging area for the event. There were barricades, school buses and school kids all over the place. We didn't realize all the congestion was there until we got trapped in the parking lot. Nobody seemed to understand why we were trying to park an RV in the RV parking lot and looked at us like we were idiots. Finally we got a yokel to move his pick-up, which was blocking the exit and escaped. I headed out of town as quickly as I could and did not try to find another parking space. Our drive through town did not reveal any reason to stay anyway. Deadwood was a big let down.

As we approached Devils Tower National Monument, we had excellent views of the mountain starting about 15 miles away. It is a very impressive structure. We arrived at the park in mid-afternoon and parked at the Belle Fourche Campground on the banks of the Belle Fourche River at the base of the mountain. Rain was threatening, so we hurried up the hill to do the 1.3 mile hike around the base of the mountain and visit the Visitor's Center. We finished our hike and returned and toured the massive prairie dog town near camp. We arrived back at camp shortly before the rains arrived. About dusk it began to rain and rained most of the evening. We had a very short but very pleasant visit at Devils Tower.

Mt. Rushmore

"Now somewhere in the black mountain hills of Dakota
There lived a young boy named Rocky Raccoon"
Lennon/McCartney. Beatles White Album

This is my third trip to the Black Hills of South Dakota. I've been looking for Rocky Raccoon, but so far I haven't found him. They say he went to Hollywood ....

We left the Badlands in the late morning for the relatively short drive to Mt. Rushmore National Memorial. Rather than double back to the interstate, we took scenic SR 44, which took us through, of all places, Scenic SD. We would spend the whole afternoon there and stay for the evening lighting ceremony. Mt. Rushmore stirs something inside me that I can't explain. It is a grand monument created by a man, but that will probably survive all of mankind. We arrived at the monument and parked the coach in the RV parking area where there were two mountain goats grazing about 50 feet away. They never left the whole time we were there. We began exploring the monument and attended a ranger-led walk to the base of the mountain. We returned to the coach for lunch, and then hiked around the monument some more. Finally we ate dinner in the cafe before the scheduled 9:00 lighting ceremony. Old movie buffs will remember that the cafe and other sites at Mt. Rushmore were the setting for several scenes from Alfred Hitchcock's thriller North By Northwest, starring Cary Grant. Unfortunately, that cafe was torn down several years ago and replaced when the NPS performed major renovations at the park. Damn shame. I thought the NPS was charged to preserve and protect our national treasures!

It was cold and windy (41 degrees and 20+ mph) during the lighting ceremony, but we stuck it out. There is no campground on Mt. Rushmore, so after the ceremony we drove about 25 miles down the hill to Rapid City where we parked at the Wal-Mart Supercenter one block south of I-90.

Not So Bad-Lands

Day 3 was another long driving day. We drove across most of Iowa, up along the eastern border of Nebraska and westward across South Dakota. We made a stop in Mitchell to see the famous Mitchell Corn Palace. The Mitchel Corn Palace is a city auditorium that is decorated inside and out with mosaics made of ears of corn. The citizens design new art each year to replace the previous years scenes, usually following a central theme. Unfortunately we arrived after five o'clock and the inside was closed. So we walked around a bit and took some photos before hitting the road again. We arrived at Badlands National Park just before dark and parked in their Cedar Pass campground. I was pleased and surprised to discover they had recently installed 50 amp electrical service. Most sites were level pull-throughs, so we picked a nice one over-looking the prairie on one side and the Badlands bluffs on the other side. We had driven over 1500 miles since leaving home 3 days ago and were ready to sit for a few days and have some fun.

The next morning western meadowlarks and black-billed magpies were swarming the meadow around the coach. However, by the time I got my camera and tripod set up they they had all disappeared. Very strange!

Today's order of business was to explore the park. We backtracked to Cedar Pass and did some short trails: the Cliff Shelf Nature Trail, the Notch Trail and the Window Trail. Then we drove west on the Badlands Loop Road looking for scenery and wildlife. We found both. We saw bison, pronghorns, bighorn sheep, mule dear and and prairie dogs. While out that way, we cut cross-country and zigged up to Wall SD, famous for Wall Drug, where travelers have enjoyed a cup of free ice water since 1936. Wall Drug is a classic tourist trap, but it's cool and has been around so long it is iconic. It's kinda like Graceland, you gotta go at least once in your life.

We had originally planned to spend only two nights in the Badlands. We would then spend the next day and evening at Mt. Rushmore. However, the evening we intended to go to Mt. Rushmore was forecast for heavy storms. We figured that might put a damper on the evening lighting ceremony. So we decided we would hang out in Badlands NP a third night and relax and catch up on some chores. That means basically do nothing. On the third evening we enjoyed a far-off thunder storm. Most of the wind and rain skirted us to the south.

Tomorrow Rushmore !

The "I's" Have It (deja vu all over again)

Day Two was virtually identical to our travel day on June 30, 2008. On that day, we departed a Thousand Trails park, and zoomed across all the "I" states, Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa and stayed overnight at the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Coralville, IA. You can read about that day, three years ago, here. The only difference is, we started at a Thousand Trails in Ohio instead of Indiana. What more can we say...it's deja vu all over again.

This morning, we slept in a bit. Myron needed to put air in one of the rear coach tires because he neglected to check the pressures before leaving home. It sure is handy having an on-board air system. Matilda and I took a short walk around the park and decided it would be a nice place for a longer stay. We stopped for breakfast at the 73 Grill, a sports bar we spotted on our way in. Our timing was perfect since they only serve breakfast Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Our expectations for breakfast were not high since there were more TVs tuned to ESPN than there were breakfast patrons and the six foot high beer cooler was longer than our coach. We ordered our usual coffee, eggs, bacon and hash browns (what are grits?) and were pleasantly surprised how delicious everything was. When we return to this Thousand Trails we will definitely check out their signature "Fat Boy" burger and get a brew.

The drive was uneventful and unremarkable (see link above). The weather continued to be clear and crisp, beautiful driving weather. The rivers and creeks were swollen and muddy from recent storms. Ironically, Iowa River and Cedar River had experienced devastating floods when we visited this area three years ago.

Matilda has recently adopted a new travel habit. Previously, as soon as we started the coach, Matilda would go to the back and bed down in the far rear corner of the bedroom. We would not see or hear from her until we made a stop. Lately, she has changed her favorite travel position. Matilda has been hanging out up front with us. She moves between the entry door stair well to under the driver's seat and steering column. Basically, she lays under or on Myron's feet while he is driving. It's OK as long as she stays left of the steering column, against the outside wall, but it gets tricky when she moves between Myron's feet and the pedals. We enjoy her company and having her up front, but we need to work on training her to stay in a "good place".

Today we had our first "breakdown" of the trip. The latch on the refrigerator door broke, allowing the door to swing wide open. We duct taped the door shut so the milk and eggs would not fall onto the floor, but that proved inconvenient due to Myron's frequent requests for "cool ones" LOL. We then removed the duct tape and secured the door with a bungee cord strung from the door handle to the stove top. This proved to be a better temporary fix. We were discouraged about easily finding a replacement part. Myron had known the latch was failing and had tried to located the piece in FL, but no one had it in stock. However, we saw an RV place off the interstate, R & S Sales and Service in Mahomet, IL. We exited, pulled into the place and viola! they had the latch we needed. Within in minutes, Myron had the new part installed, and we were back on our way.  The cool beverages were happy once again.

Photo of the Week - Cost of Fuel

Remember way back when, when the price of diesel fuel was less than the cost of regular unleaded?  Perhaps it was so long that gasoline still contained lead.  In any case, at many stations in Illinois diesel was cheaper than unleaded, or maybe I should say that the price of unleaded was even more outrageous than diesel.

Go figure,

On the Road en el Cinco de Mayo

We got up early to do final packing and preparations for our great Alaska adventure. We went through our usual check list before going on a long trip: setting lights, turning off appliances, adjusting thermostats, turning off well pump and water heater, locking doors and securing outdoor items. We loaded PCs, chargers, satellite receiver and printer. On yeah, and Matilda. We departed about 10:30 a.m. and headed north toward West Virginia. It was a beautiful, clear, crisp day. A wonderful day for driving. With all new fluids and filters and a fresh bath, the coach was looking and running fine.

There is a Thousand Trails park that we have never visited, in Wilmington, OH, about 45 miles east of Cincinnati. It was directly on our route and about the right distance for our first stop, so we made an online reservation for the night. The ranger was super and pointed us to one of two pull-throughs for single-night guests. The site was nice and level, so we didn't have to unhook the Honda. We didn't spend much time exploring, but it looked like a very nice place to return for a longer visit. It is convenient to Cincinnati, Dayton and some other interesting sights.

We were bushed and crashed soon after parking. A light rain began to fall as we went to bed which made for great sleeping.

Work Work Work Work Work Work

OK. We didn't make our May 1 target date to leave for Alaska. There was just too much to do. Those who don't want to hear me whine about all the work we have done the last few weeks, please skip to the next post. Those who want to hear the gory details, boldly read on.

By far the biggest chore was coach maintenance. When we bought the coach in Jan 2007 it had 9000 miles on it. Now it has almost 50,000 and the only real maintenance I have done is change the engine oil and filters and the transmission oil and filters. OK, I did change the fuel filters a few times and did a little work on the generator, but suffice it to say there were many systems that were overdue for a little TLC. In the weeks before the work I purchased fluids and filters, almost $700 worth, in total. Dorcas was very helpful. She brought me tools, provided extra hands when necessary, wiped the oil out of my eyes and provided much-needed moral support. She also endured my rants and tirades when things went wrong, which was frequently. Following is a summary of that work:

Change transmission oil and filter: Drain tranny oil, remove primary and lube filters. Reinstall primary and lube filters. Fill 4.25 gallon of TranSynd, a synthetic transmission oil.

Drain Hydraulic Oil: Drain hydraulic oil from reservoir. Open hose at fan controller. Remove hydraulic filters (all three of 'em). Replace 3 hydraulic filters. Replace hydraulic oil: 3.75 gal Dexron III.

Drain and Flush Coolant System: Drain coolant using petcock on radiator and petcock on engine block. Remove engine coolant thermostat. Refill radiator with tap water. Run engine with dash heater on until dash blows hot air. Drain again and repeat 3 more times. Then drain and flush 2 more times using distilled water. Reinstall thermostat. Remove and replace coolant filter. Fill with 13 gallons of Final Charge OAT Extended Life Coolant. Top off with distilled water. Drive coach until the engine reaches operating temperature and top off again with distilled water. This project was by far the most difficult and time consuming. It easily took most of two days off and on. I also had a difficult time determining the correct coolant filter, since the original filter was not compatible with the new coolant I would be using. Then I had to haul almost 50 gallons of old coolant and flush water to the county hazardous waste recycling facility. The good news is that this coolant is good for over 500,000 miles. I doubt I will ever need to flush the system again.

Flush Generator Coolant: Same process as above, but much simpler. The genny coolant capacity is only about 1 gal vs. 26 gallons for the coach engine. The filler neck is difficult to access and the fluid doesn't want to flow into the filler, but eventually it gets there.

Change Generator Oil and Filter: This is pretty simple. Warm the genny, drain the oil, remove the filter. Reverse the process. Piece of cake.

Replace Generator Fuel Filter: The guy who designed the fuel filter ought to be drawn and quartered. Why not use a simple spin-on filter, for crying out loud, like everyone else in the world. Instead Onan uses a cartridge filter that is bolted to a bracket and the fuel lines are affxed using compression nuts. This wouldn't be so bad if the whole assembly were not recessed into a tiny cavity on the bottom of the genny, where you have to lay on your back with diesel fuel running down your arms and into your face. There is no room to turn the wrenches and your fingers and tools quickly become too slick to work. Remember the old STP commercial where you could not pick up a screwdriver coated in STP. Slicker than goose poop!

Replace Generator Air Cleaner: Not too hard if your wrists are double jointed and you have eyeballs on your fingers. You have to work blind, but if you can remember how it came out, you can get it back in.

Other Miscellaneous Items: While not mechanical maintenance I did improve and repair some other items. I replaced the broken Sirius radio antenna, installed a more robust cellular antenna and amplifier and mounted the controller box for the Winegard satellite dish in a cabinet. These tasks all involved routing cable through areas of the coach not intended to be accessible to the end user. They also involved a few more roof penetrations, never something to be taken lightly.

In the meantime we were busy doing more mundane things. We had doctor's visits, we donated blood, we cleaned the basement (well, made a big dent in that project), we washed the coach, we bought new dehumidifiers for the basement and installed them to perpetually drain. In the meantime Dorcas was researching customs and border crossing rules, cellular and internet data plans in Canada, insurance requirements and other such stuff.

This afternoon I confirmed that we had bats in the attic. I had suspected they were there. When one fell down through the ceiling fan and into the hall last fall, that was a fairly strong indication. So I finally crawled up into the attic to see and sure enough, they were there, and they did not appreciate my presence. I could see at least 6 but could hear many more in a space between two walls. I'm not sure how to get them out. There was a gable vent with rotten screen, so it was obvious how they were getting in. I assume I will need to go up there late at night when they are out (I assume they go out each night) and seal the opening. To do this before we leave for this trip would delay us for at least a day. I decided to let them stay a little longer.

There is light at the end of the tunnel. We have finished practically everything that we had intended to finish. We will finish packing the coach in the morning and hit the road as soon as we can get away, hopefully before noon.

Whew!!!!!

North to Alaska????

Dorcas and I have wanted to take an extended trip to Alaska ever since we retired four years ago, but each summer something has conspired to keep us from this quest. For many months we have felt that 2011 will be the year, and we decided at some point during winter to go for it. Since then we have been making plans. Unfortunately we have not been making "PLANS". At this point we have no clear agenda, itinerary or route. We will make most of it up as we go. We hope to leave home about May 1 and return home about October 1. We do plan to do our traditional Boundary Waters canoe trip in Minnesota about September 1 on our way home, so we are taking the Kevlar boat and camping gear. We did hope to go through Montana and Glacier National Park on the way up, but after spending a little time on their web site it became apparent that they still had a significant snow pack and most facilities would be closed. That lead us to think that maybe we will take a more westerly route going up, and come through the Rockies on the way back home. It would be really nice to follow the coast, perhaps spend some time on the ferry system and go up the inside passage, but that will be terribly expensive with a rig our size. Also, if we plan to do that, we need to be making reservations now. We'll see.

At this point we have been gathering literature and jotting down the names of places friends say we can't miss. We have friends who own Safari TREKS who are going to Alaska this year, and we had considered signing on to their caravan of about 12 coaches. However, their trip is more structured than we really like. We do have their itinerary and hope to cross with them somewhere along the way. Also, I have a high school friend who lives near Anchorage. He has room to park our coach at his house and has invited us to visit. Cool! We will spend time with him when we are in the Anchorage area.

In the meantime, we have much work to do at home. We have been home very few days this year and have numerous home chores and coach maintenance and repair projects to finish. It's time to buckle down and git 'er done.

Home From the Buffalo River

We have completed our annual canoe camping trip on the Buffalo National River and have arrived safely at home. The 10-day camping trip was great...one of our best. The weather was mild, a bit windy and some rain with a couple of storms. A few years ago we did not complete our planned Buffalo trip and took out early due to flood conditions. This year Myron and Wayne were determined we would complete our trip from Ponca, AR to Buffalo City, AR "come hail or high water". Well, we had both hail and high water and still completed the planned trip.

On Wednesday, April 13 we met Wayne and Lynda and Harry, as planned, at Wild Bill's Outfitter and drove the two hours to Ponca with our shuttle drivers. As we neared our put-in, our shuttle driver mentioned there were elk in the area. We have been to this area several times and had never seen the elk. Suddenly, as if on queue, there was an entire herd of elk beside the drive at the put-in. Dorcas jumped out to take pictures.Very cool.

The day was sunny and nice so the put-in was crowded with paddlers launching their kayaks and canoes. While lower sections of the river were very high, the Ponca area was at an optimal level. Apparently everyone knew that; we had never seen so many paddlers here before. Most were day-paddlers, but a few were camping. The first incident occurred right out of the chute, when one boat in our party (which will remain unidentified) got pinned on a rock 20' from the put-in. The boat got swamped, and it filled with water. It wouldn't have been that big a deal except there were 50 other boaters there watching us, all thinking "Rookies ...they're never going to make it". I'm sure the paddler(s) affected were very embarrassed.

The river was at an excellent level. The upper section was characterized by swift water and 1-2 foot standing waves. Enough excitement to be interesting, but nothing too difficult, even with over-loaded canoes. The flow was good, and we made good time. Typically we camped about 4:00 each evening and be on the water by 10:30 the next morning, making for a very leisurely float. As usual, we ate well, grilling steaks or chops the first four nights.


Late in the evening of Day 2 some thunderstorms came through and it rained pretty hard for about 3 hours. We knew the storms were coming and had camped well up on a high bank. By morning the river was rising and ultimately came up about 5', drowning our camp fire. As we watched a set of standing waves grow at the bend just below our camp, we made the decision to lay over this day. We snagged fire wood from the river as it passed by our camp to stoke our re-located fire. By the next morning the water had dropped 2-3 feet, and we set off again. Each passing day the water level continued to drop and become more clear and green.

Usually on this river there are several swift chutes with a tree blocking the obvious route, making for a challenging run. On this trip none existed. Perhaps they had all been washed out. In past trips we could particularly count on Harry for some entertainment at these places, but Harry's river skills have improved, and he's no fun any more. We need to recruit a new rookie.

After 9 nights and 10 days on the river, we ferried across the White River to Riley Landing, where our cars were waiting. Perhaps the most exciting part of the trip was the drive eastward across northern Arkansas where we experienced 50 mph cross winds. The poor little Element would have had a hard time staying in the road, even if it didn't have a canoe on top. We spent the night at a motel near Cookeville TN and visited friends in Morganton before arriving at home. It is good to be home. We have been gone for 18 days and slept in the tent all but two nights.

But now we have to prepare for our next adventure. So many trips ... so little time.

Buffalo Gals Won't You Come Out Tonight?

After a leisurely breakfast on Monday, Dorcas and I departed Brushy Creek campground at the crack of noon, well before the forecast storms. We headed northwest and soon passed through Tupelo, Mississippi, the birthplace of Elvis. We didn't even stop for a fried banana and peanut butter sandwich. The storms finally hit shortly before we passed through Memphis. The wind and rain were fierce, but it washed some of the dust and sand off the car and boat. We stopped at a Sam's Club for some rib eyes and a 4-berry sundae and crossed the "Big Muddy" into Arkansas. We went on-line and found a Motel 6 in Conway AR that was pet-friendly and had a coin laundry. At the Motel 6 we did laundry, caught up on our e-mails, paid bills and conducted some other business on-line. I love the internet.

This morning we had breakfast at the Waffle House which was on the left side of the Motel 6 and did some shopping at the Walmart Supercenter which was on the right side of the Motel 6. Before noon we were on the road north towards Yellville AR, where we will meet our outfitter for our shuttle on the Buffalo River. When we crossed the Buffalo River at Dillard's Ferry the river was muddy and at a fairly high level, due to the recent rains. "For experienced paddlers only" the NPS web site said. Apparently the river had been closed here today due to high levels. We stopped at the outfitter and found that at Ponca, about 85 miles upstream, where we would put in on Wednesday, the river had crested and was actually at a very good level for paddling. Unless we get more rain the river should be at a good level for most of our trip. We are camped at Buffalo Point, a very nice NPS campground on the river just below Dillard's Ferry. We will meet our friends from NC tomorrow at 9:00 at Wild Bill's Outfitter, who will shuttle us to Ponca. They will then store our vehicles at their shop and drive them to Riley's Landing on the White River, before we take off in 10 days. Baring anything unforeseen, we will make about 125 miles over the 10 days. We look forward to a very leisurely float.

Paddling Northern Alabama

Plan B turned out great! We camped in Brushy Lake Recreation Area, a small campground in the William Bankhead National Forest.  The campground was empty when we arrived, very nice, with hot showers (a pleasant surprise) and only a dozen sites. Our group had the place to ourselves until the weekend ... which brought, families with squealing kids, barking pit bulls, generators and all night partying. The weekends help remind us how fortunate we are that we can camp on weekdays. On Thursday we paddled on Brushy Creek, so we put in on the lake behind our campsite and portaged a 20 ft concrete dam (not easy). The creek was very nice with clear green water very much like the upper sections of the Current River in Missouri, with limestone ledges and low bluffs. On Friday we paddled Thompson Creek which flowed into the North Sipsey Fork, where we took out. Another pretty creek with a few small rapids and one narrow chute the guide book indicated was a class III rapid due to a large rock blocking passage at the bottom of the chute. After a tough portage around the rapid it appeared the offending rock was missing. Myron was disappointed we had not run it. Dang. We had a couple more pullovers, and then we hit the monster log jam. Where we crossed it was about 25 ft wide and 8 ft high. Even Matilda had to exit the boat to cross. After a long hard day everyone still agreed it was a nice trip and we were rewarded with a beautiful waterfall near the end. When we returned to camp each campsite had a notice warning us of the impending government shutdown and advising us not to pay ahead because we might have to leave. What would we do???  Later we learned that our federal government had reached a fiscal compromise, and we were safe once more.  It was so very comforting.

Saturday we paddled Borden Creek about 6 miles for a nice gentle float that also flowed into the North Sipsey Fork (thankfully below the huge log jam). The narrow creek had deep pools of mint green water and high bluffs with numerous water falls and springs. It was good to have an easy day after our hard work on Friday. Saturday night we went into town for a steak dinner and discovered the annual Moulton Chicken Festival in progress. What fun.

Sunday's paddle was on the Sipsey River which is wider and flatter but very scenic with nice waterfalls. Dozens of other boaters put on ahead of us but we didn't see them during our trip. There were no difficulties this day except for the class V take-out. Thankfully, we had two 4-wheel drive vehicles to haul everyone's gear to a parking lot high above the river. The scenic highlight of the trip was a 60 ft undercut, horseshoe-shaped, limestone bluff just before the take-out.

Each evening we enjoyed hot showers, shared happy hour with the group, dinners on our own, followed by river tales by the campfire. By nightfall each evening we were serenaded by a full chorus of tree frogs.

We had moved to this area because there was good water after the recent rains, allowing us to paddle some smaller creeks.  The water has been dropping steadily however, and we are running out of creeks.  On Monday the forecast is for storms in the afternoon.  Some folks are going on hikes, some are leaving.  We will likely pack up before noon and head for Arkansas for our trip on the Buffalo River.

Best Laid Plans...

When you're a paddler you have to go with the flow (as it were)... The plan was to meet our party at Payne Lake Recreation Area in the Oakmulgee Ranger District of the Talladega National Forest. We arrived mid-afternoon and looked for familiar faces and vehicles with canoes. After exploring all the wrong campground loops, we finally found our trip leader's truck camper with canoe but Bob and Sue were missing. We made camp, built a fire, had happy hour and ate dinner. About dusk our leaders returned with sad news. A big storm passed through the area the night before and they had been out scouting the Cahaba River conditions and accesses. They reported that the river was flooded. In the meantime, the other members of our party had arrived. We had a group meeting to discuss our options. The concensus was that it would not be safe or fun to paddle the Cahaba at that level and we should explore other Alabama paddling options.

This morning, after a chilly but cozy night, and a leisurely breakfast, we packed up and are now on the road for a three hour drive north to plan B. We will camp at Brushy Lake Recreation Area in the William B Bankhead National Forest. We hope to paddle streams and rivers in that area for the next few days.

The group hopes to return to the Cahaba River for the canoe camping trip once the waters have had a few days to receed. We may not be able to catch the Cahaba this trip but plan to continue our journey north to Arkansas and the Buffalo River.

For Matilda, at least, the trip so far has not been a total loss. She had a great time reuniting with her buddy Bric, Bob and Sue's 1 1/2 year old black lab. They played last night and this morning until they dropped.

We're Back!!!

OK, we admit we have been REALLY slack in posting to our blog (it's Myron's fault!). Yeah I know...my fingers haven't been broken... Perhaps Myron will do some catch up posts later..don't hold your breath, LOL. Let's move on and jump into our current and next adventure. Here goes!

We had a great time in Florida during the winter, much warmer than last year, doing all our usual fun things, biking, canoeing, hanging with friends, etc. Basicly, living the good life of a pair of snowbirds. One thing of note, we are now the owners of a piece of "swamp land in FL". Actually, it's a nice RV lot in The Great Outdoors, a very nice RV Resort with lots of amenities, in Titusville, near the Space Coast. Also, we may have left FL a bit soon...it's still cold at home.

Our couple of weeks off the road were spent catching up on home chores and getting ready for our next trip. You know, doctor appointments, auto maintenance, changing fluids in the coach, cooking and dehydrating food for future wilderness trips, doing taxes (I finished and e-filed while Myron was driving through Atlanta)...the usual. Plus, we spent 5 days camping and canoeing in the Uwharrie National Forest in the middle of those two weeks.

We're meeting friends tonight in Centreville, AL where we will put in tomorrow for a 5 day canoe camping trip on the Cahaba River. We then head to the Ozark Mountains in NW Arkansas for our traditional Spring canoe camping trip on the Buffalo River.

Stay tuned. We'll post more later. We promise. No really, we will post again soon. No lie. Unless, we convert to Facebook?!?! Nooooo say it's not so.

Out of the Wilderness ... At Last!

Dorcas and I have been going into the Boundary Waters every year since we met in 1997. We have always gone in the late summer/early fall, usually the two weeks around Labor Day. On most days during past trips I would wear short pants and a tee-shirt during the day and put on a little more clothing as the temperatures dropped late in the afternoon. Often it would rain for a day or two, but we would be blessed primarily with mild and fair weather. I think all this good weather luck caught up with us this year. While back home folks were seeing 90+ degree days every day and weeks at a time without rain, we experienced the coldest, wettest, windyest (sp?) trip we have ever had in the Boundary Waters. It didn't rain every day, but it probably did rain every other day. And they were cold rains. Typically the high temperatures were in the mid-60s with lows in the mid-40s, frequently with winds blowing in excess of 20 mph. I put on my long-handled bottoms on the second day, and they never came off after that. I wore a Gore-Tex rain jacket practically all day, every day. I think the only time we were really comfortable was when we were in our sleeping bags in our tent. We spent a lot of time reading and went to bed early on more than a few evenings. High winds and paddling on large lakes can be an adventure. During the first half of our trip we were primarily east-bound and the wind was largely at our backs, providing a free ride. But as we turned the corner at Horseshoe Lake and began traveling westward, the wind became a serious impediment and was a factor in our travel planning. Two particular crossings, Winchell Lake on Day 12 and Brule Lake on Day 14, were particularly challenging. Ironically, the most interesting event of the trip was due to the high winds. While traveling into a strong head wind on Cliff Lake we heard very clearly the sound of shattering timber. After a short moment of panic we saw a very large tree about 100 yards to our left beginning to tip. It was taller than any other tree around it, and it appeared to be green and alive. Over a period of what seemed like forever, but probably was less than about 8 seconds, we watched it fall, taking out a number of smaller trees on its way down. The sound was terrifying and fascinating, but it reminded us of the power of the wind and the respect we should show it.

Other parts of our trip were a-typical compared to past trips. We caught a few fish, but only caught enough for a decent fish fry one time. I think this was partly because the fish weren't cooperating, but with the poor weather we just didn't really have our heart into fishing. On several layover days we never took the boat out. Wildlife sightings were off. In the past we have seen bears, moose, otters, minks and other interesting mammals. This year, except for a few beavers and bald eagles, the highlight sightings were the obligatory campsite squirrels and mice.

To top things off I was sick during the entire trip. About the time we put in I came down with what I think may have been a sinus infection. It never got better during the trip and left me feeling weak, and nauseous, with a constant headache, for most of the trip. Thankfully Dorcas and Lynda both pop Benadryl and had plenty to spare, which did help relieve the symptoms somewhat. I am going to see my doctor when I get home and secure a supply of antibiotics for my first aid kit.

We were in the Boundary Waters for 14 days. Normally on the last night we are sad and savor those last few hours in the wilderness. This year on our last night I think we were all ready for the trip to end.

In the early years of going to the Boundary Waters we planned ambitious trips, covering many miles and moving almost every day. In the latter years our trips have become much easier. While we are in for 14 days and our food pack on day one still weighs over 80 pounds, we have learned we don't have to work so hard to enjoy the wilderness. This year we paddled and portaged a total of about 33 miles and laid over 5 days.

We took out at our put-in at Brule Lake and drove about 3 hours back to Ely. On the drive we saw deer and red fox, more wildlife than we had seen in the wilderness. After a short detour to the Dairy Queen for a traditional milk shake we arrived at Fall Lake and found our respective RVs to be as we left them. We all enjoyed long showers and then a fine dinner at The Chocolate Moose in Ely.

As I read back over this report I see it seems rather negative and implies that we may not have had a good time. That is far from the truth. It is true that the weather was not as good, and we didn't catch as many fish, as on most previous trips. But we did do and see many great things, as we always do. The wilderness presents many faces. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is one of my favorite places. I am already looking forward to the next trip.