Showing all posts in September 2018

Breakfast on Elk Island

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Hubby and I had planned an epic 1st day of school for the kids. Beginning with waking up early, getting on a boat, and having breakfast on Elk Island. That would have made for an awesome 1st day of school picture right? Homeschooling for the win yo…Do people still say that? If not, I’m bringing it back.

So we got the kids up early, bundled up as best we could. (We southerners were so not prepared for August in Wyoming) What?! It’s not 110 degrees at 8 am? It’s not by the way. Made it to the boat launch in record time for this family and we could hear some thunder off in the distance. The boat captain came out a few minutes later to say that they had to cancel due to the weather, so bummer on the epic back to school pic and breakfast I didn’t have to cook.

We did however go to the restaurant at Colter Bay for a yummy hot breakfast and made it back to the camper as the rain was starting to fall.

The rain made it easy to start school, because we couldn’t go outside anyway.

We rescheduled for the Elk Island trip and I’m so glad we did! It was about a 30 minute boat ride to the island and from there, we were greeted with piping hot cowboy coffee cooked on a campfire and a hearty breakfast including grilled trout, sausage, bacon, blueberry pancakes, eggs, yogurt and fruit.

There were tables set up on a flat section of the island with a unique view of Mt. Moran. We ate our hot breakfast and it was so good despite that it was pretty dern chilly. After we ate, everyone was invited to go on a short hike to the top of the hill for an incredible view. It was about a 10 minute hike but man, was it steep! I think we were all huffing and puffing by the time we reached the top and my thighs were on fire. View was totally worth it though!

~Enjoy the journey!

A Hiking We Will Go..

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We spent much of our time (that it didn’t rain) outdoors. As you totally should when you are in Wyoming the climate is loverly. I grew up in Louisiana. And while I love the nostalgia of my “home” state (and the food. Because seriously, Louisiana has the best food arguably in the country) this flat lander gal from a hot an humid state loves the complete opposite of said state.

Give me some mountains and cool weather and I am in my happy place. Ideally, my perfect place would stay shy of 77 degrees on a normal day and the winter down to about 10 degrees. Add a sweet small town where I can own a bakery or coffee shop and solve all the towns mysteries I’m there. My husband says I watch too much Hallmark channel…I don’t know what he means by that.

Whatever. But I LOVE cool weather. Hot and humid just makes me cranky. And life is too short for that. So go to the mountains I say! So we did. Actually, going to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons was my middle’s idea. He requested it and we thought, sure! Where else do we have to go?! So we went. No middle child syndrome there. If he ever mentions he isn’t being heard, we can say, “We did an entire summer trip based on your idea! Bam! Alleviated years of therapy.

But I digress. Or do I? So Grand Teton National Park is truly a must see. I know it doesn’t get as much attention as its neighbor 30 minutes north, *whispers* Yellowstone. shhhhh But it is a lot of beauty packed into a smaller area for sure. We didn’t even touch half of the hiking trails they have and we did a good amount. Obviously with kiddo’s and being we are pretty new to this whole outdoorsy hiking stuff, we kept it off the strenuous trails.

Its amazing how being a parent can make you way more aware of your (dangerous) surroundings. Especially when your #3 bebops down the trails and you’re constantly saying, “watch where you’re going!” “Actually LOOK where you’re going!” “Oh crap! A bear!” (Yeah that really happened) Luckily, I completely managed to do it without giving him a complex.

We got to see beautiful wildlife on our hikes, a momma moose and her baby, a HUGE bull moose, various birds, a hamster or gerbil. I didn’t even know they were in the wild, whaaat??? Oh and a bear. That walked right by and in front of us. That was awesome. Actually it wasn’t while it happened. But now it’s like…yeah, we totally survived a bear encounter.

  • The halfway point
  • Yes..she made a throne of rocks so only her feet would get wet

~Enjoy the journey!

Grand Tetons Here We Come!

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We finally made it! We are SO happy to be at our destination for the next 2 1/2 weeks and it is absolutely gorgeous!

The drive up western Wyoming went without issue. Loved driving through the small communities and towns in the valley’s up until Jackson Hole. I had never been to Jackson Hole before, and was not prepared for the cuteness factor of the town! From the mountain town feel storefronts and big trees in the square, to huge hanging baskets of colorful flowers lining the storefronts and streets. It was a feast for the eyes for sure. What I could not get over though, was the amount of people in that place! Tourists everywhere and to top it off, we came in the weekend of a banker convention of some sort. It was a little nerve-racking driving our giant box on wheels through the city streets to get out the other side.

After that fun, we were on the home stretch to our destination. Driving on Hwy. 191 alongside the Grand Teton mountain range was beautiful! We could not stop staring at the mountains. Pulling into Colter Bay on Jackson Lake was equally amazing. Staying so close to the mountains and the views from the lake were so pretty.

After we set up our campsite, we drove down to the lake for sunset and to see the views. The mountain view was a little hazy due to the smoke from the fires, but I think it added to the beauty of the sunset and the light that time of day.

What do you think?

~Enjoy the journey!

It Came a Flood

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There was quite a storm brewing as we made our way to our overnight stop in Colorado Springs.  Our travel day was longer than usual.  We like to drive 4-5 hours so that we have time to set up our site and get settled.  It makes it seem less rushed if we are traveling for a week.  

Finding an RV park on our route with a 41 foot rig was a little more difficult than I had thought, so we were lucky finding a spot in Colorado Springs (actually Manitou Springs) at the base of Pikes Peak.  I love the majestic feel of America’s Mountain as it rises above the Springs.  

  • Sky lookin a little scary

I had to call and get directions to the park as there was construction, and as I hung up they said they were being hit with a hail storm.  It had started raining and the wind picked up as we were talking.  The hail started a few seconds after I got off the phone.  As we are trying to maneuver our giant mobile box through hail and construction, smaller vehicles were pulling over under trees to wait it out.  There was no where to go but through, luckily, we now had a pathway…haha

  • Lots of water!
  • After the storm

The campground was recovering from the hail and everyone was outside clearing the debris from their campsites.  Not sorry we missed that.  

  • Garden of the Gods
  • Enjoying stretching our legs

We still had a few hours of daylight so we made the most of it and took the kids to Garden of the Gods.  I think this is one of my favorite places!  It’s even more beautiful after a storm.  The sunlight through the dark clouds. The red rocks, and white hail on the ground.  SO glad this was our first “real” stop and we got to share this place with the kids.  We are looking forward to going back so we can spend more time in the area and hike around Garden of the Gods more.  

~Enjoy the journey!

  • Don’t worry, he’s fine.
  • We heart our UnShoes

Day Trip! Flaming Gorge Nat’l Rec Area

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After a rainy drive across the bottom of Wyoming (I-80 was windy y’all) we landed at the Rock Springs KOA in Rock Springs, (go figure) Wyoming.

The sun was actually out and had cleared up for the last 30 mins or so of our drive, but as we were setting up our site, there was a storm brewing! Huge drops of rain started to fall and the wind picked up as soon as we were finishing up the hoses. As we ran inside the sky let loose. We now can use the term “gully-washer” legitimately. I don’t know if I’ve ever heard that term outside of an old western, but I’m bringing it back y’all…

Anyhoo, for the next 15 whole minutes it poured, wind was howling and lightning was flashing. One bolt in particular hit somewhere close and we learned afterward hit a camper at the other end of our row. No fire and everyone was okay thankfully! But goodness! Storms can sure come up quick in Wyoming! But as soon as it started, it was over and the sun was back out.

Since we were ahead of our schedule by a day arriving in the Grand Tetons, we decided to stay an extra day and take a day trip around Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area. It was pretty from the pictures we had seen online while looking it up, but we were so not prepared for the massiveness (is that a word? I dunno..) of the “Gorge.”

You could see forever. So far it got hazy. Or it may have been residual smoke from the fires, but still quite amazing. The drive went through the bottom corner of Wyoming and down into Utah. The start of the trip we were at the top and while you couldn’t see the actual Flaming Gorge with water part until you got into Utah, the Wyoming side you could just see forever.

As we eventually made our way “down” we came into the small valley town of Manila, UT. Its picturesque and the people were friendly giving us tips on the rest of the drive. Our best views were yet to come as we rounded each corner and it was breathtaking view after view.

At the top, there was the Visitor Center where the kids and I got out to walk and take some pictures.

Not far from the Visitor Center they had a lodge that had a little gift shop and restaurant attached. I believe there were cabins to rent as well. It was so perfectly picturesque. Huge evergreen trees lining the landscape. Lush green grass with a pond and a smaller pond that people could sit around. A bird feeder that you could watch so many different types of birds come and snack. It was like watching a live postcard from the large window in the restaurant.

We went for a walk down to the dock after lunch to stretch our legs before the rest of the journey back.

It was quite the unexpected surprise with this day trip. Neither I nor Jeremy had heard of Flaming Gorge and I’m so glad we took the time to go. We can’t wait for more pleasant surprises along the way to see places that aren’t the usual stopping points.

~Enjoy the journey!

On the Road (finally!)

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So it’s getting close to the end of summer and we have spent a lot of our time in (HOT) south Texas, and then mid/east Texas getting maintenance done and necessary paperwork so we can have all of our ducks in a row. None of that was fun, but necessary so we could do the fun stuff…adults know how that is.

We asked our kiddo’s where they wanted to go and our middle announced “Yellowstone!” So figuring that was as good an idea as any, we started making plans. I say making plans loosely. Planning is not my forte, nor have I done this before in an RV. So we estimated it would take about a week to get to Wyoming comfortably. We booked a spot for a few weeks at Colter Bay Campground at Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park. Then, we more or less winged it on our overnight spots. Because that’s how we roll.

Our first big stopover once we got out of Texas (which seemed like forever) was Colorado Springs, CO. We initially wanted to stay before that, but finding a campground on our route, that would accommodate our rig and had room was tedious. So while it was a longer travel day, it set us up for a good travel time for the rest of the trip. Arriving in Colorado Springs deserves its own post. So post to come.

~Enjoy the journey!

Working Out the Kinks…

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So for the first month and change, we stayed at the same campground as my parents to make repairs and learn how in the world to use this thing.

Neither my husband or I have ever owned a motorhome, nor have we done much camping in our adult years.  Maybe three times I can recall?  So needless to say while we could have completely winged it, why 100% wing it, when we can have my dad teach us the basics?

My dad is awesome, and while he probably thinks we’re still a little crazy, taught us how to do light maintenance and he and hubs made some repairs.  My mom helped organize and talk me down when I was feeling like I couldn’t find a place for something.  

It was s HOT month in south Texas, but it was nice to be near my parents and we did get to do a little sightseeing.

What Are We Doing?

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What were we thinking?!?  We have had several people ask us this when we broke the news that we were going to sell our dream home and most of our belongings to do this.  

Is it a little crazy?  Sure.  But some of the best ideas are.  Some of our best memories are in that house and the friends and family that graced the inside of it.  I loved every minute we lived there.  It was fun to decide on the details, decorate and live in.

But when we started throwing this idea around a few years ago, we realize that its just “stuff.” Stuff is replaceable, but making memories with our family we decided was totally worth it.  We could continue to live there, and be comfortable, or we could get out and have the adventure of a lifetime.

It was a little crazy downsizing from 4,600 square feet to a 350 square foot box with a motor.  We downsized.  Then downsized some more.  Then downsized again when we bought our 2009 Newmar Allstar mid-engine diesel.  

No kidding…there we were, with a small Uhaul trailer packed to the gills and realized, “oh lawdy, this isn’t all going to fit.”

At that point, I had no problem donating or throwing the last little bit of stuff so that we wouldn’t be a complete cluttered mess in here.

Our sanity is totally worth it.  

So here we are, my husband and I, 3 kiddo’s and 2 dogs, houseless, but not homeless, living in our RV.