RV Adventures: A Trip Out West! Day 5

Wednesday, June 9, 2021

We were on the road by 6:30 AM and Chris and Skyah got up to see us off. It was so good to visit with him and see the area.

We needed to be on the road early because of that complete closure on route 50. It was only going to be open to one-way traffic from 6:30 to 8:30 AM. It takes about 30 minutes to get to that route from Chris’ home. Thank goodness we made it in time because it won’t open again to one-way traffic at 12:30 PM-1:30 PM. The workers are fixing rock slides and improving the road.

We lost about 45 minutes because of the slow traffic and narrow lanes. Of course this was so much better than taking the detour which was narrow and full of switchbacks!

Some of the scenery as we drove along Rte. 50 toward Grand Junction, Colorado.

We left Colorado and entered Utah. The speed limit jumped to 80 mph and almost all of the vehicles were going that speed or even faster!

Our next stop was at the Ghost Rock view area. It was a chance to stretch, use the restroom, check the car, and look at the view! We have better pictures from our camera but we left the adapter at home to download from the camera so it will be a real treat to see all of those pictures when we get home again. So all of the pictures on this trip are from our phones. It’s great that the cameras in the phone very good except for zooming in close!

We continue to drive along I-70 W and the scenery was changing as we drove along.

We drove by the San Rafael Reef View Area. The harsh elements from eons ago created this “swell” in the surface of the earth. It has been eroded and the sandstone shows different colors. The wind and water created these incredible formations! You see buttes, canyons, pinnacles and mesas! Wow!

This is like a broken record but we were in awe of the beauty of our country. It was good for our souls after a year of being home, except for our RV adventure up into Michigan in the fall. The wide-open spaces here we come!

Along I-70, near Orangeville, UT and the stupendous rock formations!

We passed Butch Cassidy’s boyhood home off of US-89. It was comparable in size to the “tiny homes” or “she shed”! He was raised in this remote cabin in Utah. Butch Cassidy, was born as Robert Leroy Parker in 1866 and he was the oldest of 13 children. You can read more about his life online.

We were so excited when our granddaughter did a FaceTime call (well, actually, her dad made the call). It was perfect because we had the chance to talk with her before we got to our campground and we didn’t have cell service. We know it’s great to disconnect, but when it’s your grandkids calling, you are thrilled to take the call!

Around 5:00 PM we made it to our campground, set up camp and walked around the area. The view from our RV was magnificent and there were some friendly horses on the site.

This evening we relaxed because tomorrow was going to be a busy day exploring Bryce Canyon.

RV Adventures: A Trip Out West! Day 4

Tuesday, June 8, 2021

What a view to wake up to in the morning!

Today our nephew, Chris, is able to take the day off of work and spend it showing us around Gunnison and Crested Butte! We started the day with breakfast at the Back Country Cafe in Gunnison and it was nice enough to sit outside. We all enjoyed our food and we were ready to explore the area.

Chris was our “tour director” for the day. He drove toward Crested Butte to show us where he used to live and the mountain and surrounding area.

The picture below was taken from the car as we drove on State Highway 135 on our way to Crested Butte. I know we’ll be saying this a lot but the views were incredible.

Gunnison National Forest is in Gunnison and other counties in Colorado. It is beautiful as we drove into Crested Butte. Chris drove us up the back side of the Mount Crested Butte as far as we could go. The top area is closed off because it isn’t the start of the high summer season. We noticed not all of the places were open.

Mount Crested Butte

Chris took us to a trail where we walked for awhile to look at the wildflowers along the mountainside. Some of the flowers still haven’t bloomed yet but it was still a lovely walk.

We drove from a paved road to a dirt road where the RMBL (Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory) Research station is located in the town of Gothic. The town is surrounded by the West Elk Mountains. Gothic was a silver boomtown in 1880 and by 1890 the prospectors moved on. In the early 1900s a biology professor at Western Colorado College, Dr. John Johnson, took his students on a field trip to Gothic. In 1928 he set up a field station in the ruins of the old mining town. Today, the RMBL has become internationally renowned for its scientific research on high-altitude ecosystems. We could see the old Town Hall built in 1880 and walk in a little museum that was also the General Store and Visitor Center. In the Visitor Center we met a girl who is spending the summer with her father at the research center. The rest of the year she lives in Washington. She told us she loves coming here every summer.

The temperature was in the 70s and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky! It was a perfect day for Chris to spend with us.

The Aspen trees were standing tall and swaying majestically in the wind as we drove through a grove of them.

We were surrounded by mountains and the views were breathtaking. Chris told us the name of all the ranges we were looking at. Don’t ask us now the names of all of them!

For lunch we drove into Crested Butte. First we walked around the town which didn’t take long. Again some of the shops and restaurants were closed. Chris recommended pizza at The Secret Stash. It was busy but our service was great and so was the pizza, including a gluten free pizza! We took leftovers with us, enough for another meal!

After lunch Chris headed back toward Gunnison on a different road and we went through the town of Almont surrounded by Gunnison National Forest.

We visited for a while when we got back to his home and played with his puppy and his roommate gave us a tour of her art studio. The owners before my nephew were collectors of art and did some sort of art themselves. The natural light coming in is perfect for her paintings. You should follow her on Instagram, heidi.annalise.art! After dinner, we watched a movie together and then headed to the RV next door! The sky is amazing and you can see the Milky Way over his home because he is out of town and up a hill. If you look closely at the picture below you can see the mountain in front of his home and many stars!

Tomorrow we say goodbye to Chris and head to Utah!

RV Adventures: A Trip Out West! Day 3

Monday, June 7, 2021

We pulled up camp and on the road by 6:00 AM. We did drive by the World’s Wonder View Tower which was built sometime after 1926! It’s a shame that no one took care of it and kept it as a tourist stop. It would be fun to say you climbed the six stories and looked out! Right now it is run down and the contents inside have been auctioned off. We read online that a group of Colorado residents purchased the tower and it was reported that they would restore it, but that happened in 2016!

Back on I-70 for a little while before we turned and started a southwesterly direction. Again not much to see on I-70 except windmills and fields and then on route 24 more farms and then a glimpse in the distance of mountains! When you look at that picture below, ignore all the bug splatter on the windshield!

We drove through Colorado Springs and we could see Pikes Peak off in the distance. It was their morning rush hour so there was some stop and start driving.

The scenery was beautiful as we climbed in altitude.

Route 50 followed along the Arkansas River. There were many rapids and the water was flowing quickly! We did see several whitewater rafters!

The road had many twists and turns and some steep grades on the Monarch Pass! The elevation was 11,312ft above sea level. It’s a good thing Dave was driving. He did an excellent job! It’s a good thing we didn’t read about the Monarch Pass until later. This is a time where “ignorance is bliss”! After we came down the pass, we could smell that the brakes were hot so pulled over in an area and parked and had a lunch. This gave the motor and brakes a chance to recover from the extreme up and down and winding roads and our nerves a chance to calm.

Another hour and we were parked at our nephew’s home in Gunnison! He had room for us to park and also unhook the Prius. We quickly set up and went exploring along route 50 to wear the road is closed due to construction. We turned onto the alternate route to see how it would be when we leave to head to Utah. Well, let us tell you it is a narrow two lane road with switchbacks and not a lot of guardrails.

It was a scenic drive as far as we went toward the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. We didn’t get any pictures because we missed the one pull off that had some room. It was beautiful but we aren’t going to take that route! Below are some pictures from along route 50!

After our exploration, our nephew was finished with his work for the day so we had a chance to catch up and also meet his adorable dog!

Our view from the camper was spectacular! It was breathtaking!

Our nephew took us into Gunnison and we got to see the town and had dinner at a restaurant, Ol’ Miner Steakhouse and the food was delicious. It was a good day and we’re happy to be here for two nights! Tomorrow Chris is off work and he is going to take us to Crested Butte where he used to live and other sights around the area. It will be another fun-filled day with family!

RV Adventures: A Trip Out West! Day 2

Sunday, June 6, 2021

We were awake at 5:00 AM (6:00 AM EST) so our day began early. Of course we forgot to turn the propane tank on when we set up camp! (We won’t forget that again!) Needless to say, we each took very quick showers and were definitely wide awake! When everything was packed up we headed back to I-70 West and were on our way by 6:30 AM! Today’s destination is Genoa, Colorado.

The first city we passed through was Kansas City, MO.

We left Missouri after driving around three hours and entered our fifth state of this trip, Kansas!

It’s many quite a few decades since we’ve driven across the state. Plenty of flat fields, farms, Wind Farms and open country!

Grainfield, Kansas is where we stopped for gas. It is a small town in the middle of wheat and the town’s name was given when the Kansas Pacific Railway Company plotted a town site!

Then it was back on the highway and nothing but flat fields again! The speed limit on I-70 in Kansas was 75 mph!

We crossed into Colorado mid-afternoon and also the mountain time zone. It is our second time change and sixth state!

We need to get gas and Flagler, Colorado was where we stopped. When we stopped for gas as long as we have cell service, I always read online about the city. Well, Flagler was giving away free land (about 480 acres) for business or industry and they have a cute diner across from where we filled up with gas. Other than that, there isn’t much!

The last campground and the roads are really dusty and we have proof!

In reading about Genoa, our next stop, the population is under 200 people and one article called it a “ghost town”! It’s only claim to fame was the tower that was erected and you could climb to the top and see six states! It was called the World’s Wonder Tower. It is now closed like many of the buildings in Genoa.

Our campsite there is located a block outside of “downtown” Genoa and across from farm buildings!

We were settled into the campground by 4:00 PM. Our plan was to walk around town but a thunderstorm was approaching and we could see lightning in the distance and heading our way! It was an evening to relax. We watched DVD movie and enjoyed some wine! It was a good day!

RV Adventures: A trip out West! Day 1

Saturday, June 5, 2021

Today is the beginning of our 26 day adventure heading west! In anticipation of our first really long distance drive in “Miss Daisy”, our name for our Class C RV, we made lists of items we would need, groceries to buy, clothes to pack, etc… Our goal was to hopefully not forget something important or necessary. Dave booked our campgrounds and planned our routes. We checked our lists and and the list for preparation of “Miss Daisy”. Her tires were checked, oil changed, and inside prepared!

“Miss Daisy” and our Prius

We were on the road by 7:00 AM. Matilda, our dog, is staying home and her Aunt Kathy is staying with her. She will be happier staying at home. She still is very nervous traveling in the RV. With all of the miles we will be covering she will be thrilled to not have to ride for long periods of time in the RV! We will miss her and do some FaceTime calls so we can keep in touch with her!

Dave drove “Miss Daisy” like a pro! We covered Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and camped in Columbia, Missouri!

The route was I-70 West almost the entire way today. The orange barrels were minimal and that was a welcome surprise! Once we were near Columbia, Missouri, I turned on the maps on the phone to get us directly to our campground! We were following the turn-by-turn directions until we were in a subdivision. The RV plus towing a car I had Dave stop because this wasn’t looking like right. I double-checked the address and sure enough we were 10 miles out of the way, so Dave masterfully made the turns to get us out of the hilly subdivision and half an hour later than expected, because of our 20 mile detour (10 miles back and the forth, we arrived at our campground. As we followed the correct route we started getting skeptical again because our GPS had us turn on to a gravel road! It was the correct route but the dust coated the RV and the Prius.

The RV park of the resort is sitting on what I would say was a farm field. No trees, just barren land filled with RVs! Setting up has gotten faster and easier for us. Once we were ready, we unhooked the car and went into Columbia to walk around the University of Missouri. We specifically wanted to see the tiger’s David R. Francis Quadrangle. The Quadrangle is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It felt good to be walking after a lot of sitting. Also, one side of the Quadrangle has Thomas Jefferson’s original tombstone.

Today is also Dave’s birthday and he wanted an Italian dinner. We googled and found a “small hole in the wall” restaurant and we enjoyed a delicious dinner and left with dinner for the next day!

Tomorrow will be a long day! Hopefully any mishaps are minor! 😊

RV Adventures: A trip to the Upper Peninsula, Michigan Day 12 & 13

Tuesday, October 13th and Wednesday October 14th, 2020

This morning the sun was shining and the temperature was perfect!

On Matilda’s walk I saw an RV that was decorated with the UM football decor. I had to take a picture of it since we are huge Buckeye fans and add my own adornment to the RV.

We were on the road mid-morning to head to the harbor town of Ludington that is located by Lake Michigan. It was about a three hour drive.

Heading to Ludington which is alongside Lake Michigan.

Our campground for tonight was at Whispering Surf Campground at Bass Lake. The campground is surrounded by the North Woods. Bass Lake is on one edge of the grounds and if you cross the road by the entrance it’s a five minute walk to Lake Michigan!

Our campsite! There was only one other family staying the night so the campground was quiet!

Once we were settled in, we went to visit White Pine Village. It is a historic village of the late 19th and early 20th century pioneers. You self-tour through 30 exhibit buildings. It is normally a living-history tour but due to Covid-19 you are on your own. We had the area to ourselves.

There were many artifacts and archives in the buildings that represent the area. It took about two hours to tour the village. It was nice not to have to dodge people!

Along the road back we stopped and looked at the hydroelectric plant and reservoir, the Ludington Pumped Storage Plant that sits on 1,000 acres along Lake Michigan.

When we got back to the campground we walked to the beach at Bass Lake. It is a small lake of 524 acres and it is popular for fishing, sailing, canoeing, and kayaking.

After dinner we walked over from our campsite to Lake Michigan to watch the sunset and it did not disappoint!

Wednesday morning we packed up and took Matilda on her morning walk. There were quite a few wild turkeys around our campsite! Matilda ignored them and they ignored her!

Then we started our six hour drive home.

It was uneventful and Matilda was thrilled to be back home. We had a wonderful trip in Michigan and many new memories!

RV Adventures: A trip to the Upper Peninsula, Michigan Day 11

Monday, October 12th, 2020

Today begins our drive from the Upper Peninsula to the Lower Peninsula! We gave Matilda her relaxation medicine because we are driving from Ontonagon to Petoskey which is about six and a half hours away! Petoskey is located on the shore of Lake Michigan.

It was a cloudy day with some light rain. We arrived at the Petoskey RV Resort mid-afternoon and got set up.

Then we drove into downtown Petoskey to explore the area. The Petoskey Chamber of Commerce was open but due to Covid-19 you couldn’t go inside. They opened their front door and placed a table blocking the entrance. The table had hand sanitizer and brochures about their town.

As we were driving into Petoskey we saw the Kilwins Chocolate Kitchen that was giving tours. We didn’t take the tour but we did find one of their stores in downtown so of course we stopped in, looked around, and purchased some chocolate treats! They were delicious!

Petoskey has a historic gaslight shopping district. We window shopped as we strolled along!

Ernest Hemingway spent time every summer in Petoskey as a child, from 1899-1921. His first novel, “The Torrents of Spring” was set in Petoskey. There are signposts around the town of places that are associated with Hemingway. We visited quite a few of the various spots.

The area around Petoskey has many wineries so when we finished walking around downtown we drove out of town to a winery called Petoskey Farms Vineyard and Winery that was open for business out on their patio.

It was relaxing and a great way to finish our day! After our wine tasting we went back to our campsite and rested because we will be traveling to our next destination tomorrow!

RV Adventures: A trip to the Upper Peninsula, Michigan Day 10

Sunday, October 11th, 2020

Today began in the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. We didn’t have far to go because our campground was near the entrance.

The Porcupine Mountains are also called “The Porkies”. They are a group of small mountains in the Upper Peninsula. The park consists of 60,000 acres and it is one of the few wilderness areas left in the Midwest.

We did stop in the Wilderness Visitor’s Center to view the exhibits of the wildlife in the park. The Summit Peak Scenic Area. It was a little over a mile walk round trip. Along the trail there was a viewing deck and then farther on was the Summit Peak Tower which is the highest point in the park, close to 2,000 feet above sea level.

It was a beautiful view of the trees and Lake Superior in the distance.

From the Summit Peak area we drove through the park to the Presque Isle Scenic Area. We hiked the Presque Isle River Waterfall Loop. We crossed over the suspension bridge to follow the trail.

Suspension Bridge over the Presque Isle River

The river was flowing quickly! It was a very sunny day and it was hard to photograph the river without reflections or shadows. It was a beautiful day for a hike!

Potholes formed from the swirling current with pepples and sand causing these formations.

We hiked down to where the river empties into Lake Superior.

<em>On the left you can see where the river flows into the lake!</em> — *On the left you can see where the river flows into the lake!*

Lake Superior in the background. — *On the left you can see where the river flows into the lake!*

Matilda did well with all the wooden steps and paths. It was another day of a lot of walking! It’s a good thing that she loves to walk!

Part of the trail in the Presque Isle River trail

Manabezho Falls on the Presque Isle River and has a drop of about 25 feet. It is the largest of the falls that are on this river.

The Lake of the Clouds Overlook was our next stop. We had to wait about 15 minutes for a spot in the parking lot! The park officers were coordinating the parking situation, it was one vehicle out and then one vehicle in! We followed the less traveled trail to begin our climb to the various overlooks. We read later that this overlook is the most popular area in the park and even more popular during the fall! The Lake of the Clouds is located in a valley between two ridges in the Porcupine Mountains. We have many pictures from here and so deciding which photos to share was very difficult. Words can’t describe the beauty of the views here. Make sure you click through the pictures!

When we were back at our campsite, we crossed the street to look at Lake Superior before we travel tomorrow!

Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park is worth a visit. We spent just one day in the park but with all of the trails you could spend a lot of time hiking to the various areas. Matilda was tired and wanted to go to bed and sleep when we got back to the campsite!

RV Adventures: A trip to the Upper Peninsula, Michigan Day 9

Saturday, October 10th, 2020

Today was a travel day from Wetmore to Ontonagon. Because of the changing leaves the drive was stunning.

Matilda was so happy when the three hour drive was over!

Our campground is called Union River Big Bear and is located at the entrance to the Porcupine Mountain Wilderness State Park which we will be visiting tomorrow!

We were told in advance to be prepared because we are camping in a remote wilderness area. And they weren’t kidding, no cell service! It was a great time to disconnect. We did have limited Wi-fi service in case of an emergency!

Across from the campground is Lake Superior and a sandy beach. It was a little chilly for a swim but we walked over and checked it out.

Lake Superior and views of the Porcupine Mountain State Park

Once we were settled at our campsite we drove into the village of Ontonagon. It is located at the mouth of Ontonagon River on Lake Superior. Ontonagon Lighthouse is located in town. We followed the directions online and that took us to museum which was closed due to Covid-19. We drove all around looking for the lighthouse and finally found it across the Ontonagon River! You can only visit the lighthouse by taking a tour. The lighthouse is surrounded by private property and you have to be on a tour to see it! It is a 39 foot square tower.

RV Adventures: A trip to the Upper Peninsula, Michigan Day 8

Friday, October 9th, 2020

This morning we had to get Matilda up and moving for our first adventure of the day to visit Whitefish Point Lighthouse and the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum which are located beside each other. Matilda had to stay in the car when we purchased our ticket for the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. It opened in 1986 and it is the only museum dedicated to the shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. There were artifacts displayed from shipwrecked vessels with explanations of what caused the ship to sink as well as models of the ships.

When we finished reading about the various shipwrecks and looking at the artifacts in the museum we walked around the Whitefish Point Lighthouse. The lighthouse was first lit in 1849 on Lake Superior and shone out over Whitefish Bay. It is the oldest active lighthouse on Lake Superior. The lighthouse is located at the end of an 80 mile shoreline and this stretch is known as the “shipwreck coast of Lake Superior”. More ships have been lost at Whitefish Point than any other part of the lake. The most famous is the Edmund Fitzgerald! (Queue Gordon Lightfoot’s song “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”) The lighthouse was replaced in 1861 with a steel cylinder that is 80 feet tall.

We were unable to tour the lighthouse but we were able to tour the keepers quarters that are attached. We walked around the grounds and then drove to Tahquamenon Falls.

Along the Tahquamenon River we viewed two falls, the Upper Falls and the Lower Falls. We walked through the park to the 116 steps that lead down to the gorge. Matilda walked with us but as we started down the steps we noticed that the steps between each flight were metal with small openings! So Dave carried her down and back up! At least Matilda weighs only 16 pounds compared to a young lady we passed who was carrying a dog that was probably 50-60 pounds! When we reached the bottom we had a panoramic view of the Lower and Upper Falls. These falls have been nicknamed the “Root Beer Falls” because of the brownish color.

The Lower Falls is 4 miles downstream from the Upper Falls and is a series of 5 smaller falls that cascade around an island.

Selfie with the Upper Falls in the background

After our hike back up the 116 steps we walked over to the 94 steps that lead to the Brink view. These steps also had the open metal so we took turns going down the steps and viewing the falls. Matilda didn’t need to worry about navigating the metal steps and getting stressed. Being that close to the Upper Falls that has a drop of nearly 50 feet, over 2,000 feet across, and a water flow over 50,000 gallons per second was quite majestic.

On our way back to the campground we saw a sign for the Crisp Point Lighthouse. We turned off the highway and the sign said 18 miles to the lighthouse. For about a mile the road was paved and then gravel. We thought OK gravel isn’t so bad but then it became a dirt road the rest of the way. I wish I’d taken a picture of the road conditions as we got farther down the road but I was too busy helping Dave avoid the dips that were quite deep in places.

The beginning of the dirt road — The gravel road

Matilda was freaked out by the bumps and swerves that Dave had to manoeuvre. We had no cell service so I could just envision the car falling apart and us stuck out in the middle of nowhere! 😳 It was definitely an adventure. I even told Dave partly through to feel free to turn around but he was on a mission to see this lighthouse. It definitely is in a remote and secluded location. The dirt road went through the heavily wooded Lake Superior State Forest! We should have been in an all terrain vehicle! The 18 miles took well over an hour each way!

When we finally arrived at Crisp Point Lighthouse we took our time exploring the grounds. The lighthouse was built in 1875 and was one of the five Lake Superior U.S. life-saving service stations between Munising and Whitefish Point. It stands 58 feet tall.

The drive back was just as bad as the drive in! We passed a sign on the side of the road that stated that this was the spot where two sisters were rescued in 2015. Read more about their story here. https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2015/04/missing_sisters_survive_2_week.html

After our busy day and our adventure going to Crisp Point we relaxed around the campfire! It was another busy day exploring!

Category: RV Adventures

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