Done for now 8/15/2016

As we head home (odd to be heading south...), I can't help but think about these last six weeks, and what we've seen. We've passed by Michigan and Minnesota fields of soybeans, Montana's wheat and canola fields, Kansas corn and sorghum, Georgia pecan and peach groves, and Florida orange groves. We've hiked at 8800 feet and at 300 feet elevation, and lots in between. We started in humidity, traveled through moderation to dry climates, and back.

We learned a lot about the ins and outs of RV travel along the way. We laughed at our screwups (hopefully the Elantra will survive them!), and the value of making checklists.  We found out why our refrigerator never needed defrosting (wonderful!). We know that traveling this way takes longer and also that we've got to take a  bigger step ladder with us to clean the windshield when we stop to get gas.

We reaffirmed our affection for Kansas and Missouri (our unabashed love of Montana needs no affirmation...).

We met some cool people as well, most of them fellow RVers, others just fellow travelers (like the biker who almost drowned in St. Mary Lake at Glacier the day before we met).

And we're already making plans for a trip out west next summer, and many more smaller trips in between.

Having spent all of 10 days in our new home in Florida before this trip, yesterday, as we drove south through Georgia toward Florida, he put it well: "We're on our way to a new life." Another adventure. Can't wait.

Party Barges! 8/14/2016

Cheekwood is a privately funded 55-acre estate on the western edge of Nashville that houses the Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art. That was our first stop today. The history of Cheekwood is intertwined with the Maxwell House Coffee brand. The cousin of the mansion's builder developed a superior blend of coffee that was marketed through the best hotel in Nashville, the Maxwell House. His extended family, including Leslie and Mabel Cheek, were investors. In 1928, Postum (now General Foods) purchased Maxwell House's parent company, Cheek-Neal Coffee, for more than $40 million. It was this money that allowed the owners to build this estate. One of the Cheek daughters opened it in 1960 as a botanical garden and art museum.

They placed the house at the top of a hill near a former plantation (Belle Meade), ensuring that their views in that direction would never be spoiled. The house itself was built by artisans from the area, and most of the house that the public can see is as it was when it was constructed, minus some of the

furnishings. The only thing that didn't seem to fit was a chandelier that had been gifted to the museum

by some donors. The chandelier consisted of many optical fibers hung from the ceiling a few floors above where it hung. At the end of each filament was an LED light. It had an interesting effect, but hardly fit the character of the house, built in 1929-32. The other house details were notable: intricate hardware on the doors, beautiful custom crown molding, wrought iron, limestone floors, and hand-carved oak doors.

The third floor of the house had been turned into an art gallery per the wishes of the Cheek family,

and there is also a scuplture walk on the property. I must confess that the sculpture along the woodland trail stretched my ability to understand it. One piece was a block of stone.  Another (an homage to aboriginal peoples per the description) was a bunch of dead trees

"Memorial to the Aboriginal People of this Land who lived in these Forests", or "A Bunch of Dead Trees"?

pushed into a pile. Another was a white stone bench. OK then.

After a lovely afternoon at Cheekwood, we headed over to the Parthenon, a full-scale replica of the original Parthenon in Athens. It was built in 1897 as part of the Tennessee Centennial Exhibition. Today it functions as an art museum, the centerpiece of Centennial Park, a large municipal park in Nashville. As it happened, they were

having a music festival there with performing artists. So we walked over to the venue and laid on the grass to listen for a while.

We stayed long enough to listen to one band, and then decided to try to find a place to park to cruise some of the music bars on Broadway, Nashville's lounge district downtown. Live music is the order of the day here. The bars are chock-a-block, one after the other,  on both sides of the street for 6 blocks. All have their doors open, and as you proceed down the street, you can hear snippets of each of the performers. That, combined with the thousands of people  cramming those bars and walking the street,  make quite a din. To add to the roar, there are "party barges": imagine a haywagon without the hay, full of people  who are drinking and singing along to recorded music at the top of their lungs. Then there are the pedal taverns--large wagons powered by the 10-15 people onboard who are pedaling. They were drinking as well, and singing along to music being played on their conveyance. apparently you can BYOB on those. They provide the ice and cups. The Party Barges looked like they would be fun to take with a group of people you know. Hey--BC people--want to meet in Nashville in October?

It turned out that not only were the Titans, Tennessee's NFL team, playing yesterday, but the Symphony was performing, and both institutions are within a few blocks of the downtown, making it impossible to find a single parking space. So we cruised down Broadway, and called it  a day.

Nashville 8/13/2016

Our campground is just down the road from what we had heard is a behemoth of a hotel that is right next door to the Grand Ole Opry. We were encouraged to stop in and check it out. With 2884 rooms, and including 9 acres of indoor gardens, cascading waterfalls, and an indoor river with its own flatboats all in glass atriums, it's pretty impressive. They tout themselves as the largest non-casino hotel in the US.

We stopped in town and dropped by the Antique Archaeology store, owned by Mike Wolfe, of American Pickers fame. I think the least expensive item I saw (other than promotional merchandise) cost $300. I liked the $4800 juke box on display, though.

From there, we walked uptown to see the state house, and enjoyed an air-conditioned tour (man, the weather was steamy) with a lot of interesting history of Tennessee. We then cruised down Music Row, the area of town noted for its many music studios and publishing houses, and made an effort to find parking so we could check out the music venues on Broadway, with no luck. We'll do that tomorrow.

Photos here: https://goo.gl/photos/bdtGk8YaqPVMZ4k98

Nicodemus 8/9/2016

Kansas is the kind of place you enjoy on an emotional level. It doesn't stun you like the snow-capped mountains in Montana, or the Oregon coastline. But how many places are there in the east where you can see to the horizon in 360 degrees?  Rolling green hills against the blue, blue, sky as far as you can see. There's so much here, but only if you take the time to see it.

The schoolhouse at Nicodemus

Our focus today was Nicodemus, KS. Never heard of it? It is a National Historic site northwest of Salina, KS, and comprises a small part of the community that sprang up here in the late 1870s. Founded in 1877, it was the first western town built by and for black settlers. For black farmers in the region, it was the cultural and economic hub for many decades. After the Civil War, some 300 settlers recruited from Kentucky arrived here. They lived in primitive conditions--at first, in homes dug into the ground. Not all stayed here, but by the mid 1880s, Nicodemus was a prosperous town. But lasting prosperity depended on the presence of the railroad line. Despite tireless efforts of town boosters, the railroad ran several miles south of here, sending the town into a gradual and permanent decline. The National Park Service designated the entire town area a Historic Landmark in 1976, and 20 years later it was designated a national Historic Site. The buildings we saw all require serious attention to preserve them, but the history of this place is evident as you walk the streets.

Rather than return to the interstate, we opted to drive the scenic route that parallels it 15-25 miles

north. we stopped for lunch in Plainville, KS, as the sign at the town border trumpets, "Home of Jerry Moran"(?!) Jerry, it turns out, was a long time Congressman. We stopped at the Plainville Roadside Adventure Park, known elsewhere as a rest stop. We continued to Lake Wilson, and stopped to admire the gorgeous view of the landscape from the elevated vantage point. We saw a collared lizard in the parking lot!

View of Lake Wilson

From there, we traveled to Mushroom Rock State Park, an out-of-the-way attraction that has curiously shaped rocks. We traveled down a dirt road (with the RV and car in tow) to see it. There, we met a native Kansan who recommended a couple of other cool places to visit on our return.

Mushroom Rock

Beautiful country on a beautiful (but hot) day. More   photos here: https://goo.gl/photos/VezEUL5xfheoNoqS9

Long Drive 8/6/2016

Wapiti, population 165

We were up and out earlier than usual to make the long drive to Cheyenne, WY. We ascended to Sylvan Pass through what had been a fire-ravaged area along the north shore of Yellowstone Lake. The descent was, for me, thrilling. Sitting up high in the RV, I could look straight down the embankments to the river below, views not available when riding in a car.

Further along, at lower elevations, we came to Bill Cody State Park and Dam,

Canyon walls after Bill Cody State Park

some fascinating rock formations in a canyon just after the dam, and the first sign of civilization since we left Yellowstone, a town called Wapiti. We passed through Cody, the self-proclaimed Rodeo Capitol of  the World, long stretches of treeless hills and plains, and Thermopolis, a beautiful area we visited a few years ago (http://frommyroad.blogspot.com/2014/07/thermopolis-wy-july-8-2014.html).

Once out of the mountains, our drive was mostly those treeless hills and plains, in gusty headwinds. It's hard to imagine the immense scope of this country until you've driven it.

Canyon--Lake walk 8/6/2016

Starting the trail--it's hard to capture all the flowers in the meadow

It was cold this morning: 47 degrees. Thank God for RV heat. After breakfast, we set out for the Canyon area to do a 7.6 mile hike that would take us to 3 lakes. It turned out that the lakes were nothing special, but the scenery through which we hiked was the interest-grabber. We started out

hiking up to a huge meadow covered with white and purple wildflowers with views to the mountains. From there, the trail led us into a new forest that was now growing back after fire. That led to a

geothermal area that looked like the moon--gray with minerals, smelling like sulphur, and packed with bubbling pools. From there, it was back to the forest, but this time, with a green, grassy

Lily Pad Lake

understory--so beautiful. We then returned to our starting point on a loop trail, but traversing the different ecosystems in reverse. All the while, we dodged bison scat piles, and in one place, a large pile of fairly recently deposited bear scat on the trail.

It was glorious to be in these quiet and wild places, away from the throngs of people on aa beautiful coolish (70s) day.

One issue with which we dealt was that the trail was poorly marked. Since we didn't see anyone on the trail, we had to guess in a few places, that we were going the right way, since there were few signs to direct us.

By the time we had finished this route, it was mid-afternoon, so we drove up to the Canyon north rim, and stopped along the drive to see views of the Upper and Lower Falls and canyon. Photos just don't

do the place justice. A sign of the times, seen at one of the falls viewpoints: "No drones allowed."

Fishing Bridge--Yellowstone 8/5/2016

We left West Yellowstone today  and headed for our campsite at Fishing Bridge in the center of Yellowstone. The park is so big, that it's easier to explore (with less driving) by moving to different areas of the park. The places in Yellowstone we've visited so far on this trip have been on the west side. Now we move to the center-east.

Even though the distance is relatively short (56 miles), it took 2+ hours  to travel. Like Colter Bay in Teton, our campground is for hard-sided Rvs only, no tents, pop-ups or canvas sided campers allowed. It's bear country, and the campground makes a point of telling you to practice safe food storage, and not to leave anything with an odor outside your RV.

Our site is fine, although the road to access it was probably the worst we have encountered--ever. This dirt road wasn't just bumpy, it was undulating, covered with potholes that were at least 6 to 12" deep. The road was so bad that the clasp holding our bedroom door open broke from the jostling. We traveled the road going as slow as we could but still moving forward. We had unhooked the car before we went up the road and I drove the car in 1st gear.

Once we were settled in and had lunch, we ventured out to see a bit of the area. We are close to the Yellowstone River and canyon, so we drove north to the falls, stopping at a few scenic sites along the way. But the highlight of the day came at Artist Point on South Rim Drive, that revealed one of the most beautiful views I have ever seen--Yellowstone River canyon up to the falls. This was one of those emotionally affecting moments, when you are confronted by the spiritual beauty of nature, the grandeur of what God has made. If you have never come to this particular place, please put it on your to-do list. As Americans, this belongs to all of us.

Artist Point view

As we were leaving Artist Point, we were intrigued by the name of a trail--Sublime Point. How could we resist? So we started up the trail that took us along a ridge running along the edge of the

Yellowstone Canyon. Fantastic colors in the rocks, spectacular views up and down the canyon to the

View from the Sublime Trail

river.

After dinner, near sunset, we decided to take a drive back up along the meadows along the river. We stopped at LeHardys Rapids, a lovely area on the river where the river bed drops a little bit, throwing water against the rocks and creating

white water. This is considered to be the geological boundary of Yellowstone Lake. In June and early July, you can see native Cutthroat trout leaping in the air, working their way up the river to spawn. Sometime we'll have to come back to see that.

More photos here: https://goo.gl/photos/wqgwAoKS2WKcprs58

Yellowstone day 2 8/5/2016

We spent the next day (Tuesday) checking out the geyser areas of Yellowstone with the understanding that we'd have to share the experience with LOTS of other people (I abhor crowds). But we did it anyway, because the geysers and geothermal features and rivers are really what set this park apart. The colors are

startling and not easily found elsewhere in nature. The park service has made it ridiculously easy to walk 5+ miles on the paved roads, walkways and boardwalks that provide access to all the thermal wonders. The big issue here is parking. But if you can parallel park, (Ray is the MASTER of that), then you're in better shape. We saw many places where others passed by parking spots that Ray easily parked the Elantra.

We were thoroughly amazed at Old Faithful, where throngs of people sat in the hot sun for easily 45 minutes or more waiting for the geyser to erupt. The crazy part was that there was plenty of shade only 30-50 yards away. We stopped in to the

The crowd at Old Faithful

Old Faithful Inn, a historic lodge that looks like it was built with Tinker Toys. Built in 1903-4 it is the largest log structure in the world. It's hard to believe it survived a 7.5 earthquake in 1959. It's not one of the biggest park service lodges, but it's definitely one of the most interesting.

Old Faithful Inn

Upon leaving the geyser areas, we headed back north, and took the Firehole Canyon Drive, just south of the Madison junction. The wide river funnels into the narrow canyon and creates rapids and waterfalls that were gorgeous to see. The road was all one-way, and not heavily traveled, so it was easy to take our time to enjoy the views. Until! we rounded a bend, and suddenly hundreds of cars lined the narrow road on both sides. We had been unaware that this

drive gives access to a swimming area crammed with hundreds of people. we thought we had stumbled on Blizzard Beach west. People had parked at least 1/2 mile away and walked on the road to this place. I was glad it was at the end of the road.

More photos here: https://goo.gl/photos/rWMrWMcWn3FqUzQ88

Yellowstone 8/5/2016

When we arrived at our campground in West Yellowstone the other day, we knew that we needed to get laundry done. By the time everything was clean and folded and the sheets back on the bed, it started to rain hard so we just chilled for the rest of the day.

Monday, the day dawned sunny and cool, and when we set out for the Norris section of Yellowstone, we noted that we could hardly see the mountains for the smoke. On Sunday a new fire had started west of here. That, combined with windy conditions, made for a smoke-filled park.

Norris is south of Mammoth Hot Springs on the west side of the park. One thing that strikes you immediately about Yellowstone is its sheer size. The drive from the West Yellowstone entrance to Norris took at least 30 minutes without traffic. When you look at a map of the park, you realize how small a fragment of the park that is.

Our first stop was a hiking trail to Monument Geyser Basin just south of Norris that promised geothermal features at the end. With not a lot of information about the trail, we started up. The first part was pleasant and followed the Gibbon River. Not far along, the trail headed up. And up. And more steeply--up. Switchback after switchback. The views as we ascended were great--the valley

below with the meandering river below and views of a mountain in the distance. Almost at the top of the trail, the view to the south opened up to reveal the a different section of the Gibbon River below. At this lovely spot, we sat and ate lunch. A little further along, the trail ended in a geothermal area that was alive with the sound of percolating geysers. What makes this area unique is that there are no restrictions to where you can

The view from our lunch spot

walk, and because of the difficulty of the climb, we were pretty much alone. Steam rises from scattered vents in the ground and the white billows fluctuate in intensity. Clusters of dormant geyser cones are dispersed along the white crusty ground, and some chimneys are still churning out steam. Water bubbles up in shallow pools and flows down the mountainside.

As difficult as the ascent was, the descent was all about keeping from sliding down the loose gravel trail by the pull of gravity, and saving our knees. Small steps, small steps.

We then drove over to the Norris Geyser Basin and took the trail around that area. The geothermal stuff is interesting, but I was

entranced by some grass by the side of one colorful thermal pool. It was stunning, like peacock feathers: almost iridescent--green and red and purple all at once, and moving with the wind.

More photos here: https://goo.gl/photos/miwjFdX6hozGF4JC9