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| Linda & Pat
After two weeks in MD/PA visiting friends and family, we
flew back to Albuquerque, NM. We headed north into the Pecos Wilderness area to
camp and hike. We tried to contact Linda Erby, who was in the Santa Fe area,
but it seemed like whenever we had phone service, she didn’t and vice
versa. After a few days of missed calls,
we figured it just wasn’t going to work, so we headed to Capulin Volcano. Just
as we started to leave on a hike there, Linda showed up! I’m not sure who was
more surprised. We lucked out because RVs were not allowed up the road to the
volcano where the best hike was located. Now we could ride up the mountain in Linda’s
vehicle.
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| Garden of the Gods
We all
camped at Sugarite Canyon SP for a few days. Then Linda returned to the Santa Fe
area and we headed north into Colorado. We went to the Garden of the Gods,
toured the Air Force Academy and visited the very interesting National Center
for Atmospheric Research in Boulder.
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| USAFA Chapel |
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| Jackalopes do exist! |
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| Pat leading our first RV down the Oregon Trail, Scott's Bluff NM |
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| Chimney Rock NHS
After a few days camping near Cheyenne, WY we headed into
Nebraska. Believe it or not, we found several interesting sites as we headed
north. These included: Scotts Bluff NM, Chimney Rock NHS, Carhenge and the
Museum of the Fur Trade. Carhenge was an attempt to duplicate Stonehenge,
except cars were used in lieu of stones.
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| Carhenge |
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| Shooting Star |
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| Rattlesnake |
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| Tire Blowout
Our
main destination on this trip was to get to South Dakota, so we could meet a
requirement (one night in SD) for driver license renewal. We only planned to
spend a couple nights in SD then head to Yellowstone where we had reservations.
Only 20 miles west from the WY/SD border, we had a major tire failure in Middle
of Nowhere, WY. Road service brought us a new tire, but the failed tire tread
had done noticeable body damage. We returned to Sturgis, SD (motorcycle heaven)
to get some body work done. We had to reschedule Yellowstone, but we were back
on the road five days later.
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| Bear Butte SP, SD |
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| Yellow headed Blackbird |
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| Subalpine Daisy |
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| Baby Mountain Goats
We
also had our A/C die on us, but we thought we could live without it. We
realized we were wrong a few days later when it hit 101 degrees in Billings,
MT. Getting the A/C fixed now became a top priority. Getting RV service work
done on the road, on short notice, has always been difficult, but we lucked out
and found a willing repair shop not far from Big Horn Canyon NRA.
|
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| Big Horn Canyon NRA |
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| Yellowstone River.
We finally made it back to Yellowstone, our favorite park
in the whole world. We spent about a week there, hiking, looking at thermal
features and waiting in long lines at bear jams.
|
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| Lower Yellowstone Falls and Canyon |
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| Here I come! |
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| Midway Geyser Basin |
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| Wildflower YNP |
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| Kings of the Road |
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| At Natural Bridge, YNP |
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| Red Fox |
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| Mammoth Hot Springs |
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| Mammoth Hot Springs |
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| Elk |
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| Don, Pat, Art, Carol, Eldon, Lois, and Nature Bob (our guide)
After
Yellowstone we headed to Fernie, BC to join Eldon and Lois and their guests Art
and Carol, from Nova Scotia. The six of us took a hike with a nature guide up
the ski mountain to Lost Boys Pass.
|
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| Sagebrush Mariposa Lily |
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| Rafting the Elk River Canyon
. The following week, after everyone else had returned home,
Pat and I rafted the Elk River Canyon, a trip Eldon and Lois had highly
recommended. The weather was perfect and we had a great time.
|
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| Elk River Canyon |
