Great Falls, Montana

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August 23, 2020

We traveled north into Montana and camped at Conestoga Campground and RV Park in White Sulphur Springs. This was our view out our window.

The RV Park even had it’s own fish pond.

We like to camp in one place for a couple of weeks and take day trips to places around our base camp. One of our side trips while in Montana was to Great Falls, Montana. We were happy to find a Mongolian BBQ that was open. It was one of the first times we were able to dine in at a restaurant since the Covid-19 pandemic.

From there, we drove alongside the Missouri River to see Black Eagle Falls and Rainbow Falls. Other stops were at Giant Springs State Park and the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center.

The drive to Great Falls was beautiful through the mountains and forests. This is a lookout just a few miles outside of Great Falls.

There are five falls within a 10 mile stretch of the Missouri River. The one seen below is Black Eagle Falls which is right in the middle of the city of Great Falls.

The next one seen below is Rainbow Falls.

As you can see, there are power houses built before each of the falls to maximize electricity generation for the area.

Between Black Eagle Falls and Rainbow Falls is Giant Springs State Park. Giant Springs is one of the largest freshwater springs in the nation. It is the source of the Roe River, one of the world’s shortest rivers. Roe River flows into the Missouri River. But the source of the springs itself comes from miles of underground water from the mountains miles away. The water the bubbles up from cracks in rocks into a pool and runs over rocks into the Missouri River. By the way, did you know that the Missouri River is the longest river in North America?

The park grounds were green and beautiful.

Notice how clear the water is!

In the photo below, you can see where the water bubbles up out of the rocks below and into the pool.

You can faintly see circles in the water where the water is bubbling up.

The world’s shortest river of just 200 feet.

Beyond the walkway is the Missouri River.

The Missouri River is also the river that explorers Lewis and Clark traveled to find a waterway to the Pacific and to explore the large region of the Louisiana Purchase. We stopped at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center. One floor of exhibits was closed due to the pandemic, but the top floor still had some interesting exhibits, including a panorama of what it was like to carry heavy dugout canoes around each of the falls in this area.

The Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center

It’s interesting to see sites where history took place in the beginnings of our country. I would love to come back to Great Falls, Montana, and explore the area and its history further.

Categories: Airstream Travel, RV Travel Tags: Full Time RVing, Giant Springs State Park, Great Falls, Montana, MT, RVing, Sites to see in Great Falls, White Sulphur Springs

Beyond Sun Valley, Idaho

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August 19, 2020

While we were staying near Mountain Home, Idaho, we took a day trip up Highway 75 that goes through the Sun Valley resort area. We drove several miles past Sun Valley into the mountains. We found these beautiful views, some wildflowers blooming and lots of beautiful vistas from the lookout in Sawtooth National Forest.

This is the road up over the pass. There are plenty of pullouts where you can get some great photos.

Looking across at the Sawtooth Mountain Range, this valley has plenty of creeks and rivers where the fishing is great.

At the foot of this mountain pass was a pretty valley where there was an airport.  Across from the airport was Smiley Creek Lodge with a restaurant, RV park and store. We split a hamburger. The hamburger was one of the best I’ve had in a long time. So if you make it to this part of Idaho, be sure to stop in and try it out.

Nevada to Idaho

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August 18, 2020

Wells, Nevada

On our way to Idaho and Montana, we stayed at this pretty place in Wells, Nevada. The campground had an artesian well. The water comes from the nearby mountains from the rains and snow melt. All around the area is dry and arid, except for this small area where the water flows from the mountains and makes a green oasis, as you can see from the photo of the campground.

Welcome Station RV Park, Wells, Nevada

Our next stop was in Glens Ferry, Idaho. We only stayed one night there. We were on our way to Mountain Home, Idaho. The campground was actually 25 miles northeast of the town of Mountain Home. It was quite a bit higher in elevation and therefore had milder summer temperatures than the town of Mountain Home. We were following our GPS that suddenly had us driving down a dirt road. I asked Ray to call the campground to make sure we were on the right road. Yes. It turns out we were on the right road and had about a 3 mile drive to the campground. We had recently washed the truck and Airstream, but the campground turned out to be worth the drive.

On the way there, we saw this reservoir with a view of the surrounding mountains.

Little Camus Reservoir

The campground itself was nestled in among pines and other trees in a beautiful mountain setting.

Fort Running Bear RV Resort

While we were there, we took some day trips to the surrounding areas. One of our trips was to Anderson Ranch Reservoir. It’s a scenic drive with a spectacular view when you approach it. We drove around it and saw the town of Pine and Featherville. To get back home, we turned around because the road was blocked due to a landslide further on.

The first view of Anderson Reservoir

The following photos are a panoramic view counterclockwise.

As we got closer, were able to see more of the reservoir.

This is a popular summer recreation area with boating, water sports, fishing and camping. Many RVs were parked right near the water (dry camping).

As the Covid-19 restrictions were still preventing dining in, we ate sandwiches we packed with us. However, we did order french fries to-go that were delicious. Idaho potatoes make great fries!

Categories: Airstream Travel, RV Travel Tags: Anderson Ranch Reservoir, Fort Running Bear RV Resort, ID, Idaho, Idaho travel, Little Camus Reservoir, Mountain Home, Pine

National Automobile Museum

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July 29, 2020

Reno, Nevada

 In the heart of downtown Reno, Nevada, lies one of America’s top ten automobile museums. It’s called the National Automobile Museum. It showcases more than 200 automobiles in the 100,000 square foot space. I’m not particularly interested in old cars, but this museum was a pleasant surprise. Each automobile has been restored in pristine condition. Just seeing that many old shiny cars is impressive. They are arranged in four separate but connected galleries. Some are in settings of a used car lot, or arranged on an old street scene.

There are makes of cars from the United States and other countries. Each car has a story, and you can take your time to read about each one, or wander around and read about the ones that catch your attention. If you take the time to read about each one, it will take you two or three hours easily. But if you just want to wander, allow yourself an hour and a half at least. The mission of the National Automobile Museum (The Harrah Collection) is to “collect and preserve the automobile for future generations, with an emphasis on vehicles collected by William Fisk “Bill” Harrah, to tell the story of the impact of the automobile on American society, and to perpetuate the legacy of Mr. Harrah as a renowned collector.”

Here are some of the automobiles we saw.

This next one was interesting because it made into a camper complete with tableware, a water tank with spigot.

There were also several display cases with garments worn in those days such as those you see below.

I like this next one because it reminds me of when we had a 4 seat van back when we had 5 kids at home.

This next photos show the cars in a period street scenes. They also connect one gallery to another.

This next one is NOT a child’s car. It has a Briggs & Stratton motor.

I thought this was a clever display showing these old cars in a used car lot.

I think you might call this next one the first Chevy Suburban.

I like the hood ornament on this next one.

This next Rolls-Royce is all copper. Who gets to shine it every day, I wonder.

I like the color of this next one.

John Wayne’s car

My all-time favorite car–the Mustang!

 

Categories: RV Travel Tags: Automobiles, National Automobile Museum, NV, Reno, Reno NV, Reno sites to see, Vintage autos, Vintage cars

On the way to California

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June 16, 2020

We were stuck in Tucson, AZ, for the pandemic lock down of 2020. As the heat started spiking into triple digits, we sought a cooler place to spend our time while waiting to get into California to visit family and take care of our annual dental, vision and doctor appointments.

Show Low, AZ, at an elevation of 6,300 feet was where we took our maiden voyage in our first little RV.  We knew it would be much cooler there, so we called up our favorite RV park and found out they were just opening for the summer. The drive from Tucson to Show Low was absolutely beautiful, with red rock canyons and twisty-armed saguaros.

On the way to Show Low from Tucson on Hwy 77

Our campsite in Show Low, AZ

We stayed in Show Low for 2 weeks at Waltner’s RV Resort. We loved the quiet and convenience of the location. While we were there, we took a few drives to look around the area. One evening we went to see Show Low Lake that was only a couple of miles from our campsite. The sunset was magical.

Show Low Lake

Show Low Lake

We had seriously considered Show Low as a permanent location when we settle down someday, but we changed our minds after spending two weeks there in spring. In short: cedar trees! Ray has a serious allergy to the pollen from the cedar trees and Show Low has plenty of them. He had a very severe reaction to the cedar trees in Texas when we were there in the winter. Show Low wasn’t as bad, but he was glad to leave the area to get back to feeling normal.

From Show Low, we drove west and stayed a couple of nights in Flagstaff, AZ, Bullhead City, AZ, and then in Tehachapi, CA, before finally arriving at our Thousand Trails campground in San Benito, California. Here are some scenes along the way.

Driving into Flagstaff,  Humphreys Peak looms in the distance

Tehachapi, California

Mountain Valley RV Park in Tehachapi is a nice campground next to an airport for glider flights. The above photo is looking across the landing strip at the hills in the background. Tehachapi is an elevation of nearly 4,000 feet. So it is generally cool and windy. In fact, you will see many wind generators on the hills around Tehachapi.

Our next campground was a Thousand Trails Campground near Hollister, CA. It’s a few miles outside the tiny town of Paicines. Situated on a natural preserve, we observed many different kinds of wildlife, including ground and tree squirrels, wild pigs, deer and rabbits.

Our view at San Benito Campground, Paicines, CA

San Benito Campground

We moved to Oakhurst for a week to be closer to all our doctor appointments. We had reservations at an Escapees park, but they closed their office by noon. We weren’t aware of this, since most RV parks are open until at least 4 p.m.  We had to quickly find another spot which turned out to be in a better location. It was right along the Fresno River in the middle of Oakhurst. In all the years we lived in that area, I never knew there was a river right through the middle of Oakhurst. We even had our own waterfall. The river was right behind our campsite at High Sierra RV Park.

Our campsite by the Fresno River

Waterfall near our campsite, Oakhurst, CA

The Thousand Trails campground in Oceano, CA, was not accepting anyone into the park outside their county (San Luis Obispo). We had arranged to stay in Paso Robles for a few days because it’s located near our kids and grandkids. It happens to also be in San Luis Obispos county, so we were in luck. When we made our reservations with Pacific Dunes RV Ranch in Oceano, we were able to say that we were coming from within the county!

Oceano is right along the beach. However, it is called Pacific Dunes for a reason. I was looking forward to spending long walks on the beach and being in the cool ocean breeze. On my first attempt to walk to the beach, I hiked up the first hill of dunes and this is what I saw.

I didn’t walk on the beach, but I decided to make the best of it. I remember having a great time with our kids years ago when we went to White Sands New Mexico. So I invited some of my grandkids to explore the dunes with me. They found out that sliding down the dunes is not easy. But they were innovative and did somersaults, tumbled and ran down the steep dunes. The cardboard that we brought to slide on soon formed into a tent fort.

Zoey in her cardboard tent fort.

Noah tumbles down the dune

And I finally got a glimpse of the ocean from the top of a dune that day. It seemed like miles away.

The beach is far away across an ocean of dunes!

There is something beautiful about the dunes at sunset.

The shrubbery is also quite beautiful.

Sometimes it’s better to go barefoot

A beautiful view of Oceano and surrounding area

Though my expectations were far different from what I found, the beauty of the area was an unexpected surprise.

Saguaro National Park

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May 5, 2020

Tucson, AZ

During the pandemic, we looked for ways to get out of the house now and then. Saguaro National Park was just a few miles away from where we were staying, so we took a couple of trips there. The first day we went, it was overcast, but the wildflowers were in full bloom.  There is a nine mile drive through the park where you can stop along the way at the parking turnouts to take photos.

The second time we went, the main park drive was closed for repairs, but we found a trail that was open in another area of the park. The trail was a paved pathway. We only walked a short distance. I love the way the sun back-lighted some of the cacti.

You can see the start of blossoms on the far saguaros.

The saguaro blossom is the state wildflower of Arizona

Saguaro family

Barrel Cactus

Take a look at the fishhook needles on this one.

This large cholla cactus and the prickly pear cacti show the variety of cacti in the park.

I love how the rows of needles are lit by the sunlight.

There are different varieties of cholla (or jumping cactus) seen in this photo.

The yellow blooms of the palo verde tree on the right are just beginning to show.

Prickly Pear Cactus

The beautiful wildflowers were plentiful this day.

The long arms of an ocotillo cactus (on the right side of this photo) is beginning to bloom.

This saguaro has a funny face!

Close up of Saguaro needles

I hope you enjoyed our tour of Saguaro National Park. There are so many beautiful cacti in the park and so many beautiful mountain vistas. It’s really worth a visit, especially in the spring when the cacti and wild flowers are in bloom.

Mt. Lemmon – Tucson, Arizona

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April 23, 2020

Mount Lemmon

One of the side trips we made while in isolation during the pandemic was an excursion to Mount Lemmon near Tucson. This mountain is over 9,000 feet high. Mount Lemmon is named after a woman botanist, Sara Plummer Lemmon, who made it to the top by horse and by foot in 1881.

At the top is Mount Lemmon Observatory which was formerly the site of a USAF radar base of the Air Defense Command. All the military buildings were abandoned and given to the US Forest Service. Summerhaven is a small town at the top with many private residences and cabins. All restaurants and facilities were closed due to the pandemic.

We drove the Catalina Highway or Mount Lemmon Highway as far as Summerhaven. We saw many cyclists along the way. The desert saguaros and other cacti eventually gave way to scrub pines then tall pines at the summit. The temperature change was dramatic–from very warm to cool and breezy. We ate a sack lunch at the top and enjoyed the view and the cool breeze. It’s easy to see why locals like to visit the mountain to escape the summer heat.

Road up Mount Lemmon

Vegetation on lower sides of the mountain.

Saguaros are plentiful and an Ocotillo is blooming

Interesting rock formations along the road

Beautiful vistas from the road

A view overlooking Tucson

View from the top of Mount Lemmon

Our lunch spot

Categories: Airstream Travel, Arizona Travel, RV Travel Tags: AZ, Full Time RVing, Mount Lemmon, Mount Lemmon Tucson, Mt Lemmon, RVing, Tucson

San Xavier Mission, Tucson AZ

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April 17, 2020

The pandemic of 2020 was in full swing. We had all our future reservations canceled and were told to stay in place. But after weeks of being in lockdown, we needed to get out. We decided it would be safe to drive out to the beautiful San Xavier mission south of Tucson, Arizona, and at least take a look at the outside. I’m so glad we did.

This National Historic Lankmark was founded as a Catholic mission by Father Eusebio Kino in 1692. Construction of the current structure was begun in 1783 and completed in 1797. The interior is filled with original statuary and mural paintings. The church was closed because of the Covid-19 pandemic, however, the mission is still actively run by Franciscans today.

Palo Verde tree, saguaro cactus, prickly pear and yucca plant (in foreground).

 The grounds were beautiful with many cacti in bloom.

Blooming cholla cactus

Blooming prickly pear cactus

Blooming Barrel Cactus

Cane cholla cactus in bloom

Saguaro Cactus

Mission San Xavier

Categories: Airstream Travel, Arizona Travel, RV Travel Tags: AZ, cacti gardens, catcus blooms, cholla cactus, Full Time RVing, Mission San Xavier, Missions in Arizona, Places to see in Tucson, prickly pear cactus, RVing, saguaro cactus, San Xavier Mission, Southern Arizona places to see, Tucson, Tucson Historical sites, yucca cactus

USS Lexington, Corpus Christi, TX

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April 3, 2020

USS LEXINGTON

We like history and historical museums. One of the museums we saw was the USS Lexington in the harbor at Corpus Christi, Texas. Corpus Christi was a good halfway stopping point between south Texas and Columbus, so we took a day to visit it.

Ray’s dad was in the Navy for 20 years, and ended his service on the USS Hornet, an aircraft carrier like this one. The USS Hornet is docked in Alameda, California just west of Oakland. Touring this ship makes one appreciate the work and dedication of men who serve in our Navy.

The ship is so long, it took two photos to get the entire length.

There are 5 self-guided tours covering 100,000 square feet and 11 decks. After watching a short film about the ship in the Mega theater in 3D, we toured the flight deck. Here we could see where the high-speed catapult launched the aircraft. We learned the stories of men who flew the vintage aircraft displayed on the deck, and saw the massive guns used in battle.

This gives you an idea of how high the deck is off the water.

The Foc’sle or Forecatle tour is the forward upper deck area that extends to the bow. What you see here is where the ship is guided.

The interior of the ship is a maze of “tunnels”.

Being a mom of 5, I was fascinated by this!

The maps to guide the ship across the vast oceans.

This is the hangar deck. This is where the planes were stored. Today it houses many exhibits along with a gift shop and snack bar.

I had to include these photos of the bridge being built and the harbor.

Yes, the water is green.

We enjoyed our day touring the ship. It gave us lots of exercise climbing ladders and walking the hallways. One caution for anyone who parks in the parking lot across from the museum; be sure you have a locking gas cap for your vehicle. We had nearly a full tank of diesel fuel stolen while we were in the museum.

Categories: RV Travel, Texas Travel Tags: Corpus Christi, Full Time RVing, Navy history, Navy Museums, Places to see in Corpus Christi, RVing, South Texas History, South Texas places to see, South Texas sites to see, Texas, Texas History, Texas Museums, Texas places to see, USS Lexington

Iwo Jima Monument and Museum

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March 25, 2020

Located in Harlingen, Texas, on the campus of the Marine Military Academy is the Iwo Jima Monument. This full-sized plaster model was used to create the molds for the bronze statue in Arlington National Cemetery. This working model was donated to the Military Academy (across the street) as an inspiration to the cadets. The humid climate of south Texas is the perfect atmosphere to preserve this plaster statue. The figures are 32 feet high raising a 78 foot high flag pole. The cloth flag flies 24 hours a day.

We visited the museum located near the statue and watched a very interesting film about the taking of Iwo Jima.  The airstrip on the island served as a landing base for many US planes on their way back from Japan bombing runs. It is estimated that the island base saved more lives of pilots and their crews than were lost in the initial battle for the island. The island was given back to Japan in 1965. Many men who fought there thought it should always remain in the possession of the USA because of the huge cost of lives lost there.

Iwo Jima Museum

The statue is impressive. Near the grounds is the burial place of one of the five men who raised the flag. He was only 19 years old when he died, just days after the raising of the flag. Inscribed around the outside of the stone foundation are all the wars the marine corp has fought from the founding of our nation until present. Afghanistan is one of them with no ending date. It would be wonderful to see the end date inscribed someday soon.

The following photos show more detail of the statue. The sky was a beautiful blue the first day we visited the statue, but the flag was tangled up on the flag pole. The second time we visited, it was overcast and gray. But the flag was flying beautifully and I wanted to capture that. Plus, I wanted to get more details of the statue.

You can read more about this statue here: https://www.mma-tx.org/about-us/Iwo-Jima-Monument/

Categories: Airstream Travel, RV Travel, Texas Travel Tags: Harlingen, Iwo Jima, Iwo Jima Monument, Iwo Jima Museum, Marine Military Academy, Marines, Semper Fidelis Iwo Jima, South Texas History, South Texas Museums, South Texas places to see, Texas, Texas places to see, US Marine Monument, US Marines