Whitewater Rafting and Big Sky Country

Posted on July 1, 2015 by liv2rv

We decided to take advantage of a few freebies with our coupon book before they expired, and headed up to Big Sky, Montana (about 40 miles north) for a full day of playing tourist. Our pass for Montana Whitewater offered two options: a zipline tour, or whitewater rafting. When I first mentioned to Dan that I would like to try Whitewater Rafting, he was very surprised, as I do not swim. However, I knew I would feel a lot safer in a boat, with multiple people, a helmet and life jacket than zipping over trees held on by nothing more than small cable. The company offers several different tours , and we opted for the less challenging 1/2 day on the Gallatin River with Class 2-3 rapids.

If you want to go whitewater rafter, the earlier in the season, the better the water will be, in terms of water level and speed of the water. After mid-June, you will not really encounter much “rapids”, and the company will offer river tubing tours. So the earlier you can go, the more challenging it will be. Of course, the earlier you go, the colder the water temperature is! In our case, it was a brisk 40 degrees, so every splash was a bit refreshing!

There were three rafts in our group. The guides give a lot of safety instructions, and you practice your strokes as a group. Then each raft is on its own with a guide, going down the river, for the next 90 minutes or so.

the calm before the rocks

We bounced off a few rocks, and our guide Nicole, informed us she is an ‘equal opportunity splasher’, and she would turn the boat in different directions so we all got wet. Fortunately, this tour company provided free wetsuits and neoprene boots, which helped, but it was still chilly.

There were areas of calm water, followed by rocky, fast-moving water, which made for a fun morning. Enjoy our little sequence where we all got wet!

Our group

The Gallatin River runs along Highway 191, and the scenery is very beautiful.

a small waterfall behind us

watch out for the rocks!

We had a great time with Montana Whitewater, and would definitely recommend this company. The cost for a 1/2 day tour is $55.00 per person, and does include wetsuits. There are other tour companies, but they charge you extra for the suits. If you go early in the year, you definitely want to have them. We had free passes, but this was definitely something we would pay for with this company.

We stopped along the river for a quick picnic lunch, then headed into the city of Big Sky. On our drive in, we saw a sign for Lone Peak Brewery, so we decided to stop in and sample some of their local brews. Our 5 sampler came on a mini ski!

snow ski sampler!

Of the beers that we sampled, we liked two, Hippy Highway Oatmeal Stout, and a bourbon beer that was finished off for several weeks in a used bourbon barrel. Unfortunately, they do not can or bottle either of these two flavors. So if you want to try them, you will have to come to the brewery!

We continued on to the Big Sky Resort, for our complimentary scenic ski lift ride ($16/adults) from Mountain Village (7500 feet) to Swift Peak (8800 feet). There is an additional tram that will take you to the top of Lone Peak (11,000 feet), but we did not have time for that tour. The lift was very quiet, and took about 15 minutes to get to the top. I found that staring at my feet helped with the heights!

don’t look down!

Lone Peak 11000 feet

In the summer, the trails open up for hiking and cycling, and they have special lifts to take the bikes to the top.

bicycle chair lift

Even though we did not go to the top, it was still a beautiful view of the mountains.

Lone Peak double diamond trails

You can see the city of Big Sky down below.

Big Sky country

A view of the resort area coming down on the chair lift.

closer look at the resort area

For those that love skiing, there are many trails for all abilities.

After our quick tour, we headed over to 320 Guest Ranch for our complimentary Pig Roast which they have on Mondays in the summer. For $15, you get a pulled pork sandwich, coleslaw, potato salad, beans and a cookie. While the ranch itself is very nice, we were happy that we did not have to pay for the meal. This went into our “glad it was free” category.

We enjoyed our time Big Sky. It is a wonderful, and growing city.

Quote for the day: “When you put your hand in a flowing stream, you touch the last that has gone before and the first of what is still to come.” – Leonardo DaVinci

A day of premature eruptions!

Posted on June 19, 2015 by liv2rv

Our friends Karen and Al are working near Grand Teton National Park, and we had planned a get together once the southern road in Yellowstone finally opened up after June 11. With the way the weather has been, picking a date (June 14) so far in advance can be challenging. But we could not have asked for a better day! Our plan was to explore the Upper Geyser Basin of the park, which contains the very popular Old Faithful. Many people stop to watch Old Faithful, and then go on to explore another area of the park. But they are missing out on a lot of other geysers.

The largest concentration of active geysers in the world are contained in the Upper Geyser Basin. Time for a quick geology lesson! Three major volcanic eruptions have occurred in Yellowstone within the past 2 million years. The hydrothermal features in the park include geysers, hot springs, mudpots and fumaroles. Three features are needed to produce these: heat (from the magma 3-8 miles underground the park), water (from the rain and snow), and plumbing (from the natural underground cracks).

Today our focus was on the geysers, which are formed when the plumbing/cracks are constricted enough to prevent the water from easily getting to the surface, which would allow heat to escape. The water beneath the surface is under intense pressure, heats up to boiling, and is eventually forced out through an eruption of water and steam. That’s the quick and easy explanation!

The National Park service now has a Geyser App for your phone, so you can easily monitor when they will be erupting. Of course, cell phone service in the park is very spotty, so you are better off writing down the times that are posted in the visitors center. We arrived early in the morning, in time to watch Old Faithful erupt. In the photo below, take note of the number of people watching.

Old Faithful in the morning

Old Faithful erupts about every 90 minutes, and goes for 1 – 5 minutes, expelling 3700 – 8400 gallons of boiling water depending on the length of the eruption. It is the one geyser closest to the visitors center, but it is not the largest geyser in the park.

Old Faithful eruption

Afterwards, we headed for a quick breakfast, and planned out our day based upon the predicted geyser eruption schedule posted in the visitors center. A side note, we were pleasantly surprised at how affordable food is in the park, compared to West Yellowstone (about 1/2 the cost for breakfast!).

After breakfast we took a “brief” hike up to Observation Point. I put that in quotes because the posted sign stated it was only 1/2 mile, but it was almost straight up a hill. From that viewpoint, we were able to watch Old Faithful again erupt,(for the scheduled 11:14am time) and take in the beautiful scenery surrounding the area. In the photo below, you can see Old Faithful on the left, and the famous (and super expensive) Old Faithful Inn on the right. The crowd on the boardwalk is getting a little bigger.

Observation Point view

We took a short stroll down to Solitary Geyser, which is named because it is far from the other geysers, and no one seems to visit it. This geyser was altered by humans, before they truly understood what geysers are all about. It was originally a hot spring, and the park put a pipe into it to divert the hot water down into a pool (around 1915). When the water level dropped, the “spring” started erupting. The pipe was removed and the water level restored, but the geyser continues to erupt every 4-7 minutes, to this day. We watched it bubble up and erupt twice while we were there. It goes a few feet in height. Al, Karen and Dan are on the left in the picture below. We had this geyser to ourselves for about 15 minutes before another couple showed up.

Solitary Geyser

Continuing along the boardwalk, we stopped to look at several small geysers on the way to Castle Geyser, which was set to erupt at 12:25pm (+/- 45 minutes). The park service has a nice trail guide (available for a $1 donation), which has a detailed map and description of all the geysers. We arrived at Castle Geyser a little after noon, and took up a spot to view the eruption. Note the lack of people in the photo in the background.

Castle Geyser

The Castle Geyser only erupts once every 13 hours (+/- 1 hour), and lasts 15-20 minutes for the water phase, followed by 30 minutes of steam. It reaches a height of 75 feet. A little after noon, the smaller pools around the “castle” started boiling, and soon the water started erupting, at first in small bursts, then in one large burst.

Castle Geyser

We were happy we arrived early, since the geyser started erupting early, and it was an amazing display. Much more impressive than Old Faithful, even though it does not spew water as high. And to be able to watch a geyser that only erupts every 13 hours was a great experience. We planned on watching the geyser for a while, since the Grand Geyser was not set to erupt until 2:25pm (+/- 75 minutes).

After about 15 minutes of watching the geyser, we started hearing people screaming in the distance. We turned around to discover the Grand Geyser was also erupting way ahead of schedule. Again, there was very few people around the Grand Geyser at the time.

Grand Geyser viewed from Castle Geyser

The Grand Geyser is considered to be the tallest predictable geyser in the world (just not today!!). Since the duration of the eruption is only 9-12 minutes, we sprinted up the boardwalk to watch the remainder of the eruption. Within the Grand Geyser is also the Vent and Turban Geysers, and they were erupting as well. Vent, on the left and Turban on the right are mostly steam, with Grand in the middle spurting the water.

Vent, Grand, Turban Geysers

Vent, Grand & Turban Geysers

While this was going on, the Castle Geyser had switched over to the steam phase. You can see it in the distance from the Grand Geyser.

Steam phase of Castle Geyser

Unlike the Castle Geyser, when the Grand Geyser ends, it is if someone turned the switch to “off”, because everything just stops. It just looks like a dormant geyser. Note how the trees near the geyser have turned white from the steam and water spray.

Grand Geyser

By this time, it was a little after 1:00pm, and the next scheduled eruption was 1:50pm (+/- 30 minutes) at the Riverside Geyser. Thinking we had plenty of time, although aware that everything else had gone of prematurely, we headed down to see the very popular Morning Glory Pool. We passed the Grotto Geyser on the way, which has no predictable schedule. It is very unique in its shape.

Grotto Geyser

The Morning Glory Pool was named after its likeness to the flower. The pool is a hot spring, not a geyser. People have thrown coins and other objects into the pool over the years, which have clogged up the steam vent. As a result of this vandalism, the temperature in the pool has been lowered, and more bacteria has grown. The park service has tried to lower the water level and vacuum out many of the objects, in order to restore the pool back to its natural state.

Morning Glory

And yes, while viewing the pool, we again heard more screams in the distance, and turned around to discover the Riverside Geyser was also erupting early!

Riverside Geyser in distance

The Riverside Geyser erupts every 6 hours, and lasts about 20 minutes. It is on the bank of the Firehole River, providing a very scenic display.

Riverside Geyser downstream

Riverside Geyser across stream

We sat and watched the geyser for about 10 minutes, before making the almost 3 mile walk back towards the visitors center. We stopped along the boardwalk to view a few more geysers, and stopped to watch the Anemone Geyser. The geyser is actually two geysers close together, and are named after the Anemone flower. Most people just walk right on by, not realizing these little geysers erupt every 7-10 minutes. It is worth the wait, because you could get splashed by this geyser, depending on which way the wind is blowing.

Anemone Geyser

We ended up with a splash of water and steam.

Anemone Geyser erupting

After a reasonably priced, and tasty meal at the Old Faithful cafeteria, we headed over to the Midway Geyser Basin to try to view the Grand Prismatic. At 370 feet in diameter, it is the largest hot spring in the park. It is also difficult to see, due to the constant steam (blue colored) floating up from the spring.

Grand Prismatic

another view of Grand Prismatic

To get a good view, click here, for some google photos. Some folks do go “off trail” and hike up the hill you see in the background of my photos.

According to Al’s fitness app on his phone, we walked over 12 miles in about 8 hours. It was a wonderful day with good friends, and spectacular eruptions. We feel very fortunate to have been able to view so many geysers erupting in one day. If you have the time, don’t just watch Old Faithful and leave. Go take a walk around the entire Upper Geyser basin, and look at all the wonderful thermal features. Perhaps if people realized this is the only place on Earth to see so many, they would spend more time here.

Oh, remember my first photo of Old Faithful (yes, I know this is a long blog) showing a few hundred visitors? This is what you will encounter when you go in the afternoon (taken when we were leaving the area). Thousands of people crammed together! Go early!!

the tourists have arrived!

Quote for the day: “I don’t drink water, because if water can erode rock, think what it can do to flesh.” – Jarod Kintz

How do you start a horse?!

Posted on June 16, 2015 by liv2rv

One of the perks with some work camping jobs is free passes to local attractions. Last summer, we were fortunate to receive VIP passes for working in the Black Hills, and were able to see and do many activities, free of charge. This summer, we did not think we would have that opportunity, but happily, we were wrong! If you are considering work camping jobs, asking if there are any free perks/passes is a good idea.

The Big Sky and West Yellowstone Chambers of Commerce have created Host Week passes. These are passes to many local attractions and restaurants that offer free or reduced prices. The only caveat is that it only valid for 10 days in June. So we did our best to cram as much as we could on our off days. As such, I will have several blog posts of our activities over the next several weeks.

Work itself is slowly picking up. Most schools should be out by now, so bring on the tourists!! I can only dust the same items at work so many times!

One of our first “free” attractions that we visited was a horse ride courtesy of Parade Rest Guest Ranch. A one hour ride through the Custer Gallatin National Forest is normally $55.00 per person. Since we booked so early in the season, Dan and I were the only two people during our ride with Tristan, our guide, which made for a more personalized experience.

They make it easy for beginners, as you mount the horse from stairs.

Beginners Mount

My horse was named Buck, and Dan’s was on Rowdy. When we started our ride, Dan and our guide took off, and I just sat there. I was a bit puzzled on how to get the horse moving! Our guide gave us a lot of safety instruction, and how to steer the horse, but not how to “start” it. Tristan quickly noticed I was not moving, and told me to kick Buck. I don’t want to kick an animal, so I gave Buck a gentle tap….and he did not budge! Then Tristan yelled “kick, kick, kick, kick, kick!” So I followed his instructions and kicked and kicked. And off Buck went, a bit too fast for my liking! I quickly realized that saddles have no padding. If they can make bicycle shorts, I wonder if they have saddle pants?!

Buck quickly settled down, and probably realized I was an easy target, as he frequently stopped for a mouthful of grass. We kept a leisurely pace well behind Tristan and Dan.

not keeping pace

Our ride started out in prairie grass, but quickly climbed up through the forest.

through the woods

After about 20 minutes, we came to a scenic overlook, where we could view Hebgen Lake down below, with the mountains in the background. It was a beautiful and peaceful view.

Hebgen Lake

Dan and Rowdy seemed to get along nicely. He was a pretty big horse. I think our guide said he is a Quarterhorse.

Howdy from Rowdy!

Buck just continued snacking along the route. I tried to pull up when he put his head down, but he was stronger than I was.

Buck is snacking

The views throughout our ride were beautiful!

North of West Yellowstone

a beautiful ride

happy trails

As we started to descend back down the hill, we had an overview of the barn and corral at the Ranch.

Parade Ranch below

We had a great time on our ride, and would definitely recommend the Parade Rest Guest Ranch for anyone interested in a horse ride in West Yellowstone. There are several companies that offer rides, but given that this ranch has a special use permit to ride in the forest, made for a challenging (up and down narrow trails), fun and scenic ride.

CONGRATULATIONS GRADUATES!!!

Dan and I also want to give a special shout-out to my nephew Jeremy, for graduating from a very challenging Nurse Anesthetics program in Minnesota.

Congrats Jeremy!!

Also, congratulations to my niece Molly, for graduating from High School!

Congrats Molly!

One of the few downsides of this lifestyle is that you are going to miss some special occasions. So hugs and high fives from Montana!!

Quote for the day: “No hour of life is wasted, that is spent in the saddle.” – Winston Churchill

Rain, Rain and a brief park visit

Posted on June 9, 2015 by liv2rv

Since we arrived in West Yellowstone, MT three weeks ago, it has rained every day. The locals are happy about the rain, as they did not have much snow this winter. As many have put it, more rain in May means less smoke (forest fires) in August. I’m thinking it will be a bumper crop for mosquitos this summer!

The forecast for this past Sunday indicated it would be nice until the afternoon, so we decided to get up early and head over to Yellowstone National Park for the morning. We got up bright and early….to thick fog! The best wildlife viewing is early morning or just before sunset. We decided to wait a few hours for the fog to lift, so we were not expecting to see much wildlife on this visit. Since we are here for the Summer, we have decided to do the park in small sections. The park is divided into eight sections, and we decided to head to the Canyon Village area, to view the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, along with the Upper and Lower Falls.

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

The canyon is over 24 miles long, and is continuously changing, due to wind, water, earthquakes and other natural occurrences.

Along the way to several viewing positions, remnants remain of the glaciers that melted over 10,000 years ago. This boulder, as big as a small home, remains nestled in the pine trees.

glacier boulder

At 308 feet, the Lower Falls is the tallest waterfall in Yellowstone National Park.

Lower Falls

The Lower Falls

The Upper Falls, is named because it is at a higher elevation on the river. However, the waterfall is only 109 feet.

The Upper Falls

We did stop and view one geyser on our way to the Canyon Village area, but I forgot to take a picture of the sign, so I have no idea what this one is called. It was very small and all by itself.

unknown geyser

The highlight of the day was encountering two beautiful Elk that were hanging out near the parking lot by the Upper Falls viewing area. Elk shed their antlers late March thru April, and then begin re-growing them almost immediately. They can grow as much as 2 inches per day. They are velvet covered during the period of growth, and by summer the blood flow stops to the antler, and it hardens. The Elk scratch their antlers along trees to scrape off the velvet.

Big Daddy

Hello!

We are very excited about having the entire summer to take our time exploring the park.

Quote for the day: “Think of your life as a waterfall; it may come crashing down at some point, it may have it’s ups and downs, but in the end, it will continue to flow.” – unknown

Back to Work – our summer home

Posted on May 20, 2015 by liv2rv

After our unexpected delay in Rapid City, SD to repair Dan’s truck (under warranty yay!), we spent the next two days travelling to our summer job in West Yellowstone, MT. It was a beautiful drive, and we knew our destination was ahead when we hit this sign.

Welcome to Yellowstone

We were pleasantly surprised by the town of West Yellowstone, population 1300, located at the west entrance to Yellowstone National Park. For such a small town, it has a lot to see and do in the area, besides the big park. We feel this will be a good summer for exploring.

There are a few RV parks in town, but they charge very high daily fees. As such, work campers are usually tucked away in spots throughout the town that locals rent out to businesses. If you drive around and look in the alleys, you will see RV’s tucked all over town. We are on the edge of town, in a quiet area, with one other RV. It is not a glamorous spot, but it has 50 amp full hook-ups, and will be free, to us, for the entire summer.

our ‘spot’

Across the street from our spot, is US Forest Service land, which has some nice trails and a place to let Makena play off leash.

place for Makena

And beyond the forest, lies a beautiful view!

view for the summer!

The day after we arrived, we started our summer jobs. We will be working at Homeroom at Madison Crossings, a cabin decor gift shop. There is one other work camper couple, Tom and Ellen, that recommended the job to us.

Tom and Ellen

The building was the old school in town. Originally built in 1918, it was a 3 room school, and expanded over the years. In 1954, a gymnasium was added on, and that is the location of the gift shop. It remained in use until 1992, when a new school was built. In 1993, an elevator and 2^nd floor was added to the gym. The floor, wood beams, and two of the lights are original to the building.

Madison Crossings

Homeroom at Madison Crossings

view from 2nd floor

Down the hall is the old gym (a “half court gym”) and the stage. Today it is used for banquets.

half gym & stage

For those curious about work camping and what it pays, we will be making $9.00/hour, with a 50 cent an hour completion bonus for every hour we work. In addition, we will receive free access to the fitness center in the building, ($40/month value), and our site is free, including electric. We will also receive a discount on any purchases we make in the store as well as the restaurant that is in the building.

We already had visitors! George and Laurie (Owens on the Road) stopped by for a visit on the way to their summer job in Montana. It was great getting caught up with some fellow Amazon workers. We will be working Wednesday through Saturday, eventually working 10 hour days once the tourist season gets in full motion.

George and Laurie

The store sells many items, including a variety of signs. I took a photo of one of the cute signs, and that will be the Quote for the day:

Quote for the day

I need to lose 1/2 pound!

Posted on May 11, 2015 by liv2rv

Hello everyone! While my parents are busy waiting for their truck to get fixed, I thought I would update the blog. For those new to the blog, I like to give a perspective on full-timing from the dog’s point of view!

Keeping my peeps informed!

While I was sad when we left Florida, I was eager for new sights, smells and places to pee. I especially enjoyed our trip to North Carolina, because I had a big house to explore and play in. Austin and Cole were eager to play with me, and throw my football. Kids have so much more energy than adults do, so I get to play a lot longer with them. They even wore me out! Superhero’s can do that!

Cole & Austin

Cole even wrote about me in his school journal. Perhaps his mom and dad can think about getting a dog?? Thank you Jodie and Chris for letting me come and play!

Cole’s journal

Eventually we made our way back to “Camp Meyer”, which is my dad’s sisters house in Wisconsin. I really enjoy my off-leash time at Doug and Linda’s house, especially when the popcorn fairy magically leaves a few pieces of popcorn on the floor. While I was hanging with my gnomies this year, a strange thing happened. This little baby popped into the picture, and I was no longer the center of attention:(

Hanging with my gnomies

Baby Ellie seemed to upstage me, but I am hopeful she will get bigger and I can teach her how to throw the football to me! Congrats to Kyle and Lauren and their first child!

I need attention!

My parents took me down to the Milwaukee area to hang with my cousins, and get my doctor’s appointment. The doctor was not happy that I have gained 1/2 pound since my last visit. This may not sound like a big gain, but he is being pro-active, and I appreciated that! He didn’t comment on how much weight my parents have gained since Amazon, but the two are related! They promised the doctor they would get back into the habit of daily walks for me. The doctor also wanted to have my teeth cleaned, but my parents are hesitant to do this, as they would have to put me under. They have heard about other dogs that did not make it through a routine cleaning, so they are afraid to do it.

On the positive side, after my visit, my parents stopped at the pet store and bought me some new footballs, and a box of dental chews!!! WooHoo!! Treats and toys! Thanks you doctor!! I am really liking these, and my parents hope they work! They also bought a toothbrush and toothpaste….we’ll see how that goes! I did get to spend a few days with my grandparents, and they took me for daily walks and lots of playtime!

yummy!

If you ask any full-time RVer, they will say it can be easy to lose track of what day it is. I have no idea about the days of the week, but I do know about the seasons. It should be warm, warm, cool and a little cooler. But I was all mixed up yesterday when I woke up to this nonsense! Who put all this snow in my play area at the campground? Yuck!

What???

But at least my parents are still getting me out to play, so I can lose my 1/2 pound! I think we will be ‘hitching up’ soon, and getting out of this crazy weather to head west for the summer. I am looking forward to more areas to play, and I hear there is a lot of wildlife to see (from the comfort of my parents truck)!

Take care everyone!

Quote for the day: “Dogs love company. They place it first in their short list of needs.” – J.R. Ackerly

A busy few weeks in Wisconsin//Stuck in South Dakota!

Posted on May 8, 2015 by liv2rv

Our time in Wisconsin has gone by fast, as we get ready to head out to West Yellowstone, Montana for our summer jobs. I spent several days getting poked and prodded with all sorts of medical tests. I knew I was in for some fun when my doctor said “welcome to your 50’s, let’s get a colonoscopy!!” Makena also had her veterinary appointment, but Dan declined any visits at this time. He wanted to wait and see how our new insurance will cover all my tests, before he undergoes his own. We were happy that they covered everything at 100%. Unfortunately, Assurant Health has decided they were not making as big of a profit under the new law, so they are going to sell off their health insurance line of business, but keep the more profitable ‘pre-paid funeral expenses’ and other ‘disability’ lines of insurance. So next year we will be looking for a new carrier. We will try to schedule Dan’s appointments in the fall, before we start back at Amazon.

The truck had some recall work done, an oil change, and new brakes done for 1/3 of the cost the Ford dealer wanted! (thanks Kevin!). Dan is feeling better about taking the 5th wheel up into the mountains this summer. (more on the truck later)

We cleaned and defrosted the refrigerator, and fully restocked our freezer and pantry. The nearest Wal-Mart to West Yellowstone is 84 miles (one way), so we wanted to stock up on food. There is a grocery store in town according to our employer, but with being in such a remote area, we are anticipating “sticker shock” on the food prices.

We were able to visit with some friends and family, but time goes by too fast to see everyone. My niece Molly had her last all district choir concert, which we were able to attend. Not sure who was more excited….my niece or my sister and brother-in-law realizing they did not have to attend any more of these performances! We did enjoy Molly’s performance.

Margie, Molly, Greg

We also celebrated my sister-in-law Annette’s birthday.

Annette, Brian, me & Dan

Dinners with friends Dave and Angie, Mike and Karlyn and Robin and Mary on various nights reminded us we need to start exercising again! Good thing there a lot’s of hiking trails in Yellowstone!

And we had our now annual ‘patio beer’ with my former co-worker Amy!

Cheers

THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY!

I started a draft of this blog a week ago, and was planning on posting it when we left Wisconsin. We had to leave a few days earlier than expected, because of some additional repair work that needed to be done on the 5th wheel. Look for a future post on that. After leaving Indiana, we had two very long driving days to get out to Rapid City, SD. Our goal was to meet up with Tom and Ellen, our co-workers for our summer job. And we wanted to visit with Phil and Rudee, our co-workers from last summer at Crazy Horse. We did make it here in time, and had a nice get together.

Unfortunately, the truck started making a bad noise about 20 miles before we arrived to Rapid City, and eventually the ‘check engine’ light came on! So a trip to the Ford dealer revealed the ‘good’ and the ‘bad’. Some exhaust tube thingy in the engine broke, blowing exhaust fumes into the dash, and melting part of the windshield wiper fluid lines. The part in the middle that is all black is the culprit.

burned out part

The good news is that all of this is covered under the 100,000 mile manufacturer’s engine warranty. The bad news is they have to order parts from Colorado, and they will not arrive until Monday. Therefore, we will not be able to start our summer jobs on time.

And now for the UGLY: There is a winter storm warning this weekend! 6 – 12 inches of snow is expected by Sunday here in Rapid City! Ugh!

The Ford dealer is hoping the parts won’t be delayed by the storm.

So we are just going to sit still for a few days. We are trying to take a positive view of all of this. “No rain. No rainbows” is a popular slogan in our favorite state of Hawaii. A simple saying, but sometimes you need a few bad things as a reminder to always appreciate the good things. Wish us luck!

Quote for the day: “There is something good in all seeming failures. You are not to see that now. Time will reveal it. Be patient.” – Swami Sivananda

Oldies but Goodies

Posted on May 4, 2015 by liv2rv

While staying at Ver-El RV park in Concord, NC we were parked across the street from Charlotte Motor Speedway, we noticed a lot of classic cars heading into the parking lot. Twice a year the racetrack hosts the Charlotte AutoFair, where owners can put their cars up for sale or trade. There are also vendors selling parts for every type of vehicle, and displays of some unique vehicles.

We enjoy looking at old cars, so we walked over to check it out. We were also able to wander around and check out the speedway. Here is a view from the infield of the bleachers. The cars were displayed around the 1.5 mile race track.

Charlotte Motor Speedway

With well over a thousand cars on display, it was hard to pick what photos to display. This blog is a bit photo heavy, but if you enjoy cars, we hope you enjoy this post!

This fabulous corvette was listed at $55,000 and did have a “sold” sign on it.

Sold!

This car is owned by NASCAR driver Kyle Busch.

1956 Chevy Bel Air

Before the mini van, families traveled in style!

classic station wagon

classic wagon

And remember the days when everyone had their own ash tray, even in the third row bench seat of the wagons?!

ashtrays for everyone!

The show had some very old and beautifully restored vehicles…

1931 Ford Model A

as well as this truck, which could easily tow just about any 5th wheel!

pimped up truck!

There were some muscle cars on display.

1967 Chevy Chevelle SS Convertible

classic muscle car

And some unique vehicles we have never seen before.

1945 COE

1948 GM Cabover racecar Hauler

1935 Ford 4 door Slantback

Engines were much simpler in the older cars.

Not much under the hood

One of my favorites was this 1964 Impala SS that came with “factory power steering”. This car is “my age” and was all decked out in purple, my favorite color.

1964 Impala SS

This 1956 Chevrolet Del Ray was getting a lot of inquiries, as it had been fully restored and was immaculate inside and out.

1956 Chevy Del Ray

super clean engine

inside look

I’m not really sure if these guys were planning on taking a spin around the track on their scooters!

going for a spin?!

They will have another auto fair in September, so if you are in the area, you may want to check it out.

Quote for the day: “Never lend your car to anyone to whom you have given birth.” – Erma Bombeck

Visiting friends in North Carolina

Posted on May 1, 2015 by liv2rv

(We are currently in Wisconsin, and realized that we did not publish our posts from North Carolina….sorry for the delay)

After our brief visit in South Carolina (a state we will definitely explore in more detail someday), we had a relatively easy drive up to Concord, North Carolina to visit with my friend Jodie and her family. Jodie and I worked together as CT Technologists back in Wisconsin. Jodie’s husband Chris has a “work from home” job. Since they could live anywhere, they wisely decided to move from the snow and cold of Wisconsin, to a very moderate climate in North Carolina to raise their two young boys.

We found a convenient “campground” at Ver-El Mobile Village in Concord. It is right across the street from Charlotte Motor Speedway, has full hookups and was only $25.00 per night. There are no other amenities, it is basically a large grass field, but it was close to Jodie’s home in Huntersville. After arriving, we met up with Jodie and her two boys, Cole and Austin, at the massive Concord Mills Mall. They came over to see our house, and meet Makena, and we had a nice time catching up. It always amazes me that no matter how long you have been apart from someone, it just seems like yesterday when you do get together!

Cole, Austin and Jodi

We talked about the big influence that NASCAR has in this area, and Jodie mentioned that Hendricks Motorsports was located about one mile from where we were staying, and Joe Gibbs Racing was very close to their house in Huntersville. We decided to add those items to our itinerary.

The next day we drove out to Jodie’s home, and were impressed by the many miles of paved bicycle paths all over the area. Jodie stated you can pretty much go anywhere on your bicycle. Makena came with us, and she and the boys had a great time playing football in their backyard. Cole decided to challenge Makena!

Just throw it!

Austin enjoyed bringing dishes of water for Makena to drink out of!

thanks for the water

Eventually the boys wore her out, and she needed a rest!

all pooped out

The adults also had fun too!

Patio beers!

Since we are in NASCAR country, we decided to visit the Hendricks Motorsports complex and toured the free museum, as well as the areas in the garage that are open to the public. The museum was very interesting, and had multiple cars on display.

Hendrick classic cars

There was a large display of colorful cars for Jeff Gordon, who is retiring this year from racing.

Jeff Gordon’s collection

Below are the actual winning race cars from the Daytona 500. On the left is Dale Earnhardt Jr’s car from 2014 and Jimmy Johnson’s car from 2013. Both cars remain covered with confetti from the winners circle.

Daytona 500 winners

This is Ken Schrader’s Budweiser car from the 1995 Talladega (AL) race. Despite the severity of the crash, he was not injured and walked away from the car. This is probably what my car would look like if I was driving 200 MPH!

ouch!

They even have an outdoor exercise facility for the pit crew members, and we happened to be around when one of the teams was working out.

Pit Crew workout

You can view inside the garage to watch the employees work on the cars. (Only the #24 and #5 car facility was open on this day. The #88 and #48 facility was closed for a private event).

working on the 24 car

Inside the garage

Since the Joe Gibbs Racing complex was near their house, we stopped in to check that out as well. The facility is in a newer office park, and really blends in with the surroundings. We were quite surprised by that, and it would be very easy to miss the facility. You can also see into the immaculate garage area, at the cars in various states of repair.

Joe Gibbs garage

Crispy M and M’s car

We met up with Jodie and Chris in town for a nice dinner on our last night.

Jodie, Chris, Dan and I

This is a growing area, with much to see and do. Dan and I discussed looking into a work camping job in NC for the future. North Carolina is a one day’s drive to many states. With a moderate climate and low cost of living (compared to Wisconsin), we can see why they chose this area. Thanks again Jodie and Chris! We will be back!

Quote for the day: “It’s all about quality of life and finding a happy balance between work and friends and family.” – Philip Green

Two days, two different experiences in Charleston, South Carolina

Posted on April 7, 2015 by liv2rv

We left Florida Monday morning and ventured up I-95 to Charleston, SC. Our trip was uneventful, other than seeing three different men peeing on the side of the road while going through Georgia. Perhaps the state should put up a rest area on that short 105 mile stretch through that state!! And if you have a four-door vehicle, open both doors and stand in the middle….just a thought!

After getting set up in our campground, we were excited to visit historic downtown Charleston. Unfortunately, we arrived the day after Easter, when many families were on Spring Break. It was a traffic nightmare! After driving around for over an hour, finding parking lot after parking lot, full, we just gave up. And then spent another hour in bumper to bumper traffic to go 15 miles to back to our campground. We were both very frazzled and disappointed!

After taking the dog for a long walk to calm our nerves, we turned on the news, and the lead story was coverage of a meeting going on in Charleston to try to improve visitors experiences to the city! We both laughed at the irony. They are trying to figure out what to do about the traffic jams and the lack of parking. Hopefully they will come up with a solution.

Today we got up early to beat the traffic and head over to Mount Pleasant, SC to see Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum. Unlike yesterday, today we had an awesome experience! If you are in the area, we would strongly recommend spending time visiting this place. Patriots Point is home of the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10), Destroyer Laffey (DD-724), Submarine Clamagore (SS-343), Medal of Honor Museum and The Vietnam Experience Exhibit. Admission is $20, and you can easily spend all day touring everything. We spent about 5 hours, and could easily have taken more time to read all the exhibit signs.

Here is a view of all three in the water.

Patriots Point

The USS Yorktown Aircraft Carrier was commissioned on April 15, 1943 and fought in many historic battles in World War II. She was converted to an antisubmarine carrier in the 1950’s and served in that capacity in the Vietnam War. In addition, the carrier recovered the Apollo 8 astronauts and their capsule after they returned to Earth. The carrier is very impressive in size at 888 feet in length.

USS Yorktown CV-10

Dan on flight deck

Bridge of carrier

view of flight deck from bridge

some big guns

more views of flight deck

The self-guided tour allows access to many areas of the carrier, giving you a good idea of what life was like on board. During WWII, 3,088 enlisted men along with 380 officers served on duty. They had 90 planes on board between the flight deck and the hangar, which is just below the deck.

long hallways

The tour provided access to all levels on the carrier. There is an extensive medical and dental area.

open wide!

operating room

Pilots Ready Room

The enlisted crew did not have much privacy, as they had a bunk and a small locker.

Crew’s Berthing

The carrier had their own bakery, and they had several recipes on display, including this one to make 10,000 chocolate chip cookies!

a bakers delight

The Destroyer Laffey seemed rather tiny next to the Yorktown Carrier, although it is still 376 feet long. The Laffey was involved in the D-Day landing of Allied troops in Normandy. Just four months later it was out fighting in the Pacific. On April 16, 1945, the Laffey was bombed by the Japanese and several kamikaze planes. 32 men were killed and the ship sustained heavy damage. Yet the crew of 336 continued fighting and shot down their attackers. The destroyer earned the nickname “The Ship that Would Not Die.” This is a view of the Laffey from the deck of the carrier.

Destroyer Laffey DD-724

The front gun mount on the Laffey was the area struck by the bombs. It was rebuilt and now they show a short, but sobering film about the attack and the men who were working inside the mount. As with the Yorktown, you can view many levels and rooms.

Laffey DD-724

The Laffey contained this very interesting US Navy QH-50D Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter (DASH) from 1966. Many people commented on this “old school” style drone. Drones have certainly come a long way in design and technology!

1966 style drone

The submarine Clamagore was commissioned in 1945, near the end of WWII. This diesel-powered sub remained in service until 1975.

Submarine Clamagore SS-343

The sub in not for someone afraid of confined spaces! There are a lot of small spaces to navigate through.

small openings

Torpedo room and bunks for the men assigned to this detail.

Torpedo and bunks underneath

Patriots Point also has an area on land entitled The Vietnam Experience, to show what life was like during the Tet Offensive on a US Navy Advanced Tactical Support Base and a US Marine Corps Artillery Firebase. It was a very moving exhibit.

Vietnam Experience

inside of helicopter

This was truly a wonderful display of military history. We want to thank everyone who has served our country in the military including some of our family and friends.

Quote of the day: “When I lost my rifle, the Army charged me 85 dollars. That is why in the Navy the Captain goes down with the ship.” – Dick Gregory

Liv2RV

Living and working around the country in a RV

Yearly Archives: 2015