Yellowstone! 2017

  

May 16 - 21, 2017

Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone is the 1st National Park, with 2.2 million acres with hot springs and majestic mountains to wildlife, rivers and lakes.   

We stayed at Fishing Bridge which requires hard sided vehicles because, bears. The closer (and higher) we went, the more snow we saw. 

The park is overwhelming. 

If I can revisit any place I've been, this would be it.

We were snowed in the second day and lost water and electric, but  fortunately we are self-contained so we were snug and warm. They had the roads cleared by the next mid-morning, so we were on our way to explore.

Hot springs everywhere!

 

We were lucky to see Old Faithful erupt before we left.

Scenery

 

   

Animals, Lowlands

  

I tried to find the most memorable pictures to post.  After awhile I just started putting up pictures becauseI have so many great shots.

We spent the summer of 2017 in Idaho, so there are lots more pictures of our adventures. Hint: the Eclipse, St Anthony dunes, Mesa Falls, to name a few. 

Yellowstone Here We Come!

May 1, 2017 Traveling North At Last!

We said goodbye to Blue Lagoons and after a 3-day detour to La Feria in South TX to have our slide topper replaced, we were finally on our way north toward Yellowstone National Park.  

We stayed at Walmart in Carlsbad NM the first night.  That is where I got my first glimpse of the Rocky Mountains.  They looked like distant ghosts.

                                
 

We weren't in a hurry so we spent 3 days at Ramblin Rose RV Park in Santa Rosa NM so we could open up the slides and relax a few days. It was on Rt 66 and we ate at the Comet Diner. Classic, right?

We went to see Blue Hole where kids were swimming and having a great time.  It was a hot day and the water looked mighty cool.

After leaving Ramblin Rose RV Park, we saw lots of desert, scrub and rocks. Many folks think the desert is beautiful, but at the time I thought it was boring.  Looking back, however, I see the beauty in miles and miles of desert, rock formations, no human life, no houses, no trees. I see it now as calm, peaceful and unhurried. Imagine living in an Airstream in the desert. Nothing could be more pure. 

           

I wish we had visited Slab City, where everyone is free, anonymous and living in the desert community of 

Slab City   

 

As far as the eyes can see...

We visited Andy Warhol's famous Tomato Soup can at the School of the Arts, Colorado State University at Fort Collins. The soup can was part of a 1981 exhibit and signed by Warhol. It was restored in 2013.

 

We stopped at a roadside rest that was over-run with prairie dogs. Even though they were a nuisance, they sure were cute!

Is that the Rocky Mountains? 

Stay tuned!

La Feria and Blue Lagoons RV Parks TX 2017

We had to replace 2 of our slide toppers that were damaged by the wind, so we also bought screen covers for the front and side windows and wheel covers.  We also bought a screen shield that attaches to our awning, but we didn't use it since it came 2 days before we left.  It will come in handy some time!
I had camp crud but finally felt a little better and made some new friends a couple days before we left.

I was yelled at for taking our dogs to a vacant lot to do their business. I always pick up, but it seems I can only take them to a small strip of grass.  Since I wasn't feeling good, this was an imposition.  I will not be returning to this park as I felt very unwelcomed. 

So on we went to Blue Lagoons RV Park. It's much more friendly and welcoming.

(Aside: Rockport/Fulton was destroyed on August 26, 2017 as the category 4 Hurricane Harvey made landfall near Rockport TX .  The park was destroyed although everyone evacuated. We have a reservation to return for 2 months next spring and hope that by the time we arrive, things will be somewhat back to normal. It will be good to see old friends and hear their stories. My heart breaks for everyone who had to go through the pain. It's going to be months, even years, to rebuild.) 

We stayed for 2 months . Our friends Pris and Elaine stayed for a couple days at the sister park Lagoons and Peggy and Patricia also visited a couple days.

Our view, isn't it gorgeous?

One night a party broke out!

Lots off good food and drink, great company.
But that's a regular occurrence here.

After swallowing my pride, I finally used the pool and hot tub.  Both were exhilarating.

We took a ride one day and these are some of the pictures I took of the area.

 Many gorgeous houses in the area.

I had a chance to visit the Texas Maritime Museum in Rockport TX.  It was a fascinating afternoon! 

We had lunch at Pops Tavern after reading about the beer cap fish murals.  We talked to the designer who made the murals but I don't remember his name.

This is a beautiful view of the RV park. It doesn't look the same, but it will be better than ever some day.

We are looking forward to returning to Blue Lagoons and seeing old friends.

Next stop, our trip north and Yellowstone National Park!