A Spring Trip, May 2016.

Normally you would have been hearing about some adventure here or there when we headed south for some part of the winter. Well things happen, we stayed home.

I was working at a Habitat House in early December and while doing nothing but standing there slipped on some ice and fell squarely on my shoulder. It hurt for a week, I went to see the Doctor, XRays revealed no broken bones, three weeks later I went back because it was worse. An MRI revealed a "massive" tear in one rotator cuff tendon, more than 4 cm. Two more tendons were torn, 3 of 4, pretty good job, Roger! . And there was a torn bicep muscle tendon and quite a bit of muscle damage as well. And then there was the rampant arthritis as well.

A visit to an orthopedic surgeon got me into the surgery schedule in under two weeks. Almost three hours of surgery and an overnight stay in the hospital, a bucket full of drugs and an arm in a sling and I was on my way. A week of significant discomfort, another week of just plain pain, two weeks sitting up in a chair to sleep and then Physical Therapy started. Two and a half months of movements and stretching to regain some range of motion and initial strengthening. The shoulder is very fragile in these early stages so care is required.  

A couple more trips to see the doctor said I was on the right path. At this time I am just past three months. 40% recovery. Three more months of PT now with increasing resistance and weights will get me to 80%.

Enough of that.

So after sitting in the coach house since November (except for a few short warm up drives) the coach and we were ready to get out. So the North Shore was the destination. Spring time melt and runoff should make the rivers and falls pretty spectacular. In all the years we have been going to the North Shore (maybe 50) we have never been there in the Spring. This is the year!

We decided to stay at Two Harbors. The city has a nice city owned campground at Burlington Bay.  The trouble was that it was not open. But a call up there fixed that. It wasn't officially open but the power was on and it was 1/2 price and we were welcome.

It was a nice drive up to the North Shore on Saturday. Spring retreated about one day for every six miles. By the time we got to Two Harbors it was much colder, the buds on the trees were just coming out about like it was in Hastings a month ago. We found a very nice site (we were the only ones there) and went the wrong way on the road so we could drive in facing the lake. A nice view from the front window.

We went for a walk through the campground which is pretty normal for us when we arrive somewhere. What does it look like? Who else is there? We have been to Burlington Bay before so it was familiar. We walked up to the office, no one there of course but there were a few envelopes to put some money in for camping and a mail slot to drop it in.  

Susan got our comfy outdoor chairs out and we sat in the afternoon sun. The lake was fairly calm. We could see the South Shore all the way out to Sand Island, part of the Apostle Islands National Lake Shore. It felt good to be there.

We brought along a Netflix DVD, "The Second Best Marigold Hotel".  We were tired and thinking we would get to bed early but by the time we got through the movie (we liked it) it was after 10.

Sunday morning our friends Bob and Ani Flagler from Duluth and Ed Schulze from Brainerd came for a visit. So first thing in the morning we baked the last of our apple pies from our harvest from last fall. They all arrived about 10. After some visiting we went up to Gooseberry Falls State Park to check out the falls and the river. Lots of water coming over the Lower Falls. There were kids all over running around in the shorts and bare feet. The water was quite cold but the sun made the rocks warm.  

We went on a hike on the Gitchi Gummi Trail along the bluff on the north side of the Gooseberry River. It is a view of the park, the river and the Lake most visitors never see. It leads out to an overlook and a spectacular view of the mouth of the river and the lake.  

The trail heads a bit north along the lakeshore and then back inland along Nelson's Creek. The creek flows over a cliff edge at the lake in a small waterfall.  The Nelson's Creek side of the loop is wetter and cooler than the Gooseberry River side of the loop. This gives you two distinct looks at a local ecosystem. But everywhere up here the Birch trees are suffering as they have been for the past 30 years. The Birch borer beetles are moving down the lake slowly killing most of the Birch trees. There was a big ice storm a few years back too and many trees that had been weakened broke off under the ice and wind loads. In some areas the birch trees are all broken off about 20 ft above the ground.  There are significant restoration and replanting projects going on in all of the State Parks along the lake. And many tall fenced sections to protect the new trees from the deer.

After our hike we came back by the Upper Falls of the Gooseberry River. 

It was Sunday, Mother's Day and there were many visitors. We stopped at the Rustic Inn for lunch but so had everyone else. So we went to Judy's Cafe in Two Harbors for a tasty lunch and then back to our coach for pie. Yum. Bob and Ani headed back to Duluth. Ed hung around and ended up staying over night. Our first ever overnight visitor in the coach. He got the coach couch. It actually worked out fine.  

Ed left for Brainerd after a hearty oatmeal breakfast. We packed a picnic lunch and headed up the lake for Tettegouche State Park and the Baptism River Gorge, one of our (mostly mine) favorite places to hike. It was a brisk day, temps in the 40's and a brisk wind. The Baptism River flows through a deep gorge carved over millions of years through the hard lava rock down to the lake. Trails go up and down each side of the gorge from the lake to the High Falls where there is an old swinging foot bridge. From the north side trail there is a stairway down to the pool below the High Falls. It is 218 steps down and back up again. I counted each one down and then confirmed the count coming back up.

Remember it was in the 40's.

Further down on the south side of the gorge is the trail down to Two Step Falls. It is not two steps to the falls but more like two hundred, another cardio workout. For both of us coming off winter and somewhat limited activity for me this was a test. We took a few rest stops but kept on chugging along back up to the top.

We ended up back at the visitor's center for a great hot chocolate and our picnic lunch inside where the warmth felt good. Getting up north felt good. Seeing old friends felt good.

And then back to Two Harbors. We have an app that tracks ships and we could see in the distance a ship heading our way. It was the Presque Isle, one of only 14 Great Lakes boats more than 1000 feet long, headed for Two Harbors just 52 minutes away.  

Burlington Bay is where the "s" in Two Harbors is.

I drove down to the harbor where the wind was blowing up significant waves, white caps all over. I walked out on the breakwater - all the way to the end - to see it come in. It headed right at me and then turned out in to the lake. A couple miles off shore it dropped anchors. With no tugs at this port it was just to much wind to get into the port.

Sometime over night it got into port and took on a load of taconite and in the morning about 7:30 we saw it leaving. Very fun to watch it as close as it was.

So Tuesday morning we did our normal hit the road routine. Clean up a bit, put things away, check the oil and the tires. All set to go and it started to rain. We drove up to a flat spot in the campground and hooked up the Jeep, double checked all the connections and stuff inside, check the tail, brake and turn lights and set off for home.  It rained most of the way until just before we got to Hastings. We made a short side trip to the city owned public "restroom" for RVs where we emptied our waste tanks. Our coach has all airbag suspension so when we do this necessary task we let some air out of the tank drain side of the coach and add air to the other side to tip the coach to one side to help drain the tanks. Works great!

And then home. We disconnect the Jeep on a straight level part of the road leading into our place.  Susan drove the Jeep on ahead. I followed with the coach. I pull up just past our driveway and back into the driveway making a left turn past the shop, around another left turn and right into the coach house (fancy name for the barn, sounds better too). It took about an hour to move from one house to the other and have the coach ready for another nap.

We were amazed at how much greener it looked here after only four days. Springtime in Minnesota sort-of-thing.

We are going to try for one more short trip before we head toward Mackinac Island at the end of July for a leisurely trip along the South Shore of Lake Superior all the way to Duluth with our friends Rudy and Carolyn from Houston in their Foretravel and Douglas and Amanda from where ever they were last in their Foretravel.  Maybe John and Kathy, more Foretravel fulltimers, will join us as well.  And we are meeting Ed Meyer and Barb Jackson on the way over to Mackinac for one day as well.  They are renting an RV for a week or so, giving it a try.  We are hoping they like it.

That's all for now.

Home to Hastings

It was pretty close to 4-1/2 hrs from Adrian to Hastings. Maybe a bit more, there was some construction.  It is hard to say but after almost 5,000 miles through North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming and South Dakota some of the worst roads we have seen are right here.  I 90 and US 52 are in pretty poor shape. It was a stark contrast between I 90 in South Dakota and Minnesota. So why is this? What is it about Minnesota? I 94 heading NW towards Fargo when we left was the same way.  

We stopped on a level spot just before home and disconnected the Jeep.  Susan drove on ahead and I followed, stopped just past the driveway and backed in.  The driveway seemed to be gone.  Grass and plants and leaves almost completely covered it. But in I went.  Susan had the barn doors open.  The tractor was in the barn, it started right up and it got moved and the coach was backed into the barn. It took about an hour and a half to unload the refrigerator and freezer, bring in all of the extra food, bring in all of our clothes and toys and be back. Move from one house to another.

We both are glad to be home but wish we had stayed longer especially in Oregon and the Tetons. Some of our reservations were made almost a year ago and others last March. These high demand places take some planning.  We usually try to keep things as flexible as we can.

Where to next?  Indiana.  We leave on 10/11 for Columbus where more that 100 Foretravel coaches will gather at CERAland campground right next to the Cummins engine factory. It will be fun to meet many of those we have come to know on the Foretravel Forum and many that we already know, attend technical seminars, get a tour of the Cummins factory and hear from Foretravel executives about plans for the future. And there will be lots of show and tell as well.  

More later.

Roger and Susan.

Adrian, MN

Our last stop before home.  

We were thinking about Blue Mound State Park just north of Luverne. This is a very nice park that we have been to several times. There was some severe flooding that damaged one of the two dams in the park in June, 2014.  These dams were built by the CCC in the 30s. So it would have been interesting to see what happened.  And Blue Mound is home to one of the biggest bison herds in the state, over 100 on one of the largest native prairie ranges left in the state. But we didn't have a current park sticker for either the coach ot the Jeep and there is a water alert (something wrong with the water supply) in the park so there is no water.  A bit of searching using our Allstays RV and Camp app and we quickly located a city park in Adrian only 10 miles or so past Luverne.

Adrian is a small town, about 1200 people.  But they have a big city campground in a park area with softball diamonds, soccer fields, a swimming pool, a frisbee golf course and a big play ground.  There are over 100 camp sites.  Full hookups were about $26.  We just wanted 30 amp connection over night for $22.  A very nice campground, grass sites, showers, lots of shade.  Great for overnight. They also had weekly, monthly and seasonal rates.

I forgot to take a picture.

So our last leg will east on 90 to Rochester and then north on 52 to Hastings.  The routing things on the computers say 3 hours and 45 min.  We add 20% to get 4-1/2 hours.  Much more likely time for us.

We don't think too much about getting home until we are on our last leg.  We get were we get to. But now we are ready to get home, do what needs to be done.  Apples need picking, yard probably needs to be mowed after two months and there are the mail piles, 80% goes straight to recycling.

But we have to get there first.  Task at hand sort-of-thing.

More later.

Roger and Susan.

Big Bend Dam Corp of Engineers Campground

We left the Devils Tower National Monument after two nights. It rained a bit overnight. We went up over the top of the Black Hills into South Dakota and then down towards Rapid City and then east. It started raining again, the wind was blowing from the north at 20-30 mph.  We had to stop at one point because one of the awnings was trying to unwind in the wind.  We pulled into a gas station parking lot where there was another coach there with the same problem. We added a couple of ropes to hold the awning in place.  It was fine. So it just poured and blew all the way across the wasteland. This has to be the most boring drive we have ever done.

We got all the way to the Missouri River just up stream from Chamberlain where the Big Bend Dam holds back the river making Lake Sharp and makes electricity. There is a nice Army Corps of Engineers campground there.  Water and electric, $9 with the geezer pass.  These are great places to stay. This is clearly a fishing campground.  It is on the tailrace of the power plant.  This is where the water comes out of the turbines.  Lots of swirling water, lots of boats, apparently lots of fish.

It was still raining when we got there and slowly stopped while we got set up so we got a walk in.

In the morning the sun was out and we headed for Adrain, Minnesota.  Another four or five hours across exciting South Dakota except the wind was coming from the south.

More later.

Roger and Susan

Will There Be Mashed Potatoes?

The drive across Wyoming was interesting, diverse and engaging.  Things to look at, wonder about, ask questions and postulate answers. From Caspar we headed north east towards Gillette and then a bit east to the first National Monument in America, Devils Tower.  Yes, there is no apostrophe.  Whether left out on purpose or accident it is as the act of Congress declared it to be.

Just as Richard Dreyfus imagined it, it looks like a giant pile of mashed potatoes formed with a fork.  More than 1,500 ft high. In fact, it is a highly regarded sacred place by many Native American people.

We stayed at the campground in the park, $9 a night with our geezer pass, nice.

Very quiet, lots of RVs and tent campers.  

The Tower is an old volcano core which filled with molten lava and then cooled.  As it cooled the lava cracked and formed hexagonal columns which are the vertical columns you can see.  Most of these are 10 feet across on each side or more. In the middle of this picture there are two climbers decending this side of the tower, the more difficult to climb. Permits are required and nothing can be left behind. When we first saw them they were standing on the top of column to their right about 80 ft above where they are now.

When the core filled with lava and cooled it was more than a mile and a half under ground.  All of this happened before the Tetons were formed. Ancient rivers, several ice ages and weather wore away at the landscape until after millions of years this is what is left.

The base of the tower is surrounded by the rubble field.

Many of these fallen rocks are sections of columns much bigger than a city bus.

Here is another climber.  I took this with my iPhone at maximum zoom through a binocular device visitors were using to look up at the Tower.  It took a bit of adjusting until everything was aligned and then I took the picture.  Pretty amazing.

Same thing with the iPhone with no zoom just the binoculars.

We baked one last loaf of bread.  Amazing how it came out.

Ponderosa pines and oak trees were all around.

Just to the right of the green fields below is where the landing site in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" was filmed.  At that time there was nothing there. The land owner rented the land to the movie company and with the money he opened a KOA and gift stores right near where the entrance to the Monument is today.  Lots of alien references. Only eleven minutes of actual local scenes were in the movie.  Everything else was on built up sets.

We had thought about going to the Buffalo Roundup at Custer State Park but it is a week away and we just don't think there is enough draw in the Black Hills for a week.  So we will get to the buffalo roundup another day.

A few more days to get home.  There is the vast wasteland of South Dakota to cross.  A Corp of Enginners Campground at Big Bend Dam looks like our next stop.

A bit more later.

Roger and Susan

Colter Bay, 9/3-9/15/2015 #8, Time to Head East

We have really enjoyed our time here in Colter Bay, Grand Teton National Park, The National Elk Refuge and Yellowstone National Park.  There is so much to do and see that two weeks is hardly enough.

In 1980 when we were here we arrived in the Tetons just before July 4th.  Our friend, Roger Henry, flew to Billings, MT, rented a car and came down and stayed with us for week. That was a very busy week. We stayed at Jenny Lake in our small Class B (big van camper). Today the Jenny Lake Campground is tents only. We went on a horseback ride around one end of the lake, up Cascade Canyon towards Lake Solitude. This was an epic horseback ride. Not just an hour sissy trail ride but an all day up really steep, rugged mountain trails kind of ride. And it was raining. It was raining when we got to the stables in the morning. Ponchos on. And it rained every step of the way up the mountain until we couldn't go further because there was several feet of snow covering the trail and the guide didn't want the horses to go through the snow.

We stopped there for lunch in the rain and several folks including Roger Henry walked some distance through the snow only to find Lake Solitude still covered in ice.

It gets worse. It was still raining, drizzling perhaps but by this time we were wet and cold. The ponchos had long ago given up on their job.  Rain ran down the back of the poncho, down our backs, down on the saddles down our pants. Everything was wet. And we had maybe 10 miles to go, straight down.

The back end of the saddle has a raised rim to keep you from sliding back.  Going downhill you lean back to stay vertical.  Wet everything, constant back and forth, constant contact.  Maybe you get the idea.  We were sore, tired, cold, hungry and rubbed raw from wet jeans rubbing on a wet saddle of several hours.  Imagine a cheese grater.

What a memorable trip. We have scars to prove it.

There is no longer horse back riding at Jenny Lake.

And then the three of of went us to Yellowstone to finish out the week.  Roger went out on some long solo hike to prove that he was not a tempting grizzley bear snack. We nursed our wounds.

By the time we left Yellowstone six weeks had past. We changed campgrounds several times and had a really good time.  We had our dog, Xenia, with us.  She was a 65 lb Malamute. Best dog ever.  We think back on that time and while we were glad she was with us we realize now that there were things we didn't do because she was. We could leave her in the camper for quite a while but not all day.  Today as then you can't take your dog on any trails. And today it is even more restricted, you cannot leave your dog unattended in your car or RV. 

So finally it was time to leave the Tetons.

It was supposed to rain so we packed everything up the night before.  And it did rain pretty much all night.  Just a  steady gentle rain.  It got down into the 40s.  We were heading east through Togwotee Pass at 9,700 feet. I was concerned about snow or freezing rain.  The next night was supposed to be in the 30s so we were going to go.

The highway was almost deserted going east from the Tetons.  It was a good road, two lanes most of the time, plenty of passing lanes.  Most of the grades were 6% or so so we had no trouble just climbing up over the pass.  The rain had stopped about half way up the pass and once over the pass the clouds broke up and we had a very pleasant drive east towards Camp WalMart in Caspar.

This part of Wyoming is very scenic, lots to look at, big rolling hills, trees.  The Medicine Bow mountains are off to the south.  This would be a good route coming back.

More later,

Roger and Susan

Colter Bay, 9/3-9/15/2015 #7, Snake River Access, Jenny Lake

Schwabacher Road gets you down to a side channel of the Snake River.  Another one of these dirt roads on which most people don't want to get their cars dirty. But when you get to the end of the dirt road there is a small parking area near where Schwabacher's homestead was. There was river access through the channels out to the Snake.  Not something used by anyone other than fishing folk now.  No boats.

It is down there near the trees.  Don't you just want to sit there and marvel at what is right in front of you?  What a spectacular place to be. Two weeks was barely long enought to begin to discover all of the treasures.

The primary user of this bit of Snake River side channel are beavers and ducks. We walked up the river and saw a series of dams each bigger than the downstream one holding back bigger and bigger ponds. 

Perfect time of day, good light, almost no breeze.

We didn't see the beavers but there were three beaver lodges.  This was an amazing place. Quiet and peaceful, water running throught little openings in the dams, huge effort by the beavers to create this ecosystem and then the reflections in the ponds of the Tetons just in front of you.

On the other side of the Snake River closer to the Grand Teton is Jenny Lake.  This is the closest destination in the park to Jackson and therefore the busiest part as well.  Jenny Lake is another lake in the fault line between the valley and the Tetons filled by melting glaciers.  It is not very big, maybe a mile across and two long.  On the far side of Jenny Lake the Grand Teton just emerges from the lake. There are no foot hills, just mountain.

A small harbor to the right in the picture above has canoes, kayaks and small motor boats for rent.  There is also a boat shuttle to the far side of the lake which cuts off about four and a half miles from the hike up Cascade Canyon to the Hidden Falls.  They have four forty passenger boats. One leaves this side every fifteen minutes.  One leaves the other side every fifteen minutes.  It takes about seven minutes to cross and eight minutes to load.  The boats are pretty much full all the time.  320 people an hour all going up a steep narrow trail to Hidden Falls and the other 320 people coming down.  Some walk around the lake instead of riding the boat.

Just a bit too crowded for our liking.  There are other places to "get back to nature" without a tour bus full of people with selfie sticks.

But across Jenny Lake the Grand Teton looms large.

And of course there is a Gift Store.

Where we found another patch to add to our collection.  We now have about 40 from places we have been stuck to the fabric window valances in the coach.

We do OK without a selfie stick.

Another great day in the Tetons.

More later.

Roger and Susan