Traveler Sam

October 8, 2007 Monday

Sunday, morning we left Durango and arrived at Tucumcari, NM without incident.  We stayed at the Mountain Road RV Park and left this morning about 9:30 a.m.  We have arrived again without incident at El Reno, OK at Best Western Hensleys RV Park.  It is just west of Oklahoma City, OK. 

We have seen lots of land and more land and more land, some oil wells, some cows, and more land.  And once we were in Oklahoma, we saw more land and some more oil wells, and some trees, and some Indian stuff.

Now we fixing to go eat, but are parked near a Denny's just in case we need a snack.  We may attempt to find Route 66 from here.  Will let you know more later.

love you all,

the travelers

October 6, 2007

I forgot to say that we saw a bear the last day we toured Yellowstone.  Sarah could have touched him IF she had reached out the window.  We have pictures.

Anyway, Canyonlands by Night was great.  Someone had a great idea to combine history and imagination for a great tour.  Then we toured Arches National Park and Dead Horse Point.  We stayed at Moab Valley RV Park those 2 nights.

We left Moab about 10 and got to Durango about 3 pm.  We stopped at Hole in the Rock for a quick visit.  It is a very unique place.  And we signed up for the narrow gauge train for Saturday.  We are staying at Walmart.  I know some of you think we live there anyway.  But, the train trip was great.  We got up early and left Durango on the train at 9 a.m.   The fall colors were beautiful.  I want to know if aspen trees will grow in Tennessee. We have pretty colors but the Aspen trees are more vivid yellow. 

We plan to leave Durango tomorrow and see how far we get.  Will post more later.

Love you all,

The travelers

October 3, 2007

Ok, where do I start…..  On Saturday, September 29 I left Hohenwald at 7:30 am to get to the airport at Nashville for 9:30.  My flight was to leave at 11:30 going to Minneapolis.  Well, we got to the airport at 9 am.   Donald and Nicole let me out at the front.  To check my bag all the way to Bozeman I had to take it inside or pick it up at Seattle and recheck it.   I took it inside, this turned out to be the calmest part of the day.  Due to weather delays in Minneapolis the flight didn’t leave Nashville till 12:20 pm.   Finally, we got to Minneapolis.  The layover that I thought would be the longest was only about an hour.  On a much bigger plane and I was on my way again.  That flight lasted about 4 hours.  When I got to Seattle, THREE shuttle trains later, I got to the gate for the flight on Alaska Air to Bozeman.  I RUSHED to get to it.  If I had to pick up my bags and then get to the plane, I would have been in trouble.    I called Sarah to tell her I should be there in about an hour.  Then, GUESS WHAT!!!  I get on the TINY plane by going outside on the tarmac.  And it is cold and wet.  The plane backs away from the gate about 8 or 10 feet and pulls back up.  The pilot announces that there is a door open.  Later we find out someone FORGOT TO UNPLUG THE PLANE!!!!   The pilot had no idea whether we would get on another plane or not.  Back on the tarmac and up the stairs to the gate.  They arranged another plane at yet another gate.  I called Sarah back and said I’d be there when they got me there. Down more stairs, and outside again on the tarmac and one another tiny plane.  Different pilot, same flight crew.  About the time I should have been in Bozeman, I left Seattle.  It was funny, how the flight attendants said, “I know I just said all this about the emergency exits but the FAA says we have to do it again.”  In about an hour, I was there.  Sarah was about the only soul at the airport.  I think it was about 1 in the morning on Sunday.  We claimed my one bag and headed out to our hotel at Livingston.   I believe we got in the bed about 2 am.  The next morning we headed for YNP.  We stopped at a few things between the hotel and YNP but were on track to get the RV moved to Grizzly Park at West Yellowstone before nightfall.  We got to Grizzly Bear campground and got set up.  I wasn’t much help.  But I was willing.

That afternoon we went back into the park and saw Old Faithful.  The weather was cold but not unbearable.  Stopped at lots of attractions, saw lots of animals. We crashed at the RV and ate leftovers from the employee party that Sarah missed because of me.   Her friend Debi from  the cafeteria left us steaks with baked potatoes complete with sour cream and bacon bits.    Monday we hit the park again, and froze to death.  In and out of the jeep and up and down paths to see beautiful scenery and waterfalls and animals. I bought a fleece jacket to wear.  I’m telling you it was COLD,  even for Tennessee.  But we went all the way around YNP.  We were moving.  When you are cold, you can move. 

Tuesday morning brought snow and ice to West Yellowstone and Sarah got anxious.  I think we were going to do something else but the snow got Sarah in a hurry.  It really wasn’t that much snow.  But being from Louisiana , it would be a lot of snow.  So we got the oil changed in the RV and headed out to what Sarah said was the way she and Sandi came in to West Yellowstone.  But it wasn’t….  After we figured it out and got turned around (you’ll have to ask Sarah about turning around), we were actually headed south.  After a while , a big chunk of ice/snow came off the top of the RV.  We were lucky, it didn’t hit the Jeep or the car behind us.  Way on down the road we got to Ogden and were going to stay at the RV Park she and Sandi stayed in on the way up.  BUT the exit was closed.  So, we went on down to find a walmart that the map said was there.  After trying to find NOT one but two walmarts, we gave up and checked in to a pet-friendly LaQuinta.  Peanut got to stay too.  This morning was uneventful.  We had to unhook the Jeep at LaQuinta to get turned around but that was OK.  It was not freezing and we arrived at The Moab Valley RV Park about 2p.m.

Love you all, Donna Jo

PS  Went to see CanyonLand by Night but will tell more about that next time.

SUNDAY – SEPT. 23^rd

Guess what I did yesterday, I had snow in my hand.  We went over the Beartooth Mountain and there were patches of snow everywhere.  The drive was awesome you go back and forth and up and up with turns that send you in the opposite directions.  The Aspen are turning gold and yellow and then you get above the tree line. Wait till you see the pictures.  There were lakes that I know freeze over in the winter.  They have sticks on each side of the road around here that are about 5 ft. tall to mark the road when it snows.  People ride snow mobiles on the roads.  Well on Beartooth they have sticks also but they are about 15 ft high. The altitude on top is 9000 ft.  The town we went to is Red Lodge, a tourist town but very cute. We ate at the Humphrey Bogart Restaurant don’t know why it was named that but the food was good. Lots of shops, antiques, and art museums.   

Well today I washed the motor home and cleaned the windows.  There was a chance of snow here today and I could see the storm coming up the valley so I washed as quickly as I could, but no snow yet it just rained.  Started cleaning inside, I will be ready come Saturday. I pick Donna Jo up Saturday night her plane comes in about 10:30.  We will spend Saturday night in Livingston.  You don’t want to drive in the park at night.  Sunday we will move to West Yellowstone to The Grizzly RV Park, it is the same one Sandi and I were in when we came up here. We may have time to tour the park that afternoon.  Monday, Oct. 1^st. I will have the motor home serviced while we see the rest of the park. After that, who knows.

Monday morning it snowed.

See ya’ll soon, Love Sarah

SEPTEMBER 18,2007

JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW EVERYTHING IS GOING GOOD.  WENT TO JACKSON HOLE SATURDAY, WONDERFUL.  I STOPPED SO MANY TIMES TO TAKE PICTURES IT TOOK ME FOUR HOURS TO GO 100 MILES.  THE ASPEN TREES ARE TURNING GOLD/YELLOW.  I LOVED JACKSON HOLE, THE MILLION DOLLAR COWBOY BAR WAS SO INTERESTING, SHOPS AND MUSEUMS.  YOU WILL HAVE TO SEE THE PICTURES.  JERRY AND I ARE GOING OVER THE BEARTOOTH MOUNTAIN SATURDAY.  I WAS AFRAID TO DRIVE IT MYSELF.  THE WEATHER IS GOOD 70 DAY AND 34 MORNINGS.  WELL IT WANT BE LONG.  THERE IS SO MUCH I WANT TO SHOW DONNA JO I HOPE SHE HAS ENOUNGH TIME OFF.  LOVE SARAH

Sunday, September 09, 2007

LSU WON AGAIN !!!!!!

Not much going on.  I had the Jeep serviced Friday, ready to start home.  I cranked the motor home and the generator, everything looks good.  I rode around the lower part of the park but I didn’t go on to Jackson Hole, it got too late.  I am going though.  Thanks for the tips JoHannah.  I was wondering about Howard, how is he and where is he?   I hate to tell all of you about the weather but there is a chance of rain with snow showers.   YES SNOW.  I had put Marcia’s electric heater away but I think I will be getting it back out. Today is has not gotten over 40 degrees.  My work has gotten a lot easier .  I have to look for something to do to get my hours. I am looking forward to Donna Jo coming and starting home.  Love Ya’ll Sarah

SUNDAY, AUGUST 12, 2007

Hello everyone, I have been lucky to get on the internet.  I want to tell you about our stagecoach ride.  Just before time to leave it came a wind storm, I guess that is what you call it, the wind was terrible.  I had never thought about having to lower the TV dish but everyone else was so I did also.  We went on to the Roosevelt Corral and the weather moved around them there.  Made it cool I WORE A JACKET.  Loaded on wagons pulled by Belgian draft horses there was nine wagons each held about 20 people.  You got a little history from your wagon driver about the valley we were traveling.  Went out to a beautiful spot.  They had a campfire built with several coffee pots with what they called Cowboy Coffee.  Of course I had to try some; I told the ones with me that it was Ruby coffee.  She would say if you could see be bottom of the cup it wasn’t worth drinking.  This coffee was that strong.  Had ribeye steaks,  corn, beans, potatoe salad, cole slaw and what they call cornbread (cake) and a desert.  Very good steaks.  We were serenaded by a guy who sounded like Eddie Arnold.  Sang songs by The Sons of the Pioneers,  western songs for you that don’t know who I am talking about.   It was a great experience.  

Today I rode over to Cooke City for lunch.  You have to go through Lamar Valley, a beautiful place.  There are 100’s of buffalos, well one dead one, sorry about that,  and a Grizzly Bear was feeding on it, everyone was there to get pictures.  I hope mine are good he was kind of close to the road. 

I hate (ha ha) to rub it in but it has started getting cool a night now so I think the weather is changing.   In the 40’s at night and the high 80s in the day.

I want everyone to know Donna Jo is flying up here to ride back and I am thrilled.  Planning a new route back home. 

This was in our last check:

CHRISTMAS IS COMING

Its 18 days before Christmas and all through the Tower Falls Store, Its time to start thinking about Christmas (August 25^th) once more.

The tradition got started in the late eighteen hundreds they say, when an old stagecoach at Yellowstone Hotel  got snowed in that day.

The people didn’t know quite what to do, so they celebrated Christmas and had a party or two.  The snow cleared away the very next day, so they packed up the stage and got under way.

Its been over a hundred years since that cold wintery day, but by tradition in all the national parks, we celebrate Christmas the very same way.

We are having a party tomorrow night so the Chinese students can decorate the tree.  Love [s1] Sarah