Day 13: Zion National Park

Friday June 24 

We pack up and leave mid morning for Zion National Park, about 50 miles south of Cedar City, Utah.  We have done research and figure it best to park in Springdale (the city right outside the park) and take a town shuttle into the visitor’s center.  From there it is best to take a park shuttle around the park.  Most of the park is only accessible by the shuttle anyways.   

Temple of Sinawava

We pack all our water and some snacks into a (heavy) backpack.  Thankfully the girls each have their own fanny pack with water bottle to carry.  We visit the visitor’s center where Isabella gets her passbook stamped (Lexi seems to have lost hers somewhere between here and Arches) and we get a map of the park.  Again the park ranger gives us a rundown of must see places in the park.  We hop onto the park shuttle (they run ever 6 minutes or so) and ride the entire way to the end, getting off at Temple of Sinawava.  Here we hike the Riverside Walk in hopes of seeing The Narrows.  This is where the canyon walls are only about 20 feet apart.  It's about 98 degrees, and the heat is getting to Isabella and myself, so we find a shady spot with a rock for Isabella to climb.  Scott and Lexi continue on.  Upon their return, Lexi is so excited that a squirrel was about a foot from her but Scott is disappointed that they didn’t see the narrows (due to high water in the Virgin River).  They did see some great viewpoints of the Virgin River.  We head back to the shuttle stop and spot a deer eating grass about 10 feet from the main path.  I am shocked that it is not afraid by the people and sounds around it. 

Weeping Rock

We stop at Weeping Rock and climb the short but steep path up.  Once up, the rocks above us spit water over us.  It is very refreshing and we sit in the shade of a cave for awhile.  We get back on the shuttle and ride  to the Lodge where we get a nice cold refreshing ice cream.  The ride  back down the canyon reminds us how beautiful the area is and we are amazed at how much vegetation there is.  At one point Isabella describes it as a rain forest.  There truly is lots of green here. 

Once outside of the park we stop at a local rock and mineral store (it was so convenient of Scott to park right across the street from this store).  We pick out a few local specimens for Dad after talking to the manager.  He pointed out many rocks that are only found in the Utah area; denderite, honeycomb citrate (a bright yellow color), wonderstone  (a rhyolite), tiffany stone (an opal fluorite which hasn’t had new discoveries in 5 years), dinosaur bones, trilobite fossils.  The girls really want to use the sluiceway to find minerals in a bag of soil but it was $20 per jar of dirt, and time to hit the road.  We spent about an hour in this store and I couldn’t believe the unique pieces.  My geology background is loving this trip. 

Day 12: Moab to Cedar City Utah

Thursday June 23 

San Rafael Swell

We leave Moab around 10:45 am with already warm temperatures.  Driving west along I-70, I notice the change in colors of the rocks.  We are leaving the bright red soil for light green/ tans.  We ascend the San Rafael Reef and truck alarms are going off everywhere.  Engine oil temp, coolant temp, and transmission temp are all higher than they've been before (but still within the safe zone -- alarms are intentionally set on the low side).  Tire temperatures are getting up there too, but tire pressure is still ok.  We stop to admire the view and let everything cool down a bit and bump up the thresholds on the temperature alarms.  Scott did an incredible job getting us ready for the trip (adding an Edge Insight monitor package and TST tire pressure monitor for all 10 wheels) and all these alarms are helping us prevent mishaps along the way.  We spot several vehicles along the way that have to be towed and am glad it is not us.  If your truck is at all marginal, this road will kill it.  We aren't done climbing yet:  We ride the San Rafael Swell and stop at Ghost Rock for some pictures and learn that outlaws used to hide in the canyon valleys.  Some of the rocks are now almost totally white, hence the name Ghost Rock.

We finally turn and head south towards Las Vegas on I-15.  We pull into the KOA campground in Cedar City around 5:30 pm when temperatures are about 96 degrees.  This campground is on a major highway but has the most roomy sites of any we’ve been to so far.  We set up and realize that it is getting so much quicker to unhook and set up after we’ve been doing it for awhile.  The girls are anxious to help (for the first time) since we have guaranteed them a trip to the pool later if they help.  While the temperatures are warm, there is a nice breeze blowing and we enjoy a great dinner outdoor.  Later we all go to the pool and then play a game of states and capital sequence.  It is amazing to hear both girls talk about the states now.

Click for GPS Track

Day 11: Arches National Park

Wednesday June 22

Balanced Rock

The weather forecast is for a high of 96 and we thought it was hot yesterday with mid 80’s.  We pack a picnic lunch and lots of extra water.  We enter Arches National Park and stop at the Visitor’s Center and get maps and a general idea of where to go from a park ranger.  We have found that works well and they highlight the park for us.  We start our ascent into Arches NP and I am surprised that Scott is still driving but he seems fine with it.  We come to several small points along the way; the organ, courthouse towers, sheep rock, and Tower of Babel and find them spectacular.  Our first big stop  is  Balanced Rock.  We hike right up to the rock and it’s incredibly huge.  Hard to believe weather and erosion will someday destroy this beautiful feature.  It is basically a ball of rock sitting on top a  rock cylinder.  We can see the Windows section of the park from here, where there are big circles cut out of the rock. 

Double Arch

We drive into the Windows section and hike into the Double Arch.  This is absolutely breathtaking with 2 arches right next to each other.  We walk into the arch and sit in the shade for awhile.  It is becoming more hot as the day progresses and not much chance to get out of the sun.  We have lunch here in the truck with the AC running.  We drive on to Delicate Arch, one of the more famous arches in the park.  This is such a delicate piece since it has such a narrow piece holding up the arch.  We walk to the look out point and see the arch.  Just down the road is Wolfe Ranch where John Wesley Wolfe settled the area in the late 1800s.  It is composed of 2 old ranch buildings- a root cellar  partially buried in the ground.  The newer building is from 1906.  There is a small corral for cattle along the small creek of water.  Hard to believe that people could live here in the middle of the dessert canyon with so little water, no electricity and no communications. 

I am excited to see the petroglyphs here at Wolfe Ranch.  I had bought a postcard showing the petroglyphs in hopes that we can see them.  It is basically art pecked into the rocks.  This group of art work is dated after the 1700 because of the reference made to horses which were introduced by the Spaniards around 1700.  It is believed these petroglyphs were written by the Ute Indians.  The most spectacular panel of art  is showing sheep and men riding horses.  It is so cool to see such a part of our history.

We drive to the rest of the park, passing Skyline Arch in the caves to the right.  We stop and refill water bottles at Devils’ Garden Trailhead.  We have gone through 8 water bottles and thankfully Scott is keeping a 5 gallon jug of water in the truck just for times like this.  We reapply sunscreen and take off to  find more arches.  We don’t walk far enough to see Landscape Arch but do see Tunnel Arch.  The girls have had it at this point and are ready to be done hiking and the heat.  We head back down to the visitor’s center for the one and only bathroom trip of the day. 

From here we head to Potash Road to check out some more petroglyphs and find some dinosaur tracks.  We easily spot the first set of petroglyphs along the side of a rock cliff following the road.  There are a ton of doll cutouts and other animals.  We drive to the next viewing area but can not find the bear in the rock.  Another mile leads us to the dinosaur tracks.  In a stone set on the side of the cliff are three toed Allosaurus dinosaur tracks.  I am amazed that they are as small as they are but we are viewing history regardless.  There is more Indian Art here as well.  We continue on to find the last of the petroglyphs next to an arch.  It took us awhile to find Jug Handle Arch but we finally do (after driving down a very rough dirt road for a few miles).  The area is posted as a bighorn sheep lambing area but unfortunately we do not see any sheep.  The Jug Handle Arch looks just like the handle to a gallon of milk.

It is still about 95 degrees when we arrive back at the campground for dinner around 7pm.  Driving through Moab we notice how quiet the streets are.  What few people are there tend to be older.  We expect most people are still out exploring and will come into town later when the sun sets, around 8:45pm.  We drove through town the night before about 9pm and it was a very busy place at that time of day. 

Day 10: Dead Horse State Park & Canyonlands NP

Horse Shape in White at Dead Horse Point State Park

Tuesday June 21 

We needed a quiet morning.  We slept in a little and the girls and Scott made oatmeal for breakfast.  The girls and I cleaned the box that has been accumulating stuff in the truck and made more room for the necessities; maps, movies, coats, etc.  We head to Moab and get groceries.  After lunch we take a long drive to Dead Horse Point State Park and then to nearby Canyonlands National Park.  Nothing's a straight shot; the roads navigate around canyons.  The weather was warm and sunny- think that is what the dessert gets here all the time.  It was actually cold during the night without the AC on but it has warmed up to about mid 80s.  There is just no way to get out of the sun so the 80s feel a lot hotter.

Dead Horse State Park is gorgeous and we walked around the look out.  This is where American Indians drove horses and then corralled them to be captured.  Legend has it that one year they took the best horses and left the rest for too long on the point, where they died of thirst.  Another legend says some jumped to their death, hoping to get to the Colorado River that runs below.  Down near the river, the white layer of rock at the lower canyon rim (aptly named white rim) looks just like a big white horse on the ground below.  The biggest problem of the day were the bugs that were everywhere.  We noticed it seemed to be raining on our windshield but it was bug guts- gnats to be exact.  Later on the mosquitos came out at dusk. 

We saw several cactus plants that were in blossom along with other kinds of flowers.  The sand and rock is so red.  Looking down into the fields below we see a bright blue area which we overheard is Potash mining for fertilizers.  The color is so bright, it really sticks out with all the neutral colors of the surroundings. 

We drove on to Canyonlands National Park which is only a few miles from Dead Horse Point.  Unfortunately we arrived right at 6 pm as they are closing the visitor center.  We got maps and brochures and decided to continue on.  Canyonlands is actually made up of three major areas:  Island in the Sky (the big mesa where we were), the Needles, and Mazes.  Due to the canyons you can't easily go from one area to the next -- to get to the Needles we'd have to drive the 35 miles back into Moab and then another 75 miles to the Needles visitor center. 

We saw more canyons, plains, domes and buttes.  The Colorado River and Green River are visible from some of the outlooks.  Most of our time is spent at Island in the Sky.

Mesa Arch

Just at sunset, we walk the ½ mile round trip to view the only arch within the park, Mesa Arch.  It is an easy walk but we soon discover the mosquitos.  The arch is absolutely gorgeous and frames the canyon so well.  We are hoping to see more of the arches tomorrow as we tour Arches National Park.  We don’t get to the Needles section of the park as it's too late in the day to make the drive.  We do however see the Needles from one of the outlook areas.

Day 9: Straussburg CO to Moab UT

Monday June 20

We are on the road again, this time to Utah. Again we are traveling Rt 70 West. We pass by Denver and again we are struck by the magnitude of the mountains here. Each turn shows a new view and while its raining yet again on a travel day, it is gorgeous. We run into snow around the Eisenhower/Johnson Tunnel. This is a 1.6 mile tunnel through the mountain. Thankfully Scott is driving and deals with the steep grade coming out of the tunnel. There is a lot more snow on the western side of the tunnel as well. Looks like a good 2-3 inches of snow fell overnight. The views of the mountains with the snow cover is beautiful and it has pretty much stopped raining. The temperature gets down to 36 at one point.

We drive by Vail and other great ski areas and can see the resorts off the highway. The highway is following the Eagle River which eventually meets up with the Colorado River. Boy is it impressive. It is flowing very fast and is very flooded. As we move more and more west, the mountains tend to change in colors. We go through a period where the rocks are bright red and more dessertlike. I feel like we are approaching what I think Utah will look like. But with everything here, it goes back to being the rocky mountains. Now the rocky is gone and the Mtns. appear more sandy and seems to support some vegetation. There is no more snow anywhere to be seen and we are nearing 70 temperatures. It has been a chilly morning for sure.

Roadside Scenery

Colorado has numerous resort towns along Rt 70 with exits every 3-4 miles and varying gas and food choices. Without warning we hit the Utah border and there are no exits in site. All the rest areas are “no service” and we are running low on fuel. At the same time, we experience high pressure in one of the trailer tires. Scott thinks it is due to me driving too fast so we switch drivers and the psi immediately spikes to 88 and he pulls over to let out more air. From then on the tires seem fine but we have less than 75 miles of gas. Utah is completely deserted and barren looking, although gorgeous scenery.

Entering Utah!

We finally get fuel and turn onto US 191. Immediately we start to spot prairie dogs in the dirt. Scott and I spot them first and then eventually the kids each see at least one. Most of them are standing on hind quarters sticking up out of their holes. We pull into the KOA campground about 10 miles beyond Arches National Park and get to our site. With not much food and time, we decide to hit the Moab Brewery for dinner. Very disappointing; the food wasn’t very flavorful and the beer selection was bad. Two beers were sold out and 2 others were having issues with the kegs. But we had dinner and stopped for milk for breakfast. On the way home, sure enough in front of the camper we spotted a rabbit. Hard to believe we would find rabbits in the desert.

Day 8: Estes Park / Rocky Mountain National Park

Sunday June 19

We have been on the road for a week. It is Father’s Day so we are letting Scott decide what we do for the day. It is supposed to rain some and it’s about 70. We head to Estes Park, which is a town at the base of the Rocky Mountain National Park. It reminds me of North Conway but about 10 times larger. Wish we had some time to explore the shops along the highway. We stop at the Visitor’s Center and get information on the mountains. There's a winter storm warning (yes, Winter is still here!) and they recommend anyone wanting to go to Alpine Visitor Center or Continental Divide to hurry on through before the weather above treeline turns bad. There are big horn sheep spotted along the way but not at the salt licks where we first stop. We pull over and look but only see elk. At this point, I start driving. We decide to take the Trail Ridge Rd as far as we can. It is the most spectacular scenery I have ever seen but also nerve wracking to be driving. I hug the middle of the road and don’t look down. In many spots the road drops off thousands of feet!

Isabella and Alexandria in Heavy Snow Pack

Trail Ridge Road, ~11000 ft.

We stop at what Scott believes to be the Alpine Visitor Center but it turns out to just be a rest area and scenic pulloff. As I am walking with the girls, I feel funny but figure it is just time for lunch. We pull out sandwiches and eat them. We continue further up the mountain, coming quickly to the snow line. The snow banks along the side of the road are taller than the camper. A lone snowman sits atop an opening. The hairpin turns/curves are getting more frequent and I am getting anxious to just get to Alpine Visitor’s Center (the national park visitor center at the highest elevation in the country). We walk slowly to the center since we are all feeling the affects of altitude sickness at this point. We had turned the radio to the park service radio and discovered the headaches, nausea and shortness of breath were all related to our elevation. We are at 11, 796 feet above sea level at the Alpine Visitor Center, although the truck has read higher elevations along the way. The best way to treat the sickness is to drink water and decrease altitude.

It is with regret that we have to turn back down Trail Ridge Rd without making it to the Continental Divide. It was much more harrowing coming down in spots and making sure the truck brakes did not fail us. It took a long time before we felt totally back to normal coming down the mountain. The truck air pressure sensor read 8.7 psi whereas it is normally around 14.7 at sea level. Scott did surprise me and drove part of the way back down. As we were starting down the Trail Ridge Rd we spotted what looked like a woodchuck but later found out was a marmet. It crossed the road right in front of us and went into a group of rocks. Close to the base, we spotted some elk and stopped to take a picture. Drove into the Moraine Visitor Center right as they were closing so just beyond stopped at Beaver Meadow Visitor Center. The girls stamped their passports (#5 stamp for the day) and we bought a few things.

Driving back into Estes Park was a lot easier since traffic was light now. We stopped at Estes Park Brewery for dinner. Scott bought a t-shirt and a Grolier of IPA. Then back on to Strassburg for the night. In the distance we could see lightning around the Denver area. Thankfully there were no severe storms during the night. I got woken up by a train going by behind the campground and had a hard time going back to sleep. The convenience of the KOA campgrounds is nice but they are close to the railroad tracks. After the train, we got heavy rain. The outside temp was in the high 40's when we work up Mon am.

On the return trip to Strassburg, CO Scott looks up the toll system in CO. We had gone through tolls in the morning but never had to stop. Evidently they use an automatic system to take a picture of our license plate, and we will be getting a bill in the mail for our travels to the Rocky Mountains- about $9.00 for a little more than an hour of driving. We avoid the tolls on the return trip and catch a road that runs parallel to the highway and which is just as fast. If only we’d known ahead of time.

Click for GPS Track

Day 7: Salina KS to "Denver" CO

The view across the street from the Salina KS KOA

Saturday June 18

Woke up later than normal on Sat but quickly got packed and on our way to Denver.  Scott and I were very happy to leave Kansas and the storms.  I have always thought being a storm chaser would be cool but found it hard to think about keeping the family all safe while trying to see the storm.  During the storm I was told several times to shut the door.  We woke up to sunshine and mid 60’s.  We walked to the end of the campground to check out the wheat fields nearby before leaving.

Kansas is a very flat state with tons of crops.  Almost immediately we found a group of wind turbines along the highway.  Must have been 25 or so and they were very picturesque along the highway.  We watch these 25 or so turbines for probably 20 miles and once we pass the hills they are on, see there are hundreds more.   It is amazing to be able to see as far as the eye can see and it is all the same- crops.  Sometimes there is an irrigation system in the field or a farmhouse in the middle of the field.  We even saw oil pumps operating in the fields.  After a few hours of this, the ride became very monotonous. 

As I am writing this we are faced with the question of how to avoid the latest storm.  We stop at the Colorado Welcome center and browse the assortment of tourist brochures and come out to dark clouds.  There are 2 storms heading east and we are in the middle of them.  We decided to drive as planned, hoping the more southern storm really was moving more southeasterly.  Between the weather radio and radar summaries on Scott’s smartphone, we planned our moves.  At one point, we decide to cut north around Vona and leave the highway, driving into blue sky.  But we soon realize this might not be the best decision; the road is very narrow, deserted and soon turns to dirt.  We turn at a farm and head back to the highway.  Luckily this detour prevented us from getting the brunt of the storm (which dropped heavy hail and spawned a tornado).  By this time the storm is off to the south of the highway and things are looking up (esp since Isabella slept through most of this).  We notice during this the temperature has gone from low 80’s to low 50’s.

Along the side of the road in Limon, we spot what looks like snow along the road.  The drive to Strassburg (1/2 hour from Denver) looks very much like Kansas except we are gaining in elevation.  I notice that the vegetation starts to change after Limon and become cactus like.  Even the creeks are dried up and no visible signs of water.  We notice the speed limit has gone to 75 miles per hour (Kansas was 70mph) and there is a chain law and a pull off so you can put chains on your vehicles.

The KOA is very nice and again we are greeted by camping bunnies.  Think we all saw 3 bunnies within minutes of each other.  We are getting speedy at unhooking and soon have taco dinner cooking.  It is mid 70’s and sunny so we are able to eat dinner outside again.   

As we were eating dinner, a camper pulled in next to us, with all three of their roof vents destroyed by hail.  Scott talked to them, and found out they were on the same highway we were on, and were caught in the hail in Limon.  The snow we saw was actually hail:  ping-pong ball sized, 2 inches thick on the roads (they had to bring out the plow to clear the road!)  They had stopped along the road to make repairs.  Scott gave them our spare roof vent cover and helped them install it over the bed as heavy rain was predicted the next night. We really dodged a bullet -- had we kept going that could have been us.

After dinner the girls participate in throwing water balloons at a wagon ride through the camp.  They think that is a blast- throwing water at kids.  We visit the pool where we meet a mom and son from Salt Lake City who have done numerous road trips like we are doing.  She is excited to talk about where we should go in SLC and along the way.  The girls enjoy playing in the pool with the 13 year old son.

We've had enough thunderstorms for a while, and are glad to be leaving Kansas and get closer to the mountains.

Click for GPS Track

Day 6: St. Louis MO to Salina, KS

We left St Louis Friday morning around 8:50am.  The weather was sunny and 60’s.  We drove through to Salina, KS and arrived just before 6pm.  We only stopped 3 times along the way and that cut the time down a lot. We drove through heavy rain and thunderstorms just outside St. Louis.  It was very hard to see in front of the truck.  The temperature when we pulled into Salina was 93.   

The KOA campground is basically in the middle of a wheat field.  The campground is fairly small but has a pool and playground for the girls.  It is so much prettier than St Louis.  But it is HOT.  We cook dinner, run 3 loads of laundry.  The girls were in the pool when I noticed the lightning and ordered them out at 9pm.  Scott had taken off for Walmart so I put the grill under cover and tried to get a weather report- but he had the weather radio, large maps, etc.  Finally found a regional map and discovered we were in line for severe thunderstorms.  We had a very harrowing hour of nervousness.   

When Scott got back (he didn't make it to Walmart as the storm was too big) the wind and rain was starting.  By the time we realized the potential of the storm, it was too late to move to the rec hall.  So we pulled in the slides (to reduce the surface area exposed to wind) and the girls read on our bed.  Lexi was great at reading to Isabella to distract her while I folded laundry and tried to maintain a normal atmosphere for the girls.  Scott stayed glued to the tv, weather radio and computers, tracking the storm. It was a 60,000 foot tall supercell with 60 mph winds on the front end and extreme rains in the middle.  Fortunately only a small corner of the storm grazed us, sparing us the heavy wind and dumping a bunch of rain on us.  Wichita wasn't as lucky:  the storm hammered them with 60 mph winds, large hail, lightning, and heavy rain.

Finally the worst passed over us and we put the girls to bed.  It took Isabella a long time to go to sleep as she could still see the lightning (she hates thunderstorms).  The land was so flat, you could see the lightning hours later as it moved into new territory.  Scott and I finally went to bed around midnight, after making sure the girls were out and finding the code for the weather radio for Salina.  We were happy to not have any damage from the hail and torrential downpours.

Under Tornado Watch

At 3am, the weather radio woke us up with another severe thunderstorm warning for Salina.  After watching and listening, we chose to wake the girls and take shelter in the laundry room. With pillows and blankets in tow, we spent about an hour waiting out  the storm in the rec hall.  There was another family there who were tenting and told us the KOA staff came to their site earlier to tell them of the threat of storms and advised them to take shelter.  There were a few close booms of thunder and the lightning was intense but the storm quickly passed us, and we returned to the camper.  The girls quickly fell back asleep around 4am.  After the storm, it was a lot more windy and we turned off the AC so we could hear better.

Road ratings:

MO:  A-

KS:  A

Day 5: Exploring St. Louis

Thursday we went into St. Louis and after finding a place to park the beast, we went to the Gateway Arch.  Only cost $5 to park for the day (what a deal).  A lot of the larger vehicle parking was flooded so parking was limited.   

St Louis Arch

The Western Expansion Museum (at the Jefferson Expansion Monument) was incredible.  I have seen statues of people at museums before but these ones moved and the people talked.  It was really neat seeing the history of Lewis and Clark and how the Mississippi River helped with the movement West.  We took a tram up to the top of the Arch.  There were 8 trams and each fit 5 people.  The gentleman riding up with us said it felt like sitting in a washing machine and I agree.  But the trams were more roomy than I expected.  What a view from the top- we could see for miles (brochure says 30 on a clear day like it was today) and it was completely flat.  Could see the sports arena where the St. Louis Cardinals play.  We were ready to go back down the Arch when we were told the tram was stuck very close to the top.  They called up repair workers and we had to wait another 20-30 minutes to ride the 2^nd tram back down.  Later we heard rumors the people had been stuck for 2 hours.  We returned about 2 hours later and the fire dept was there and brought a park ranger out on a stretcher.  He had been one of the repairmen but we have no idea what happened to him.  The tram did not run the rest of the day.

Mississippi River Cruise

The delay in coming down the tram almost made us miss our ride on the Mississippi River.  We took a one hour boat ride on the river.  I really didn’t think we’d be able to ride the Mississippi because of flooding but we got lucky.  A ranger told us they were not sure if they would run the boats tomorrow because of the floods and by Sat they expected the docks to be under water!  Guess we were VERY lucky to have our boat ride.  The river was very brown and dirty and about a ½ mile wide at points.  It is so important to the economy of this area and it is clear that coal, shipping and industry is huge in this area.  It really is not pretty but a necessity, although downtown St Louis and the Arch areas were beautiful.  The streets were made of cobblestone and had tons of horse and buggy rides available.  Reminded me somewhat of Portsmouth- the narrow and old streets.

The weather was mid 80’s today and sunny.  It got very hot at times but for the most part we were in AC buildings.  We had dinner in downtown St. Louis at Hannegan’s Restaurant and Pub.  We ordered a portabella brushetta that was outstanding.  Isabella and I ran into a Food Market while Scott and Lexi ventured into Lowe’s for a part.  The grocery store was so disappointing and confusing.  The carriages required a quarter to release them from the chain.  Upon returning them to the chain, you got your quarter back.  Luckily I  had a quarter with me from a purchase that day because I usually don’t have change on me.  The choices were very limited and brands we had never heard of before.  There was a Walmart nearby but not advertised as a super Walmart, so no groceries there. 

It has been nice to set up here for 2 nights.  We actually found some time to relax.  The girls frequented the playground and the jumping pillow a bit at night.  We have 2 more long travel days and then we are staying in one area for awhile, which will be nice.  The girls are really happy and enjoying themselves.  They eagerly spent money today on trinkets for some of their friends showing the Arch.  Time is a precious thing, esp after getting set up or back from exploring for the day.  That is when we sit to email, make phone calls, clean up, etc.  I got 2 bags of laundry ready to go to the campground laundry tonight only to realize they closed in a half hour.  I will need to do laundry soon but so far we are all holding out well for clothes.

Day 4: Dayton, OH to St. Louis, MO

We left Dayton around 8:45 am Wed June 15 and headed west to St. Louis.  We left in windy, cold conditions and drove into a big thunderstorm.  Close to Indianapolis, we saw spectacular lightning in the distance.  Because the ground was so flat and open fields, we could see the lightning starting high in the sky and then touch the ground.  It was neat to see but we did turn on the weather radio and stopped to check the radar.  Of course the girls and I had to make a pit stop and got soaked running to and from the rest area!  A few hours later the storm passed (we moved west) and the sky cleared and by the end of the day it was mid 80’s and sunny. 

We drove into the St. Louis KOA (actually still in Granite City, IL) around 4:45pm.  The campground is located in an industrial park and is not very pretty at all but will suit our purposes.  The girls and I swim in the pool while Scott rested and unhooked.  We had a great dinner and then took in the playground, complete with jumping pillow.  Scott spent a lot of time helping Lexi  highlight her map and showed her where we will be going.  Exciting.

Going into the truck stops to get gas has been a learning experience.  The trucks line up for diesel and Scott follows.  He has to go into the store to “authorize” his credit card and then once he pumps gas, we move ahead and he goes back in to the store to pay.  This morning his credit card would not work so he had to use his debit card.  Come to find out his credit card was shut down because they thought these fuel purchases were fraudulent charges.  A phone call cleared this up.  Some of these trucks are putting $700 plus worth of fuel in the tanks at a time.

Still in a good mood after driving the rig!

Scott has been rating the states on their roads and we had a horrible experience on Indiana roads today.  They were just very bumpy and caused a lot of stuff to shift in the camper.  Illinois and Ohio roads have been great.  It is pleasant to drive all day and not have to pay a TOLL.  I liked the NY rest areas because they were gas and rest stops combined but all the other states have separate rest areas from gas stations.  We have found the Next Exit book Scott gave me for Christmas to be very helpful.   I use it to find out where the diesel truck stops are well in advance so we know where to get fuel.

It is amazing how late the sun sets here.  The further west we go, we notice the difference and I am sure the approaching summer equinox is making daylight go longer too.  Of course today we passed into the Central Time Zone near the Indiana/Illinois border.  We had a debate if there would be road signs to mark where the time change happened.  There were no markers and the only way we knew were our cell phones changed times. 

Road Ratings

NH      A

VT       B+

NY      B

PA       A

OH      B+

IN        C-

IL        A

Day 3: Rochester, NY to Dayton, OH

Tuesday morning we got up and left Rochester by 8:30am and headed to Dayton, OH.  Again it was raining and cold to start our day but Ohio turned sunny and mid 70’s.  Both days the girls did great in the truck and never fought.  They alternated between movies, naps and reading and we hardly heard from them unless they needed to stop for the bathroom or to get a snack.  We keep a cooler of snacks and drinks in the truck and then stop for lunch in the camper.  Scott drove all day today; a total of 10 hours on the road and 480 miles.  We drove through NY, Pennsylvania and ended just west of Dayton, OH.  Traffic around Columbus, OH, was bad (rush hour traffic) but going the opposite direction.

Talking to Grammie and Grampie at the KOA

The KOA campground here is beautiful and I wish we could stay here to rest for a few days but tomorrow we travel to St Louis.  We took a nice walk around the campground and then played a few games of UNO before bed tonight.  Scott got out our US map and plotted with a highlighter where we have been so far and it’s amazing to see.  We found Ohio to be beautiful and green with mile after mile of fields of crops.  It is just beautiful.  The campground itself has mini golf, train ride and mining for gemstones, all at additional cost of course.  It is not very quiet here- we can hear the highway and must be close to an airport.

Day 2 Exploring Rochester, NY

Woke up late Mon am (in fact we woke Isabella up at 10:15am).  Scott and I found it hard to believe how quiet Bill and Ellen’s neighborhood was even though we are in downtown Rochester and within walking distance of Lake Ontario and several restaraunts and stores.  We never heard a peep all night.    

Swans in Durand Lake

We took the day to explore the city.  Went to Durand Lake and saw a swan family- mom, dad and 3 babies.  Went to another part of the lake and saw a ton more swans- must have been 20 at least.  Ellen was telling me that they have to control the baby swan population so on the lake each family is only allowed one swan baby a season (putting oil on the other babies).  We stuck our feet in Lake Ontario and watched as a man got his sail board into the lake and him riding the waves, wind and catching some good air.  It was neat to watch.  Went on a nice walk at the Genessee River walkway.  Saw a deer about 50 ft ahead of us and then some turtles and more swans. 

Went to Cheeburger, Cheeburger for lunch.  Lexi got her picture taken and put up on the wall for being a kid who ate a ½ pound cheeseburger.  She was hesitant at first to leave her picture there but Scott convinced her and now whenever Bill and Ellen visit this favorite spot, they will be reminded of our visit.  It was a cool diner located on the river and we ate outside.  Scott later found the Saturday Night episode where Cheeburger, Cheeburger got its fame and the inference that no coke products would be sold.

Bill, Ellen and David Gray

We finished out our day enjoying some music at the Rochester Jazz Festival.  We saw the Eastman School of Music perform along with an art high school.  Both were amazing and it reminded me of Rockerfellow Square.  After we went to Dinosaur BBQ for dinner and had an incredible time and food with Bill, Ellen and David. 

First Day

Hard to believe our dream has come true.  We pulled out of Mayhew Drive at 7am in pouring rain on Sun June 12.  The girls are missing their last 8 days of school but they don’t seem to mind.  They are excited and sad for their trip.  Having a party with a lot of their friends Sat helped them a lot.

Lexi at Lake Ontario

Bella on Carousel

We drove from Candia NH to Rochester, NY today.  It was rainy and cold when we left home at 7am.  Upon arrival in NY, it was overcast and mid 70’s.  Scott and I had not seen Uncle Bill and Ellen since they got married in 1994- just a month before we got married.  The girls had never met these family members.  We pulled into their driveway at 4:30pm.  We drove a total of 391 miles in 9.5 hours.  We took Route 9 through VT and Hogback Mountain so it took us extra time.  We stopped for lunch in the camper and several pit stops along the way.  I drove about 4 hours.  The worst part was through the construction in NY;  just too tight without a shoulder and cars passing too close.  We followed the Erie Canal through NY and boy was it brown and muddy.  (Later we would find out it is due to the silt). 

David joined us at Bill’s house and we all took a walk down to the local carousel and had  a ride on it.  Beautiful, original construction located right on Lake Ontario.  We walked to the lake and it was very windy.  We had a cookout at Bill and Ellen's home and Ellen’s daughter, Laura, joined us.  Isabella found a new best friend in Laura, when she carried her a few blocks on her shoulders to go get ice cream at Abbott’s after dinner.  Isabella had hurt her heel on Sat and was complaining that walking hurt it but she still wanted ice cream.  We had a great night visiting family.