One night here then we head to Yellowstone!
Friday, June 29, 2012
June 29th
Our new campsite is in Buffalo Bill State Park, just outside Cody, WY. I am going to try to post a photo! We have views of the Rocky Mountains and the reservoir. On our way here we could see the snow on the mountains. Very cool site! Although it looks like rattlesnake haven here, wait wasn't that on the Brady Bunch? It is super windy here, you can feel the camper swaying in the wind! It was 95 again today and boy this tin can can heat up, our a/c works great luckily.
One night here then we head to Yellowstone!
One night here then we head to Yellowstone!
Onward From Kentucky
Here is a summary of our last two weeks, bringing us up to yesterday. Hopefully from this point forward I can keep up with the blog! Warning: This is long!
After leaving Kentucky we headed up through Indiana, stayed 1 night at Brown County State Park. In the midst of farmland, this park was in a beautiful wooded mountain area, a big surprise.
We then headed to Indiana Dunes State Park...well, this didn't work out. We took a wrong turn and ended up in Gary, IN which definitely was NOT where we belonged in a big, white RV. We kinda stood out. We then realized how close this was to where we were going to be camping and soooo....we called cousins in Chicago and they were so gracious to let us barge in on them :).
We stayed two nights in Chicago and got to spend some quality time with the Quinns, Doug and Marcie, & Steve and Lisa, & Chris and Madie. We also went into the city to the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. This was awesome for the kids and we all loved the butterfly room.
After Chicago, we trekked on to Ft. McCoy, WI. This installation had an awesome accessible playground and we got some laundry done :).
Moving along to Palisades State Park in South Dakota. This was one night again, had a nice dinner on our grassy yard like campsite, took a walk and played some ladderball.
The next night we opted for a hotel in Pierre, SD. We lucked out and found one that had been open for only six weeks and was great. Got a little pool time in and ate at a nice Italian restaurant. It was a nice change of pace.
Next stop was Custer State Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota, this is where the good stuff starts! WOW. The scenery was incredible. Tons of wildlife. We saw mule deer, buffalo, (including a whole herd) great horned owl, mountain goats, pronghorn, rabbit, and prairie dogs.
Campground was great, made s'mores and had 3 nights there to relax. While staying here we went to see Crazy Horse and Mount Rushmore. Stopped at a couple of lakes, one was part of the Black Hills National Forest and was gorgeous, I will post a photo of that soon. Right now I am only working off the iPhone and can't access many photos!
Upon leaving the Black Hills we heard about the wildfires in CO and could also see smoke and smell local fires in the Dakotas. For the next couple of days the skies were very hazy.
We entered Wyoming and wow, the landscape changes! It really looked like we were on Mars! I am truly amazed at how diverse the landscape can be out here. I have had my camera in my lap for days.
We were scheduled to stay two nights at Keyhole State Park, WY. When we arrived it was 95 degrees, dry, dusty and hardly a tree in sight, ugh. Not thrilled with the landscape we still proceeded to set up camp. We soon discovered the newly upgraded arc fault breakers were not so much of an upgrade. Jeff and the Park Ranger tried in vain to rewire the panel but quickly decided they were in over their heads. So, we blew that dustbowl and headed West, bound and determined to find a hotel with a pool. A half dozen phone calls and three towns later we stumbled on an immaculate Hampton Inn in Buffalo, WY. Got the last room which was a suite. We used every amenity possible; laundry again, yay!
Buffalo is a cool little town, checked out a museum and had a snack by the Occidental Hotel, an old famous Cowboy Hotel.
So, at this point you must be wondering, how is everyone holding up??!
Well, actually really well :). I have not hit any spas yet, but I did manage to practice yoga on my own in the hotel room, this keeps Mommy stable :). Jeff insists my navigation skills need to be honed, and has stopped asking me to help ground guide the camper when he is backing into sites. It can't be me, I will just assume he is gaining confidence in his own abilities.
Brody rides along checking out the landscape and at some point goes back to his bed for a long afternoon snooze. Kiley snoozes on and off during the rides playing with books and flashcards and bean bags (those are snacks for her imaginary school friends). Yes, they have all joined us. Jeff is starting to complain about all the damn kids. Not once have they asked to watch a movie while we are traveling, amazing.
Jeff just keeps driving and so far has only flipped one person off :). I keep feeding him Sunflower seeds to keep him on the road. He is holding up surprisingly well....it's still early in the trip.
I am going to wrap up now, hoping to still do today's post! Sorry no photos on this one, having trouble with this app!
After leaving Kentucky we headed up through Indiana, stayed 1 night at Brown County State Park. In the midst of farmland, this park was in a beautiful wooded mountain area, a big surprise.
We then headed to Indiana Dunes State Park...well, this didn't work out. We took a wrong turn and ended up in Gary, IN which definitely was NOT where we belonged in a big, white RV. We kinda stood out. We then realized how close this was to where we were going to be camping and soooo....we called cousins in Chicago and they were so gracious to let us barge in on them :).
We stayed two nights in Chicago and got to spend some quality time with the Quinns, Doug and Marcie, & Steve and Lisa, & Chris and Madie. We also went into the city to the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. This was awesome for the kids and we all loved the butterfly room.
After Chicago, we trekked on to Ft. McCoy, WI. This installation had an awesome accessible playground and we got some laundry done :).
Moving along to Palisades State Park in South Dakota. This was one night again, had a nice dinner on our grassy yard like campsite, took a walk and played some ladderball.
The next night we opted for a hotel in Pierre, SD. We lucked out and found one that had been open for only six weeks and was great. Got a little pool time in and ate at a nice Italian restaurant. It was a nice change of pace.
Next stop was Custer State Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota, this is where the good stuff starts! WOW. The scenery was incredible. Tons of wildlife. We saw mule deer, buffalo, (including a whole herd) great horned owl, mountain goats, pronghorn, rabbit, and prairie dogs.
Campground was great, made s'mores and had 3 nights there to relax. While staying here we went to see Crazy Horse and Mount Rushmore. Stopped at a couple of lakes, one was part of the Black Hills National Forest and was gorgeous, I will post a photo of that soon. Right now I am only working off the iPhone and can't access many photos!
Upon leaving the Black Hills we heard about the wildfires in CO and could also see smoke and smell local fires in the Dakotas. For the next couple of days the skies were very hazy.
We entered Wyoming and wow, the landscape changes! It really looked like we were on Mars! I am truly amazed at how diverse the landscape can be out here. I have had my camera in my lap for days.
We were scheduled to stay two nights at Keyhole State Park, WY. When we arrived it was 95 degrees, dry, dusty and hardly a tree in sight, ugh. Not thrilled with the landscape we still proceeded to set up camp. We soon discovered the newly upgraded arc fault breakers were not so much of an upgrade. Jeff and the Park Ranger tried in vain to rewire the panel but quickly decided they were in over their heads. So, we blew that dustbowl and headed West, bound and determined to find a hotel with a pool. A half dozen phone calls and three towns later we stumbled on an immaculate Hampton Inn in Buffalo, WY. Got the last room which was a suite. We used every amenity possible; laundry again, yay!
Buffalo is a cool little town, checked out a museum and had a snack by the Occidental Hotel, an old famous Cowboy Hotel.
So, at this point you must be wondering, how is everyone holding up??!
Well, actually really well :). I have not hit any spas yet, but I did manage to practice yoga on my own in the hotel room, this keeps Mommy stable :). Jeff insists my navigation skills need to be honed, and has stopped asking me to help ground guide the camper when he is backing into sites. It can't be me, I will just assume he is gaining confidence in his own abilities.
Brody rides along checking out the landscape and at some point goes back to his bed for a long afternoon snooze. Kiley snoozes on and off during the rides playing with books and flashcards and bean bags (those are snacks for her imaginary school friends). Yes, they have all joined us. Jeff is starting to complain about all the damn kids. Not once have they asked to watch a movie while we are traveling, amazing.
Jeff just keeps driving and so far has only flipped one person off :). I keep feeding him Sunflower seeds to keep him on the road. He is holding up surprisingly well....it's still early in the trip.
I am going to wrap up now, hoping to still do today's post! Sorry no photos on this one, having trouble with this app!
Thursday, June 28, 2012
So far, so good...
Quinn Expedition 2012 has begun and we are already in Wyoming. We left June 15th and headed to Claytor Lake State Park in VA. Spent one night there then headed out to Kentucky and visited Kentucky Horse Park for two nights. Great park with lots to do. Kiley got a little riding in and got to learn how to properly brush a horse. Brody of course fell in love with the antique truck. We all found great stuff at this park and they have an incredible museum. Definitely worth seeing! We will try to update as much as possible, there are lots more posts to catch up on! (Between Kentucky and Wyoming) Most of the places we will be staying have marginal access to the internet if any at all!
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