Home, sweet home

Vanlog, Lancaster, PA

This will be my last blog for this vacation because...spoiler alert, I made it home. The last blog post was from the Badlands, where I recently learned that only a week before my visit there, they had a terrible thunderstorm with 70 mph winds. Apparently, there was a camper that was blown off one of the bluffs and into the canyon. Luckily, there was no one inside at the time. The wind had blown out one of the camper windows and while the guy went outside to see what had happened, that is when the camper tipped over the canyon ledge. I must say that I have been very lucky on this trip. I honestly believe that God has been watching over me, and I thank those of you who have been praying for my safe return. In 23 days on the road, with the exception of my last day back in PA, I never had more than 10 min of rain on any given day. The weather was absolutely beautiful, sunny and cool on most days. This was critical not only for my enjoyment, but also for good photography and for recharging my lithium battery using the solar panels every day. In fact, my battery level never went below 50% and always recharged to close to 100% by day's end. 

So to pick up where I left off. On Monday morning, I was still in Mitchell, SD. I woke at 7 and went to see the famous Mitchell Corn Palace by 7:30. The corn palace is basically city hall where they have decorated the facades of the building with different colored ears of corn in an elaborate design. This year's theme was the armed forces. 

Then I was on the road for about 8 hours, stopping only for a quick photo stop at Sioux Falls in Falls Park and for gas, until I reached my friend Liana's house in Madison, WI, a distance of about 580 miles. 

On Tuesday morning, I left Madison at 7:38 AM and drove non-stop to Lancaster. I had three quick breaks for gas, no more than 4 min per break, but otherwise I was on the road continuously, eating snacks as I drove. The hardest part about living out of a van wasn't the small space, being off-gtrid, or the lack of the comforts of home--it was missing my family. From the first day when I passed the Turkey Hill at the end of Strasburg Pike (the street where I live), I already missed them and I just prayed that I would be able to return safely and that everything would go well. It did. I had a fabulous time seeing this great country of ours. Vanna lived up to her expectations, performing well on the highway, getting 20 mpg on average, and all of her interior systems (solar, water, refigerator, etc,) also functioned exactly as planned. But I was lonely. So when I plugged "Go Home" into the GPS in Madison, and it told me an estimated time of arrival in Lancaster would be 9:47 PM, I said to myself, I can do this. Thirteen and a half hours of continual driving and 866 miles later, I pulled into my driveway at 10:07 PM and my long journey came to an end. Now, it will be back to the many household chores, yard work, cleaning up the van, working on my textbook, and getting ready for the start of school in another month. But for the past 23 days, I didn't have to think about all of that. i could unplug and get away from it all, and that was indeed a blessing. 

Here are some brief statistics from the trip:

23 days

7,212 miles

13 states

13 national park system units

5 hot showers

Less than $100 spent on lodging

0 days of rain

South Dakota

Vanlog, Mitchell, SD

I was up at 6 AM and drove to Jewel Cave national Monument by 7 AM so I could be fourth in line when the ticket kiosk opened at 7:45 AM. I got my ticket for the 8:30 Scenic Cave Tour and puttered around in the visitor's center until the tour began. It was an hour and a half tour through the third largest cave in the world, with over 200 miles of mapped passages.

After readjusting my eyes to the daylight, I got gas, bought some groceries, and drove to Badlands National Park. 

I then drove a little east on Rt 90 to the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site, arriving at 4:30 PM to learn that it closed at 4 PM. Back on the road, Jessica encouraged me to stop in Chamberlain to find the Dignity statue, a huge statue of a Lakota woman overlooking the Missouri River at a rest area. I am so glad she did because this was really an amazing statue and an inspiration to feminists everywhere. Then it was another hour on the road, arriving at 8:30 PM at the Cabela's parking lot in Mitchell, SD, where I made myself some spaghetti for dinner. 

Little Bighorn and Mt Rushmore

Vanlog, Black Hills National Forest, SD

This morning, I awoke early as usual and drove a little over an hour to Little Bighorn National Monument in Montana. Here, after watching the film and listening ot a ranger talk, I walked up the Last Stand Hill, where Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer lost five companies of the 7^th Cavalry and his own life to the Lakota and Cheyenne Indians who refused to settle on a Reservation with government subsidies for food. They preferred their old ways of life, hunting and gathering and free to roam the land that was theirs before gold was discovered in the Black Hills and the Euro-Americans began to encroach on their land. Ironically, it was Custer who was sent in a peace effort a year earlier to protect the Indians from the Euro-American expansion. After the U.S. government unsuccessfully tried to purchase the Black Hills from the Northern Plains Indian tribes, President Grant changed his tune and ordered the Army to round them all up on reservations. Custer was among those in charge of enforcing this order. The plan was a three-fold attack on the Indian encampment, with Gen. George Crook coming from the south, Gen. John Gibbon from the west and Gen. Alfred Terry from the east tightening the noose so there could be no escape. However, the attack was uncoordinated and over long distances. Crook’s troops were repulsed by the Lakota and Cheyenne a few miles south in the Battle of Rosebud on June 17, 2876 and were essentially removed from the forthcoming Battle at Little Bighorn. Gen. Terry ordered Custer and his 7^th Cavalry to attack from the south while he and Gen. Gibbon approached from the north. Seeing a cloud of dust and fearing that the Indians might prematurely escape, Custer attacked the camp on June 25, 1876 and was completely outnumbered. Furthermore, he had divided his 600 men into three companies. Reno and Benteen were forced to retreat, leaving Custer and his small company of soldiers alone to fight the battle. Outnumbered, they hunkered down on the high ground now known as Last Stand Hill. Here, they were massacred by the combined Indian forces. The site where Custer fell is marked by a black gravestone.

I sensed a spiritual presence when I was standing on Last Stand Hill.  The wrought iron outline of three Indians on horseback at the more recent Indian Memorial just across the street from the 7^th Cavalry Memorial on last Stand Hill had the almost eerie feeling that their spirits were still present, silhouetted against the peaceful blue sky. A bird alighted softly atop the 7^th Cavalry Memorial and a pack of wild horses crossed the road in front of me as I drove along the battlefield lines.

I left Little Bighorn and traveled about 6 hrs east along Routes 90 and 16 to Mt Rushmore National Monument, arriving around 4:30 PM. I am always a little disappointed by Mt Rushmore and how commercialized it has become. Even with your national park pass, you have to pay $10 per car to park in this modern parking garage. There are now multiple layers of granite columns that mark the entrance to the plaza overlooking the mountain. It is always crowded with people taking selfies and idiots like me who want to have their face replacing one of the Presidents enshrined on the monument. But, if you ask the national park service, there is a quiet trail away from the crowds that takes you part way up the mountain for a closer view. After the obligatory photo stop here, I camped nearby in the Black Hills National Forest for the night.

Yellowstone National Park, Day 2

Vanlog, West Billings, MT

Yet again, against my own volition but just because of my biological clock, I awoke at 6 AM, had breakfast, did the dishes, washed my hair and shaved at the sink, and was on the road by 6:30 AM. Driving north back into the main part of the Yellowstone National Park, I was impressed by the magnitude and beauty of Lewis Canyon, something I had never really noticed on any of my previous trips. I headed immediately for the Upper Geyser Basin and checked the anticipated times for all the predictable geysers. Grand Geyser was about ot go off int he next ten minutes, so I hoofed it over the boardwalk and waited. Sure enough, it erupted right on schedule. Grand Geyser is one of the more powerful eruptions in the park and way more impressive than the piddly Old Faithful, which I saw erupt about 40 minutes later.

Great Fountain Geyser

Old Faithful

Having satisfied my thirst for geysers, I moved on to Firehole Canyon. Next stop was in the Norris Geyser Basin, where I read that the Steamboat Geyser, the largest in the world with eruptions up to 300 ft in the air had a rare eruption only yesterday (of course I missed it!). Still there were several cool hot springs and other geothermal features to see in this area. 

Firehole Falls

Emerald Pool

Echinus Geyser

At Madison Junction, I drove east to canyon and then north through Dunraven Pass to Tower, where I saw a black bear. 

Flowers at Dunraven Pass

Tower Falls

Black bear

I was disappointed, in general, not to have seen more wildlife in the park. Only one grizzly (at a distance) two days ago, a few scattered bison, and now this black bear. On the drive out to the northeast entrance, however, in the Lamar Valley, I came across herd after herd of bison. I stopped at one herd, climbed a large boulder with some other people and watched the herd grazing. A lone pronghorn was also there, as was a coyote who was stalking something in the brush. The pronghorn said--oh, no you don't, and ran a short distance away. More bison herd awaited me as I continued to drive out the road and then all I saw was lots of fisherman at the very northeastern entrance. 

Bison herd

Pronghorn antelope

More bison

After leaving the park, I encountered hundreds of bikers in Red Lodge, MT. The Sturgis motorcycle festival is in two weeks in nearby South Dakota, so I guess some of them are making a road trip out of it. The next part of my journey was the scariest driving I have ever had to do, as I continued east on Rt 212 it kept ascending. up and up it went even when I thought I most surely had reached its peak. Two of my biggest fears are heights and speed. I knew that what goes up must also come down and this was a very windy road on a very windy day with no shoulders and steep dropoffs. My brake light came on several times on the long descent even though I was only going 20-25 mph in 3rd gear most of the time. Finally, I made it and drove another hour or so to Billing, MT, where I had a real dinner at Cracker Barrel for a mere $8 and then boondocked with four other RVs int heir parking lot. For urban camping, Cracker Barrel is the way to go!

Views from Rt 212 west of Billing, MT

Grand Teton National Park

Vanlog, Grant Village, Yellowstone National Park

Today was a bit of a more leisurely day for me, touring only from 8-5. I left the campsite at Lewis Lake and headed south on the Rockefeller Parkway to Grand Teton National Park. Basically, I just did the scenic drive. Photos labeled below. 

Colter Bay on Jackson Lake

View from Jackson Lake Lodge

Snake River Overlook

Moulter Barn, Mormon Row

Moose near LSR Preserve

Schwabacher Landing

#vanlife

I arrived back in Yellowstone National Park around 5 PM and went to Grant Village to tank up, use the dump station, refill my freshwater tank, and take a long overdue hot shower (my first in ten days!). 

Yellowstone National Park, Day 1

Vanlog, Old Faithful, Yellowstone National Park

Greetings from my second favorite national park (Yosemite is my favorite)! I woke this morning (as usual) around 6 AM and was on the rod by 6:30 AM. This is my fifth time at Yellowstone. On the first occasion (in 1992), we borrowed my dad's 84 Chevy Caprice to drive cross country. One of the conditions then (which has since become a tradition) was to take a picture of the car next to the entrance sign. Also pictured below is the Roosevelt entrance arch. 

As usual, I saw a single pronghorn antelope along the drive in. I swear it's the same one I saw on every other trip.By 7 AM, I was in Mammoth Hot Springs, exploring the travertine terraces; and at this hour, I pretty much had the place to myself! That was to change rather quickly as the day progressed. 

I spent the better part of the next three hours driving the length of the park to get the last walk-in campsite of the day in Lewis Lake campground. When I arrived there at 11 AM, the sign said it was full. I drove all three loops anyway and asked the campground host who was making his rounds. He told me there was one more camper still checking out. I grabbed that spot for the next two nights. Then I drove along Yellowstone lake and had a picnic lunch with the sliding door to the van open and overlooking the lake. Next, I headed to Canyon to do some souvenir shopping. Then I drove to Artist's Point overlooking the amazing Yellowstone Canyon. It takes my breath away every single time. I drove west to the Midway Geyser Basin and did a 1.1-mile (one-way) hike to the Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook (a path I could not find on my previous four trips here). Then I headed to the Upper Geyser Basin,w here I just missed Old Faithful as I grabbed a chicken gyro for dinner. However, I did get to see Castle Geyser erupt for over 30 min and then Grand Geyser not too much later for 10 min. Both of these geysers are far more massive and impressive than Old Faithful anyway.

Postscript. It took so long to upload all these photos that I had time to run back for the 8:03 PM eruption of Old Faithful. I couldn't leave y'all hanging like that!

Montana

Vanlog, Gardiner, MT

The rest stop that I stayed at last night in Conrad was actually very nice. The bathrooms were open all night, the lot was well lit, the facilities were quite modern, there were security cameras, and I shared a quiet lot with two other RVs and three truckers. I woke at 6 AM today and was on the road by 6:30 AM. I drove south to Great Falls, MT. Great Falls is so named because of a series of five waterfalls that stymied the progress of the Lewis & Clark Expedition as it headed down the Missouri River into the Clearwater River I posted a few days ago and ultimately into the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean. The Corps had to portage around these waterfalls and it took them 28 days to take all the equipment over land. Shown below are Great Falls and Rainbow Falls and a special picture from inside the van showing what potential #vanlife has.

At 9 AM, the Lewis & Clark National Historical Trail Interpretative Center in Great Falls opened. This was a fabulous museum. Following a film by Ken Burns, you entered a journey along hte Lewis & Clark trail with the left side of the hallway exhibits showing Lewis & Clark's items and the right side of the exhibit showing the Native American context.

Also in Great Falls, MT is the C M Russell Museum. Russell was an American artist (painter and sculptor) from the late 1800s to the early 1900s of scenes from the American West. The museum houses over 2000 of his works, an exhibit on bison, the artist's studio, and his home.

I then drove south on Highway 15 at a little less than the speed limit of 80 mph! I arrived at Gates of the Mountains Wilderness at 1 PM, had a picnic lunch, and took the 2 PM boat tour. The Gates of the Mountains is a stretch of the Missouri River that was mentioned prominently in the Lewis & Clark journals and which I read and dreamed about in the fabulous book Undaunted Courage by Steven Ambrose. Here, the Corps thought that the Missouri River was ending because the rugged tone cliffs on both sides of the river seemed to connect to each other when viewed from a distance. However, as they drew closer, the gates "opened" and they paddled through a stretch of canyon with white sheer cliffs of limestone. The canyon was filled with caves and holes in the rock, a natural arch, the nests of a bald eagle and osprey, a popular remote picnic area, the place where Lewis & Clark camped, and the site of the famous Man Gulch fire where 13 firefighters perished in a fire whirlwind. This was quite a lot to see on a two-hour boat ride for a mere $16. Absolutely stunning scenery and a wonderful experience.

Finally, I drove south from Helena, MT about 3 hrs to Gardiner, MT, which sits at the northern entrance to Yellowstone National Park. Here, I camped on the side of the road neat an RV park.