Thursday Night:We Were in a Terrible Accident Headed into Rawlins,WY

We were driving down the highway from Casper to Rawlins when the weather immediately picked up and the wind gusted. We had maybe two gusts and the third lifted the trailer. It felt like the being in the tornado in "The Wizard of Oz.". The trailer disconnected from the Yukon and in the process the Yukon flipped over 1 1/2 times and landed on its roof. We all got ourselves out through broken out windows, which was nothing short of the Lord's doing. We were about 40 minutes from Rawlins and had great help from a couple Good Samaratins. We were transported to the hospital and since I had a head injury I was backboarded. After a CT scan and several x-rays, I was cleared and my head wound debrided and stapled. The kids had a X-ray each and we're both clear. Vivy has the tiniest fracture of her fingertip that did not need treatment and otherwise, their injuries are superficial from crawling out through the glass. David had a wound on his left shoulder and elbow. After xrays on him that were clear, The ER doc sutured the shoulder wound and started irrigating the elbow when he realized that a significant portion of the Triceps tendon was missing and David would need an orthopedic specialist. Rather than have to wait for evaluation and schedule surgery, the Ortho came in early to the hospital before driving to a remote clinic site to see patients for the day and David was in surgery by by 6am. It was amazing and such a blessing. The ortho later said that if the ER doc had not realized the severity of the wound his triceps would have ripped and caused more damage and loss of use. As it is, he advanced the tendon and muscle about 2 inches and sutured into a hole in the bone that he drilled. He expects full recovery and range of motion, as long as it holds.
David was in the hospital and released today-Saturday, late morning.
David's mom came to Rawlins and has been a tremendous help. We are beginning the task of deciding what to try to pack home and what to donate and leave behind. It is surprising how difficult it is. We have each other, no doubt about the blessing of that, but the financial impact will be significant. The dreams of future trailer camping trips are fading, at least for awhile.
I know there are more updates, but I want to get this posted.

6-28-12 Jewel Cave and Driving WY

THE CAVE WAS AMAZING! It was dark, dank, and deep! Over 157 miles of the cave has been charted, and it was theorized that we have only charted 5%! We went down and around to several rooms, about 150-175 feet down into the cave from the opening. Many of the spaces were quite small, but we made it. I had to duck walk to get through one passage. I am not sure what David did since I couldn't see him, but I am sure it was difficult. In the 1930's, as part of Roosevelt's New Deal, the Conservation Corps installed walkways, handrails, and "stadders"-stair-ladders with planks about 6 inches wide. They were very much like the ladder to a loft, only hundreds of them turning and with variable ceiling heights. It was actually pretty scary. At one point on the way down, the kid behind me slipped down a few steps and I heard him and could only brace myself lest he take me out and everyone in front of me for 20 feet down. He caught himself before contact, but the stress added to the muscle fatigue was exhausting. We were all carrying lanterns for light, as well. The guide actually encouraged us to touch cave walls as part of the rule of threes: three points of contact with the cave. David didn't take a light and opted for four points of contact! Inside the cave we saw a couple bats, but mostly they hibernate in the cave and have summer homes nearer to food supplies. The 'Jewel' part of the name refers to the Calcite crystals lining much of the interior of the cave. We also saw a couple shell fossils in the cave wall. The cave was chilly, about 49 degrees, and it was a breathing cave which means the air inside the cave tries to equalize with atmospheric air pressure.
We have reached the half-way point of our trip and have returned our direction westward. While driving across Wyoming, we actually drove through a town with a population of four! David is using the time with his captive audience to teach Vivy Algebra. Ahhhh- the life of a teacher's kid. She secretly loves it!
I have discovered that my family loves instant mashed potatoes! My mom gave us a box of dehydrated refried beans and several types of instant mashed potatoes and Vivy, especially, loves them! Great camp food, too! LOL! I have to say that they are much better than the slop I remember from school lunches when I was a kid.
Whew! I am sore from the water slide yesterday! My abs are especially sore from holding my shoulders off the slide to go faster! ;)
We just saw our first drop of rain since leaving Kodiak. It was literally one drop. We are still hoping for a thunderstorm, but no luck yet, and it is sunny again.
Off to a park in Rawlins, WY near the Platt River. The kids are excited because the park has 18 holes of miniature golf!

6-27-12: South Dakota

We spent the morning at Mt. Rushmore and went to the museum there and gift shop. Luke has been talking about a
Rushmore bobble head the entire trip and they didn't have one! They had each president separate, and they were bobble-collector editions, so they were a little too pricey for Luke's little budget. I think we may try to find one at a souvenir shop after dinner.
The RV park that we are staying at, Beaver Lake Campground, has this awesome slide. The weather is perfect- sunny and warm without being hot and the kids are having a blast. I have to confess that I was only going to ride once or twice, but I couldn't resist the unlimited pass! David ran into to town for a couple trailer things and bike things and is now sleeping on the grass by me! :)
We decided that the initial trip plan was a little too ambitious, so we made the difficult decision not to go Iowa to visit Vivy's friend or make it to the St. Louis Arch. With all the wildfires dotting Colorado, we are still figuring out our entire route. I do know that we will be taking things slow and spending more time enjoying the camping part.
Tomorrow we are touring Jewel Cave National Monument! I am so excited! Hope David fits! (We had to skip the one where you had to pass through a 8 1/2" by 24" space! LOL! I don't think even I could have done that!)
Happy Days!!

6-26-12. Great AM Hike, Long Travel Day

Before breakfast, we hiked down to the base of the Lower Falls in Yellowstone. It was one of those things we decided not to do the day before, but more I thought about it, the more valuable and cool I thought it was. I mean, how often do you have the opportunity to hike to the base of a 300+ft waterfall on a safe, maintained trail? It was very cool and worth the effort. And, it was SOME effort! At the parking lot at the top we saw a big elk grazing mere feet from visitors! Then, while driving back to the camp site, a wolf ran right in front of our truck! I snapped a few bad pictures with my other camera. I mean, really, would it have hurt him to standstill for one picture!?!
After we packed up, we drove out of the park and through Cody, WY, where the kids took this picture with the cool statue. Lots of beautiful scenery in this wild west state. We have seen smoke from wildfires but have avoided highway closures so far. Pure luck, since we haven't checked at all.
We are keeping to the north in Wyoming and have reservations for the next two nights in Custer, SD.

6-25-12 Afternoon

We had a great picnic lunch at Tower Falls. Then, the kids bought some ice cream with their own money and we walked to the view spot of the falls.
We visited the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and the travertine terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs.
We are headed back to the trailer to for hot dogs and sausages! Yum
Lots of driving today and David is one tired honey! David just added that he bought a new Columbia shirt on clearance that he loves and is buying the other one tomorrow. Vivy has had her book taken away three times for reading when she should be looking out the window. She now has to ask permission to pick any of her books up. Luke has given us radio handles for the walkie talkies and I am Red-3. David is Red-Leader and the kids are Red-1 and Red-2.
Today was much cooler and we even had some cloud cover for shade.

6-24-12 Evening and 6-25-12 Morning

Last evening, on the way back from West Yellowstone, we made a couple stops. The first stop was at Gibbon Falls which is beautiful and just right off the road. We took a side road past Virginia Cascades and another mile- plus hike around Artist's Paintpots. It is a collection of thermal pools that are colored by iron oxide. The coolest was at the top of the hike where some molten travertine pools were bubbling and burping. It was so thick and white and unlike anything I have ever seen. David said it looked like boiling toothpaste. :)
This morning we went to breakfast at the little cafe. It was a fun change, but David will have a hard time convincing me to eat anywhere other than the trailer or picnic anytime soon! We have a picnic lunch packed so we can be gone all day today.
We stopped at some rapids. It is rare that you get to experience that type of energy safely! We also took a short walk with incredible views and thermal activity. This buffalo was contemplating a hot bath, maybe!

Bragging on my Honey

We actually woke up in the middle of the night cold and David scrambled to find all our well-stashed blankets. It was wonderful to have the windows open and be cool. Not to mention that he is the sole driver on this whole expedition! He also gets up and reads his book outside so the rest of us sleepy heads can stay in bed. Such a good Love!
Luke was actually was first up this morning trying, unsuccessfully, to rouse us all. He is so excited to be here, and naturally can't wait to see and do it all.

6-23-12: Camping Site at Yellowstone

We made it to the camp registration before they closed and were able to set up the trailer in the last shreds of daylight. David had it all ready for the night in 12 minutes! I think he got that many mosquito bites in the same amount of time as well. We have plenty of Benadryl cream but miscommunicated who had the bug spray. We will have to make that a priority before evening tomorrow for sure.
We took a short walk on a boardwalk around one of the first hot springs we came across and there was not a railing or anything. Despite the warning sign to stay on the boardwalk, it was so tempting to go go feel the water. With the kids there, I had to be a good role model and respect the rules, but I sooooo wanted to see how hot it was. After we got back in the car, I was reading one of the informational brochures and it said that the ground surrounding the springs is very thin, fragile and the water scalding hot and people have broken through and died. Wow! That info would have been helpful on the little "Stay on Designated Trails and Walkways" sign. Well, I am glad the kids were with me to keep me honest-and safe!

6-24-12: Altitude, Impromptu Hike, Old Faithful

We are over 7000 feet and, boy, can I feel it! You can't really tell just walking along, but try to scurry along or run to catch up and you can really feel how much less oxygen there is.
We saw the predictable and magnificent Old Faithful Geyser which blows for 2 to 5 minutes and shoots up to 180 feet in the air, usually more like 100 feet, though. While we were walking a boardwalk, we decided to hike a mile to some falls and they were beautiful. We dipped our toes in some pools that was river water mixed with hot spring water. That was fun-the hot water was very hot and scalding in spots. We avoided those and all stayed safe. Despite wearing flip- flops and having no water with us, the 2 mile hike was good for us to walk and stretch a bit.
We came into town to get a new tube for David's bike tires and hope to go for a bike ride tomorrow.
There is so much to see and do, I am sure we won't be able to do it all. We are already toying to prioritize our precious time here.

Through Idaho and in Montana

We are very near the west entrance to Yellowstone with only a few miles in Montana before we get into Wyoming. We've had a good travel day but intermittent 4G for Internet access.

Update: We are in the park with limited cell service, even. Have seen lots of geothermal activity on our way in, also buffalo herds in the road and an elk just off the road. So fun! Also mosquitoes... Not so fun!

On the Road, Again!

Everything is running great and we are back at it! We are through Salt Lake City and nearing Idaho for the west entrance to Yellowstone.
Farkle was fun-Vivy won.
There was a brush fire yesterday about 10 miles from us, but the air looks really beautiful today. The mountains are spectacular!
We loaded up at Walmart with enough food for two weeks, but I'm not sure what meals will come out of what we bought. Should have done better meal planning and sticking to the list. But, at least I got a new bottle of nail polish to do my toes with once we are at Yellowstone. Important things! :)

What's wrong with this picture?

Well, a couple things, actually. First there is no Yukon in the picture, and second, the trailer is not in Yellowstone. Bummer! We started having a transmission warning light so we took it in to the shop and it is getting a whole new transmission!
Now, let's look at what is right with this picture. We are just outside Salt Lake City, not the middle of the Navajo reservation without cell service. There were two transmission fixer-places a block apart (we got a second opinion!). They are going to be done with it in the morning, so just that they are open on Saturday is huge! Half a mile away from the repair shop is Camping World, and we are camping just a half a block from that! There are also a slew of restaurants and stores nearby. The park we are in has a pool and playground, so the kids had a great day. David finally had the time to do some maintenance, like flushing the water tank and replacing the leaky faucet, without feeling like he was wasting vacation time that we were supposed to be exploring with. I was able to clean and organize a bit more and make a nice dinner. We missed our first night in Yellowstone, but confirmed the next two nights and were able to add another night in another campground there. It won't have hook-ups, but that won't be a problem at all. We really are counting our blessings tonight!
We are relaxing for a minute now, the kids are fighting on the other end of the trailer ( Luke is trying to "hug" Vivy- likely more of a wrestle!) and when this is done, I have promised them another round at the playground. Then, I am hoping for some Farkle and dessert: pretzels with Philadelphia white chocolate dip. Mmmmm.

Utah Window Splat

By the size of this guy, he belongs in Alaska! Utah grows 'em big!
Almost done driving for the day, only about an hour of daylight left.
Happy Solstice!

6-21, 2nd Drive Day: Zion, So. Utah

We got a bit of a late start with packing everything up and draining tanks and such. David had the 'Rite of Passage' experience of being splashed with poo while emptying the black water tank, then immediately made it worse by attempting to flush with grey water. He was horrified, but it happens to every RV owner at least once, right?!?
Despite the late start and losing an hour almost off the bat in Utah, we decided to drive through Zion on our way up to the Salt Lake City area. It was amazing. David kept telling Vivy to take a picture this direction or that direction because it was beautiful! He repeated that every bend and we were all laughing about it being 'beautiful' , 'so beautiful'! We stopped at the visitor's center so the kids could stamp their National Park Passports.
We are heading to a Camping World in the morning hoping to get faucets for the bathroom and kitchen sinks which are leaking a little and maybe figure out what is wrong with the oven, maybe just how to turn it on!
I just made a reservation in Provo, UT for the evening and tomorrow we'll get to Yellowstone. Who knows what connectivity I'll have there!
Temps today have been around 105 in Zion to about 98 here in Southern Utah at 7 pm! Crazy! Luke actually said that he can't wait to get back to Alaska so he won't be hot! Silly boy!

Sleep!

Finally a long, great night's sleep. I've written 2 blog posts but I am having trouble publishing them because of the slow connection out here in the boonies!

Got it now! At least for now...

Rafting, Swimming in Lake Powell, Adventures in Trailer Cooking

What an amazing day. David got up to do everything that had to be done to the trailer before we left for Rafting and was able to figure out that Arizona is actually the same time as CA, so he got up an extra hour early. Poor guy! We headed out to check in by 7 and we were on the river by 8 and it was already 88. I only have a picture of the dam because I packed away my phone and used the other camera for the trip. The canyon walls were so beautiful and our tour guide was laid back and at one point got out a Navajo flute to play for us. We beached for awhile and we all dunked ourselves in the 45 degree water. It felt so good after being so hot. We were dry in about 10 minutes!
After the bus ride back to the car, we had some lunch and let David rest for only a minute or two and then to the pool and to the lake beach for swimming. David commented that it tasted like algae. Eew! We stayed in for a bit anyway and I rubbed the superfine red sand all over like a mud bath! My skin felt so smooth! Poor man's spa! :)
I had the idea to make chicken enchiladas in the trailer with a rotisserie chicken from Walmart but after everything was prep'd we couldn't get the oven working. I improvised by heating the stuff up on the stove, rolling them and just pouring hot sauce, sour cream, and cheese mixed together on top with tomatoes and olives. Added some rehydrated refried beans and dinner was great!
We sat outside in the desert evening, still over 90!, and made up stories. We would go around to each of us adding the next sentence, but Luke's were about farting or blowing things up and Vivy's were about love and babies, so it just kept turning into the same story!
The a/c works great in the trailer! We set it to 75 for the night and it did not turn off once!
I will fill the day's pictures when I get them downloaded.

First Day, Arizona, Grand Canyon!!

What a day, whew! I forgot what heat feels like. We got out of the car at the Grand Canyon, Mather lookout and we all felt like we withered. It was my first time to the area and absolutely stunning. A bit of haze, but so beautiful! We saw an elk on the side if the road, and a deer right by the rim.
Today was our longest travel day (San Jacinto to Williams, Az to the Grand Canyon to Lake Powell, Az) and we have an early morning rafting trip, and to top it off, Arizona does not observe daylight savings time, so for half the year they are an hour off from CA and lost an hour. Ugh! We'll get it back in a couple days, but still!

Date Farms

Just past the Palm Springs turn off, we passed several date palm farms. I learned that the trees have ladders going up the tree for the pickers to get to the dates, but the trees are too close together to use a cherry picker or anything.
David agreed that I shouldn't drive- it pretty stressful with traffic and a fairly good wind rocking the trailer. Makes me shudder to think about being behind the wheel!
We are headed up a hill, so we turned off the A/C and even at 7am you can feel the heat pouring in. It's 88 outside already!
I also heard a story about how the hotel that Granny Jannie grew up in was demo'd by David's dad when David was little and the wood repurposed for David's fort in the backyard. Love this family time.

First Day on the Road! 6-19-2012

I am going to do lots of smaller posts with pictures, now.
We got up at 4am and packed the fridge and other last minute things and were on the road by 6! The poor kids just don't get how long we are going to be in the car today. :). Luke just asked if we were in Arizona yet. Ummmm, we aren't even to Palm Springs!

Packing Day: 6-18-2012

No pictures today! I was a sweaty mess-really not a pretty site! David was running all over the Hemet valley from the RV store to the bike shop, Walmart, Pepboys, the locksmith's, and a campground to practice hooking up and making sure there were no leaks. All good!
I got everything unpacked into the trailer and beds made and kitchen set up. It was so much fun, save for the temps in the triple digits inside the trailer because we couldn't run the A/C off the extension cord.
Vivy walked into the trailer and said," Wow! It's a lot smaller than I expected!". David had to remind her to compare it to a tent! Not our house! :)
The kids played with their cousins most of the day in Hemet and went swimming again. They have pink shoulders despite repeated application of SPF 50 and shirts! Vivy and Jayden had so much fun waiting on the adults and playing 'restaurant' with Grannie Jannie's fun kitchen stuff and endless pantry.

Father's Day

We had a great breakfast at my parents clubhouse with eggs to order and French toast. The kids were in heaven (strawberries and whipped cream to boot.) The centerpieces were beer cans with flowers stuck in them! Classy! Lol! David wouldn't let me take a picture, but I'm sure you get the idea.
We all went swimming again- my brother and family spent the night and then it was time to get ready for Les Miserables. It was fabulous, fantastic, superb and incredibly emotional. We were seated in the 4th row and felt like we were in the performance. The stage crew was great, and by that I mean that it was intermission before I realized the set had changed and transitions were so smooth. The actors were amazing and their voices so full. I really can't say enough about the performance, but I think the it's clear we all enjoyed it. Viv was crying right along with me and Luke was equally engrossed.
I have to add one of the highlights of the day. The dry SoCal air does wonderful things for my hair and leaves it super curly but not frizzy. I got out of the shower before we left and did the usual 'shake and gel' and walked into the living room. My niece, Jayden, who is Vivy's age, asked me in awe, how I get my hair to do that! Too cute!

FRUITY!!

The day started with strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries, mid-day centered around the watermelon, and with dinner, Mom made an amazing fruit salad. All for prices I shouldn't even quote, but I can't help it: $0.99 for a pint of raspberries and $4.29 for a large seedless watermelon. It amazes me every time. Not to mention the tomatoes growing in my mothers garden!!
The kids swam with the cousins today, I hit Costco twice in one awesome Saturday, got my eye exam and a years worth of contacts for less than $300, and a fabulous birthday dinner for my Pops! Great stuff!

We're Off!

Despite worsening weather conditions, the jet made it in and we are boarded on the plane to leave!
I think I forgot something...