This is the fifth Yellowstone to Atlanta email that was originally sent out as separate emails to family members to let them know where we were, what we were doing and give tidbits about our activities. I have copied the original emails and added some pictures for viewing. The trip started in August and ended in October. This is the first of our extended stay trips in the Adventurer.
Please enjoy and feel free to share the link to the blog site with family and friends that might like to read and see the pictures.
Subject: Update time
Well it has been a few days and so here is the next update. We got the part fixed in Cody as the mechanic promised if the delivery folks cooperated. They did and after 3 nights in the KOA we were able to leave Cody, WY. During our stay in the KOA, we noticed a trailer that had been purchased at Paul Hayes Travel Center in Longview with Texas plates. The towing vehicle was not there when we spotted it and promised ourselves we would circle back around later to introduce ourselves and meet the owners. Well one thing led to another and we forgot until the next day and went over but the trailer was gone. Bart had two more couples come visiting from Longview while we were there and Beverly wonders if one of the couples belong to the trailer. We will find out when we return to Longview if that indeed was one of the Longview couples visiting Bart.
I feel God blessed us with finding the mechanic just a quarter of a mile from where we decided to find a mechanic on Saturday and then he turns out to be an honest hard-working fellow that did not take advantage of a stranded traveler. My total bill was $336 and the parts and overnight freight were $138 of the total. I felt very comfortable with his knowledge and thoroughness in testing the part after installation. I hope others will find their way to this great guy when needing work in Cody, WY. The part arrived around 10 on Tuesday and when I pulled out of his service area, it was 12 noon. So we ate a quick sandwich at the KOA, loaded up the toads and were off for Gillette, WY and an overnight stay at Wal-Mart.
We took a more southerly route to Gillette because the maps showed the terrain as relatively flatter. North or South, we had one more mountain range to pass through before Gillette. If our terrain was flatter, I would hate to navigate the Northern route. David said he was tired of mountains, a feeling shared by a guy from Florida that we met in the Cody Ponderosa RV campground earlier. In fact, this fellow said he was cutting his trip shorter than planned and heading back to Tampa. He recommended a campground in Hill City, SD which is our next stop.
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| Good Bye WY, Hello SD |
The next morning we left Gillette headed for Hill City with a stopover at Devils Monument. We stopped at a picture taking location before we arrived at the monument. This is where David announced he was not impressed but would reserve judgment until we had viewed up close. His opinion changed considerably after we got up close and personal with the rock. It is America’s first National Monument and highly revered by Indian culture.
It is easy to see why it is important. It is over 600 feet tall and almost vertical on all sides. There is a story the Indians tell as to how it came into existence that involves Indian girls chased by a large bear. The most impressive aspect to us is the people who want to climb. We counted around a half dozen or so climbing the day we were there. Of course I must tell you about one of them. We watched this guy climbing along with his buddy. When they got ready to come down, the buddy kicked away from the side and with about three touches had rappelled down to wait on his friend. Well his friend, Fred, started to make his descent and slipped almost falling. That was all it took for Fred to catch himself and ask the question, ‘why did I ever come up here’? Fred seemed frozen and would lean forward as if to go and then pull back to reassess over and over again. Finally, there were people below yelling encouragement to poor ol’ Fred and in about 12 different languages but to no avail. Fred could not make himself jump off the edge after almost falling. I for one felt for Fred and wondered if there was a helicopter rescue on the way. Slowly, ever so slowly, Fred began to inch his way down, sweating all the time. We do not know the end of the story for we had tired of watching this drama and opted for lunch instead. Good luck Fred, you either will get hungry enough to come on down or you will have to stay up there until someone comes to get you. Either way, we are out of here.
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| Devil's Tower from afar |
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| Closer but not there yet |
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| Right next to it - That is Fred and his buddy beside the white arrow! Oh my! |
We drove around to a picnic area and had lunch before leaving. We then stopped on our way out of the area to photograph some prairie dogs. There is a colony right inside the front gate adjacent to Devils Tower. They are fun and funny to watch but in reality, they look like a bunch of rats. After several clicks of the cameras, it was time to get moving again. Our destination is Horse Thief Campground in Hill City, SD which is located close to Rapid City, SD and strategically located between Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse monuments. This is the campground recommended by the Florida fellow. We do not know why it is named ‘Horse Thief’ but I intend to find out before I leave. I have about 400 horses with me, between the car and the motorhome, and I plan on leaving with all of them.
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| What are you looking at? |
His recommendation told us it was nice, quiet and off the beaten path and he enjoyed it. He is correct and it is off the beaten path. We saw a sign right before the entrance to the campground warning that vehicles over 8’ wide and 10’ tall needed to stop and turnaround because there is a tunnel straight ahead that would not allow passage of those vehicles. Well David and my rigs are 8-1/2’ wide and over 12’ tall. Needless to say, we were awfully proud to see the driveway before we saw the tunnel. The campground is up in the mountains (sorry David) and away from normal tourist traffic. Cell phone service is spotty and the internet is the only real communication possibilities. Beverly, our resident negotiator, got us a great weekly rate. In fact, it is so good the lady that checked us in said in surprise when she pulled up our reservation what a good rate we got and wondered how we got it. It does not hurt to have a silver tongued orator with you that is used to negotiating with powerful bankers to get what she wants done.
This is our first full day here and we decided yesterday we would take this day off and do nothing. Mainly because David experienced a bit of an overheating problem as we climbed back into the mountains yesterday. He told me last night that he might just be through with the mountains instead of being tired of them. He reset the ‘Service Engine Soon’ light and researched to find out there is probably nothing permanent or damaging that has occurred. He will finish the evaluation later and decide on what if anything he should do. So we did exactly what we planned to do today, nothing.
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| Yep, this is what I am talking about! |
Last night Sophie prepared a Mexican Stack and Quesadillas for supper. Overnight it got down to 44 degrees and today the high was 70 degrees. Beverly is preparing vegetable beef soup tonight. Looking for another cold one tonight but it feels really great and we are certainly enjoying the non-100 degree temperatures.
We hope this finds everyone well and enjoying these rants. Until next time...
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