For any who may be interested following our travels in the future, just log on to our new Blog www.RainwaterTravel.Blogspot.com - In the meantime, enjoy here our Alaska adventure.
We took delivery on our new 5th Wheel travel trailer on November 1st, 2011. Occasional updates will follow at our new Blog address above.
About Me
- Terry - June
- Florida, United States
- June and I retired in June, 2004 and travelled for a year on our boat from Lake Michigan to Florida, then North on the East Coast through Canada, back to Southern Lake Michigan. It was the most amazing trip we have ever taken and one that will be tough to beat. We settled in Florida in the fall of 2005. On April 3rd, 2011, we departed in our Motorhome for the "BIG 2011 PLAN" We've now completed an 18,000 mile, 6 month drive from home in Florida to Northern California, North on the Pacific west coast to Seattle. From there to Alaska - with returning stops in Spokane, Washington - Oregon, Yellowstone, and other sites - then to Fort Wayne, Indiana to visit family, then back South to Florida and home. We have now traded in our motor home and purchased a new 5th wheel travel trailer and truck to continue travelling as long as life will allow. We will keep you informed as much as practical on our new site: www.Rainwatertravel.blogspot.com
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Saturday, October 1, 2011
9/21/11 Alaska Trip Completed
Thank you all for following us on our 6 month trip to Alaska. We have enjoyed this soooo much; So much in fact that we have decided to travel full time. Our first step was to order a new 35 ft. Big Horn 5th Wheel Trailer which is scheduled for early November delivery. We have purchased a new F350 Ford crew cab truck to tow our fifth wheel. Our house is for sale (SOLD) and when that is competed we will be free to begin the next step in our lives which is what we love to do - travel to new places and enjoy this great country.
We will periodically update those who log on with our status. Thanks again!..
See our latest blog at www.Rainwatertravel.Blogspot.com
Terry & June
We will periodically update those who log on with our status. Thanks again!..
See our latest blog at www.Rainwatertravel.Blogspot.com
Terry & June
Friday, September 2, 2011
8/19 - 9/2 Grand Teton's - Yellowstone - Cody, WY - Custer - Mt. Rushmore - The Badlands, SD
We're winding down our venture to Alaska and back, and we seem to be on a little quicker pace right now. We'll be in Fort Wayne, IN by September 4th where we'll stay a couple weeks visiting our two sons and three grandkids along with other friends. Then we'll go to Dayton for a few days to visit other friends and family and plan to be back to Florida before October. Thanks for following us on this blog and your interest in what we are doing. We plan to do more as this has been such great fun and we realize there's so much more of this great country to see and we're not getting any younger, so do'in it while we can until we can't is our new motto.
Following is what we've been up to since mid August to present..... Thanks again - see you on the road!
Terry & June
Grand Tetons:
Next we drove on up to Yellowstone:
After Yellowstone we stayed a couple days in Cody, WY and one night we went to a Rodeo. It was dark and the rodeo pictures didn't turn out good, but I did get a couple. We had some rain showers while we were there, but stayed dry under grandstand cover.
Next stop was The Crazy Horse Memorial ..... We later stopped at Mt. Rushmore, but for me personally, I enjoyed Crazy Horse more. These native Americans have a story unlike any others and it seems fitting that this memorial be completed someday. Work has been underway now for over 60 years and all with no government dollars, although it was offered at one time, but was turned down. A wise decision.
After a brief drive through Custer State Park, we headed over to the Badlands National Park in South Dakota - AND - a stop in Wall, SD to visit the famous Wall Drugs....
The Badlands National Park is appropriately named. The scenery is bare - dry - hot - desolate..... We camped there one night and took the 50 mile drive through the park before heading East and Fort Wayne, IN.
Following is what we've been up to since mid August to present..... Thanks again - see you on the road!
Terry & June
Grand Tetons:
Next we drove on up to Yellowstone:
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| Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone |
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| One of thousands of hot springs and mud pots |
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After Yellowstone we stayed a couple days in Cody, WY and one night we went to a Rodeo. It was dark and the rodeo pictures didn't turn out good, but I did get a couple. We had some rain showers while we were there, but stayed dry under grandstand cover.
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| The only rider that did 'not' get throwed off the bull |
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| Guess Who? |
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| Just a few miles outside Cody, WY |
Next stop was The Crazy Horse Memorial ..... We later stopped at Mt. Rushmore, but for me personally, I enjoyed Crazy Horse more. These native Americans have a story unlike any others and it seems fitting that this memorial be completed someday. Work has been underway now for over 60 years and all with no government dollars, although it was offered at one time, but was turned down. A wise decision.
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| Upon completion, the Crazy Horse Memorial will be larger than any other monument, including Mt. Rushmore. |
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| A model of the Crazy Horse Memorial |
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| A nosey visitor at Custer State Park |
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| Mt. Rushmore - If you ever get the chance, go see this - The history and the stories make it worth the time. |
After a brief drive through Custer State Park, we headed over to the Badlands National Park in South Dakota - AND - a stop in Wall, SD to visit the famous Wall Drugs....
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| You get to meet some nice folks at Wall Drug in South Dakota. |
The Badlands National Park is appropriately named. The scenery is bare - dry - hot - desolate..... We camped there one night and took the 50 mile drive through the park before heading East and Fort Wayne, IN.
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| The Badlands National Park |
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| Our campsite in The Badlands National Park June and I were able to visit a total of 20 National Parks and National Monuments on this trip, plus many other State and Provencial parks in Canada. I understand there are well over 300 U.S. national park sites, so we have a few to go. Maybe we'll be fortunate enough to hit most of these on future trips....................... See Ya.... |
Saturday, August 20, 2011
8/14-18 Drive through SE Oregon - Steck park, Idaho - Craters of The Moon Nat'l Monument, Idaho
-The scenery made a definite change from the mountains and pines to pure desert. As we drive through SE Oregon, here we rarely see a tree, but the landscape is beautiful none-the-less.
This area is open range, meaning cattle graze wherever they like and these guys seemed to like the shade in this highway rest area where we stopped for lunch.
The night of 8/15 we made a last minute decision to look for a park that showed up on a highway sign – 20 miles North of Weiser, Idaho located on the Oregon, Idaho border. 20 miles later, and at the end of this 16 mile stretch of long dead end gravel road, was Steck Park, a Bureau of Land Management Park on a pretty reservoir boasting the best crappie and bass fishing in the state. We paid the enormous camping fee of $4.00, and had a great afternoon and evening in this scenic setting.
As we drove across southern Idaho, we were amazed at the beauty. We’re gonna come back here for sure – there’s so much more to see and things to do.
This pic shows one of the many natural hot springs in Idaho. Look hard and you can see the steam rising form the naturally heated water bubbling out of the earth and running down the hillside to the river.
We checked into the campground early ((10:00 A.M.) at Craters of The Moon National Monument, then walked over to the visitors center for a 30 minute movie, then after lunch we took the 7 mile loop drive and stopped at some the trailheads to stroll through the lava flows. We hiked to the top of a cinder cone and got some breathtaking views of the area.
From here we'll be off to Teton's and Yellowstone in Wyoming after a brief stop in Idaho Falls, Idaho for supplies and e-mail...............
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| Southeast Oregon |
This area is open range, meaning cattle graze wherever they like and these guys seemed to like the shade in this highway rest area where we stopped for lunch.
The night of 8/15 we made a last minute decision to look for a park that showed up on a highway sign – 20 miles North of Weiser, Idaho located on the Oregon, Idaho border. 20 miles later, and at the end of this 16 mile stretch of long dead end gravel road, was Steck Park, a Bureau of Land Management Park on a pretty reservoir boasting the best crappie and bass fishing in the state. We paid the enormous camping fee of $4.00, and had a great afternoon and evening in this scenic setting.
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| Getting to Steck Park - 16 miles of gravel road |
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| Not many potholes, but cows to dodge |
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| Steck Park Campsite |
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| Reservoir at Steck Park, Idaho |
As we drove across southern Idaho, we were amazed at the beauty. We’re gonna come back here for sure – there’s so much more to see and things to do.
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| Idaho |
This pic shows one of the many natural hot springs in Idaho. Look hard and you can see the steam rising form the naturally heated water bubbling out of the earth and running down the hillside to the river.
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| One of hundreds Hot Springs |
We checked into the campground early ((10:00 A.M.) at Craters of The Moon National Monument, then walked over to the visitors center for a 30 minute movie, then after lunch we took the 7 mile loop drive and stopped at some the trailheads to stroll through the lava flows. We hiked to the top of a cinder cone and got some breathtaking views of the area.
From here we'll be off to Teton's and Yellowstone in Wyoming after a brief stop in Idaho Falls, Idaho for supplies and e-mail...............
Sunday, August 14, 2011
8/6 - 8/12 Crooked River Ranch to Crater Lake National Park - Oregon
We checked into Crooked River Ranch RV Park, near Terrebonne, OR and stayed for three nights. The park is very nice and located on a deep gorge cut by the Crooked River. Lunch one day at the Golf Club grill next door. We took a road trip one day to Sisters, OR and a scenic drive on a road that was really too narrow for us, but we did the 40 miles enjoying every mile. This route took us through a volcano flow and McKenzie Pass at 5000 ft where the scenery of the lava flow and distant mountains was very scenic.
Another hike was to the La Pine park Falls, a 4 1/4 mile loop that took us about three hours, a bottle of water each, and 3 ounces of trail mix.
Crater Lake National Park in Oregon was our next destination. Crater Lake is the deepest in the U.S. at 1,943 ft. deep and a surface altitude of 6,173 ft. The water color is a deep blue, the prettiest I've ever seen. We did not get close to the water as the road to the only trail leading to the shore, was closed for repair the two days we were there. We did take a hike on the Annie Creek Trail, named after the first woman to see Crater Lake (I assume not counting native american's)
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| Sisters mountains |
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| lava flow at Mckenzie pass |
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| View of our "home" from lava trail |
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| Alpaca's grazing at local Alpaca Farm |
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| Here I am working on the wire connections for the "New Mirror" Remember the one that was broken back in May? - I finally replaced it with a new one! Off we go to La Pine State Park, just a few miles South of Crooked River Ranch. This is a very nice park - as all of the Oregon State Parks have been. We hiked each day and enjoyed the scenery and the wonderful weather; about 80 degrees each day and down to about 40 degrees at night. |
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| One day we hiked a 3 1/2 mile loop to the "Big Tree" - Oregon's biggest Ponderosa Pine in the State |
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| Big Tree - Largest Ponderosa Pine in Oregon |
Another hike was to the La Pine park Falls, a 4 1/4 mile loop that took us about three hours, a bottle of water each, and 3 ounces of trail mix.
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| La Pine Falls |
Crater Lake National Park in Oregon was our next destination. Crater Lake is the deepest in the U.S. at 1,943 ft. deep and a surface altitude of 6,173 ft. The water color is a deep blue, the prettiest I've ever seen. We did not get close to the water as the road to the only trail leading to the shore, was closed for repair the two days we were there. We did take a hike on the Annie Creek Trail, named after the first woman to see Crater Lake (I assume not counting native american's)
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| Crater Lake - 6173 ft. elevation |
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| Crater Lake |
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| Crater Lake |
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| Annie Creek Trail - and June |
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| Annie Creek |
Sunday, August 7, 2011
8/1 - 8/5 Mt, St. Helens, WA to Cove Palisades State Park, OR
It's August already! Four months and it seems like only yesterday we pulled out of the driveway.
8/1 - We drove around to the South side of Mt. St. Helens to a place called Ape Cave. The cave was formed a couple thousand years ago from a lava flow which left a bubble - the cave. It was first explored by a group of boy scouts who called themselves the Ape troup - so the cave was named after them.
8/2...... Today we started our exploration of the Columbia River Gorge. The Columbia River separates Washington and Oregon and the views are breathtaking. We stopped at a State Park and discovered hundreds of people wind surfing. We were told that this area is considered the premier spot in the USA for wind surfing. The natural effects of temperatures from the ocean and wind currents clashing from the desserts in this gorge create these winds that wind surfers crave. We stayed and watched for a couple hours.
Moving on down the road we spied Mount Hood - As we got closer, we saw a sign to the Timberline Lodge which is a National Historic landmark at 6000 ft. on Mt. Hood...
Cove Palisades State Park, Oregon is where we camped 8/4. Oregon has lots of great places to see and visit - So many we can't see them all on this trip... We'll just have to come back next year.
Nearby Smith Rock State Park is reported to have the number three rock face in the world that attracts rock climbers. A number of climbers were scaling these sheer cliffs while we were there.
8/1 - We drove around to the South side of Mt. St. Helens to a place called Ape Cave. The cave was formed a couple thousand years ago from a lava flow which left a bubble - the cave. It was first explored by a group of boy scouts who called themselves the Ape troup - so the cave was named after them.
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| Ape Cave entrance |
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| They shouldn't tempt me this way.... |
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| Columbia River |
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| Columbia River |
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| Coulmbia River |
Moving on down the road we spied Mount Hood - As we got closer, we saw a sign to the Timberline Lodge which is a National Historic landmark at 6000 ft. on Mt. Hood...
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| Mount Hood |
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| Mt. Hood at 6000 ft. from Timberline Lodge |
Cove Palisades State Park, Oregon is where we camped 8/4. Oregon has lots of great places to see and visit - So many we can't see them all on this trip... We'll just have to come back next year.
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| Cove Palisades on the Dechutes River |
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| Beach scene on the Deschutes River |
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| Smith Rock State Park |
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| Look Close - Rock Climber at Smith Rock State Park |
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