Travelogue

Foolish Egyptian Family ShadowsFlaming Gorge is one of those undiscovered treasures that I hesitate to rave about because selfishly I prefer that they remain just that--undiscovered. However, since I highly doubt that my reflections are going to rock the travel industry, I'll take my chances.

In my opinion, Flaming Gorge has some of the most spectacular scenery in the West--sheer red cliffs dropping 1,300 feet down into the waters of the reservoir, fiery red canyons, intriguing chimney rock formations, etc., etc, Now here's the best part--there's practically nobody here, especially in the northern Wyoming section.

We had briefly gotten a glimpse of the southern section of Flaming Gorge two years ago on one of our cross country trips and promised ourselves that we would come back some day and spend more time here.

Where is everybody?This time we were traveling west on I80 so we entered Flaming Gorge from the more remote Wyoming section. We had already been driving over 8 hours that day so our goal was to find a campground as soon as possible. The only thing I had to work with was a map that I had picked up on our previous visit here that had little pictures of tents on it marking the campgrounds. Almost all the campgrounds were on the southern end of the Reservoir about 90 miles away. The closest campground I could find was something called Fire Hole Canyon, which required driving off the main road (191) and following a winding 9-mile road down to the reservoir. We were a little nervous because we had no idea what we would find there and whether they would have room for us.

Inappropriate Dead Pelican FlagWell, it couldn't have been any better. The location was spectacular and there were only 3 other campers in the place. We backed into a site which overlooked the Green River arm of the Reservoir and the canyons, directly across from a very interesting and colorful chimney rock formation. It was breathtaking. Why was nobody else here? In fact, Herb even asked the campground host that very question, to which he got a very strange response: "They'll probably be coming in on Monday." I think he's been out here alone in the hot desert sun too long. I guess this place just isn't for everyone. There is no development of any sort--no restaurants, no shopping malls, no theme parks, no movie theaters, no electric or water hookup. The only source of entertainment is mother nature and for us, that was just fine.

There wasn't much daylight left, so we quickly hopped on our bikes and followed a winding dirt road down to the river. There wasn't another soul in sight. The evening was hot and the water was warm, so we jumped in for a quick dip before biking back up to the campground.

Tom relaxing in floatThe next morning we launched our Avon inflatable from the campground boat ramp and headed north up the river. Although the boat only has a 6 hp motor and doesn't exactly move us too fast, it's perfect for exploring. It can go in shallow water and into all kinds of nooks and crannies that a bigger powerboat would have trouble with. Also, we can just pull it up on the shore whenever we see something interesting or just want to stop for a swim.

That whole day, we saw only one other boat, but still we were far from being alone. There were cows grazing along the river, hundreds of tiny black birds flitting in and out of holes in the cliff walls, and prong-horned antelope running through the tall grass along the sandy shore. And who says there is no entertainment for kids. Do you have any idea how well cow pies skip on water? Or how fun it is to come upon the intact skeleton of an antelope and the remains of a very large pelican? Or to float on your back and watch clouds float over the rim of the canyon?

That night the boys were quite resourceful in their attempts to make a campfire. Having no firewood, they did what any self-respecting pioneer boy would do--burn cow pies. That's right, cow pies have been used as a source of fuel for more than a century. I made sure that I sat upwind from the fire. We stayed up later than usual that night to watch the full moon rise over our chimney rock. It really doesn't get much better.

Description

Lolo and Herb at sunsetFirehole Canyon is on the eastern shore of the Wyoming portion of the Flaming Gorge Reservoir, a 91-mile lake created by damming the Green River. It is surrounded by spectacular scenery--fiery red canyons and mountain ranges. The reservoir is very popular for boating, swimming, and fishing.

Firehole canyon is located in a very remote, not highly visited section of the NRA. Facilities include a boat ramp, picnic area, and a 40-site campground. The campground overlooks the lake and many unique and colorful chimney-shaped rock formations, which gave Firehole Canyon its name. Each camp site also has a 3-sided stone structure around the picnic table to provide some shade from the intense summer heat.

Travelogue

This was not our first time to Lake McConaughy, nor I am sure will it be our last. We had first discovered Lake McConaughy on our 2001 trip and had found it to be a great first highlight on a cross country trip to the West. It's right along Route 80 near the northeast corner of Colorado, so it isn't even out of the way.

He ain't heavy, he's my big brotherThe lake, or more correctly reservoir, is really quite pretty--beautiful aquamarine water surrounded by miles of sandy shoreline that you can drive your RV on and camp for the night. It's a little busier with jet skis and powerboats than we would like, but there's still plenty of room for everyone to have a good time.

When we arrived, we were surprised to see how low the lake was compared to the last time we were there. Apparently, they were going on their fourth year of drought and Wyoming was being stingy with how much water it was letting out through its dams to flow into Nebraska.

The last time we were here we had primitive camped right on the beach and really loved it. However, with the lake down so low, making the beaches much wider, we were having such a hard time finding sand hard enough to make us feel comfortable about driving on that we decided to try one of the developed campgrounds on the asphalt.

Before committing to staying there, we decided we would try to see how difficult it was to get to the lake from our campsite. As we started walking through the tall grass from our RV, a pickup truck pulled over and said, "You're not from around here, are you?" What was that supposed to mean? Were we that obviously out-of-state tourists. The gentleman in the car then proceeded to tell us that in Nebraska you never walk through tall grass--it's full of rattlers. Oh, great! A campsite without lake access just wasn't gonna cut it, so we got back in the RV to search once again for a primitive site on the beach.

We finally did find a nice spot under some cottonwood trees right off the asphalt. Although it was about a 200 yard walk to the lake, at least we wouldn't be cheating death every time we wanted to swim. Since it was already late afternoon, we immediately headed to the water where we spent the next few hours enjoying the warm waters of the lake. It really is a great place.

That night we barbecued under the cottonwood trees and afterwards had a family game of Frisbee golf. The kids had recently learned this game from their uncle, who claims to have invented it, but I'm not so sure. You basically play it like mini golf, except you use a Frisbee to hit different objects that represent the holes. It's really quite fun and can pretty much be played anywhere.

As always, Lake McConaughy was a great stop and one that I'm sure we'll be back to on our next trip out west along I80. I just hope that the lake is still here. What a shame it would be to lose a place like this.

Description

Lolo with her new floatLake McConaughy, nicknamed "Big Mac," is the largest reservoir in Nebraska. It is located just a few miles off Interstate 80 near the Colorado border. The reservoir, which is over 20 miles long and 4 miles wide when at full capacity, was formed on the Platte River by the Kingsley Dam. The lake has over 100 mile of white-sand beaches along its shore line.

To Nebraskans, the main attraction of Lake McConaughy is water activities--swimming, boating, windsurfing, skiing, and world-class fishing. Trophy size catfish, walleye, stripers, bass, and trout have been caught in "Big Mac."

The park has 200 tent and RV sites. However, most people choose to primitive camp right on the beach at the water's edge. Camping is on a first-come first-serve basis.

Travelogue

There's nothing like the feeling you get when you pull out of your driveway and head out on a road trip. All the hard work has been done: the trip has been planned, the RV is stocked with groceries, and everything is packed (hopefully). There is only fun and adventure ahead for the next few weeks. You're packed into tight accommodations with the people you love the most, who now are forced to spend quality time with you whether they like it or not. Excitement and anticipation is high as you head out, unsure of what the next few weeks will bring.

Since most of our trips are to the west, we always start out with some long driving days. Rather than pull into a commercial campground, we usually look for an all night Wal-Mart or a Flying J Travel Plaza. Both allow you to park overnight. I prefer the Flying J's because you feel much more secure in an area designated for overnight RV parking than you do in a Wal-Mart parking lot. Since all we need to do is sleep, these places are perfect. Once you pull the shade in the RV down, you can imagine that you're anywhere. On this particular trip, we were heading west on Route 80, so we drove 9 hours and stopped at a Flying J outside of Toledo, Ohio.

The kids always have to go into the Flying J store to see what kind of candy and junk they can buy. There is always an odd assortment of stuff on sale outside the store. This time there were electric scooters on sale for $199. I had to break it to the kids that dad wouldn't be very happy trying to fit 2 electric scooters in the RV. While I was using the phones to call home, Tom decided to try his luck on one of those machines that you use a crane to pickup some stupid toy that you don't want anyway. I interrupted my phone conversation to tell him not to bother since you never win anything good in those machines anyway. A few minutes later, he walked by me grinning and holding a really cute 2-foot high gorilla that he named Flying Joe. So much for teaching him a lesson about gambling.

I think some of my happiest moments on an RV trip are these first nights in a truck stop. The whole trip is ahead of us, spirits are high, and we haven't gotten on each other's nerves yet.

Description

Flying J's are Travel Plazas that cater to truckers and RV's. Their numerous services include gas, a dump stations, propane, fast food restaurant, limited groceries, and even showers and a barber shop. However, the best feature of all is the RV section that allows overnight parking.

They are conveniently located on most of the interstates (except for the East Coast)

Travelogue

Well we made it home safely--just a little over 3 weeks on the road. We had seen some pretty wonderful places and had some memorable times.

Our first totally "wing it" trip with no itinerary set in stone had been a definite success--an approach I'm sure we'll take again next year, wherever our travels lead us.

Description

Our home in Upper Saddle River, a suburb of New York City.

Travelogue

Our trip was nearly over now and we were into the final stretch. A long day of driving brought us to this pretty state park in the heart of West Virginia--our last stop before reaching home. It was actually quite nice, with campsites perched alongside the edge of a very pretty lake. Unfortunately, there was no beach area to swim from by the campground.

Although we were just passing through, it was obvious that most of our fellow campers were here for longer stays and that the park was a destination in itself, with boating, fishing, etc. These were the kind of campgrounds I like to wander around at night admiring all the homey touches the campers have added--which Herb finds so tacky. You know, little Budweiser lights hanging from the canopies, cutesy signs identifying the campers within, etc.

Well, this was it--the end of the journey. By late afternoon tomorrow we would be home again.

Description

Stonewall Jackson Lake State Park in the heart of West Virginia was named for the famous U.S. General whose boyhood home was not far from the park.

The main attraction in the park is the 2,650-acre Stonewall Jackson Lake, constructed in the mid-1980s by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Facilities include a marina, boat docks, fishing pier, and boat rentals (including 4 houseboats).

There is a 34-site campground with full hookups located right on the lake.

Travelogue

After a long drive, we arrived at the home of some very good friends that had moved to western Kentucky several years ago. Ed had been Herb's rock climbing buddy for close to 10 years, spending every weekend together climbing the Shawnagunk Mountains in New Paltz, New York. Then, to our dismay, he moved with his family to Kentucky to take a position as a biology professor at Murray State University.

Kids with Kentucky HorseWhat a different lifestyle from New Jersey--14 acres of land, horse farms next door, no traffic. They loved it and I can see why. We found a level spot in their driveway and parked our "house on wheels" (as Ed's kids called it). We spent two wonderful nights visiting and catching up on old times.

Ed, who is a biology professor at Murray State University, gave us a tour of the college. The kids' favorite part of the tour by far was Ed's lab where they were enthralled by his vast collection of snakes and lizards. Ed promised to send them a baby corn snake when the one in his lab had its babies--great! I'll have to have a little talk with Ed.

The next day, Ed took us on an outing to Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, which is only about a 30 minutes drive from his home. This peninsula of land between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barclay is a recreational mecca with great fishing, camping, swimming, hiking, and much more. After a refreshing swim in Lake Barclay, we decided to visit the Elk and Bison Range within the park. After paying our $3 a carload, we entered the gates of this restored habitat hoping to see a bison. We were not disappointed--almost immediately, one planted itself on the road in front of us and settled down for a rest. After patiently waiting for about 10 minutes for it to move, Ed told us he would use his vast knowledge of the animal kingdom to deal with the situation (after all, he has a PhD in Biology). We watched in awe as he rolled down his window, stuck his head out, and spoke to the bison--"You're ugly!" I think I could have done that without the eight years of schooling. The taunt had absolutely no effect, so we settled back to wait him out. After a few minutes and on its own terms, the bison slowly got up and walked off the road.

Description

Herb tossing Tommy in Lake BarclayThe Land Between Lakes (known locally as LBL) is a 170,000 acre National Recreation Area that lies on a narrow strip of land between Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake in Trigg and Lyon Counties in Kentucky and Stewart County in Tennessee. The park was created in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy with the intent that it be used by the Tennessee Valley Authority as a demonstration in resource development. Today, the park is wholly owned by the federal government. The last private residents left in 1970.

There is much recreational activity to enjoy in the park. Besides the boating, fishing, and watersports available on the lakes, there are over 200 miles of hiking, mountain biking, horseback, and off-highway vehicle trails that are open year round. Other popular outdoor activities include camping, hunting, wildlife viewing, and photography. In addition to the wildlife native to the area, LBL maintains herds of bison and elk in a 750-acre habitat restoration area that visitors can drive through.

Other interpretive facilities include the Golden Pond Planetarium and Observatory, which offers planetarium shows and telescope viewing sessions; the Homeplace-1850, a living history farm demonstrating the life of an 1850s farm family; and the Nature Station, an environmental education center which leads wildlife viewing hikes.

Travelogue

Herb with the Last State of the Lower 48 stickerHere we were in Arkansas, the final state in our quest for completing the lower 48. I'm not sure what we expected, having never really given Arkansas much thought. In many ways it seemed very familiar, much more like home than any other place we'd been to in the last few weeks. There were mountains and lakes, and for the first time in awhile, grass and trees. Everything was so green--very different from the browns and reds of the Southwest and the golden grass of the plains. It felt good to be here, which must mean that we were about ready to go home.

The park was actually quite lovely with a beautiful man-made lake surrounded by mountains. The scenery would have been even more idyllic if hadn't been for the nuclear power plant on the far shore spewing white clouds from its huge chimney. It reminded me of a Homer Simpson episode. We just angled our chairs a little and pretended it wasn't there.

That night was a big event in our RV history--the filling in of the final state on our RV map of the continental U.S. Originally, I had felt silly about the idea of collecting states just for the sake of collecting them, but it had turned out differently than I expected. In the process of visiting states that we would never have visited otherwise, we had found some true gems. And as a bonus, the kids really knew their U.S. geography now.

As Herb placed Arkansas on the map, he turned to us and said, "Now we can sell the RV." I think he was just kidding. I hope so because I'm just getting started...

Description

Lake Dardanelle State Park is located in central Arkansas about 2 miles south of I40. It is surrounded by the Ouachita Mountains to the south and the Boston Mountain Range of the Ozarks to the north. However, its main attraction is the 34,000-acre man-made lake, formed by the Arkansas River, which is very popular for fishing, boating, and swimming.

Facilities include picnic areas, boat launches, a marina, miniature golf, and a 97-site campground.

Travelogue

As we drove across the Arkansas River into Arkansas (all 4 of us crammed into the cab), we entered the last of the 48 Continental U.S. states needed to fill out our RV map. Quite an accomplishment in 4 years, if I must say so myself.

Shortly after entering Arkansas, we stopped at the Fort Smith National Historic Site, the site of one of the first U.S. military posts in the Louisiana Territory. We were greeted quite enthusiastically by the ranger in the Visitor Center who appeared quite excited to see a group of tourists. It actually was a very nicely done museum with exhibits focusing on the turbulent years between the U.S. government and the Indians in the newly acquired Louisiana Territory. The fort was also home to the Federal Court that had jurisdiction over the Indian Territory. We visited the recreated federal court and jail and the kids' personal favorite--the gallows where 79 convicted criminals were executed.

The boys were quite happy and surprised to find that the gift shop sold hat pins to add to their ever-growing collection.

Description

The town of Fort Smith on the Arkansas River in western Arkansas was founded in 1817 as an Army outpost on the eastern edge of Indian Territory. It quickly grew into a rowdy town full of saloons and brothels as it attracted outlaws and drifters. Today the Visitor Center is located in a former brothel, known as Miss Laura's, in the old 1890s River Front Hotel.

The nearby Fort Smith National Historic Site was the site of one of the first U.S. military posts in the new Louisiana Territory. While only the foundation stones from the original 1817 fort remain, the barracks which contained the Federal courtroom of Judge Isaac C. Parker still stands. Visitors can tour the recreated courtroom, jail, and gallows where 79 criminals were executed.

Travelogue

We woke up to even stronger winds than the night before and some very ominous clouds. Fearing we would be dodging tornadoes our entire drive through Oklahoma, I was very anxious to get moving. Herb and the kids, however, insisted that I was overreacting and that we should stop, as planned, at the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum.

Route 66 TouristsThere are several Route 66 museums throughout the country, but this one is supposed to be one of the best, a real tribute to America's first transcontinental highway. Even the building itself is a Route 66 icon, with its chrome finish and neon and fluorescent lights beckoning the weary traveler to come on in.

I was relieved to notice that none of the employees seemed at all concerned about the weather--I guess they get pretty used to it out here. Based on one of the tour guide's recommendations, we wisely rented the audio tour of the museum, and I'm glad we did. It gave us a very informative narration of the chronological history of the highway. Wearing our headphones, we strolled through the museum, which was laid out in an interesting fashion with each room representing a different decade in the life of Route 66. There was a VW van that spanned the 60s and 70s room. The part of the van in the 60's room was a hippy wagon. Some other highlights included an authentic replication of a classic roadside diner and a drive-in style theater showing vintage Route 66 footage.

The gift shop had some great Route 66 memorabilia--signs, license plates, clocks, knick-knacks, postcards, books, mugs, etc.

It was definitely a worthwhile stop. When we exited the museum, we saw that there had been no improvement in the weather. The skies were very dark and the winds were getting even stronger. We got back on I40 and started heading east as fast as we could.

Description

The Oklahoma Route 66 museum in Clinton, Oklahoma, is the state's official showcase of its Route 66 heritage. The museum building itself, with its neon and fluorescent lights, looks like a Route 66 icon.

Inside, visitors wander through the various rooms, each one representing a different decade, while listening to headphones narrating a chronological history of the highway. Some highlights include an authentic replication of a classic roadside diner and a drive-in style theater showing vintage Route 66 footage.