Starvation State Park, UT (September 22, 2010)



Flaming Gorge National Rec. Area Overlook

After leaving Green River, we headed south into Utah through the Flaming Gorge National Byway and it started raining and followed us through into Utah.  By the end of the day, so we found a park overlooking a lake which was Starvation State Park outside of Duschene, Utah.  Beautiful view; but to our dismay no hookups whatsoever.  We needed showers and their restroom was very "just old".  Of course, we had work to do to keep on our blogs, so we turned on our generator around 8:00 p.m.  Sad to say, I had some ornery man yelling in my bedroom window to shut the "damn thing off".  Then ten minutes later he was at my window again saying "go to the interstate you morons".  I thought that was rather rude since most parks you have to turn off your generator by 10:00 p.m.  By 8:30 I was feeling guilty and finished my work so I turned it off.  I noticed this man's lights went out -- so he was an early to bed kind of guy.  Sure enough when we woke up, he was gone.  I am sure he did not pay his camping fee because the Ranger did not collect that evening nor first thing in the morning.  When I told the Ranger what had happened he said that it was quiet time at 10:00 p.m. so we were not violating any rules.  I paid my $16.00 camp fee and we moved on.

Green River, Wyoming (September 21, 2010)

Jason found this area in a travel magazine.  And why did it perk his interest?  Because there was a bike park there.  So we decided to check it out.  Also there was an exhibition kayak area along the Green River which perked Mike's interest.  Well, lo and behold, this small town had 28 parks to be exact.  Even more interesting, is that there was a paved bike trail that connected all these little parks and traveled along the Green River.  So after Jason and Mike just had to ride the bike park -- both managing minor injuries; and riding along the river south of the bike park, we decided to camp the night overlooking the bike park.  No one bothered us or told us to move on.  The next morning where it was sunny and warmer, Mike decided to tryout the kayak through the small rapids on the Green River.  It was a great morning to do that; while Jason attempted the bike park once again.  I chose to ride along the Green River path to see if I could follow along side Mike as he traveled on the river.  I must have missed him somewhere along the line and ended up almost in the town and he was already back at camp.  We enjoyed the park(s) and thought what a great recreational town.  So many people playing soccer, riding their bikes, walking the trails -- we shall be back someday!!!

Boysen State Park, WY (September 20, 2010)

The first white men through the Wind River Canyon where the wind river flows North, built the original  dam in 1908 from whom the park and the reservoir are named Boysen State Park.  The CB and O Railroad went through the canyon in 1911 and the state highway went through in 1925.  In 1923 a flood filled the power plant with silt and thus operations ceased.  The existing dam was completed in 1951 and Boysen became a state park in 1956.  Very pretty setting but primitive camping with pit toilets; that is why they probably called it the Tough Creek Campground.  In fact, we were the only ones camping there for the night and the ranger did hunt us down for the $17.00 camping fee. Come to find out All of Wyoming State Parks are Primitive Camping.  We were surrounded by the reservoir on two sides and we could smell that old algae smell from the water.  Thankfully it was cool out and we really did not need a swim.  We did make a fire and got a good nights rest since it was so peaceful in the middle of nowhere!!!!  Keep heading west we told ourselves so we set out to drive wherever the motorhome took us as long as we were going westward.

Casper, Wyoming (September 19th, 2010)

The only good thing we can say about this KOA ($35/night) next to the highway campground; is that the person who checked us in suggested we visit the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center in Casper.  And we thoroughly enjoyed our journey through the western plains  between 1840 and 1870 where 500,000 travelers journeyed across this territory as they traveled to the Oregon territory, the Great Salt Lake Valley, and the California and Montana gold fields looking for free farm land, freedom of religion and new business opportunities.  During this time, the Pony Express was created as well.  We experienced a journey across these trails including the hardships that were encountered;  their meeting and trading with the Indians, and we decided that this is how history should be taught in the schools.  We experienced a virtual river crossing and we rode a stage coach.  Very interesting indeed and kept us busy for a good couple of hours.  There were seven interactive exhibit galleries and a 18-minute multimedia program as well.  We also visited the town of Casper and Jason purchased his first cowboy hat.  From there we traveled to Boysen State Park in The Wind River Canyon of Wyoming.

Custer State Park, SD (September 16 - 19, 2010)

We remembered this time and made reservations in Custer State Park at the Bell Campground.  Last time we were here (the busy summer months) you could not get in unless you made reservations.  This was one of maybe a half dozen campgrounds in Custer State Park; some being completely primitive; others being horse camps -- so they had a variety of what you prefer.  Of course we preferred the electric hookups and it was still a beautiful campground.  The scenery surrounded the campground and we were informed that there were 3 buffalo that visited the campground on a daily basis.  Of course it was evidenced to us by a big pile of poo just about 25 yards from our chosen campsite.  The camp host told us we just missed one of them coming in through our campsite earlier that day.  Our next full day we spent driving the 18 mile Wildlife Loop in which we caught a glimpse of some grazing buffalo, a couple of prairie dogs, and a couple of friendly donkeys in the road.  We also saw several antelope roaming on the grounds as well.  We then proceeded to Mt. Rushmore  on the twisty winding road of the Peter Norbeck National Scenic Byway.  We passed through 3 granite tunnels; of which one of them we remembered we had visited on the way to Alaska and were fortunate with our  3 kids to climb up on one of the bridge tresses and watch the 4th of July fireworks right over Mt. Rushmore which was back in 2000.  Ahh the good ole memories!!!  We had a picnic lunch at the Peter Norbeck park sitting on top of granite stone looking at the view of Mt. Rushmore.  But that was still not enough scenery for photographer Mike; we had to travel back to camp on the 14 mile drive on Highway 87 called Needles Highway.  It was called that for a reason; there were hairpin curves and narrow granite tunnels.  The name needles comes from the slender granite peaks that characterize this area.  There were also Cathedral Spires, a series of pinnacles that resemble church spires and the Needles Eye, a granite formation that looks like the eye of a needle.  The following day it became very cold (in the high 30's) and drizzled off and on during the day.  We were wiped out from our previous day's journey so we just hung out at camp waiting for the buffalo to show up.  Jason found one grazing behind one of the log cabins that you can rent; and then the other 2 were spotted behind a couple of campsites.  That was our excitement for the day.  We hear what the exciting event for the fall at Custer State Park is the Buffalo Roundup on Monday, September 27th.  Over 12,000 people annually attend to watch the Rangers round and corral the 1500 est. buffalo to a certain area for testing, branding and sorting to keep the population of 850 that's  the  number they say for the  park this size. The rest they will then be auction  off at an later date.  Best part -- it's a FREE event with concessions and exhibit vendors.  We will have to attend one of these years.  We had  great dinner at the Blue Bell Lodge which was a very nicely built log cabin style lodge and the corn bread was the Best.  Thus we conclude our visit at the Custer State Park and we will return someday to enjoy the cycling or hiking or horseback riding.  The park will keep you busy all during your stay.  Interesting websites regarding this park include:
www.CusterStatePark.info
www.CampSD.com      
 www.CusterResorts.com

Badlands N.P. in South Dakota (September 14th - 16th, 2010)

After leaving Herman Lake State Park, we headed to the Badlands N.P. in South Dakota.  Since it was getting dark, we decided to "boondock" at Cabelas in Mitchell, South Dakota for the night. Home of the famous "World's Only Corn Palace".  This palace is an must see if you are going though South Dakota, it is made of real corn and they change it every year. A beautiful work of art with next year's design already started.  Made an lunch stop at 1880 town/train restaurant along the way to the Badlands N.P. with the winds whipping at 42 mph.  No hook-ups in the N.P. so we decided to set up camp at the Badlands Interior RV campground just outside of the Badlands N.P. owned by an elderly Indian couple. Real Tee-Pee out front with an padded floor I had to try out with beer and cigar in hand.  We took a drive to capture the sunset over the Badlands but we were a little bit late.  However, we still had some fantastic views.  The next morning at sunrise, Mike and Jason set out to capture a sunrise over the Badlands. We captured some locals having breakfast along the road and the morning sun made shadows over the Badlands which turn out for some great memorable views!!!  Back to camp and back to bed we went before we set out to Custer S.P. in the Black Hills of South Dakota.


                       For More Information on Badlands N.P. Go To: www.nps.gov/badl
                       Or the Only Corn Palace Go To: www.cornpalace.com

                    

Herman Lake SP, South Dakota (September 10 - 14th) 2010

Heading from Cherokee west to South Dakota, we stopped in the "Ice Cream Capital of the World " which was in the town of LeMars, Ia.  Of course, even though it was in the mid.60's, we had to stop for ice cream at their Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor made by the Wells family since 1913. They were designated as "The Ice Cream Capital of the World" in 1994 because more ice cream is produced in Le Mars, Iowa by a single company than any other city in the world!!  And what great ice cream it was!!!!  Mike and Jason had sundaes and I had some ice cream dish with caramel ice cream, caramel sauce and pecans.  That was our lunch for  today!!!  Westward we headed to Herman Lake State Park near our new hometown of Madison, South Dakota.  This park was beautiful and very well manicured.  It was surrounded by water:  Herman Lake and Herman Pond.  There were three good walking trails and a nice bike ride loop 2.5 miles around the whole park. Little up and down but offered some great views of the park and lakes.  There were only electric hookups; but their bathrooms were very clean and the sites were nicely spread out and large. We ended up on the highest site in the park with its great views and even better after the weekend campers left.  We really enjoyed this park for five nights because this was now our permanent home in terms of licensing, titling of vehicles and our newly voting city and state. We were there to take care of  business it which we did. They offer a permanent mail forward address and have no state income tax and the fee are cheaper.  Mike enjoyed the whole area because there was no litter to be found along roads or side roads as in other states.  We took a drive to Sioux Falls (about an hour away) to find a bike shop for repair parts one day and we tried our hand at disc golf since the course was right in Herman Lake S.P.  A nice short course around some trees with views of the lake all round. The bike ride was very enjoyable probably because the weather was so nice and the skies were totally blue.  After a couple of days in the park, we started smelling that awful algae/toxic smell just like from St. Mary's S.P. in Ohio.  Sure enough, Lake Herman had as much algae but the ranger assured us that the water was still swimable. Well once we smelled this algae, we became bombarded by the flies -- not the biting kind but the annoying kind.  Since we had completed our business there, we decided to cut our stay one day short and  move onward west to our next stop, The Badlands N.P. in South Dakota.


                                       For More Information Go To:  lakeherman@state.sd.us
                                                                                      bluebunny.com
                                                                                      www.sdparks.info

      

Koser Spring Lake Park, Cherokee (IA) September 8-9th, 2010

Heading westward towards Le Mars, Ia.  we stopped in West Bend, Iowa to witness the great "Miracle in Stone" called the Grotto of Redemption.  A Catholic priest by the name of Fr. Paul Dobberstein had been gathering rocks and precious stones from around the world for over a decade.  He began construction in 1912 and for the next 45 years he created hundreds of intricate rock settings to form the Grotto's walls and ceilings.  He was helped by another Catholic priest, Fr. Louis Greving and a parishioner, Matt Szerensce who continued his work on the Grotto after Fr. Dobberstein's death in 1954.  This is the largest Grotto in the world.  It is comprised of nine separate grottos, each depicting a scene in the life of Jesus of Nazareth.  It is truly a work of art and touches you spiritually like nothing else.  It is more then beautiful.  The detail and the stonework is amazing.  We took the tour which was very interesting and if you would like to see some of the works by computer only, the website is:  info@westbendgrotto.com

We continued our journey after this wonderful side stop and stopped for the night at Koser Spring Lake Park in Cherokee, Iowa.  It was a very nice city park which had full hook-ups and for only $15.00/night.  We were right next to the railroad tracks, but in our 2 nights there, the train only went through twice -- once at midnight and then during the day on our 2nd day there.  On our second day there we took a side day trip over to see the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge that connected Council Bluff, Iowa with Omaha, Nebraska which opened in September, 2008.  What an amazing bridge suspended over the Missouri River.  It spans 2224 ft. long.  You can walk it or ride your bikes.  Since it was evening, we walked 3/4 of the way over it and back.  While in Omaha, we lucked out and ran into a Habitat for Humanity fundraiser on the riverfront.  So we participated in the 4th annual Brew HaHa where there was plenty of beer tasting  from local brewers and lots of good food donated by the area restaurants and bars. Local radio station got in playing the music/live on the air. What an nice way to end an visit.  As for Koser Spring Lake Park, we would recommend this nicely laid out city park to anyone on their journey's through Iowa.  We hate to say this, but it was a better park then their Iowa State Parks hands down.

Winnebago Visitor Center, Forest City, (IA) (September 3 - 7th) 2010

We arrived at the Winnebago Factory a little too late for the tour on Friday at 1 pm.  So being Labor Day Weekend, They invited us to stay in their visitor lot  until Tuesday so we can make the next tour at 9:00 a.m.  September 7th.  So that meant we stayed 4 nights actually free in their parking lot which had electrical plug-ins.  Here we were able to wash and wax the motorhome, including the roof and the windows and do some small maintenance jobs.  Since the town of Forest City was kind of small, we quickly learned our way around it doing our laundry, attending mass, shopping, and we checked out an couple of local parks -- the normal chores of life.  The weather was pretty cool but by Labor Day it was nice enough for Jason and Mike to get in 18 holes of golf in at the Bear Creek golf course.   On Tuesday we were there for the 9:00 a.m. short film and factory tour which was pretty interesting to see how the different  Winnebago Models are built by an assembly line process. A bus and tour guide took us to the different buildings of operation. [ Sorry No Photos During the Tour, I don't know what they got to hide.]  After the tour, we stopped in the Service area to see if they could look at our leveling jacks because the alarm was once again going off when the jacks were in store mode.  They could not get us in until Wednesday so they handed us another parking pass to park in their Rally grounds which were across the street. [ Big Rally held Every July for Owners of Winnebago Products ]  Very nice grounds with restrooms and there were showers.  By eight a.m. the next morning we were parked in the service area so they could see what the 100th problem was with our leveling jacks.  They ended up replacing all 8 springs so we hope this will remedy the constant problem.  It was nice that they have the mechanic come out to talk to you personally to see what was going on and tell you what he was going to do.  After a couple of hours we were out of there and heading down the road westward to South Dakota our future Home State. Yes!! You read that Right!!!