July 16, 2019

The south rim trail hike a couple of days ago was quite discouraging. I thought I was in better shape. The hike became very difficult after 1/2 mile. There were very steep hills, both up and down, and the temperature was in the 80’s. But I never questioned whether I was up to the challenge. The hiking stick was useful and certainly increased my endurance as usual. Without it, it would not have been possible to complete the hike. We pressed on stopping for short breaks and water, and eventually made it back to the trail head. It was one of those times I was glad I inherited the Davidge grit.

I felt awful afterward. My feet hurt as badly as they ever had. Exhaustion and fatigue lasted for the rest of the day. I experienced shortness of breath when walking 10 feet.

We decided to skip going into the park the next day and hung out at the motor home. Still the fatigue and shortness of breath persisted though less intense. I was becoming concerned because it was taking too long to get back to normal. Day 3 we decided to go to a state park for a picnic and light activity. Still shortness of breath when walking short distances. We skipped the planned short hike.

On the way back to the camp sight Bill recounted someone he knew who had altitude sickness when in the mountains. Google confirmed his suspicion and what a relief!!!! No need to ponder going to urgent care. I was probably at the fitness level I thought I was, and not suddenly incapable of mild to moderate difficulty hikes.

Today we went back to Yellowstone, did a slow two mile hike, on mostly level ground stopped for water breaks often, and by the end of the hike I had no shortness of breath or fatigue. I am one happy camper!!!

July 13, 2019

Among other things, today Bill and I hiked the south rim of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. It started out as another beautiful sight in the national park.

We began at the upper falls which were really awesome! The itinerary we decided to follow suggested a hike to Artist Point, and Uncle Tom Point. We started out and as we went the views were better and better. They were primarily a variety of rock cliffs in blends of different colors and heights. There was always another view of the falls.

Besides the views, the trail was very pretty, at times passing bright green meadows and other times various vegetation. Always the Ponderosa pines were in sight.

The views became increasingly spectacular and the difficulty of the trail increased as well. There were quite a few really steep climbs that I had some difficulty with, especially on the way back. I just imagined my mother saying “one step at a time” and “take your time” in her patient, confident, sweet voice.

I was so thankful to have had words of encouragement throughout my childhood, to have the ability to do the hike, to have a patient husband who didn’t seem to care how slow I went, AND to see some of the most majestic, awe inspiring sights ever! God’s almighty ability, power, grace, and love were front and center.

The trail ended with the lower falls. Artist Point will forever be etched in my memory, I hope.

July 8, 2019

We just left South Dakota and some of the most spectacular sights. Now we’re in Wyoming on our way to seeing Yellowstone and more evidence of Almighty God’s creativity and power.

We stopped at Devils Tower on our way to Yellowstone and have had great views of the National Monument and Park. We drove into the park today and waited in a line of cars for about 10 minutes before it was our turn to pass through the gate. We’ll try to get an earlier start at more popular destinations. Besides the geologic formation, the most fascinating thing we saw were people climbing it! It is straight up! One of the pictures shows them. The one in the white shirt is the most visible. I’m also taken with the lack of obstructions protecting people from themselves.

Devils Tower is sacred to the Indians and they and the Park Service work together in managing it. There are prayer clothes hanging from trees in certain areas where the Native Americans spend time with God. It’s such a shame that such places have been taken from them. I can only imagine how I would feel and what I would do if such Christian places were taken from me. The natives were screwed! That said the Park Service works with them on managing the land and for example, has postponed a prescribed burn until next year when a mutually agreeable plan can be determined. Visitors are asked to be respectful of this area that is holy to Native Americans.

This land is more evidence of God’s majesty and his enduring and profound love for us. Now, we need to be good stewards of it.

July 5, 2019

In retrospect we may have saved Mt Rushmore for the end of our stay in Black Hills because we didn’t expect to be wowed. It looks just like the pictures. We did enjoy learning about the process of the sculptures being made, and a nice hike around the monument. Glad we went; a day well spent.

July 3. 2019

At this site there was a sinkhole millions of years ago. Woolly and Columbian Mammoth came here to eat the grass around it and drink and bathe and when they slipped in they were unable to get out.

Fast forward.

In 1974 the land was being developed and a bulll dozer operator uncovered a large tusk. The land was sold to a paleontological group and for the last 45 years staff and volunteers have uncovered the bones of 60+ mammoth. The paleontologist that was there last week advised it was impossible to know how much deeper the remains would be found. He reported it could go down for 65 more feet or 1,065 more feet. Apparently many more remains are to be found. It is the largest known site of mammoth remains in the world, and they have constructed a building around this site. It will remain an active site for hundreds of years to come. Incredible! They are always looking for volunteers. Hmmmm, maybe next summer.😊

July 3, 2019

It was very cool to drive the Wilderness Loop in Custer State Park yesterday, even if we didn’t see much in the way of wild life. It was fun looking for them and the drive was beautiful. We did see a couple of heards of bison, some prong horns, and a bunch of donkeys that were pretty tame. It was a sweet time.

As well we took Needles Road up to an area with really unique rock formations. The needle of all needles was at the end and included an 8′ wide tunnel shaped like the eye of a needle.

Bill was insistent on driving. The roads were winding, narrow, and had steep drop offs without guard rails. We both had mixed feelings about his doing all the driving, but in the end I guess it was what worked the best.

June 30, 2019.

It took awhile to identify the feeling when seeing the Badlands. Amazing, stunning, then mind blowing described the sights that went on for miles as we drove the Badlands Loop, stopped at overlooks, and walked the Door Trail. Ecstasy was the feeling!

I just wish the photos on this blog were a better representation of what we saw.

I

I couldn’t imagine a more thrilling way to spend my birthday. Perhaps Bill had decided that since it was my birthday he would accept all my suggestions, and respond affirmatively to all my requests, because each time I said “let’s stop here” he pulled over. And, there were many more suggestions than he would typically have gone along with.

Since we have been in a paring down mode for the last year, the question arises about the value of hundreds, let alone thousands of pictures from a trip like this. Usually it’s not difficult to trim the number of images per attraction to 20 or so. That has been my goal. Unfortunately I have found that limiting to 50 images is too challenging for the Badlands. Fortunately, it doesn’t take much space to store images.

It was interesting to learn that the rock formations were not created by glacier travel and deposits as has always seemed to be the case. It was reported that these formations were soft and sludge like and under water millions of years ago. They are made of sandstone and still are changing annually. And kudos to the park officials who have determined that there will not be barriers, rails, and warning signs every where. There were many opportunities to climb and hike through higher risk areas. It helped that the surface was chalky and provided great traction.

The day was an extreme example of travel, Bill, and God coming together to create a seemingly heart blowing experience. God really out did himself with the Badlands.

June 28, 2019

Bill and I are both worn down as we finish up our 5th day at Winnebago Service Center. We have been out of the coach by 7 each morning, which means I’m sleep deprived, and boredom has set in big time. I don’t do boredom well. Bill is anxious about getting off schedule and the cost, and he doesn’t do anxious well. Ughh!

Hopefully we will leave here today and be in South Dakota for tonight. That will be very encouraging because the next stop will be Bad Lands and then Black Hills. I can’t wait!

On the positive side, we have learned so much that will lead our camping experiences to be easier and more pleasurable. We’ve spent a lot of time with other rvers who live on the road, at least for the most part. Most are more seasoned than we are, and like to share what they have learned. All of them drive Winnebagos; most of them are our seniors. We have heard great stories and learned we are not quite as “loosey goosey” as some. Some of them get repairs that can wait done only here, and use more duct tape and gorilla glue than we have considered.

We camped on the grounds here, and came closer to boondocking than Bill had wanted. We know now that it wouldn’t be a big deal to camp without any hook ups, and we know how to do it! This should increase our opportunities to go places that are more rustic. But hey, in Jesse rustic means being without a television signal, and watching democratic debates on youtube.

We had a fascinating and enlightening tour of the plant where Jesse was made. The plant employs 2200 people, and makes 17 motor homes a day with one shift. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures.

It all has been an experience to be appreciated, though not enjoyable.

Marge

Minneapolis was our stopping point between Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Forest City, Iowa (where the Winnebago Service Center is). It was a little out of the way, but worth it to go to the Mall of America.Finally, I could see the world’s largest shopping mall! And I’m happy to say that previous desire is now gone. My curiosity has been satisfied! It wasn’t a roller coaster in the middle of the mall;
it was a complete amusement park! It included two roller coasters, a 300 foot tunnel aquarium, a ropes course with zip line, and all the other rides you would expect in an amusement park. I’m not a roller coaster person, but decided to prove to myself that at least I could do the small roller coaster.The mall surrounded the park and was enormous. Bill and I went to Nordstrom’s for lunch (which brought back memories of higher end department stores having restaurants on the top floor) and Macys for some make up, and then made the long trek out of the mall.My fit bit rewarded me with the long vibration, and Uber took us back to the campground.Marge

June 21, 2019

Milwaukee and visiting my cousin, Sally, was next on our itinerary. I knew I would appreciate the opportunity to visit a cousin, but didn’t realize I would love it! We had such a good time and built on the fond memories I already had.

Sally had arranged for a sailing adventure that was pretty exciting. I understood the captain to say we were sailing at about the capacity of the boat. Great fun. We did a light house tour which provided scenic views of Lake Michigan, and later a tour of Lake Front Brewery. Hiking at Kettle Moraine and a vist to an

architecturally gorgeous art museum rounded out our itinerary. Hands down, the best part of the visit was spending time with Sally, and getting to know her better.