FINAL CHAPTER - HOME SWEET HOME

COTATI, CALIFORNIA


We arrived home four weeks ago (it's been a month already!). Fortunately when we arrived in our court, there were no cars parked on the street. We hold our breath every time we arrive home after these trips. Our court has a narrow entrance with a round about circle at the end (where our home is). So we have to back the trailer into the court and into our driveway. The roundabout circle is in the way and we have to actually drive onto it to straighten up the trailer to fit into the driveway. It is quiet a procedure. But we always manage it (Dave does that is).



The first weekend upon our arrival we unpacked the trailer, cleaned the inside, laundered all the linens and towels, and washed and cleaned the outside. We drove it back to the storage place on Saturday.

When we unpacked the trailer we put everything in our spare bedroom and closed the door and forgot about it for a few days (except for the laptops). After that first weekend we attacked it. We sorted through our clothes, washed them and put them away. Sorted through all the stuff and put them back in their places (if we could remember where it all was supposed to be.) Then we went through all the new ‘stuff’ we bought. This was fun because as we purchased the stuff we packed it away somewhere in the trailer and forgot about it. Now it is like Christmas as we open it all up and remember the places we visited and the adventures we had. Some of the stuff we purchased were Christmas gifts (thinking ahead). That stuff we put away. The rest of the stuff we found places for. Most of it was garden décor.

Now to the gardens and yard. In order to find places for the garden décor we had to, of course, clean up the yards to make room for it. It was a jungle out there! Our house sitter did some weeding in front, but we told him not to bother with the back. The back was overgrown and full of weeds. We slowly worked on both the front and back over the last four weeks. And today, we are still working on the yards. We have been busy enjoying the summer!



We also revisited friends and family and got reacquainted with our home town. I (Jo) also joined the Cotati Farmer's Market selling my jewelry and bead fashions one day a week. In the last four months there have been changes in the area; like there is major highway construction going on (adding an additional lane, both ways). The California hills were lush green when we left. Now they are golden and the vineyards are all full of leaves. It’s all so beautiful. THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE HOME!

TRIP SUMMARY
As we look back on the last four months (we have to check our notes, pictures and BLOG to remember it all) we are so grateful to have the opportunity to explore our country and visit all these wonderful sights and meet so many nice people.

We experienced 30 degree weather and 98 degree with 100% humidity. We had rain storms with one tornado warning and a surprise snow blizzard that kept us in Oklahoma City for an extra day. We had windy days where we could not put our awning out; but one day started out calm and we put our awning out only to come home after a sudden, strong wind came up and found our awning broken and draped over the top of our trailer. We learned to observe all the other trailers around you when you arrive at an RV park. If they do not have their awnings out, do not put yours out.

We traveled along Historic Route 66 (Highway 40) and saw lots of sights and oddities like Marsh’s Cadillac Ranch in Texas and the leaning water tower outside Britten, Texas. We spent time at both “Happiest Places in the World”; Disneyland (CA) and Walt Disney World (FL).

We also traveled across the desert in Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, the plains and open fields in Oklahoma, the rolling hills in Arkansas and Virginia where we saw signs of Spring; trees everywhere full of pink and white blossoms. We went back into history in Virginia and Washington DC and finally saw the cherry blossoms in DC. We saw the Atlantic Ocean, experienced summer along the East Coast with high temps and high humidity and saw the wild horses on Assateague Island off the coast of Virginia and also discovered SMITH ISLAND CAKE on this Island. We crossed the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, the largest bridge-tunnel complex in the world!

We spent 15 days traveling the 469 miles of the BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY starting in Virginia, through North Carolina to Tennessee. We camped and visited nine towns and villages along the Parkway and visited many attractions around these areas.

We saw massive Oak trees in Georgia and South Carolina, Civil War battlegrounds in Tennessee, toured caverns in Tennessee, Virginia, and Kentucky. We drove through wheat country where the open landscape in Missouri and Kansas was dotted with farms and wheat silos. As we headed west to home, we entered the high country and viewed snow capped mountains in Colorado and Wyoming and drove through the prairies of Wyoming. This is cowboy country with lots of open space with horse and cattle ranches between the towns. We visited the Charleston family history sites in Wyoming and Nevada.

We visited with my (Jo) family in Florida and Dave’s family in Nevada.

We saw some great life size fiberglass street art throughout the country; "Hoof Prints of the American Quarter Horse" in Armarillo, Texas; "Spirit of the Buffalo" in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Bears in Cherokee, North Carolina;

We had three crisis; our trailer awning was destroyed by the wind in New Mexico and we had two flat tires on the trailer in Tennessee and Nevada. A surprise solution to the awning disaster happened at a dumpster in the RV park we stayed at in Oklahoma City. Dave was dumping some trash and he found a damaged awning. But it had the parts we needed to fix our damaged awning. It was comforting to know that the Travel Gods are watching over us.

OTHER FACTS
The average price we paid for gas was $2.54 a gallon. The highest price was in Austin, Nevada at $3.34 per gallon. The lowest price was in Columbia, Missouri at $2.40 per gallon.

1. Traveled for 114 days
2. We traveled a total of 14,256 miles; 9,458 miles towing the trailer
3. Visited 21 states; California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, and Nevada. And Washington D C (don’t know if that is counted as a State or a City).
4. Visited 69 cities, towns, villages
5. Visited 14 Zoos,
6. Visited 4 Botanical gardens
7. Visited 1 Aquarium
8. Visited 9 Museums
9. Visited 16 National Parks, Monuments, State Parks, etc
10. Visited 45 Other Attractions (such as amusement parks, shopping malls, wineries, caverns, sightseeing stuff, etc.)
11. Attended 2 events
12. Most favorite place: The state of Tennessee (we did and saw a lot in this state) and the Blue Ridge Parkway
13. Least favorite place: Gatlinburg, TN (Tacky Tourist Town outside of Smokey Mountain NP)
14. Best attraction: West Memphis Zoo, Tennessee Aquarium, and North Carolina Zoo.
15. Worst attraction: None really. The Williamsburg Pottery Factory was a bit of a disappointment. It was more like a discount junk store than a place where pottery was made. But we did buy some nice pottery there.
16. Best RV Parks: Country Waye RV Resort, Luray, Virginia
17. Worst RV Parks: Holly Bluff Family Campground, Asheboro, North Carolina;
Raccoon Holler Campground, Glendale Springs, North Carolina

RV PARKS AND CAMPGROUNDS
In researching for RV parks to stay at we look through two RV Park Directories that we have, and we search online. You have to read between the lines when reading the RV Park descriptions and checking out the pictures. The pictures are of the few best parts of the park and the descriptions are often exaggerated and sometimes out right lies.

There is a RV Review website where people can post their impressions and experiences www.rvparkreview.com . We carefully check this out too, but again you have to read between the lines. There is also ‘google earth’ and www.vpike.com . These websites take you right to the street at any address you enter. You can ‘walk’ up and down the street to see what is around any RV park you want to stay at. We look for railroad tracks, truck stops, bus stations, etc. Anything that would make ongoing noise and traffic.

Our rating system: 1 – Yuck, 2 – Poor, 3 – Fair, 4 – Good, 5 - Excellent
We make our own ratings of each RV parks we stay at based on the time of year we stay there, our impressions and experience. The same RV park may have one rating in the Summer, but a different rating in the Spring time. In the early spring you may have the park to yourself, your choice of sites and peace and quiet. In the summer time, weekends and holidays the park may be full with trailers close together and loud kids running around. The season may make a difference on how nice your stay will be.

The park will get a high rating if it has a nice layout, is clean with no junk or trash laying around, is nicely landscaped, no permanent residents (sometimes these residents are loud, have junky trailers and stuff piled around). The bathrooms must be clean and in good shape and the showers private and free (the RV parks in Canada all charge for shower use). There must be cable TV with lots of channels and free wireless for your laptops at your site with a good strong connection.

We listen to our instinct. If you get that nice fuzzy, cozy and comfortable feeling, we rate high. Sometimes you just get that uneasy feeling that this is not going to be a nice place; you feel uncomfortable and unsafe (and we are usually right when that happens). The place will get a low rating. We also rate low if the park is unorganized, the sites are not clearly marked, the trailers are too close together, if it is noisy (too close to the highway, trains are running close by), if the staff is rude and not helpful, the bathrooms are old and dirty, and the showers are out in the open with no privacy (if I have to sponge bathe from my trailer sink). We also rate low if there is no cable TV and the wireless connection is poor or there is none.

Visit our RV Park review blog at: http:// charleston-rv-park-review.blogspot.com/

This is the most stressful part of trailer traveling. Even after all our research and thinking we made reservations at a nice place; many times we are disappointed. Staying at a bad RV Park is stressful and can ruin your whole visit to that area. By the end of our trip we are exhausted and never want to see an RV park again.

But we love Trailer Traveling and we will do it again and again.

OUR NEXT ADVENTURE
..is in the planning stages. We have 11 more states left to explore with our trailer; Nebraska, Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, New Jersey, Delaware, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Maine. We want to visit these states in the fall. So next year in 2011, during the months of July, August, September, and October; we will trailer travel through northern USA to visit Wisconsin and Michigan, then to the East Coast to visit Delaware and New Jersey, then north through the New England states to see the fall colors. We also hope to go into New Brunswick and Nova Scotia in Canada. Our return trip will be through the mid USA to visit Ohio and Nebraska, then head south to Arizona and come home through Southern California.

Be sure to check out our BLOG to follow our new adventure in 2011!
http://2011-charleston-trailer-tripping.blogspot.com/


‘TILL WE MEET AGAIN...
In 1978 I was attacked by the ‘travel bug’ when I took my first solo trip; 3 weeks in Europe. That ‘bug’ has never left me. I wrote this when I returned home from that trip.

“There is no place like home;
but even better there is no place like
the adventures of traveling,
the freedom to do it,
the independence and strength to cope with it,
the heart to love it,
the enthusiasm to learn all you can,
the memories to bring home and share, and
the desire to do it again and again.”
.... Joanna Tobin, 1978

Okay, okay...I did not quit my day job. I was still ‘high’ from my trip when I wrote it. But the feelings from that quote are still with me today.

This one is a better quote:
“Beauty, spiced with wonder, is the greatest lure to travel”
.....Confucius

See you next year!

Day 110-114, June 19-23: Idaho and Nevada

Day 110, June 19 TWIN FALLS, IDAHO
Twin Falls city was founded in 1904 and has a population of 34,500. One of the major attractions in Twin Falls Idaho is the Snake River Canyon, where in the 1970's stunt man Evil Knievel attempted to jump the wide canyon on his motor bike but was unsuccessful. We will just be staying overnight in Twin Falls with no plans to explore the city. We have actually visited and explored this city already on a previous trip.


We missed getting drenched by a storm we saw on our way to Twin Falls. After 6 hours and 269 miles we arrived at Twin Falls 93 RV Park in Twin Falls, Idaho.

TWIN FALLS 93 RV PARK
This is a very nice RV park. Why is it that the nicest of the RV parks are only overnighters. This park is actually in the town of Filer, just outside of Twin Falls. It is a small park with only 21 sites. It’s laid out nicely with even rows. All pull-thrus that are spacious. The park is out in the open with only small trees and not much shade. There is cable TV with lots of channels and free WiFi with a good connection.


Please see our RV PARK REVIEW BLOG under IDAHO to see a review and more pictures of this RV park http://charleston-rv-park-review.blogspot.com/

Our next destination is Nevada. We will be spending four nights in Nevada. With 3 nights visiting family in Ely and an overnight stop in Reno.


NEVADA facts: Nevada entered the Union in 1864 as the 36th state. Nevada covers 110,567 square miles and has a population of around 2,414,807
State Motto: "All For Our Country"
State Nickname: Sagebrush State, Silver State, Battle Born State
State Capital: Carson City
State Flower: Sagebrush (1959)
State Bird: Mountain Blue Bird (1967)
State Animal: Desert Bighorn Sheep (1973)
State Tree: Single-Leaf Pinon (1953)
State Gem: Nevada Turquoise (1987)
State Song: “Home Means Nevada” (1933)


Day 111-113, June 19-22: ELY, NEVADA

Ely is relatively young as Nevada cities go, established in the 1870s as a stagecoach station and post office. Only after it was designated the White Pine County seat in 1887 did the population climb to 200. Most of the activity in the region was at the surrounding mining camps of Ward, Cherry Creek, Osceola and Taylor. First copper was mined then later tungsten, silver and gold.


After 5 hours and 249 miles we arrived at Ely KOA in Ely, Nevada

ELY KOA
This is a nice park for being out in the desert. It is located outside of town alongside of the highway going to Great Basin National Park. It is a good size with 80 sites and laid out in even rows. There are trees surrounding the property and there is some shade, but that is mostly in the rows were the permanent trailers are. The downside to staying here is that there is a fee for the cable TV and a $2 a day fee for the WiFi (which we paid). But the WiFi has a very bad connection despite having a strong signal.


Please see our RV PARK REVIEW BLOG under NEVADA to see a review and more pictures of this RV park http://charleston-rv-park-review.blogspot.com/

GREAT BASIN NATIONAL PARK
Dave’s mother’s family came from Ely and Elinor (Dave’s mother) was born there in 1916. Elinor’s parents (John Dixon Tilford and Sarah Overson Tilford) were pioneers in the Snake Creek Canyon area that is now part of the Great Basin National Park; about 60 miles south of Ely. They built a cabin, sawmill, a tungsten mine and prospected for gold and silver nearby and raised Elinor’s older brothers and sisters at this site.


The National Park Services history people want to do some archeological work in the area and wanted to meet with the family to see any photographs they have plus listen to and record the oral history. Dave and Elinor have cousins that live in Ely and we joined them to meet with the Parks people plus have a picnic and mini-family reunion at the site. We are hoping that eventually the area will be protected and restored and that some kind of monument and historical display or informational signs will be erected in the Park to commemorate the Tilford pioneers.

By the way, Dave’s mom, Elinor is 94 years old and will probably live past 100. Today she is healthier than all of us, lives alone, still drives a car and can out talk anyone in the Charleston family. “You can always tell a Charleston, but you can’t tell them very much”.


At the visitor center at Great Basin NP we met with 8 park personal that included park archeologists, educational specialist, a Native American that was an expert at reconstruction and preservation of structures, some trainees, and the park supervisor. We then drove into Snake Creek Canyon along this very long dirt and rugged road to the site where John Tilford had his mining camp. There were little red flags all over the place to mark areas that will be dug up and sifted through to look for artifacts and history. There the rangers stood with their digital cameras, video cameras, and note pads and listened to Elinor tell the history of the area and family stories. It was fascinating, and so exciting that the Tilford history at Snake Creek Canyon will finally be officially recognized.


This is the site of John and Sarah’s first home. It is not too far from the mining camp. It is now a campground site. The house’s stone foundation is behind the picnic table. The sawmill that John built was on the other side of this hill. It is no longer there.

OCEOLA and HOGUM, NEVADA
Just outside of the Great Basin National Park boundries are the mining towns of Oceola and Hogum. Today they are almost ghost towns, but a few people still live in them and work the mines in the hills that surround these towns.

Twenty plus years after Snake Creek Canyon, John Tilford was still mining (gold and silver) and he was living alone in Oceola. His children were grown and his wife was living in the Bay Area in California.

This is what is left of the house he lived in.


Close by is Hogum. Dave’s great grandfather Thomas Boone Tilford and his wife Mary Cherry had a house here. Once upon a time the hills of Hogum was full of mines (gold) and Thomas Boone Tilford owned them all; he hogged them all. Thus the name Hog-um


This is a painting that was done by a friend of Dave’s cousin, Dave Tilford. Thomas Boone Tilford is in the middle. And the house behind him is what the ruins in the picture above looked like.

To get to these mining towns and historical sites, you have to drive in the mountains on primitive, steep, twisted, narrow, bumpy, dirty and dusty roads. I don't know how they did it back then, but today you definitly need a 4-wheel drive vehicle. Driving these roads was like a thrill ride. Very exhausting.

Dave’s family were American pioneers on his mother's father's side. Dave's mother's mother's side of the family were European immigrants. Remember the Mormon Handcart story discussed in the Wyoming posting (Matilda Hartley was Sarah Tilford's mother). It is so wonderful to be able to trace their history so far back. Can you imagine having documentation on your great, great grandparents. In fact, Dave's family history (on his mother's side) can be traced back to the 1500's. WOW. This is so thrilling.

On with the ‘tripping’. Our next and final stop will be an overnight stay in Reno, Nevada to break up the 500+ miles trip home.


Day 114, June 23: RENO, NEVADA
We made one stop on the way to Reno. Half way between Austin and Fallon near Middlegate on Highway 50 stands a lone Cottonwood tree on the desert landscape.


SHOE TREE
I don’t know how long this tree has been here and how long it has been growing shoes, but by the looks of it; a very long time. The tale of the Shoe Tree dates back to the early 1990’s; “A young couple camped there on their wedding night and got into a tiff. The woman said she was going to walk away and the man said, "If you do, you'll have to walk barefoot," and threw her shoes in the tree. Then, the man got in the car and drove to Middlegate to have a drink at the bar. The bartender talked him into going back to his wife, which he did. A year later, they brought their first child's shoes to the tree and tossed them into the branches.” Since then, people have been adding and removing shoes from the tree.


After 6.5 hours and 320 miles, we arrived at Sparks Marina RV Park in Sparks, Nevada.

SPARKS MARINA RV PARK
We have stayed at Sparks Marina RV Park several times. It is an excellent park that is well maintained, comfortable and relaxing. It is across from a manmade lake/marina that has many attractions. This RV park is large with around 250 sites. There are both pull-thrus and back-ins. It has a good layout with even rows. The sites are paved and very spacious with astro turf on both sides and a picnic table. This RV park would have been a perfect “5”, but the so called free WiFi at your site does not work at all. You can only use it to get your e-mail or surf the net (sometimes). The signal is not strong enough for downloading, or using Facebook. What a disappointment.

Please see our RV PARK REVIEW BLOG under NEVADA to see a review and more pictures of this RV park http://charleston-rv-park-review.blogspot.com/






LEGENDS
We are only staying in Reno for one night. We did not go downtown to any of the casinos. Instead we went across the street from our RV park, on the other side of the Marina where there is a brand new outdoor shopping center. We last visited Reno a year or so ago and this place was just under construction. And this center is still a ‘work in progress’. There are plans for more shops and restaurants. This center is called LEGENDS and it is very impressive and magical. It has great landscaping and garden deco with lots of sculptures and statues. There is a display of sculptures representing symbols of the state of Nevada; such as State Tree, State Song, State Bird, State Flower, State Mammal, etc. The shops are typical shops that you see in most malls. There is nothing special or unique about the shops. They are mostly clothing, shoe and jewelry stores. But there are more shops coming. It is a very nice place to socialize, take a walk on a warm evening and relax and listen to the any entertainment they might have in the center of the mall.



Well this is it. The end of the road. The end of a long journey. We will be leaving in the morning for our next and final destination; Cotati, California our HOME SWEET HOME.



Stay tuned for the final posting for this Trailer Tripping BLOG.

Day 105-109, June 14-18: Wyoming

The majority of the state of Wyoming is dominated by mountain ranges and range lands. It is the 10th largest state, but the least populous state. Wyoming is also known as the "Equality State" because of the rights women have traditionally enjoyed here. Wyoming women were the first in the nation to vote, serve on juries and hold public office.


Wyoming is not what I expected it to be like. I thought it was lush with forests and mountains. The northwest part of it is. But the rest of the state is flat grazing fields full of cattle ranches. You drive through lots of empty space with fields of grass and shrubs, some green rolling hills and snow capped mountains way in the distance. It is truly “cowboy country” and quite beautiful. I can see why the state’s population is so low. Towns and cities are far apart with lots of open space in between.


Day 105-106, June 14-15: RAWLINS, WY
Rawlins is a small town that straddles the continental divide which has a population of around 8,500. There is a historical penitentiary downtown that is now a museum. The current, modern penitentiary is just outside the city near the KOA we are staying at. We will be staying here for two nights with plans on visiting the Mormon Handcart Historic Site nearby in Alcova (about 40 miles from Rawlins).


After five hours and 216 miles we arrived at Rawlins KOA in Rawlins, Wyoming.

RAWLINS KOA
This is an okay RV park that is nicely laid out with spacious sites. There is the highway on one side and a main road going into Rawlins on another side. A few blocks behind us going into Rawlins, there are railroad tracks and an industrial area. So there is lots of traffic and train noise. But it is quieter at night. The cable TV with lots of channels is nice, but the free WiFi has a bad connection.



Please see our RV PARK REVIEW BLOG under WYOMING to see a review and more pictures of this RV park http://charleston-rv-park-review.blogspot.com/

MORMON HANDCART HISTORIC SITE
We visited the Mormon Handcart Historic Site – Martin’s Cove in Alcova, WY (about 40 miles from Rawlins). The Mormon handcart disaster of 1856 resulted in the greatest loss of life from any single event during the entire Westward migration period. Over a period of 2 to 3 years, 9 handcart companies crossed the country. These emigrants joined the Mormon church and came to America looking for a better life. These were poor people who could not afford wagons and the oxen to pull them. So the all built handcarts that would carry 17 pounds (per person) of possessions, and they would pull the carts themselves.



In July 28, 1856 the Martin Handcart Company began its ill-fated journey with nearly 600 emigrants, most of whom have come to America from England. They started their journey way too late. By October 19, they were low on food and were hit with a snowstorm (the worst in Wyoming history). The first of the rescuers arrived October 31st with some food and supplies. On November 4th they resumed the journey but only traveled 2 miles when they were forced to take shelter against the wind and snow. They moved everyone to a protected area against the rocks to what is now called Martins Cove. They remained here for several days struggling to survive, waiting for the weather to improve. On November 9th they continued on their journey by walking, leaving behind most of the handcarts. They soon met up with the rest of the rescuers and those that could no longer walk were put into wagons that the rescuers had brought. The Martin Company finally arrived in Salt Lake City on November 30th. Out of the 600 that started the trip, 150 lives were lost.

We were very interested in visiting this Historic Site because Dave’s great, great grandmother, Eliza Gill Hartley and her five children, were with the Martin Handcart Company. One of Eliza’s daughters, Matilda ,is Dave’s great grandmother. Eliza joined the Mormon church in England. She left behind her abusive and alcoholic husband (who did not join the church) and traveled to America to find a better life. Eliza and her children all survived, including Matilda, Dave’s great grandmother. Or else Dave would not be here. One of her sons did loose one leg to frostbite.



We visited the visitor center and walked around the grounds. We saw the Sweetwater River where this company had to walk across several times in the freezing weather. Dave did the 5 mile round trip walk to Martin’s Cove. I stayed behind. There were handcarts that the visitors could pull on this walk to get the experience of those courageous people.


The next day we headed for Jackson, Wyoming where we will spend three nights visiting Jackson Hole and the Grand Teton National Park.



Day 107-109, June 16-18: JACKSON, WY
Jackson is often called Jackson Hole. The name "hole" derives from language used by early trappers or mountain men, who primarily entered the valley from the north and east and had to descend along relatively steep slopes, giving the sensation of entering a hole. The valley is thought to be named after Davey Edward Jackson, a mountain man who trapped the area for beaver in the early nineteenth century. The history of Jackson Hole and the Grand Teton area is a fascinating adventure containing Native American tribes, fur trappers, enterprising businessmen, caring preservationists and die-hard nature lovers. The city has a population of around 8,650 and an elevation of 6,209 feet.


After 7.25 hours and 298 miles we arrived at Snake River KOA in Jackson, Wyoming.

SNAKE RIVER KOA
Snake River KOA is right along the Snake River. This RV park is not a nice park. It has dirt interior roads and dirt and grassy sites. With the rain, it is very, very muddy. There are about 60 sites and they are very small. No way can a big rig fit in these sites. They are mostly back to back and they are really squeezed together. You get the feeling of chaos. The comfort station looked old and has junk piled up around it. There is no cable TV and you cannot get any channels with the antenna. The free WiFi is okay but not a strong connection.

Please see our RV PARK REVIEW BLOG under WYOMING to see a review and more pictures of this RV park http://charleston-rv-park-review.blogspot.com/


JACKSON HOLE
Jackson Hole or Jackson is a resort town with shopping and restaurants. It is also very artsy with lots of nice art galleries. There are lots of awesome bronze sculptures of wildlife, cowboy life, and Indian life in these galleries.


It was so cold on our first morning in Jackson, the light drizzle outside had turned to snow! But it never touched the ground. Late morning the sun finally came out and it turned into a very nice day. There were dark clouds and breezy, but the sun was out and the views were clear. We went downtown to Jackson Hole and checked out the shops. The art galleries were nice to stroll through, but the rest of the shops had tacky tourist stuff. Oh, we did find a candy shop with 'barrel candy'. I could not resist that and filled up my little bucket with almost a pound of different kinds of 'sweets'. We actually ended up going there a second time the next day. I'll start my diet when I get home.


We spent the rest of the afternoon and the next day visiting and exploring Grand Teton National Park.

GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK
The original Grand Teton National Park, established by Congress on February 29, 1929, included only the Teton Range and eight glacial lakes at the base of the mountains.

The birth of present-day Grand Teton National Park involved controversy and a struggle that lasted several decades. Animosity toward expanding governmental control and a perceived loss of individual freedoms fueled anti-park sentiments in Jackson Hole that nearly derailed establishment of the park. By contrast, Yellowstone National Park benefited from an expedient and near universal agreement for its creation in 1872. The world's first national park took only two years from idea to reality; however Grand Teton National Park evolved through a burdensome process requiring three separate governmental acts and a series of compromises.

The Jackson Hole National Monument, decreed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt through presidential proclamation in 1943, combined Teton National Forest acreage, other federal properties including Jackson Lake and a generous 35,000-acre donation by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. On September 14, 1950, the original 1929 Park and the 1943 National Monument (including Rockefeller's donation) were united into a "New" Grand Teton National Park, creating present-day boundaries. The highest peak in the National Park is Grand Teton with an elevation of 13,770 feet. There are twelve other peaks over 12,000 feet.


We visited this National Park both days that we were in the area. We just drove around and looked at the gorgeous scenery this park has. We almost drove as far as Yellowstone National Park which borders Grand Teton. Wish we had more time to visit Yellowstone. But it is “Home Sweet Home” in five days and we are anxious to get home.

The first day we visited the National Park it was cloudy and the dark clouds added to the dramatic effect of picture taking.


The next day we drove through the NP again. This time it was clear and sunny which also made beautiful pictures. We saw lots of elk and bison. We had a wonderful visit at Grand Teton.


We saw an interesting sight at one of the view points. Some very friendly birds where pecking away at the ground in the parking lot. As soon as we parked they gathered at our car door looking for food. These birds are called YELLOWHEADED BLACKBIRDS. I've never seen or heard of them before, but we sure enjoyed their visit.


When we got back to the trailer we found all of our 4 legged children asleep on the couch (well almost all of them were asleep). It was such a KODAK moment, I had to share.



We changed our return plans slightly. We will be going through Nevada to get to California instead of Idaho and Oregon. We have a family event going on in Ely, Nevada and wanted to participate. It is over 500 miles from Jackson to Ely, so we did make an overnight stop at Twin Falls, Idaho.