Hurlshot's 2016 Summer RV Trip

[Hurlshort]

I was a bit worried that this trip would not happen.  We had some major work to do on the RV, about $3000 total, and I had no idea where that would come from.  But thankfully, we received a retroactive cost of living increase right before the summer, and it was enough to cover the expense.  So with the RV running smoothly, I was able to book a 3 week trip for the summer.  I will try and post a picture a day, depending on data availability.

 

Day 1 - Our first stop is Reno, Nevada.  We are staying at my Uncle's place for the night.  They are serving pozole for dinner, score.  We head off to Idaho tomorrow.

 

 

I checked my previous year's threads, and it looks like the images are all broken.  Please let me know if you can't see this pictures.

[BruceVC]

I was a bit worried that this trip would not happen.  We had some major work to do on the RV, about $3000 total, and I had no idea where that would come from.  But thankfully, we received a retroactive cost of living increase right before the summer, and it was enough to cover the expense.  So with the RV running smoothly, I was able to book a 3 week trip for the summer.  I will try and post a picture a day, depending on data availability.

 

Day 1 - Our first stop is Reno, Nevada.  We are staying at my Uncle's place for the night.  They are serving pozole for dinner, score.  We head off to Idaho tomorrow.

 

 

I checked my previous year's threads, and it looks like the images are all broken.  Please let me know if you can't see this pictures.

Wow you brave, what about all the Latino rapists and murderers that Trump has identified are prevalent in the USA  and many will live there 

[Calax]

 

I was a bit worried that this trip would not happen.  We had some major work to do on the RV, about $3000 total, and I had no idea where that would come from.  But thankfully, we received a retroactive cost of living increase right before the summer, and it was enough to cover the expense.  So with the RV running smoothly, I was able to book a 3 week trip for the summer.  I will try and post a picture a day, depending on data availability.

 

Day 1 - Our first stop is Reno, Nevada.  We are staying at my Uncle's place for the night.  They are serving pozole for dinner, score.  We head off to Idaho tomorrow.

 

 

I checked my previous year's threads, and it looks like the images are all broken.  Please let me know if you can't see this pictures.

Wow you brave, what about all the Latino rapists and murderers that Trump has identified are prevalent in the USA  and many will live there 

 

Dude... It's RENO. The most he has to worry about are the hookers.

 

Note: The Mustang Ranch is near there. And my daycare from 1991. My dad used to tell us the S on the mountain was for our last names (He's kinda a **** like that)

[Nonek]

Are you not partaking of a little equitation before moving on Mr Hurlshot? The wide vistas on display in your photograph seem to call for a little horseback reconnaisance and wandering.

[Hurlshort]

Those hills are actually a fairly popular motorcross area. My uncle takes his dirt bike out there regularly, and they have one of the big races every year in the area.

Day 2 - We had a long travel day today, leaving Reno by 8:30 AM and getting to Twin Falls, Idaho by 7:30.  We covered about 460 miles, I think.  We passed some epic truck stops, with pretty much any service you can imagine.  The drive went smoothly, I even got an hour nap while my wife took over the wheel.  We made some time to stop at an amazing California Interpretive Trail Center.  It was in the middle of nowhere, but it was huge and filled with all the history of the pioneers who came over in covered wagons.  Very cool, and it was free!  I'm sure someone will grumble about tax dollars

 

 

Edited June 27, 2016 by Hurlshot

[Hurlshort]

Day 3 - Bit of a rest day in Idaho. The park we are at has mini golf and a waterslide, so we have been enjoying that. I went on a run and saw miles of farmland. Yesterday we crossed over Snake River Canyon, which was massive, but didnt snap a picture. Tomorrow is an early start to get to Crater of the Moon park, so pictures will resume.

[ManifestedISO]

Civil War t-shirt ... Team Cap!  

[Hurlshort]

My son is totally team Iron Man. But that has more to do with the shooting rockets than politics.

Edited June 28, 2016 by Hurlshot

[Hurlshort]

Day 4 - Today was busy.  We woke up early, actually I just moved the kids to the back bed and started driving around 7 AM.  We got the Craters of the Moon National Park, and it was fantastic.  It was like traversing an alien planet.  We hiked about a mile and a half to some caves.  My son took awhile to warm up to the whole idea of spelunking, but eventually he was eager to clamber over the rocks.  The Indian Cave was his favorite, it wasn't too dark, and you could hike all the way through and then come up deep in the lava fields.  Then we hiked overland to get back to the trail, it was great.

 

 

 

 

 

We finished up around noon, ate lunch, and then booked it to West Yellowstone.  There we rented a car and ended up at a nice pub for dinner.  I finally got some decent craft beer.

 

 

That is an Elk Burger.  It was delicious.  

Edited June 29, 2016 by Hurlshot

[Guard Dog]

When you go on vacation it feels like I'm going on vacation! 

[Hurlshort]

My wife got better pictures of the the lava fields:

 

 

 

 

 

It reminded me of Chronicles of Riddick.  It was awesome how Logan went from being in tears about going into the caves, to leading the way across the flows.

Edited June 29, 2016 by Hurlshot

[ManifestedISO]

When you go on vacation it feels like I'm going on vacation! 

 

Same! I think this is my third or fourth vicarious vacation. Love it, especially the geology.

[Gromnir]

craters o' the moon and snake river plain leading to yellowstone make Gromnir shiver.  is beautiful country.  heck, we got a christmas tree farm in the area that we is likely gonna retire to in the not too distant future.  even so, that yellowstone caldera is scary when you think 'bout it, particularly when you look at craters o' the moon and realize that it were more than 10 million years ago that the yellowstone hotspot were in south-central idaho, yes?  and the hotspot is already overdue.

 

yellowstone is one o' the more amazing places on earth, so enjoy the visit.

 

HA! Good Fun!

 

ps if you ever get the chance, visit yellowstone in late october/november before the roads close for winter.  is breathtakingly beautiful in a whole different way than is summer. 

Edited June 29, 2016 by Gromnir

[ManifestedISO]

Overdue by 60,000 years, if I remember correctly, on a cycle of 600,000 years. An eruption would make our species extinct, so, I agree, visit Yellowstone soon, while we still have flesh and can breathe and see things. I always say the Grand Canyon is my favorite place, but, it's Yellowstone.  

Edited June 29, 2016 by ManifestedISO

[IndiraLightfoot]

I love your RV trip recounts and pics, Hurlshot! It's like a good ol' tradition on this forum now.

 

It looks like great fun, and just now, it reminded me of a Frazier episode, Travels with Martin, where Niles, Frazier, their dad and Daphne go on a Winnibago trip that's pretty hilarious.

Here's some glimpses from that episode (I'm sure you can watch it on Netflix some rainy day laterz):

[Youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pegfTA_ucbE

[Nonek]

 

It was awesome how Logan went from being in tears about going into the caves, to leading the way across the flows.

 

 

These are the moments that stay with you as a parent i've found, little moments of development that make your heart swell. My own boy had quite crippling claustrophobia when young, and when on a potholing holiday in the Peak District he managed to push himself into squeezing through dark passages and caverns, well I was the one with tears in my eyes. (Which I hid behind a thorough blowing of my nose of course!) His claustrophobia has been greatly diminished ever since, to the point of mere irritation.

[IndiraLightfoot]

Nice post, Nonek!

 

And as a parent I certainly relate to these stories as well. My daughter was extremely afraid of the dark at the age of 5-7, but then I came up with the idea that I could use one of my hobbies to help her take the edge of that phobia, and it worked really well (Nowadays, she's just slightly anxious about anything pitch dark).

I started taking her out into the dead of night, letting her carrying the infrared mini-torch when I was star-gazing during the winter months, often in snowy conditions. At first she only made it a few steps from the house (inside of which I still killed all lighting first, to reduce the pesky light pollution, I explained. Then, after a few sessions, where she got to watch the Moon (it's always a good first fascinating object for a kid), and then we were lucky, and Saturn and Jupiter were available. Seeing those Galilean Moons, she forgot about that ominous darkness, and then when I showed the Orion belt, and the Andromeda, she was sold, despite temperatures of -10 Celsius and below for an hour or two. It didn't take long until she told her teacher, she was going to be an astronaut and go to Mars. That made me well up a bit, and also worry somewhat; since that may very well be a one-way ticket, as you Americans say.

Edited June 29, 2016 by IndiraLightfoot

[Hurlshort]

Day 5 - We drove into Yellowstone (just around the corner, really) and headed towards the geysers.  I was on the lookout for a visitors center, but Yellowstone is a huge park!  I am spoiled by Yosemite, I suppose, which is relatively small and can be walked somewhat easily.  So I was a bit lost most of the day.  Definitely need to find a map for tomorrow.

 

We found a lot of geysers.  Some were packed with tour buses, so we stayed away from them a bit, but some we less crowded and just as majestic.  Pictures don't really capture the smell and the feel of getting hit by the mist of these things.

 

 

 

 

[Gromnir]

looks all bright and sunny.  we got friends in jackson, wy.  told us that they had t-storms this eve and are expecting more tomorrow.  stay safe and dry.

 

HA! Good Fun!

[Calax]

My entrance to yellowstone years ago was different.

 

Basically me and my mom and brother were on a long road trip on basically the rout Hurl's doing now, but we came into Yellowstone from the east side. The night we were supposed to get there it started storming, and while every road sign said "Yellowstone:SOON!"  we just couldn't seem to reach it until finally my mom pulled us over into a motel in Cody Wyoming. We get a hotel, see a Buffalo Bill museum (actually pretty dang good) and sleep. When we wake up, we stretch, and drive thinking that the signs were lying to us and that Yellowstone was an hour and a half away or something... literally 5 minutes after leaving town we hit the entrance gate >.<

[Meshugger]

Day 5 - We drove into Yellowstone (just around the corner, really) and headed towards the geysers.  I was on the lookout for a visitors center, but Yellowstone is a huge park!  I am spoiled by Yosemite, I suppose, which is relatively small and can be walked somewhat easily.  So I was a bit lost most of the day.  Definitely need to find a map for tomorrow.

 

We found a lot of geysers.  Some were packed with tour buses, so we stayed away from them a bit, but some we less crowded and just as majestic.  Pictures don't really capture the smell and the feel of getting hit by the mist of these things.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is that the Old Faithful?

[Hurlshort]

Nope, I want to say it was Clepsydra or Spasm Geyser.  They all kind of blended together.  We didn't even get to Old Faithful, it was packed with tour buses.  We will try again today.

[Hurlshort]

Day 6 - After consulting some maps in the morning, we drove back into Yellowstone with a better understanding of where everything was in the park.  Old Faithful seems to be the central hub of the area, with a huge visitors center and stores.  We had the kids take part in a junior ranger program, which was a great way to give them a little work on reading and writing without feeling too much like school work.  We got to see Old Faithful, which was impressive.  The water is shooting 150 feet in the air, and it surrounded by hundreds of onlookers.  Definitely a different experience to see it in person.

 

 

 

After lunch we started driving south.  I had a goal to reach Jackson Hole, which people kept raving about visiting.  It was a long drive, and I almost gave up, but once I reached the Grand Tetons it was well worth it.  I love mountains.  I'm a teton guy, for sure.

 

 

I'll try not to get my mug in any more shots.  

 

Jackson Hole was pretty cool, we had a good dinner and did some shopping.  I'll have to make more time for it someday, it was a long drive home (2 and a half hours) so we didn't get to soak it up too much.  Tomorrow we will take it easy, do some laundry and grocery shopping, and rest up for another travel day.

[BruceVC]

Excellent account of your holiday trip as usual 

 

As GD said people vicariously follow your family trip with great attention 

[Guard Dog]

If I could live in any other state Wyoming is #1 on my list.