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(132, 2, '2011-09-06 01:01:10', '2011-09-06 01:01:10', 'Start: Mitchell, SD\r\nDestination:  Badlands National Park, Interior, SD\r\nOdometer: 103,062 (start) - 103,400 (end) 338 miles\r\nDate:  Friday, September 2nd - Saturday, September 3rd,  2011\r\n\r\nSouth Dakota….where the wind comes sweeping down the planes.  As mentioned yesterday, the wind was quite strong while trying to cook dinner, but it was not enough to raise our concern.  This changed around midnight that evening.  The Coleman tent is rather broad and will easily catch wind like a sail, even with the windows opened part way to let air through.  This fact, mixed in with incredibly strong and constant winds, leads to quite a stress test of the tent.  The wind huffed, and it puffed, but while the walls of the tent flapped strongly and noisily in and out, the tent stood strong. (I tried getting pictures of the young, nearby trees bending in the wind but it was too dark.)  We were not going back to sleep, but hoped we would at least be able to lay down in an upright tent.  Finally, it happened: one of the corners of the tent came in on my Dad during a particularly strong wind.  Now, if this were a traditional tent, the likely reality would be that the tent pole had broken and we’d be in quite a predicament.  The instant tent however has elbow joints that go in and out.  The wind buckled that joint into the tent, but we were also able to push the joint back into place, without even having to leave the tent.  With a little help from its occupants during that incident, the tent was able to stand strong for the entire night.  The wind finally waned and we went back to sleep.\r\n\r\nThen the morning rains arrived around 3am.  As before, the tent did not leak, but the noise of the rain hitting the tent made the rain sound much worse and woke us up.  I somehow fell back into a deep sleep, because the next thing I knew, it was around 5:30am, Dad waslideshows loading the car and I needed to get up so we could take down the tent.\r\n\r\nI have camped many times before, but I had never experienced winds like that.  As such, I am a skeptic regarding the need for the guy-wires of the tent.  More often than not, they are a tripping hazard and are rarely needed.  My Dad however strongly encouraged we follow all the setup requirements of the tent.  I’m glad he did.  Not only did the tent not blow away, but all of the stakes were still firmly in place.  I was sure at least some of them would have been pulled out by the winds.  I still believe those wires are a hazard, but they should not be neglected if you’re in an area capable of having strong winds.\r\n\r\nBy 6am, we had packed up the wet tent and were on the road heading to the Badlands, but on an empty stomach.  I took the wheel, and after surviving a turn into the oncoming traffic lane of a major road, we were on the highway that we would be taking straight across the state for around 200 miles.\r\n\r\nMy Dad would have just driven to the destination without breakfast, but I appreciate a meal in the morning, particularly after a minimal dinner the night before.  Fortunately, there was a rest stop early on where we could eat.  (I’m coming to have a greater appreciation for the need/value of those rest stops I’d ignore back home.)  I made peanut butter and honey sandwiches, and my Dad finished his cinnamon-raison bagels.  No longer hungry, we ventured on to what was our first, real tourist destination of the trip:  the Badlands of South Dakota.\r\n\r\nThe drive through South Dakota was a smooth drive, with corn and sunflower farms on the side, and signs for misc. Badlands attractions, particularly Wall Drug.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1264.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-103\" title=\"102_1264\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1264-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1261.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-104\" title=\"102_1261\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1261-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nShortly before reaching Interior, SD, we took a much needed rest stop to stretch our legs and gaze out at the vast planes of grass.  Little did we suspect that perhaps the highlight of our entire trip would be a few miles down the road.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1269.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-105\" title=\"102_1269\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1269-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nShortly before reaching Interior, SD, we took a much needed rest stop to stretch our legs and gaze out at the vast planes of grass.  Little did we suspect that perhaps the highlight of our entire trip would be a few miles down the road.\r\n\r\nMy Dad and I share a great attraction for Prairie Dogs.  They are just so cute and adorable.  So, you can imagine our excitement when just before arriving at the Badlands, we saw there was a prairie dog ranch that seemed more enamored with them than we are.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1271.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-106\" title=\"102_1271\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1271-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\nFor free, you can walk right up to the prairie dogs, who have little to no fear of people.  For 50 cents, you can buy a bag of peanuts and feed them (so they’ll stay by you and not snub their nose at your lack of an offering).  Try petting and getting this personal to a group of prairie dogs at the zoo.  We spent a fun thirty minutes playing with them, checking out their burrows, hearing their squeaks, and seeing their diversity (e.g. apparently there are white prairie dogs).\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1303.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-107\" title=\"102_1303\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1303-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1311.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-108\" title=\"102_1311\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1311-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nWe then headed for the Cedar Pass Campground at Badlands National Park to get settled in for our two day stay at the Badlands.  The sites and proximity of the sites to the bathrooms and water were nice, but the views the campground afforded were even better.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1318.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-110\" title=\"102_1318\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1318-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1322.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-111\" title=\"102_1322\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1322-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nWe had gotten a test of the Badlands hen we entered the park, and were definitely wowed.  We wasted little time before getting back in the car to drive the scenic, roughly 50-mile Loop Road through the outer “wall” of the Badlands.\r\n\r\nWe had both heard of the Badlands, but honestly had little idea what they were. As we learned, the Badlands are the product of erosion over the past 500,000 years.  Millions of years ago, it was the floor of a warm, shallow sea, then it was a grassy flood plane, and now it’s grassland surrounded by a 50-mile “wall” of rock formations shaped by the immense rains and winds of the area.  It was an incredibly difficult area to travel, hence its name “bad lands”, but thanks to modern roads, is now easily driven through and is an incredibly beautiful landscape.  <a href=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/107638235733347757198/Badlands?authuser=0&amp;feat=directlink#slideshow/5648684398686263538\" target=\"_blank\">This slideshow</a> will not do them justice.\r\n\r\n<object width=\"600\" height=\"400\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5648684325457534673%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"600\" height=\"400\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5648684325457534673%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object>\r\n\r\nAt the end of the loop, we found ourselves in Wall, a town of some 800 people and home to the famous Wall Drug, where we decided to stop for lunch.  Wall Drug is definitely a tourist destination, and they know it.  While the ice water may be free and the coffee 5 cents, the food and wares are a bit more expensive.  The service was good (we got two free donuts because our order was delayed), but don’t stop at the Wall Cafe if you’re looking for a cheap or particular delicious lunch.  Dad thought he could find a nice western-style shirt, but to no avail.  After touring the various Wall stores, we got some ice cream and some ice, and headed back to the car.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1455.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-112\" title=\"102_1455\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1455-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1439.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-113\" title=\"102_1439\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1439-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1441.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-114\" title=\"102_1441\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1441-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nThe drive back from Wall took us on a dirt road through the southern part of the park, which is mostly grassland.  Since they were windy, dirt roads, we were going slow; however, if you’re a giant tractor trailer, going 80+ and blowing dust on everyone is apparently OK.  They claim there are buffalo there, but all we saw were horses and cattle.  This leg of the drive did not leave that great an impression.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1474.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-115\" title=\"102_1474\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1474-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nWe arrived back to the campsite around 4 and each took some time to ourselves until dinner.  For dinner, I made veggie burgers, which even Dad thought were good.  We made Kiddish for the start of Shabbat, enjoyed our meal and conversation, and retired early.  It was windy that night (the candles were blown out pretty quick), but nothing compared to our previous experience in Mitchell, SD.  That was, until about midnight.\r\n\r\nShortly before midnight, the tent began to shake, the walls were blowing in and out, and we thought the tent wouldn’t make it.  As we later learned, there were 60mph winds that night.  After the wind, there was a few minutes calm...a clam that turned out to be the oft referenced calm before the storm.  What was a cloudless night had become a dark cloud that filled the sky.  That giant cloud also had an amazing lightning storm going on within it, producing bursts of orange and purple.  Picture a hollywood movie depiction of what the clouds might look like during the apocalypse, and you might have a good idea of what we saw outside our tent window.   Next thing we knew, the tent was being bombarded with what sounded like a heavy rain and powerful winds.  We were both trying to support the tent from the inside, and had to push back into place tent elbows when they buckled under the pressure.  We thought we were going to make it, but then we felt some water spraying in from the top of the tent, hitting us, the sleeping bags, and the cots, so we decided it was time to abandon ship and ride out the storm in the car.\r\n\r\nAs we exited the tent, I became aware that what was hitting the tent was not just rain, but also 1/4” size hail, enough to form a nice pile at the entrance of the tent.  Dad took some items to the car, and I raced to the bathroom (hey, when you gotta go, you gotta go).  In the bathroom, I found Steven, another refugee who had also abandoned his tent.  By the time we were done talking about our storm experiences in the bathroom and heading back, the worst of the storm was over.  In the end, the storm lasted about 30 minutes, but felt like forever.\r\n\r\nRealizing our sleeping stuff would be wet, we tried to catch some sleep in the car.  Dad managed longer than I did.  After a few hours, I went back to the tent and made use of Dad’s relatively dry sleeping area. Dad got up around 4:40 and prepared for the day.  I left the tent around 5:30, running to the bathroom, and tripping over the guy wire.  By 6:15, daybreak had finally arrived and we were able to better assess our situation and conduct a forensic investigation of the tent.\r\n\r\nThe conclusion of the investigation was that an open flap that covered the mesh air vent at the top of the tent had been left propped/held open instead of velcro-ed shut.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1722.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-127\" title=\"102_1722\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1722-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1723.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-128\" title=\"102_1723\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1723-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nIt was unclear whether we had propped it up earlier or whether the wind had forced it up, but either way, it provided a clear entry point for the downpour and our prompt exit from the tent.  The investigation also showed that everyone’s tent succumbed to the storm, from the expensive REI tents to the basic dome tents, everyone either made due with a wet tent or went to their car.\r\n\r\nWhen the morning sun arrived, the clouds were gone and we were able to enjoy breakfast and leave the wet camping equipment out to dry, which they did in a couple hours.  Dad dried out the floor of the tent with paper towels and by 9am, I went back to sleep in the dry tent, while my dad did some reading.\r\n\r\nIf the storm had to happen, it happened on the best day, since Saturday/Shabbat are our rest days and so we didn’t need to break camp or be anywhere in particular.  This said, we wanted to do the three nearby hiking trails around the grounds, so we headed over there after I woke up, around noon.\r\n\r\nThe first trail was about half a mile and allowed for walking on top of and amongst the rock formations.  The second was a quarter mile walk along a boardwalk that led to a view of a large canyon formed by the erosion process.  The third was about a mile and half and was the most difficult of the three.  Most notably, it involved climbing up and down a 30-40 rung ladder, at least 100’ tall, bolted to the side of a rock formation, and walking along a path with loose stones and a few feet from a cavernous drop.  We both were surprised that the park service allows hikes like these.  The end of this trail led to an amazing panorama of a huge swath of the Badlands, both prairie and rock.  We took the advice of other hikers and went to an unmarked path near the end that led to another awe-inspiring view of the terrain.  We were definitely glad we went on these hikes.\r\n\r\nWe returned to the campsite around 4 to have lunch.  I made peanut butter and honey (and cheese on mine) sandwiches.  My Dad hadn’t had honey on his peanut butter before, but enjoyed it.  Exhausted, we both went back to the tent and had a Shabbat nap.  There was still plenty of daylight when we woke up, so we journeyed over to the visitor center to see their exhibits about the park and check out the Indian teepees. We returned to the camp site and again took some time to ourselves.  I did some reading and went back to bed until sundown, and Dad relaxed for awhile and also re-organized the car.\r\n\r\nFor dinner, we decided to try out the instant-meals we had purchased.  One simply required adding boiled water, and the second required using a pouch that used a chemical reaction to create an oven-like effect.  Both were types of vegetarian lasagna.  The heat pouch ended up being the quickest and easiest to make, and was also the least expensive and most delicious.  However, the boiled water one encouraged me to create a new aluminum foil contraption:  a protective wall to keep out the wind and contain the heat of the flame.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1490.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-116\" title=\"102_1490\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1490-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nI’m glad to report that it worked great and we were able to finally boil water.  As for the meal it was going help create:  the parts that got cooked were good; however, I must not have mixed it throughly enough because there were pieces of pasta and seasoning that were still dry and crunch.  I think/hope I’ll be able to do better when I make the pad thai meal from this manufacturer.\r\n\r\nA full stomach and the lack of a full night’s sleep from the night before hit us and we both sacked out in the tent.  We hoped that the weather report of neither rain nor wind would hold true.  We were getting up early tomorrow to see Mt. Rushmore and arrive at the hot springs of Thermopolis, WY.\r\n\r\nAll in all, our time in the Badlands have been an enjoyable and incredible experience.  Almost every turn around a corner brought into view an amazing panorama.  The extreme winds and rains of South Dakota were a memorable experience and provided a stress test of our tent.  Our multiple interactions with prairie dogs in “the wild” were the closest we’ve been to them.  It was nice spending Shabbat with my Dad amongst the beautiful landscapes.  For our first tourist destination, the Badlands have set the bar very high for our future travels.  They say the Badlands may be completely eroded in another 500,000 years, so if you have a chance, we recommend you check it out before it’s too late.', 'Day 4 & 5:  The Awe-full Badlands ', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '101-revision-15', '', '', '2011-09-06 01:01:10', '2011-09-06 01:01:10', '', 101, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=132', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(133, 2, '2011-09-06 01:04:15', '2011-09-06 01:04:15', 'Start: Mitchell, SD\nDestination:  Badlands National Park, Interior, SD\nOdometer: 103,062 (start) - 103,400 (end) 338 miles\nDate:  Friday, September 2nd - Saturday, September 3rd,  2011\n\nSouth Dakota….where the wind comes sweeping down the planes.  As mentioned yesterday, the wind was quite strong while trying to cook dinner, but it was not enough to raise our concern.  This changed around midnight that evening.  The Coleman tent is rather broad and will easily catch wind like a sail, even with the windows opened part way to let air through.  This fact, mixed in with incredibly strong and constant winds, leads to quite a stress test of the tent.  The wind huffed, and it puffed, but while the walls of the tent flapped strongly and noisily in and out, the tent stood strong. (I tried getting pictures of the young, nearby trees bending in the wind but it was too dark.)  We were not going back to sleep, but hoped we would at least be able to lay down in an upright tent.  Finally, it happened: one of the corners of the tent came in on my Dad during a particularly strong wind.  Now, if this were a traditional tent, the likely reality would be that the tent pole had broken and we’d be in quite a predicament.  The instant tent however has elbow joints that go in and out.  The wind buckled that joint into the tent, but we were also able to push the joint back into place, without even having to leave the tent.  With a little help from its occupants during that incident, the tent was able to stand strong for the entire night.  The wind finally waned and we went back to sleep.\n\nThen the morning rains arrived around 3am.  As before, the tent did not leak, but the noise of the rain hitting the tent made the rain sound much worse and woke us up.  I somehow fell back into a deep sleep, because the next thing I knew, it was around 5:30am, Dad waslideshows loading the car and I needed to get up so we could take down the tent.\n\nI have camped many times before, but I had never experienced winds like that.  As such, I am a skeptic regarding the need for the guy-wires of the tent.  More often than not, they are a tripping hazard and are rarely needed.  My Dad however strongly encouraged we follow all the setup requirements of the tent.  I’m glad he did.  Not only did the tent not blow away, but all of the stakes were still firmly in place.  I was sure at least some of them would have been pulled out by the winds.  I still believe those wires are a hazard, but they should not be neglected if you’re in an area capable of having strong winds.\n\nBy 6am, we had packed up the wet tent and were on the road heading to the Badlands, but on an empty stomach.  I took the wheel, and after surviving a turn into the oncoming traffic lane of a major road, we were on the highway that we would be taking straight across the state for around 200 miles.\n\nMy Dad would have just driven to the destination without breakfast, but I appreciate a meal in the morning, particularly after a minimal dinner the night before.  Fortunately, there was a rest stop early on where we could eat.  (I’m coming to have a greater appreciation for the need/value of those rest stops I’d ignore back home.)  I made peanut butter and honey sandwiches, and my Dad finished his cinnamon-raison bagels.  No longer hungry, we ventured on to what was our first, real tourist destination of the trip:  the Badlands of South Dakota.\n\nThe drive through South Dakota was a smooth drive, with corn and sunflower farms on the side, and signs for misc. Badlands attractions, particularly Wall Drug.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1264.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-103\" title=\"102_1264\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1264-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1261.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-104\" title=\"102_1261\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1261-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nShortly before reaching Interior, SD, we took a much needed rest stop to stretch our legs and gaze out at the vast planes of grass.  Little did we suspect that perhaps the highlight of our entire trip would be a few miles down the road.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1269.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-105\" title=\"102_1269\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1269-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nShortly before reaching Interior, SD, we took a much needed rest stop to stretch our legs and gaze out at the vast planes of grass.  Little did we suspect that perhaps the highlight of our entire trip would be a few miles down the road.\n\nMy Dad and I share a great attraction for Prairie Dogs.  They are just so cute and adorable.  So, you can imagine our excitement when just before arriving at the Badlands, we saw there was a prairie dog ranch that seemed more enamored with them than we are.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1271.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-106\" title=\"102_1271\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1271-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\nFor free, you can walk right up to the prairie dogs, who have little to no fear of people.  For 50 cents, you can buy a bag of peanuts and feed them (so they’ll stay by you and not snub their nose at your lack of an offering).  Try petting and getting this personal to a group of prairie dogs at the zoo.  We spent a fun thirty minutes playing with them, checking out their burrows, hearing their squeaks, and seeing their diversity (e.g. apparently there are white prairie dogs).\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1303.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-107\" title=\"102_1303\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1303-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1311.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-108\" title=\"102_1311\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1311-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nWe then headed for the Cedar Pass Campground at Badlands National Park to get settled in for our two day stay at the Badlands.  The sites and proximity of the sites to the bathrooms and water were nice, but the views the campground afforded were even better.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1318.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-110\" title=\"102_1318\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1318-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1322.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-111\" title=\"102_1322\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1322-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nWe had gotten a test of the Badlands hen we entered the park, and were definitely wowed.  We wasted little time before getting back in the car to drive the scenic, roughly 50-mile Loop Road through the outer “wall” of the Badlands.\n\nWe had both heard of the Badlands, but honestly had little idea what they were. As we learned, the Badlands are the product of erosion over the past 500,000 years.  Millions of years ago, it was the floor of a warm, shallow sea, then it was a grassy flood plane, and now it’s grassland surrounded by a 50-mile “wall” of rock formations shaped by the immense rains and winds of the area.  It was an incredibly difficult area to travel, hence its name “bad lands”, but thanks to modern roads, is now easily driven through and is an incredibly beautiful landscape.  <a href=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/107638235733347757198/Badlands?authuser=0&amp;feat=directlink#slideshow/5648684398686263538\" target=\"_blank\">This slideshow</a> will not do them justice.\n\n(I recommend viewing the slideshow with the above link, but for a quick skim of the pictures, this embedded slideshow will work)\n\n<object width=\"600\" height=\"400\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5648684325457534673%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"600\" height=\"400\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5648684325457534673%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object>\n\nAt the end of the loop, we found ourselves in Wall, a town of some 800 people and home to the famous Wall Drug, where we decided to stop for lunch.  Wall Drug is definitely a tourist destination, and they know it.  While the ice water may be free and the coffee 5 cents, the food and wares are a bit more expensive.  The service was good (we got two free donuts because our order was delayed), but don’t stop at the Wall Cafe if you’re looking for a cheap or particular delicious lunch.  Dad thought he could find a nice western-style shirt, but to no avail.  After touring the various Wall stores, we got some ice cream and some ice, and headed back to the car.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1455.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-112\" title=\"102_1455\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1455-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1439.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-113\" title=\"102_1439\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1439-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1441.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-114\" title=\"102_1441\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1441-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nThe drive back from Wall took us on a dirt road through the southern part of the park, which is mostly grassland.  Since they were windy, dirt roads, we were going slow; however, if you’re a giant tractor trailer, going 80+ and blowing dust on everyone is apparently OK.  They claim there are buffalo there, but all we saw were horses and cattle.  This leg of the drive did not leave that great an impression.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1474.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-115\" title=\"102_1474\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1474-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nWe arrived back to the campsite around 4 and each took some time to ourselves until dinner.  For dinner, I made veggie burgers, which even Dad thought were good.  We made Kiddish for the start of Shabbat, enjoyed our meal and conversation, and retired early.  It was windy that night (the candles were blown out pretty quick), but nothing compared to our previous experience in Mitchell, SD.  That was, until about midnight.\n\nShortly before midnight, the tent began to shake, the walls were blowing in and out, and we thought the tent wouldn’t make it.  As we later learned, there were 60mph winds that night.  After the wind, there was a few minutes calm...a clam that turned out to be the oft referenced calm before the storm.  What was a cloudless night had become a dark cloud that filled the sky.  That giant cloud also had an amazing lightning storm going on within it, producing bursts of orange and purple.  Picture a hollywood movie depiction of what the clouds might look like during the apocalypse, and you might have a good idea of what we saw outside our tent window.   Next thing we knew, the tent was being bombarded with what sounded like a heavy rain and powerful winds.  We were both trying to support the tent from the inside, and had to push back into place tent elbows when they buckled under the pressure.  We thought we were going to make it, but then we felt some water spraying in from the top of the tent, hitting us, the sleeping bags, and the cots, so we decided it was time to abandon ship and ride out the storm in the car.\n\nAs we exited the tent, I became aware that what was hitting the tent was not just rain, but also 1/4” size hail, enough to form a nice pile at the entrance of the tent.  Dad took some items to the car, and I raced to the bathroom (hey, when you gotta go, you gotta go).  In the bathroom, I found Steven, another refugee who had also abandoned his tent.  By the time we were done talking about our storm experiences in the bathroom and heading back, the worst of the storm was over.  In the end, the storm lasted about 30 minutes, but felt like forever.\n\nRealizing our sleeping stuff would be wet, we tried to catch some sleep in the car.  Dad managed longer than I did.  After a few hours, I went back to the tent and made use of Dad’s relatively dry sleeping area. Dad got up around 4:40 and prepared for the day.  I left the tent around 5:30, running to the bathroom, and tripping over the guy wire.  By 6:15, daybreak had finally arrived and we were able to better assess our situation and conduct a forensic investigation of the tent.\n\nThe conclusion of the investigation was that an open flap that covered the mesh air vent at the top of the tent had been left propped/held open instead of velcro-ed shut.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1722.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-127\" title=\"102_1722\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1722-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1723.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-128\" title=\"102_1723\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1723-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nIt was unclear whether we had propped it up earlier or whether the wind had forced it up, but either way, it provided a clear entry point for the downpour and our prompt exit from the tent.  The investigation also showed that everyone’s tent succumbed to the storm, from the expensive REI tents to the basic dome tents, everyone either made due with a wet tent or went to their car.\n\nWhen the morning sun arrived, the clouds were gone and we were able to enjoy breakfast and leave the wet camping equipment out to dry, which they did in a couple hours.  Dad dried out the floor of the tent with paper towels and by 9am, I went back to sleep in the dry tent, while my dad did some reading.\n\nIf the storm had to happen, it happened on the best day, since Saturday/Shabbat are our rest days and so we didn’t need to break camp or be anywhere in particular.  This said, we wanted to do the three nearby hiking trails around the grounds, so we headed over there after I woke up, around noon.\n\nThe first trail was about half a mile and allowed for walking on top of and amongst the rock formations.  The second was a quarter mile walk along a boardwalk that led to a view of a large canyon formed by the erosion process.  The third was about a mile and half and was the most difficult of the three.  Most notably, it involved climbing up and down a 30-40 rung ladder, at least 100’ tall, bolted to the side of a rock formation, and walking along a path with loose stones and a few feet from a cavernous drop.  We both were surprised that the park service allows hikes like these.  The end of this trail led to an amazing panorama of a huge swath of the Badlands, both prairie and rock.  We took the advice of other hikers and went to an unmarked path near the end that led to another awe-inspiring view of the terrain.  We were definitely glad we went on these hikes.\n\nWe returned to the campsite around 4 to have lunch.  I made peanut butter and honey (and cheese on mine) sandwiches.  My Dad hadn’t had honey on his peanut butter before, but enjoyed it.  Exhausted, we both went back to the tent and had a Shabbat nap.  There was still plenty of daylight when we woke up, so we journeyed over to the visitor center to see their exhibits about the park and check out the Indian teepees. We returned to the camp site and again took some time to ourselves.  I did some reading and went back to bed until sundown, and Dad relaxed for awhile and also re-organized the car.\n\nFor dinner, we decided to try out the instant-meals we had purchased.  One simply required adding boiled water, and the second required using a pouch that used a chemical reaction to create an oven-like effect.  Both were types of vegetarian lasagna.  The heat pouch ended up being the quickest and easiest to make, and was also the least expensive and most delicious.  However, the boiled water one encouraged me to create a new aluminum foil contraption:  a protective wall to keep out the wind and contain the heat of the flame.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1490.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-116\" title=\"102_1490\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1490-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nI’m glad to report that it worked great and we were able to finally boil water.  As for the meal it was going help create:  the parts that got cooked were good; however, I must not have mixed it throughly enough because there were pieces of pasta and seasoning that were still dry and crunch.  I think/hope I’ll be able to do better when I make the pad thai meal from this manufacturer.\n\nA full stomach and the lack of a full night’s sleep from the night before hit us and we both sacked out in the tent.  We hoped that the weather report of neither rain nor wind would hold true.  We were getting up early tomorrow to see Mt. Rushmore and arrive at the hot springs of Thermopolis, WY.\n\nAll in all, our time in the Badlands have been an enjoyable and incredible experience.  Almost every turn around a corner brought into view an amazing panorama.  The extreme winds and rains of South Dakota were a memorable experience and provided a stress test of our tent.  Our multiple interactions with prairie dogs in “the wild” were the closest we’ve been to them.  It was nice spending Shabbat with my Dad amongst the beautiful landscapes.  For our first tourist destination, the Badlands have set the bar very high for our future travels.  They say the Badlands may be completely eroded in another 500,000 years, so if you have a chance, we recommend you check it out before it’s too late.', 'Day 4 & 5:  The Awe-full Badlands ', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '101-autosave', '', '', '2011-09-06 01:04:15', '2011-09-06 01:04:15', '', 101, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=133', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(135, 2, '2011-09-08 14:01:24', '2011-09-08 14:01:24', 'We\'ve been having fun (currently at Bingham Mine in Utah, one of the largest open pit mines in the world), and are doing well, but haven\'t had WiFi, so I haven\'t been able to post.  Also my phone battery died and isn\'t charging through the USB port. Dad\'s iPhone is our only means of communication and Internet (and how I\'m posting this).\r\n\r\nWe will be at Zion NP for 3 days, then the grand canyon, so probably won\'t be able to post until sometime next week.  \r\n\r\nBest way to reach me will be at rich1@umbc.edu .\r\n\r\nWe look forward to sharing our stories and pictures as soon as possible.', 'Technical Difficulties', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'technical-difficulties', '', '', '2011-09-08 14:01:24', '2011-09-08 14:01:24', '', 0, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=135', 0, 'post', '', 48),
(136, 2, '2011-09-08 14:00:42', '2011-09-08 14:00:42', 'We\'ve been having fun (currently at Bingham Mine in Utah, one of the largest open pit mines in the world), and are doing well, but haven\'t had WiFi, so I haven\'t been able to post.  Also my phone battery died and isn\'t charging through the USB port. Dad\'s iPhone is our only means of communication and Internet (and how I\'m posting this).\n\nWe will be at Zion NP for 3 days, then the grand canyon, so probably won\'t be able to post until sometime next week.  \n\nBest way to reach me will be at rich1@umbc.edu .\n\nWe look forward to sharing our stories and pic', 'Technical Difficulties', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '135-revision', '', '', '2011-09-08 14:00:42', '2011-09-08 14:00:42', '', 135, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=136', 0, 'revision', '', 0);
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(137, 2, '2011-09-12 16:28:09', '2011-09-12 16:28:09', 'Start: Badlands National Park, Interior, SD\r\nDestination: Thermopolis, WY - <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park and Campground</a>\r\nOdometer: 103,400 (start)  103,909 (end)   509 miles\r\nDate:  Sunday, September 4th,  2011\r\n\r\nWell, two out of three ain’t bad.  For the first time this trip, we had a night completely without rain and without wind.  However, it was our first night of cold weather:  around 40 degrees.  Neither of us slept particularly well, but my Dad’s sleeping bag wasn’t closed around him, and the cot surface was cold as well, so needless to say, he had a cold, uncomfortable night.  I didn’t realize how bad he had it until the morning, but once I knew, was able to educate him about the need for insulation under him and a sealed sleeping bag.  We found the extra blanket when we had packed and set it aside for use the next night.\r\n\r\nWe were both anxious to get out of the cold and on the road, so we were out by 6:15 and planned to have breakfast at our first stop of the day: Mt. Rushmore.  We arrived a little after 8 and finished off our bagel and lox supply, under the watchful eyes of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln (Teddy and Tom apparently had something better to look at).\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1494.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-140\" title=\"102_1494\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1494-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nMt. Rushmore is an impressive engineering and artistic accomplishment.  In my head though, it was always very large.  Now that I was seeing it in person, it seemed kinda small (each head is “only” about 60’ tall) and Jefferson’s skin/stone wasn’t lookin’ too good.  In addition to getting our standard tourist photographs, we learned that those presidents were chosen to represent a characteristic of America in its first 150 years:  Washington-Birth, Jefferson-Expansion, Lincoln-Preservation, and Roosevelt-Development.  We opted not to walk the Presidential Trail leading to the base of the mountain (to look up Washington’s nose), but I would have done a longer walk if it took us to the top of the mountain.  After getting a picture near the NH state pillar and filling our water bottles with water that was recently found to be above the EPA’s new arsenic level, we headed back to the car around 10am to depart on the roughly 6-hour drive to Thermopolis, WY.\r\n\r\n<object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651501925661998881%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"400\" height=\"267\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651501925661998881%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object>\r\n\r\nThe drive through Wyoming was/is amazing.  The sky really seems bigger there and every stretch of road had a new mountain, rock formation, or cliff to gaze at in wonder.  The traffic was light, but we were delayed by frequent stops to take photographs of the landscape.  We’re looking forward to our future drives through the state.\r\n\r\n<object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651507471651478689%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"400\" height=\"267\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651507471651478689%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object>\r\n\r\nWe arrived around 4 at <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park</a>.  This campground seemed tailored to motor homes, but had a few tent sites.  The presence of WiFi and a laundry room were very welcome amenities.\r\n\r\nAfter the past several days, my Dad and I are pros at setting up this tent.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1612.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-143\" title=\"102_1612\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1612-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nWe quickly did so and I made veggie burgers again to use them up and use up our remaining bread.  We decided that today was the time to clean out our coolers, restock, and figure out meals for the next leg of the trip.  Also on schedule was:  doing laundry and taking a scenic drive through Wind River Canyon.  Our initial attempt to start laundry was foiled by other campers who had just filled the three washers, so we opted to do the drive first, stop at the local supermarket, and then run our loads.\r\n\r\nI had never heard of Wind River Canyon, and so when my Dad mentioned as an aside that there was a short drive he wanted to do near the campground, I had minimal expectations.  Well, it turns out any expectations I had would not have been high enough.  It was a beautiful drive on winding roads along a wide, flowing river, at the base of 4,000’ mountains shooting straight up, that took us through mountain tunnels, giant boulders, over 60 million year old granite, and immense caverns and canyons.  We were continuing to be awed by the landscapes of WY.\r\n\r\n<object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651519839263249057%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"400\" height=\"267\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651519839263249057%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object>\r\n\r\nIt was an interesting contrast going from that scenic drive to downtown Thermopolis (population around 600) to visit the supermarket.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1611.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-144\" title=\"102_1611\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1611-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nDad wisely suggested we stay away from anything perishable, so we stocked up on tuna and beans, but also got a fresh bag of ice, some frozen peroggies, veggie burgers, an avacado (obviously for me, not for Dad), and some apples.\r\n\r\nWhen we returned, we went back to the laundry room, and were able to run our two loads of laundry.  Mom had picked up all-in-one laundry dryer sheets before the trip, so we gave them a whirl.  We almost ran out of quarters, I had to run my load through the dryer twice (Dad wanted me to just take them, but they were fairly damp, so I insisted), but the machines and all-in-one sheets worked fine, and it was nice being in the warm, lit laundry room, with WiFi, away from the bugs, during the night.\r\n\r\nThat night, we talked a bit with our neighbors from Colorado who were on a several day fishing trip in the area.  Dad asked them about the Skyline drive in Canon City, CO we were thinking of doing.  It’s a one lane road with no shoulder and thousand foot drops on each side.  Their description of its narrowness did not lesson our concern about the drive.  We’ll have to decide whether to do it when we get there.  No view is worth our lives.\r\n\r\nWe went to bed shortly thereafter in anticipation of tomorrow:  a relaxing time at the Thermopolis Hot Springs and a long scenic drive to Alpine, WY.', 'Day 6:  Mt. Rushmore and Wyoming', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'day-6-mt-rushmore-and-wyoming', '', '', '2011-09-12 18:31:56', '2011-09-12 18:31:56', '', 0, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=137', 0, 'post', '', 50),
(138, 2, '2011-09-12 15:47:15', '2011-09-12 15:47:15', '', 'Day ', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '137-revision', '', '', '2011-09-12 15:47:15', '2011-09-12 15:47:15', '', 137, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=138', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(139, 2, '2011-09-12 15:47:44', '2011-09-12 15:47:44', '', 'Day 6:  Mt. Rushmore and Wyoming', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '137-revision-2', '', '', '2011-09-12 15:47:44', '2011-09-12 15:47:44', '', 137, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=139', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(140, 2, '2011-09-12 15:50:20', '2011-09-12 15:50:20', '', '102_1494', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '102_1494', '', '', '2011-09-12 15:50:20', '2011-09-12 15:50:20', '', 137, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1494.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(141, 2, '2011-09-12 15:51:55', '2011-09-12 15:51:55', 'Start: Badlands National Park, Interior, SD\nDestination: Thermopolis, WY - <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park and Campground</a>\nOdometer: ???\nDate:  Sunday, September 4th,  2011\n\nWell, two out of three ain’t bad.  For the first time this trip, we had a night completely without rain and without wind.  However, it was our first night of cold weather:  around 40 degrees.  Neither of us slept particularly well, but my Dad’s sleeping bag wasn’t closed around him, and the cot surface was cold as well, so needless to say, he had a cold, uncomfortable night.  I didn’t realize how bad he had it until the morning, but once I knew, was able to educate him about the need for insulation under him and a sealed sleeping bag.  We found the extra blanket when we had packed and set it aside for use the next night.\n\nWe were both anxious to get out of the cold and on the road, so we were out by 6:15 and planned to have breakfast at our first stop of the day: Mt. Rushmore.  We arrived a little after 8 and finished off our bagel and lox supply, under the watchful eyes of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln (Teddy and Tom apparently had something better to look at).\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1494.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-140\" title=\"102_1494\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1494-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nMt. Rushmore is an impressive engineering and artistic accomplishment.  In my head though, it was always very large.  Now that I was seeing it in person, it seemed kinda small (each head is “only” about 60’ tall) and Jefferson’s skin/stone wasn’t lookin’ too good.  In addition to getting our standard tourist photographs, we learned that those presidents were chosen to represent a characteristic of America in its first 150 years:  Washington-Birth, Jefferson-Expansion, Lincoln-Preservation, and Roosevelt-Development.  We opted not to walk the Presidential Trail leading to the base of the mountain (to look up Washington’s nose), but I would have done a longer walk if it took us to the top of the mountain.  After getting a picture near the NH state pillar and filling our water bottles with water that was recently found to be above the EPA’s new arsenic level, we headed back to the car around 10am to depart on the roughly 6-hour drive to Thermopolis, WY.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThe drive through Wyoming was/is amazing.  The sky really seems bigger there and every stretch of road had a new mountain, rock formation, or cliff to gaze at in wonder.  The traffic was light, but we were delayed by frequent stops to take photographs of the landscape.  We’re looking forward to our future drives through the state.\n\nINCLUDE PICTURE SLIDESHOW\n\nWe arrived around 4 at Eagle RV Park (ADD LINK).  This campground seemed tailored to motor homes, but had a few tent sites.  The presence of WiFi and a laundry room were very welcome amenities.\n\nAfter the past several days, my Dad and I are pros at setting up this tent.  We quickly did so and I made veggie burgers again to use them up and use up our remaining bread.  We decided that today was the time to clean out our coolers, restock, and figure out meals for the next leg of the trip.  Also on schedule was:  doing laundry and taking a scenic drive through Wind River Canyon.  Our initial attempt to start laundry was foiled by other campers who had just filled the three washers, so we opted to do the drive first, stop at the local supermarket, and then run our loads.\n\nI had never heard of Wind River Canyon, and so when my Dad mentioned as an aside that there was a short drive he wanted to do near the campground, I had minimal expectations.  Well, it turns out any expectations I had would not have been high enough.  It was a beautiful drive on winding roads along a wide, flowing river, at the base of 4,000’ mountains shooting straight up, that took us through mountain tunnels, giant boulders, over 60 million year old granite, and immense caverns and canyons.  We were continuing to be awed by the landscapes of WY.\n\nADD PICTURES\n\nIt was an interesting contrast going from that scenic drive to downtown Thermopolis (population around 600) to visit the supermarket.\n\nadd pic\n\nDad wisely suggested we stay away from anything perishable, so we stocked up on tuna and beans, but also got a fresh bag of ice, some frozen peroggies, veggie burgers, an avacado (obviously for me, not for Dad), and some apples.\n\nWhen we returned, we went back to the laundry room, and were able to run our two loads of laundry.  Mom had picked up all-in-one laundry dryer sheets before the trip, so we gave them a whirl.  We almost ran out of quarters, I had to run my load through the dryer twice (Dad wanted me to just take them, but they were fairly damp, so I insisted), but the machines and all-in-one sheets worked fine, and it was nice being in the warm, lit laundry room, with WiFi, away from the bugs, during the night.\n\nThat night, we talked a bit with our neighbors from Colorado who were on a several day fishing trip in the area.  Dad asked them about the Skyline drive in Canon City, CO we were thinking of doing.  It’s a one lane road with no shoulder and thousand foot drops on each side.  Their description of its narrowness did not lesson our concern about the drive.  We’ll have to decide whether to do it when we get there.  No view is worth our lives.\n\nWe went to bed shortly thereafter in anticipation of tomorrow:  a relaxing time at the Thermopolis Hot Springs and a long scenic drive to Alpine, WY.\n\nSeptember 5th\n\nCold night, but were better prepared\npacked up and headed to the Thermopolis Hot Springs, the largest in the world\nno one else there, drove and walked around, bridge, white sulfur, bathed, looked for buffalo\nHighly recommend,, felt great afterwards,\ndrove for awhile through beautfiful Wyoming\nhad PB lunch at reservoir\ndrove through Grand Teton national park to Alpine, WY, finally saw buffalo near Grand Teton’s in Moose, WY\ndiscussion of role of government, civil society, and charity', 'Day 6:  Mt. Rushmore and Wyoming', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '137-revision-3', '', '', '2011-09-12 15:51:55', '2011-09-12 15:51:55', '', 137, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=141', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(142, 2, '2011-09-12 16:04:15', '2011-09-12 16:04:15', 'Start: Badlands National Park, Interior, SD\nDestination: Thermopolis, WY - <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park and Campground</a>\nOdometer: ???\nDate:  Sunday, September 4th,  2011\n\nWell, two out of three ain’t bad.  For the first time this trip, we had a night completely without rain and without wind.  However, it was our first night of cold weather:  around 40 degrees.  Neither of us slept particularly well, but my Dad’s sleeping bag wasn’t closed around him, and the cot surface was cold as well, so needless to say, he had a cold, uncomfortable night.  I didn’t realize how bad he had it until the morning, but once I knew, was able to educate him about the need for insulation under him and a sealed sleeping bag.  We found the extra blanket when we had packed and set it aside for use the next night.\n\nWe were both anxious to get out of the cold and on the road, so we were out by 6:15 and planned to have breakfast at our first stop of the day: Mt. Rushmore.  We arrived a little after 8 and finished off our bagel and lox supply, under the watchful eyes of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln (Teddy and Tom apparently had something better to look at).\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1494.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-140\" title=\"102_1494\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1494-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nMt. Rushmore is an impressive engineering and artistic accomplishment.  In my head though, it was always very large.  Now that I was seeing it in person, it seemed kinda small (each head is “only” about 60’ tall) and Jefferson’s skin/stone wasn’t lookin’ too good.  In addition to getting our standard tourist photographs, we learned that those presidents were chosen to represent a characteristic of America in its first 150 years:  Washington-Birth, Jefferson-Expansion, Lincoln-Preservation, and Roosevelt-Development.  We opted not to walk the Presidential Trail leading to the base of the mountain (to look up Washington’s nose), but I would have done a longer walk if it took us to the top of the mountain.  After getting a picture near the NH state pillar and filling our water bottles with water that was recently found to be above the EPA’s new arsenic level, we headed back to the car around 10am to depart on the roughly 6-hour drive to Thermopolis, WY.\n\nADD MT. RUSHMOR SLIDESHOW\n\nThe drive through Wyoming was/is amazing.  The sky really seems bigger there and every stretch of road had a new mountain, rock formation, or cliff to gaze at in wonder.  The traffic was light, but we were delayed by frequent stops to take photographs of the landscape.  We’re looking forward to our future drives through the state.\n\nINCLUDE PICTURE SLIDESHOW\n\nWe arrived around 4 at <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park</a>.  This campground seemed tailored to motor homes, but had a few tent sites.  The presence of WiFi and a laundry room were very welcome amenities.\n\nAfter the past several days, my Dad and I are pros at setting up this tent.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWe quickly did so and I made veggie burgers again to use them up and use up our remaining bread.  We decided that today was the time to clean out our coolers, restock, and figure out meals for the next leg of the trip.  Also on schedule was:  doing laundry and taking a scenic drive through Wind River Canyon.  Our initial attempt to start laundry was foiled by other campers who had just filled the three washers, so we opted to do the drive first, stop at the local supermarket, and then run our loads.\n\nI had never heard of Wind River Canyon, and so when my Dad mentioned as an aside that there was a short drive he wanted to do near the campground, I had minimal expectations.  Well, it turns out any expectations I had would not have been high enough.  It was a beautiful drive on winding roads along a wide, flowing river, at the base of 4,000’ mountains shooting straight up, that took us through mountain tunnels, giant boulders, over 60 million year old granite, and immense caverns and canyons.  We were continuing to be awed by the landscapes of WY.\n\nADD PICTURES\n\nIt was an interesting contrast going from that scenic drive to downtown Thermopolis (population around 600) to visit the supermarket.\n\nadd pic\n\nDad wisely suggested we stay away from anything perishable, so we stocked up on tuna and beans, but also got a fresh bag of ice, some frozen peroggies, veggie burgers, an avacado (obviously for me, not for Dad), and some apples.\n\nWhen we returned, we went back to the laundry room, and were able to run our two loads of laundry.  Mom had picked up all-in-one laundry dryer sheets before the trip, so we gave them a whirl.  We almost ran out of quarters, I had to run my load through the dryer twice (Dad wanted me to just take them, but they were fairly damp, so I insisted), but the machines and all-in-one sheets worked fine, and it was nice being in the warm, lit laundry room, with WiFi, away from the bugs, during the night.\n\nThat night, we talked a bit with our neighbors from Colorado who were on a several day fishing trip in the area.  Dad asked them about the Skyline drive in Canon City, CO we were thinking of doing.  It’s a one lane road with no shoulder and thousand foot drops on each side.  Their description of its narrowness did not lesson our concern about the drive.  We’ll have to decide whether to do it when we get there.  No view is worth our lives.\n\nWe went to bed shortly thereafter in anticipation of tomorrow:  a relaxing time at the Thermopolis Hot Springs and a long scenic drive to Alpine, WY.\n\nSeptember 5th\n\nCold night, but were better prepared\npacked up and headed to the Thermopolis Hot Springs, the largest in the world\nno one else there, drove and walked around, bridge, white sulfur, bathed, looked for buffalo\nHighly recommend,, felt great afterwards,\ndrove for awhile through beautfiful Wyoming\nhad PB lunch at reservoir\ndrove through Grand Teton national park to Alpine, WY, finally saw buffalo near Grand Teton’s in Moose, WY\ndiscussion of role of government, civil society, and charity', 'Day 6:  Mt. Rushmore and Wyoming', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '137-revision-4', '', '', '2011-09-12 16:04:15', '2011-09-12 16:04:15', '', 137, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=142', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(143, 2, '2011-09-12 16:08:02', '2011-09-12 16:08:02', '', '102_1612', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '102_1612', '', '', '2011-09-12 16:08:02', '2011-09-12 16:08:02', '', 137, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1612.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(144, 2, '2011-09-12 16:09:44', '2011-09-12 16:09:44', '', '102_1611', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '102_1611', '', '', '2011-09-12 16:09:44', '2011-09-12 16:09:44', '', 137, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1611.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(145, 2, '2011-09-12 16:08:54', '2011-09-12 16:08:54', 'Start: Badlands National Park, Interior, SD\nDestination: Thermopolis, WY - <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park and Campground</a>\nOdometer: ???\nDate:  Sunday, September 4th,  2011\n\nWell, two out of three ain’t bad.  For the first time this trip, we had a night completely without rain and without wind.  However, it was our first night of cold weather:  around 40 degrees.  Neither of us slept particularly well, but my Dad’s sleeping bag wasn’t closed around him, and the cot surface was cold as well, so needless to say, he had a cold, uncomfortable night.  I didn’t realize how bad he had it until the morning, but once I knew, was able to educate him about the need for insulation under him and a sealed sleeping bag.  We found the extra blanket when we had packed and set it aside for use the next night.\n\nWe were both anxious to get out of the cold and on the road, so we were out by 6:15 and planned to have breakfast at our first stop of the day: Mt. Rushmore.  We arrived a little after 8 and finished off our bagel and lox supply, under the watchful eyes of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln (Teddy and Tom apparently had something better to look at).\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1494.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-140\" title=\"102_1494\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1494-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nMt. Rushmore is an impressive engineering and artistic accomplishment.  In my head though, it was always very large.  Now that I was seeing it in person, it seemed kinda small (each head is “only” about 60’ tall) and Jefferson’s skin/stone wasn’t lookin’ too good.  In addition to getting our standard tourist photographs, we learned that those presidents were chosen to represent a characteristic of America in its first 150 years:  Washington-Birth, Jefferson-Expansion, Lincoln-Preservation, and Roosevelt-Development.  We opted not to walk the Presidential Trail leading to the base of the mountain (to look up Washington’s nose), but I would have done a longer walk if it took us to the top of the mountain.  After getting a picture near the NH state pillar and filling our water bottles with water that was recently found to be above the EPA’s new arsenic level, we headed back to the car around 10am to depart on the roughly 6-hour drive to Thermopolis, WY.\n\nADD MT. RUSHMOR SLIDESHOW\n\nThe drive through Wyoming was/is amazing.  The sky really seems bigger there and every stretch of road had a new mountain, rock formation, or cliff to gaze at in wonder.  The traffic was light, but we were delayed by frequent stops to take photographs of the landscape.  We’re looking forward to our future drives through the state.\n\nINCLUDE PICTURE SLIDESHOW\n\nWe arrived around 4 at <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park</a>.  This campground seemed tailored to motor homes, but had a few tent sites.  The presence of WiFi and a laundry room were very welcome amenities.\n\nAfter the past several days, my Dad and I are pros at setting up this tent.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1612.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-143\" title=\"102_1612\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1612-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nWe quickly did so and I made veggie burgers again to use them up and use up our remaining bread.  We decided that today was the time to clean out our coolers, restock, and figure out meals for the next leg of the trip.  Also on schedule was:  doing laundry and taking a scenic drive through Wind River Canyon.  Our initial attempt to start laundry was foiled by other campers who had just filled the three washers, so we opted to do the drive first, stop at the local supermarket, and then run our loads.\n\nI had never heard of Wind River Canyon, and so when my Dad mentioned as an aside that there was a short drive he wanted to do near the campground, I had minimal expectations.  Well, it turns out any expectations I had would not have been high enough.  It was a beautiful drive on winding roads along a wide, flowing river, at the base of 4,000’ mountains shooting straight up, that took us through mountain tunnels, giant boulders, over 60 million year old granite, and immense caverns and canyons.  We were continuing to be awed by the landscapes of WY.\n\nADD SLIDE SHOW\n\nIt was an interesting contrast going from that scenic drive to downtown Thermopolis (population around 600) to visit the supermarket.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nDad wisely suggested we stay away from anything perishable, so we stocked up on tuna and beans, but also got a fresh bag of ice, some frozen peroggies, veggie burgers, an avacado (obviously for me, not for Dad), and some apples.\n\nWhen we returned, we went back to the laundry room, and were able to run our two loads of laundry.  Mom had picked up all-in-one laundry dryer sheets before the trip, so we gave them a whirl.  We almost ran out of quarters, I had to run my load through the dryer twice (Dad wanted me to just take them, but they were fairly damp, so I insisted), but the machines and all-in-one sheets worked fine, and it was nice being in the warm, lit laundry room, with WiFi, away from the bugs, during the night.\n\nThat night, we talked a bit with our neighbors from Colorado who were on a several day fishing trip in the area.  Dad asked them about the Skyline drive in Canon City, CO we were thinking of doing.  It’s a one lane road with no shoulder and thousand foot drops on each side.  Their description of its narrowness did not lesson our concern about the drive.  We’ll have to decide whether to do it when we get there.  No view is worth our lives.\n\nWe went to bed shortly thereafter in anticipation of tomorrow:  a relaxing time at the Thermopolis Hot Springs and a long scenic drive to Alpine, WY.\n\nSeptember 5th\n\nCold night, but were better prepared\npacked up and headed to the Thermopolis Hot Springs, the largest in the world\nno one else there, drove and walked around, bridge, white sulfur, bathed, looked for buffalo\nHighly recommend,, felt great afterwards,\ndrove for awhile through beautfiful Wyoming\nhad PB lunch at reservoir\ndrove through Grand Teton national park to Alpine, WY, finally saw buffalo near Grand Teton’s in Moose, WY\ndiscussion of role of government, civil society, and charity', 'Day 6:  Mt. Rushmore and Wyoming', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '137-revision-5', '', '', '2011-09-12 16:08:54', '2011-09-12 16:08:54', '', 137, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=145', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(146, 2, '2011-09-12 16:10:36', '2011-09-12 16:10:36', 'Start: Badlands National Park, Interior, SD\r\nDestination: Thermopolis, WY - <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park and Campground</a>\r\nOdometer: ???\r\nDate:  Sunday, September 4th,  2011\r\n\r\nWell, two out of three ain’t bad.  For the first time this trip, we had a night completely without rain and without wind.  However, it was our first night of cold weather:  around 40 degrees.  Neither of us slept particularly well, but my Dad’s sleeping bag wasn’t closed around him, and the cot surface was cold as well, so needless to say, he had a cold, uncomfortable night.  I didn’t realize how bad he had it until the morning, but once I knew, was able to educate him about the need for insulation under him and a sealed sleeping bag.  We found the extra blanket when we had packed and set it aside for use the next night.\r\n\r\nWe were both anxious to get out of the cold and on the road, so we were out by 6:15 and planned to have breakfast at our first stop of the day: Mt. Rushmore.  We arrived a little after 8 and finished off our bagel and lox supply, under the watchful eyes of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln (Teddy and Tom apparently had something better to look at).\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1494.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-140\" title=\"102_1494\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1494-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nMt. Rushmore is an impressive engineering and artistic accomplishment.  In my head though, it was always very large.  Now that I was seeing it in person, it seemed kinda small (each head is “only” about 60’ tall) and Jefferson’s skin/stone wasn’t lookin’ too good.  In addition to getting our standard tourist photographs, we learned that those presidents were chosen to represent a characteristic of America in its first 150 years:  Washington-Birth, Jefferson-Expansion, Lincoln-Preservation, and Roosevelt-Development.  We opted not to walk the Presidential Trail leading to the base of the mountain (to look up Washington’s nose), but I would have done a longer walk if it took us to the top of the mountain.  After getting a picture near the NH state pillar and filling our water bottles with water that was recently found to be above the EPA’s new arsenic level, we headed back to the car around 10am to depart on the roughly 6-hour drive to Thermopolis, WY.\r\n\r\nADD MT. RUSHMOR SLIDESHOW\r\n\r\nThe drive through Wyoming was/is amazing.  The sky really seems bigger there and every stretch of road had a new mountain, rock formation, or cliff to gaze at in wonder.  The traffic was light, but we were delayed by frequent stops to take photographs of the landscape.  We’re looking forward to our future drives through the state.\r\n\r\nINCLUDE PICTURE SLIDESHOW\r\n\r\nWe arrived around 4 at <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park</a>.  This campground seemed tailored to motor homes, but had a few tent sites.  The presence of WiFi and a laundry room were very welcome amenities.\r\n\r\nAfter the past several days, my Dad and I are pros at setting up this tent.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1612.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-143\" title=\"102_1612\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1612-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nWe quickly did so and I made veggie burgers again to use them up and use up our remaining bread.  We decided that today was the time to clean out our coolers, restock, and figure out meals for the next leg of the trip.  Also on schedule was:  doing laundry and taking a scenic drive through Wind River Canyon.  Our initial attempt to start laundry was foiled by other campers who had just filled the three washers, so we opted to do the drive first, stop at the local supermarket, and then run our loads.\r\n\r\nI had never heard of Wind River Canyon, and so when my Dad mentioned as an aside that there was a short drive he wanted to do near the campground, I had minimal expectations.  Well, it turns out any expectations I had would not have been high enough.  It was a beautiful drive on winding roads along a wide, flowing river, at the base of 4,000’ mountains shooting straight up, that took us through mountain tunnels, giant boulders, over 60 million year old granite, and immense caverns and canyons.  We were continuing to be awed by the landscapes of WY.\r\n\r\nADD SLIDE SHOW\r\n\r\nIt was an interesting contrast going from that scenic drive to downtown Thermopolis (population around 600) to visit the supermarket.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1611.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-144\" title=\"102_1611\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1611-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nDad wisely suggested we stay away from anything perishable, so we stocked up on tuna and beans, but also got a fresh bag of ice, some frozen peroggies, veggie burgers, an avacado (obviously for me, not for Dad), and some apples.\r\n\r\nWhen we returned, we went back to the laundry room, and were able to run our two loads of laundry.  Mom had picked up all-in-one laundry dryer sheets before the trip, so we gave them a whirl.  We almost ran out of quarters, I had to run my load through the dryer twice (Dad wanted me to just take them, but they were fairly damp, so I insisted), but the machines and all-in-one sheets worked fine, and it was nice being in the warm, lit laundry room, with WiFi, away from the bugs, during the night.\r\n\r\nThat night, we talked a bit with our neighbors from Colorado who were on a several day fishing trip in the area.  Dad asked them about the Skyline drive in Canon City, CO we were thinking of doing.  It’s a one lane road with no shoulder and thousand foot drops on each side.  Their description of its narrowness did not lesson our concern about the drive.  We’ll have to decide whether to do it when we get there.  No view is worth our lives.\r\n\r\nWe went to bed shortly thereafter in anticipation of tomorrow:  a relaxing time at the Thermopolis Hot Springs and a long scenic drive to Alpine, WY.\r\n\r\nSeptember 5th\r\n\r\nCold night, but were better prepared\r\npacked up and headed to the Thermopolis Hot Springs, the largest in the world\r\nno one else there, drove and walked around, bridge, white sulfur, bathed, looked for buffalo\r\nHighly recommend,, felt great afterwards,\r\ndrove for awhile through beautfiful Wyoming\r\nhad PB lunch at reservoir\r\ndrove through Grand Teton national park to Alpine, WY, finally saw buffalo near Grand Teton’s in Moose, WY\r\ndiscussion of role of government, civil society, and charity', 'Day 6:  Mt. Rushmore and Wyoming', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '137-revision-6', '', '', '2011-09-12 16:10:36', '2011-09-12 16:10:36', '', 137, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=146', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(147, 2, '2011-09-12 16:15:00', '2011-09-12 16:15:00', 'Start: Badlands National Park, Interior, SD\r\nDestination: Thermopolis, WY - <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park and Campground</a>\r\nOdometer: ???\r\nDate:  Sunday, September 4th,  2011\r\n\r\nWell, two out of three ain’t bad.  For the first time this trip, we had a night completely without rain and without wind.  However, it was our first night of cold weather:  around 40 degrees.  Neither of us slept particularly well, but my Dad’s sleeping bag wasn’t closed around him, and the cot surface was cold as well, so needless to say, he had a cold, uncomfortable night.  I didn’t realize how bad he had it until the morning, but once I knew, was able to educate him about the need for insulation under him and a sealed sleeping bag.  We found the extra blanket when we had packed and set it aside for use the next night.\r\n\r\nWe were both anxious to get out of the cold and on the road, so we were out by 6:15 and planned to have breakfast at our first stop of the day: Mt. Rushmore.  We arrived a little after 8 and finished off our bagel and lox supply, under the watchful eyes of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln (Teddy and Tom apparently had something better to look at).\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1494.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-140\" title=\"102_1494\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1494-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nMt. Rushmore is an impressive engineering and artistic accomplishment.  In my head though, it was always very large.  Now that I was seeing it in person, it seemed kinda small (each head is “only” about 60’ tall) and Jefferson’s skin/stone wasn’t lookin’ too good.  In addition to getting our standard tourist photographs, we learned that those presidents were chosen to represent a characteristic of America in its first 150 years:  Washington-Birth, Jefferson-Expansion, Lincoln-Preservation, and Roosevelt-Development.  We opted not to walk the Presidential Trail leading to the base of the mountain (to look up Washington’s nose), but I would have done a longer walk if it took us to the top of the mountain.  After getting a picture near the NH state pillar and filling our water bottles with water that was recently found to be above the EPA’s new arsenic level, we headed back to the car around 10am to depart on the roughly 6-hour drive to Thermopolis, WY.\r\n\r\n<embed type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&noautoplay=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651501925661998881%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\"></embed>\r\n\r\nThe drive through Wyoming was/is amazing.  The sky really seems bigger there and every stretch of road had a new mountain, rock formation, or cliff to gaze at in wonder.  The traffic was light, but we were delayed by frequent stops to take photographs of the landscape.  We’re looking forward to our future drives through the state.\r\n\r\nINCLUDE PICTURE SLIDESHOW\r\n\r\nWe arrived around 4 at <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park</a>.  This campground seemed tailored to motor homes, but had a few tent sites.  The presence of WiFi and a laundry room were very welcome amenities.\r\n\r\nAfter the past several days, my Dad and I are pros at setting up this tent.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1612.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-143\" title=\"102_1612\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1612-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nWe quickly did so and I made veggie burgers again to use them up and use up our remaining bread.  We decided that today was the time to clean out our coolers, restock, and figure out meals for the next leg of the trip.  Also on schedule was:  doing laundry and taking a scenic drive through Wind River Canyon.  Our initial attempt to start laundry was foiled by other campers who had just filled the three washers, so we opted to do the drive first, stop at the local supermarket, and then run our loads.\r\n\r\nI had never heard of Wind River Canyon, and so when my Dad mentioned as an aside that there was a short drive he wanted to do near the campground, I had minimal expectations.  Well, it turns out any expectations I had would not have been high enough.  It was a beautiful drive on winding roads along a wide, flowing river, at the base of 4,000’ mountains shooting straight up, that took us through mountain tunnels, giant boulders, over 60 million year old granite, and immense caverns and canyons.  We were continuing to be awed by the landscapes of WY.\r\n\r\nADD SLIDE SHOW\r\n\r\nIt was an interesting contrast going from that scenic drive to downtown Thermopolis (population around 600) to visit the supermarket.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1611.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-144\" title=\"102_1611\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1611-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nDad wisely suggested we stay away from anything perishable, so we stocked up on tuna and beans, but also got a fresh bag of ice, some frozen peroggies, veggie burgers, an avacado (obviously for me, not for Dad), and some apples.\r\n\r\nWhen we returned, we went back to the laundry room, and were able to run our two loads of laundry.  Mom had picked up all-in-one laundry dryer sheets before the trip, so we gave them a whirl.  We almost ran out of quarters, I had to run my load through the dryer twice (Dad wanted me to just take them, but they were fairly damp, so I insisted), but the machines and all-in-one sheets worked fine, and it was nice being in the warm, lit laundry room, with WiFi, away from the bugs, during the night.\r\n\r\nThat night, we talked a bit with our neighbors from Colorado who were on a several day fishing trip in the area.  Dad asked them about the Skyline drive in Canon City, CO we were thinking of doing.  It’s a one lane road with no shoulder and thousand foot drops on each side.  Their description of its narrowness did not lesson our concern about the drive.  We’ll have to decide whether to do it when we get there.  No view is worth our lives.\r\n\r\nWe went to bed shortly thereafter in anticipation of tomorrow:  a relaxing time at the Thermopolis Hot Springs and a long scenic drive to Alpine, WY.\r\n\r\nSeptember 5th\r\n\r\nCold night, but were better prepared\r\npacked up and headed to the Thermopolis Hot Springs, the largest in the world\r\nno one else there, drove and walked around, bridge, white sulfur, bathed, looked for buffalo\r\nHighly recommend,, felt great afterwards,\r\ndrove for awhile through beautfiful Wyoming\r\nhad PB lunch at reservoir\r\ndrove through Grand Teton national park to Alpine, WY, finally saw buffalo near Grand Teton’s in Moose, WY\r\ndiscussion of role of government, civil society, and charity', 'Day 6:  Mt. Rushmore and Wyoming', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '137-revision-7', '', '', '2011-09-12 16:15:00', '2011-09-12 16:15:00', '', 137, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=147', 0, 'revision', '', 0);
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(148, 2, '2011-09-12 16:22:22', '2011-09-12 16:22:22', 'Start: Badlands National Park, Interior, SD\nDestination: Thermopolis, WY - <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park and Campground</a>\nOdometer: 103,400 (start)  103,875 (end)   475 miles\nDate:  Sunday, September 4th,  2011\n\nWell, two out of three ain’t bad.  For the first time this trip, we had a night completely without rain and without wind.  However, it was our first night of cold weather:  around 40 degrees.  Neither of us slept particularly well, but my Dad’s sleeping bag wasn’t closed around him, and the cot surface was cold as well, so needless to say, he had a cold, uncomfortable night.  I didn’t realize how bad he had it until the morning, but once I knew, was able to educate him about the need for insulation under him and a sealed sleeping bag.  We found the extra blanket when we had packed and set it aside for use the next night.\n\nWe were both anxious to get out of the cold and on the road, so we were out by 6:15 and planned to have breakfast at our first stop of the day: Mt. Rushmore.  We arrived a little after 8 and finished off our bagel and lox supply, under the watchful eyes of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln (Teddy and Tom apparently had something better to look at).\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1494.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-140\" title=\"102_1494\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1494-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nMt. Rushmore is an impressive engineering and artistic accomplishment.  In my head though, it was always very large.  Now that I was seeing it in person, it seemed kinda small (each head is “only” about 60’ tall) and Jefferson’s skin/stone wasn’t lookin’ too good.  In addition to getting our standard tourist photographs, we learned that those presidents were chosen to represent a characteristic of America in its first 150 years:  Washington-Birth, Jefferson-Expansion, Lincoln-Preservation, and Roosevelt-Development.  We opted not to walk the Presidential Trail leading to the base of the mountain (to look up Washington’s nose), but I would have done a longer walk if it took us to the top of the mountain.  After getting a picture near the NH state pillar and filling our water bottles with water that was recently found to be above the EPA’s new arsenic level, we headed back to the car around 10am to depart on the roughly 6-hour drive to Thermopolis, WY.\n\n<object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651501925661998881%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"400\" height=\"267\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651501925661998881%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object>\n\nThe drive through Wyoming was/is amazing.  The sky really seems bigger there and every stretch of road had a new mountain, rock formation, or cliff to gaze at in wonder.  The traffic was light, but we were delayed by frequent stops to take photographs of the landscape.  We’re looking forward to our future drives through the state.\n\nINCLUDE PICTURE SLIDESHOW\n\nWe arrived around 4 at <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park</a>.  This campground seemed tailored to motor homes, but had a few tent sites.  The presence of WiFi and a laundry room were very welcome amenities.\n\nAfter the past several days, my Dad and I are pros at setting up this tent.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1612.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-143\" title=\"102_1612\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1612-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nWe quickly did so and I made veggie burgers again to use them up and use up our remaining bread.  We decided that today was the time to clean out our coolers, restock, and figure out meals for the next leg of the trip.  Also on schedule was:  doing laundry and taking a scenic drive through Wind River Canyon.  Our initial attempt to start laundry was foiled by other campers who had just filled the three washers, so we opted to do the drive first, stop at the local supermarket, and then run our loads.\n\nI had never heard of Wind River Canyon, and so when my Dad mentioned as an aside that there was a short drive he wanted to do near the campground, I had minimal expectations.  Well, it turns out any expectations I had would not have been high enough.  It was a beautiful drive on winding roads along a wide, flowing river, at the base of 4,000’ mountains shooting straight up, that took us through mountain tunnels, giant boulders, over 60 million year old granite, and immense caverns and canyons.  We were continuing to be awed by the landscapes of WY.\n\nADD SLIDE SHOW\n\nIt was an interesting contrast going from that scenic drive to downtown Thermopolis (population around 600) to visit the supermarket.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1611.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-144\" title=\"102_1611\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1611-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nDad wisely suggested we stay away from anything perishable, so we stocked up on tuna and beans, but also got a fresh bag of ice, some frozen peroggies, veggie burgers, an avacado (obviously for me, not for Dad), and some apples.\n\nWhen we returned, we went back to the laundry room, and were able to run our two loads of laundry.  Mom had picked up all-in-one laundry dryer sheets before the trip, so we gave them a whirl.  We almost ran out of quarters, I had to run my load through the dryer twice (Dad wanted me to just take them, but they were fairly damp, so I insisted), but the machines and all-in-one sheets worked fine, and it was nice being in the warm, lit laundry room, with WiFi, away from the bugs, during the night.\n\nThat night, we talked a bit with our neighbors from Colorado who were on a several day fishing trip in the area.  Dad asked them about the Skyline drive in Canon City, CO we were thinking of doing.  It’s a one lane road with no shoulder and thousand foot drops on each side.  Their description of its narrowness did not lesson our concern about the drive.  We’ll have to decide whether to do it when we get there.  No view is worth our lives.\n\nWe went to bed shortly thereafter in anticipation of tomorrow:  a relaxing time at the Thermopolis Hot Springs and a long scenic drive to Alpine, WY.', 'Day 6:  Mt. Rushmore and Wyoming', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '137-revision-8', '', '', '2011-09-12 16:22:22', '2011-09-12 16:22:22', '', 137, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=148', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(149, 2, '2011-09-12 16:24:48', '2011-09-12 16:24:48', '<p>Start: Badlands National Park, Interior, SD<br /> Destination: Thermopolis, WY - <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park and Campground</a><br /> Odometer: 103,400 (start)  103,875 (end)   475 miles<br /> Date:  Sunday, September 4th,  2011</p><p>Well, two out of three ain’t bad.  For the first time this trip, we had a night completely without rain and without wind.  However, it was our first night of cold weather:  around 40 degrees.  Neither of us slept particularly well, but my Dad’s sleeping bag wasn’t closed around him, and the cot surface was cold as well, so needless to say, he had a cold, uncomfortable night.  I didn’t realize how bad he had it until the morning, but once I knew, was able to educate him about the need for insulation under him and a sealed sleeping bag.  We found the extra blanket when we had packed and set it aside for use the next night.</p><p>We were both anxious to get out of the cold and on the road, so we were out by 6:15 and planned to have breakfast at our first stop of the day: Mt. Rushmore.  We arrived a little after 8 and finished off our bagel and lox supply, under the watchful eyes of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln (Teddy and Tom apparently had something better to look at).</p><p><a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1494.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-140\" title=\"102_1494\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1494-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a></p><p>Mt. Rushmore is an impressive engineering and artistic accomplishment.  In my head though, it was always very large.  Now that I was seeing it in person, it seemed kinda small (each head is “only” about 60’ tall) and Jefferson’s skin/stone wasn’t lookin’ too good.  In addition to getting our standard tourist photographs, we learned that those presidents were chosen to represent a characteristic of America in its first 150 years:  Washington-Birth, Jefferson-Expansion, Lincoln-Preservation, and Roosevelt-Development.  We opted not to walk the Presidential Trail leading to the base of the mountain (to look up Washington’s nose), but I would have done a longer walk if it took us to the top of the mountain.  After getting a picture near the NH state pillar and filling our water bottles with water that was recently found to be above the EPA’s new arsenic level, we headed back to the car around 10am to depart on the roughly 6-hour drive to Thermopolis, WY.</p><p><object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651501925661998881%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"400\" height=\"267\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651501925661998881%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object></p><p>The drive through Wyoming was/is amazing.  The sky really seems bigger there and every stretch of road had a new mountain, rock formation, or cliff to gaze at in wonder.  The traffic was light, but we were delayed by frequent stops to take photographs of the landscape.  We’re looking forward to our future drives through the state.</p><p>INCLUDE PICTURE SLIDESHOW</p><p>We arrived around 4 at <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park</a>.  This campground seemed tailored to motor homes, but had a few tent sites.  The presence of WiFi and a laundry room were very welcome amenities.</p><p>After the past several days, my Dad and I are pros at setting up this tent.</p><p><a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1612.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-143\" title=\"102_1612\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1612-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a></p><p>We quickly did so and I made veggie burgers again to use them up and use up our remaining bread.  We decided that today was the time to clean out our coolers, restock, and figure out meals for the next leg of the trip.  Also on schedule was:  doing laundry and taking a scenic drive through Wind River Canyon.  Our initial attempt to start laundry was foiled by other campers who had just filled the three washers, so we opted to do the drive first, stop at the local supermarket, and then run our loads.</p><p>I had never heard of Wind River Canyon, and so when my Dad mentioned as an aside that there was a short drive he wanted to do near the campground, I had minimal expectations.  Well, it turns out any expectations I had would not have been high enough.  It was a beautiful drive on winding roads along a wide, flowing river, at the base of 4,000’ mountains shooting straight up, that took us through mountain tunnels, giant boulders, over 60 million year old granite, and immense caverns and canyons.  We were continuing to be awed by the landscapes of WY.</p><p>ADD SLIDE SHOW</p><p>It was an interesting contrast going from that scenic drive to downtown Thermopolis (population around 600) to visit the supermarket.</p><p><a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1611.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-144\" title=\"102_1611\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1611-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a></p><p>Dad wisely suggested we stay away from anything perishable, so we stocked up on tuna and beans, but also got a fresh bag of ice, some frozen peroggies, veggie burgers, an avacado (obviously for me, not for Dad), and some apples.</p><p>When we returned, we went back to the laundry room, and were able to run our two loads of laundry.  Mom had picked up all-in-one laundry dryer sheets before the trip, so we gave them a whirl.  We almost ran out of quarters, I had to run my load through the dryer twice (Dad wanted me to just take them, but they were fairly damp, so I insisted), but the machines and all-in-one sheets worked fine, and it was nice being in the warm, lit laundry room, with WiFi, away from the bugs, during the night.</p><p>That night, we talked a bit with our neighbors from Colorado who were on a several day fishing trip in the area.  Dad asked them about the Skyline drive in Canon City, CO we were thinking of doing.  It’s a one lane road with no shoulder and thousand foot drops on each side.  Their description of its narrowness did not lesson our concern about the drive.  We’ll have to decide whether to do it when we get there.  No view is worth our lives.</p><p>We went to bed shortly thereafter in anticipation of tomorrow:  a relaxing time at the Thermopolis Hot Springs and a long scenic drive to Alpine, WY.</p>', 'Day 6:  Mt. Rushmore and Wyoming', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '137-revision-9', '', '', '2011-09-12 16:24:48', '2011-09-12 16:24:48', '', 137, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=149', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(150, 2, '2011-09-12 16:27:31', '2011-09-12 16:27:31', 'NOTE:  We\'re at the Grand Canyon, North Rim Campground (9/12).  They have WiFi, but it\'s not that fast.  We\'ve decided to post some text and the images we are able to upload, but you\'ll have to check back later for all the pictures :-)\n\n&nbsp;\n\nStart: Badlands National Park, Interior, SD\nDestination: Thermopolis, WY - <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park and Campground</a>\nOdometer: 103,400 (start)  103,909 (end)   509 miles\nDate:  Sunday, September 4th,  2011\n\nWell, two out of three ain’t bad.  For the first time this trip, we had a night completely without rain and without wind.  However, it was our first night of cold weather:  around 40 degrees.  Neither of us slept particularly well, but my Dad’s sleeping bag wasn’t closed around him, and the cot surface was cold as well, so needless to say, he had a cold, uncomfortable night.  I didn’t realize how bad he had it until the morning, but once I knew, was able to educate him about the need for insulation under him and a sealed sleeping bag.  We found the extra blanket when we had packed and set it aside for use the next night.\n\nWe were both anxious to get out of the cold and on the road, so we were out by 6:15 and planned to have breakfast at our first stop of the day: Mt. Rushmore.  We arrived a little after 8 and finished off our bagel and lox supply, under the watchful eyes of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln (Teddy and Tom apparently had something better to look at).\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1494.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-140\" title=\"102_1494\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1494-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nMt. Rushmore is an impressive engineering and artistic accomplishment.  In my head though, it was always very large.  Now that I was seeing it in person, it seemed kinda small (each head is “only” about 60’ tall) and Jefferson’s skin/stone wasn’t lookin’ too good.  In addition to getting our standard tourist photographs, we learned that those presidents were chosen to represent a characteristic of America in its first 150 years:  Washington-Birth, Jefferson-Expansion, Lincoln-Preservation, and Roosevelt-Development.  We opted not to walk the Presidential Trail leading to the base of the mountain (to look up Washington’s nose), but I would have done a longer walk if it took us to the top of the mountain.  After getting a picture near the NH state pillar and filling our water bottles with water that was recently found to be above the EPA’s new arsenic level, we headed back to the car around 10am to depart on the roughly 6-hour drive to Thermopolis, WY.\n\n<object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651501925661998881%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"400\" height=\"267\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651501925661998881%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object>\n\nThe drive through Wyoming was/is amazing.  The sky really seems bigger there and every stretch of road had a new mountain, rock formation, or cliff to gaze at in wonder.  The traffic was light, but we were delayed by frequent stops to take photographs of the landscape.  We’re looking forward to our future drives through the state.\n\nINCLUDE PICTURE SLIDESHOW\n\nWe arrived around 4 at <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park</a>.  This campground seemed tailored to motor homes, but had a few tent sites.  The presence of WiFi and a laundry room were very welcome amenities.\n\nAfter the past several days, my Dad and I are pros at setting up this tent.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1612.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-143\" title=\"102_1612\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1612-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nWe quickly did so and I made veggie burgers again to use them up and use up our remaining bread.  We decided that today was the time to clean out our coolers, restock, and figure out meals for the next leg of the trip.  Also on schedule was:  doing laundry and taking a scenic drive through Wind River Canyon.  Our initial attempt to start laundry was foiled by other campers who had just filled the three washers, so we opted to do the drive first, stop at the local supermarket, and then run our loads.\n\nI had never heard of Wind River Canyon, and so when my Dad mentioned as an aside that there was a short drive he wanted to do near the campground, I had minimal expectations.  Well, it turns out any expectations I had would not have been high enough.  It was a beautiful drive on winding roads along a wide, flowing river, at the base of 4,000’ mountains shooting straight up, that took us through mountain tunnels, giant boulders, over 60 million year old granite, and immense caverns and canyons.  We were continuing to be awed by the landscapes of WY.\n\nADD SLIDE SHOW\n\nIt was an interesting contrast going from that scenic drive to downtown Thermopolis (population around 600) to visit the supermarket.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1611.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-144\" title=\"102_1611\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1611-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nDad wisely suggested we stay away from anything perishable, so we stocked up on tuna and beans, but also got a fresh bag of ice, some frozen peroggies, veggie burgers, an avacado (obviously for me, not for Dad), and some apples.\n\nWhen we returned, we went back to the laundry room, and were able to run our two loads of laundry.  Mom had picked up all-in-one laundry dryer sheets before the trip, so we gave them a whirl.  We almost ran out of quarters, I had to run my load through the dryer twice (Dad wanted me to just take them, but they were fairly damp, so I insisted), but the machines and all-in-one sheets worked fine, and it was nice being in the warm, lit laundry room, with WiFi, away from the bugs, during the night.\n\nThat night, we talked a bit with our neighbors from Colorado who were on a several day fishing trip in the area.  Dad asked them about the Skyline drive in Canon City, CO we were thinking of doing.  It’s a one lane road with no shoulder and thousand foot drops on each side.  Their description of its narrowness did not lesson our concern about the drive.  We’ll have to decide whether to do it when we get there.  No view is worth our lives.\n\nWe went to bed shortly thereafter in anticipation of tomorrow:  a relaxing time at the Thermopolis Hot Springs and a long scenic drive to Alpine, WY.', 'Day 6:  Mt. Rushmore and Wyoming', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '137-revision-10', '', '', '2011-09-12 16:27:31', '2011-09-12 16:27:31', '', 137, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=150', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(151, 2, '2011-09-13 02:23:19', '2011-09-13 02:23:19', '<p>Start: Thermopolis, WY - <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park and Campground</a><br />\r\nDestination: Alpine, WY - <a href=\"http://www.greysrivercove.com/\">Greys River Cove RV Park</a><br />\r\nOdometer: 103,909 (start)  104,189 (end)   280 miles<br />\r\nDate:  Monday, September 5th,  2011</p>\r\n<p>The previous night in the cold caught us unprepared, but this night/morning, we fortified ourselves.  The insulated blanket on the cot was a big help for my Dad, and my sleeping bag provided adequate warmth (my sleeping bag has been in our family since I was a kid and I have gotten great use from it...I think Gail (a friend of mine and of the family) gave it to us.  On the other hand, my Dad’s sleeping bag I got when I opened an account at a bank a few years ago).</p>\r\n<p>We left the campground around 6:30, and headed down the road a couple of miles to the Thermopolis Hot Springs State Park, the “World`s Largest Mineral Hot Springs” (it\'s written on a mountain, so it must be true).  It being Labor Day, we were concerned there would be crowds.</p>\r\n<p><a><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-162\" title=\"102_1629\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1629-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a></p>\r\n<p>The park is always open for people to walk around, but the bath house didn’t open until 8am.  We took this time to drive around looking for the Buffalo they apparently had in the park, walking over the intentionally wobbly suspension bridge over the Wind river, and checking out the various mineral springs that dotted the park.</p>\r\n<p><a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1637.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-163\" title=\"102_1637\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1637-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a></p>\r\n<p>We didn’t see any buffalo, despite several loops around the drive. Turns out they don’t really come out until later in the morning when they are fed.  Little did we know, we would soon get to the point where seeing buffalo would become mundane, if not annoying (more on that in future posts).</p>\r\n<p><a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1616.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-164\" title=\"102_1616\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1616-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a></p>\r\n<p>The walk over the bridge was a short, but pleasant walk, with a nice view of the river and park.  I had fun rocking the bridge through some simple harmonic motion vibrations while my Dad and I were on it.  He became a might nervous, but it was all in good fun.</p>\r\n<p><a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1621.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-178\" title=\"102_1621\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1621-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a></p>\r\n<p>It was around 8, so we headed over to the mineral bath house.  We met up with a local who had returned after several month away who educated us.  Amongst other things, we learned a reason that the bath is free, is that this was part of the deal they signed with the Indians when acquiring the land.  (The water slide park however was not free.)   He also knew the staff people, and we were able to get in a few minutes early.</p>\r\n<p><a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1652.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-168\" title=\"102_1652\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1652-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a></p>\r\n<p>Neither of us has been to a mineral hot spring before, so we didn’t know what to expect.  I am used to, and enjoy hot tubs, but my Dad is water averse, and made an exception for this park.  At first, I was annoyed that we were supposedly only allowed to stay in the water for 20 minutes, so we quickly readied ourselves in the bathroom and went to the outdoor pool (there’s an inside one too).</p>\r\n<p>We were both glad we made this stop on the trip.  It was great.  The water is 104° and we could feel the difference between it and regular water.  There were stone blocks in the pool for sitting, and railings to keep from floating away or resting one\'s head.  It seems there is quite a local community of bathers who come each morning, because before we knew it, there were near a dozen retirees in the pool with us.  I can definitely see why they would settle in this area.</p>\r\n<p><a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1649.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-169\" title=\"102_1649\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1649-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a></p>\r\n<p>After more than 20 minutes (they weren’t strict on the time, and it can be uncomfortable to actually stay in the water much longer), we showered off and got dressed.  We not only felt refreshed, but our skin complexion had noticeably improved.  We highly recommend you make this park a stop on your trip if you’re going to be nearby.  The GPS was set for Alpine, WY, and we were off.</p>\r\n<p><object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651618869983321649%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"400\" height=\"267\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651618869983321649%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object></p>\r\n<p>There were more great landscapes along the drive in Wyoming, but the one that stood out was when we saw a mountain in the distance, behind some mist.</p>\r\n<p><a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1712.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-171\" title=\"102_1712\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1712-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a></p>\r\n<p>At first, I thought they were the Rocky Mountains, but Dad was better aware of geography, and dissented.  We eventually realized that they were the Grand Tetons.  They are an impressive range of mountains, with peaks reaching over 10,000 feet and appearing to touch the clouds.  As my Dad noted, the surfaces are bare and the beauty of the mountain is not blocked by the presence of trees and other vegetation.  There also seems to be a constant haze around them, even when on the road right next to the them.  As described by a friend of mine who recommended this stop, they do rise majestically from the flat planes that surround it.</p>\r\n<p>Also along the way, in Moose, WY we saw, a few hundred feet from the road, a herd of buffalo grazing and wasting the time of day.  We looked at them through the binoculars my Dad had brought, impressed by our first buffalo sighting of the trip.</p>\r\n<p><a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1716.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-172\" title=\"102_1716\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1716-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a></p>\r\n<p>We were also  fortunate on this trip to find, along the side of the road, a nice picnic area next to a reservoir.  We had some peanut butter and honey sandwiches, watched a family having fun on the water in their motor boat, and had a nice Labor Day picnic of sorts.</p>\r\n<p><a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1698.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-173\" title=\"102_1698\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1698-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a></p>\r\n<p>Now, we had originally planned to stay in Jackson (Hole), WY.  We soon realized that Jackson is an expensive resort town, where even a campsite was over $40.  As we drove through, noticing the fancy SUVs and stores, we realized this was not our kind of place and were glad we were staying elsewhere.</p>\r\n<p><a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1718.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-174\" title=\"102_1718\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1718-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a></p>\r\n<p>Our destination was definitely not of the Jackson, WY type.  The campground office is located in the tavern, the bartender handles the reservations, and there is a Family Dollar conveniently next door.  She was friendly and we were checked in without incident, but we were definitely in the more every-day sort of Wyoming.  The views and proximity to the river, the free WiFi, and hot showers were also nice features of the campground.</p>\r\n<p><a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1720.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-179\" title=\"102_1720\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1720-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a></p>\r\n<p>For dinner that night, I sauteed/fried the perogies with some spices (I wasn’t confident in my ability to boil water).  They turned out well, but we also finished off the apples and the Morningstar Maple “sausage patties” that had been sitting in the cold water in the cooler.  Everything turned out great.  It was nice having a good, full meal after the long drive.</p>\r\n<p>After dinner, I had a much needed shower, and we went to the Family Dollar to buy some misc. items, namely a gallon of water, some metal forks, and paper towels.  I made use of the internet to send some emails and post on the blog, while my Dad relaxed in the tent.</p>\r\n<p>We went to bed as the only campers in the site (there were RVs along the perimeter), ready to experience Yellowstone in the morning.  The 40mph winds during the night ended up giving us an early start on that journey.</p>\r\n<p><object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651624590716459745%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"400\" height=\"267\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651624590716459745%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object></p>\r\n', 'Day 7:  Hot Springs and Tetons', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'day-7-hot-springs-and-mountains', '', '', '2011-09-13 02:23:43', '2011-09-13 02:23:43', '', 0, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=151', 0, 'post', '', 51),
(152, 2, '2011-09-12 16:29:01', '2011-09-12 16:29:01', '', 'Auto Draft', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '151-revision', '', '', '2011-09-12 16:29:01', '2011-09-12 16:29:01', '', 151, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=152', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(153, 2, '2011-09-12 16:29:29', '2011-09-12 16:29:29', '', 'Day 7:  ', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '151-revision-2', '', '', '2011-09-12 16:29:29', '2011-09-12 16:29:29', '', 151, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=153', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(154, 2, '2011-09-12 23:18:10', '2011-09-12 23:18:10', 'Start: Badlands National Park, Interior, SD\nDestination: Thermopolis, WY - <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park and Campground</a>\nOdometer: 103,400 (start)  103,909 (end)   509 miles\nDate:  Sunday, September 4th,  2011\n\nWell, two out of three ain’t bad.  For the first time this trip, we had a night completely without rain and without wind.  However, it was our first night of cold weather:  around 40 degrees.  Neither of us slept particularly well, but my Dad’s sleeping bag wasn’t closed around him, and the cot surface was cold as well, so needless to say, he had a cold, uncomfortable night.  I didn’t realize how bad he had it until the morning, but once I knew, was able to educate him about the need for insulation under him and a sealed sleeping bag.  We found the extra blanket when we had packed and set it aside for use the next night.\n\nWe were both anxious to get out of the cold and on the road, so we were out by 6:15 and planned to have breakfast at our first stop of the day: Mt. Rushmore.  We arrived a little after 8 and finished off our bagel and lox supply, under the watchful eyes of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln (Teddy and Tom apparently had something better to look at).\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1494.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-140\" title=\"102_1494\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1494-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nMt. Rushmore is an impressive engineering and artistic accomplishment.  In my head though, it was always very large.  Now that I was seeing it in person, it seemed kinda small (each head is “only” about 60’ tall) and Jefferson’s skin/stone wasn’t lookin’ too good.  In addition to getting our standard tourist photographs, we learned that those presidents were chosen to represent a characteristic of America in its first 150 years:  Washington-Birth, Jefferson-Expansion, Lincoln-Preservation, and Roosevelt-Development.  We opted not to walk the Presidential Trail leading to the base of the mountain (to look up Washington’s nose), but I would have done a longer walk if it took us to the top of the mountain.  After getting a picture near the NH state pillar and filling our water bottles with water that was recently found to be above the EPA’s new arsenic level, we headed back to the car around 10am to depart on the roughly 6-hour drive to Thermopolis, WY.\n\n<object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651501925661998881%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"400\" height=\"267\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651501925661998881%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object>\n\nThe drive through Wyoming was/is amazing.  The sky really seems bigger there and every stretch of road had a new mountain, rock formation, or cliff to gaze at in wonder.  The traffic was light, but we were delayed by frequent stops to take photographs of the landscape.  We’re looking forward to our future drives through the state.\n\n<object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651507471651478689%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"400\" height=\"267\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651507471651478689%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object>\n\nWe arrived around 4 at <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park</a>.  This campground seemed tailored to motor homes, but had a few tent sites.  The presence of WiFi and a laundry room were very welcome amenities.\n\nAfter the past several days, my Dad and I are pros at setting up this tent.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1612.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-143\" title=\"102_1612\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1612-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nWe quickly did so and I made veggie burgers again to use them up and use up our remaining bread.  We decided that today was the time to clean out our coolers, restock, and figure out meals for the next leg of the trip.  Also on schedule was:  doing laundry and taking a scenic drive through Wind River Canyon.  Our initial attempt to start laundry was foiled by other campers who had just filled the three washers, so we opted to do the drive first, stop at the local supermarket, and then run our loads.\n\nI had never heard of Wind River Canyon, and so when my Dad mentioned as an aside that there was a short drive he wanted to do near the campground, I had minimal expectations.  Well, it turns out any expectations I had would not have been high enough.  It was a beautiful drive on winding roads along a wide, flowing river, at the base of 4,000’ mountains shooting straight up, that took us through mountain tunnels, giant boulders, over 60 million year old granite, and immense caverns and canyons.  We were continuing to be awed by the landscapes of WY.\n\n<object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651519839263249057%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"400\" height=\"267\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651519839263249057%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object>\n\nIt was an interesting contrast going from that scenic drive to downtown Thermopolis (population around 600) to visit the supermarket.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1611.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-144\" title=\"102_1611\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1611-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nDad wisely suggested we stay away from anything perishable, so we stocked up on tuna and beans, but also got a fresh bag of ice, some frozen peroggies, veggie burgers, an avacado (obviously for me, not for Dad), and some apples.\n\nWhen we returned, we went back to the laundry room, and were able to run our two loads of laundry.  Mom had picked up all-in-one laundry dryer sheets before the trip, so we gave them a whirl.  We almost ran out of quarters, I had to run my load through the dryer twice (Dad wanted me to just take them, but they were fairly damp, so I insisted), but the machines and all-in-one sheets worked fine, and it was nice being in the warm, lit laundry room, with WiFi, away from the bugs, during the night.\n\nThat night, we talked a bit with our neighbors from Colorado who were on a several day fishing trip in the area.  Dad asked them about the Skyline drive in Canon City, CO we were thinking of doing.  It’s a one lane road with no shoulder and thousand foot drops on each side.  Their description of its narrowness did not lesson our concern about the drive.  We’ll have to decide whether to do it when we get there.  No view is worth our lives.\n\nWe went to bed shortly thereafter in anticipation of tomorrow:  a relaxing time at the Thermopolis Hot Springs and a long scenic drive to Alpine, WY.', 'Day 6:  Mt. Rushmore and Wyoming', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '137-autosave', '', '', '2011-09-12 23:18:10', '2011-09-12 23:18:10', '', 137, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=154', 0, 'revision', '', 0);
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(155, 2, '2011-09-12 16:28:09', '2011-09-12 16:28:09', 'NOTE:  We\'re at the Grand Canyon, North Rim Campground (9/12).  They have WiFi, but it\'s not that fast.  Rather than waiting until later in the week for a good connection, we\'ve decided to post some text and the images we are able to upload now.  So, you\'ll have to check back later for all the pictures :-)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nStart: Badlands National Park, Interior, SD\r\nDestination: Thermopolis, WY - <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park and Campground</a>\r\nOdometer: 103,400 (start)  103,909 (end)   509 miles\r\nDate:  Sunday, September 4th,  2011\r\n\r\nWell, two out of three ain’t bad.  For the first time this trip, we had a night completely without rain and without wind.  However, it was our first night of cold weather:  around 40 degrees.  Neither of us slept particularly well, but my Dad’s sleeping bag wasn’t closed around him, and the cot surface was cold as well, so needless to say, he had a cold, uncomfortable night.  I didn’t realize how bad he had it until the morning, but once I knew, was able to educate him about the need for insulation under him and a sealed sleeping bag.  We found the extra blanket when we had packed and set it aside for use the next night.\r\n\r\nWe were both anxious to get out of the cold and on the road, so we were out by 6:15 and planned to have breakfast at our first stop of the day: Mt. Rushmore.  We arrived a little after 8 and finished off our bagel and lox supply, under the watchful eyes of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln (Teddy and Tom apparently had something better to look at).\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1494.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-140\" title=\"102_1494\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1494-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nMt. Rushmore is an impressive engineering and artistic accomplishment.  In my head though, it was always very large.  Now that I was seeing it in person, it seemed kinda small (each head is “only” about 60’ tall) and Jefferson’s skin/stone wasn’t lookin’ too good.  In addition to getting our standard tourist photographs, we learned that those presidents were chosen to represent a characteristic of America in its first 150 years:  Washington-Birth, Jefferson-Expansion, Lincoln-Preservation, and Roosevelt-Development.  We opted not to walk the Presidential Trail leading to the base of the mountain (to look up Washington’s nose), but I would have done a longer walk if it took us to the top of the mountain.  After getting a picture near the NH state pillar and filling our water bottles with water that was recently found to be above the EPA’s new arsenic level, we headed back to the car around 10am to depart on the roughly 6-hour drive to Thermopolis, WY.\r\n\r\n<object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651501925661998881%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"400\" height=\"267\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651501925661998881%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object>\r\n\r\nThe drive through Wyoming was/is amazing.  The sky really seems bigger there and every stretch of road had a new mountain, rock formation, or cliff to gaze at in wonder.  The traffic was light, but we were delayed by frequent stops to take photographs of the landscape.  We’re looking forward to our future drives through the state.\r\n\r\nINCLUDE PICTURE SLIDESHOW\r\n\r\nWe arrived around 4 at <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park</a>.  This campground seemed tailored to motor homes, but had a few tent sites.  The presence of WiFi and a laundry room were very welcome amenities.\r\n\r\nAfter the past several days, my Dad and I are pros at setting up this tent.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1612.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-143\" title=\"102_1612\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1612-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nWe quickly did so and I made veggie burgers again to use them up and use up our remaining bread.  We decided that today was the time to clean out our coolers, restock, and figure out meals for the next leg of the trip.  Also on schedule was:  doing laundry and taking a scenic drive through Wind River Canyon.  Our initial attempt to start laundry was foiled by other campers who had just filled the three washers, so we opted to do the drive first, stop at the local supermarket, and then run our loads.\r\n\r\nI had never heard of Wind River Canyon, and so when my Dad mentioned as an aside that there was a short drive he wanted to do near the campground, I had minimal expectations.  Well, it turns out any expectations I had would not have been high enough.  It was a beautiful drive on winding roads along a wide, flowing river, at the base of 4,000’ mountains shooting straight up, that took us through mountain tunnels, giant boulders, over 60 million year old granite, and immense caverns and canyons.  We were continuing to be awed by the landscapes of WY.\r\n\r\nADD SLIDE SHOW\r\n\r\nIt was an interesting contrast going from that scenic drive to downtown Thermopolis (population around 600) to visit the supermarket.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1611.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-144\" title=\"102_1611\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1611-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nDad wisely suggested we stay away from anything perishable, so we stocked up on tuna and beans, but also got a fresh bag of ice, some frozen peroggies, veggie burgers, an avacado (obviously for me, not for Dad), and some apples.\r\n\r\nWhen we returned, we went back to the laundry room, and were able to run our two loads of laundry.  Mom had picked up all-in-one laundry dryer sheets before the trip, so we gave them a whirl.  We almost ran out of quarters, I had to run my load through the dryer twice (Dad wanted me to just take them, but they were fairly damp, so I insisted), but the machines and all-in-one sheets worked fine, and it was nice being in the warm, lit laundry room, with WiFi, away from the bugs, during the night.\r\n\r\nThat night, we talked a bit with our neighbors from Colorado who were on a several day fishing trip in the area.  Dad asked them about the Skyline drive in Canon City, CO we were thinking of doing.  It’s a one lane road with no shoulder and thousand foot drops on each side.  Their description of its narrowness did not lesson our concern about the drive.  We’ll have to decide whether to do it when we get there.  No view is worth our lives.\r\n\r\nWe went to bed shortly thereafter in anticipation of tomorrow:  a relaxing time at the Thermopolis Hot Springs and a long scenic drive to Alpine, WY.', 'Day 6:  Mt. Rushmore and Wyoming', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '137-revision-11', '', '', '2011-09-12 16:28:09', '2011-09-12 16:28:09', '', 137, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=155', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(156, 2, '2011-09-12 18:26:08', '2011-09-12 18:26:08', 'Start: Badlands National Park, Interior, SD\r\nDestination: Thermopolis, WY - <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park and Campground</a>\r\nOdometer: 103,400 (start)  103,909 (end)   509 miles\r\nDate:  Sunday, September 4th,  2011\r\n\r\nWell, two out of three ain’t bad.  For the first time this trip, we had a night completely without rain and without wind.  However, it was our first night of cold weather:  around 40 degrees.  Neither of us slept particularly well, but my Dad’s sleeping bag wasn’t closed around him, and the cot surface was cold as well, so needless to say, he had a cold, uncomfortable night.  I didn’t realize how bad he had it until the morning, but once I knew, was able to educate him about the need for insulation under him and a sealed sleeping bag.  We found the extra blanket when we had packed and set it aside for use the next night.\r\n\r\nWe were both anxious to get out of the cold and on the road, so we were out by 6:15 and planned to have breakfast at our first stop of the day: Mt. Rushmore.  We arrived a little after 8 and finished off our bagel and lox supply, under the watchful eyes of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln (Teddy and Tom apparently had something better to look at).\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1494.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-140\" title=\"102_1494\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1494-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nMt. Rushmore is an impressive engineering and artistic accomplishment.  In my head though, it was always very large.  Now that I was seeing it in person, it seemed kinda small (each head is “only” about 60’ tall) and Jefferson’s skin/stone wasn’t lookin’ too good.  In addition to getting our standard tourist photographs, we learned that those presidents were chosen to represent a characteristic of America in its first 150 years:  Washington-Birth, Jefferson-Expansion, Lincoln-Preservation, and Roosevelt-Development.  We opted not to walk the Presidential Trail leading to the base of the mountain (to look up Washington’s nose), but I would have done a longer walk if it took us to the top of the mountain.  After getting a picture near the NH state pillar and filling our water bottles with water that was recently found to be above the EPA’s new arsenic level, we headed back to the car around 10am to depart on the roughly 6-hour drive to Thermopolis, WY.\r\n\r\n<object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651501925661998881%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"400\" height=\"267\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651501925661998881%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object>\r\n\r\nThe drive through Wyoming was/is amazing.  The sky really seems bigger there and every stretch of road had a new mountain, rock formation, or cliff to gaze at in wonder.  The traffic was light, but we were delayed by frequent stops to take photographs of the landscape.  We’re looking forward to our future drives through the state.\r\n\r\n<embed type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651507471651478689%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\"></embed>\r\n\r\nWe arrived around 4 at <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park</a>.  This campground seemed tailored to motor homes, but had a few tent sites.  The presence of WiFi and a laundry room were very welcome amenities.\r\n\r\nAfter the past several days, my Dad and I are pros at setting up this tent.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1612.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-143\" title=\"102_1612\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1612-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nWe quickly did so and I made veggie burgers again to use them up and use up our remaining bread.  We decided that today was the time to clean out our coolers, restock, and figure out meals for the next leg of the trip.  Also on schedule was:  doing laundry and taking a scenic drive through Wind River Canyon.  Our initial attempt to start laundry was foiled by other campers who had just filled the three washers, so we opted to do the drive first, stop at the local supermarket, and then run our loads.\r\n\r\nI had never heard of Wind River Canyon, and so when my Dad mentioned as an aside that there was a short drive he wanted to do near the campground, I had minimal expectations.  Well, it turns out any expectations I had would not have been high enough.  It was a beautiful drive on winding roads along a wide, flowing river, at the base of 4,000’ mountains shooting straight up, that took us through mountain tunnels, giant boulders, over 60 million year old granite, and immense caverns and canyons.  We were continuing to be awed by the landscapes of WY.\r\n\r\n<embed type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651519839263249057%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\"></embed>\r\n\r\nIt was an interesting contrast going from that scenic drive to downtown Thermopolis (population around 600) to visit the supermarket.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1611.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-144\" title=\"102_1611\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1611-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nDad wisely suggested we stay away from anything perishable, so we stocked up on tuna and beans, but also got a fresh bag of ice, some frozen peroggies, veggie burgers, an avacado (obviously for me, not for Dad), and some apples.\r\n\r\nWhen we returned, we went back to the laundry room, and were able to run our two loads of laundry.  Mom had picked up all-in-one laundry dryer sheets before the trip, so we gave them a whirl.  We almost ran out of quarters, I had to run my load through the dryer twice (Dad wanted me to just take them, but they were fairly damp, so I insisted), but the machines and all-in-one sheets worked fine, and it was nice being in the warm, lit laundry room, with WiFi, away from the bugs, during the night.\r\n\r\nThat night, we talked a bit with our neighbors from Colorado who were on a several day fishing trip in the area.  Dad asked them about the Skyline drive in Canon City, CO we were thinking of doing.  It’s a one lane road with no shoulder and thousand foot drops on each side.  Their description of its narrowness did not lesson our concern about the drive.  We’ll have to decide whether to do it when we get there.  No view is worth our lives.\r\n\r\nWe went to bed shortly thereafter in anticipation of tomorrow:  a relaxing time at the Thermopolis Hot Springs and a long scenic drive to Alpine, WY.', 'Day 6:  Mt. Rushmore and Wyoming', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '137-revision-12', '', '', '2011-09-12 18:26:08', '2011-09-12 18:26:08', '', 137, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=156', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(157, 2, '2011-09-12 18:26:51', '2011-09-12 18:26:51', 'Start: Badlands National Park, Interior, SD\r\nDestination: Thermopolis, WY - <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park and Campground</a>\r\nOdometer: 103,400 (start)  103,909 (end)   509 miles\r\nDate:  Sunday, September 4th,  2011\r\n\r\nWell, two out of three ain’t bad.  For the first time this trip, we had a night completely without rain and without wind.  However, it was our first night of cold weather:  around 40 degrees.  Neither of us slept particularly well, but my Dad’s sleeping bag wasn’t closed around him, and the cot surface was cold as well, so needless to say, he had a cold, uncomfortable night.  I didn’t realize how bad he had it until the morning, but once I knew, was able to educate him about the need for insulation under him and a sealed sleeping bag.  We found the extra blanket when we had packed and set it aside for use the next night.\r\n\r\nWe were both anxious to get out of the cold and on the road, so we were out by 6:15 and planned to have breakfast at our first stop of the day: Mt. Rushmore.  We arrived a little after 8 and finished off our bagel and lox supply, under the watchful eyes of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln (Teddy and Tom apparently had something better to look at).\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1494.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-140\" title=\"102_1494\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1494-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nMt. Rushmore is an impressive engineering and artistic accomplishment.  In my head though, it was always very large.  Now that I was seeing it in person, it seemed kinda small (each head is “only” about 60’ tall) and Jefferson’s skin/stone wasn’t lookin’ too good.  In addition to getting our standard tourist photographs, we learned that those presidents were chosen to represent a characteristic of America in its first 150 years:  Washington-Birth, Jefferson-Expansion, Lincoln-Preservation, and Roosevelt-Development.  We opted not to walk the Presidential Trail leading to the base of the mountain (to look up Washington’s nose), but I would have done a longer walk if it took us to the top of the mountain.  After getting a picture near the NH state pillar and filling our water bottles with water that was recently found to be above the EPA’s new arsenic level, we headed back to the car around 10am to depart on the roughly 6-hour drive to Thermopolis, WY.\r\n\r\n<object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651501925661998881%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"400\" height=\"267\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651501925661998881%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object>\r\n\r\nThe drive through Wyoming was/is amazing.  The sky really seems bigger there and every stretch of road had a new mountain, rock formation, or cliff to gaze at in wonder.  The traffic was light, but we were delayed by frequent stops to take photographs of the landscape.  We’re looking forward to our future drives through the state.\r\n\r\n<embed type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651507471651478689%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\"></embed>\r\n\r\nWe arrived around 4 at <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park</a>.  This campground seemed tailored to motor homes, but had a few tent sites.  The presence of WiFi and a laundry room were very welcome amenities.\r\n\r\nAfter the past several days, my Dad and I are pros at setting up this tent.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1612.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-143\" title=\"102_1612\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1612-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nWe quickly did so and I made veggie burgers again to use them up and use up our remaining bread.  We decided that today was the time to clean out our coolers, restock, and figure out meals for the next leg of the trip.  Also on schedule was:  doing laundry and taking a scenic drive through Wind River Canyon.  Our initial attempt to start laundry was foiled by other campers who had just filled the three washers, so we opted to do the drive first, stop at the local supermarket, and then run our loads.\r\n\r\nI had never heard of Wind River Canyon, and so when my Dad mentioned as an aside that there was a short drive he wanted to do near the campground, I had minimal expectations.  Well, it turns out any expectations I had would not have been high enough.  It was a beautiful drive on winding roads along a wide, flowing river, at the base of 4,000’ mountains shooting straight up, that took us through mountain tunnels, giant boulders, over 60 million year old granite, and immense caverns and canyons.  We were continuing to be awed by the landscapes of WY.\r\n\r\n<embed type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651519839263249057%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\"></embed>\r\n\r\nIt was an interesting contrast going from that scenic drive to downtown Thermopolis (population around 600) to visit the supermarket.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1611.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-144\" title=\"102_1611\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1611-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nDad wisely suggested we stay away from anything perishable, so we stocked up on tuna and beans, but also got a fresh bag of ice, some frozen peroggies, veggie burgers, an avacado (obviously for me, not for Dad), and some apples.\r\n\r\nWhen we returned, we went back to the laundry room, and were able to run our two loads of laundry.  Mom had picked up all-in-one laundry dryer sheets before the trip, so we gave them a whirl.  We almost ran out of quarters, I had to run my load through the dryer twice (Dad wanted me to just take them, but they were fairly damp, so I insisted), but the machines and all-in-one sheets worked fine, and it was nice being in the warm, lit laundry room, with WiFi, away from the bugs, during the night.\r\n\r\nThat night, we talked a bit with our neighbors from Colorado who were on a several day fishing trip in the area.  Dad asked them about the Skyline drive in Canon City, CO we were thinking of doing.  It’s a one lane road with no shoulder and thousand foot drops on each side.  Their description of its narrowness did not lesson our concern about the drive.  We’ll have to decide whether to do it when we get there.  No view is worth our lives.\r\n\r\nWe went to bed shortly thereafter in anticipation of tomorrow:  a relaxing time at the Thermopolis Hot Springs and a long scenic drive to Alpine, WY.', 'Day 6:  Mt. Rushmore and Wyoming', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '137-revision-13', '', '', '2011-09-12 18:26:51', '2011-09-12 18:26:51', '', 137, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=157', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(158, 2, '2011-09-12 23:24:19', '2011-09-12 23:24:19', 'Start: Thermopolis, WY - <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park and Campground</a>\nDestination: Alpine, WY - <a href=\"http://www.greysrivercove.com/\">Greys River Cove RV Park</a>\nOdometer: 103,909 (start)  104,189 (end)   280 miles\nDate:  Monday, September 5th,  2011\n\n&nbsp;', 'Day 7:  Hot Springs and Mountains', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '151-revision-3', '', '', '2011-09-12 23:24:19', '2011-09-12 23:24:19', '', 151, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=158', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(159, 2, '2011-09-12 23:28:56', '2011-09-12 23:28:56', 'Start: Thermopolis, WY - <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park and Campground</a>\nDestination: Alpine, WY - <a href=\"http://www.greysrivercove.com/\">Greys River Cove RV Park</a>\nOdometer: 103,909 (start)  104,189 (end)   280 miles\nDate:  Monday, September 5th,  2011\n\nThe previous night in the cold caught us unprepared, but this night/morning, we fortified ourselves.  The insulated blanket on the cot was a big help for my Dad, and my sleeping bag provided adequate warmth (my sleeping bag has been in our family since I was a kid and I have gotten great use from it...I think Gail (a friend of mine and of the family) gave it to us.  On the other hand, my Dad’s sleeping bag I got when I opened an account at a bank a few years ago).\n\nWe left the campground around 6:30, and headed down the road a couple of miles to the Thermopolis Hot Springs State Park, the “World`s Largest Mineral Hot Springs”.  It being Labor Day, we were concerned there would be crowds.\n\nThe park is always open for people to walk around, but the bath house didn’t open until 8am.  We took this time to drive around looking for the Buffalo they apparently had in the park, walking over the intentionally wobbly suspension bridge over the Wind river, and checking out the various mineral springs that dotted the park.\n\nWe didn’t see any buffalo, despite several loops around the drive.  Turns out they don’t really come out until later in the morning when they are fed.  Little did we know, that we would soon get to the point where seeing buffalo would become mundane, if not annoying (more on that in future posts).\n\nThe walk over the bridge was a short, but pleasant walk.  I had fun rocking the bridge through some simple harmonic motions while my Dad was on it.  He became a might nervous, but it was all in good fun.\n\nIt was around 8, so we headed over to the mineral bath house.  We met up with a local who had returned after several month away who educated us.  Amongst other things, we learned a reason that the bath is free, is that this was part of the deal they signed with the Indians when acquiring the land.  (The water slide park however was not free.)   He also knew the staff people, and we were able to get in a few minutes early.\n\nNeither of us has been to a mineral hot spring before, so we didn’t know what to expect.  I am used to, and enjoy hot tubs, but  my Dad is water averse, and made an exception for this park.  At first, I was annoyed that we were only allowed to stay in the water for 20 minutes, so we quickly readied ourselves in the bathroom and went to the outdoor pool (there’s an inside one too).\n\nWe were both glad we made this stop on the trip.  It was great.  The water is 104° and we could fell the difference between it and regular water.  There were stone blocks the pool for sitting, and railings to keep from floating away.  It seems there is quite a local community of bathers who come each morning, because before we knew it, there were near a dozen retirees in the pool with us.  I can definitely see why they would settle in this area.\n\nADD PICTURES\n\nAfter more than 20 minutes (they weren’t strict on the time, and we realized that it can be difficult to actually stay in the water much longer), we showered off  and got dressed.  We not only felt refreshed, but our skin complexion had noticeably improved.  We highly recommend you make this park a stop on your trip if you’re going to be nearby.  The GSP was set for Alpine, WY, and we were off.\n\nA short distance into our drive, we saw a mountain in the distance, behind some mist.  At first, I thought they were the Rock Mountains, but Dad was better aware of geography, and dissented.  We eventually realized that they were the Grand Tetons.  They are an impressive range of mountains, with peaks reaching over 10,000 feet that appear to touch the clouds.  The surfaces are bare and the beauty of the mountain is not blocked by the presence of trees and other vegetation.  There also seems to be a constant haze around them, even when on the road right next to the them.  As described by a friend of mine who recommended this stop, they do rise majestically from the flat planes that surround it.\n\nAlso along the way, in Moose, WY we saw a few hundred feet from the road, a herd of buffalo grazing and wasting the time of day.  We looked at them through the binoculars my Dad had brought, impressed by our first buffalo citing of the trip.\n\nADD PICTURES\n\nAround this time, we were also getting a bit hungry.  We were also fortunate to find along the side of the road, a nice picnic area next to a reservoir.  We had some peanut butter and honey sandwiches, watched a family having fun on the water in their motor boat, and started on the last leg of the trip to Alpine.\n\nADD PICTURE\n\nNow, we had originally planned to stay in Jackson (Hole), WY.  We did not realize that Jackson is an expensive resort town, where even a campsite was over $40.  As we drove through, noticing the fancy cars and stores, we realized this was not our kind of place and were glad we were staying elsewhere.\n\nOur destination was definitely not of the Jackson, WY type.  The campground office is located in the tavern and the bartender handles the reservations and there is a Family Dollar next door.  She was friendly and were checked in without incident, but we were definitely in a more blue-collar area of WY.  The views and proximity to the river, the free WiFi, and hot showers were also nice features of the campground.\n\nFor dinner that night, I sauteed/fried the peroggies (I wasn’t confident in my ability to boil water).  They turned out well, but we also finished off the apples and the Morningstar Maple “sausage patties” I had been sitting in the cold water in the cooler.\n\nAfter dinner, I had a much needed shower, and we went to the Family Dollar to buy some misc. items, such as a gallon of water, some metal forks, and paper towels.  I made use of the internet to send some emails and post on the blog, while my Dad relaxed in the tent.\n\nWe went to bed as the only campers in the site (there were RVs along the perimeter), ready to experience Yellowstone in the morning.  The 40mph winds ended up giving us an early start on that journey.', 'Day 7:  Hot Springs and Mountains', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '151-revision-4', '', '', '2011-09-12 23:28:56', '2011-09-12 23:28:56', '', 151, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=159', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(160, 2, '2011-09-12 23:39:22', '2011-09-12 23:39:22', 'Start: Thermopolis, WY - <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park and Campground</a>\nDestination: Alpine, WY - <a href=\"http://www.greysrivercove.com/\">Greys River Cove RV Park</a>\nOdometer: 103,909 (start)  104,189 (end)   280 miles\nDate:  Monday, September 5th,  2011\n\nThe previous night in the cold caught us unprepared, but this night/morning, we fortified ourselves.  The insulated blanket on the cot was a big help for my Dad, and my sleeping bag provided adequate warmth (my sleeping bag has been in our family since I was a kid and I have gotten great use from it...I think Gail (a friend of mine and of the family) gave it to us.  On the other hand, my Dad’s sleeping bag I got when I opened an account at a bank a few years ago).\n\nWe left the campground around 6:30, and headed down the road a couple of miles to the Thermopolis Hot Springs State Park, the “World`s Largest Mineral Hot Springs” (it\'s written on a mountain, so it must be true).  It being Labor Day, we were concerned there would be crowds.\n\nADD PICTURE OF MOUNTAIN WITH STATEMENTS\n\nThe park is always open for people to walk around, but the bath house didn’t open until 8am.  We took this time to drive around looking for the Buffalo they apparently had in the park, walking over the intentionally wobbly suspension bridge over the Wind river, and checking out the various mineral springs that dotted the park.\n\nADD PICTURE OF WHITE SULFURE\n\nWe didn’t see any buffalo, despite several loops around the drive.  Turns out they don’t really come out until later in the morning when they are fed.  Little did we know, we would soon get to the point where seeing buffalo would become mundane, if not annoying (more on that in future posts).\n\nThe walk over the bridge was a short, but pleasant walk.  I had fun rocking the bridge through some simple harmonic motion vibrations while my Dad and I were on it.  He became a might nervous, but it was all in good fun.\n\nADD PICTURE OF BRIDGE\n\nIt was around 8, so we headed over to the mineral bath house.  We met up with a local who had returned after several month away who educated us.  Amongst other things, we learned a reason that the bath is free, is that this was part of the deal they signed with the Indians when acquiring the land.  (The water slide park however was not free.)   He also knew the staff people, and we were able to get in a few minutes early.\n\nADD PICTURE OF BATH HOUSE\n\nNeither of us has been to a mineral hot spring before, so we didn’t know what to expect.  I am used to, and enjoy hot tubs, but my Dad is water averse, and made an exception for this park.  At first, I was annoyed that we were supposedly only allowed to stay in the water for 20 minutes, so we quickly readied ourselves in the bathroom and went to the outdoor pool (there’s an inside one too).\n\nWe were both glad we made this stop on the trip.  It was great.  The water is 104° and we could feel the difference between it and regular water.  There were stone blocks in the pool for sitting, and railings to keep from floating away or resting one\'s head.  It seems there is quite a local community of bathers who come each morning, because before we knew it, there were near a dozen retirees in the pool with us.  I can definitely see why they would settle in this area.\n\nADD PICTURE OF US IN POOL\n\nAfter more than 20 minutes (they weren’t strict on the time, and it can be uncomfortable to actually stay in the water much longer), we showered off and got dressed.  We not only felt refreshed, but our skin complexion had noticeably improved.  We highly recommend you make this park a stop on your trip if you’re going to be nearby.  The GSP was set for Alpine, WY, and we were off.\n\nA short distance into our drive, we saw a mountain in the distance, behind some mist.  At first, I thought they were the Rock Mountains, but Dad was better aware of geography, and dissented.  We eventually realized that they were the Grand Tetons.  They are an impressive range of mountains, with peaks reaching over 10,000 feet that appear to touch the clouds.  The surfaces are bare and the beauty of the mountain is not blocked by the presence of trees and other vegetation.  There also seems to be a constant haze around them, even when on the road right next to the them.  As described by a friend of mine who recommended this stop, they do rise majestically from the flat planes that surround it.\n\nAlso along the way, in Moose, WY we saw a few hundred feet from the road, a herd of buffalo grazing and wasting the time of day.  We looked at them through the binoculars my Dad had brought, impressed by our first buffalo citing of the trip.\n\nADD PICTURES\n\nAround this time, we were also getting a bit hungry.  We were also fortunate to find along the side of the road, a nice picnic area next to a reservoir.  We had some peanut butter and honey sandwiches, watched a family having fun on the water in their motor boat, and started on the last leg of the trip to Alpine.\n\nADD PICTURE\n\nNow, we had originally planned to stay in Jackson (Hole), WY.  We did not realize that Jackson is an expensive resort town, where even a campsite was over $40.  As we drove through, noticing the fancy cars and stores, we realized this was not our kind of place and were glad we were staying elsewhere.\n\nOur destination was definitely not of the Jackson, WY type.  The campground office is located in the tavern and the bartender handles the reservations and there is a Family Dollar next door.  She was friendly and were checked in without incident, but we were definitely in a more blue-collar area of WY.  The views and proximity to the river, the free WiFi, and hot showers were also nice features of the campground.\n\nFor dinner that night, I sauteed/fried the peroggies (I wasn’t confident in my ability to boil water).  They turned out well, but we also finished off the apples and the Morningstar Maple “sausage patties” I had been sitting in the cold water in the cooler.\n\nAfter dinner, I had a much needed shower, and we went to the Family Dollar to buy some misc. items, such as a gallon of water, some metal forks, and paper towels.  I made use of the internet to send some emails and post on the blog, while my Dad relaxed in the tent.\n\nWe went to bed as the only campers in the site (there were RVs along the perimeter), ready to experience Yellowstone in the morning.  The 40mph winds ended up giving us an early start on that journey.', 'Day 7:  Hot Springs and Mountains', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '151-revision-5', '', '', '2011-09-12 23:39:22', '2011-09-12 23:39:22', '', 151, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=160', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(161, 2, '2011-09-12 23:47:10', '2011-09-12 23:47:10', 'Start: Thermopolis, WY - <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park and Campground</a>\nDestination: Alpine, WY - <a href=\"http://www.greysrivercove.com/\">Greys River Cove RV Park</a>\nOdometer: 103,909 (start)  104,189 (end)   280 miles\nDate:  Monday, September 5th,  2011\n\nThe previous night in the cold caught us unprepared, but this night/morning, we fortified ourselves.  The insulated blanket on the cot was a big help for my Dad, and my sleeping bag provided adequate warmth (my sleeping bag has been in our family since I was a kid and I have gotten great use from it...I think Gail (a friend of mine and of the family) gave it to us.  On the other hand, my Dad’s sleeping bag I got when I opened an account at a bank a few years ago).\n\nWe left the campground around 6:30, and headed down the road a couple of miles to the Thermopolis Hot Springs State Park, the “World`s Largest Mineral Hot Springs” (it\'s written on a mountain, so it must be true).  It being Labor Day, we were concerned there would be crowds.\n\nADD PICTURE OF MOUNTAIN WITH STATEMENTS\n\nThe park is always open for people to walk around, but the bath house didn’t open until 8am.  We took this time to drive around looking for the Buffalo they apparently had in the park, walking over the intentionally wobbly suspension bridge over the Wind river, and checking out the various mineral springs that dotted the park.\n\nADD PICTURE OF WHITE SULFURE\n\nWe didn’t see any buffalo, despite several loops around the drive.  Turns out they don’t really come out until later in the morning when they are fed.  Little did we know, we would soon get to the point where seeing buffalo would become mundane, if not annoying (more on that in future posts).\n\nThe walk over the bridge was a short, but pleasant walk.  I had fun rocking the bridge through some simple harmonic motion vibrations while my Dad and I were on it.  He became a might nervous, but it was all in good fun.\n\nADD PICTURE OF BRIDGE\n\nIt was around 8, so we headed over to the mineral bath house.  We met up with a local who had returned after several month away who educated us.  Amongst other things, we learned a reason that the bath is free, is that this was part of the deal they signed with the Indians when acquiring the land.  (The water slide park however was not free.)   He also knew the staff people, and we were able to get in a few minutes early.\n\nADD PICTURE OF BATH HOUSE\n\nNeither of us has been to a mineral hot spring before, so we didn’t know what to expect.  I am used to, and enjoy hot tubs, but my Dad is water averse, and made an exception for this park.  At first, I was annoyed that we were supposedly only allowed to stay in the water for 20 minutes, so we quickly readied ourselves in the bathroom and went to the outdoor pool (there’s an inside one too).\n\nWe were both glad we made this stop on the trip.  It was great.  The water is 104° and we could feel the difference between it and regular water.  There were stone blocks in the pool for sitting, and railings to keep from floating away or resting one\'s head.  It seems there is quite a local community of bathers who come each morning, because before we knew it, there were near a dozen retirees in the pool with us.  I can definitely see why they would settle in this area.\n\nADD PICTURE OF US IN POOL\n\nAfter more than 20 minutes (they weren’t strict on the time, and it can be uncomfortable to actually stay in the water much longer), we showered off and got dressed.  We not only felt refreshed, but our skin complexion had noticeably improved.  We highly recommend you make this park a stop on your trip if you’re going to be nearby.  The GSP was set for Alpine, WY, and we were off.\n\nADD SLIDE SHOW\n\nThere were more great landscapes along the drive in Wyoming, but the one that stood out was when we saw a mountain in the distance, behind some mist.\n\nADD PICTURE WITH ROAD AND GRANT TETON\'S IN MIST\n\nAt first, I thought they were the Rocky Mountains, but Dad was better aware of geography, and dissented.  We eventually realized that they were the Grand Tetons.  They are an impressive range of mountains, with peaks reaching over 10,000 feet and appearing to touch the clouds.  As my Dad noted, the surfaces are bare and the beauty of the mountain is not blocked by the presence of trees and other vegetation.  There also seems to be a constant haze around them, even when on the road right next to the them.  As described by a friend of mine who recommended this stop, they do rise majestically from the flat planes that surround it.\n\nAlso along the way, in Moose, WY we saw, a few hundred feet from the road, a herd of buffalo grazing and wasting the time of day.  We looked at them through the binoculars my Dad had brought, impressed by our first buffalo sighting of the trip.\n\nADD PICTURES\n\nWe were also  fortunate on this trip to find, along the side of the road, a nice picnic area next to a reservoir.  We had some peanut butter and honey sandwiches, watched a family having fun on the water in their motor boat, and had a nice Labor Day picnic of sorts.\n\nADD PICTURE\n\nNow, we had originally planned to stay in Jackson (Hole), WY.  We soon realized that Jackson is an expensive resort town, where even a campsite was over $40.  As we drove through, noticing the fancy cars and stores, we realized this was not our kind of place and were glad we were staying elsewhere.\n\nOur destination was definitely not of the Jackson, WY type.  The campground office is located in the tavern and the bartender handles the reservations and there is a Family Dollar next door.  She was friendly and we were checked in without incident, but we were definitely in the more every-day sort of Wyoming.  The views and proximity to the river, the free WiFi, and hot showers were also nice features of the campground.\n\nFor dinner that night, I sauteed/fried the perogies (I wasn’t confident in my ability to boil water).  They turned out well, but we also finished off the apples and the Morningstar Maple “sausage patties” I had been sitting in the cold water in the cooler.  Everything turned out g\n\nAfter dinner, I had a much needed shower, and we went to the Family Dollar to buy some misc. items, such as a gallon of water, some metal forks, and paper towels.  I made use of the internet to send some emails and post on the blog, while my Dad relaxed in the tent.\n\nWe went to bed as the only campers in the site (there were RVs along the perimeter), ready to experience Yellowstone in the morning.  The 40mph winds ended up giving us an early start on that journey.', 'Day 7:  Hot Springs and Mountains', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '151-revision-6', '', '', '2011-09-12 23:47:10', '2011-09-12 23:47:10', '', 151, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=161', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
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INSERT INTO `wp_posts` (`ID`, `post_author`, `post_date`, `post_date_gmt`, `post_content`, `post_title`, `post_excerpt`, `post_status`, `comment_status`, `ping_status`, `post_password`, `post_name`, `to_ping`, `pinged`, `post_modified`, `post_modified_gmt`, `post_content_filtered`, `post_parent`, `guid`, `menu_order`, `post_type`, `post_mime_type`, `comment_count`) VALUES
(165, 2, '2011-09-12 23:58:20', '2011-09-12 23:58:20', 'Start: Thermopolis, WY - <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park and Campground</a>\nDestination: Alpine, WY - <a href=\"http://www.greysrivercove.com/\">Greys River Cove RV Park</a>\nOdometer: 103,909 (start)  104,189 (end)   280 miles\nDate:  Monday, September 5th,  2011\n\nThe previous night in the cold caught us unprepared, but this night/morning, we fortified ourselves.  The insulated blanket on the cot was a big help for my Dad, and my sleeping bag provided adequate warmth (my sleeping bag has been in our family since I was a kid and I have gotten great use from it...I think Gail (a friend of mine and of the family) gave it to us.  On the other hand, my Dad’s sleeping bag I got when I opened an account at a bank a few years ago).\n\nWe left the campground around 6:30, and headed down the road a couple of miles to the Thermopolis Hot Springs State Park, the “World`s Largest Mineral Hot Springs” (it\'s written on a mountain, so it must be true).  It being Labor Day, we were concerned there would be crowds.\n\n<a><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-162\" title=\"102_1629\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1629-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nThe park is always open for people to walk around, but the bath house didn’t open until 8am.  We took this time to drive around looking for the Buffalo they apparently had in the park, walking over the intentionally wobbly suspension bridge over the Wind river, and checking out the various mineral springs that dotted the park.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1637.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-163\" title=\"102_1637\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1637-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\nWe didn’t see any buffalo, despite several loops around the drive. Turns out they don’t really come out until later in the morning when they are fed.  Little did we know, we would soon get to the point where seeing buffalo would become mundane, if not annoying (more on that in future posts).\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1616.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-164\" title=\"102_1616\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1616-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nThe walk over the bridge was a short, but pleasant walk.  I had fun rocking the bridge through some simple harmonic motion vibrations while my Dad and I were on it.  He became a might nervous, but it was all in good fun.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nADD PICTURE OF BRIDGE\n\nIt was around 8, so we headed over to the mineral bath house.  We met up with a local who had returned after several month away who educated us.  Amongst other things, we learned a reason that the bath is free, is that this was part of the deal they signed with the Indians when acquiring the land.  (The water slide park however was not free.)   He also knew the staff people, and we were able to get in a few minutes early.\n\nADD PICTURE OF BATH HOUSE\n\nNeither of us has been to a mineral hot spring before, so we didn’t know what to expect.  I am used to, and enjoy hot tubs, but my Dad is water averse, and made an exception for this park.  At first, I was annoyed that we were supposedly only allowed to stay in the water for 20 minutes, so we quickly readied ourselves in the bathroom and went to the outdoor pool (there’s an inside one too).\n\nWe were both glad we made this stop on the trip.  It was great.  The water is 104° and we could feel the difference between it and regular water.  There were stone blocks in the pool for sitting, and railings to keep from floating away or resting one\'s head.  It seems there is quite a local community of bathers who come each morning, because before we knew it, there were near a dozen retirees in the pool with us.  I can definitely see why they would settle in this area.\n\nADD PICTURE OF US IN POOL\n\nAfter more than 20 minutes (they weren’t strict on the time, and it can be uncomfortable to actually stay in the water much longer), we showered off and got dressed.  We not only felt refreshed, but our skin complexion had noticeably improved.  We highly recommend you make this park a stop on your trip if you’re going to be nearby.  The GSP was set for Alpine, WY, and we were off.\n\nADD SLIDE SHOW\n\nThere were more great landscapes along the drive in Wyoming, but the one that stood out was when we saw a mountain in the distance, behind some mist.\n\nADD PICTURE WITH ROAD AND GRANT TETON\'S IN MIST\n\nAt first, I thought they were the Rocky Mountains, but Dad was better aware of geography, and dissented.  We eventually realized that they were the Grand Tetons.  They are an impressive range of mountains, with peaks reaching over 10,000 feet and appearing to touch the clouds.  As my Dad noted, the surfaces are bare and the beauty of the mountain is not blocked by the presence of trees and other vegetation.  There also seems to be a constant haze around them, even when on the road right next to the them.  As described by a friend of mine who recommended this stop, they do rise majestically from the flat planes that surround it.\n\nAlso along the way, in Moose, WY we saw, a few hundred feet from the road, a herd of buffalo grazing and wasting the time of day.  We looked at them through the binoculars my Dad had brought, impressed by our first buffalo sighting of the trip.\n\nADD PICTURES\n\nWe were also  fortunate on this trip to find, along the side of the road, a nice picnic area next to a reservoir.  We had some peanut butter and honey sandwiches, watched a family having fun on the water in their motor boat, and had a nice Labor Day picnic of sorts.\n\nADD PICTURE\n\nNow, we had originally planned to stay in Jackson (Hole), WY.  We soon realized that Jackson is an expensive resort town, where even a campsite was over $40.  As we drove through, noticing the fancy cars and stores, we realized this was not our kind of place and were glad we were staying elsewhere.\n\nOur destination was definitely not of the Jackson, WY type.  The campground office is located in the tavern and the bartender handles the reservations and there is a Family Dollar next door.  She was friendly and we were checked in without incident, but we were definitely in the more every-day sort of Wyoming.  The views and proximity to the river, the free WiFi, and hot showers were also nice features of the campground.\n\nADD PICTURE OF CAMPSITE\n\nFor dinner that night, I sauteed/fried the perogies (I wasn’t confident in my ability to boil water).  They turned out well, but we also finished off the apples and the Morningstar Maple “sausage patties” I had been sitting in the cold water in the cooler.  Everything turned out great.  It was nice having a good, full meal after the long drive.\n\nAfter dinner, I had a much needed shower, and we went to the Family Dollar to buy some misc. items, namely a gallon of water, some metal forks, and paper towels.  I made use of the internet to send some emails and post on the blog, while my Dad relaxed in the tent.\n\nWe went to bed as the only campers in the site (there were RVs along the perimeter), ready to experience Yellowstone in the morning.  The 40mph winds during the night ended up giving us an early start on that journey.', 'Day 7:  Hot Springs and Mountains', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '151-revision-7', '', '', '2011-09-12 23:58:20', '2011-09-12 23:58:20', '', 151, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=165', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(166, 2, '2011-09-13 00:13:37', '2011-09-13 00:13:37', 'Start: Thermopolis, WY - <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park and Campground</a>\r\nDestination: Alpine, WY - <a href=\"http://www.greysrivercove.com/\">Greys River Cove RV Park</a>\r\nOdometer: 103,909 (start)  104,189 (end)   280 miles\r\nDate:  Monday, September 5th,  2011\r\n\r\nThe previous night in the cold caught us unprepared, but this night/morning, we fortified ourselves.  The insulated blanket on the cot was a big help for my Dad, and my sleeping bag provided adequate warmth (my sleeping bag has been in our family since I was a kid and I have gotten great use from it...I think Gail (a friend of mine and of the family) gave it to us.  On the other hand, my Dad’s sleeping bag I got when I opened an account at a bank a few years ago).\r\n\r\nWe left the campground around 6:30, and headed down the road a couple of miles to the Thermopolis Hot Springs State Park, the “World`s Largest Mineral Hot Springs” (it\'s written on a mountain, so it must be true).  It being Labor Day, we were concerned there would be crowds.\r\n\r\n<a><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-162\" title=\"102_1629\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1629-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nThe park is always open for people to walk around, but the bath house didn’t open until 8am.  We took this time to drive around looking for the Buffalo they apparently had in the park, walking over the intentionally wobbly suspension bridge over the Wind river, and checking out the various mineral springs that dotted the park.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1637.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-163\" title=\"102_1637\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1637-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\nWe didn’t see any buffalo, despite several loops around the drive. Turns out they don’t really come out until later in the morning when they are fed.  Little did we know, we would soon get to the point where seeing buffalo would become mundane, if not annoying (more on that in future posts).\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1616.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-164\" title=\"102_1616\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1616-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nThe walk over the bridge was a short, but pleasant walk.  I had fun rocking the bridge through some simple harmonic motion vibrations while my Dad and I were on it.  He became a might nervous, but it was all in good fun.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nADD PICTURE OF BRIDGE\r\n\r\nIt was around 8, so we headed over to the mineral bath house.  We met up with a local who had returned after several month away who educated us.  Amongst other things, we learned a reason that the bath is free, is that this was part of the deal they signed with the Indians when acquiring the land.  (The water slide park however was not free.)   He also knew the staff people, and we were able to get in a few minutes early.\r\n\r\nADD PICTURE OF BATH HOUSE\r\n\r\nNeither of us has been to a mineral hot spring before, so we didn’t know what to expect.  I am used to, and enjoy hot tubs, but my Dad is water averse, and made an exception for this park.  At first, I was annoyed that we were supposedly only allowed to stay in the water for 20 minutes, so we quickly readied ourselves in the bathroom and went to the outdoor pool (there’s an inside one too).\r\n\r\nWe were both glad we made this stop on the trip.  It was great.  The water is 104° and we could feel the difference between it and regular water.  There were stone blocks in the pool for sitting, and railings to keep from floating away or resting one\'s head.  It seems there is quite a local community of bathers who come each morning, because before we knew it, there were near a dozen retirees in the pool with us.  I can definitely see why they would settle in this area.\r\n\r\nADD PICTURE OF US IN POOL\r\n\r\nAfter more than 20 minutes (they weren’t strict on the time, and it can be uncomfortable to actually stay in the water much longer), we showered off and got dressed.  We not only felt refreshed, but our skin complexion had noticeably improved.  We highly recommend you make this park a stop on your trip if you’re going to be nearby.  The GSP was set for Alpine, WY, and we were off.\r\n\r\nADD SLIDE SHOW\r\n\r\nThere were more great landscapes along the drive in Wyoming, but the one that stood out was when we saw a mountain in the distance, behind some mist.\r\n\r\nADD PICTURE WITH ROAD AND GRANT TETON\'S IN MIST\r\n\r\nAt first, I thought they were the Rocky Mountains, but Dad was better aware of geography, and dissented.  We eventually realized that they were the Grand Tetons.  They are an impressive range of mountains, with peaks reaching over 10,000 feet and appearing to touch the clouds.  As my Dad noted, the surfaces are bare and the beauty of the mountain is not blocked by the presence of trees and other vegetation.  There also seems to be a constant haze around them, even when on the road right next to the them.  As described by a friend of mine who recommended this stop, they do rise majestically from the flat planes that surround it.\r\n\r\nAlso along the way, in Moose, WY we saw, a few hundred feet from the road, a herd of buffalo grazing and wasting the time of day.  We looked at them through the binoculars my Dad had brought, impressed by our first buffalo sighting of the trip.\r\n\r\nADD PICTURES\r\n\r\nWe were also  fortunate on this trip to find, along the side of the road, a nice picnic area next to a reservoir.  We had some peanut butter and honey sandwiches, watched a family having fun on the water in their motor boat, and had a nice Labor Day picnic of sorts.\r\n\r\nADD PICTURE\r\n\r\nNow, we had originally planned to stay in Jackson (Hole), WY.  We soon realized that Jackson is an expensive resort town, where even a campsite was over $40.  As we drove through, noticing the fancy cars and stores, we realized this was not our kind of place and were glad we were staying elsewhere.\r\n\r\nOur destination was definitely not of the Jackson, WY type.  The campground office is located in the tavern and the bartender handles the reservations and there is a Family Dollar next door.  She was friendly and we were checked in without incident, but we were definitely in the more every-day sort of Wyoming.  The views and proximity to the river, the free WiFi, and hot showers were also nice features of the campground.\r\n\r\nADD PICTURE OF CAMPSITE\r\n\r\nFor dinner that night, I sauteed/fried the perogies (I wasn’t confident in my ability to boil water).  They turned out well, but we also finished off the apples and the Morningstar Maple “sausage patties” I had been sitting in the cold water in the cooler.  Everything turned out great.  It was nice having a good, full meal after the long drive.\r\n\r\nAfter dinner, I had a much needed shower, and we went to the Family Dollar to buy some misc. items, namely a gallon of water, some metal forks, and paper towels.  I made use of the internet to send some emails and post on the blog, while my Dad relaxed in the tent.\r\n\r\nWe went to bed as the only campers in the site (there were RVs along the perimeter), ready to experience Yellowstone in the morning.  The 40mph winds during the night ended up giving us an early start on that journey.', 'Day 7:  Hot Springs and Mountains', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '151-revision-8', '', '', '2011-09-13 00:13:37', '2011-09-13 00:13:37', '', 151, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=166', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(167, 2, '2011-09-13 00:21:00', '2011-09-13 00:21:00', '', '102_1624', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '102_1624', '', '', '2011-09-13 00:21:00', '2011-09-13 00:21:00', '', 151, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1624.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(168, 2, '2011-09-13 00:34:01', '2011-09-13 00:34:01', '', '102_1652', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '102_1652', '', '', '2011-09-13 00:34:01', '2011-09-13 00:34:01', '', 151, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1652.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(169, 2, '2011-09-13 00:35:07', '2011-09-13 00:35:07', '', '102_1649', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '102_1649', '', '', '2011-09-13 00:35:07', '2011-09-13 00:35:07', '', 151, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1649.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(170, 2, '2011-09-13 00:36:08', '2011-09-13 00:36:08', 'Start: Thermopolis, WY - <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park and Campground</a>\nDestination: Alpine, WY - <a href=\"http://www.greysrivercove.com/\">Greys River Cove RV Park</a>\nOdometer: 103,909 (start)  104,189 (end)   280 miles\nDate:  Monday, September 5th,  2011\n\nThe previous night in the cold caught us unprepared, but this night/morning, we fortified ourselves.  The insulated blanket on the cot was a big help for my Dad, and my sleeping bag provided adequate warmth (my sleeping bag has been in our family since I was a kid and I have gotten great use from it...I think Gail (a friend of mine and of the family) gave it to us.  On the other hand, my Dad’s sleeping bag I got when I opened an account at a bank a few years ago).\n\nWe left the campground around 6:30, and headed down the road a couple of miles to the Thermopolis Hot Springs State Park, the “World`s Largest Mineral Hot Springs” (it\'s written on a mountain, so it must be true).  It being Labor Day, we were concerned there would be crowds.\n\n<a><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-162\" title=\"102_1629\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1629-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nThe park is always open for people to walk around, but the bath house didn’t open until 8am.  We took this time to drive around looking for the Buffalo they apparently had in the park, walking over the intentionally wobbly suspension bridge over the Wind river, and checking out the various mineral springs that dotted the park.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1637.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-163\" title=\"102_1637\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1637-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\nWe didn’t see any buffalo, despite several loops around the drive. Turns out they don’t really come out until later in the morning when they are fed.  Little did we know, we would soon get to the point where seeing buffalo would become mundane, if not annoying (more on that in future posts).\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1616.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-164\" title=\"102_1616\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1616-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nThe walk over the bridge was a short, but pleasant walk, with a nice view of the river and park.  I had fun rocking the bridge through some simple harmonic motion vibrations while my Dad and I were on it.  He became a might nervous, but it was all in good fun.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1624.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-167\" title=\"102_1624\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1624-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nIt was around 8, so we headed over to the mineral bath house.  We met up with a local who had returned after several month away who educated us.  Amongst other things, we learned a reason that the bath is free, is that this was part of the deal they signed with the Indians when acquiring the land.  (The water slide park however was not free.)   He also knew the staff people, and we were able to get in a few minutes early.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1652.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-168\" title=\"102_1652\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1652-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nNeither of us has been to a mineral hot spring before, so we didn’t know what to expect.  I am used to, and enjoy hot tubs, but my Dad is water averse, and made an exception for this park.  At first, I was annoyed that we were supposedly only allowed to stay in the water for 20 minutes, so we quickly readied ourselves in the bathroom and went to the outdoor pool (there’s an inside one too).\n\nWe were both glad we made this stop on the trip.  It was great.  The water is 104° and we could feel the difference between it and regular water.  There were stone blocks in the pool for sitting, and railings to keep from floating away or resting one\'s head.  It seems there is quite a local community of bathers who come each morning, because before we knew it, there were near a dozen retirees in the pool with us.  I can definitely see why they would settle in this area.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1649.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-169\" title=\"102_1649\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1649-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nAfter more than 20 minutes (they weren’t strict on the time, and it can be uncomfortable to actually stay in the water much longer), we showered off and got dressed.  We not only felt refreshed, but our skin complexion had noticeably improved.  We highly recommend you make this park a stop on your trip if you’re going to be nearby.  The GSP was set for Alpine, WY, and we were off.\n\nADD SLIDE SHOW\n\nThere were more great landscapes along the drive in Wyoming, but the one that stood out was when we saw a mountain in the distance, behind some mist.\n\nADD PICTURE WITH ROAD AND GRANT TETON\'S IN MIST\n\nAt first, I thought they were the Rocky Mountains, but Dad was better aware of geography, and dissented.  We eventually realized that they were the Grand Tetons.  They are an impressive range of mountains, with peaks reaching over 10,000 feet and appearing to touch the clouds.  As my Dad noted, the surfaces are bare and the beauty of the mountain is not blocked by the presence of trees and other vegetation.  There also seems to be a constant haze around them, even when on the road right next to the them.  As described by a friend of mine who recommended this stop, they do rise majestically from the flat planes that surround it.\n\nAlso along the way, in Moose, WY we saw, a few hundred feet from the road, a herd of buffalo grazing and wasting the time of day.  We looked at them through the binoculars my Dad had brought, impressed by our first buffalo sighting of the trip.\n\nADD PICTURES\n\nWe were also  fortunate on this trip to find, along the side of the road, a nice picnic area next to a reservoir.  We had some peanut butter and honey sandwiches, watched a family having fun on the water in their motor boat, and had a nice Labor Day picnic of sorts.\n\nADD PICTURE\n\nNow, we had originally planned to stay in Jackson (Hole), WY.  We soon realized that Jackson is an expensive resort town, where even a campsite was over $40.  As we drove through, noticing the fancy cars and stores, we realized this was not our kind of place and were glad we were staying elsewhere.\n\nOur destination was definitely not of the Jackson, WY type.  The campground office is located in the tavern and the bartender handles the reservations and there is a Family Dollar next door.  She was friendly and we were checked in without incident, but we were definitely in the more every-day sort of Wyoming.  The views and proximity to the river, the free WiFi, and hot showers were also nice features of the campground.\n\nADD PICTURE OF CAMPSITE\n\nFor dinner that night, I sauteed/fried the perogies (I wasn’t confident in my ability to boil water).  They turned out well, but we also finished off the apples and the Morningstar Maple “sausage patties” I had been sitting in the cold water in the cooler.  Everything turned out great.  It was nice having a good, full meal after the long drive.\n\nAfter dinner, I had a much needed shower, and we went to the Family Dollar to buy some misc. items, namely a gallon of water, some metal forks, and paper towels.  I made use of the internet to send some emails and post on the blog, while my Dad relaxed in the tent.\n\nWe went to bed as the only campers in the site (there were RVs along the perimeter), ready to experience Yellowstone in the morning.  The 40mph winds during the night ended up giving us an early start on that journey.', 'Day 7:  Hot Springs and Mountains', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '151-revision-9', '', '', '2011-09-13 00:36:08', '2011-09-13 00:36:08', '', 151, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=170', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(171, 2, '2011-09-13 00:39:15', '2011-09-13 00:39:15', '', '102_1712', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '102_1712', '', '', '2011-09-13 00:39:15', '2011-09-13 00:39:15', '', 151, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1712.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(172, 2, '2011-09-13 00:40:23', '2011-09-13 00:40:23', '', '102_1716', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '102_1716', '', '', '2011-09-13 00:40:23', '2011-09-13 00:40:23', '', 151, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1716.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(173, 2, '2011-09-13 00:41:18', '2011-09-13 00:41:18', '', '102_1698', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '102_1698', '', '', '2011-09-13 00:41:18', '2011-09-13 00:41:18', '', 151, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1698.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(174, 2, '2011-09-13 00:42:22', '2011-09-13 00:42:22', '', '102_1718', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '102_1718', '', '', '2011-09-13 00:42:22', '2011-09-13 00:42:22', '', 151, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1718.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(175, 2, '2011-09-13 00:36:27', '2011-09-13 00:36:27', 'Start: Thermopolis, WY - <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park and Campground</a>\r\nDestination: Alpine, WY - <a href=\"http://www.greysrivercove.com/\">Greys River Cove RV Park</a>\r\nOdometer: 103,909 (start)  104,189 (end)   280 miles\r\nDate:  Monday, September 5th,  2011\r\n\r\nThe previous night in the cold caught us unprepared, but this night/morning, we fortified ourselves.  The insulated blanket on the cot was a big help for my Dad, and my sleeping bag provided adequate warmth (my sleeping bag has been in our family since I was a kid and I have gotten great use from it...I think Gail (a friend of mine and of the family) gave it to us.  On the other hand, my Dad’s sleeping bag I got when I opened an account at a bank a few years ago).\r\n\r\nWe left the campground around 6:30, and headed down the road a couple of miles to the Thermopolis Hot Springs State Park, the “World`s Largest Mineral Hot Springs” (it\'s written on a mountain, so it must be true).  It being Labor Day, we were concerned there would be crowds.\r\n\r\n<a><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-162\" title=\"102_1629\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1629-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nThe park is always open for people to walk around, but the bath house didn’t open until 8am.  We took this time to drive around looking for the Buffalo they apparently had in the park, walking over the intentionally wobbly suspension bridge over the Wind river, and checking out the various mineral springs that dotted the park.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1637.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-163\" title=\"102_1637\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1637-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\nWe didn’t see any buffalo, despite several loops around the drive. Turns out they don’t really come out until later in the morning when they are fed.  Little did we know, we would soon get to the point where seeing buffalo would become mundane, if not annoying (more on that in future posts).\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1616.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-164\" title=\"102_1616\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1616-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nThe walk over the bridge was a short, but pleasant walk, with a nice view of the river and park.  I had fun rocking the bridge through some simple harmonic motion vibrations while my Dad and I were on it.  He became a might nervous, but it was all in good fun.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1624.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-167\" title=\"102_1624\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1624-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nIt was around 8, so we headed over to the mineral bath house.  We met up with a local who had returned after several month away who educated us.  Amongst other things, we learned a reason that the bath is free, is that this was part of the deal they signed with the Indians when acquiring the land.  (The water slide park however was not free.)   He also knew the staff people, and we were able to get in a few minutes early.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1652.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-168\" title=\"102_1652\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1652-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nNeither of us has been to a mineral hot spring before, so we didn’t know what to expect.  I am used to, and enjoy hot tubs, but my Dad is water averse, and made an exception for this park.  At first, I was annoyed that we were supposedly only allowed to stay in the water for 20 minutes, so we quickly readied ourselves in the bathroom and went to the outdoor pool (there’s an inside one too).\r\n\r\nWe were both glad we made this stop on the trip.  It was great.  The water is 104° and we could feel the difference between it and regular water.  There were stone blocks in the pool for sitting, and railings to keep from floating away or resting one\'s head.  It seems there is quite a local community of bathers who come each morning, because before we knew it, there were near a dozen retirees in the pool with us.  I can definitely see why they would settle in this area.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1649.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-169\" title=\"102_1649\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1649-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nAfter more than 20 minutes (they weren’t strict on the time, and it can be uncomfortable to actually stay in the water much longer), we showered off and got dressed.  We not only felt refreshed, but our skin complexion had noticeably improved.  We highly recommend you make this park a stop on your trip if you’re going to be nearby.  The GSP was set for Alpine, WY, and we were off.\r\n\r\nADD SLIDE SHOW\r\n\r\nThere were more great landscapes along the drive in Wyoming, but the one that stood out was when we saw a mountain in the distance, behind some mist.\r\n\r\nADD PICTURE WITH ROAD AND GRANT TETON\'S IN MIST\r\n\r\nAt first, I thought they were the Rocky Mountains, but Dad was better aware of geography, and dissented.  We eventually realized that they were the Grand Tetons.  They are an impressive range of mountains, with peaks reaching over 10,000 feet and appearing to touch the clouds.  As my Dad noted, the surfaces are bare and the beauty of the mountain is not blocked by the presence of trees and other vegetation.  There also seems to be a constant haze around them, even when on the road right next to the them.  As described by a friend of mine who recommended this stop, they do rise majestically from the flat planes that surround it.\r\n\r\nAlso along the way, in Moose, WY we saw, a few hundred feet from the road, a herd of buffalo grazing and wasting the time of day.  We looked at them through the binoculars my Dad had brought, impressed by our first buffalo sighting of the trip.\r\n\r\nADD PICTURES\r\n\r\nWe were also  fortunate on this trip to find, along the side of the road, a nice picnic area next to a reservoir.  We had some peanut butter and honey sandwiches, watched a family having fun on the water in their motor boat, and had a nice Labor Day picnic of sorts.\r\n\r\nADD PICTURE\r\n\r\nNow, we had originally planned to stay in Jackson (Hole), WY.  We soon realized that Jackson is an expensive resort town, where even a campsite was over $40.  As we drove through, noticing the fancy cars and stores, we realized this was not our kind of place and were glad we were staying elsewhere.\r\n\r\nOur destination was definitely not of the Jackson, WY type.  The campground office is located in the tavern and the bartender handles the reservations and there is a Family Dollar next door.  She was friendly and we were checked in without incident, but we were definitely in the more every-day sort of Wyoming.  The views and proximity to the river, the free WiFi, and hot showers were also nice features of the campground.\r\n\r\nADD PICTURE OF CAMPSITE\r\n\r\nFor dinner that night, I sauteed/fried the perogies (I wasn’t confident in my ability to boil water).  They turned out well, but we also finished off the apples and the Morningstar Maple “sausage patties” I had been sitting in the cold water in the cooler.  Everything turned out great.  It was nice having a good, full meal after the long drive.\r\n\r\nAfter dinner, I had a much needed shower, and we went to the Family Dollar to buy some misc. items, namely a gallon of water, some metal forks, and paper towels.  I made use of the internet to send some emails and post on the blog, while my Dad relaxed in the tent.\r\n\r\nWe went to bed as the only campers in the site (there were RVs along the perimeter), ready to experience Yellowstone in the morning.  The 40mph winds during the night ended up giving us an early start on that journey.', 'Day 7:  Hot Springs and Mountains', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '151-revision-10', '', '', '2011-09-13 00:36:27', '2011-09-13 00:36:27', '', 151, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=175', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(176, 2, '2011-09-13 00:43:10', '2011-09-13 00:43:10', 'Start: Thermopolis, WY - <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park and Campground</a>\nDestination: Alpine, WY - <a href=\"http://www.greysrivercove.com/\">Greys River Cove RV Park</a>\nOdometer: 103,909 (start)  104,189 (end)   280 miles\nDate:  Monday, September 5th,  2011\n\nThe previous night in the cold caught us unprepared, but this night/morning, we fortified ourselves.  The insulated blanket on the cot was a big help for my Dad, and my sleeping bag provided adequate warmth (my sleeping bag has been in our family since I was a kid and I have gotten great use from it...I think Gail (a friend of mine and of the family) gave it to us.  On the other hand, my Dad’s sleeping bag I got when I opened an account at a bank a few years ago).\n\nWe left the campground around 6:30, and headed down the road a couple of miles to the Thermopolis Hot Springs State Park, the “World`s Largest Mineral Hot Springs” (it\'s written on a mountain, so it must be true).  It being Labor Day, we were concerned there would be crowds.\n\n<a><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-162\" title=\"102_1629\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1629-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nThe park is always open for people to walk around, but the bath house didn’t open until 8am.  We took this time to drive around looking for the Buffalo they apparently had in the park, walking over the intentionally wobbly suspension bridge over the Wind river, and checking out the various mineral springs that dotted the park.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1637.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-163\" title=\"102_1637\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1637-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\nWe didn’t see any buffalo, despite several loops around the drive. Turns out they don’t really come out until later in the morning when they are fed.  Little did we know, we would soon get to the point where seeing buffalo would become mundane, if not annoying (more on that in future posts).\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1616.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-164\" title=\"102_1616\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1616-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nThe walk over the bridge was a short, but pleasant walk, with a nice view of the river and park.  I had fun rocking the bridge through some simple harmonic motion vibrations while my Dad and I were on it.  He became a might nervous, but it was all in good fun.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1624.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-167\" title=\"102_1624\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1624-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nIt was around 8, so we headed over to the mineral bath house.  We met up with a local who had returned after several month away who educated us.  Amongst other things, we learned a reason that the bath is free, is that this was part of the deal they signed with the Indians when acquiring the land.  (The water slide park however was not free.)   He also knew the staff people, and we were able to get in a few minutes early.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1652.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-168\" title=\"102_1652\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1652-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nNeither of us has been to a mineral hot spring before, so we didn’t know what to expect.  I am used to, and enjoy hot tubs, but my Dad is water averse, and made an exception for this park.  At first, I was annoyed that we were supposedly only allowed to stay in the water for 20 minutes, so we quickly readied ourselves in the bathroom and went to the outdoor pool (there’s an inside one too).\n\nWe were both glad we made this stop on the trip.  It was great.  The water is 104° and we could feel the difference between it and regular water.  There were stone blocks in the pool for sitting, and railings to keep from floating away or resting one\'s head.  It seems there is quite a local community of bathers who come each morning, because before we knew it, there were near a dozen retirees in the pool with us.  I can definitely see why they would settle in this area.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1649.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-169\" title=\"102_1649\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1649-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nAfter more than 20 minutes (they weren’t strict on the time, and it can be uncomfortable to actually stay in the water much longer), we showered off and got dressed.  We not only felt refreshed, but our skin complexion had noticeably improved.  We highly recommend you make this park a stop on your trip if you’re going to be nearby.  The GPS was set for Alpine, WY, and we were off.\n\n<object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651618869983321649%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"400\" height=\"267\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651618869983321649%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object>\n\nThere were more great landscapes along the drive in Wyoming, but the one that stood out was when we saw a mountain in the distance, behind some mist.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1712.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-171\" title=\"102_1712\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1712-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nAt first, I thought they were the Rocky Mountains, but Dad was better aware of geography, and dissented.  We eventually realized that they were the Grand Tetons.  They are an impressive range of mountains, with peaks reaching over 10,000 feet and appearing to touch the clouds.  As my Dad noted, the surfaces are bare and the beauty of the mountain is not blocked by the presence of trees and other vegetation.  There also seems to be a constant haze around them, even when on the road right next to the them.  As described by a friend of mine who recommended this stop, they do rise majestically from the flat planes that surround it.\n\nAlso along the way, in Moose, WY we saw, a few hundred feet from the road, a herd of buffalo grazing and wasting the time of day.  We looked at them through the binoculars my Dad had brought, impressed by our first buffalo sighting of the trip.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1716.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-172\" title=\"102_1716\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1716-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nWe were also  fortunate on this trip to find, along the side of the road, a nice picnic area next to a reservoir.  We had some peanut butter and honey sandwiches, watched a family having fun on the water in their motor boat, and had a nice Labor Day picnic of sorts.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1698.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-173\" title=\"102_1698\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1698-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nNow, we had originally planned to stay in Jackson (Hole), WY.  We soon realized that Jackson is an expensive resort town, where even a campsite was over $40.  As we drove through, noticing the fancy cars and stores, we realized this was not our kind of place and were glad we were staying elsewhere.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1718.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-174\" title=\"102_1718\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1718-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nOur destination was definitely not of the Jackson, WY type.  The campground office is located in the tavern and the bartender handles the reservations and there is a Family Dollar next door.  She was friendly and we were checked in without incident, but we were definitely in the more every-day sort of Wyoming.  The views and proximity to the river, the free WiFi, and hot showers were also nice features of the campground.\n\nADD PICTURE OF CAMPSITE\n\nFor dinner that night, I sauteed/fried the perogies (I wasn’t confident in my ability to boil water).  They turned out well, but we also finished off the apples and the Morningstar Maple “sausage patties” I had been sitting in the cold water in the cooler.  Everything turned out great.  It was nice having a good, full meal after the long drive.\n\nAfter dinner, I had a much needed shower, and we went to the Family Dollar to buy some misc. items, namely a gallon of water, some metal forks, and paper towels.  I made use of the internet to send some emails and post on the blog, while my Dad relaxed in the tent.\n\nWe went to bed as the only campers in the site (there were RVs along the perimeter), ready to experience Yellowstone in the morning.  The 40mph winds during the night ended up giving us an early start on that journey.', 'Day 7:  Hot Springs and Mountains', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '151-revision-11', '', '', '2011-09-13 00:43:10', '2011-09-13 00:43:10', '', 151, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=176', 0, 'revision', '', 0);
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(177, 2, '2011-09-13 00:50:30', '2011-09-13 00:50:30', 'Start: Thermopolis, WY - <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park and Campground</a>\nDestination: Alpine, WY - <a href=\"http://www.greysrivercove.com/\">Greys River Cove RV Park</a>\nOdometer: 103,909 (start)  104,189 (end)   280 miles\nDate:  Monday, September 5th,  2011\n\nThe previous night in the cold caught us unprepared, but this night/morning, we fortified ourselves.  The insulated blanket on the cot was a big help for my Dad, and my sleeping bag provided adequate warmth (my sleeping bag has been in our family since I was a kid and I have gotten great use from it...I think Gail (a friend of mine and of the family) gave it to us.  On the other hand, my Dad’s sleeping bag I got when I opened an account at a bank a few years ago).\n\nWe left the campground around 6:30, and headed down the road a couple of miles to the Thermopolis Hot Springs State Park, the “World`s Largest Mineral Hot Springs” (it\'s written on a mountain, so it must be true).  It being Labor Day, we were concerned there would be crowds.\n\n<a><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-162\" title=\"102_1629\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1629-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nThe park is always open for people to walk around, but the bath house didn’t open until 8am.  We took this time to drive around looking for the Buffalo they apparently had in the park, walking over the intentionally wobbly suspension bridge over the Wind river, and checking out the various mineral springs that dotted the park.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1637.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-163\" title=\"102_1637\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1637-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\nWe didn’t see any buffalo, despite several loops around the drive. Turns out they don’t really come out until later in the morning when they are fed.  Little did we know, we would soon get to the point where seeing buffalo would become mundane, if not annoying (more on that in future posts).\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1616.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-164\" title=\"102_1616\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1616-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nThe walk over the bridge was a short, but pleasant walk, with a nice view of the river and park.  I had fun rocking the bridge through some simple harmonic motion vibrations while my Dad and I were on it.  He became a might nervous, but it was all in good fun.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIt was around 8, so we headed over to the mineral bath house.  We met up with a local who had returned after several month away who educated us.  Amongst other things, we learned a reason that the bath is free, is that this was part of the deal they signed with the Indians when acquiring the land.  (The water slide park however was not free.)   He also knew the staff people, and we were able to get in a few minutes early.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1652.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-168\" title=\"102_1652\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1652-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nNeither of us has been to a mineral hot spring before, so we didn’t know what to expect.  I am used to, and enjoy hot tubs, but my Dad is water averse, and made an exception for this park.  At first, I was annoyed that we were supposedly only allowed to stay in the water for 20 minutes, so we quickly readied ourselves in the bathroom and went to the outdoor pool (there’s an inside one too).\n\nWe were both glad we made this stop on the trip.  It was great.  The water is 104° and we could feel the difference between it and regular water.  There were stone blocks in the pool for sitting, and railings to keep from floating away or resting one\'s head.  It seems there is quite a local community of bathers who come each morning, because before we knew it, there were near a dozen retirees in the pool with us.  I can definitely see why they would settle in this area.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1649.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-169\" title=\"102_1649\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1649-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nAfter more than 20 minutes (they weren’t strict on the time, and it can be uncomfortable to actually stay in the water much longer), we showered off and got dressed.  We not only felt refreshed, but our skin complexion had noticeably improved.  We highly recommend you make this park a stop on your trip if you’re going to be nearby.  The GPS was set for Alpine, WY, and we were off.\n\n<object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651618869983321649%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"400\" height=\"267\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651618869983321649%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object>\n\nThere were more great landscapes along the drive in Wyoming, but the one that stood out was when we saw a mountain in the distance, behind some mist.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1712.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-171\" title=\"102_1712\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1712-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nAt first, I thought they were the Rocky Mountains, but Dad was better aware of geography, and dissented.  We eventually realized that they were the Grand Tetons.  They are an impressive range of mountains, with peaks reaching over 10,000 feet and appearing to touch the clouds.  As my Dad noted, the surfaces are bare and the beauty of the mountain is not blocked by the presence of trees and other vegetation.  There also seems to be a constant haze around them, even when on the road right next to the them.  As described by a friend of mine who recommended this stop, they do rise majestically from the flat planes that surround it.\n\nAlso along the way, in Moose, WY we saw, a few hundred feet from the road, a herd of buffalo grazing and wasting the time of day.  We looked at them through the binoculars my Dad had brought, impressed by our first buffalo sighting of the trip.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1716.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-172\" title=\"102_1716\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1716-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nWe were also  fortunate on this trip to find, along the side of the road, a nice picnic area next to a reservoir.  We had some peanut butter and honey sandwiches, watched a family having fun on the water in their motor boat, and had a nice Labor Day picnic of sorts.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1698.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-173\" title=\"102_1698\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1698-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nNow, we had originally planned to stay in Jackson (Hole), WY.  We soon realized that Jackson is an expensive resort town, where even a campsite was over $40.  As we drove through, noticing the fancy cars and stores, we realized this was not our kind of place and were glad we were staying elsewhere.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1718.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-174\" title=\"102_1718\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1718-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nOur destination was definitely not of the Jackson, WY type.  The campground office is located in the tavern and the bartender handles the reservations and there is a Family Dollar next door.  She was friendly and we were checked in without incident, but we were definitely in the more every-day sort of Wyoming.  The views and proximity to the river, the free WiFi, and hot showers were also nice features of the campground.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nADD PICTURE OF CAMPSITE\n\nFor dinner that night, I sauteed/fried the perogies (I wasn’t confident in my ability to boil water).  They turned out well, but we also finished off the apples and the Morningstar Maple “sausage patties” I had been sitting in the cold water in the cooler.  Everything turned out great.  It was nice having a good, full meal after the long drive.\n\nAfter dinner, I had a much needed shower, and we went to the Family Dollar to buy some misc. items, namely a gallon of water, some metal forks, and paper towels.  I made use of the internet to send some emails and post on the blog, while my Dad relaxed in the tent.\n\nWe went to bed as the only campers in the site (there were RVs along the perimeter), ready to experience Yellowstone in the morning.  The 40mph winds during the night ended up giving us an early start on that journey.', 'Day 7:  Hot Springs and Mountains', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '151-revision-12', '', '', '2011-09-13 00:50:30', '2011-09-13 00:50:30', '', 151, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=177', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(178, 2, '2011-09-13 00:55:50', '2011-09-13 00:55:50', '', '102_1621', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '102_1621', '', '', '2011-09-13 00:55:50', '2011-09-13 00:55:50', '', 151, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1621.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(179, 2, '2011-09-13 00:58:15', '2011-09-13 00:58:15', '', '102_1720', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '102_1720', '', '', '2011-09-13 00:58:15', '2011-09-13 00:58:15', '', 151, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1720.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(180, 2, '2011-09-13 00:59:09', '2011-09-13 00:59:09', 'Start: Thermopolis, WY - <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park and Campground</a>\nDestination: Alpine, WY - <a href=\"http://www.greysrivercove.com/\">Greys River Cove RV Park</a>\nOdometer: 103,909 (start)  104,189 (end)   280 miles\nDate:  Monday, September 5th,  2011\n\nThe previous night in the cold caught us unprepared, but this night/morning, we fortified ourselves.  The insulated blanket on the cot was a big help for my Dad, and my sleeping bag provided adequate warmth (my sleeping bag has been in our family since I was a kid and I have gotten great use from it...I think Gail (a friend of mine and of the family) gave it to us.  On the other hand, my Dad’s sleeping bag I got when I opened an account at a bank a few years ago).\n\nWe left the campground around 6:30, and headed down the road a couple of miles to the Thermopolis Hot Springs State Park, the “World`s Largest Mineral Hot Springs” (it\'s written on a mountain, so it must be true).  It being Labor Day, we were concerned there would be crowds.\n\n<a><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-162\" title=\"102_1629\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1629-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nThe park is always open for people to walk around, but the bath house didn’t open until 8am.  We took this time to drive around looking for the Buffalo they apparently had in the park, walking over the intentionally wobbly suspension bridge over the Wind river, and checking out the various mineral springs that dotted the park.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1637.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-163\" title=\"102_1637\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1637-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\nWe didn’t see any buffalo, despite several loops around the drive. Turns out they don’t really come out until later in the morning when they are fed.  Little did we know, we would soon get to the point where seeing buffalo would become mundane, if not annoying (more on that in future posts).\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1616.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-164\" title=\"102_1616\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1616-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nThe walk over the bridge was a short, but pleasant walk, with a nice view of the river and park.  I had fun rocking the bridge through some simple harmonic motion vibrations while my Dad and I were on it.  He became a might nervous, but it was all in good fun.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1621.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-178\" title=\"102_1621\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1621-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nIt was around 8, so we headed over to the mineral bath house.  We met up with a local who had returned after several month away who educated us.  Amongst other things, we learned a reason that the bath is free, is that this was part of the deal they signed with the Indians when acquiring the land.  (The water slide park however was not free.)   He also knew the staff people, and we were able to get in a few minutes early.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1652.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-168\" title=\"102_1652\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1652-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nNeither of us has been to a mineral hot spring before, so we didn’t know what to expect.  I am used to, and enjoy hot tubs, but my Dad is water averse, and made an exception for this park.  At first, I was annoyed that we were supposedly only allowed to stay in the water for 20 minutes, so we quickly readied ourselves in the bathroom and went to the outdoor pool (there’s an inside one too).\n\nWe were both glad we made this stop on the trip.  It was great.  The water is 104° and we could feel the difference between it and regular water.  There were stone blocks in the pool for sitting, and railings to keep from floating away or resting one\'s head.  It seems there is quite a local community of bathers who come each morning, because before we knew it, there were near a dozen retirees in the pool with us.  I can definitely see why they would settle in this area.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1649.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-169\" title=\"102_1649\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1649-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nAfter more than 20 minutes (they weren’t strict on the time, and it can be uncomfortable to actually stay in the water much longer), we showered off and got dressed.  We not only felt refreshed, but our skin complexion had noticeably improved.  We highly recommend you make this park a stop on your trip if you’re going to be nearby.  The GPS was set for Alpine, WY, and we were off.\n\n<object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651618869983321649%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"400\" height=\"267\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651618869983321649%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object>\n\nThere were more great landscapes along the drive in Wyoming, but the one that stood out was when we saw a mountain in the distance, behind some mist.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1712.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-171\" title=\"102_1712\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1712-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nAt first, I thought they were the Rocky Mountains, but Dad was better aware of geography, and dissented.  We eventually realized that they were the Grand Tetons.  They are an impressive range of mountains, with peaks reaching over 10,000 feet and appearing to touch the clouds.  As my Dad noted, the surfaces are bare and the beauty of the mountain is not blocked by the presence of trees and other vegetation.  There also seems to be a constant haze around them, even when on the road right next to the them.  As described by a friend of mine who recommended this stop, they do rise majestically from the flat planes that surround it.\n\nAlso along the way, in Moose, WY we saw, a few hundred feet from the road, a herd of buffalo grazing and wasting the time of day.  We looked at them through the binoculars my Dad had brought, impressed by our first buffalo sighting of the trip.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1716.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-172\" title=\"102_1716\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1716-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nWe were also  fortunate on this trip to find, along the side of the road, a nice picnic area next to a reservoir.  We had some peanut butter and honey sandwiches, watched a family having fun on the water in their motor boat, and had a nice Labor Day picnic of sorts.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1698.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-173\" title=\"102_1698\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1698-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nNow, we had originally planned to stay in Jackson (Hole), WY.  We soon realized that Jackson is an expensive resort town, where even a campsite was over $40.  As we drove through, noticing the fancy SUVs and stores, we realized this was not our kind of place and were glad we were staying elsewhere.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1718.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-174\" title=\"102_1718\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1718-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nOur destination was definitely not of the Jackson, WY type.  The campground office is located in the tavern and the bartender handles the reservations and there is a Family Dollar next door.  She was friendly and we were checked in without incident, but we were definitely in the more every-day sort of Wyoming.  The views and proximity to the river, the free WiFi, and hot showers were also nice features of the campground.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1720.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-179\" title=\"102_1720\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1720-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nFor dinner that night, I sauteed/fried the perogies with some spices (I wasn’t confident in my ability to boil water).  They turned out well, but we also finished off the apples and the Morningstar Maple “sausage patties” I had been sitting in the cold water in the cooler.  Everything turned out great.  It was nice having a good, full meal after the long drive.\n\nAfter dinner, I had a much needed shower, and we went to the Family Dollar to buy some misc. items, namely a gallon of water, some metal forks, and paper towels.  I made use of the internet to send some emails and post on the blog, while my Dad relaxed in the tent.\n\nWe went to bed as the only campers in the site (there were RVs along the perimeter), ready to experience Yellowstone in the morning.  The 40mph winds during the night ended up giving us an early start on that journey.', 'Day 7:  Hot Springs and Mountains', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '151-revision-13', '', '', '2011-09-13 00:59:09', '2011-09-13 00:59:09', '', 151, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=180', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(181, 2, '2011-09-13 00:59:50', '2011-09-13 00:59:50', 'Start: Thermopolis, WY - <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park and Campground</a>\r\nDestination: Alpine, WY - <a href=\"http://www.greysrivercove.com/\">Greys River Cove RV Park</a>\r\nOdometer: 103,909 (start)  104,189 (end)   280 miles\r\nDate:  Monday, September 5th,  2011\r\n\r\nThe previous night in the cold caught us unprepared, but this night/morning, we fortified ourselves.  The insulated blanket on the cot was a big help for my Dad, and my sleeping bag provided adequate warmth (my sleeping bag has been in our family since I was a kid and I have gotten great use from it...I think Gail (a friend of mine and of the family) gave it to us.  On the other hand, my Dad’s sleeping bag I got when I opened an account at a bank a few years ago).\r\n\r\nWe left the campground around 6:30, and headed down the road a couple of miles to the Thermopolis Hot Springs State Park, the “World`s Largest Mineral Hot Springs” (it\'s written on a mountain, so it must be true).  It being Labor Day, we were concerned there would be crowds.\r\n\r\n<a><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-162\" title=\"102_1629\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1629-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nThe park is always open for people to walk around, but the bath house didn’t open until 8am.  We took this time to drive around looking for the Buffalo they apparently had in the park, walking over the intentionally wobbly suspension bridge over the Wind river, and checking out the various mineral springs that dotted the park.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1637.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-163\" title=\"102_1637\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1637-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\nWe didn’t see any buffalo, despite several loops around the drive. Turns out they don’t really come out until later in the morning when they are fed.  Little did we know, we would soon get to the point where seeing buffalo would become mundane, if not annoying (more on that in future posts).\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1616.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-164\" title=\"102_1616\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1616-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nThe walk over the bridge was a short, but pleasant walk, with a nice view of the river and park.  I had fun rocking the bridge through some simple harmonic motion vibrations while my Dad and I were on it.  He became a might nervous, but it was all in good fun.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1621.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-178\" title=\"102_1621\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1621-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nIt was around 8, so we headed over to the mineral bath house.  We met up with a local who had returned after several month away who educated us.  Amongst other things, we learned a reason that the bath is free, is that this was part of the deal they signed with the Indians when acquiring the land.  (The water slide park however was not free.)   He also knew the staff people, and we were able to get in a few minutes early.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1652.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-168\" title=\"102_1652\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1652-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nNeither of us has been to a mineral hot spring before, so we didn’t know what to expect.  I am used to, and enjoy hot tubs, but my Dad is water averse, and made an exception for this park.  At first, I was annoyed that we were supposedly only allowed to stay in the water for 20 minutes, so we quickly readied ourselves in the bathroom and went to the outdoor pool (there’s an inside one too).\r\n\r\nWe were both glad we made this stop on the trip.  It was great.  The water is 104° and we could feel the difference between it and regular water.  There were stone blocks in the pool for sitting, and railings to keep from floating away or resting one\'s head.  It seems there is quite a local community of bathers who come each morning, because before we knew it, there were near a dozen retirees in the pool with us.  I can definitely see why they would settle in this area.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1649.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-169\" title=\"102_1649\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1649-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nAfter more than 20 minutes (they weren’t strict on the time, and it can be uncomfortable to actually stay in the water much longer), we showered off and got dressed.  We not only felt refreshed, but our skin complexion had noticeably improved.  We highly recommend you make this park a stop on your trip if you’re going to be nearby.  The GPS was set for Alpine, WY, and we were off.\r\n\r\n<object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651618869983321649%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"400\" height=\"267\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651618869983321649%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object>\r\n\r\nThere were more great landscapes along the drive in Wyoming, but the one that stood out was when we saw a mountain in the distance, behind some mist.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1712.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-171\" title=\"102_1712\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1712-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nAt first, I thought they were the Rocky Mountains, but Dad was better aware of geography, and dissented.  We eventually realized that they were the Grand Tetons.  They are an impressive range of mountains, with peaks reaching over 10,000 feet and appearing to touch the clouds.  As my Dad noted, the surfaces are bare and the beauty of the mountain is not blocked by the presence of trees and other vegetation.  There also seems to be a constant haze around them, even when on the road right next to the them.  As described by a friend of mine who recommended this stop, they do rise majestically from the flat planes that surround it.\r\n\r\nAlso along the way, in Moose, WY we saw, a few hundred feet from the road, a herd of buffalo grazing and wasting the time of day.  We looked at them through the binoculars my Dad had brought, impressed by our first buffalo sighting of the trip.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1716.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-172\" title=\"102_1716\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1716-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nWe were also  fortunate on this trip to find, along the side of the road, a nice picnic area next to a reservoir.  We had some peanut butter and honey sandwiches, watched a family having fun on the water in their motor boat, and had a nice Labor Day picnic of sorts.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1698.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-173\" title=\"102_1698\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1698-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nNow, we had originally planned to stay in Jackson (Hole), WY.  We soon realized that Jackson is an expensive resort town, where even a campsite was over $40.  As we drove through, noticing the fancy SUVs and stores, we realized this was not our kind of place and were glad we were staying elsewhere.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1718.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-174\" title=\"102_1718\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1718-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nOur destination was definitely not of the Jackson, WY type.  The campground office is located in the tavern and the bartender handles the reservations and there is a Family Dollar next door.  She was friendly and we were checked in without incident, but we were definitely in the more every-day sort of Wyoming.  The views and proximity to the river, the free WiFi, and hot showers were also nice features of the campground.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1720.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-179\" title=\"102_1720\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1720-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nFor dinner that night, I sauteed/fried the perogies with some spices (I wasn’t confident in my ability to boil water).  They turned out well, but we also finished off the apples and the Morningstar Maple “sausage patties” I had been sitting in the cold water in the cooler.  Everything turned out great.  It was nice having a good, full meal after the long drive.\r\n\r\nAfter dinner, I had a much needed shower, and we went to the Family Dollar to buy some misc. items, namely a gallon of water, some metal forks, and paper towels.  I made use of the internet to send some emails and post on the blog, while my Dad relaxed in the tent.\r\n\r\nWe went to bed as the only campers in the site (there were RVs along the perimeter), ready to experience Yellowstone in the morning.  The 40mph winds during the night ended up giving us an early start on that journey.\r\n\r\n<embed type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&noautoplay=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651624590716459745%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\"></embed>', 'Day 7:  Hot Springs and Mountains', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '151-revision-14', '', '', '2011-09-13 00:59:50', '2011-09-13 00:59:50', '', 151, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=181', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(182, 2, '2011-09-13 01:00:34', '2011-09-13 01:00:34', 'Start: Thermopolis, WY - <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park and Campground</a>\r\nDestination: Alpine, WY - <a href=\"http://www.greysrivercove.com/\">Greys River Cove RV Park</a>\r\nOdometer: 103,909 (start)  104,189 (end)   280 miles\r\nDate:  Monday, September 5th,  2011\r\n\r\nThe previous night in the cold caught us unprepared, but this night/morning, we fortified ourselves.  The insulated blanket on the cot was a big help for my Dad, and my sleeping bag provided adequate warmth (my sleeping bag has been in our family since I was a kid and I have gotten great use from it...I think Gail (a friend of mine and of the family) gave it to us.  On the other hand, my Dad’s sleeping bag I got when I opened an account at a bank a few years ago).\r\n\r\nWe left the campground around 6:30, and headed down the road a couple of miles to the Thermopolis Hot Springs State Park, the “World`s Largest Mineral Hot Springs” (it\'s written on a mountain, so it must be true).  It being Labor Day, we were concerned there would be crowds.\r\n\r\n<a><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-162\" title=\"102_1629\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1629-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nThe park is always open for people to walk around, but the bath house didn’t open until 8am.  We took this time to drive around looking for the Buffalo they apparently had in the park, walking over the intentionally wobbly suspension bridge over the Wind river, and checking out the various mineral springs that dotted the park.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1637.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-163\" title=\"102_1637\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1637-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\nWe didn’t see any buffalo, despite several loops around the drive. Turns out they don’t really come out until later in the morning when they are fed.  Little did we know, we would soon get to the point where seeing buffalo would become mundane, if not annoying (more on that in future posts).\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1616.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-164\" title=\"102_1616\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1616-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nThe walk over the bridge was a short, but pleasant walk, with a nice view of the river and park.  I had fun rocking the bridge through some simple harmonic motion vibrations while my Dad and I were on it.  He became a might nervous, but it was all in good fun.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1621.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-178\" title=\"102_1621\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1621-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nIt was around 8, so we headed over to the mineral bath house.  We met up with a local who had returned after several month away who educated us.  Amongst other things, we learned a reason that the bath is free, is that this was part of the deal they signed with the Indians when acquiring the land.  (The water slide park however was not free.)   He also knew the staff people, and we were able to get in a few minutes early.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1652.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-168\" title=\"102_1652\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1652-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nNeither of us has been to a mineral hot spring before, so we didn’t know what to expect.  I am used to, and enjoy hot tubs, but my Dad is water averse, and made an exception for this park.  At first, I was annoyed that we were supposedly only allowed to stay in the water for 20 minutes, so we quickly readied ourselves in the bathroom and went to the outdoor pool (there’s an inside one too).\r\n\r\nWe were both glad we made this stop on the trip.  It was great.  The water is 104° and we could feel the difference between it and regular water.  There were stone blocks in the pool for sitting, and railings to keep from floating away or resting one\'s head.  It seems there is quite a local community of bathers who come each morning, because before we knew it, there were near a dozen retirees in the pool with us.  I can definitely see why they would settle in this area.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1649.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-169\" title=\"102_1649\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1649-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nAfter more than 20 minutes (they weren’t strict on the time, and it can be uncomfortable to actually stay in the water much longer), we showered off and got dressed.  We not only felt refreshed, but our skin complexion had noticeably improved.  We highly recommend you make this park a stop on your trip if you’re going to be nearby.  The GPS was set for Alpine, WY, and we were off.\r\n\r\n<object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651618869983321649%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"400\" height=\"267\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651618869983321649%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object>\r\n\r\nThere were more great landscapes along the drive in Wyoming, but the one that stood out was when we saw a mountain in the distance, behind some mist.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1712.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-171\" title=\"102_1712\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1712-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nAt first, I thought they were the Rocky Mountains, but Dad was better aware of geography, and dissented.  We eventually realized that they were the Grand Tetons.  They are an impressive range of mountains, with peaks reaching over 10,000 feet and appearing to touch the clouds.  As my Dad noted, the surfaces are bare and the beauty of the mountain is not blocked by the presence of trees and other vegetation.  There also seems to be a constant haze around them, even when on the road right next to the them.  As described by a friend of mine who recommended this stop, they do rise majestically from the flat planes that surround it.\r\n\r\nAlso along the way, in Moose, WY we saw, a few hundred feet from the road, a herd of buffalo grazing and wasting the time of day.  We looked at them through the binoculars my Dad had brought, impressed by our first buffalo sighting of the trip.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1716.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-172\" title=\"102_1716\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1716-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nWe were also  fortunate on this trip to find, along the side of the road, a nice picnic area next to a reservoir.  We had some peanut butter and honey sandwiches, watched a family having fun on the water in their motor boat, and had a nice Labor Day picnic of sorts.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1698.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-173\" title=\"102_1698\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1698-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nNow, we had originally planned to stay in Jackson (Hole), WY.  We soon realized that Jackson is an expensive resort town, where even a campsite was over $40.  As we drove through, noticing the fancy SUVs and stores, we realized this was not our kind of place and were glad we were staying elsewhere.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1718.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-174\" title=\"102_1718\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1718-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nOur destination was definitely not of the Jackson, WY type.  The campground office is located in the tavern and the bartender handles the reservations and there is a Family Dollar next door.  She was friendly and we were checked in without incident, but we were definitely in the more every-day sort of Wyoming.  The views and proximity to the river, the free WiFi, and hot showers were also nice features of the campground.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1720.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-179\" title=\"102_1720\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1720-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nFor dinner that night, I sauteed/fried the perogies with some spices (I wasn’t confident in my ability to boil water).  They turned out well, but we also finished off the apples and the Morningstar Maple “sausage patties” I had been sitting in the cold water in the cooler.  Everything turned out great.  It was nice having a good, full meal after the long drive.\r\n\r\nAfter dinner, I had a much needed shower, and we went to the Family Dollar to buy some misc. items, namely a gallon of water, some metal forks, and paper towels.  I made use of the internet to send some emails and post on the blog, while my Dad relaxed in the tent.\r\n\r\nWe went to bed as the only campers in the site (there were RVs along the perimeter), ready to experience Yellowstone in the morning.  The 40mph winds during the night ended up giving us an early start on that journey.\r\n\r\n<object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651624590716459745%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"400\" height=\"267\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651624590716459745%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object>', 'Day 7:  Hot Springs and Mountains', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '151-revision-15', '', '', '2011-09-13 01:00:34', '2011-09-13 01:00:34', '', 151, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=182', 0, 'revision', '', 0);
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(183, 2, '2011-09-13 01:07:26', '2011-09-13 01:07:26', 'Start: Thermopolis, WY - <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park and Campground</a>\r\nDestination: Alpine, WY - <a href=\"http://www.greysrivercove.com/\">Greys River Cove RV Park</a>\r\nOdometer: 103,909 (start)  104,189 (end)   280 miles\r\nDate:  Monday, September 5th,  2011\r\n\r\nThe previous night in the cold caught us unprepared, but this night/morning, we fortified ourselves.  The insulated blanket on the cot was a big help for my Dad, and my sleeping bag provided adequate warmth (my sleeping bag has been in our family since I was a kid and I have gotten great use from it...I think Gail (a friend of mine and of the family) gave it to us.  On the other hand, my Dad’s sleeping bag I got when I opened an account at a bank a few years ago).\r\n\r\nWe left the campground around 6:30, and headed down the road a couple of miles to the Thermopolis Hot Springs State Park, the “World`s Largest Mineral Hot Springs” (it\'s written on a mountain, so it must be true).  It being Labor Day, we were concerned there would be crowds.\r\n\r\n<a><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-162\" title=\"102_1629\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1629-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nThe park is always open for people to walk around, but the bath house didn’t open until 8am.  We took this time to drive around looking for the Buffalo they apparently had in the park, walking over the intentionally wobbly suspension bridge over the Wind river, and checking out the various mineral springs that dotted the park.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1637.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-163\" title=\"102_1637\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1637-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\nWe didn’t see any buffalo, despite several loops around the drive. Turns out they don’t really come out until later in the morning when they are fed.  Little did we know, we would soon get to the point where seeing buffalo would become mundane, if not annoying (more on that in future posts).\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1616.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-164\" title=\"102_1616\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1616-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nThe walk over the bridge was a short, but pleasant walk, with a nice view of the river and park.  I had fun rocking the bridge through some simple harmonic motion vibrations while my Dad and I were on it.  He became a might nervous, but it was all in good fun.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1621.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-178\" title=\"102_1621\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1621-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nIt was around 8, so we headed over to the mineral bath house.  We met up with a local who had returned after several month away who educated us.  Amongst other things, we learned a reason that the bath is free, is that this was part of the deal they signed with the Indians when acquiring the land.  (The water slide park however was not free.)   He also knew the staff people, and we were able to get in a few minutes early.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1652.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-168\" title=\"102_1652\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1652-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nNeither of us has been to a mineral hot spring before, so we didn’t know what to expect.  I am used to, and enjoy hot tubs, but my Dad is water averse, and made an exception for this park.  At first, I was annoyed that we were supposedly only allowed to stay in the water for 20 minutes, so we quickly readied ourselves in the bathroom and went to the outdoor pool (there’s an inside one too).\r\n\r\nWe were both glad we made this stop on the trip.  It was great.  The water is 104° and we could feel the difference between it and regular water.  There were stone blocks in the pool for sitting, and railings to keep from floating away or resting one\'s head.  It seems there is quite a local community of bathers who come each morning, because before we knew it, there were near a dozen retirees in the pool with us.  I can definitely see why they would settle in this area.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1649.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-169\" title=\"102_1649\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1649-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nAfter more than 20 minutes (they weren’t strict on the time, and it can be uncomfortable to actually stay in the water much longer), we showered off and got dressed.  We not only felt refreshed, but our skin complexion had noticeably improved.  We highly recommend you make this park a stop on your trip if you’re going to be nearby.  The GPS was set for Alpine, WY, and we were off.\r\n\r\n<object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651618869983321649%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"400\" height=\"267\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651618869983321649%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object>\r\n\r\nThere were more great landscapes along the drive in Wyoming, but the one that stood out was when we saw a mountain in the distance, behind some mist.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1712.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-171\" title=\"102_1712\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1712-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nAt first, I thought they were the Rocky Mountains, but Dad was better aware of geography, and dissented.  We eventually realized that they were the Grand Tetons.  They are an impressive range of mountains, with peaks reaching over 10,000 feet and appearing to touch the clouds.  As my Dad noted, the surfaces are bare and the beauty of the mountain is not blocked by the presence of trees and other vegetation.  There also seems to be a constant haze around them, even when on the road right next to the them.  As described by a friend of mine who recommended this stop, they do rise majestically from the flat planes that surround it.\r\n\r\nAlso along the way, in Moose, WY we saw, a few hundred feet from the road, a herd of buffalo grazing and wasting the time of day.  We looked at them through the binoculars my Dad had brought, impressed by our first buffalo sighting of the trip.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1716.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-172\" title=\"102_1716\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1716-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nWe were also  fortunate on this trip to find, along the side of the road, a nice picnic area next to a reservoir.  We had some peanut butter and honey sandwiches, watched a family having fun on the water in their motor boat, and had a nice Labor Day picnic of sorts.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1698.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-173\" title=\"102_1698\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1698-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nNow, we had originally planned to stay in Jackson (Hole), WY.  We soon realized that Jackson is an expensive resort town, where even a campsite was over $40.  As we drove through, noticing the fancy SUVs and stores, we realized this was not our kind of place and were glad we were staying elsewhere.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1718.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-174\" title=\"102_1718\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1718-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nOur destination was definitely not of the Jackson, WY type.  The campground office is located in the tavern, the bartender handles the reservations, and there is a Family Dollar conveniently next door.  She was friendly and we were checked in without incident, but we were definitely in the more every-day sort of Wyoming.  The views and proximity to the river, the free WiFi, and hot showers were also nice features of the campground.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1720.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-179\" title=\"102_1720\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1720-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nFor dinner that night, I sauteed/fried the perogies with some spices (I wasn’t confident in my ability to boil water).  They turned out well, but we also finished off the apples and the Morningstar Maple “sausage patties” that had been sitting in the cold water in the cooler.  Everything turned out great.  It was nice having a good, full meal after the long drive.\r\n\r\nAfter dinner, I had a much needed shower, and we went to the Family Dollar to buy some misc. items, namely a gallon of water, some metal forks, and paper towels.  I made use of the internet to send some emails and post on the blog, while my Dad relaxed in the tent.\r\n\r\nWe went to bed as the only campers in the site (there were RVs along the perimeter), ready to experience Yellowstone in the morning.  The 40mph winds during the night ended up giving us an early start on that journey.\r\n\r\n<object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651624590716459745%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"400\" height=\"267\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651624590716459745%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object>', 'Day 7:  Hot Springs and Mountains', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '151-revision-16', '', '', '2011-09-13 01:07:26', '2011-09-13 01:07:26', '', 151, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=183', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(184, 2, '2011-09-13 02:21:32', '2011-09-13 02:21:32', 'Start: Thermopolis, WY - <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park and Campground</a>\r\nDestination: Alpine, WY - <a href=\"http://www.greysrivercove.com/\">Greys River Cove RV Park</a>\r\nOdometer: 103,909 (start)  104,189 (end)   280 miles\r\nDate:  Monday, September 5th,  2011\r\n\r\nThe previous night in the cold caught us unprepared, but this night/morning, we fortified ourselves.  The insulated blanket on the cot was a big help for my Dad, and my sleeping bag provided adequate warmth (my sleeping bag has been in our family since I was a kid and I have gotten great use from it...I think Gail (a friend of mine and of the family) gave it to us.  On the other hand, my Dad’s sleeping bag I got when I opened an account at a bank a few years ago).\r\n\r\nWe left the campground around 6:30, and headed down the road a couple of miles to the Thermopolis Hot Springs State Park, the “World`s Largest Mineral Hot Springs” (it\'s written on a mountain, so it must be true).  It being Labor Day, we were concerned there would be crowds.\r\n\r\n<a><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-162\" title=\"102_1629\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1629-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nThe park is always open for people to walk around, but the bath house didn’t open until 8am.  We took this time to drive around looking for the Buffalo they apparently had in the park, walking over the intentionally wobbly suspension bridge over the Wind river, and checking out the various mineral springs that dotted the park.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1637.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-163\" title=\"102_1637\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1637-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\nWe didn’t see any buffalo, despite several loops around the drive. Turns out they don’t really come out until later in the morning when they are fed.  Little did we know, we would soon get to the point where seeing buffalo would become mundane, if not annoying (more on that in future posts).\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1616.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-164\" title=\"102_1616\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1616-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nThe walk over the bridge was a short, but pleasant walk, with a nice view of the river and park.  I had fun rocking the bridge through some simple harmonic motion vibrations while my Dad and I were on it.  He became a might nervous, but it was all in good fun.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1621.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-178\" title=\"102_1621\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1621-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nIt was around 8, so we headed over to the mineral bath house.  We met up with a local who had returned after several month away who educated us.  Amongst other things, we learned a reason that the bath is free, is that this was part of the deal they signed with the Indians when acquiring the land.  (The water slide park however was not free.)   He also knew the staff people, and we were able to get in a few minutes early.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1652.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-168\" title=\"102_1652\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1652-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nNeither of us has been to a mineral hot spring before, so we didn’t know what to expect.  I am used to, and enjoy hot tubs, but my Dad is water averse, and made an exception for this park.  At first, I was annoyed that we were supposedly only allowed to stay in the water for 20 minutes, so we quickly readied ourselves in the bathroom and went to the outdoor pool (there’s an inside one too).\r\n\r\nWe were both glad we made this stop on the trip.  It was great.  The water is 104° and we could feel the difference between it and regular water.  There were stone blocks in the pool for sitting, and railings to keep from floating away or resting one\'s head.  It seems there is quite a local community of bathers who come each morning, because before we knew it, there were near a dozen retirees in the pool with us.  I can definitely see why they would settle in this area.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1649.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-169\" title=\"102_1649\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1649-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nAfter more than 20 minutes (they weren’t strict on the time, and it can be uncomfortable to actually stay in the water much longer), we showered off and got dressed.  We not only felt refreshed, but our skin complexion had noticeably improved.  We highly recommend you make this park a stop on your trip if you’re going to be nearby.  The GPS was set for Alpine, WY, and we were off.\r\n\r\n<object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651618869983321649%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"400\" height=\"267\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651618869983321649%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object>\r\n\r\nThere were more great landscapes along the drive in Wyoming, but the one that stood out was when we saw a mountain in the distance, behind some mist.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1712.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-171\" title=\"102_1712\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1712-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nAt first, I thought they were the Rocky Mountains, but Dad was better aware of geography, and dissented.  We eventually realized that they were the Grand Tetons.  They are an impressive range of mountains, with peaks reaching over 10,000 feet and appearing to touch the clouds.  As my Dad noted, the surfaces are bare and the beauty of the mountain is not blocked by the presence of trees and other vegetation.  There also seems to be a constant haze around them, even when on the road right next to the them.  As described by a friend of mine who recommended this stop, they do rise majestically from the flat planes that surround it.\r\n\r\nAlso along the way, in Moose, WY we saw, a few hundred feet from the road, a herd of buffalo grazing and wasting the time of day.  We looked at them through the binoculars my Dad had brought, impressed by our first buffalo sighting of the trip.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1716.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-172\" title=\"102_1716\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1716-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nWe were also  fortunate on this trip to find, along the side of the road, a nice picnic area next to a reservoir.  We had some peanut butter and honey sandwiches, watched a family having fun on the water in their motor boat, and had a nice Labor Day picnic of sorts.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1698.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-173\" title=\"102_1698\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1698-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nNow, we had originally planned to stay in Jackson (Hole), WY.  We soon realized that Jackson is an expensive resort town, where even a campsite was over $40.  As we drove through, noticing the fancy SUVs and stores, we realized this was not our kind of place and were glad we were staying elsewhere.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1718.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-174\" title=\"102_1718\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1718-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nOur destination was definitely not of the Jackson, WY type.  The campground office is located in the tavern, the bartender handles the reservations, and there is a Family Dollar conveniently next door.  She was friendly and we were checked in without incident, but we were definitely in the more every-day sort of Wyoming.  The views and proximity to the river, the free WiFi, and hot showers were also nice features of the campground.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1720.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-179\" title=\"102_1720\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1720-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nFor dinner that night, I sauteed/fried the perogies with some spices (I wasn’t confident in my ability to boil water).  They turned out well, but we also finished off the apples and the Morningstar Maple “sausage patties” that had been sitting in the cold water in the cooler.  Everything turned out great.  It was nice having a good, full meal after the long drive.\r\n\r\nAfter dinner, I had a much needed shower, and we went to the Family Dollar to buy some misc. items, namely a gallon of water, some metal forks, and paper towels.  I made use of the internet to send some emails and post on the blog, while my Dad relaxed in the tent.\r\n\r\nWe went to bed as the only campers in the site (there were RVs along the perimeter), ready to experience Yellowstone in the morning.  The 40mph winds during the night ended up giving us an early start on that journey.\r\n\r\n<object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651624590716459745%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"400\" height=\"267\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651624590716459745%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object>', 'Day 7:  Hot Springs and Mountains', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '151-revision-17', '', '', '2011-09-13 02:21:32', '2011-09-13 02:21:32', '', 151, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=184', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(185, 2, '2011-09-13 02:21:53', '2011-09-13 02:21:53', 'Start: Thermopolis, WY - <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park and Campground</a>\r\nDestination: Alpine, WY - <a href=\"http://www.greysrivercove.com/\">Greys River Cove RV Park</a>\r\nOdometer: 103,909 (start)  104,189 (end)   280 miles\r\nDate:  Monday, September 5th,  2011\r\n\r\nThe previous night in the cold caught us unprepared, but this night/morning, we fortified ourselves.  The insulated blanket on the cot was a big help for my Dad, and my sleeping bag provided adequate warmth (my sleeping bag has been in our family since I was a kid and I have gotten great use from it...I think Gail (a friend of mine and of the family) gave it to us.  On the other hand, my Dad’s sleeping bag I got when I opened an account at a bank a few years ago).\r\n\r\nWe left the campground around 6:30, and headed down the road a couple of miles to the Thermopolis Hot Springs State Park, the “World`s Largest Mineral Hot Springs” (it\'s written on a mountain, so it must be true).  It being Labor Day, we were concerned there would be crowds.\r\n\r\n<a><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-162\" title=\"102_1629\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1629-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nThe park is always open for people to walk around, but the bath house didn’t open until 8am.  We took this time to drive around looking for the Buffalo they apparently had in the park, walking over the intentionally wobbly suspension bridge over the Wind river, and checking out the various mineral springs that dotted the park.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1637.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-163\" title=\"102_1637\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1637-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\nWe didn’t see any buffalo, despite several loops around the drive. Turns out they don’t really come out until later in the morning when they are fed.  Little did we know, we would soon get to the point where seeing buffalo would become mundane, if not annoying (more on that in future posts).\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1616.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-164\" title=\"102_1616\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1616-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nThe walk over the bridge was a short, but pleasant walk, with a nice view of the river and park.  I had fun rocking the bridge through some simple harmonic motion vibrations while my Dad and I were on it.  He became a might nervous, but it was all in good fun.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1621.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-178\" title=\"102_1621\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1621-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nIt was around 8, so we headed over to the mineral bath house.  We met up with a local who had returned after several month away who educated us.  Amongst other things, we learned a reason that the bath is free, is that this was part of the deal they signed with the Indians when acquiring the land.  (The water slide park however was not free.)   He also knew the staff people, and we were able to get in a few minutes early.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1652.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-168\" title=\"102_1652\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1652-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nNeither of us has been to a mineral hot spring before, so we didn’t know what to expect.  I am used to, and enjoy hot tubs, but my Dad is water averse, and made an exception for this park.  At first, I was annoyed that we were supposedly only allowed to stay in the water for 20 minutes, so we quickly readied ourselves in the bathroom and went to the outdoor pool (there’s an inside one too).\r\n\r\nWe were both glad we made this stop on the trip.  It was great.  The water is 104° and we could feel the difference between it and regular water.  There were stone blocks in the pool for sitting, and railings to keep from floating away or resting one\'s head.  It seems there is quite a local community of bathers who come each morning, because before we knew it, there were near a dozen retirees in the pool with us.  I can definitely see why they would settle in this area.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1649.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-169\" title=\"102_1649\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1649-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nAfter more than 20 minutes (they weren’t strict on the time, and it can be uncomfortable to actually stay in the water much longer), we showered off and got dressed.  We not only felt refreshed, but our skin complexion had noticeably improved.  We highly recommend you make this park a stop on your trip if you’re going to be nearby.  The GPS was set for Alpine, WY, and we were off.\r\n\r\n<object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651618869983321649%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"400\" height=\"267\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651618869983321649%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object>\r\n\r\nThere were more great landscapes along the drive in Wyoming, but the one that stood out was when we saw a mountain in the distance, behind some mist.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1712.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-171\" title=\"102_1712\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1712-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nAt first, I thought they were the Rocky Mountains, but Dad was better aware of geography, and dissented.  We eventually realized that they were the Grand Tetons.  They are an impressive range of mountains, with peaks reaching over 10,000 feet and appearing to touch the clouds.  As my Dad noted, the surfaces are bare and the beauty of the mountain is not blocked by the presence of trees and other vegetation.  There also seems to be a constant haze around them, even when on the road right next to the them.  As described by a friend of mine who recommended this stop, they do rise majestically from the flat planes that surround it.\r\n\r\nAlso along the way, in Moose, WY we saw, a few hundred feet from the road, a herd of buffalo grazing and wasting the time of day.  We looked at them through the binoculars my Dad had brought, impressed by our first buffalo sighting of the trip.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1716.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-172\" title=\"102_1716\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1716-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nWe were also  fortunate on this trip to find, along the side of the road, a nice picnic area next to a reservoir.  We had some peanut butter and honey sandwiches, watched a family having fun on the water in their motor boat, and had a nice Labor Day picnic of sorts.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1698.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-173\" title=\"102_1698\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1698-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nNow, we had originally planned to stay in Jackson (Hole), WY.  We soon realized that Jackson is an expensive resort town, where even a campsite was over $40.  As we drove through, noticing the fancy SUVs and stores, we realized this was not our kind of place and were glad we were staying elsewhere.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1718.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-174\" title=\"102_1718\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1718-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nOur destination was definitely not of the Jackson, WY type.  The campground office is located in the tavern, the bartender handles the reservations, and there is a Family Dollar conveniently next door.  She was friendly and we were checked in without incident, but we were definitely in the more every-day sort of Wyoming.  The views and proximity to the river, the free WiFi, and hot showers were also nice features of the campground.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1720.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-179\" title=\"102_1720\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1720-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nFor dinner that night, I sauteed/fried the perogies with some spices (I wasn’t confident in my ability to boil water).  They turned out well, but we also finished off the apples and the Morningstar Maple “sausage patties” that had been sitting in the cold water in the cooler.  Everything turned out great.  It was nice having a good, full meal after the long drive.\r\n\r\nAfter dinner, I had a much needed shower, and we went to the Family Dollar to buy some misc. items, namely a gallon of water, some metal forks, and paper towels.  I made use of the internet to send some emails and post on the blog, while my Dad relaxed in the tent.\r\n\r\nWe went to bed as the only campers in the site (there were RVs along the perimeter), ready to experience Yellowstone in the morning.  The 40mph winds during the night ended up giving us an early start on that journey.\r\n\r\n<object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651624590716459745%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"400\" height=\"267\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651624590716459745%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object>', 'Day 7:  Hot Springs and Mountains', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '151-revision-18', '', '', '2011-09-13 02:21:53', '2011-09-13 02:21:53', '', 151, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=185', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(186, 2, '2011-09-13 02:23:19', '2011-09-13 02:23:19', 'Start: Thermopolis, WY - <a href=\"http://www.eaglervpark.com/\">Eagle RV Park and Campground</a>\r\nDestination: Alpine, WY - <a href=\"http://www.greysrivercove.com/\">Greys River Cove RV Park</a>\r\nOdometer: 103,909 (start)  104,189 (end)   280 miles\r\nDate:  Monday, September 5th,  2011\r\n\r\nThe previous night in the cold caught us unprepared, but this night/morning, we fortified ourselves.  The insulated blanket on the cot was a big help for my Dad, and my sleeping bag provided adequate warmth (my sleeping bag has been in our family since I was a kid and I have gotten great use from it...I think Gail (a friend of mine and of the family) gave it to us.  On the other hand, my Dad’s sleeping bag I got when I opened an account at a bank a few years ago).\r\n\r\nWe left the campground around 6:30, and headed down the road a couple of miles to the Thermopolis Hot Springs State Park, the “World`s Largest Mineral Hot Springs” (it\'s written on a mountain, so it must be true).  It being Labor Day, we were concerned there would be crowds.\r\n\r\n<a><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-162\" title=\"102_1629\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1629-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nThe park is always open for people to walk around, but the bath house didn’t open until 8am.  We took this time to drive around looking for the Buffalo they apparently had in the park, walking over the intentionally wobbly suspension bridge over the Wind river, and checking out the various mineral springs that dotted the park.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1637.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-163\" title=\"102_1637\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1637-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\nWe didn’t see any buffalo, despite several loops around the drive. Turns out they don’t really come out until later in the morning when they are fed.  Little did we know, we would soon get to the point where seeing buffalo would become mundane, if not annoying (more on that in future posts).\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1616.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-164\" title=\"102_1616\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1616-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nThe walk over the bridge was a short, but pleasant walk, with a nice view of the river and park.  I had fun rocking the bridge through some simple harmonic motion vibrations while my Dad and I were on it.  He became a might nervous, but it was all in good fun.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1621.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-178\" title=\"102_1621\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1621-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nIt was around 8, so we headed over to the mineral bath house.  We met up with a local who had returned after several month away who educated us.  Amongst other things, we learned a reason that the bath is free, is that this was part of the deal they signed with the Indians when acquiring the land.  (The water slide park however was not free.)   He also knew the staff people, and we were able to get in a few minutes early.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1652.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-168\" title=\"102_1652\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1652-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nNeither of us has been to a mineral hot spring before, so we didn’t know what to expect.  I am used to, and enjoy hot tubs, but my Dad is water averse, and made an exception for this park.  At first, I was annoyed that we were supposedly only allowed to stay in the water for 20 minutes, so we quickly readied ourselves in the bathroom and went to the outdoor pool (there’s an inside one too).\r\n\r\nWe were both glad we made this stop on the trip.  It was great.  The water is 104° and we could feel the difference between it and regular water.  There were stone blocks in the pool for sitting, and railings to keep from floating away or resting one\'s head.  It seems there is quite a local community of bathers who come each morning, because before we knew it, there were near a dozen retirees in the pool with us.  I can definitely see why they would settle in this area.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1649.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-169\" title=\"102_1649\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1649-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nAfter more than 20 minutes (they weren’t strict on the time, and it can be uncomfortable to actually stay in the water much longer), we showered off and got dressed.  We not only felt refreshed, but our skin complexion had noticeably improved.  We highly recommend you make this park a stop on your trip if you’re going to be nearby.  The GPS was set for Alpine, WY, and we were off.\r\n\r\n<object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651618869983321649%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"400\" height=\"267\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651618869983321649%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object>\r\n\r\nThere were more great landscapes along the drive in Wyoming, but the one that stood out was when we saw a mountain in the distance, behind some mist.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1712.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-171\" title=\"102_1712\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1712-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nAt first, I thought they were the Rocky Mountains, but Dad was better aware of geography, and dissented.  We eventually realized that they were the Grand Tetons.  They are an impressive range of mountains, with peaks reaching over 10,000 feet and appearing to touch the clouds.  As my Dad noted, the surfaces are bare and the beauty of the mountain is not blocked by the presence of trees and other vegetation.  There also seems to be a constant haze around them, even when on the road right next to the them.  As described by a friend of mine who recommended this stop, they do rise majestically from the flat planes that surround it.\r\n\r\nAlso along the way, in Moose, WY we saw, a few hundred feet from the road, a herd of buffalo grazing and wasting the time of day.  We looked at them through the binoculars my Dad had brought, impressed by our first buffalo sighting of the trip.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1716.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-172\" title=\"102_1716\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1716-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nWe were also  fortunate on this trip to find, along the side of the road, a nice picnic area next to a reservoir.  We had some peanut butter and honey sandwiches, watched a family having fun on the water in their motor boat, and had a nice Labor Day picnic of sorts.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1698.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-173\" title=\"102_1698\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1698-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nNow, we had originally planned to stay in Jackson (Hole), WY.  We soon realized that Jackson is an expensive resort town, where even a campsite was over $40.  As we drove through, noticing the fancy SUVs and stores, we realized this was not our kind of place and were glad we were staying elsewhere.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1718.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-174\" title=\"102_1718\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1718-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nOur destination was definitely not of the Jackson, WY type.  The campground office is located in the tavern, the bartender handles the reservations, and there is a Family Dollar conveniently next door.  She was friendly and we were checked in without incident, but we were definitely in the more every-day sort of Wyoming.  The views and proximity to the river, the free WiFi, and hot showers were also nice features of the campground.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1720.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-179\" title=\"102_1720\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1720-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nFor dinner that night, I sauteed/fried the perogies with some spices (I wasn’t confident in my ability to boil water).  They turned out well, but we also finished off the apples and the Morningstar Maple “sausage patties” that had been sitting in the cold water in the cooler.  Everything turned out great.  It was nice having a good, full meal after the long drive.\r\n\r\nAfter dinner, I had a much needed shower, and we went to the Family Dollar to buy some misc. items, namely a gallon of water, some metal forks, and paper towels.  I made use of the internet to send some emails and post on the blog, while my Dad relaxed in the tent.\r\n\r\nWe went to bed as the only campers in the site (there were RVs along the perimeter), ready to experience Yellowstone in the morning.  The 40mph winds during the night ended up giving us an early start on that journey.\r\n\r\n<object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651624590716459745%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"400\" height=\"267\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5651624590716459745%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object>', 'Day 7:  Hot Springs and Mountains', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '151-revision-19', '', '', '2011-09-13 02:23:19', '2011-09-13 02:23:19', '', 151, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=186', 0, 'revision', '', 0);
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(188, 2, '2011-09-15 22:24:00', '2011-09-15 22:24:00', 'Start: Alpine, WY - Greys River Cove RV Park - http://www.greysrivercove.com/\nDestination: Yellowstone National Park, Madison Campground\nOdometer: 104,189 (start)  104,477 (end)   288 miles\nDate:  Tuesday, September 6th,  2011\nAgain, nature can be the best alarm clock.  Thanks to some strong and persistent winds, and our general sense of alertness at the hour, we had broken camp and were on the road to Yellowstone around 5:30 in the morning.\nTo get to Yellowstone, we went through Grand Teton National Park, instead of along side it as the day before.  We were able to see some beautiful landscapes during sunrise, see the roaming buffalos at Moose, get a closer view of the Grand Teton Mountain range, and cross the continental divide.  It was a pleasant, quick, and rather uneventful drive through mostly thick forests.\n\nWe reached Yellowstone a little after 8 and asked the ranger at the gate when the next eruption of Old Faithful would be.  We were informed there’d be one around 9, so we headed straight for the Old Faithful geyser. Despite our efforts, we were stymied by a slower moving car that could not be legally or safely passed.  We arrived at the Old Faithful visitor center to see its 9:07 eruption from the distance.  We’d have to wait another 90 minutes or so for its next performance.\n\nRather than leaving to go set up camp and come back, which would be a 30 minute drive each way, we decided to have breakfast at the visitor center, check out the post office and exhibits, and try to get a good seat.\nOld Faithful is not the biggest geyser around, but its certainly the most famous.  It gets its name from the fact that its eruption is frequent, occurs roughly every 90 minutes, and has been keeping the same schedule for decades.  As such, an old and faithful tourism industry can, and has been, built around it.  The park contains hundreds, if not thousands, of geysers, which dot the park both along the road and in the distance.  Seeing steam coming from the ground is a normal occurrence that is part of the landscape.  I did not realize that Yellowstone, and much of the region surrounding it, used to be a volcano and is still thermally very active.\n\nWaiting for Old Faithful to erupt was a somewhat odd experience.  Everyone knows what will happen, and has seen/heard about it, but wants to experience it first-hand.  The anticipation for what amounts to an event of a couple of minutes has been building for minutes, hours, days, or a lifetime, depending on the person.  However, before the eruption, there really isn’t much happening: just steam coming out of a hole with a whole lot of people watching.  As such, most people are just sitting around waiting, and waiting, and waiting.  This wait however is punctured several times by teases, as some extra splashes of water emerge from the hole in the ground or the steam rises a few additional feet.  Then, finally, without much warning:  eruption.  Water is shot over a hundred feet in the air, and its vapor continues to rise, as if a cloud, into the sky.  While I had thought everyone would be standing up and pushing to get a better view, I was pleasantly surprised by the rather silent awe that came upon the crowd as most sat and gazed at this spectacle of nature. The design of the viewing gallery also helped, by only being two rows deep, but encircling the geyser wide enough for everyone to have a good viewing angle.\n\nWhat was odd about this experience was the sense that this was nature, but it was also a somewhat human-produced show, like a play or skit we’d all come to see.  The ways that people and parks civilize, control, and commercialize nature is something that I’ll be thinking about during this trip.\nAfter Old Faithful, we headed over to our campground to get set up.  But first we took an unplanned stop at the Black Sands Basin.  This was a highlight of the trip, I dare say more than Old Faithful.  The Black Sands Basin had waters of light blues, steam of bright white, sands of tan and yellow, and wild ducks of a shade of grey we had never seen.  It was great just walking around the pools and sands and feeling the hot mud.\nBLACK SANDS SLIDE SHOW\nThe campgrounds were also quite nice.  The check-in process was longer than desired, but we’d highly recommend the Madison Campground.  Our campsite was large, we were next to the bathroom, and there was a path to the river behind our site which we were able to take.\n\n\nAfter setting up our campsite, we headed off to start the Upper Loop of the park.  There were so many great sites along this road, but a few stand out.\nFirst, are the Artists Pots.  We didn’t really know what these were, but had heard that they were a key place to visit.  Initially, we were quite disappointed.  There was a long walk to the area, the length of which we were not aware of.  We came to what looked like a few pools of water on a hill, and were unimpressed, especially after seeing the Black Sands Basin.  You can’t go this far and not go farther though, so we went to the right and started on the loop around the hill.  We’re glad we did, because the Artists Pots got better the further along the path we went.  The array of bubbling colors, from oranges to whites to blues, and the whole panorama when one reaches the top of the hill are quite a scene.\nADD ARTISTS POTS SLIDE SHOW\nThe next stop was the Virginia Cascades, but the cascades ended up being the side story of that stop.  The road to the cascades is a one-lane, one-way road that travels along the river, and as such has many turns to it.  The drive was pleasant, but then, coming around a bend, there was something coming down the road, going the wrong direction on the one-way road:  a buffalo.  We had been warned that buffalo are rather docile, but can become agitated and can travel up to 30mph.  I managed to stop the car a fair distance away, but was concerned about the cars I knew were coming up behind me being able to see and stop after coming around the turn.  Also not helping was the emergence of a second buffalo from around the bend.\n\nThe first rule in a situation like this is:  Don’t Panic. The buffalo were moving slow enough, so I focused my attention on the cars coming from behind me.  I prepared to have to drive forward, but readied myself to honk the horn for when they came around the turn.  Fortunately, the horn did not startle the buffalo and the car behind us was able to stop and pull to the side.  I then proceeded to go in reverse to park on the side of the road.  The other car seemed awed and unconcerned, so I backed up behind them and the second car that arrived, to be the third in the line (I had no interest in being the first car they’d meet and was reminded of the saying about bears and just having to be faster than the slowest person in the group).\nI’m glad to report this situation passed without incident.  I was able to snap some up-close pictures of the buffalo, the car was undamaged, and we had a cool story to tell.  On the downside, we ended up missing the good viewing spot for the cascades. Oh well, we’ve seen cascades before.\nADD VIRGINIA CASCADES/BUFFALO SLIDESHOW\nAfter the cascades came the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River.  At first, I thought this was going to be a cheap attempt at gaining attention by throwing the Grand Canyon in there, sort of like a place being the New York City of Nebraska (no offense intended to Nebraska).  Again, our low expectations turned out to be completely incorrect.  This is an amazing canyon (and since I’m writing this after leaving the Grand Canyon, will add that we appreciated this canyon much more).  This canyon has a huge waterfall of light-green water, with canyon walls of 800-1200 feet high, containing an array of colors and textures throughout.  Each viewing spot offered a new and impressive view of the canyon.  We did both the north and south rim, and were continually awed.  I had not heard of this canyon before, but it should be on everyone’s site-to-see list.\nADD GRAND CANYON OF YELLOWSTONE SLIDESHOW\nFurther along the loop, we came to a drive that led up to Mount Washburn, which is the tallest mountain in Yellowstone, more than 10,000 feet high.  This “road” is a turn that needs to be taken while already on a sharp turn, is more gravel than road, and more steep than flat.  This turn-off was my idea, and I was starting to regret it, for fear we’d end up with a flat tire.  I remembered seeing other cars of less quality than ours go up and down however, so I relaxed.  That was until, again, there was a buffalo in the road walking down towards us.  While there was no one behind us, there was also no one around us in case something happened.  Falling back to what worked before, I stopped the car on the side, made no sudden movements, and let him continue on his way; which he did.  (We had a discussion later, with no solid conclusion, on whether, if a buffalo charges, it would be better to:  a) stay still b) accelerate towards it c) put the car in neutral d) speed backwards in reverse...what would you advise?) We finally made it to the top of the hill, and were glad we did the drive.  The view of the planes and mountains of Yellowstone were unparalleled.\n\nWe also stopped at some water falls, at some viewpoints of misc. mountains, at a petrified tree, and at a herd of buffalo crossing the road.  These were all on the way to our intended destination of the Mammoth Springs, which was the last main stop-off on the loop.  I knew little of this place, and in my head had the image of a large hot spring were one might bath again, similar to Thermopolis.  While the resort area built up around this Spring may have had a bath house, the free public attraction was just a hill with a lengthy boardwalk that took one up to the top of the Spring.  We were both tired, so we started at the bottom to see if it would be worth our time and energy.  We were impressed with what we saw.  There was an exhausted mineral fountain and what looked like ski slaloms and platforms of white, grey, and various shades of brown formed by the mineral deposits. This was the bottom, so the top must be better, right?  Well, not really.  After a steep walk 300 feet up the hill, and probably a mile long, with a few terraces along the way, we came to the peak to see a dried out pool of white minerals and a view of the resort.  Unlike the Artists Pots, this Mammoth Springs started strong and ended weak.\nADD MAMMOTH SPRINGS SLIDESHOW\nOn the plus side, Mammoth Springs was a few miles from the border with Montana, so we took a detour north to add the envisioned “Welcome to Montana” sign to our collection.  After a few steep, winding roads, we came to a river with a little bridge and a sign we almost missed: “Entering Montana.”  It was a bit anti-climatic, but we got the picture, crossed the line, turned around, and started the journey back to our campsite.\n\nOur journey back required us to go back again through Mammoth Springs, but this time, as we went around its traffic circle, we were greeted by, what we think are, elk, grazing on the grass in the center.\n\nAfter gawking and snapping pictures along with a few other cars for a few minutes, we continued on our way.  By this time, the sun was setting and we were racing it back to the campground.  We lost that race, but were glad we did, because we were able to see some great sunset landscapes containing a marvelous spectrum of purples and pinks.\n\nWe arrived at our campsite around 8:10.  We had been traveling the Upper Loop for about 9 hours, but the time flew by.  We bought a nice block of ice from the automated ice-vending machine, had a late dinner, and went to bed.\nWe were only spending a day in Yellowstone, but we could easily have spent several.  It is an amazing place, and we made the most of our day in it.  We saw famous and not so famous geysers, more buffalo than we’d have liked, and beautiful mineral pools and formations.\nTomorrow, we head into Idaho to visit Craters of the Moon, then south to visit and camp at Antelope Island State Park, in the Great Salt Lake of Utah.', 'Day 8:  Yellowstone National Park', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '187-revision', '', '', '2011-09-15 22:24:00', '2011-09-15 22:24:00', '', 187, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=188', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(189, 2, '2011-09-15 22:36:14', '2011-09-15 22:36:14', '', '102_1728', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '102_1728', '', '', '2011-09-15 22:36:14', '2011-09-15 22:36:14', '', 187, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1728.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(190, 2, '2011-09-15 22:37:00', '2011-09-15 22:37:00', '', '102_1793', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '102_1793', '', '', '2011-09-15 22:37:00', '2011-09-15 22:37:00', '', 187, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1793.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(191, 2, '2011-09-15 22:43:10', '2011-09-15 22:43:10', 'Start: Alpine, WY - <a href=\"http://www.greysrivercove.com/\">Greys River Cove RV Park</a>\nDestination: Yellowstone National Park, Madison Campground\nOdometer: 104,189 (start)  104,477 (end)   288 miles\nDate:  Tuesday, September 6th,  2011\n\nAgain, nature can be the best alarm clock.  Thanks to some strong and persistent winds, and our general sense of alertness at the hour, we had broken camp and were on the road to Yellowstone around 5:30 in the morning.\nTo get to Yellowstone, we went through Grand Teton National Park, instead of along side it as the day before.  We were able to see some beautiful landscapes during sunrise, see the roaming buffalos at Moose, get a closer view of the Grand Teton Mountain range, and cross the continental divide.  It was a pleasant, quick, and rather uneventful drive through mostly thick forests.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1728.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-189\" title=\"102_1728\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1728-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nWe reached Yellowstone a little after 8 and asked the ranger at the gate when the next eruption of Old Faithful would be.  We were informed there’d be one around 9, so we headed straight for the Old Faithful geyser. Despite our efforts, we were stymied by a slower moving car that could not be legally or safely passed.  We arrived at the Old Faithful visitor center to see its 9:07 eruption from the distance.  We’d have to wait another 90 minutes or so for its next performance.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1793.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-190\" title=\"102_1793\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1793-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\nRather than leaving to go set up camp and come back, which would be a 30 minute drive each way, we decided to have breakfast at the visitor center, check out the post office and exhibits, and try to get a good seat.\n\nOld Faithful is not the biggest geyser around, but its certainly the most famous.  It gets its name from the fact that its eruption is frequent, occurs roughly every 90 minutes, and has been keeping the same schedule for decades.  As such, an old and faithful tourism industry can, and has been, built around it.  The park contains hundreds, if not thousands, of geysers, which dot the park both along the road and in the distance.  Seeing steam coming from the ground is a normal occurrence that is part of the landscape.  I did not realize that Yellowstone, and much of the region surrounding it, used to be a volcano and is still thermally very active.\n\nWaiting for Old Faithful to erupt was a somewhat odd experience.  Everyone knows what will happen, and has seen/heard about it, but wants to experience it first-hand.  The anticipation for what amounts to an event of a couple of minutes has been building for minutes, hours, days, or a lifetime, depending on the person.  However, before the eruption, there really isn’t much happening: just steam coming out of a hole with a whole lot of people watching.  As such, most people are just sitting around waiting, and waiting, and waiting.  This wait however is punctured several times by teases, as some extra splashes of water emerge from the hole in the ground or the steam rises a few additional feet.  Then, finally, without much warning:  eruption.  Water is shot over a hundred feet in the air, and its vapor continues to rise, as if a cloud, into the sky.  While I had thought everyone would be standing up and pushing to get a better view, I was pleasantly surprised by the rather silent awe that came upon the crowd as most sat and gazed at this spectacle of nature. The design of the viewing gallery also helped, by only being two rows deep, but encircling the geyser wide enough for everyone to have a good viewing angle.\n\nADD VIDEO OF ERUPTION\n\nWhat was odd about this experience was the sense that this was nature, but it was also a somewhat human-produced show, like a play or skit we’d all come to see.  The ways that people and parks civilize, control, and commercialize nature is something that I’ll be thinking about during this trip.\nAfter Old Faithful, we headed over to our campground to get set up.  But first we took an unplanned stop at the Black Sands Basin.  This was a highlight of the trip, I dare say more than Old Faithful.  The Black Sands Basin had waters of light blues, steam of bright white, sands of tan and yellow, and wild ducks of a shade of grey we had never seen.  It was great just walking around the pools and sands and feeling the hot mud.\n\n<embed type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&noautoplay=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5652710581165255281%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\"></embed>\n\nThe campgrounds were also quite nice.  The check-in process was longer than desired, but we’d highly recommend the Madison Campground.  Our campsite was large, we were next to the bathroom, and there was a path to the river behind our site which we were able to take.\n\nAfter setting up our campsite, we headed off to start the Upper Loop of the park.  There were so many great sites along this road, but a few stand out.\nFirst, are the Artists Pots.  We didn’t really know what these were, but had heard that they were a key place to visit.  Initially, we were quite disappointed.  There was a long walk to the area, the length of which we were not aware of.  We came to what looked like a few pools of water on a hill, and were unimpressed, especially after seeing the Black Sands Basin.  You can’t go this far and not go farther though, so we went to the right and started on the loop around the hill.  We’re glad we did, because the Artists Pots got better the further along the path we went.  The array of bubbling colors, from oranges to whites to blues, and the whole panorama when one reaches the top of the hill are quite a scene.\n\n<embed type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&noautoplay=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5652706965915394785%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\"></embed>\n\nThe next stop was the Virginia Cascades, but the cascades ended up being the side story of that stop.  The road to the cascades is a one-lane, one-way road that travels along the river, and as such has many turns to it.  The drive was pleasant, but then, coming around a bend, there was something coming down the road, going the wrong direction on the one-way road:  a buffalo.  We had been warned that buffalo are rather docile, but can become agitated and can travel up to 30mph.  I managed to stop the car a fair distance away, but was concerned about the cars I knew were coming up behind me being able to see and stop after coming around the turn.  Also not helping was the emergence of a second buffalo from around the bend.\n\nThe first rule in a situation like this is:  Don’t Panic. The buffalo were moving slow enough, so I focused my attention on the cars coming from behind me.  I prepared to have to drive forward, but readied myself to honk the horn for when they came around the turn.  Fortunately, the horn did not startle the buffalo and the car behind us was able to stop and pull to the side.  I then proceeded to go in reverse to park on the side of the road.  The other car seemed awed and unconcerned, so I backed up behind them and the second car that arrived, to be the third in the line (I had no interest in being the first car they’d meet and was reminded of the saying about bears and just having to be faster than the slowest person in the group).\n\nI’m glad to report this situation passed without incident.  I was able to snap some up-close pictures of the buffalo, the car was undamaged, and we had a cool story to tell.  On the downside, we ended up missing the good viewing spot for the cascades. Oh well, we’ve seen cascades before.\n\n<embed type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&noautoplay=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5652715571426165937%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\"></embed>\n\nAfter the cascades came the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River.  At first, I thought this was going to be a cheap attempt at gaining attention by throwing the Grand Canyon in there, sort of like a place being the New York City of Nebraska (no offense intended to Nebraska).  Again, our low expectations turned out to be completely incorrect.  This is an amazing canyon (and since I’m writing this after leaving the Grand Canyon, will add that we appreciated this canyon much more).  This canyon has a huge waterfall of light-green water, with canyon walls of 800-1200 feet high, containing an array of colors and textures throughout.  Each viewing spot offered a new and impressive view of the canyon.  We did both the north and south rim, and were continually awed.  I had not heard of this canyon before, but it should be on everyone’s site-to-see list.\n\nADD GRAND CANYON OF YELLOWSTONE SLIDESHOW\n\nFurther along the loop, we came to a drive that led up to Mount Washburn, which is the tallest mountain in Yellowstone, more than 10,000 feet high.  This “road” is a turn that needs to be taken while already on a sharp turn, is more gravel than road, and more steep than flat.  This turn-off was my idea, and I was starting to regret it, for fear we’d end up with a flat tire.  I remembered seeing other cars of less quality than ours go up and down however, so I relaxed.  That was until, again, there was a buffalo in the road walking down towards us.  While there was no one behind us, there was also no one around us in case something happened.  Falling back to what worked before, I stopped the car on the side, made no sudden movements, and let him continue on his way; which he did.  (We had a discussion later, with no solid conclusion, on whether, if a buffalo charges, it would be better to:  a) stay still b) accelerate towards it c) put the car in neutral d) speed backwards in reverse...what would you advise?) We finally made it to the top of the hill, and were glad we did the drive.  The view of the planes and mountains of Yellowstone were unparalleled.\n\nWe also stopped at some water falls, at some viewpoints of misc. mountains, at a petrified tree, and at a herd of buffalo crossing the road.  These were all on the way to our intended destination of the Mammoth Springs, which was the last main stop-off on the loop.  I knew little of this place, and in my head had the image of a large hot spring were one might bath again, similar to Thermopolis.  While the resort area built up around this Spring may have had a bath house, the free public attraction was just a hill with a lengthy boardwalk that took one up to the top of the Spring.  We were both tired, so we started at the bottom to see if it would be worth our time and energy.  We were impressed with what we saw.  There was an exhausted mineral fountain and what looked like ski slaloms and platforms of white, grey, and various shades of brown formed by the mineral deposits. This was the bottom, so the top must be better, right?  Well, not really.  After a steep walk 300 feet up the hill, and probably a mile long, with a few terraces along the way, we came to the peak to see a dried out pool of white minerals and a view of the resort.  Unlike the Artists Pots, this Mammoth Springs started strong and ended weak.\n\n\n\nOn the plus side, Mammoth Springs was a few miles from the border with Montana, so we took a detour north to add the envisioned “Welcome to Montana” sign to our collection.  After a few steep, winding roads, we came to a river with a little bridge and a sign we almost missed: “Entering Montana.”  It was a bit anti-climatic, but we got the picture, crossed the line, turned around, and started the journey back to our campsite.\n\nOur journey back required us to go back again through Mammoth Springs, but this time, as we went around its traffic circle, we were greeted by, what we think are, elk, grazing on the grass in the center.\n\nAfter gawking and snapping pictures along with a few other cars for a few minutes, we continued on our way.  By this time, the sun was setting and we were racing it back to the campground.  We lost that race, but were glad we did, because we were able to see some great sunset landscapes containing a marvelous spectrum of purples and pinks.\n\nWe arrived at our campsite around 8:10.  We had been traveling the Upper Loop for about 9 hours, but the time flew by.  We bought a nice block of ice from the automated ice-vending machine, had a late dinner, and went to bed.\nWe were only spending a day in Yellowstone, but we could easily have spent several.  It is an amazing place, and we made the most of our day in it.  We saw famous and not so famous geysers, more buffalo than we’d have liked, and beautiful mineral pools and formations.\nTomorrow, we head into Idaho to visit Craters of the Moon, then south to visit and camp at Antelope Island State Park, in the Great Salt Lake of Utah.', 'Day 8:  Yellowstone National Park', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '187-revision-2', '', '', '2011-09-15 22:43:10', '2011-09-15 22:43:10', '', 187, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=191', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(192, 2, '2011-09-15 22:44:40', '2011-09-15 22:44:40', 'Start: Alpine, WY - <a href=\"http://www.greysrivercove.com/\">Greys River Cove RV Park</a>\nDestination: Yellowstone National Park, Madison Campground\nOdometer: 104,189 (start)  104,477 (end)   288 miles\nDate:  Tuesday, September 6th,  2011\n\nAgain, nature can be the best alarm clock.  Thanks to some strong and persistent winds, and our general sense of alertness at the hour, we had broken camp and were on the road to Yellowstone around 5:30 in the morning.\nTo get to Yellowstone, we went through Grand Teton National Park, instead of along side it as the day before.  We were able to see some beautiful landscapes during sunrise, see the roaming buffalos at Moose, get a closer view of the Grand Teton Mountain range, and cross the continental divide.  It was a pleasant, quick, and rather uneventful drive through mostly thick forests.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1728.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-189\" title=\"102_1728\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1728-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nWe reached Yellowstone a little after 8 and asked the ranger at the gate when the next eruption of Old Faithful would be.  We were informed there’d be one around 9, so we headed straight for the Old Faithful geyser. Despite our efforts, we were stymied by a slower moving car that could not be legally or safely passed.  We arrived at the Old Faithful visitor center to see its 9:07 eruption from the distance.  We’d have to wait another 90 minutes or so for its next performance.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1793.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-190\" title=\"102_1793\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1793-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\nRather than leaving to go set up camp and come back, which would be a 30 minute drive each way, we decided to have breakfast at the visitor center, check out the post office and exhibits, and try to get a good seat.\n\nOld Faithful is not the biggest geyser around, but its certainly the most famous.  It gets its name from the fact that its eruption is frequent, occurs roughly every 90 minutes, and has been keeping the same schedule for decades.  As such, an old and faithful tourism industry can, and has been, built around it.  The park contains hundreds, if not thousands, of geysers, which dot the park both along the road and in the distance.  Seeing steam coming from the ground is a normal occurrence that is part of the landscape.  I did not realize that Yellowstone, and much of the region surrounding it, used to be a volcano and is still thermally very active.\n\nWaiting for Old Faithful to erupt was a somewhat odd experience.  Everyone knows what will happen, and has seen/heard about it, but wants to experience it first-hand.  The anticipation for what amounts to an event of a couple of minutes has been building for minutes, hours, days, or a lifetime, depending on the person.  However, before the eruption, there really isn’t much happening: just steam coming out of a hole with a whole lot of people watching.  As such, most people are just sitting around waiting, and waiting, and waiting.  This wait however is punctured several times by teases, as some extra splashes of water emerge from the hole in the ground or the steam rises a few additional feet.  Then, finally, without much warning:  eruption.  Water is shot over a hundred feet in the air, and its vapor continues to rise, as if a cloud, into the sky.  While I had thought everyone would be standing up and pushing to get a better view, I was pleasantly surprised by the rather silent awe that came upon the crowd as most sat and gazed at this spectacle of nature. The design of the viewing gallery also helped, by only being two rows deep, but encircling the geyser wide enough for everyone to have a good viewing angle.\n\nADD VIDEO OF ERUPTION\n\nWhat was odd about this experience was the sense that this was nature, but it was also a somewhat human-produced show, like a play or skit we’d all come to see.  The ways that people and parks civilize, control, and commercialize nature is something that I’ll be thinking about during this trip.\nAfter Old Faithful, we headed over to our campground to get set up.  But first we took an unplanned stop at the Black Sands Basin.  This was a highlight of the trip, I dare say more than Old Faithful.  The Black Sands Basin had waters of light blues, steam of bright white, sands of tan and yellow, and wild ducks of a shade of grey we had never seen.  It was great just walking around the pools and sands and feeling the hot mud.\n\n<embed type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&noautoplay=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5652710581165255281%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\"></embed>\n\nThe campgrounds were also quite nice.  The check-in process was longer than desired, but we’d highly recommend the Madison Campground.  Our campsite was large, we were next to the bathroom, and there was a path to the river behind our site which we were able to take.\n\nAfter setting up our campsite, we headed off to start the Upper Loop of the park.  There were so many great sites along this road, but a few stand out.\nFirst, are the Artists Pots.  We didn’t really know what these were, but had heard that they were a key place to visit.  Initially, we were quite disappointed.  There was a long walk to the area, the length of which we were not aware of.  We came to what looked like a few pools of water on a hill, and were unimpressed, especially after seeing the Black Sands Basin.  You can’t go this far and not go farther though, so we went to the right and started on the loop around the hill.  We’re glad we did, because the Artists Pots got better the further along the path we went.  The array of bubbling colors, from oranges to whites to blues, and the whole panorama when one reaches the top of the hill are quite a scene.\n\n<embed type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&noautoplay=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5652706965915394785%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\"></embed>\n\nThe next stop was the Virginia Cascades, but the cascades ended up being the side story of that stop.  The road to the cascades is a one-lane, one-way road that travels along the river, and as such has many turns to it.  The drive was pleasant, but then, coming around a bend, there was something coming down the road, going the wrong direction on the one-way road:  a buffalo.  We had been warned that buffalo are rather docile, but can become agitated and can travel up to 30mph.  I managed to stop the car a fair distance away, but was concerned about the cars I knew were coming up behind me being able to see and stop after coming around the turn.  Also not helping was the emergence of a second buffalo from around the bend.\n\nThe first rule in a situation like this is:  Don’t Panic. The buffalo were moving slow enough, so I focused my attention on the cars coming from behind me.  I prepared to have to drive forward, but readied myself to honk the horn for when they came around the turn.  Fortunately, the horn did not startle the buffalo and the car behind us was able to stop and pull to the side.  I then proceeded to go in reverse to park on the side of the road.  The other car seemed awed and unconcerned, so I backed up behind them and the second car that arrived, to be the third in the line (I had no interest in being the first car they’d meet and was reminded of the saying about bears and just having to be faster than the slowest person in the group).\n\nI’m glad to report this situation passed without incident.  I was able to snap some up-close pictures of the buffalo, the car was undamaged, and we had a cool story to tell.  On the downside, we ended up missing the good viewing spot for the cascades. Oh well, we’ve seen cascades before.\n\n<embed type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&noautoplay=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5652715571426165937%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\"></embed>\n\nAfter the cascades came the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River.  At first, I thought this was going to be a cheap attempt at gaining attention by throwing the Grand Canyon in there, sort of like a place being the New York City of Nebraska (no offense intended to Nebraska).  Again, our low expectations turned out to be completely incorrect.  This is an amazing canyon (and since I’m writing this after leaving the Grand Canyon, will add that we appreciated this canyon much more).  This canyon has a huge waterfall of light-green water, with canyon walls of 800-1200 feet high, containing an array of colors and textures throughout.  Each viewing spot offered a new and impressive view of the canyon.  We did both the north and south rim, and were continually awed.  I had not heard of this canyon before, but it should be on everyone’s site-to-see list.\n\nADD GRAND CANYON OF YELLOWSTONE SLIDESHOW\n\nFurther along the loop, we came to a drive that led up to Mount Washburn, which is the tallest mountain in Yellowstone, more than 10,000 feet high.  This “road” is a turn that needs to be taken while already on a sharp turn, is more gravel than road, and more steep than flat.  This turn-off was my idea, and I was starting to regret it, for fear we’d end up with a flat tire.  I remembered seeing other cars of less quality than ours go up and down however, so I relaxed.  That was until, again, there was a buffalo in the road walking down towards us.  While there was no one behind us, there was also no one around us in case something happened.  Falling back to what worked before, I stopped the car on the side, made no sudden movements, and let him continue on his way; which he did.  (We had a discussion later, with no solid conclusion, on whether, if a buffalo charges, it would be better to:  a) stay still b) accelerate towards it c) put the car in neutral d) speed backwards in reverse...what would you advise?) We finally made it to the top of the hill, and were glad we did the drive.  The view of the planes and mountains of Yellowstone were unparalleled.\n\nWe also stopped at some water falls, at some viewpoints of misc. mountains, at a petrified tree, and at a herd of buffalo crossing the road.  These were all on the way to our intended destination of the Mammoth Springs, which was the last main stop-off on the loop.  I knew little of this place, and in my head had the image of a large hot spring were one might bath again, similar to Thermopolis.  While the resort area built up around this Spring may have had a bath house, the free public attraction was just a hill with a lengthy boardwalk that took one up to the top of the Spring.  We were both tired, so we started at the bottom to see if it would be worth our time and energy.  We were impressed with what we saw.  There was an exhausted mineral fountain and what looked like ski slaloms and platforms of white, grey, and various shades of brown formed by the mineral deposits. This was the bottom, so the top must be better, right?  Well, not really.  After a steep walk 300 feet up the hill, and probably a mile long, with a few terraces along the way, we came to the peak to see a dried out pool of white minerals and a view of the resort.  Unlike the Artists Pots, this Mammoth Springs started strong and ended weak.\n\n<embed type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&noautoplay=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5652712840213255377%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\"></embed>\n\nOn the plus side, Mammoth Springs was a few miles from the border with Montana, so we took a detour north to add the envisioned “Welcome to Montana” sign to our collection.  After a few steep, winding roads, we came to a river with a little bridge and a sign we almost missed: “Entering Montana.”  It was a bit anti-climatic, but we got the picture, crossed the line, turned around, and started the journey back to our campsite.\n\nOur journey back required us to go back again through Mammoth Springs, but this time, as we went around its traffic circle, we were greeted by, what we think are, elk, grazing on the grass in the center.\n\nAfter gawking and snapping pictures along with a few other cars for a few minutes, we continued on our way.  By this time, the sun was setting and we were racing it back to the campground.  We lost that race, but were glad we did, because we were able to see some great sunset landscapes containing a marvelous spectrum of purples and pinks.\n\nWe arrived at our campsite around 8:10.  We had been traveling the Upper Loop for about 9 hours, but the time flew by.  We bought a nice block of ice from the automated ice-vending machine, had a late dinner, and went to bed.\nWe were only spending a day in Yellowstone, but we could easily have spent several.  It is an amazing place, and we made the most of our day in it.  We saw famous and not so famous geysers, more buffalo than we’d have liked, and beautiful mineral pools and formations.\n\nTomorrow, we head into Idaho to visit Craters of the Moon, then south to visit and camp at Antelope Island State Park, in the Great Salt Lake of Utah.\n\n<embed type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&noautoplay=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5652701062460467665%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\"></embed>', 'Day 8:  Yellowstone National Park', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '187-revision-3', '', '', '2011-09-15 22:44:40', '2011-09-15 22:44:40', '', 187, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=192', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
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(199, 2, '2011-09-15 22:57:26', '2011-09-15 22:57:26', 'Start: Alpine, WY - <a href=\"http://www.greysrivercove.com/\">Greys River Cove RV Park</a>\nDestination: Yellowstone National Park, Madison Campground\nOdometer: 104,189 (start)  104,477 (end)   288 miles\nDate:  Tuesday, September 6th,  2011\n\nAgain, nature can be the best alarm clock.  Thanks to some strong and persistent winds, and our general sense of alertness at the hour, we had broken camp and were on the road to Yellowstone around 5:30 in the morning.\n\nTo get to Yellowstone, we went through Grand Teton National Park, instead of along side it as the day before.  We were able to see some beautiful landscapes during sunrise, see the roaming buffalos at Moose, get a closer view of the Grand Teton Mountain range, and cross the continental divide.  It was a pleasant, quick, and rather uneventful drive through mostly thick forests.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1728.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-189\" title=\"102_1728\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1728-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nWe reached Yellowstone a little after 8 and asked the ranger at the gate when the next eruption of Old Faithful would be.  We were informed there’d be one around 9, so we headed straight for the Old Faithful geyser. Despite our efforts, we were stymied by a slower moving car that could not be legally or safely passed.  We arrived at the Old Faithful visitor center to see its 9:07 eruption from the distance.  We’d have to wait another 90 minutes or so for its next performance.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1793.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-190\" title=\"102_1793\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1793-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\nRather than leaving to go set up camp and come back, which would be a 30 minute drive each way, we decided to have breakfast at the visitor center, check out the post office and exhibits, and try to get a good seat.\n\nOld Faithful is not the biggest geyser around, but its certainly the most famous.  It gets its name from the fact that its eruption is frequent, occurs roughly every 90 minutes, and has been keeping the same schedule for decades.  As such, an old and faithful tourism industry can, and has been, built around it.  The park contains hundreds, if not thousands, of geysers, which dot the park both along the road and in the distance.  Seeing steam coming from the ground is a normal occurrence that is part of the landscape.  I did not realize that Yellowstone, and much of the region surrounding it, used to be a volcano and is still thermally very active.\n\nWaiting for Old Faithful to erupt was a somewhat odd experience.  Everyone knows what will happen, and has seen/heard about it, but wants to experience it first-hand.  The anticipation for what amounts to an event of a couple of minutes has been building for minutes, hours, days, or a lifetime, depending on the person.  However, before the eruption, there really isn’t much happening: just steam coming out of a hole with a whole lot of people watching.  As such, most people are just sitting around waiting, and waiting, and waiting.  This wait however is punctured several times by teases, as some extra splashes of water emerge from the hole in the ground or the steam rises a few additional feet.  Then, finally, without much warning:  eruption.  Water is shot over a hundred feet in the air, and its vapor continues to rise, as if a cloud, into the sky.  While I had thought everyone would be standing up and pushing to get a better view, I was pleasantly surprised by the rather silent awe that came upon the crowd as most sat and gazed at this spectacle of nature. The design of the viewing gallery also helped, by only being two rows deep, but encircling the geyser wide enough for everyone to have a good viewing angle.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nADD VIDEO OF ERUPTION\n\nWhat was odd about this experience was the sense that this was nature, but it was also a somewhat human-produced show, like a play or skit we’d all come to see.  The ways that people and parks civilize, control, and commercialize nature is something that I’ll be thinking about during this trip.\n\nAfter Old Faithful, we headed over to our campground to get set up.  But first we took an unplanned stop at the Black Sands Basin.  This was a highlight of the trip, I dare say more than Old Faithful.  The Black Sands Basin had waters of light blues, steam of bright white, sands of tan and yellow, and wild ducks of a shade of grey we had never seen.  It was great just walking around the pools and sands and feeling the hot mud.\n\n<object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5652710581165255281%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"400\" height=\"267\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5652710581165255281%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object>\n\nThe campgrounds were also quite nice.  The check-in process was longer than desired, but we’d highly recommend the Madison Campground.  Our campsite was large, we were next to the bathroom, and there was a path to the river behind our site which we were able to take.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1859.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-193\" title=\"102_1859\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1859-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1856.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-194\" title=\"102_1856\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1856-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nAfter setting up our campsite, we headed off to start the Upper Loop of the park.  There were so many great sites along this road, but a few stand out.\n\nFirst, are the Artists Pots.  We didn’t really know what these were, but had heard that they were a key place to visit.  Initially, we were quite disappointed.  There was a long walk to the area, the length of which we were not aware of.  We came to what looked like a few pools of water on a hill, and were unimpressed, especially after seeing the Black Sands Basin.  You can’t go this far and not go farther though, so we went to the right and started on the loop around the hill.  We’re glad we did, because the Artists Pots got better the further along the path we went.  The array of bubbling colors, from oranges to whites to blues, and the whole panorama when one reaches the top of the hill are quite a scene.\n\n<object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5652706965915394785%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"400\" height=\"267\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5652706965915394785%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object>\n\nThe next stop was the Virginia Cascades, but the cascades ended up being the side story of that stop.  The road to the cascades is a one-lane, one-way road that travels along the river, and as such has many turns to it.  The drive was pleasant, but then, coming around a bend, there was something coming down the road, going the wrong direction on the one-way road:  a buffalo.  We had been warned that buffalo are rather docile, but can become agitated and can travel up to 30mph.  I managed to stop the car a fair distance away, but was concerned about the cars I knew were coming up behind me being able to see and stop after coming around the turn.  Also not helping was the emergence of a second buffalo from around the bend.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1907.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-195\" title=\"102_1907\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1907-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nThe first rule in a situation like this is:  Don’t Panic. The buffalo were moving slow enough, so I focused my attention on the cars coming from behind me.  I prepared to have to drive forward, but readied myself to honk the horn for when they came around the turn.  Fortunately, the horn did not startle the buffalo and the car behind us was able to stop and pull to the side.  I then proceeded to go in reverse to park on the side of the road.  The other car seemed awed and unconcerned, so I backed up behind them and the second car that arrived, to be the third in the line (I had no interest in being the first car they’d meet and was reminded of the saying about bears and just having to be faster than the slowest person in the group).\n\nI’m glad to report this situation passed without incident.  I was able to snap some up-close pictures of the buffalo, the car was undamaged, and we had a cool story to tell.  On the downside, we ended up missing the good viewing spot for the cascades. Oh well, we’ve seen cascades before.\n\n<object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5652715571426165937%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"400\" height=\"267\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5652715571426165937%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object>\n\nAfter the cascades came the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River.  At first, I thought this was going to be a cheap attempt at gaining attention by throwing the Grand Canyon in there, sort of like a place being the New York City of Nebraska (no offense intended to Nebraska).  Again, our low expectations turned out to be completely incorrect.  This is an amazing canyon (and since I’m writing this after leaving the Grand Canyon, will add that we appreciated this canyon much more).  This canyon has a huge waterfall of light-green water, with canyon walls of 800-1200 feet high, containing an array of colors and textures throughout.  Each viewing spot offered a new and impressive view of the canyon.  We did both the north and south rim, and were continually awed.  I had not heard of this canyon before, but it should be on everyone’s site-to-see list.\n\nADD GRAND CANYON OF YELLOWSTONE SLIDESHOW\n\nFurther along the loop, we came to a drive that led up to Mount Washburn, which is the tallest mountain in Yellowstone, more than 10,000 feet high.  This “road” is a turn that needs to be taken while already on a sharp turn, is more gravel than road, and more steep than flat.  This turn-off was my idea, and I was starting to regret it, for fear we’d end up with a flat tire.  I remembered seeing other cars of less quality than ours go up and down however, so I relaxed.  That was until, again, there was a buffalo in the road walking down towards us.  While there was no one behind us, there was also no one around us in case something happened.  Falling back to what worked before, I stopped the car on the side, made no sudden movements, and let him continue on his way; which he did.  (We had a discussion later, with no solid conclusion, on whether, if a buffalo charges, it would be better to:  a) stay still b) accelerate towards it c) put the car in neutral d) speed backwards in reverse...what would you advise?) We finally made it to the top of the hill, and were glad we did the drive.  The view of the planes and mountains of Yellowstone were unparalleled.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_2005.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-196\" title=\"102_2005\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_2005-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nWe also stopped at some water falls, at some viewpoints of misc. mountains, at a petrified tree, and at a herd of buffalo crossing the road.  These were all on the way to our intended destination of the Mammoth Springs, which was the last main stop-off on the loop.  I knew little of this place, and in my head had the image of a large hot spring were one might bath again, similar to Thermopolis.  While the resort area built up around this Spring may have had a bath house, the free public attraction was just a hill with a lengthy boardwalk that took one up to the top of the Spring.  We were both tired, so we started at the bottom to see if it would be worth our time and energy.  We were impressed with what we saw.  There was an exhausted mineral fountain and what looked like ski slaloms and platforms of white, grey, and various shades of brown formed by the mineral deposits. This was the bottom, so the top must be better, right?  Well, not really.  After a steep walk 300 feet up the hill, and probably a mile long, with a few terraces along the way, we came to the peak to see a dried out pool of white minerals and a view of the resort.  Unlike the Artists Pots, this Mammoth Springs started strong and ended weak.\n\n<object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5652712840213255377%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"400\" height=\"267\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5652712840213255377%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object>\n\nOn the plus side, Mammoth Springs was a few miles from the border with Montana, so we took a detour north to add the envisioned “Welcome to Montana” sign to our collection.  After a few steep, winding roads, we came to a river with a little bridge and a sign we almost missed: “Entering Montana.”  It was a bit anti-climatic, but we got the picture, crossed the line, turned around, and started the journey back to our campsite.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_2092.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-197\" title=\"102_2092\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_2092-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nOur journey back required us to go back again through Mammoth Springs, but this time, as we went around its traffic circle, we were greeted by, what we think are, elk, grazing on the grass in the center.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_2096.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-198\" title=\"102_2096\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_2096-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nAfter gawking and snapping pictures along with a few other cars for a few minutes, we continued on our way.  By this time, the sun was setting and we were racing it back to the campground.  We lost that race, but were glad we did, because we were able to see some great sunset landscapes containing a marvelous spectrum of purples and pinks.\n\nWe arrived at our campsite around 8:10.  We had been traveling the Upper Loop for about 9 hours, but the time flew by.  We bought a nice block of ice from the automated ice-vending machine, had a late dinner, and went to bed.\n\nWe were only spending a day in Yellowstone, but we could easily have spent several.  It is an amazing place, and we made the most of our day in it.  We saw famous and not so famous geysers, more buffalo than we’d have liked, and beautiful mineral pools and formations.\n\nTomorrow, we head into Idaho to visit Craters of the Moon, then south to visit and camp at Antelope Island State Park, in the Great Salt Lake of Utah.\n\n<object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" 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(200, 2, '2011-09-15 22:58:45', '2011-09-15 22:58:45', '', 'eruption', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '102_1811', '', '', '2011-09-15 22:58:45', '2011-09-15 22:58:45', '', 187, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1811.mp4', 0, 'attachment', 'video/mp4', 0),
(201, 2, '2011-09-15 22:58:54', '2011-09-15 22:58:54', 'Start: Alpine, WY - <a href=\"http://www.greysrivercove.com/\">Greys River Cove RV Park</a>\nDestination: Yellowstone National Park, Madison Campground\nOdometer: 104,189 (start)  104,477 (end)   288 miles\nDate:  Tuesday, September 6th,  2011\n\nAgain, nature can be the best alarm clock.  Thanks to some strong and persistent winds, and our general sense of alertness at the hour, we had broken camp and were on the road to Yellowstone around 5:30 in the morning.\n\nTo get to Yellowstone, we went through Grand Teton National Park, instead of along side it as the day before.  We were able to see some beautiful landscapes during sunrise, see the roaming buffalos at Moose, get a closer view of the Grand Teton Mountain range, and cross the continental divide.  It was a pleasant, quick, and rather uneventful drive through mostly thick forests.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1728.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-189\" title=\"102_1728\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1728-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nWe reached Yellowstone a little after 8 and asked the ranger at the gate when the next eruption of Old Faithful would be.  We were informed there’d be one around 9, so we headed straight for the Old Faithful geyser. Despite our efforts, we were stymied by a slower moving car that could not be legally or safely passed.  We arrived at the Old Faithful visitor center to see its 9:07 eruption from the distance.  We’d have to wait another 90 minutes or so for its next performance.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1793.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-190\" title=\"102_1793\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1793-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\nRather than leaving to go set up camp and come back, which would be a 30 minute drive each way, we decided to have breakfast at the visitor center, check out the post office and exhibits, and try to get a good seat.\n\nOld Faithful is not the biggest geyser around, but its certainly the most famous.  It gets its name from the fact that its eruption is frequent, occurs roughly every 90 minutes, and has been keeping the same schedule for decades.  As such, an old and faithful tourism industry can, and has been, built around it.  The park contains hundreds, if not thousands, of geysers, which dot the park both along the road and in the distance.  Seeing steam coming from the ground is a normal occurrence that is part of the landscape.  I did not realize that Yellowstone, and much of the region surrounding it, used to be a volcano and is still thermally very active.\n\nWaiting for Old Faithful to erupt was a somewhat odd experience.  Everyone knows what will happen, and has seen/heard about it, but wants to experience it first-hand.  The anticipation for what amounts to an event of a couple of minutes has been building for minutes, hours, days, or a lifetime, depending on the person.  However, before the eruption, there really isn’t much happening: just steam coming out of a hole with a whole lot of people watching.  As such, most people are just sitting around waiting, and waiting, and waiting.  This wait however is punctured several times by teases, as some extra splashes of water emerge from the hole in the ground or the steam rises a few additional feet.  Then, finally, without much warning:  eruption.  Water is shot over a hundred feet in the air, and its vapor continues to rise, as if a cloud, into the sky.  While I had thought everyone would be standing up and pushing to get a better view, I was pleasantly surprised by the rather silent awe that came upon the crowd as most sat and gazed at this spectacle of nature. The design of the viewing gallery also helped, by only being two rows deep, but encircling the geyser wide enough for everyone to have a good viewing angle.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1811.mp4\">102_1811</a>\n\nADD VIDEO OF ERUPTION\n\nWhat was odd about this experience was the sense that this was nature, but it was also a somewhat human-produced show, like a play or skit we’d all come to see.  The ways that people and parks civilize, control, and commercialize nature is something that I’ll be thinking about during this trip.\n\nAfter Old Faithful, we headed over to our campground to get set up.  But first we took an unplanned stop at the Black Sands Basin.  This was a highlight of the trip, I dare say more than Old Faithful.  The Black Sands Basin had waters of light blues, steam of bright white, sands of tan and yellow, and wild ducks of a shade of grey we had never seen.  It was great just walking around the pools and sands and feeling the hot mud.\n\n<object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5652710581165255281%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"400\" height=\"267\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5652710581165255281%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object>\n\nThe campgrounds were also quite nice.  The check-in process was longer than desired, but we’d highly recommend the Madison Campground.  Our campsite was large, we were next to the bathroom, and there was a path to the river behind our site which we were able to take.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1859.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-193\" title=\"102_1859\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1859-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1856.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-194\" title=\"102_1856\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1856-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nAfter setting up our campsite, we headed off to start the Upper Loop of the park.  There were so many great sites along this road, but a few stand out.\n\nFirst, are the Artists Pots.  We didn’t really know what these were, but had heard that they were a key place to visit.  Initially, we were quite disappointed.  There was a long walk to the area, the length of which we were not aware of.  We came to what looked like a few pools of water on a hill, and were unimpressed, especially after seeing the Black Sands Basin.  You can’t go this far and not go farther though, so we went to the right and started on the loop around the hill.  We’re glad we did, because the Artists Pots got better the further along the path we went.  The array of bubbling colors, from oranges to whites to blues, and the whole panorama when one reaches the top of the hill are quite a scene.\n\n<object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5652706965915394785%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"400\" height=\"267\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5652706965915394785%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object>\n\nThe next stop was the Virginia Cascades, but the cascades ended up being the side story of that stop.  The road to the cascades is a one-lane, one-way road that travels along the river, and as such has many turns to it.  The drive was pleasant, but then, coming around a bend, there was something coming down the road, going the wrong direction on the one-way road:  a buffalo.  We had been warned that buffalo are rather docile, but can become agitated and can travel up to 30mph.  I managed to stop the car a fair distance away, but was concerned about the cars I knew were coming up behind me being able to see and stop after coming around the turn.  Also not helping was the emergence of a second buffalo from around the bend.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1907.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-195\" title=\"102_1907\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_1907-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nThe first rule in a situation like this is:  Don’t Panic. The buffalo were moving slow enough, so I focused my attention on the cars coming from behind me.  I prepared to have to drive forward, but readied myself to honk the horn for when they came around the turn.  Fortunately, the horn did not startle the buffalo and the car behind us was able to stop and pull to the side.  I then proceeded to go in reverse to park on the side of the road.  The other car seemed awed and unconcerned, so I backed up behind them and the second car that arrived, to be the third in the line (I had no interest in being the first car they’d meet and was reminded of the saying about bears and just having to be faster than the slowest person in the group).\n\nI’m glad to report this situation passed without incident.  I was able to snap some up-close pictures of the buffalo, the car was undamaged, and we had a cool story to tell.  On the downside, we ended up missing the good viewing spot for the cascades. Oh well, we’ve seen cascades before.\n\n<object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5652715571426165937%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"400\" height=\"267\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5652715571426165937%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object>\n\nAfter the cascades came the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River.  At first, I thought this was going to be a cheap attempt at gaining attention by throwing the Grand Canyon in there, sort of like a place being the New York City of Nebraska (no offense intended to Nebraska).  Again, our low expectations turned out to be completely incorrect.  This is an amazing canyon (and since I’m writing this after leaving the Grand Canyon, will add that we appreciated this canyon much more).  This canyon has a huge waterfall of light-green water, with canyon walls of 800-1200 feet high, containing an array of colors and textures throughout.  Each viewing spot offered a new and impressive view of the canyon.  We did both the north and south rim, and were continually awed.  I had not heard of this canyon before, but it should be on everyone’s site-to-see list.\n\n<object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5652717591556139409%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"400\" height=\"267\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5652717591556139409%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object>\n\nFurther along the loop, we came to a drive that led up to Mount Washburn, which is the tallest mountain in Yellowstone, more than 10,000 feet high.  This “road” is a turn that needs to be taken while already on a sharp turn, is more gravel than road, and more steep than flat.  This turn-off was my idea, and I was starting to regret it, for fear we’d end up with a flat tire.  I remembered seeing other cars of less quality than ours go up and down however, so I relaxed.  That was until, again, there was a buffalo in the road walking down towards us.  While there was no one behind us, there was also no one around us in case something happened.  Falling back to what worked before, I stopped the car on the side, made no sudden movements, and let him continue on his way; which he did.  (We had a discussion later, with no solid conclusion, on whether, if a buffalo charges, it would be better to:  a) stay still b) accelerate towards it c) put the car in neutral d) speed backwards in reverse...what would you advise?) We finally made it to the top of the hill, and were glad we did the drive.  The view of the planes and mountains of Yellowstone were unparalleled.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_2005.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-196\" title=\"102_2005\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_2005-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nWe also stopped at some water falls, at some viewpoints of misc. mountains, at a petrified tree, and at a herd of buffalo crossing the road.  These were all on the way to our intended destination of the Mammoth Springs, which was the last main stop-off on the loop.  I knew little of this place, and in my head had the image of a large hot spring were one might bath again, similar to Thermopolis.  While the resort area built up around this Spring may have had a bath house, the free public attraction was just a hill with a lengthy boardwalk that took one up to the top of the Spring.  We were both tired, so we started at the bottom to see if it would be worth our time and energy.  We were impressed with what we saw.  There was an exhausted mineral fountain and what looked like ski slaloms and platforms of white, grey, and various shades of brown formed by the mineral deposits. This was the bottom, so the top must be better, right?  Well, not really.  After a steep walk 300 feet up the hill, and probably a mile long, with a few terraces along the way, we came to the peak to see a dried out pool of white minerals and a view of the resort.  Unlike the Artists Pots, this Mammoth Springs started strong and ended weak.\n\n<object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5652712840213255377%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"400\" height=\"267\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5652712840213255377%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object>\n\nOn the plus side, Mammoth Springs was a few miles from the border with Montana, so we took a detour north to add the envisioned “Welcome to Montana” sign to our collection.  After a few steep, winding roads, we came to a river with a little bridge and a sign we almost missed: “Entering Montana.”  It was a bit anti-climatic, but we got the picture, crossed the line, turned around, and started the journey back to our campsite.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_2092.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-197\" title=\"102_2092\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_2092-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nOur journey back required us to go back again through Mammoth Springs, but this time, as we went around its traffic circle, we were greeted by, what we think are, elk, grazing on the grass in the center.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_2096.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-198\" title=\"102_2096\" src=\"http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/102_2096-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nAfter gawking and snapping pictures along with a few other cars for a few minutes, we continued on our way.  By this time, the sun was setting and we were racing it back to the campground.  We lost that race, but were glad we did, because we were able to see some great sunset landscapes containing a marvelous spectrum of purples and pinks.\n\nWe arrived at our campsite around 8:10.  We had been traveling the Upper Loop for about 9 hours, but the time flew by.  We bought a nice block of ice from the automated ice-vending machine, had a late dinner, and went to bed.\n\nWe were only spending a day in Yellowstone, but we could easily have spent several.  It is an amazing place, and we made the most of our day in it.  We saw famous and not so famous geysers, more buffalo than we’d have liked, and beautiful mineral pools and formations.\n\nTomorrow, we head into Idaho to visit Craters of the Moon, then south to visit and camp at Antelope Island State Park, in the Great Salt Lake of Utah.\n\n<object width=\"400\" height=\"267\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5652701062460467665%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" /><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /><embed width=\"400\" height=\"267\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf\" flashvars=\"host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;noautoplay=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107638235733347757198%2Falbumid%2F5652701062460467665%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US\" pluginspage=\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" /></object>', 'Day 8:  Yellowstone National Park', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '187-revision-5', '', '', '2011-09-15 22:58:54', '2011-09-15 22:58:54', '', 187, 'http://www.richgoldman.info/blog/?p=201', 0, 'revision', '', 0);
