Western Trip 2023 – Cody, Wyoming

August 23-29

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Cody Wyoming is one of our favorite places in the West. We stayed there in 2013 for the first time and loved it and the history surrounding the town and the connection to Yellowstone National Park, just a 1 ½ hour drive west of Cody.

Colonel William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody, the living legend who, at the age of 41, was one of the most famous men in the world, founded Cody, Wyoming, in 1896. A walking tour of historic downtown will take you back to the frontier days of Cody, Wyoming.

Given Cody's founders famous Wild West shows, it is no surprise that it is considered the "Rodeo Capital of the World." While passing by the Cody Stampede Rodeo Office, hear about the Cody Stampede’s almost 100-year history. This night rodeo is performed every night of the year.

I toured the Buffalo Bill Center of the West and learned about the traditions, values, and cultures of the Plains Indians people. This is just one of five comprehensive and remarkable museums at The Center. Often referred to as the "Smithsonian of the West," home to the Buffalo Bill Museum, Draper Natural History Museum, Plains Indians cultures and Cody Firearms Museum. I spent several hours for 2 days exploring this wonderful historical museum. The Cody Firearms Museum was so vast, I only had the time to walk through all the exhibits, but still was very interesting. There were other museums, but not enough time to visit them all.

I did tour a historical outdoor museum “Trail Town” which consists of a variety of historical log cabins moved to this location as a way to show visitors how the frontier people lived. There were over 30 cabins to walk through. Also several metal statues of several leaders in the frontier town.

The buildings that have changed and those that have stayed the same in downtown. The Cody Trading Company long-predated Wal-Mart as the one-stop shop for all one’s shopping needs in this frontier town. Or the Cody Post Office that has the same façade and interior details from when it was built in 1927.

Of course, there will be stories about "Buffalo Bill," his career, and his family—especially his daughter Irma who is the namesake of the Irma Hotel. The Irma Hotel in downtown is the place to visit, have a meal and drinks in the saloon. Most evenings on the street in front of the hotel, there is a “gunfight” reenactment for the visitors to watch. This historical hotel is great to walk through and see how amazing it is.

With its close proximity to Yellowstone National Park, a rich western heritage, and exciting attractions and outdoor activities, Cody welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

 Western Trip 2023 – Livingston, Montana - Yellowstone River & Paradise Valley 

August 16 -27

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Next, we headed to Livingston Montana where we visited in 2013. This western mountain town was one of our favorites, so we decided to stay here again and enjoy the area and observe how this town had changed. We stayed at Osens RV Park, same one we went to in 2013. The campground had been updated with nicer sites and plenty of room. The new managers were very helpful and kept the park well maintained. Even though the prices also increased, it was worth staying in an RV park that had all the amenities we needed.

While exploring in town, we found more interesting places. The old Depot building is now a historical museum, centering on the pioneer movement into this Yellowstone valley. The train was originally built to bring visitors to Yellowstone National Park, as it was the only way to get there. I was so interested in this history and learned a lot from the displays in the museum. Downtown Livingston did not change so much over the years.

We spent a lot of time on the Yellowstone River shore where there was a fishing access to the river. The dogs loved playing on the rocky shores along the river. There was also some simple walking trails that we all enjoyed. There was a city park path that followed the river just north of town. Very nice park with many people walking their dogs. It was a fun time despite the overcast skies, we still enjoyed the park.

We truly enjoyed our time in Livingston, highly recommend those heading to Yellowstone N.P. to visit this great western town.

 

Western Trip 2023 – Montana!!!

August 4 – 8

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After leaving Provo, we drove north through eastern Idaho and up to the border of Montana. Finally, we crossed the border into Montana. We drove north through Montana along the Madison Valley, a gorgeous area of the state with the Madison River being a huge draw for fly fishing, many beautiful foothills dotted with enormous properties on huge tracts of land. It was stunning to see such beautiful scenery, despite the overcast sky. As we drove further north, we approached the historic area where the Lewis & Clark Expedition had traveled through and camped. We arrived at the Cardwell RV park and settled in. We found the Lewis & Clark Caverns state park, we were not able to get an RV site there, but this park was only a 10 minute drive from our RV Park.

So we visited the L&C Caverns park and took the cave tours. I took the smaller, simpler one as it was an easier trek through the cavern trails. It was very interesting to hear the history of these caverns, that Lewis & Clark did not know about them, but camped in the area. The State Park is very nice with amazing views of mountains, canyons and trails. We spent several hours there also hiking some of the trails. Lewis & Clark Expedition is one of the historical treks westward that I have studied and love this part of the expansion of our country.

We were able to explore the area and find hiking and biking trails. Such a wonderful area for all outdoor sports. Great entry into Montana, looking forward to more adventures in this beautiful state.

 

Western Trip 2023 – Provo, Utah

July 27 - August 2

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After heading north from Moab, Utah we drove to Provo. Have never been in that area and wanted to explore the sights and activities there. We stayed at Provo Lake State Park, nice campground but only had water & electric, worked for us. The lake was only usable by boats and other watercraft. The water there was not fit for swimming… that’s okay by us. Rarely swim in any lake. Our campsite was nice and tucked back into a corner with a few trees. Later, that became a minor problem when a wind storm went through the campground and blew down a couple of large tree limbs, barely missing the back of our camper. However, there was no damage.

Our perception of Provo was that it is a huge city in the valley. We drove all around town and found the Brigham Young University. Huge campus with large stadium, and many Mormon temples around town. It actually is very beautiful city and growing like crazy. New housing is being built all around town.

We found several scenic drives and hikes to enjoy. The mountain range to the east of Provo is named the Wasatch Range, with 7 extreme peaks, over 11,000 feet high, with amazing views. Some peaks still had glaciated areas. It is the western edge of the greater Rocky Mountains, and the eastern edge of the Great Basin region. The drives through the mountains were amazing and like none we have ever seen.

We found a great trail leading to the Bridle Veil Falls in the mountains adjacent to the Provo River. The trail was a beautiful shaded walk path which was 14 miles long. We took the dogs on a nice day, walked the trails and let them run and explore off leash. It was a lot of fun and the falls are beautiful.

We also found a very nice dog park in town and the boys had a fun time playing with other dogs and doing zoomies! They are so happy when they go to dog parks.

Another day we drove up to Mt. Timpanagos to look for some great easy hikes. This area is the Uinta National Forest. On the way up we stopped briefly at the Sundance Resort. Walked around the area and then headed further up into the forest, where we did find some good forest hikes. One trail had a very large waterfall and was very rocky and steep. I decided not to hike that trail due to steep path.

We continued driving through the Forest until we finished at the northern end of the drive down into Orem Utah. During this leg of the trip, Kurt decided to hike up to a cave, however a major rain and wind storm rolled through and we had to leave and head back to camp. I did hike with the dogs on another easy trail and we enjoyed it until the storm rolled through.

After camping for a week, we decided to continue our trip north through Idaho and further into Montana. We were ready to get into a remote area not within a big city. We then headed to a small town called Cardwell and stayed there for a week. On to Montana next!

 

 Western Trip 2023 – Moab, Utah

July 13 – 26, 2023

Photo link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/BqoW3GGYAZAbMj8P9

After leaving Colorado, we headed to one of our favorite destinations, Moab Utah. Home to 5 National Parks in Utah, and never-ending outdoor activities. Mountain biking and hiking are the favorite activities to spend outdoors. Also, scenic drives through amazing natural wonders are fantastic. We stayed for 2 weeks in a very nice RV park in the town of Moab, where we could walk downtown to shop and explore how the town had changed over 10 years since our last visit there. We did notice the change in the town area, more building of homes, hotels and vacation rental properties. The surrounding areas outside of town were much the same as the visitors want to explore those places.

We had planned to boon dock camp for 4 nights on the BLM lands along the Colorado River. After arriving in Moab, we found the extra high temps to be 103 – 108. So, we chose to stay at the RV park where we had all the amenities and comforts (air conditioning). We found a nice dog park in town, so many mornings we would take Luca and Benji to the park to play off leash with other dogs. Met some nice locals and found out their opinions on how the area was changing. A lot of Pacific coast people were buying second homes in Moab and this seemed to change the availability of affordable homes for locals. We are seeing this in many areas in the western states.

Just outside of town, there are many outdoor experiences including the hiking trails along the Colorado River. As shown in the picture file for this blog, you will see what we explored. We saw these places when we traveled there 10 years ago. One day we drove up to Canyonlands N.P., such a beautiful scenic drive and hikes out to the rim edge to view the spectacular canyons carved by nature, the Colorado River. We brought our picnic lunch and found a shady picnic area and enjoyed our food there with the dogs. Another day Kurt drove back up to Dead Horse State Park on the mesa where we camped 10 years ago. There were great mountain biking trails that I also rode 10 years ago. Nothing seemed to change, it was all stunning views. Kurt drove back to Dead Horse one day and was able to ride all the great mountain bike trails, remembering they were so much fun from the last visit.

While in Moab, he also biked several days on the well known Slickrock trails, which are rated as difficult. He was in his happy place. We truly enjoyed our time in Moab, despite the heat.  

 

Western Trip 2023 – Colorado

Montrose, Colorado

June 23-30

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Our next leg of this trip was through southwest Colorado, heading to Montrose.   On our way there we took the mountain highway in order to view the scenery. This highway took us up above 8300 feet altitude. Such a beautiful drive, we viewed the amazing natural sights along the way. We stayed at a very nice RV park which was convenient to the nearby natural wonders to explore. Since we had never been in this area of Colorado, we were surprised to find so many amazing natural outdoor activities that we never knew about.

We drove to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison N.P.  Stopped at the Visitor Center to find out more about the canyon’s creation and the Gunnison River that carved it. It surrounds part of a deep, steep-walled gorge carved through Precambrian rock by the Gunnison River. Roads and trails along the north and south rims provide views of the Black Canyon's dramatic drops and the striated Painted Wall cliff. We drove all the scenic routes to view different parts of the canyon. Along with the drive there were several observation areas where we could hike down to get a better view.

While in this area, we took a day trip south to Ouray, CO. It’s an amazing small town wedged into a narrow canyon surrounded by beautiful steep mountains. The views from the mountains are spectacular and the whole area is a wonderland of outdoor activities.

Grand Junction

July 1 - 15

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We stayed in this area at a Colorado State Park, where the Colorado River flows along the shores of the campground. In our searches around Grand Junction, we discovered another natural wonder. The Colorado National Monument! Wow never knew this existed. This 31-square mile unit of the National Park System boasts a concentrated version of Colorado's red rock expanses, deep canyons, and sandstone towers, drawing tourists and adventure seekers to this bold and scenic landscape. Best of all, it's easy to have most of the monument to yourself if you're looking for solitude and quiet.

Sheer-walled canyons cut deep into red sandstone and granite–gneiss–schist rock formations. This is an area of desert land high on the Colorado Plateau, with pinyon and juniper forests on the plateau. We drove through the 23 miles, with entry points on each end. Along the drive there are many overlook areas with spectacular views. Most of the overlooks included a hike down into a portion of the canyon. 

We enjoyed the ride and the dogs went with us. It’s amazing how many wonders like this exist and most of us don’t even know about them until we get to see them. Colorado National Monument was worth the drive from Grand Junction. 

Grand Mesa, another amazing natural wonder to explore, is a large mesa in western Colorado in the United States. It is the largest flat-topped mountain in the world. It has an area of about 500 square miles and stretches for about 40 miles east of Grand Junction between the Colorado River and the Gunnison River. It is the largest flat-topped mountain in the world. It has an area of about 500 square miles and stretches for about 40 miles east of Grand Junction between the Colorado River and the Gunnison River, its tributary to the south. The Grand Mesa byway leads through old-growth forests, aspens, meadows and so many lakes. Such a beautiful drive, with many short hikes along the way.

 

Arkansas - Eureka Springs   June 7-20, 2023

photo link

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We began our trip westward out of Florida on June 1st, through Mississippi, Northern Louisiana and a couple of one- and 2-night stops. Continued up into Arkansas where we stayed at a campground in Eureka Springs, located in Northwestern Arkansas. We had reservations for 2 weeks at this beautiful campground on top of the hills with incredible views. The town of Eureka Springs was built-in the mid 1800s and all buildings were developed among various levels of limestone hills creating a very unique topography for this town. This town was definitely a mountain town that is surviving on tourism, it's such a beautiful area.

While in Eureka Springs we walked through many parts of the town and some interesting hiking trails in the woods and surrounding neighborhoods. The architecture of the homes and buildings in that area are very much European influence particularly Switzerland. The mountains are steep like in the alps. We also drove around many parks and biking trails along with a lovely lake outside of town. The views driving around in the mountain roads were awesome.

The Passion Play and final days of Jesus Christ.

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Our campground was just a 1/2 mile from a very special place dedicated to the last days of Christ.

The Passion play is performed in an outdoor amphitheater with amazing settings as one would have seen during Christ's time in Jerusalem. The play was very interesting and well done with characters in all forms of garb of that time and how Jesus spent time with the people and his apostles.

Nearby that area there was a gigantic statue of the Christ of Ozarks placed there by faithful people in honor of Jesus.

Also, part of the Passion play area has tours where you could see how Jerusalem looked at that time. This was a wonderful surprise that I was able to see the play and all the other places that were there during Christ's time in Jerusalem.