June 14, 2016 - Yellowstone to Fort Collins

We were up and ready to go with all of Bob’s things stowed in the RV by 8:00 am. It was pretty chilly overnight (about 34 degrees!) and there was heavy frost on his tent. We had to pack it up still wet and he will be drying it out tomorrow. We headed south past West Thumb and out the south entrance of Yellowstone toward the Tetons.

Long before we got there, we could see the Tetons rising up in the distance. Clouds hung in the lower portions of the mountains for quite some time.

We stopped at one of the Jackson Lake pullouts to take a few pictures. The mountains are truly majestic!
Further down the road we made one more stop when we could look out across the meadow and see the entire range. It is so impressive how they just seem to suddenly rise up.

We headed south through Pinedale, Wyoming to Rock Springs before catching Interstate 80 east to Laramie. There are two migration bridges across the highway that have been constructed to help decrease accidents and help preserve the pronghorn and mule deer populations.

At Rock Springs Tobey and I switched drivers. Lucky me, ha! The wind picked up so I had cross winds and head winds that were gusting 35 mph+, and road construction! It made for a challenging afternoon. We got to Laramie about 6pm and we stopped to fix some dinner before heading in to Fort Collins. It was great to look south and see our beautiful Rocky Mountains in the distance.

This is one of the best parts of any trip for me – seeing the Welcome to Colorful Colorado sign!

We got to Bob’s house right at 8 pm and got his things unloaded and we were home by 8:30. We have most of the things out of the RV, but will need to finish tomorrow – along with a thorough cleaning inside and out!

It was a great trip and Tobey was glad to have accomplished the ride with no injuries or flat tires. He is even thinking of doing another ride in the future. I will be happy to be his support team!

June 13, 2016 - Yellowstone National Park

We got to sleep in until 7 this morning and it certainly felt good! We said our goodbyes to Marcia and Phil this morning as they continued on their westward journey to California. Tobey, Bob, and I spent one more day in Yellowstone before we will start back to Colorado.

We took off around 8am and drove south from Bridge Bay to the West Thumb area of the park. We passed large areas from recent fires.

It is amazing to see acres and acres of forest which have been destroyed, but also the new growth which springs up. Phil is a retired forester and he told us that the trees grow between 8 – 10 inches per year, so this area was between 8 to 12 years old.

The West Thumb area is a caldera within a larger caldera and was formed approximately 174,000 years ago! We followed the trail around the Central Basin.

The pool above was named Black Pool, because at one time it really was black! In the summer of 1991, the water temperature rose killing the organisms in the pool. Black Pool also erupted that summer and winter, but it is now quiet and beautiful. The blue water indicates that the temperature is at least 165 degrees!After West Thumb we headed toward Old Faithful with a stop at Kepler Falls.

We continued on to Old Faithful and arrived about 20 minutes before its “scheduled” eruption time. There is a new visitor’s center at Old Faithful since the last time we were here. It is really well done with a great interactive museum with displays explaining the formation of the area.

We had a quick lunch after watching Old Faithful then walked the geyser loop to Morning Glory Pool. We had a nice look back at the Old Faithful Inn. The majority of the world’s active geysers are located in the Upper Geyser Basin here in Yellowstone!


Tobey checked with the ranger station for estimated geyser eruption times before we started off. We were lucky enough to see Castle Geyser erupt because it only erupts about every 14 hours.

Castle Geyser’s water eruption often reaches 75 feet and lasts about 20 minutes, followed by a noisy steam phase for 30 to 40 minutes. We got to see both!

Near Grand Geyser we saw the trees which have been bleached white.

We made it to Morning Glory Pool which got its name in the 1880s for its remarkable likeness to its namesake flower.

Unfortunately, the pool became victim to vandalism because over the years people have thrown coins and trash into the pool. Much of the debris became embedded in the sides and vent of the spring which reduced water circulation and thus the water temperature decreased. Cooler water temperatures have allowed the growth of orange and yellow colored bacteria. When we get home I plan to pull out old pictures to compare the colors.

We managed to see this area without getting wet even though rain threatened most of the way. At Old Faithful Inn we stopped for an ice cream before heading off to the Midway Geyser Basin and the Grand Prismatic Pool. Near here is where some guy went off the boardwalks for almost 300 yards and died about a week ago. The water is very acidic and the didn’t find any of his remains.

We continued on the Southern Loop and a stop at Gibbon Falls. Interesting signage explained how the road was built with 110 men and 8 horse teams back in the early 1900s. There were about 700 cars going on the gravel road through the park on any given day then – now there are close to 7000.

Continuing on the geyser trail, we stopped at the Artists’ Paint Pots. It was really cloudy and threatening rain, so I waited at the RV while Tobey and Bob walked down to see them.

At the Norris turnoff, we hit road construction and we had to wait to get into the parking lot. We took the short, Back Basin Trail which took us by Steamboat Geyser and Cistern Spring. Steamboat Geyser last erupted in 2014, but when it erupts it throws waster more than 300 feet, making it the world’s tallest geyser. Cistern Spring, pictured below, is linked underground to Steamboat Geyser. It was confirmed in 1983 when Cistern began emptying after each major eruption of Steamboat.

Getting out of the parking lot took more than 20 minutes because of the road construction! Finally, back on the road we headed back to our campsite. Along the Hayden Valley there were several slow downs for bison viewing. We noticed that some people don’t pay any attention to the warnings of staying at least 25 yards away from the animal. There were at least 100 bison in this herd and they were roaming in the meadow and crossing the road.

It was after 7 by the time we got back to camp and dinner was close to 8 pm. We have had to Colorado in the morning. We are hoping for internet service by the time we hit Jackson, Wyoming. More later!!

June 12, 2016 - Wapiti Campground to Yellowstone National Park

Today was the finale! The guys were on their way at 6:50 this morning for the final 23 miles of their journey. It was sunny but cool when they started out, and they hoped a smooth ride.


We went 10 miles and waited … and waited … and waited. More than an hour had passed and we were starting to get worried, so Marcia turned around and went back to find them. Just after she made the turn, Tobey came over the hill, but no Phil or Bob. Turns out Bob had not one, but TWO flat tires and had no more spare tubes with him. Tobey was riding ahead to catch us. We loaded his bike and went back a little more than 2 miles to meet up with the others. Repairs finished, we got Tobey’s bike unloaded and they started off again.


I went ahead to the park entrance to buy my Senior Lifetime pass and wait for their arrival. Marcia waited 30 minutes then started out. When Marcia got to the park and we were waiting for the guys arrival we started chatting with people who were taking their pictures at the Yellowstone sign about their trip. Several of them stayed to welcome their arrival because they were amazed at what they had accomplished! At 10:15 they arrived. No Bust – 500 miles - Yellowstone was accomplished!

We loaded the bikes and headed into the park.

It started raining as we drove and the guys commented on how lucky they have been all week because they had no rain while riding!

We had no reservations in the park and headed immediately to the Bridge Bay campground in hopes of finding sites. We pulled in shortly after 11 and were lucky enough to both get campsites … and they were right across from each other! God was smiling on us today.

We quickly fixed lunch then decided to tour the northern loop of the park from Bridge Bay up to Mammoth Hot Springs and back. We all piled into our RV and took off.
Our first stop was at the Mud Volcano in the Hayden Valley.

We then headed to Artist Point for views of the falls at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. The Canyon lava flow was about 484,000 years ago. The canyon is 20 miles long and has a depth of more than 1000 fee. The height of the upper falls is 109 feet and the Lower Falls is 308 feet. This is probably one of the most beautiful places in the park.
We made several stops for pictures as we continued north, including one where we saw a grizzly bear very close to the road enjoying grubs or some other tasty morsels!
We stopped at Tower Falls for pictures and ice cream. This is where Bob got a souvenir for his wife, Meg, who couldn’t join us on this trip … but he was afraid it would melt before he could get it home, so as a sacrifice, he finished the ice cream for her! Sorry, Meg!!

At Mammoth Hot Springs we walked over to see the hot springs terraces before starting the drive back to Bridge Bay.

We had a great sight-seeing day. We saw bison, grizzly bear, a black bear, elk, deer, a red-tail hawk, coyote, and deer.

It was almost 7 by the time we got back and we quickly got ready to go out for a celebration dinner. However, before we could go to dinner, we had a champagne toast to the victory with some yummy champagne from our neighbors. Thank you Dante and Lisa!

We planned to go to the Lake Village Lodge, but when we arrived we found out the dining room was temporarily closed because someone accidently set off their bear spray and it had been evacuated! Unsure of how long the airing out process was going to take, we opted to just head over to Fishing Bridge and eat a sandwich in their cafeteria. Not fancy, but the food was good and we got there before they closed!

We picked up two girls who were hitchhiking back to Lake Village Lodge where they are working for the summer and dropped them off on our way. We finally got back to our campsite and leveled up about 9:45! Tomorrow we get to sleep in – YEAH!!!!

June 11, 2016 - Meeteetse to Wapiti Campground

The boys were up and on the road by 7:00 am this morning. They were blessed with overcast skies and cooler temperatures for today’s journey. Marcia left Meeteetse and headed straight for the Wapiti area to check out campgrounds and I did the every 10-mile sag checkpoints. The road was pretty good, but they did have some bad shoulders on the first 20 mile section of their ride today which made it difficult.
It was a beautiful drive from Meeteetse to Cody. We passed through the Shoshone Canyon which is a gorge cut through the Rattlesnake Mountain by the Shoshone River. Beds of sedimentary rock that are exposed on the mountain’s northeast flank slope eastward. The range is between 205 to 705 millions years old.

It was cool to see the bridge over the river in the canyon.
They were also blessed with tailwinds today, making it a better day. When they arrived in Cody, we met at the Albertson’s parking lot so I could pick up groceries and Bob and Phil could go in and get Starbuck’s coffee! Marcia met us there and she let us know she reserved a campsite 30 miles west of Cody.

We had some road construction going through town. At the Buffalo Bar there was a line of hundreds of bikers waiting for what we think might have been a memorial service for the 3 bikers who were killed recently in traffic accident.

About 6 miles out of Cody there is a series of 3 tunnels. The first two are very short, but the third is over 1/2 mile long with NO SHOULDER. We decided that we would get behind the guys and put our flashers on and drive VERY slowly – about 8 miles per hour – behind them so they could get safely through the tunnel.

This route is Highway 14/16 that runs directly north of the Buffalo Bill Reservoir and Dam. Marcia was directly behind them and there was one car between us.


The tunnel also has an elevation gain, so the guys were really working to make the climb. We pulled out at the dam observation area and they were thankful for the break. We had lunch and rested before they headed on.

After lunch, Marcia headed immediately back to the campground and I did the 10-mile sag stops.
At the first 10 mile stop after lunch, the guys asked if I had seen the Bob’s Big Boy statue down the road. I missed it! I decided to walk back (about 1/4 mile) to take a picture. A car stopped and offered me a ride (an older couple) so I went with them. The guys were still at the RV watching. They took me down and told me the story of the Bob’s statue. Apparently, a guy from Illinois (where Bob’s Big Boy Restaurants started) moved to Wyoming. He owns three ranch homes (one over 6-stories!) and is connected to the Chicago Bears team, bought lots of ranch land in this area and wanted the statue on his land. He bought it for $7000 and erected a concrete structure to sit it on and here he is, in the Yellowstone Valley!

They took me back to the RV and dropped me off! Even funnier, their daughter works as a guidance counselor at the same high school in Fort Collins where our daughter-in-law is a teacher! Small world!

The rock formations in the Yellowstone Valley were amazing. I stopped more often than my 10 miles just to take pictures!



About 5 miles from our campsite I passed the Smith Mansion. It is a 6-story mansion that a guy started building and never finished. He had collected mining timbers from all over the state to build this place. Apparently the family pays someone to watch the site and now there is a restoration project underway to actually complete the place. I will need to check out more about it when I have internet coverage!

I also enjoyed being able to see unusual things as I was driving because I was going so much slower than I usually would drive. This rock formation reminded me of a fighter who had seen better days! And, of course, the wildflowers were beautiful!

I made it to the campsite at Wapiti Campground and got the RV leveled and Marcia and I walked back up to the road to wait for the fellows to make their approach. They rode in about 2:30 this afternoon and all of them felt like they had a good day.

We are sharing a campsite, but we both have electric hookups. Bob has his tent behind the RVs closer to the river.

We are camped along the north fork of the Shoshone River. It is deep and fast moving, but Penny wanted to be in the water. It was NOT going to happen! Across the river, Marcia spotted the bighorn sheep on the steep cliffs.

We counted a total of eight and watched them for quite a while as they scrambled up and down the cliffs.

When it started to spit rain, we headed inside. Our screen door latch isn’t working properly, and Tobey and Phil were trying to repair it using the spring from a ballpoint pen. After “McGuyvering” it, it is working better, but will still need to be replaced when we get back to Colorado.

We had a “carb-loading” dinner tonight, followed by a rousing game of dice which Phil won, before we all settled in for the evening. It is cooler tonight and windy, which we hope stops by morning. Today’s ride was 62 miles and they gained about 1000 feet in elevation. Tomorrow the final 23 miles will be more difficult because of the hills and elevation gain, so sleep well, boys!!!