RV Adventure :: Days 13 & 14

Day 13 {North Platte, NE to Oxford, IA :: 511 Miles}
Day 14 {Oxford, IA to Milwaukee, WI :: 277 Miles}

We are home! Safe and sound. The rest of our vacation was spent driving and driving. And stopping at a couple universities along the way. My nephew is about to be a junior, so since we were driving through, we figured why not. We stopped by Drake University and University of Iowa. It's a start, and both are not bad.

As we were driving to Douglas, WY a couple days ago, we came across an old school bus at a rest stop with three dudes that we determined were in a band. They left before us, but we easily caught up to them -- my dad was stuck behind them for awhile, and we nicknamed the bus the Patchouli Express. A couple days later in the middle of Nebraska, what did we stumble upon, but the same exact bus. (This time they had their hazards on -- I hope they make it home). Anyhow, just googled it, and it turns out we were following The Busdriver Tour! Totally wish we would have known they were playing Douglas the day we were there. Then today as we were driving in Iowa, we saw a man who looked like he was doing some long distance riding, and he had his dog running next to him. Again, after a quick search, it turns out it's David Miller and his dog Max, riding all 50 states in 50 weeks. The people you come across during a road trip. So fun.

I'd been looking forward to this trip in a really long time. We really haven't travelled this much this year, and this particular road trip is something I've wanted to do for awhile. I know most of our crew was ready to come home, but honestly, two weeks flew by. Being in two motorhomes, with 10 people could have the potential of being a bit much. There were a couple moments of tension, but for the most part, we really got along great, and had just an incredible time. We saw so much, and are very lucky to have gotten to experience this.

RV Adventure :: Day 12

{Douglas, WY to North Platte, NE :: 352 Miles}

Since the 100th Annual Wyoming State Fair was happening just up the street, we decided to stop by for a bit. We saw rabbits, horses, cows, sheep and pigs. Even got to pet some alpacas. So glad we got to visit it. And then we just drove, and drove, and drove. Not seeing much and ending up in Nebraska. Expecting tomorrow to be mostly the same, as we now make our way back home. 

RV Adventure :: Day 11

{Thermopolis, WY to Douglas, WY :: 180 Miles}

Today didn't go quite as planned. We woke up, expecting to reserve some tubes and float down the river. Alas, the campsite didn't have enough since it was end of the season and a lot were in need of repair. Then the flower shop they referred us to were closed. We took that as our sign and moved on. We ended up at a campsite in Casper, that promised of river floats and fishing -- exactly how we were hoping to end the day. The place was a disaster, and to top it off, our site smelled of dog urine. We left, and ended up at the KOA in Douglas -- home of the jackalope and Wyoming State Fair. Our neighbors are showing some beautiful chickens that we got to meet. After a day of misadventure, all it took was a nice campsite, a little family game of miniature golf and some pool time, to turn it into a really fun night. 

RV Adventure :: Day 10

{Jackson, WY to Thermopolis, WY :: 213 Miles}

After a beautiful drive past ranches and through the Wind River Indian Reservation, we finally came to our destination of Thermopolis. Known for their natural hot springs, we spent the afternoon at Star Plunge, a hot mineral springs pool and water park. We had so much fun! It was kind of old school. The mineral pools were warm and relaxing. The water slides were perfect for the kids. The high jump was fun -- even I tried it out. Now we are hunkering down at the Eagle RV Park. 

RV Adventure :: Day 9

{Colter Bay, WY to Jackson, WY :: 40.4 Miles}

It is amazing here. Oh wait, I may have mentioned that yesterday. After a quick swim in Jackson Lake in Colter Bay, it was another short driving day, ending in Jackson, WY. We first went to the ski village, where some of us took a gondola to the top (10,000 feet) and the rest shopped (... we took the gondola). After the ride to the peak, H & C jumped on the bungee (reminds of when we were in Whistler). Included in our price of the gondola were unlimited chairlift trips, so we hopped on those for a bit and Brian and I even saw a couple moose! Finally. I've been waiting to see one of those. I love ski villages, and I'd love to come back here. Of course for skiing, but even the mountain biking looked like a blast. After checking into the Virginian, we took the free city shuttle, wandered around Jackson for a bit, then had dinner at the Cowboy Steakhouse. Fun night.

RV Adventure :: Day 8

 

{Yellowstone National Park, WY to Colter Bay, WY :: 41.6 Miles}

Brian took the boys out fishing this morning at our campsite. Caught nothing – again -- but they still like doing it. Left for Grand Tetons, which honestly, I think is prettier than Yellowstone. The mountains and scenery is absolutely gorgeous. We made our destination Jenny Lake, and while most of the gang hiked the Jenny Lake trail, Brian, the boys and I did a smaller trail which brought us to a glacial lake that we went swimming in. I would just look up while floating, and just couldn’t believe where I was. Breathtaking. I hope I never forget it. Spent the night at Colter Bay, which is great. It's been one of our favorite places to stay. Wish we didn't have to leave, but there's more to see.

RV Adventure :: Day 7

{Wapiti, WY to Yellowstone National Park, WY :: 79 miles}

 As we entered Yellowstone National Park, one of the first things we were greeted with was a giant buffalo walking in the middle of the street. It was massive, with a foot long piece of slime coming out of its nose. Gross, but absolutely incredible at the same time. We stopped at massive Yellowstone Lake (136 square miles, average 139 feet deep), then drove to the Mud Volcanoes. As we were driving to visit the geysers, we saw a huge group of buffalo grazing on the plain. Rangers had to keep directing them out of the way of traffic. It was crazy having these huge beasts right next to our RVs (we did see one cross the road in front of a motorcycle, who had to back up quickly because the buffalo was close to charging). Next we went to Old Faithful. It was a madhouse there, but definitely obligatory. We had driven by he Midway Geyser Basin (Grand Prismatic Springs, Excelsior Geyser, Turquoise Pool) and the Lower Geyser Basin (Silex Spring at Fountain Paint Pot) earlier, but parking was crazy so we went back later in the day. We visited Yellowstone when I was around the boy’s ages, but didn’t get a chance to see them. So happy we did this time. It’s been one of my favorite parts of the entire trip. Spent the night at Grant Village Campground.