Hiking to Inspiration Point

Posted on August 26, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Took the ferry across Jenny Lake

Jane suggested we hike up to Inspiration Point, so Jane, Linda, Tony and myself left early to head on over to Jenny Lake. We hopped on the ferry there which took us to the trailhead. It is a steep trail for the first .7 of a mile as it has an elevation gain of 417 feet.

We saw this waterfall going up the trail.

We stopped for a break before hitting the top where I took this pic of my hiking companions Jane, Linda and Tony.

No wildlife but lots of beautiful scenery

This next pic shows the trail we have come up thus far. However we are still not at Inspiration Point.

In this next pic you can see the ferry landing at the boat dock. We will end the trail at the same boat dock to go back across the lake.

Now we are on the Cascade Canyon trail that leads way back into a canyon between the beautiful mountains.

This is a pic of the trail. It was mostly flat and not difficult at this point.

We ran across a large pond and were hopping to see some moose drinking. There were a lot of people on the trail at different times and it must have scared all the wildlife away. Luckily we did not come upon a bear, but we were all equipped with bear spray just in case.

Jane and Tony are much faster hikers so they decided to go ahead down the trail while Linda and I set our own pace. We did run into several hikers with large backpacks that had spent the night way up on the mountain. We could see many different waterfalls all along the trail.

There were also several pics of the creek that we followed.

This was a great experience. Of course we had to hike back and down the same elevation gain that we came up. It was almost more difficult climbing done then it was going up as there were many people making the climb up. We then got on the ferry for the ride back across Jenny Lake. Then Linda and I went to Dornans at Moose Junction for a much needed pitcher of water and a pizza and sandwich. It turned out to be a great day. We hiked 8.6 miles over hill and dale (HA!) and saw some great scenery. Not too shabby for an old fart like me.

Picking up mail

Posted on August 12, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Short hike to the post office

The other day Linda had to pick up her mail at the post office. The nearest one is in Kelly, WY, less the 2 miles from our campsites. So off we went on a trail that led down to the river and through the woods(HA! Just kidding!)

The trail did lead us next to the river for a short distance.

This was the beautiful scenery of the mountains to our left.

Then we made it to the small town of Kelly, WY where they had a post office a small sandwich store and a small school with schoolyard and many private residences.

Inside the store they had this sign. I bet you won’t find this sign in many stores. By the way we did not run into any bison nearby.

This is probably the smallest post office I have ever seen.

This is a nice view of the Teton Mountains as we were walking back along the road.

Drove into Jackson

Later that day I drove in to Jackson with John to fill my external tank with propane. It looks like traffic has died down a bit as vacations are starting to wind down since kids have to be back in school shortly. It is still rather busy, but just not as bad.

While there I also picked up some bear spray. On the return trip we saw this big guy crossing the road. They don’t seem to have any fear of cars or people. I guess if I were that big I wouldn’t care either.

The weather is very nice here and we haven’t had any rain for a few days now. The campgrounds have been almost full on a few days, but seem to be thinning out a bit now.

Off on a hike

Posted on August 8, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Waking up to a moose

Today Ally, Linda and I had planned on hiking to Phelps Lake. We were leaving at 8:00am to avoid the rush and get an early start before it gets too hot.

I set my alarm for 6:00am (YUK!) as I wanted to eat a good breakfast. A car caught my attention that was stopped directly in front of my campsite. I looked out my window and noticed my new neighbor.

There is nothing like waking up to a bull moose eating 20’ from your doorway. Luckily Chica was fast asleep and didn’t make a sound (except for her snoring).

This guy then moved to the campsite directly across from me and continued eating his morning breakfast.

He finally looked up but was not interested in me whatsoever. Breakfast seemed like a better idea. I had gone out my door to get a better picture, but stayed right at the door in case he decided to make a move toward me.

Hiking to Phelps Lake

We made the drive to the Phelps Lake area and then started our hike to the lake. Ally was our guide for the day. On the way we passed a beautiful water fall.

Here is a pic of Linda and Ally crossing over on a bridge.

We finally made it to Phelps Lake. What a gorgeous view.

Seven miles or three miles..

At this point we talked about hiking back to the Visitor’s Center, which was 1-½ miles for a total of a 3-mile hike. Our other option was to hike around the lake. The girls were willing to do it, but left it entirely up to me. I couldn’t wuss out so I said lets go for it.

So off we trudged around the lake. I was really glad we did this as the scenery was fabulous.

Here is a pic of Ally and Linda on the trail. We each carried bear spray with us, as this is bear country. Jane had loaned me hers until I can pick some up in town. She had spotted a bear close to her yesterday, while hiking.

Here are more pics of the lake.

Spotted a huge Bull Moose

We passed a huge Bull Moose eating about 20’ from the trail. I took pics but they did not turn out, as it was very dark. Here is a stream we crossed. The water is crystal clear.

The scenery around the lake is so cool!

We reached a hug rock where lots of kids were jumping off into the water. I can imagine that the water was very cold.

The entire hike was 7 miles. I have not hiked that far in some time. I was a bit tired and had sore muscles but really enjoyed it. I am looking forward to many more hikes like this while I am here.

Kootenai Falls, MT

Posted on July 13, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Kootenai Falls were spectacular

The last thing I wanted to do before leaving the Libby area was to hike to the Kootenai falls. I was going to drive out there Monday since I thought I would be driving east when leaving Libby, however after talking to Butch, the camp host, he suggested driving a different route to the Missoula area.

This would take me past the falls so I decided to head to the laundromat and did about two weeks of dirty clothes. I’m glad I got that done so I wouldn’t need to look for a laundromat later on down the road.

So I got all hooked up and headed west toward Troy, MT. The falls were about 11 miles out of Libby and you could tell where they were by all the parked RVs and cars.

It was a short hike to a swinging bridge where you could get a great view of the river. There were signs posted stating how dangerous the river is in the spot. Nine people have lost their lives including rescuers attempting to save others. I hiked to the swinging bridge and took this pic from it.

This was taken from the trail leading to the bridge.

Finally as I was returning I discovered a trail that led closer to the falls. What a view this was.

Heading South

My plan was to head west and then south to Thompson Falls, MT. But as I was traveling down Highway 200 I noticed along the Noxon Reservoir many signs indicating National Forest campgrounds. I decided to stop for a minute and check in my “Free Campgrounds” book what was available in the area. I found many in the area and headed for the North Shore NFS Campground just outside of the town of Trout Creek, MT. What a find!

There were quite a few campers there but I was lucky to find a nice site among the trees. It also looked like it might be a good spot for my solar panels as well. Plus the cost was only $5 per night with my “Geezer Card”. I paid for two nights and got settled in.

I am behind on my blogging and I apologize, but unfortunately I have been in areas where I have very poor Internet access. Sometimes I can get on and other times forget it. As far as uploading pics it is very slow. The pics in this post took between 20-30 minutes EACH. I can normally upload 10-15 pics in just a few minutes with a good Internet signal. I am hoping I can catch up once I get to Missoula tomorrow.

Start of the Canada Trip

Posted on May 26, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Good bye Baker City, OR hello Winchester, ID

We started our trip into Canada at Baker City, OR. We went through Hell’s Canyon on the Salmon River. What a site! Sorry but I don’t have any pics as my co-pilot (Chica) was too busy sleeping. It is a place I would love to return to some day.

One of two stops before crossing the border was Winchester Lake State Park. It is a beautiful spot and would be a great spot in the summer months where you could enjoy the lake. Day 1 – 268 total miles.

I got confused and went down a frontage road used by the park crew. There was no place to turn both my rig and the toad so it was the first spot I had to disconnect in order to turn my rig around. Fortunately I have got the process of connecting and disconnecting down so it didn’t take me long at all.

This is a pic of my campsite and a another of several LD’s in their sites.

Chica was cold

It was cold out so Chica wore her stylish leather coat. It helps to keep her warm and she does not object too much when I put it on her.

We took a walk down to the lake and Chica even went out on the dock. However she does not want to go near the water. I can’t really blame her as it was very cold.

Second Day – Farragut State Park, ID

Our second day we drove to Farragut State Park just south of Sandpointe, ID. This was a huge state park with lots of loops and campsites. Most of us were able to park in the same loop. Day 2 – 179 total miles.

Once I knew I was going on this trip I made reservations for the Idaho State Parks since we were going to be arriving there on Memorial Day weekend. It is a good thing as both parks were filling up. At Farragut State Park there were a lot of families pulling in with all the kids bikes and toys. Canada celebrates their Memorial Day at a different time so we did not have a problem with reservations at any of the Canadian parks.

I only got one pic of my campsite at Farragut.

Crossing into Canada

On Saturday we crossed into Canada. During our meeting at Baker City we had all discussed what we could and couldn’t bring across the border. I was a bit worried that I had too much wine since John, Linda and I had bought wine at all the wineries on the way to the rally. We were going to split up our wine with some others who were not carrying any, but decided at the last minute that we would just chance it.

The line at the border was very short. I was right behind John and Linda. I was asked if I had any liquor and I did tell her I had 4 bottles of wine. She did not even ask me about Chica (who was sound asleep on my lap), but I had her papers to show just in case. The crossing was very easy and took less the five minutes. The customs people were very friendly.

Just after crossing the border we decided to stop and take a break and let the dogs out. We were now in British Columbia.

I bought Chica a new coat at the Petco in Lewiston, ID. She really doesn’t like it since you have to put her legs through it, but I’m sure she will get used to it eventually.

Crowsnest Pass RV Park

After crossing we drove to Crowsnest Pass outside of Bellevue, Alberta. Most of the time we were in British Columbia until we hit the Alberta border. The Rocky Mountains up here are spectacular and there is no way to describe it. I will get many photos of it before we leave so our first priority was getting to our campsite as it was a very long day. Day 3 – 255 total miles.

The GPS had us driving through the center of Coleman which is right next to Bellevue. We finally found it and got settled in.

Happy Birthday Nikki!!

It just happened to be Nikki’s birthday so we celebrated with a cake and ice cream. It was the first time we all got together as a group on the road and it was a lot of fun.

That is Nikki in the middle cutting the cake.

We will be here at the Crowsnest Pass RV Park for two nights so we plan on seeing some of the sites and museums in the area. This area is know for coal mining and includes some natural as well as man-made disasters. It should be a fun day.

A beautiful day in the Sangre De Cristo Mountains

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Snow flurries

Woke up this morning to more snow flurries. It did collect on the ground for a little while but then warmed up and melted. However it did snow most of the day.

I got my Wave 3 out of storage and fired it up and it is keeping the rig at just the right temperature. It didn’t take Chica long to figure out the warmest spot.

Short 4WD run

After it stopped snowing and things were starting to dry out I took a trip down to the Visitor’s Center. Nice views from there and really informative Rangers. By the way I forgot to mention that the mountains that I am backed up to are the Sangre De Cristo Mountains.

After looking around in the Visitor’s Center I decided to go for a ride. There is a 4WD road that heads up into the mountains although most of it is closed until later in the Spring. So off I went. Here is the spot where I turned around. A sign said to deflate tires to 20 lbs because of soft sand. Unfortunately I did not have my tire inflator with me so this was the end of the trail for me.

On my return trip I spotted some mule deer off the side of the road. I got out and took these pics. They did not seem to be bothered by me at all.

This one was only about 15 feet away when I took this shot.

I got this pic of the sunset last night. Really beautiful.

Great day…

Today I awoke to lots of sunshine. I just had to go for a hike my last full day here. I chose the Zapata Falls. They are a few miles outside of the park and about 4 miles up a washboard gravel road. This is a pic after driving about 1/2 up.

Zapata Falls

Once at the top there is a hike of 1/2 mile which isn’t too bad except there was an elevation gain of 400′. Up, up and away.

This was a pic of the mountains about 1/2 way up the trail.

Finally I reached the falls except there was no real falls at this time. The snowpack has not melted enough I guess. This is a pic of the river.

The falls would be coming down in this area. There was still snow and ice here.

Down the hill and back to camp

Then it was down the hill. What beautiful scenery!

Looks like it might rain…

This is a pic heading into the campsite about 5 miles from here. Looks like it may rain. Once I got back it sprinkled a bit, but that was it.

It was a great day!

Great Sand Dunes National Park

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Add Colorado to my “Visited States”

I left Taos and the weather was perfect. A great day for driving. It was only 134 miles but if you asked Chica she would tell you it was 1,000. She hasn’t quite got used to the movement of her new home. Hang in there bumkins!

Our destination was Great Sand Dunes National Park. The scenery heading up there was fantastic.

I can add Colorado to my map of states that I have RV’d in. By the way I have made a small map of all those states on the right sidebar just below the Site Meter.

It didn’t cost me anything to get into the park. Just show my Geezer Pass. Plus the camping was 1/2 price for no hook-up sites. I am camped in the Pinyon Flats campground and found a nice site that was fairly level in Loop 2. Chica and I walked down and paid for 4 days and we are settled in for a nice relaxing time.

We had to move…

The next morning I was walking around the site and noticed that they had put a reserved sign on the post that covered the last 2 days we had already paid for. What is that all about. There was no reservation sign on the post when I posted our receipt. I went down and talked to the host who said there was a huge group of kids coming on the 9th and 10th but I could stay in that site tonight.

I decided I better move now rather then later so I piled everything back into the rig and moved. I had planned on moving to a particular site that seemed fairly level, but after moving there, I realized I wouldn’t have room for the toad (Billy).

Then it started to hail and thunder like crazy. I have never seen snow hail like I did up here. I finally found a good spot just when it finished storming.

I took a couple pics of the sand dunes as well. Yes those are sand dunes and not snow dunes.

Just after I got moved we had a visitor. Chica didn’t know what to think of it even though I have told her about all the bears and big animals they have up here. It is not a great pic as it was taken through my screen.

Went for a walk…

The weather cleared up and I decided we need to go for a walk. I dressed Chica in her stylish best and we hit the road. She hates her coat, but puts up with it.

Love this place…

I really love this park. It has some fantastic scenery. I just wish I was here a bit later in the season. There are some awesome 4WD trails some leading as high as 13,000 feet, but I am afraid that the creeks are running too high for me to chance it. I am thinking of going to Zapata Falls which is off a dirt road and a short hike. Stay tuned!

In the meantime this is my backyard. Life is good!

Taos, NM

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Jim Melvin

The weather was really cold…

After leaving Orilla Verde I drove the 18 miles to Taos. The weather had changed drastically. The lady at Taos Valley RV Park told me they had snow in Denver and we were getting some of that cold front. NO KIDDING!

I signed up here for 2 nights but are thinking of staying longer, but not sure. It all depends on the weather. Here is a pic of our campsite.

The snow-capped mountains are really beautiful and I am really enjoying the scenery.

On the way into town I stopped at the Walmart and decided I better get Chica a coat to wear in this frigid weather. After all I was heading up to Colorado next week and eventually Canada by the end of the month. It is not easy finding something in her size, but I did find this one. I thought she might fuss a bit when I put it on her, but surprisingly she didn’t.

She actually likes her new leather coat. I think she knows that she is really stylin.

Warmed up nicely

It has really warmed up from the time I first got here. Chica and I took the nature trail which surrounds the park. She really enjoyed it.

There was a beautiful view of the mountains.

Heading downtown…

Sunday I will head into the downtown area and hope to get some good pics. I forgot until I looked at my calendar that today is Cinco de Mayo. I hope it isn’t too busy. I couldn’t ask for a nicer day.

South of Taos and no cell phone/Internet

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Free night at a winery…

I spent Sunday night camped at the Anasazi Fields Winery just north of Albuquerque. It is in the little sleepy town of Placitas, NM. The road into the winery is very narrow, but I made it.

Anasazi Winery is a member of the Harvest Hosts network of wineries, orchards, and farms throughout the country where you can stay free overnight. They usually have a designated area for us RVer’s with no hookups but Anasazi offered to let me hookup up to electricity which I declined since I have solar panels. All the places that I have stayed at have been extremely friendly. They don’t require that you purchase anything from them, but I usually buy a bottle of wine to stock my wine cabinet.

Then I was greeted by Terry and told where I can park. They had an overflow area that worked out good. After getting settled in I went to the tasting room where there were others also wine tasting.

The Anasazi Winery does not use grapes in the making of their wine. Instead they use fruits. Normally I do not care for fruit wines, as they are very sweet. However Terry explained that to his knowledge, the Anasazi Fields Winery is the only winery that makes their fruit wines dry. I liked several of them. The wine tasting was free and Terry explained each and every wine in detail.

Heading north…

My goal the next morning was to reach the Orilla Verde Recreation Area just 17 miles south of Taos, NM. Jim and Gayle of had told me about it while I was Rockhound State Park. They mentioned that there were a lot of hiking trails and beautiful scenery.

I stopped at the Pilar Campground and was greeted by the host Pat. He was a real friendly guy and told me a lot about the area. I found a nice electric/water site and signed up for three days. The electric/water sites were only $7.50 (half price) with my Geezer card.

The campground is located in a big canyon next to the Rio Grande River. The river is much larger then in the southern portion of the state because of all the snow runoff up here.

I had planned on doing some hiking while in this area, but the day after I arrived I came down with a very sore throat. I rarely feel ill and this had me stumped. My nose was constantly running and my throat felt horrible. I was not in any mood to get out on a trail. I will return to this area though as it is really nice.

One other thing that put a damper on my time here was the lack of cell phone and Internet services. I could not even get anything with my booster. What was weird was that my phone could send and receive messages intermittently. For example I would get an email, but it could not download the content only the subject line. I guess if I really had to get any type of important email I could tell the sender to write it all on the subject line. HA! Even that was very sporadic.

Here is a pic of the sunrise coming over the plateau.

Off to Taos

I am hoping I can find a reasonable campground closer to Taos so I can check out the town. By the way, I have finally gotten over the sore throat although there was one night I could not sleep due to it.

Potty training Chica…

There are times when little Chica makes a mistake inside the rig. I have tried everything including changing her feeding time. I take her outside several times during the day for walks, which she really enjoys. Sometimes she does her duties while walking and sometimes not. I always take her out late before I go to bed hoping that will take care of it. NOPE!!

I know this sounds gross but I sometimes wake up in the morning and she has had an accident. She sleeps on the couch on her bed under a cover. Then she will have an accident on the blanket at the other end of the couch. I scold her but it does not make any difference. It is really hard not to scold her very much as she has those sympathetic eyes.

Last night I left a small light on and she went potty on the mat I have put out for her in front of the toilet. She is smart enough to know that is where she should go potty. I think the problem is that she cannot see in the dark to get back on the couch. She has to use the first rung of the ladder to jump onto the couch. She is too small to jump up on the furniture, which is good. But without using that first rung she can’t get back into her bed. I don’t think she can see the step in the middle of the night so she just goes where it is convenient so she can go back to bed. Leaving the light on allowed her to see therefore she was able to get down and go on the pad.

I am going to try leaving her bed on the floor and see if that works. I don’t like to sleep with any lights on, but if it helps her I guess that is what I will have to get used to doing. I am wondering if Chihuahuas have a large enough bladder to go the entire night without having to pee. Does anyone else with a toy Chihuahua have a similar problem?

Chica’s New Friends

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Chica loves to meet new friends…

When we arrived at Rockhound SP Chica was very anxious to meet her new friends. I had been telling her all about them so she was really happy when she actually got to meet them.

There was Sophie and Elvis the kittens we had heard so much about from Jim and Gayle’s blog Life’s Little Adventures. Chica only got a chance to meet Sophie when Jim brought her out one day. She only got to see Elvis through the screen door. Here is a pic of Jim and Sophie.

Chica was very excited about meeting her new “cat friend”.

Lots of new friends…

Besides Sophie and Elvis she also go to meet Debbie’s very fun loving dogs Elliot and Rupert. She had lots of fun going on walks with them. In this pic she and Elliot are discussing their favorite dog food.

Plus don’t forget Katie owned by Barbara of Me and My Dog and My RV fame Katie is also a Chihuahua just like Chica, but she is larger and Chica has to look up to her (just like everyone else). Here are a couple of pics of all the gang including Elliot, Rupert, Katie, Sophie and Chica.

We have now moved to Elephant Butte where we will spend the next couple of days. Chica misses her friends as you can see from the next couple of pics.

She is going to miss all her friends, but soon she will be meeting up with Sadie when Jimbo meets up with John and Linda to head north to Canada. This is a pic of Sadie at Quartzsite.

Chica and I would like to thank all our friends we camped with at Rockhound State Park. We both had a wonderful time. We are both looking forward to seeing you again.

One last hike before heading north

The day prior to leaving Jim, Gayle and myself all want on a hike out in the desert. It was a couple miles past where we hiked the first time. It was a neat spot. We even found some flowers. It is amazing how beautiful plants grow where there is absolutely NO water.

Jim and Gayle led the way as we climbed next to a wash. They are very experienced hikers and it took a lot to keep up with them.

We didn’t make it to the top but had some terrific views nevertheless.

This next rock formation looked like an elephant.

Off to Elephant Butte State Park

We took off Monday and stopped at Elephant Butte State Park at the South Monticello campground. I have been here many times in the past and never tire of the beautiful here. I took a couple of pics to show you.

I was only going to stay there one night but changed my mind and stayed two instead. I am glad I did as the wind was blowing pretty good and wouldn’t really have wanted to drive in it.

Next stop Albuquerque

I will be heading to Albuquerque tomorrow and staying at the Enchanted Trails RV Park just west of the city. I have an appointment at the Apple Store on Thursday and I hope they can fix my phone at that time. On Friday I will have my interview with Amazon for next winters job.