Navigating "New" Normals

Today we left the U.S. to drive to Calgary, Canada (for only a week), where Greg will compete in the World Handball Tournament…We’re pretty excited for this competition.  Our day was dedicated to getting across the border and making our way to Calgary.  I had some anxiety over whether or not we could easily cross into Canada with the girls.  No problem!  All of our papers were in order (honestly, we could have passed through without even mentioning the dogs.  It’s always good to be prepared though…the opposite could have also happened and anyone who knows me, knows there would have been an international incident if my doggies could not pass through for any reason.)

We found the venue where Greg will play tomorrow at 2:00 PM, got him registered, got the lay of the land, and grabbed our linner/dunch at a cute place nearby called Van Gogh’s.  Now we’re tucked in for the night at our campground and we will turn in early so Greg is ready for his first big match tomorrow.

Short post tonight.  We’ll hopefully have more to share tomorrow.  To everyone we love in the U.S…take good care of yourselves. God bless America!

Today’s blog post is dedicated to our moms and dad, who faithfully read our travel journal every day!   We’re glad you are with us, even though we are miles apart!

This morning we were once again up at the crack of dawn so that we could get a jump on the day.  Of course, there were those necessities we had to take care of before we hit the open road!

It didn’t take us long today to reach our destination: Glacier National Park.  Our first stop was the Visitor’s Center, where we learned that we could not drive our RV to the east side of the park, like we had planned.  The roads became too steep and narrow for an RV… so Plan B, drive as far as we could, hope we can find a parking spot and take a shuttle to see the sights we hoped to see. The doggies are getting used to us leaving them safely behind in the RV, although this sign gave us some concern about their safety today.

The sights we saw were certainly spectacular!

Like nothing like we’ve ever seen…and worth bearing through the cold temperatures!  Up at Logan Pass, it was in the low 40’s.

Brrrrrrr!  (Sandy did not pack right!! I wrongly assumed that, in the month of August, I needed mostly summer clothes.  So, if you wondering if I just really love my beige coat or if I have limited options, it is the latter…although I do love my CAbi jacket.  Isn’t it cute and practical?)

We learned from our shuttle driver that, centuries ago, Glacier National Park had more than 150 glaciers.  Now, there are only 25 left, and eventually they will all be gone.  So glad, we got to visit before they are extinct.   So much to see…one day really doesn’t do it justice.   But we have learned a lot in the short time we were here.  One interesting fact is that the workers who are employed by the national parks (same thing at Yellowstone and Glacier National) are here for short term contracts.  So people from all over the country and the world, sign up for 3-4 month contracts, so they can enjoy hiking/camping in these world renowned locations, and then they move on to their next temporary gig.   Sort of a vagabond lifestyle.  So these are just free-spirited people in search of adventure…working as waiters/shuttle drivers afford them these opportunities.  We enjoyed getting to know these people and learning about their lifestyles.

After our day at Glacier, we learned we had to backtrack to the entrance we came in this morning and drive around the park to reach our home for the night in St. Mary, Montana.  Our RV couldn’t drive a more direct route because of the steep/narrow terrain, so we stopped for linner/dunch at the Glacier Grill outside the park entrance and drove through the indian reservation of Browning, and made our way to our ultimate destination, St. Mary KOA RV park. At this point in the day, we’re typically anxious to end our day, and this drive made it a little challenging… at least 10 miles of our drive was on a dirt road under construction. Ugh!! I gotta hand it to my hubby, who is an expert driver.  He has not been unraveled by challenges like this and when a cute little calf decided to cross the road right in front of us, Greg handled the obstacle with great aplomb and skill. (Wish I had a picture to show you the cute little calf who waited for us to stop, kicked up his heels then trotted across the street, as if he had a crossing guard giving him the go-ahead.)

We are settled in and none to soon…the sky promises a fabulous light show!! Front row seat to see the power of mother nature!

Tomorrow we leave the U.S (for a week) and head for Canada!  Can’t wait!!

This morning we decided to have breakfast in the charming town of Gardiner, located at the northern entrance to Yellowstone, before we headed north.  We ate at Rosie’s Bistro, had a delicious big breakfast, served by Joyce, then with full stomachs, we hopped on the highway to head northwest to Flathead Lake in Polson, Montana.

We hit the road and while I called home to check in with my mom, we came upon a family of elk on the side of the road…”Oh mom, hang on for a second, I have to take a few pics of some elk we’re passing by.”  You sure don’t see that everyday!

After a short while, we made a pit stop in Bozeman, to see if Greg could brush up on his handball (his big tournament is right around the corner) at a local athletic club there.  Shucks!  No one there available for a quick pick up game…so we did a few errands while we were in town…grocery shopping, replenish dry ice, fill up our water gallons etc.  Bozeman is a really nice city and it has maintained its small town charm.  We hopped back on the highway and hoped to see a lot of beautiful scenery on our drive.  Sadly, everywhere around us was very smoky so we couldn’t see much from the highway.  A recent thunderstorm here started the fire and with heavy winds, there are still 55 fires burning in the area.

Once we headed away from Missoula, the smoky air cleared up and we were greeted by beautiful Flathead Lake.

We arrived!! We’re staying at a very nice KOA campground that overlooks the lake.  Greg cooked us a nice dinner and we’re all relaxing for a bit before we decide between going to a Blues Festival overlooking the lake, OR doing a couple loads of laundry at this very nice facility.  It cracks me up how my perspective has changed in one short week…I get excited if our campground has grass for the girls and if it has a laundry facility!  Shangri-La!! Ours has both! Tonight is a banner night!  Until tomorrow….

PS. Greg wants me to update the list of wildlife we’ve seen so far…today we saw elk, deer, antelope and a bald eagle!

Today we awoke early, and set the wheels in motion to get an early start to make the drive to Yellowstone National Park. Remembering the sage advice from our San Diego “besties” Fritz and Diana, we wanted to arrive to see “Old Faithful” before the throngs of humanity descended upon her.

Driving through rainstorms, we made our way to this spot we thought would be the pinnacle of our day. We walked up to find our viewing position of this famous geyser just seconds before she blew (we were so happy about our timing, as she wasn’t predicted to go off again until an hour and a half later.) Of course, it was exciting to see the sheer power of mother nature in action and we had to wonder, “When will this massive volcano/earth quake blow again?” Hopefully not in our lifetime, nor our kids’, nor our grandkids’..overwhelming when you think of what COULD happen!!

At the advice of a nice park ranger, we opted to travel in an south/eastern direction from “Old Faithful” in hopes that we would we would encounter wildlife that we normally only get to see on the National Geographic Channel.

Sure enough, we were not disappointed!! We encountered hundreds of Bison…far off in the distance, on the roadside, and, best yet, walking down the highway right next to our vehicle.  There were lots of caution signs to keep your distance.  We definitely heeded the warning!  They may look docile, but looks are deceiving!

We traveled through the nature/wilderness and enjoyed every inch of this unspoiled, natural land.  Our final spot for the day was Mammoth Hot Springs, which is a large complex of hot springs on a hill of travertine.

Traveling through the town of Mammoth Hot Springs, was well worth our while, as we came upon an elk. Check off another one on Greg’s list of animals he wants to see!

After all our excitement, we traveled to our RV camp/home for the night, outside the north entrance to Yellowstone, in the town of Gardiner, Montana.  Our spot was right next to the Yellowstone River and was everything we had hoped for…green grass, easy entrance/hook-up, and a spectacular rainbow/lightning show to boot.  It’s been a great day.  Thank you Lord!!

The trip from Flaming Gorge, Utah to Moran, Wyoming was an easy one…we did get to see lots of antelope, a badger and flocks of canadian geese and the trip was smooth sailing.  We arrived at our RV resort just after 8:00pm.  Let me just say this about RV “resorts.”  I have a slightly different definition of “resort” than the one thrown around by the RV community.  The Grand Teton RV Resort had a spectacular view of the Grand Tetons, but other than that, it’s mostly a big lot with a bit of grass and electricity/water hook up and lots of mosquitos.   But trust me, after a long day on the road, the grass for the doggies and “hooking up” so we can take a shower is truly devine.  (Funny how one’s perspective changes in such a short time.)

When we awoke this morning, we were so grateful that we didn’t have to hit the open road to get to our next stop. Instead, we had a day to explore the gorgeous Grand Tetons at our leisure.  We drove a beautiful scenic route around Jenny Lake and String Lake, and stopped for lunch at the Jenny Lake Lodge.

With our tummies happily full (Greg has released me from the RV Starvation Diet), we went out to board our Minnie Winnie to move on to our next stop.  Well wouldn’t you know it, another tourist, with less than friendly manners, decided to box us in with his red suburban, making it impossible for us to leave.  After a short time, the restaurant maitre d’ came out with the culprit car owner so he would move his car…the man looked very large and very scary, was talking loudly, in a thick foreign accent, to someone on his cell phone and did not offer even one ounce of contrition.  Actually, he seemed annoyed that he had to move his car.  Of course, Sandy, who doesn’t know when to be quiet, tried to command an apology from him.  Greg wisely summed up the situation…and came to the conclusion that the thug was probably mafia and our best bet was just to exit the situation.  Hrrumph!  Some people!!

Not to be sidetracked from pursuing a good time, we journeyed on to our next stop: a horseback ride through the gorgeous mountains, overlooking the valley.  The Russian thug was soon forgotten and we had a lovely afternoon on horseback.

Afterward, we contemplated hanging out in Jackson Hole, but it was so crowded, we decided to instead return to Moran, where we went for a second night to a cool little restaurant called the Hatchet Grill.  The staff there was super friendly, the food was great, and it felt like true Wyoming, complete with a wild horse than meanders up to the patio to eat whatever the patrons can spare from their plates.  Tonight, we sat next to a super nice couple, Fritz and Diana, from San Diego, and we discovered that we even have mutual friends…Small world!!

Tomorrow we leave for Yellowstone National Park. Our best roadie friends, Fritz and Diana, told us to get an early start, as they witnessed at least 1,000 people crowding in to catch a glimpse of Old Faithful.  By the way, before I go to bed tonight, I will be sure that Greg has his bear spray ready to go…Yellowstone has had big bear problems lately!  Check out this link, if you can “bear” it!  Grizzly Bear Attack

P.S. Greg just gently corrected me…the restaurant horses weren’t wild, they were just free grazing…oh well.  My version makes for a more fantastic story, so I’m sticking with it. 🙂

Today was nothing short of spectacular!  I suggested that we go fly fishing while we’re out here in God’s country, and Greg jumped on it and planned today’s awesome excursion.  Honestly, I never thought much about fishing.  I know a lot of people enjoy it (especially my husband) but it never really hit my radar.  I’ve been fishing once in my lifetime with Greg at the Gorge in California, and my trophy for the day was a ziploc baggie But in all the years that we’ve exposed the kids to a variety of hobbies like fishing, I myself never joined in…until today!  And let me say…the whole experience was thrilling.

Greg hired a guide, a good ol’boy named Dano from Old Moe’s Fly Fishing, for a float trip on the Green River below the Flaming Gorge Dam.  After a few short lessons on how to “nymph,” which is fly fishing with the bait bouncing on the river bottom (as opposed to dry casting on the surface), he took us out for a half day on his boat.

With Dano’s full attention on me, coaching me every step of the way, I had an amazing first experience.  Greg caught 6 beauties and while two of my guys got away (I choked when it came time to reel them in), I successfully reeled in 3 fish; 2 rainbow trouts and 1 brown trout, and they were big too…all ranging from 18-20 inches!

That feeling when I knew I had a bite was both exciting and overwhelming. My mind was racing, trying to remember all the do’s and don’ts of what to do next. (Greg says I am totally spoiled to have that kind of a first outing.  You don’t usually catch fish that big.)  What a thrill!  The whole day I was beaming…the serenity of the Green River and trying something so new, so out of the box.  Greg’s delighted to see me so happy.  Today will go down in the history books as one of my best ever.

At the end of our float trip down the gorgeous Green River, we hopped in our Minnie Winnie chariot and made our way to Jackson/Grand Tetons and, as icing on the cake, we had no snafus on the road.  Hooray! We’ll be in Wyoming for the next 2 days.

By the way, if you’re wondering if we had trout for dinner tonight, we did not.  Once I greeted my slimy friends, took a few snaps and gave ’em a big kiss, we released them back into the wild.

Hello Panguitch Lake, farewell Panguitch Lake.  After allowing ourselves a little later start, we pulled out of Panguitch and headed for Flaming Gorge in northern Utah.  Shortly after leaving, traveling along a winding mountain road, we experienced another kind of thrill that got our adrenaline going.  Just around a blind curve stood a construction lady holding a stop sign due to construction just ahead.  Quick reflexes Greg!  He slammed on the brakes and we narrowly missed hitting the nice lady.  All of the loose contents in the RV cabin went flying, but thankfully no big casualties, except for a bottle of Chianti. When Greg tried to tell the worker the dangerous place she was standing, she agreed, but wouldn’t budge from her position.  Don’t say we didn’t warn you!

If the dogs weren’t nervous before, that really shook them up.  Of course, Daisy took it in stride, and Bella wanted to crawl into someone’s womb.  Poor Bella.  This trip has really been unnerving for her.  Like her mommy (that’s me) she really does like the comforts of home, especially her yard.  The poor thing refuses to “do her business” on the road.  She can “hold it” for 24 hours at a time…if there’s no grassy area, that’s literally a “no go” for Bella.

Other than that, the rest of the day was just a beautiful drive through the Utah mountains.  Greg especially loved seeing the Aspen tree lined mountain tops as we made our way north.  Beautiful countryside.  Once again, we found ourselves traveling at dusk, when the deer come out of hiding.  Today we saw a buck, with his velvety horns.  Magnificent!  He was accompanied by two does.  Greg reminded me that in Utah, polygamy is more accepted 🙂

At the end of our long day on the road (thank God for books on tape…we’re almost done with “Unbroken”), we arrived at Flaming Gorge.  A little dinner, a shower and to bed we go! Tomorrow is fly fishing! (weeeee!)  That’s a bucket list item for Sandy…just want to try it once!  Until tomorrow….

Today was our official first day of our road trip.  We awoke bright and early and pulled out of Palm Desert by 6:00 am… we had a deadline to meet!  We needed to arrive in time for our first fun excursion…a helicopter ride touring Zion National Park in Utah. Having traveled through Zion many times over the last years on our way to our annual trip to Lake Powell, Greg decided to treat me to a panoramic sky view of this breathtaking region.  Our driving schedule was pretty aggressive to make it there in time (no stopping for nada!  Food?  No time…did I mention that I think this trip is Greg’s little way of helping me lose my unwanted pounds?  Eating has not been on the agenda for the last two days)… One little glitch, we didn’t compensate for the time change in Utah, so we were an hour late.  Thankfully, they held the helicopter for us and we had the ride of a lifetime.  Confession…I was nervous (what else is new?) But I kept hearing my kids’ encouraging voices in my head. I do not want to be a wimpy mom… this adventure is stretching me, which is so good for me.

After the HIGH of our spectacular helicopter ride, we had only a couple of hours to make it to our campground in Panguitch Lake, Utah, where we would stay the night. 

Now here come the pesky lows.

I am dependent on GPS.  It NEVER lets me down.  But it sure did yesterday! We faithfully followed every one of the voice commands directing us to our next destination, but after 3 hours of driving, we arrived at an empty lot.  ( I must say, between lacking good GPS and a strong WiFi, I’m a bit of a mess!)  Great. Now what.  The sun’s going down, and we have NO IDEA where we are!  Yep! We’re lost.  Road tired, beyond hungry and not so sure how we will find our way, Greg wisely back tracks to the last time he knew we were heading in the right direction.  After another hour traveling through a lightning/rain storm, we finally found our way to our spot for the night. 

Even in the midst of the frustration of being lost, we saw some spectacular things that almost made the detour worth it.  We saw at least a dozen beautiful rainbows… one after another that felt like God was telling us there would be wonderful, brighter days ahead. 

By the side of the road, we saw several deer, including two mamas and their babies (wish I was fast enough with the camera to capture that sight.) And, we caught a beautiful sunset, showing there was a bright way through the clouds. All in all, the highs outweighed the lows and tomorrow is a new day!! Can’t wait to discover what’s in store for us on our way to Flaming Gorge Dam!

We’re off…

Now that could mean that “we’ve left and are on our way,” OR  that could mean that Greg and I are a little crazy…or both.  For someone who enjoys everything staying exactly the same, loving the consistency of day to day routine, this trip is WAY out of my comfort zone.  And as for Greg being a little bit “off,” he may look like a perfectly sane, conservative guy, but you have to wonder a little bit about someone who gleefully purchases bear repellent (complete with a convenient belt holster).  I rather think he’s hoping for a bear encounter, while I, not surprisingly, shake in my boots at merely the thought of it.  We may be a little crazy, to embark on a trip for a month in a RV, but it is good and healthy for us to expand our horizons.  So, here we go!!

Getting on the road today was nothing particularly exciting, as our first leg was an exercise in managing logistics.  Load truck…drive to Palm Desert…pull RV out of storage…unload truck cargo into RV…grocery shop…arrive at RV park…eat/sleep.  After years of traveling to Lake Powell to enjoy a week of heaven on our house boat, we are well accustomed to the first travel day…a lot of work, but the key to the getaway.

Even today was not without it’s adventures…we learned that Greg should listen to his wife when she questions whether the cargo in the truck bed is well enough secured.  (We’d like to apologize to the guy on the freeway who had to dodge the mattress topper that bounced off our backside.)  And I’d like to thank my guy for single-handedly offloading all of of our stuff into the RV in 110 degree heat and for putting up with grumpy Sandy when my low blood sugar and heat sensitivity made me a tad less delightful.

Once we were all settled in and could finally eat dinner at 10:00 pm, we were glad the day was behind us and we were poised to get an early start the next day.  Even the doggies are starting to adjust to the newness of our home for the next month.  Daisy, always a trooper, is taking it all in stride.  Bella, on the other hand, is our nervous, skittish one and she looks/acts like she’d like to be anywhere but here.  As long as she can sit right next to one of us as her security blanket, she’ll be fine.

So that’s it for now…tomorrow will surely bring an epic adventure for Greg and Sandy (and their hairy children.)