Friday, September 1, 2017

With this, today, writing this entry it is my 5th month.LOL May, June, July, August and now September. 😀🏔🐻👍 😀

Hi All, I hope you and yours are well and safe. I am well and safe in West Yellowstone, MT. Just outside the west side of Yellowstone National Park. I am a day's drive away from home. Wow!!! I am having trouble comprehending, I have been RVing for 99 days. I have seen so much and done even more. I can't believe it. The emotions I am feeling are over the top. I am so thankful for being blessed in my journeys to, around and down from Alaska. I am feeling so confident, proud, accomplished and happy and so much more. To celebrate, I am cooking some remaining frozen salmon, I caught 3 months ago for dinner tonight and I am going to enjoy each bite with pride and joy. I enjoyed my salmon, it was good. After I ate I washed the dishes and wiped everything down. After that I recycled the dish water with more water and gave my truck and camper a good wiping down. I had washed both earlier and wanted to clean the spots I missed. I am going to look sharpe driving around Yellowstone tomorrow, in my shiny truck.LOL After that I gave myself a good scrubbing and cleaning, too. It feels good to be clean. I am now enjoying a beer as I write this. I still am in disbelief the summer is already nearing an end. It will not be long and I’ll be home. I am well and feeling great.

😃🐻🦌🦉🦅🦆🐋🏔️🗻⛰️🚎

Saturday, September 2, 2017

Hi, I hope you and yours are well and safe and life is good. I was able to get up early and prepare some fruit for my drive in Yellowstone National Park. I had a plan to drive the entire loop but insteaded opted to drive over to the Lamar Valley as soon as I could. I was thinking it would be my best chance to see bears and wolves. I was surprised I really didn't have much traffic. I made it over to the Lamar Valley in good time. I saw bison and not a few but a lot, so many it would have been difficult to try and count. I saw a lone antelope. I was able to spot what people were stopped and looking at, It was a nest of either falcons or hawks. I contiued on and I was seeing a lot of traffic coming in from the northeast entrance and decided to turn around. It turned out to be a good choice as I was able to see some big horn sheep approaching and crossing the road. I was able to get some pictures. I then made my way over to Canyon Village and then through the Hayden Valley. There were a lot of cars parked and people walking and it made me stop and ask what was the attraction. There was a bear way off in the distance people were watching. I didn't stop due to wanting good quality close ups I had in Alaska. LOL As I moved through Hayden Valley, I was surprised to see another large gathering of buffalo. I would say the buffalo in Yellowstone is well. I was still surprised for a holiday weekend, there wasn't much traffic. I was able to drive over to Old Faithful with very little traffic. I didn't stop and watch Old Faithful erupt because of the memories stopping was bringing to the surface. I drove towards Madison and the west entrance. I finaly saw the traffic I had been expecting all morning. Cars were backed up for a few miles, some trying to get into Fountain Paint Pot. I was happy the backup was in the oppsite direction I was going. I was hungry so I thought I would go back to West Yellowstone and have some lunch. I saw another lenghty backup again in the oppsite direction I was going. Traffic was backed up due to elk being near the road and people wanting to watch and take pictures. I contiued on. When I reached the west entrance I couldn't believe the traffic backed up trying to get into the Park. I had lunch and remembered a footbal game was on. I tried to stream it but it wasn't happening. I called a bar and they had the game on. I walked the couple of blocks and watched football. I made it back to camp and called it a day. All in all, it had been a good day. I went to bed having decided I would wait untill Monday to drive in Yellowstone again. Hoping there would be less traffic due to people starting for home. I am well and feeling great.

Sunday, September 3, 2017

I woke up this morning thinking about how dirty the back of the truck was with dust from all the dirt roads that had been traveled on. I laid in bed thinking of a plan to get it cleaned up. Things stay dry in rain but on dirt roads dust finds a way into the bed and pretty much covers everything. I removed the truck cover and unloaded everything. I then swept out all the dust. I then drove over to a car was I saw the day before when I walked to the bar to watch the football game. I washed out the back of the truck and returned to camp and proceeded to dry it out. I put everything back away and that was that. I spent the rest of the day relaxing in my camper. I hope you and yours are safe and well. I am well and feeling good. I am still having difficulties coming to terms the summer passed so fast. LOL

Monday, September 4, 2017

Hi all, I hope you and yours are well and life is good. I am sitting here at Old Faithful at Yellowstone National Park waiting for it to go off. I went outside this morning to find ash fallen. Great, nothing like breathing in ash, Not! Visibility has been bad all day. I am hoping it isn't as bad 40 miles southeast from here. I have booked a campsite in front of the Tetons thinking it would be nice to sit around and admire. Based on what I am seeing today, I don't think so.LOL I have had a nice drive. I made the entire loop today and drove out to the Lamar Valley. I was able to see buffalo and antelope. Traffic was better then I thought it would be. I was hoping there would be less people due to everyone leaving to get home. Old Faithful went off but the steam and spray blended with the white of the sky and wasn't much to see. I left before it was done. I figured I would beat the crowd to the ice cream counter.LOL Afterwards, I made my way back to camp and relaxed. I fixed pasta for dinner did clean up. Tomorrow I make the move. I am well and feeling good. :) I wish I was great but I am missing my time in Alaska. It was such a great experience that I am not ready to have end. I am well and feeling great.😀

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Hi all, I hope you and yours are well and life is good. As I write this my heart is heavy with concern for family in Florida. I hope they ALL make wise choices and not risk life. My prayers and highest hopes Irma turns north and goes off to the northeast. I moved from West Yellowstone, MT to Jackson Hole Wyoming this morning. It was a great drive with no issues at all. My truck handled crossing the Continental Divided three times today as if it was nothing. I am happy about that. I am sad to report my hopes of being able to sit and gaze upon the Tetons isn't happening, where they are I can only see white haze. :( I am happy to be here all the same. I have a confession to make. I am just not ready to get home and into my primary home. I have enjoyed living out of my second home so so much. I hate for to end. But like all good things, it must come to an end. I am slowly coming to terms with this. It has been the best summer of my entire life by leaps and bounds. I have seen my favorite animals doing amazing things. At my most favorite place on earth(Denali NP), I was able to watch winters retreat into summer and then winters advance. So Awesome!!!! I have met people from all over the world and enjoyed talking and getting to know them all. To all the people at RV parks that offered words of encouragement and suggestions, I thank you and you are good people. WOW! I just can't believe it, "How time flies when having fun!"

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

This morning was spent trying to find a place to store my camper when I return home on Friday. I wasn't looking forward to it not being confident I would be able to find a place. The task has been weighing on me. I should have started making calls yesterday but figured why do today what I can do tomorrow.LOL The first place I called had two spaces yesterday but leased them out. All that was left, was a large site that would cost more then I wanted to pay. I could have taken it and be put at the top of the list for a smaller space. Thoughts of it being a few months made me turn it down. The second place I called thought there might be a space for a price more in my price range. I was talking to the owner and I needed to talk to the manager and was given a direct number. I called and left voice mail. I then spent the next few hours waiting. Not wanting to waste the entrie day waiting, I called back. The manager wasn't on site and I would have to call back later. I used the time to drive to Jackson to get some fruitand drinks. The drive was nice and I was able to see the Tetons through the smokey haze. It was nice but I wished it was more clear. When it is clear the sight is unbelievable. I drove back to camp and I was surprised for it only being early afternoon there was not much traffic. I arrived back at camp and put things away. I had an apple and then called the manager back to find out if they had space for my camper. They do and my search for storage for my camper was over. I am happy I have a place to park my camper but at the same time, I am sad because the finality of my summer adventure is about to end. It will be good to be home and be able to just be in one place but at the same time, feels odd or something. I don't know. I tried do other things to distract me from how I was feeling. I decide to cook pasta for dinner and enjoyed it. I then cleaned things up and tried to enjoy my evening. I was feeling tired and went to bed. I slept for about half hour. I laid there for a few minutes and thought about how I have negelected my journal for a few days. I got up and am sitting here doing some updates. Maybe this is what has had me feeling down all day because as I sit here doing updates, I am feeling better.LOL

Thursday, September 7, 2017

Well this is it! It is my last night RVing. Tomorrow at this time, with the good Lord's blessing, I'll be home with my Camper parked in storage. I am not excited about this odyssey I have been living coming to an end. What has made me write, is why does it have to come to an end? My answer, where to go. I can't stay put or move because of all the smoke. I can't go down south because of hurricane damage and approaching storms in the south. I thought about going west and to the California coast? The thought of being parked along the coast somewhere is so alluring. But all thought through, I want to be at a place I can watch the Broncos. And that is at home! So, tomorrow I'll drive the eight hours home. I can't believe I never gave it a thought that this would end. June, July and August has flown by at a warps speed. It is funny when I think back to May 25, 2017 and started my trip to Alaska. I really wasn't optimistic I would make it with so much more that could go wrong towing a camper trailer. Yet here on September 7, not only did I make it up to Alaska and traveled all around. I made it back down south and almost home 106 days later. It is boggling my mind how much fun it has been. The work, the leaks and the other things that has been endured RVing, not once was I ready to give up and felt I had made a mistake. It has been a blast and I look forward to formulating new places to go before going back to Alaska next spring. Maybe I'll be blessed and have someone to share next year with.LOL

Friday, September 8, 2017

Hello Everyone, I hope you and yours are well and safe. I hope life is good. I write to you from home. A place I haven't been in 106 days. I woke up this morning to frost. I thought I was going to have to scrap my windshield.LOL It was just damp. LOL I broke camp this morning with reluctance but at the same time I couldn't wait to get on the road. I knew if all went well I would be home tonight and my camper safely stored. Well, the drive was a bit more difficult than I thought but at the same time I expected it. I expected the head winds and cross winds. What I didn't remember was all the long hills that had to be climbed. I drove very carefully so the truck wouldn't over heat. Well I made it to Rawlings and then Laramie. As I had done in Montana I used slow moving semi trucks as a draft. That helped some. It wasn't long and I was exiting I80 onto I25. From that moment till I reached home the quote was, "Are you kidding me?" Well over 6,000 miles and I was going to get home safe and camper and truck in one piece. I took a chance going by home so I could unload the camper. I couldn't believe my luck, there was parking right in front on the street. I parked and proceeded to unload the camper. I want to thank my neighbor for taking time out and helping me unload. It made the process go faster and was so much easier. Everything was unloaded. I then took the camper to storage and was able to get registered and signed in relatively easy and fast. I was able to back the camper into the assigned space and that was that. When I returned home I grabbed what I needed and took a nice long shower. It was great having such water pressure. LOL I showered and now I am updating here to let all know I am home safe and sound. I can hardly believe it. It has been a great great adventure. I feel so lucky to have been so fortunate to have traveled so far and end up being safe and sound in the end. I am tired so I am going to end this. I am well and feeling great. 😀

Journal Entries for September