Utah to New York, 2019

[ClydesdaleKevin]

A new adventure begins!



We left Ogden, UT around 11am.  We fueled up and topped off the propane and water and dumped the holding tanks, checked the air pressures and topped off all the tires on the RV to 100psi at the nearby Flying J right after we left camp.

Then we hopped on I-15 North, and meandered our way to a Flying J in Idaho Falls, Idaho...where we are staying for the night.

Tomorrow we'll be driving about 200 miles to Butte, Montana to pick up I-90 East, and then will drive about another 150 miles to a Flying J not far from the north entrance to Yellowstone National Park. 

Hopefully, when we pull into Yellowstone bright and early on Wednesday morning, we'll be able to get a campsite for a week at the Mammoth camping area, which is first come first serve.  (A lot of the campgrounds are still closed at Yellowstone, and the three that let you reserve campsites are booked until the Fall).

Yellowstone here we come!  (Fingers crossed for an RV spot!).



Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Safe touchdown for the night at the Flying J in Belgrade, MT...about 70 miles from the north entrance to Yellowstone.  Everything is running great and we are off of I-90 East, so our meandering journey to upstate New York is already underway.

There will, of course, be a few stops along the way.  Like Yellowstone!!!

Idaho and Montana are GORGEOUS, by the way!



Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Gotta get a bright and early start this morning, so we are about to hit the road!  (7am here in Montana right now).  Mammoth camping area filled up by 10:30am yesterday, and although there are available sites, we are an hour or so out.  Yikes!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Woohooooooo!!!  We are in Yellowstone, camping for a week at the Mammoth camping area near the North Entrance.

WOW is it beautiful.  We haven't even left the campground yet to explore, and already we saw a small herd of buffalo go through the campground, and some elk!

LOTS of pictures coming soon!  Today we are driving the Jeep down with the pups to see Old Faithful and some of the other geysers.  So much to see in this enormous National Park!  I don't think we could see in all in a MONTH, nevermind six days.  But we are going to see as much as we can!

Our campsite is perfect for solar power.  Full sun directly over the panels all day.  SWEET!

After my coffee I'm going to offload the Jeep into the "bear box" on our campsite, and then off we go to see Old Faithful.

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Yellowstone Park is beautiful and amazing...and HUGE!

We are camped at the northern tip of the park.  We drove over 50 miles today just to get to Old Faithful, which is only about the half way mark to the southern tip of the park.  Every corner turned is natural beauty.  Buffalo and elk EVERYwhere...and a lot of the time today was spent waiting for the buffalo to leisurely get out of the road...lol!

Old Faithful was amazing...and its not even the biggest geyser in the park.  We'll be spending all week exploring this beautiful Alpine paradise.  And we still won't even see a fraction of it.  I HIGHLY recommend coming to Yellowstone.  Simply breathtaking!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Well crap.

Its raining and might even snow tonight here at Yellowstone, and get down to 33 degrees tonight, and be in the 40s and rainy all day tomorrow.

But that isn't what I'm saying "well crap" about.

We drove to town this morning to get some more eggs and bacon and sausage...and on the way back, the front passenger side wheel on the Jeep started making some noise...squealing and clacking, just as we made it back to camp.

I parked it and turned the wheel to the left to see what was going on, and the two bolts, BOTH of them, that hold the caliper on the steering knuckle, were gone!  Just freakin' gone! 

So tomorrow or Sunday I'm going to have to take the wheel off and hope I have some bolts that will fit, even as a temporary measure, so we can use the Jeep again to explore!  This is horse hockie!!!



Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

So I didn't have ANY bolts that would work for the Jeep's front passenger side caliper...so I took one bolt out of the driver's side and made sure the holes in the steering knuckle still had good threads, and they do.

No choice though...I had to order 4 new caliper pins from Quadratec and have them overnight shipped, General Delivery, to the Yellowstone National Park Post Office...which fortunately is within walking distance from here (although the trail to get there is STEEP!).

So tomorrow or Tuesday the pins should arrive and we'll be good to go again.  It just sucks having to stick around the campground waiting, when there is so much else to see here in Yellowstone!

I'm just REALLY glad nothing was damaged and the only things missing were the two caliper pin bolts!  I'll be using Lock-Tite when I install the new ones...and that will leave me two spares in case they disappear again.

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

So the tracking numbers say that my bolts for the Jeep made it to Billings, MT, and that the package left Billings around 5am.  But it isn't giving me a time of arrival.  I REALLY hope they make it to the Post Office before they close at 5pm!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

The caliper pins came in (albeit late at 3pm), and I walked up the STEEP mountain trail, about a mile but STEEP, to walk to the Post Office, where I was nearly run over by an elk cow running to the cry of her newborn calf...which was on the other side of me.  Yikes!

The hike DOWN the hill was a lot easier than going up...and the repair took less than 10 minutes.  I used blue Loctite on the threads so it won't happen again...and put the two spare pins in my Jeep toolbox just in case!

Then I payed for 2 more nights so we can see more of the park besides what we have seen so far.

So the Jeep is fixed!  YAY!!!!!!!



Kev

[HandyDan]

Life is Good!

[ClydesdaleKevin]

We are about to hit the road for the next leg of our journey...destination Mount Rushmore!

Yellowstone was amazing, and we'll definitely be back next year.  We only saw a fraction of the park, so next year I'm thinking we'll explore Grand Tetons and the some of the south side of Yellowstone.

The Jeep is already hooked up, so after a cup of coffee, we'll be back on the road.

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

We made it as far as a Flying J, in Hardin, MT and fueled up...and decided to stay the night.  And it is a good thing we did!  Not long after we pulled in, with sunny blue skies...dark clouds rolled in with thunder and lightning, and it is now raining cats and dogs with tiny hail stones. 

We are now at around 2900 feet in elevation, and it sure is easier to breathe than it was at almost 7000 feet in Yellowstone!

Tomorrow we'll be driving around 300 miles, which will put us at a Pilot near Rapid City, SD...which is only around 30 miles away from the entrance to the Mount Rushmore  National Memorial in the Black Hills National Forest.  We should be able to get a campsite in the park for a couple of days...I'm going to call the Ranger Station in the morning as see what the camping situation is.

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

So it looks like we'll be stopping on the way to Mount Rushmore to see the Little Bighorn Battlefield.  Not sure there will be much to see, but it is right off the highway, so why not?

This Flying J in Hardin, MT doesn't have a dump station or water...but there is a Love's Travel Stop off this same exit, so we'll see if they have a dump station there.  If not, hopefully the next Flying J on the way to Mount Rushmore has both.

Kev

[Froggy1936]

Well Kevin Since you have been living in your new home for a wile, I think you can give a report on Compost toilets VS Regular plumbing ? What do you have to say   Frank

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Well Kevin Since you have been living in your new home for a wile, I think you can give a report on Compost toilets VS Regular plumbing ? What do you have to say   Frank

I'll never go back to a composting toilet again...lol!  TOO much maintenance to keep it from having the "wet compost" gross factor.  Even being careful, you HAVE to empty and change the peat moss (for two people), at LEAST every two weeks...and if you let the pee bottle overfill into the peat moss, you BETTER change it out right away, or GROSSO!!!  And that 2.5 gallon pee bottle fills up surprisingly fast...so you are dumping THAT every other day and sometimes daily.

If I was rich and had a HUGE coach with a big enough bathroom, I would consider an incinerator toilet (which are huge and take up a lot of room)...but I'm not, so I'm sticking with the standard RV toilet forever...lol!  I'm just lucky this coach has VERY large holding tanks.  80 gallon black, 80 gallon grey, and 120 gallon fresh.  (Diesel tank is also 80 gallons).

That said, I WILL keep to the same practices I got into the habit of with the composting toilet, with the standard RV toilet:  Always pee sitting down...and always put the TP in a covered trash can next to the toilet.  THOSE two things right there make the standard RV toilet perfect!  (Our male anatomy doesn't surprise us with a "side spray," and there is no chance of toilet paper sticking to the sides of the black tank or clogging anything up).

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

We tried to check out Little Bighorn Battlefield, only to discover that it wasn't a historical site, but a town built around where the battle took place...so that was a wash.

So we just pressed on.  Next year, since we passed the signs for it, we'll check out Devil's Tower...but this year we are running short on time if we want to see Mount Rushmore, visit a friend along the way, see Niagra Falls, and be in camp for the Sterling Renaissance Festival in Sterling, NY by July 1st.

We made it all the way to a Pilot in Rapid City, SD today, and are staying here for the night.  We are SUPER close to Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills National Forest...so tomorrow we'll try to get into a campsite in the National Forest for a couple of days, and see Mount Rushmore!

Honest folks...we have LOTS of pictures that I'll share...eventually.

Kev

[Elandan2]

We used to have Incinolet toilets on the locomotives. They were gross too!! Let's just say the advertisments make them sound (and smell) much better than they really are.

[Rickf1985]

It is really interesting to hear that you are able to get space at the state parks, I have been hearing for years that the parks are always full and it is impossible to get a space in them. That is why I have not made any plans for state parks. That and the fact they have quadrupled the rates.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

It is really interesting to hear that you are able to get space at the state parks, I have been hearing for years that the parks are always full and it is impossible to get a space in them. That is why I have not made any plans for state parks. That and the fact they have quadrupled the rates.

If you go to the National Forests and Parks before June 15th (after which all the kids are out of school), chances are good you can get a spot on a first come, first serve basis.  It seems like ALL the spots that you can reserve online or by phone end up being booked solid from May to October.

We are going to try one of the campgrounds near Mount Rushmore...I called, and they said there were 3 "first come first serve" sites available, but I doubt they'll still be there when we arrive in a couple of hours, being Father's Day and all.  Our alternative plan is to just drive to the Memorial, where they have 10.00 RV parking...see Mount Rushmore...and then drive back to I-90 to a Flying J a few exits down the road. 

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

We are about 25 miles from Mount Rushmore...but camping in the National Forest doesn't look very promising.

We are going to try one of the campgrounds near Mount Rushmore...I called, and they said there were 3 "first come first serve" sites available, but I doubt they'll still be there when we arrive in a couple of hours, being Father's Day and all.  Our alternative plan is to just drive to the Memorial, where they have 10.00 RV day parking (but you can't stay overnight)...see Mount Rushmore...and then drive back to I-90 to a Flying J a few exits down the road. 

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

You simply have to SEE Mount Rushmore to believe it!  The sculptor was SO good, that in person the eyes look lifelike, even with a sparkle in them.  We arrived right after a rain storm (which we drove there in)...and the Presidents looked like they were crying.  (I won't interpret that here politically...lol).  After the rain dried up, that effect went away.  The type of granite they were carved into, according to park rangers, will last at LEAST 10 thousand years, even with weather and erosion.  It was a remarkable and very warming experience to my patriotic heart.

The studio the sculptor used was pretty neat, and we learned a lot about HOW it was done from the park ranger giving a presentation.  Amazing!

It didn't take ALL that long to see...so we drove a couple of hundred miles to a town called Murdo, SD to a Pilot for the night.  Right across the street is the entrance to the Pioneer Auto Show museum...where they have hundreds of vehicles on display, including the original General Lee, and Elvis Presley's Harley.  So we are going to walk across the street tomorrow morning and check it out!

1400 miles or so to go until we get to Sterling, NY for our next Renfaire!  Add around 150 miles to that since I found a route that goes TOTALLY around Chigago.

And our average MPG for this beast since we bought it this winter?  A solid 11.5 MPG.  Sometimes it is 12, and sometimes it is 11...but the average since we have been keeping track (since we bought it) is a solid 11.5mpg.  Outstanding!  Especially since diesel is right around the same price as regular gas now...and even cheaper in some places.  SWEET!

On the way we hope to visit some friends, see Niagra Falls, and arrive in our camp in upstate NY by July 1st.



Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

It is really interesting to hear that you are able to get space at the state parks, I have been hearing for years that the parks are always full and it is impossible to get a space in them. That is why I have not made any plans for state parks. That and the fact they have quadrupled the rates.

Also Rick...I'm not sure how old you are, but if you are 65 or older, you can get the Golden Access pass.  When Patti got hers it was only 20.00, but the fee went up to 80.00 recently.  BUT it is a one time fee and lasts you the rest of your life.  What you get for it is FREE entry into ALL National Parks and Forests, and half off the camping at all National Parks and Forests AND BLM land camping areas where they charge you (although most BLM land camping is totally free for everyone).  It only cost us 10 bucks a day to camp at Yellowstone...and when we camped at the BLM land near Safford, AZ called Hot Wells Dunes, it was only 2.00 a day.

Kev

[Rickf1985]

Good to know and yes, I qualify. W%

[ClydesdaleKevin]

MINNESOTA ROADS SUCK!!!



Western South Dakota is beautiful...and then the eastern half turns into rolling green hills like the world's largest golf course.

And THEN we hit Minnesota.  GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!  The road is in HORRIBLE repair along I-90, with big bumps every 12 feet or so, like driving over short speed bumps or a giant washboard.

We pulled into a truck stop for the night in Blue Earth, Minnesota...after over a hundred miles of horrible roads...only to discover the Onan Generator is almost falling out!

No kidding!  The welds snapped on the rear bracket and on the rear side, it is almost touching the ground...only being held in place by the wiring harness and the propane line!  (Good thing the liquid LP valve was closed and it wasn't running!).  The front is still holding though.

I have no other option tomorrow morning than to unbolt the good side and somehow lower it to the ground (after removing the exhaust pipe)...and then removing the propane line...and the wiring from the junction box...and lower THAT side to the pavement.

And then if it isn't too tall, I'll have to slide it out from under the RV skirt.  If it IS too tall, I'll have to jack up the RV to slide it out.

And THEN I'll have to figure out how to lift it into the back of the Jeep!  The specs on this thing say it weights 279 lbs...YIKES! 

These things sell for over 4500.00 new, and it only has around 100 hours on it...so I'm not going to just jettison the thing.  Once we get to upstate NY and have an income coming in again, I'll have the bracket welded back in (properly this time!  It looks like it was just tack welded in place and they forgot to lay a full bead like they did with the front of the bracket)...and reinstall the genny with a new control board.

But yeah...Minnesota roads SUCK!!!

Kev

[Berlin-Tioga]

 


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