My van developed a water leak, buried way back in its innards. So, since untamed water ruins everything, a repair was required. Winnebago dealers throughout the upper Midwest must be swamped with work; they are taking appointments 4, 5 and 6 months in the future. Fortunately (I guess), the dealership where I bought it was able to get me an appointment within a week! I only had to drive 1,000 miles to get there, hence the trip across the Great Plains.
Yellowstone…Pre-Disaster
Regrets, but my posts are lagging real time…
Lucky me! I made it to and through Yellowstone before the deluge. So sad that it rained so much it put out the fires powering the impressive displays and, in some cases, washed away the boilers as well. The National Park Services estimates that it will be years before the fountains are operational.
Oh, dear. My van has sprung a leak in its fresh water system. A cheap plastic fitting buried in the Unreachable Spaces has split. All the Winnebago dealers within Wyoming and surrounding states are taking service appointments month in the future. So…you’ll never believe the only solution I can see. I’m driving 1,000 miles to Iowa where I bought the thing so they can fix it. I suppose I should count myself lucky that they can get me in.
Grand Tetons
I visited Grand Teton National Park and stayed a couple of days at the main lodge, in a cabin. The views are spectacular. The National Park Service installed signs everywhere, promising bears, but none appeared. The NPS bear wrangling division clearly requires some management attention. They had better luck getting the elk and antelope to show up as promised.
Did you know that paleo-Indians settled here 11,000 years ago? That’s what the NPS web site said. I was astonished; had no idea that dietary fad had been around for so long!
Canyonlands National Park
The motivation behind the moniker “Canyonlands” has been lost with the passage of time, but a visit to the place is worthwhile. In the shadow of Arches National Park (spare yourself the trouble of visiting these prima donna rocks), Canyonlands is quite fun for man and feline alike. I stayed in a village, called “Moab” by the locals, for 3 days. It is a perfect base from which to visit the national parks and take the scenic drives around the area.
Capitol Reef National Park. Who knew?
Did you know there is such a thing as a Capitol Reef National Park? Of course, you didn’t, because no one has heard of it before. It is worth a (short) visit if you’re in the neighborhood. Pretty drive, big rocks. They dubbed it Capitol Reefs NP as some of the rock formations look like a capitol dome and some of them looked like reefs. I suppose it is better than Big Red Cliffs National Park, but only by a little.
Bryce Canyon Delights
I loved visiting Bryce Canyon National Park. Perfect weather, inspiring scenery, free dispersed camping right outside the gate. Xena had a great time climbing trees, ever vigilant for lizards, birds and squirrels.
I stayed several nights in Dixie National Forest. Fabulous, except for the dust. When the wind picked up or a (rare) vehicle drove past, clouds of red dust billowed. Additionally, the cat serves as a reverse dust mop, bringing fine red dirt into the van, distributing it liberally.