Something New

Hello Friends and Family!

Thought you might be sick of me getting caught up on earlier travels, so here is an actual post of our current travels! (I can’t tell you how many times I am gently reminded that I should be keeping all y’all up-to-date.) I will say the Montana wi-fi has been pretty spotty up until now, so I am taking advantage of the current wi-fi situation with multiple postings this week.

First of all, we have finally made it to Glacier National Park! (We had planned to visit a couple of different times in the past few years, but life happened…) And it is spectacular!

We took a Sunday drive along Going-to-the-Sun Road. Sophie was able to come along, since we were not hiking. No dogs allowed on the trails — only along roadways and in campground areas. There are waterfalls everywhere!

View from Going-to-the-Sun road in Glacier National Park (July, 2017)
Goats near Logan’s Pass
Waterfall along Going-to-the-Sun Road (July, 2017)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With over 700 miles of hiking trails, GNP has a lot of options. We don’t like to keep Sophie crated or alone for too long, so we chose a day hike closer to West Glacier — the McDonald Creek trail. This was a really nice hike with pretty views and not too many elevation changes (Better for Ronnie’s knees!) We chose not to buy bear spray, but the further along the trail we went, the more evidence (fur balls and a really nice paw print) of bear activity we saw. We were sure to periodically make some noise, just in case. We had very little company along the trail, and we had the cascades at the end all to ourselves. Roundtrip hike — about 5.5 miles. Perfect weather. No attack bears. And we made it back to the RV by our target ETA. Life can’t get much better than this.

Ronnie pausing to enjoy the view. (GNP, July 2017)
McDonald Creek is rushing by the trail. (GNP, July 2017)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is probably a great spot for bears to come get a drink and a snack. πŸ™‚ (GNP, July 2017)

 

A selfie at the end of the end of the McDonald Creek trail. (GNP, July 2017)
The cascading waters of McDonald Creek. (GNP, July 2017)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

June is almost over — time to get you caught up! 😎

We celebrated New Year’s Eve/Day around Santa Cruz with family, then spent a couple of days in Pacifica. Then the rains came. (If you are experiencing a drought, we’d be happy to visit. Rain seems to love us.)

Just outside our campsite in Pacifica, CA. Our slides were inches from our neighbors’, but the views are amazing!

 

 

 

 

 

 

So we headed to the deserts of Joshua Tree National Park. We loved the scenery and enjoyed the diversity of desert landscapes.

Rock formations, too! Jan 2017
A nice hike to see this oasis!
Joshua trees
Joshua Tree NP vista
Cholla cacti Jan 2017

 

 

Vintage Vegas Neon

We then headed for Vegas for the week — not the best venue for Sophie (although she did get a hike in around Lake Mead Recreational Area).

 

 

 

 

 

Then we headed to dog-friendly Lake Havasu. We stayed on the “island,” where Sophie had beach area to explore, a paved walking trail around the island and a nearby dog park by the London Bridge.

A view from the campground
Lake Havasu, AZ (Jan., 2017)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pure watering can joy!
Sophie had room to play with her watering can in Lake Havasu, AZ!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We ended January in Yuma, AZ, where we visited the Yuma Territorial Prison (which was later used as a high school campus for the Yuma school system, and whose sports teams were nicknamed the Crims — short for Criminals). We discovered Yuma, the “salad bowl of America” is also known for its medjool dates.

We also took a drive into California to visit the Imperial Sand Dunes, which are amazing. Be sure to buy a permit (available from some local gas stations), if you want to drive within the park operated by the state of California. We found a few free lookouts, and the dunes are really spectacular!

Sandscapes at Imperial Dunes (Jan., 2017)
Imperial Sand Dunes sign

 

 

Imperial Sand Dunes (Jan., 2017)
Imperial Sand Dunes (Jan., 2017)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And that’s a wrap for January!