This post will wrap up our Alaska trip. It’s a little late
in coming, but we ended our trip earlier to help time our arrival back to our
home area to start assisting with Hurricane Harvey clean-up efforts. And if that wasn’t enough, we also made the
decision to move from our fifth wheel to a motorhome! So it’s been a busy month!
Day 119, August 28
We traveled today to Black
Sandy State Park, located on Hauser Lake near Helena MT. It is beautiful! It’s a little smoky from the fires and our
first time of having temps in the 90’s since we left Arizona back in May! It
was a beautiful drive over with lots of wheat fields. We are also a little
calmer now knowing that our daughters and families got safely evacuated from
the hurricane. Tomorrow our friends Donna
and Greg will continue on to Yellowstone while we start heading south for
Texas. We have been to Yellowstone numerous times so it wasn’t a hard decision
for us to not go. But we were looking forward to visiting with park ranger
friends that are working there this summer.
On our walk saw this beautiful deer! |
Day 120, August 29
Our route today is taking us through Billings MT and into
Sheridan WY. We stopped at the Little
Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, near Crow Agency in Montana. We were so humbled going here. #1 –
Remembering history and Custer’s last stand and #2 viewing the Custer National
Cemetery, which is like Arlington – where there is a final resting place for
generations of those who served in the U S Armed Forces. The cemetery reached
capacity in 1978.
Along the trail you see Indian memorials, along with 7th
Calvary markers and horses, memoralizing June 25 – 26, 1876 and the fateful
Battle of the Little Bighorn. This area
memoralizes one of the last armed efforts of the Northern Plains Indians to
preserve their way of life. 263 soldiers
and attached personnel of the U.S. Army, including Lt. Col. George A. Custer,
met death at the hands of Lakota and Cheyenne warriors.
One of those places you always studied about. |
Part of the Indian Memorial |
Where they found the horses buried. |
We landed tonight at Ranchester
WY – Lazy R Campground. It’s a good
stop. $32 for a full hookup. Quiet. Watching doves and hearing birds – sounds
we haven’t really heard in a while. Saw pictures of our daughter’s house – it
looks safe although the water is about an inch from the door. So much
flooding……
Day 121 – August 30
It’s a pretty day for driving and we’re getting out of the
smoke! Seeing lots of antelope. We need to come back to this area and spend
time here. There are a lot of historical
spots in this area that we need to visit.
We are staying tonight west of Cheyenne at a great state park – Curt
Gowdy. Water and electric for $22. Back home the rivers are still rising. Ron’s
brother’s house has flooded. Wharton and Boling have experienced horrible,
horrible flooding. Still a mandatory
evacuation going on.
Day 122 – August 31
Today will be a travel day through Colorado. I25 through
Denver and at 10 am there is still horrible traffic! Finally let up once we got through Colorado
Springs. Staying the night tonight at Trinidad State Park. We have a really great campsite! Enjoyed watching the sun go down on our lake
view. We were busy once we got here – needed an oil change and groceries. They
are still projecting river flooding to start in Sweeny tomorrow. Found us a campsite close to home and family
once we get there in a few days.
Day 123 – September 1
Crossed Raton Pass NM and here we are in the Texas panhandle
in Snyder at a very quiet campground. Stopped at a Mexican food buffet in Dumas
– good and authentic. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset and the quiet here. Praying
for friends and family at home. Only one family member flooded, but many
friends have and will have a long road ahead of them.
Yay! Back on home turf! |
Sure have missed those Texas sunsets! |
Day 124 – September 2
Up and at them early. A very long day. Met Ron’s twin Don
and wife Rene’ in Marble Falls to pick up Ron’s mom. They had evacuated to Austin,
but she wanted to change locations and go to where her brother and sister live
and we were headed to the same location. Stocked up on groceries. So many of
the gas stations here in the hill country did not have fuel which was crazy. We
got to Schulenburg RV Park around 4,
got set up, took Grandma to her brother’s and headed to go see daughter Amy and
family. Got to meet our new step great grandson Marshall. So glad everyone was
safe! Our other daughter Liz was safe in East Texas – just really missed not
getting to see her and Lucy today!
And a Texas sunrise! |
How about some blackened halibut and some fried halibut while everyone's evacuated? |
We only find poppyseed rolls here in the hill country! |
Some of the water we had to drive through. |
Look at Aiden! |
Spoiling those grandkids! |
Thus ends our great Alaska Adventure of 2017. Great travels
for sure! We traveled 15, 389 miles on this road trip. It’s hard to say what was the best part of
the trip. There was just too many best parts! We will relive these adventures
for a long time.
Here are a few pictures I snapped of Harvey’s
aftermath. We got settled into an RV
site here in Sweeny. While Ron helped friends tear out sheetrock I did a lot of
cooking to keep everyone nourished and energized for the tasks at hand.
Water across the San Bernard River bridge. This is why our trailer would have been swept away if kiddos wouldn't have moved it. |
San Bernard river |
Stinky mess. Got to be where you couldn't maneuver down the street because of so much debris. |
Ruined cotton fields. |
We had our little trailer sold before we ever got back home.
So thankful that our son-in-law was able to move our big 5th wheel
up to higher ground. Come to find out, it wouldn’t have made it. Where we left
it at (where it’s never flooded before) had 5’ of water. Took us a day to move
back in to the big one.
And almost a month later, here we are in our new home! A 2017 Newmar Dutch Star diesel pusher. Wow!!! Drives like a dream but most
importantly – it really feels like home!
Very sturdy, roomy and just has those features that make it comfortable.
Why a motorhome? Well, for the longest
we always said – no way, those aren’t for us.
But the way we travel we think it’s a perfect fit. We are able to tow our jeep behind it. A jeep
makes for a better off road adventure than that big dually truck for sure. We did our homework, talked to a lot of folks
that were owners of various makes and models which was so helpful to eliminate
certain manufacturers. Swapping over
required another big purge – which we really needed to do anyway.
Inside of new motorhome. |
Aiden helping his great grandma sew a pillow for his mom's birthday. |
Spending time with Lucy! |
And the outside of our new home! |
We will be heading to a really great Texas State Park in
October – Brazos Bend to volunteer through January. The park was severely
damaged from the hurricane so we will ultimately be assisting with clean-up. They
hope to re-open in November and we will most likely be park hosting then. I
will be sharing adventures from there soon! Until we get there, we have a
couple of fun family weekends and a whirlwind of those pesky doctor
appointments that you put off until you’re back in your home area.
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