Our trip out west

[Duke4857]

What a great buncch of pictures! Very nice!!

[Lowmiler]

Originally Posted by craigav

Great pictures, what type of camera are you using?

Thanks.

Just my iPhone 11 Pro Max.

I brought my full DLSR camera rig, but my iPhone has been doing an awesome job.

[Lowmiler]

Originally Posted by RedHorse1

Low, thanks for the posts! The Bride and I did a similar trip in ‘17. I retired in late ‘16 and we’d planned the first “big” trip for a while. We started in the Houston area and headed north to S.Dacota. Turned west till we hit Y’stone. From there we turned south and made several stops, the best was outside Colo. Springs. Finally picked up I10 and saw sign “75,000 mi to Houston”, (or so). Stopped off in Marfa but finally found H-town. Awesome trip and your pics reminded me of how much we enjoyed the adventure. We spent 6 seeks total and best of all we got snow in Y’stone.

Thanks for your post!

Sounds like a grand time, glad I could stir up some positive memories!

[RAurand]

We did that trip last year (End of June to beginning of August) with our kids from Harrisburg, PA to Grant Nebraska, (1st Commercial flying job crop dusting) to Jackson Hole, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Devils Tower, Badlands, Wall Drug, Sioux Falls, Mall of America, Oshkosh, Mackinac Island, Michigan, and finally home. We had a wonderful time.

[russguaj]

Awesome pictures, we've been talking about doing a similar trip for too many years, need to get this one in!

[fnlvr234]

Lovely pictures, thanks for sharing

[TxLoser]

Great photos. We need more photos/trip reports like this on here.

[Lowmiler]

Thanks everyone. I have to say that we had some reservations doing this trip during the height of tourist season, as we typically shun crowds.

But my fears have been unfounded. As long as you get into the park early (we entered at 6:30am today), you can avoid the crowds at all the major destinations if you hit them before 11am.

Even during the peak of the day, traffic has not been an issue at all, and this is a national holiday week! All the concession people and rangers I speak to say this is normal volume, so the earlier park closure didn’t really scare people off for the summer.

So have no fear and get out there!

[Lowmiler]

Today’s photos.

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. A painting from this vantage point by Thomas Moran convinced congress to vote for the National Park System, which Yellowstone was the first of (and also the first in the world):




Upper falls:




Lower falls:




Big rack elk dozing by the north canyon rim loop entrance:




And another geyser, this one near Old Faithful in the Upper Geyser Basin:

[Lowmiler]

Third day in Yellowstone started with a hike to Mystic Falls to allow the steam at Grand Prismatic to burn off. 7am air temps were too cool to allow any view if this iconic spring. By 9am, after our hike, things became visible. We then headed south to Bridge Bay Marina to rent a power boat for a couple hours. Drifted by Stevenson Island and had a pleasant lunch in the sun.

[Hollander Mutthaulers]

I grew up in Bozeman. Sometimes we'd take a Sunday afternoon drive to West Yellowstone, through the park to Gardiner and home via Paradise Valley and Livingston. Super beautiful photos you recorded of the sights and scenes we never took for granted. Thanks for sharing your excitement and your portraits!

[cmikal]

Originally Posted by Lowmiler

We’ve been through nasty tornado weather, 105f degree heat waves, scares about Yellowstone closing, and some incredibly steep routes, but so far it’s been an amazing adventure.

I have the same rig, but have not been in extremely hot weather with it yet. How did it handle triple digit temps?

[Lowmiler]

Originally Posted by cmikal

I have the same rig, but have not been in extremely hot weather with it yet. How did it handle triple digit temps?

First, we only have two 15k AC units, some of the newer ones have a third AC option, so bear that in mind.

On the first 105f day, we arrived mid day to our campground, so the rig was toasty hot inside. We could only get the temp down to 76f inside until about 7hrs later when the sun went down. Campsite was mostly in the sun, very little shade.

Once we got the temps to 71f inside overnight, it wouldn’t go above 73f during the day (with temps still in triple digits outside).

But this was a dry heat, central South Dakota, so results may have been worse should there also have been high humidity.

That being said, 76f inside was absolutely comfortable compared to outside.

Oh, and I‘ve done all the AC duct tricks to the coach, too.

[Lowmiler]

For our last day in Yellowstone, we finished our tour of all the open major routes, and headed to the Tower area, about 2hr drive each way from our campground.

The park is much more mountainous up there, also with lush sweeping valleys, and the balance of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

We did a back country hike, which was awesome. Unfortunately I lost my sunglasses as we stumbled upon this guy standing just a few feet from our trail path and had to cut through dense underbrush to get around him.









Also saw some wolves feeding on a bison carcass through our spotting scope as we drove up the north slope of Mt. Washburn. Fitting end to our time here. Off to Glacier tomorrow morning.

[craigav]

Great pictures again! BTW, I have read where some people have placed their Iphone camera against a spotter scope eyepiece and got some great distance pictures. Just FYI, that you may already be aware of. ~CA

[Lowmiler]

Originally Posted by craigav

Great pictures again! BTW, I have read where some people have placed their Iphone camera against a spotter scope eyepiece and got some great distance pictures. Just FYI, that you may already be aware of. ~CA

Ironically, I practiced doing that with mine before we left on this trip, and then today I just couldn’t get it to work, even with the attachment.

I think it’s because I was trying to shoot video today and before it worked when just taking photos.

Oh well, I’m sure I’ll see another bison carcass being devoured by wolves any day now. Lol!

[cmikal]

Originally Posted by Lowmiler

First, we only have two 15k AC units, some of the newer ones have a third AC option, so bear that in mind.

On the first 105f day, we arrived mid day to our campground, so the rig was toasty hot inside. We could only get the temp down to 76f inside until about 7hrs later when the sun went down. Campsite was mostly in the sun, very little shade.

Once we got the temps to 71f inside overnight, it wouldn’t go above 73f during the day (with temps still in triple digits outside).

But this was a dry heat, central South Dakota, so results may have been worse should there also have been high humidity.

That being said, 76f inside was absolutely comfortable compared to outside.

Oh, and I‘ve done all the AC duct tricks to the coach, too.

We also only have 2 AC units. We started using our rig late last October in Pennsylvania and immediately headed South. We spent Thanksgiving in Arkansas, then Christmas North of Dallas, then down to the Gulf. We headed back to PA in the Spring, arriving mid-May. The trailer has been in storage since then. We saw a few 80 degree days, but nothing worse than that. My concern is that we really need 3 ACs during humid 90 degree or higher conditions. Starting this October, we will be full-time instead of half-time and we will be using our trailer during those 90 and 100 degree PA summer days. I have my doubts whether the trailer can maintain low to mid-70s during those hot spells.

I haven't done anything to the ductwork or the AC units. I'm curious what you did, since you can't get to the plenum area. My AC units are hidden above the ceiling. I am assuming yours are too.

[Roadpop]

Thank you for sharing. Now suffering from severe case of trip envy. DW went on epic 28 day trip out west when she was 11. All I heard about when we were dating. Now married 45 years and finally planning our own trip for next year. These pictures have me wanting to load the truck and leave tomorrow.
Safe Travels!

[RSerendipity]

We probably passed each other somewhere! Appears like you're in Glacier today. Hoping the road will be open soon. Make sure you at least drive back to Many Glaciers. It is incredibly beautiful. DW said it reminded her of Switzerland.

We are in Lewis & Clark Caverns SP. Beautiful Canyon & great Cave tour. Rrcommend this State Park highly.. Heading South to Yellowstone tomorrow. Short drive, only 106 miles to West Yellowstone

[6inthefamily]

Thanks for sharing! We are leaving 7/25 to start our trip to Badlands, Cody, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, and Flaming Gorge.

We have 4 adults and 6 kids twelve and under. We voted as a group and planned alot of stuff. Polaris RZR rentals for a day, locomotive trip, river rafting, rodeo. I think I am as excited as the kids are!