951 June 9, 2023 Finally Idaho!!

When I got up the sun was just rising.  I immediately scanned the area for elk.  No elk…but a beautiful view from our front window!

While Tim did his workout in the RV, I walked on a trail parallel to Route 93. 

It wasn’t long before I spotted a pair of pronghorns.

I walked for more than 1.5 miles before turning around.  A guy in a camper stopped to tell me that there had been a badger in the culvert ahead.  He suggested that if I walked very quietly, I might spot him.  He was gone when I got there though!  We did see a badger crossing the road later in the day. 

There were more pronghorns in the fields across the way.

We were on the road before 8 this morning.  Our goal was to make it to Twin Falls, Idaho.  Once again, we had a pretty ride.

We stopped in the small town of Wells at the Napa Auto Parts Store.  We were able to find windshield wipers that were a little shorter than our others but they had the proper mount.  The guys in the shop were super helpful!

We did get some short bursts of rain and we were glad to have new wipers!

We passed through an area of heavy deer migration.  The roadside fences were 7 feet high and there were bridges across the road for the deer to use to cross.  There were no roads connecting the bridges and the surface was covered with soil and vegetation.  There must have been a significant problem with the deer here to justify this expensive solution!

We stopped for a rest at a picnic area outside of Jackpot, right before the Idaho line.  We didn’t realize that there was no egress from the rest stop but Tim was able to get us turned around without having to unhook the Jeep.

We stopped for the night just south of Twin Falls at the county fairgrounds.  It is quiet here.  I walked in the surrounding area.

There was a fish fry for dinner but we are trying to eat healthy stuff so we had fresh mango and quinoa bowls.

After eating, we put the last sticker on our map. Finally, Idaho!

We already know that we want to come back here.  We have driven by lots of places that we would like to see.  Just in Nevada we passed Valley of Fire State Park, Basin and Range National Monument, Cathedral Gorge State Park, Great Basin National Park, and lots of Jeep trails.  The mission of this trip is Alaska.  Even so, we debated taking the highway from here to get there faster but I think we have decided to take the scenic route through the middle of the Idaho instead. 

950 June 8, 2023 Ely, Nevada

We began the day with our usual exercise routines. Then we drove north through traffic and out of Vegas. We passed the grittier, more industrial areas and then we were in the desert.

We stopped for a rest and some breakfast in the Pahranagat Valley.

The topography, geology, and vegetation changed rapidly as we continued our drive.

We climbed in elevation and the air grew cooler.

We stopped again in the small town of Caliente. I walked along Main Street and Tim picked me up a little while later.

Ahead, we could see rain cells. This should not have been a problem. When we stored the RV in Las Vegas, it was very hot. When Tim cleaned the windshield last evening in preparation for our drive today, he noticed that both windshield wipers were shredded! There was no close place to go and find our specialty wipers. Fortunately, when the rain did come, it was gentle and Tim was able to drive.

We arrived at the Ely Elk Viewing Campground in midafternoon. This is a free, no hookups place. We took a nice walk. The scenery is stunning. The elk are here most often in September through April. Elk like to climb to higher elevations in the summer. We saw lots of evidence of their presence…but no elk today!

Tomorrow we continue our journey north.

949 April 18 – June 7, 2023

We flew from Las Vegas to Atlanta on April 18th. We arrived at David’s house at 2:30 in the morning. It took a day or two to adjust to the time difference but it took no time at all to feel loved and welcomed. The children woke up the next morning and were thrilled to have us there. The next four weeks were filled with lots of crazy fun! We played and played. We played board games and made up games and Lovey World and doctors and Wild Kratts. We read and we painted and we played outside. We went to swimming lessons and the boys are motoring in the water now. We baked and we cooked. We worked on lots of Lego projects. Both boys are truly Lego Masters now! We went to a Braves game and celebrated Austin’s fifth birthday on the same weekend. Andrea and I took the boys to see Mario Brothers at the theater, and we went to the Lego Discovery Center. She and I also took them for a walk at the creek. The boys played in their small pool and did the water slide. They threw water balloons and chased us with Super Soakers. The boys are sweet and smart and kind. They are good brothers…most of the time. On the weekends we had sleepovers in Oliver’s room.

Tim and I did a few house projects. We painted the perimeter fence and David helped when he could. The visit was busy and the time passed quickly.

On May 16th, we flew to Baltimore. We stayed with Kyle and Allison and we were at home there as well. It was so nice to spend time together. I really wish that I had taken more pictures!

We got to visit with mom several times and she and I had a sleepover too!

We helped with flower beds and mulching and mowing. Kyle and Tim and I planted a vegetable garden. Everything was pushing up through the soil before we left.

We got our labwork, dental appointments, and physicals.

Kyle and Allison went to Annapolis for their first anniversay and we took care of the animals. Daisy decided she wanted to sleep with us!

While we were home, we also had an amazing time catching up with friends. The three weeks were over too soon!

On June 6th we flew back to Las Vegas. We collected the RV and Jeep from storage. We used Wednesday for gathering supplies.

I enjoyed an early birthday dinner.

Tomorrow, we begin our journey to Alaska!