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Arches National Park
24 July – Trip Day 115
I’m not sure why we have all the blankets and pillows. At least the cat appreciates them.
Today we headed out to Arches National Park.
“The Three Gossips” rock formation
Balance Rock
Ducky ready to go on the Windows Trail. He made it about .1 mile then threw a fit, into the backpack he went.
We had someone take our picture at the top of the short trail. I’m not thrilled with the framing but that’s what we get.
Family shot out the other way.
Double Arch.
Delicate Arch in the background. Meagan and I took shifts so the babies could stay in the car in the heat.
We stopped by the old farmhouse that is still extant. There are a few places more hostile to living, farming, and ranching.
Skyline Arch.
The kids get their badges.
Cooling off with some watermelon back at camp!
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Journey to Moab, UT
23 July 2024 – Trip day 114
All packed up and ready to go, I make my last checks by doing a walk around. if you blow up the image, you may notice a window sticking out. I don’t recall catching that on the way out. Always something to double check all the things, as travelling the road can be unpredictable.
Meagan took the big 3 kids and Randal, while Garrett rode with me.
Meagan and crew stopped at the Fruita school house in Capitol Reef before heading out.
There was also a series of petroglyphs down the road a bit that they checked out.
Above the kids, if you blow up the image, you can see some petroglyphs on the rock behind them.
Headed out!
A view of Goblin Valley State Park. It was closed when Meagan went by.
We had taken to putting Gambit and Gizmo into the shower when we travel. They were making some messes, so we figured that at least if it’s in the shower, it’d be pretty easy to clean up.
Well, we apparently forgot to take off the shampoo from the ledge and it fell at some point on the journey. When I hooked up the water, they got a bit of a bath. Sorry kitties!
All set up in our new site in Moab, UT.
We had some nice views of the mountain ranges on either side of the valley. There was a fair amount of smoke in the air from wildfires, a theme that would continue to repeat throughout our trip.
Never one to slow down, Randal is always on the move!
Thanks for reading!
Sign up on Patreon as a free member to get notified of updates on our Journey! You can read about other stops on our adventure here on Patreon, or at our blog at https://www.wolfandraven.blog
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Capitol Reef National Park & Anasazi State Park
July 17 – 22, 2024, Trip days 108 – 113
Randal turns 11 months! Despite his best efforts at resisting, Meagan did manage to capture him for a photo!
We had some spectacular views of the clouds rolling in. We didn’t get any rain where we were, but we saw some lightning off in the distance.
We headed over to the Capitol Reef NP visitor center, where the kids got to work on their Junior Ranger books.
Ducky picked out a walking stick. All set and ready for adventure!
Arya and Evan complete their books and receive their badges.
Jarek got his badge a bit later. Being older, he had more stuff to do. Also, he is very aggressive about our incentive program. If the kids complete the whole book, they get a sticker.
18 July
The next day we headed out to do a hike to the Rim Overlook. This was a fairly challenging hike for us. Fortunately, the weather was accommodating.
Headed up the trail, Alan carries Ducky and Meagan has Randal in a kid carrier pack.
Up at the top, we took a break to eat some snacks and rest a bit. Randal enjoyed being out!
Family photo at the top! Randal, despite his best efforts to run to the edge, was contained.
You can see the trip log below from the Garmin watch:
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/16484502246
We did not bring enough water, as we ran out about 1/2 way down. Fortunately, the clouds were in and kept it cooler. We made some changes after this hike and carried additional water and toned down the hikes a bit to better accommodate the littles.
19 July
While Alan does some maintenance, Randal inspects the tool kit to see what things he can ‘fix’.
The truck’s air filter after several months of operations in the southwest dust.
A happy Randal plays with his bucket and the rocks.
Ducky is looking to fill Daddy’s shoes! Still has a little bit yet before he’s there, but he’s taken a few steps in that direction!
20 July
Ducky plays in the roadworks at our campsite.
Meagan and Randal ready to go! Today we headed back to Captiol Reef and visited the historic orchards that they maintain. You can eat your fill off the trees for free. For a small fee, you are welcome to pick fruit that is ripe to take with you. When we were there, Apricots were ripe and the kids enjoyed picking 13 pounds of fruit. It was a bit of struggle to stop them – they would have picked the trees clean if we let them!
Jarek on a ladder picking fruit.
Randal explores the orchards, happy to be free of his restraints!
July 21
Anasazi State Park and Scenic Byway 12
We drove out along scenic byway 12 and stopped in at the Anasazi State Park. Jarek learned a lot from the staff about the dirt roads and flash floods. There was a road Jarek wanted us to take that became a 4 wheel track, and he wasn’t quite getting it why we didn’t want to go down it in the minivan!
Anasazi State Park is a site that has examples of ancient Puebloan and Fremont culture existing together, around the years 1200-1300 CE.
Foundations of the stone buildings.
A pit house reconstructed at the site.
A reconstructed structure that the kids were able to explore. It was built for people much smaller than us!
Complete with their books, they receive their badges from the park staff.
Scenic view from Scenic Byway 12.
Scenic view from Scenic Byway 12.
Back at the campground for a beautiful sunset!
Meagan and the kids went for a walk from the campsite to the nearby entrance of Fishlake National Forest.
July 22
After our adventures, we had a rest day. The kids built themselves a fort using folding chairs and blankets. Here, Evan plays with Randal.
Randal enjoys a freezie pop!
Alan did some maintenance on the van, an(other) expeditionary oil change! Part of the challenge of a trip like this is staying on top of the maintenance requirements for the cars.
All set for the next leg, tomorrow we head out to Moab!
Thanks for reading!
Sign up on Patreon as a free member to get notified of updates on our Journey! You can read about other stops on our adventure here on Patreon, or at our blog at https://www.wolfandraven.blog
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Journey to Capitol Reef National Park
16 July 2024 Trip day 107
As we get ready to head out from Bryce Canyon, the kids help me check the torque on the lug nuts. A few years back, we had an incident with broken lug nuts when moving the trailer. Ever since then, I’ve made it part of my habit pattern to check them each time before we move the trailer.
While I proceeded to the next campground, Meagan and the kids went to the Escalante Petrified Forest State Park.
Jarek and Arya stand amongst the petrified logs.
They earned their Junior Ranger badges at the Interagency Visitor Center. Then it was off to the ‘Hole in the Rock.’
Hole in the Rock is the place where Mormon pioneers carved a passage through rock to a very steep descent.
Painting of the wagons going down through “the hole in the rock.”
“The Last Wagon”
Jarek and Evan pose for a picture with the Escalante Valley behind them.
A view of the Escalante Valley. You can see the road on the right.
Another view of the Escalante Valley.
Meanwhile, I arrived at our campsite outside of Capitol Reef National Park and set up. The views were not disappointing.
It was a little interesting getting situated, but I managed to get tucked in. The site was a bit narrower than I would have liked, but it was a quiet campground and the kids were happy to have lots of gravel to dig and play in. They are big on making roads and other vast construction projects at our sites!
Thanks for reading!
Sign up on Patreon as a free member to get notified of updates on our Journey! You can read about other stops on our adventure here on Patreon, or at our blog at https://www.wolfandraven.blog
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Trip Update – Truck Troubles
It’s been a little bit since my last update. A big part of that has been related to some Truck Troubles that we have had.
At the beginning of August, when we were in the Twin Falls area of Idaho, the truck threw some codes related to the Diesel Particulate Filter and was regenerating frequently. I was fortunate and able to find a shop close by (within walking distance!) to address the issues. They looked into it and resolved the issues, or so we thought.
Fast forward a bit later to the end of September, and the truck threw the same codes, but with an additional code pertaining to DPF soot build up. When we got to the Rapid City, SD area – we were staying in Custer, SD in the Black Hills, I had it looked at by a shop in Rapid City.
The shop found some of the same issues but indicated that the whole DPF assembly on the truck might need to be replaced, and that it would take 1) some time to get the parts and 2) take him about 3 weeks to get to the truck. Well, this didn’t work for a variety of reasons, the least of which was the campground we were staying at shuts down for the year on 4 Oct, and we couldn’t afford to hang out into late Oct waiting. Not to mention, the cold weather coming (eventually) – this time last year there was snow on the ground according to the locals.
So, we were at a decision point at what to do with the truck and the trip in general. Doing some research on available truck nearby, I was able to find one that met our needs at a reasonable price. So, we decided to purchase the new (to us) truck, a 2020 F350 dually, now christened Huginn, and send our (now) old truck, Fenrir, back to Florida to be repaired by the shop I use there.
Fenrir being loaded up on the trailer for transport back to Florida. Fortunately, the problem didn’t strand us on the road, but the assessment was that if the problems went unaddressed, that eventually it would lead to a force shutdown situation, stranding us. That is an unacceptable situation for us to be in.
Picking up Huginn at the dealership in Rapid City. The truck had all the add-ons that we would have added. It was perfect and ready to go!
Ready to go on the maiden voyage! Heading out of Custer, SD and down out of the Black Hills I got to learn how the new truck handled on the grades. Huginn did very well. I learned how to use the engine brake, which wasn’t available on Fenrir. With the trailer and the engine brake, I was able to maintain about a 42 mph descent on a 6% grade without touching the brakes, which was very nice.
I still have some learning to do on the newer truck and the various features it has, but that will come with time. The adventure continues!
Thanks for reading!
Sign up on Patreon as a free member to get notified of updates on our Journey! You can read about other stops on our adventure here on Patreon, or at our blog at https://www.wolfandraven.blog
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Bryce Canyon National Park
July 9 – July 15; Trip days 100 – 106
After Zion, we departed for Bryce Canyon National Park. We had some awesome views of arches along the way and wildlife.
There was a herd of Bison along the road.
After arriving at our camp site, I set up the RV and went to go fix the bathroom shower door. One of the screws had come out of the track wheels and it fell of the track. Fairly easy fix, but to do so involved lifting the heavy glass doors out and reseating them in the track.
We stayed at Ruby’s Inn and Campground, just outside the park. The site we had was very large and we had our own grassy area and fire pit area. The kids loved it as they could play in the grass near the RV.
Taking a break from the heat. The kids were coloring and journaling in the shade. The blue cube is a misting fan we picked up to help combat the heat in the dry air.
We went to the Visitor Center, which is just down the road from the campground. It was busy, but not as busy as Zion. The kids did their books and got their badges. We learned in the museum that the whole area of Utah and parts of Colorado and Arizona, referred to as the Grand Staircase, is connected through geology (NPS, Wiki).
A depiction of the layers and their ages. Best viewed enlarged.
I got Ducky his own Camelbak and his own Junior Ranger hat. He is very proud of them. This way he carries his own water, and if I need to put him in the pack, I can strap his water to it so it’s accessible.
Ready to head out on the Mossy Cave trail. Ducky wanted to walk. I’m getting the GoPro ready to record the hike (yet to be processed…). You can view the Mossy Cave hike log here.
After a short hike, we made it to Mossy Cave, which is more of a grotto. We also found our first Hoodoo medallion.
The kids look on at the cave and watch the water flow.
Victory shot – shenanigans may have been involved!
From there, we hiked over to the Tropic Ditch. The kids enjoyed putting their hands in the water and feeling the speed of the current.
From there, we could take a short walk and see the Tropic Ditch waterfall and see other visitors playing in the pool.
After the hike, we did the scenic drive and got some awesome views of the Bryce Canyon formations.
Back at the campground, Ducky asked me to take him for a walk. So, we went on a walk around the campground and he told me all about the ghosts in the campground. Ducky is apparently very into ghosts right now. But we did meet another little boy, who was camping with his family that was an only child and was very excited to share his toys and have someone to play with.
Randal enjoys dinner in the cool evening. The building behind him is the Inn across the lake.
Everyone has a good time catching up with friends back home via video chat!
Evan takes Randal out for bike rids on Garrett’s bike. Randal really enjoys the rides!
Meagan, Jarek, and Randal went out for the Bristlecone Loop trail one morning and found their Hoodoo medallion.
Views from Bristlecone.
Views from Bristlecone.
Afterward, they went to check out the nearby town of Tropic.
Do you ever feel that you are having trouble navigating life?
Queens Garden – Navajo Loop Hike
We mounted up the family for a big hike to do the Queens Garden – Thor’s hammer – Navajo Loop Hike. You can view the GPS log of the hike.
So this was how it started…
The trail started off with a decent descent down the sandstone slope into the canyon.
We were rewarded with numerous spectacular formations along the trail.
Family shot at the bottom!
There were several places where the trail was carved through the rocks. Fortunately, it wasn’t as bad as Carlsbad Caverns where I had to crawl on my hands and knees.
The “Queen Victoria” Hoodoo.
Documenting the Hoodoo for the quest!
The Navajo Loop Hoodoo!
Taking a break on the way up.
Wait, you mean we have to back up all that?
How it ended… Family portrait at the (almost top) with Thor’s Hammer off to the left.
As we were headed out, we passed the start of the Wall Street trail, which we elected to not do, as we were all pretty tired after this hike.
Ducky and Randal enjoyed some playtime after the hike.
We made it back to the Visitor Center in time to get our Hoodoo stickers!
After the hike, we took a rest day.
I’d like to speak to the manager about my milk rations….
Meagan and the kids baked cookies for a treat.
Jarek get some cuddle time with Firefly and Gambit snoozes in his favorite spot on my chair.
Thanks for reading!
Sign up on Patreon as a free member to get notified of updates on our Journey! You can read about other stops on our adventure here on Patreon, or at our blog at https://www.wolfandraven.blog
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Zion National Park
30 Jun – 8 Jul; Trip days 91 – 99
After visiting the North Rim of the Grand Canyon (video to come) and Pipe Spring National Monument, we drove to visit Zion Canyon National Park.
Getting into the site was a bit of an adventure. The sites were all back in and not aligned to be friendly for bigger rigs. They also had metal poles at the corners of each site so, no cheating. I ended up getting the rig backed in, although not straight in. The site was also only 1 foot longer than the RV, so that was additional fun.
Pipe Spring National Monument (Free)
27 June 2024 – Trip Day 88
Starting off the morning with a Randal shot!
As we were getting ready to head out, a thunder storm was approaching. Some of the most severe storms that we encountered on the trip happened here at Fredonia.
The power was out when we arrived at the Pipe Springs NM Visitor Center. We didn’t take a lot of photos, but we did take a decent amount of video. Additionally, I was able to record the volunteer’s talk on Windsor Castle’s history.
After our visit to Pipe Springs, Arya and Randal play in the living room.
Thanks for reading!
Sign up on Patreon as a free member to get notified of updates on our Journey! You can read about other stops on our adventure here on Patreon, or at our blog at https://www.wolfandraven.blog
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