Top 10 Great Americans

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Statue of Dwight Eisenhower
in Denison, Texas

Top 10 Tacky Tourist Traps

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Devil's Tower

 

Top 10 Historical Sites

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Alcatraz Island inmates

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Top 10 National Parks

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Big Horn Sheep at Yellowstone

Campground Review - Mountain View Campground and Wyatt's Hideaway Campground

In this post we are reviewing two campgrounds in the Black Hills. The first one is in eastern Wyoming in the town of Sundance - Mountain View Campground. The second one is in western South Dakota - Wyatt's Hideaway Campground near the town of Belle Fourche.

Nearby attractions - 8 - Sundance is quite close to Devil's Tower and within two hours of Mount Rushmore.

Staff - 9 - The owners and staff here are very friendly and helpful. They offered suggestions and directions to key places and answered all our questions.

Natural surroundings - 8 - Some shaded sites, nice views of surrounding valley and Black Hills.

Value - 6 - We paid $34 a night.

Bathrooms - 7 - Pretty nice bathrooms, tight as far as changing space goes.

Roominess - 7 - The site sizes were average, tight on the side with enough length for a 32 foot and toadie.

Facility fun - 9 - Heated pool, game room, small playground. They also have a free copy of Close Encounters of Third Kind for guests to watch before or after their visit to Devil's Tower!

Cleanliness - 8 - Sharp and well kept with nice landscaping

Facility usefulness - 10 - Dump station, propane, laundry, small exchange library, camp store, cable ($2 extra), free wifi.

Overall - 9 - Great Devil's Tower campground or for the tired I90 traveler. Cheaper than the KOA near the monument.

Nearby attractions - 8 - Bell Fourche is halfway between Devil's Tower and Mount Rushmore. It is also the geographical center of the USA and has a cool exotic bird sanctuary. We will blog about these soon!

Staff - 6 - Tough one. You sort of get the impression they want you to self-check-in and then not bother them, but once you hunt them down, they seem friendly enough. Owners live on property.

Natural surroundings - 8 - Some shaded sites, right by small river. Plenty of mosquitos!

Value - 8 - We paid $17.50 a night using Passport America - cash only.

Bathrooms - 5 - Large, bear bones bathrooms. Plenty of showers and plenty of spiders! ;)

Roominess - 9 - Very large sites. Very long and plenty side.

Facility fun - 5 - Small playground which appears to be in owners yard. Horseshoes and campground says you can fish in the river.

Cleanliness - 7 - Country setting, feels like camping on a farm almost. Pristine would seem out of place,

Facility usefulness - 6 - Dump station, propane, laundry, free wifi, but very weak.

Overall - 7 - Loved having a country setting to camp in.

Devil's Tower

 We are so sorry, but this post has been removed becasue it is a aprt of our book Napkin Dreams that details our trip around America!

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Kevin talks Boondocking

In this installment of Kevin Shutterbug, our favorite roving reporter discovers the meaning of some RV jargon – when he learns the term boondocking! Thanks again to One Way Street for making Kevin’s report about the Martins and their life on the road a reality!!

Five Buffalo Senses

You can now read this post and much more in our new book Napkin Dreams! Click here http://www.amazon.com/Napkin-Dreams-ebook/dp/B00AZR24LG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358194928&sr=8-1&keywords=napkin+dreams

Campground Review - Yellowstone Valley Inn and RV Park

We stayed at the Yellowstone Valley Inn near Cody while we explored the area.

Nearby attractions - 10 - Very close to Cody and Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.

Staff - 8 - The staff was helpful and helped us with a number of questions.

Natural surroundings - 7 - Not many trees in lots, but right next to mountains and the Shoshone River.

Value - 5 - We paid $45 a night for a pull-through with full hook-ups.

Bathrooms - 6 - Bathrooms were OK with and could be locked with a shower, toilet and sink in each one.

Roominess - 6 - Pretty tight sites, but typical for an RV Park

Facility fun - 7 - Small playground, indoor hot tub and game room inside bar.

Cleanliness - 7 - RV Park is newer, gravel roads had some pot holes.

Facility usefulness - 8 - Laundromat on site and free wifi. Small camp store. Restaurant, small exchange library.

Overall - 7 - Expensive, but all parks near Yellowstone are, except for those with no hook-ups.

Yellowstone highlights

Yellowstone National Park is a magical place for me. It is one of a few places in the world that I could go back to you again and again and never get tired of going there. Disney World, Shenandoah National Park and Cape Hatteras also come to mind as places I could visit a 100 times.

There is something amazing and intangible about Yellowstone that just affects your whole attitude. Even during snow or rain, you feel closer to the creation and somehow a bit more human.

We love spotting wildlife and Yellowstone, and our family had several first-time spottings during the our visit to the park. This is the list of animals we saw there, with first-timer spottings on this trip in bold.

Grizzly Bear

Moose and baby

Bison

Elk

Wolf

Bighorn Sheep and babies

Pronghorn

Mule Deer

Bald Eagle

Yellow-bellied Marmot

Uinta Ground Squirrel

Chipmunk

Osprey

Clark’s Nutcracker

Grey Jay

Magpie

Canada Goose

Mallard

Greater Scaup

Bufflehead

White Pelican

Chipping Sparrow

Green-tailed Towhee

Raven

Catbird

Sage Thrush

Mountain Bluebird

We all really enjoyed the geysers, mudpots, hot springs, mineral pools, sulfur pits and other volcanic activities. The colors, smells and sounds were just what boys love! We had so many pictures from our five days there that we made a highlight video set to classical music. Be sure to check it out as well as the video of the mama moose with her baby.

Cody Rodeo Night

Patsy really, really wanted to take the boys to see a rodeo on our trip. I had read about the Cody Rodeo Night in Cody, Wyoming that runs every night during the summer months. It turned out we were in Cody the day of Brendan's Gotcha Day, his first year anniversary of being adopted. So what better way to celebrate?

The rodeo has everything you would want to see including bronco riding, bull riding, calf roping, rodeo clowns, women's barrel racing and our four youngest boys' favorite event, calf chasing. In this event all the kids twelve years old and younger get to go down on the rodeo field and chase three calves around trying to pull the flag off of their tails! None of our boys placed in this event, but they all had a blast trying!

On top of the rodeo, we celebrated the big day with frozen pizzas and our kids' new favorite - Sarsaparilla!

Buffalo Bill Historical Center

But the love of adventure was in father's blood.

Buffalo Bill

Somewhere back in my family lineage on my Grandma March's side I am related to the famous cowboy, pony express rider and western adventurer Buffalo Bill Cody. As a kid I heard about this quite often and we visited the Buffalo Bill Historical Center on a trip out west. My mom was quite proud of her famous forefather, and I guess I am too. Now my boys talk about their family lineage as well.

We knew we had to stop by the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming to learn a little bit more about the adventurer that runs through our bloodlines. First thing we saw was a chuckwagon outside the museum where those of us that wanted some were treated to cowboy chili and biscuits! Nearby the boys explored some pretty cool teepees. A large statue of Buffalo Bill overlooks the front of the museum. the place was shaping up to be kid friendly!

Inside we saw tons of Buffalo Bill relics, posters from his Wild West show, furniture and guns and jewelry his family owned and some old films of his show. We learned a little more about Annie Oakley and the Plains Indians who starred in his show as well.

There are other exhibits in the museum including one on the wildlife of Yellowstone. We attended a cool talk on raptors (birds of prey) and all the boys loved this talk. The presenter did an excellent job explaining the unique qualities of birds like eagles, hawks, falcons, ospreys and owl. She also had lots of hands-on props which is great for boys who learn while touching!

While the museum was a trifle pricey, we really enjoyed learning about and taking some pride in our ancestor Buffalo Bill Cody in the very town he founded!

Yellowstone videos

Sharing some videos from our first couple of days in Yellowstone. Having a great time in this magical place.

Campground review - Virginian Lodge and RV Park

Not sure why I really wanted to visit the Jackson Hole area. I had heard it was pretty and that you could see arches made from antlers and eat really big burgers. I hadn't heard it was so expensive to stay there!! We stayed at the Virginian Lodge and RV Park.

Nearby attractions - 8 - Right in Jackson which is a tourist town. Close to Grand Teton and Yellowstone.
Staff - 9 - The staff was helpful and nice. They gave us info on free shuttle and where to get our oil changed. Another staff looked at a problem I was having with the RV and gave us good insight.

Natural surroundings - 5 - Parking lot with view of the mountains.

Value - 2 - We paid $70 a night for a pull-through with full hook-ups. No place cheap to stay in Jackson, WY. Better off staying in Grand Teton and driving down for the day.

Bathrooms - 7 - Bathrooms were clean and showers were hot, then cold, then hot and then cold again!

Roominess - 7 - Average Rv Park size sites.

Facility fun - 6 - Heated pool and hot tub.

Cleanliness - 9 - People walking around picking up trash morning, noon and night.

Facility usefulness - 7 - Laundromat on site and free wifi.

Overall - 6 - Very expensive for nothing special!

Grand Teton National Park

We are so sorry, but this post has been removed becasue it is a aprt of our book Napkin Dreams that details our trip around America!

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Campground review - Rawhide RV Park

On our way to the Grand Teton National Park we stopped in a pretty little place close to Dubois, Wyoming called the Rawhide Resort and RV Park.

Nearby attractions - 8 Very close to Grand Teton, Yellowstone and Jackson Hole.

Staff - 10 - Very helpful and nice couple are working there as campground hosts.
Natural surroundings - 9 - Right on the Wind River, with great views of the surrounding hills and mountains. There is an electric fence to keep out the grizzlies! I was able to feed my new bird watching addiction as well! Cassin's finch were quite populous here.

Value - 4 - We paid $64 a for a pull-through with full hook-ups and free wifi. They charged $5 a person after the first two.

Bathrooms - 8 - Nice and clean bathrooms. Big and plenty of shower stalls.

Roominess - 7 - Average sized sites, but not many people were here, plenty of space to walk around and stretch out in.

Facility fun - 5 - Super small playground. Some nice adult swings overlooking the river valley.

Cleanliness - 8 - Lots of permanent residents, but it is very clean.

Facility usefulness - 7 - Laundromat on site and propane for sale. Fast wifi. Small camp store.

Overall - 7 - We loved it here, but the price is just way too much.

Campground review - Fountain of Youth RV Park

While seeking the relaxing powers of a hot springs mineral bath, we happened upon Fountain of Youth RV Park where you can swim in the hot water for free with your stay. They have three pools varying in degrees, the coolest being about 97 degrees and the hottest around 115.

Nearby attractions - 5 - Outside of Thermopolis. Close to Hot Springs and Boysen State Parks. Not super far from Yellowstone.

Staff - 7 - The staff was helpful and nice, if hard to find.

Natural surroundings - 7 - Lots of trees, but close to train tracks.

Value - 4 - We paid $54 a night for a pull-through with full hook-ups. They charge $3 extra person past the first two people.

Bathrooms - 3 - Bathrooms were rough. Showers are 25 cents.

Roominess - 6 - Not really long enough to park our rig and toadie in and it was a bit on the skinny side too.

Facility fun - 7 - Small playground, but the pools are what you want to do! They have live music some nights at the pool.
Cleanliness - 5 - Park is getting older and need some renovations..
Facility usefulness - 7 - Laundromat on site and free wifi. Small camp store.

Overall - 7 - Expensive, but you get to swim in hot mineral springs!

Keven Shutterbug gets an intern

Our recent stay in Thermopolis was alot of fun and gave us a chance to not only see the cool formations created by the mineral rich hot springs located there at Hot Springs State Park, it also gave us a chance to swim. It has been so cold lately that we haven't had a chance to swim since SoCal!

We also had a fun time crossing over the suspension bridge.

We felt a bit like Indiana Jones!

Poor Kevin didn't get any swimming in though. Check out the video and see what we mean.

Fort Caspar

We took a little time to visit Fort Caspar while in Casper. It was so close to our campground and was super cheap (three dollars for adults and free for kids). It is a museum/historical recreation of the old Fort Caspar.

The museum has an exhibit on old toys, which was the favorite of the younger boys since they had some toys to play with as well as those under glass! There were some other displays in the museum that give a history of the area including the ferry ran by Mormons to help emigrants cross the North Platte River.

The outside grounds are a recreation based on plans drawn up by Lt. Caspar himself of the former United States Army fort. There was a battle with a Sioux tribe nearby where Lt. Caspar was killed, hence the name of the fort and later the city. The fort is small, but interesting and the little guys had fun looking into each building to discover what amazing treasures were stored there!

Campground Review - Fort Caspar Campground

We took a much needed break in Casper, Wyoming to do some laundry, take showers, mail bills, clean Howard, shop, fix a couple of things and catch up! We stayed at Fort Caspar Campground for two nights during this stay.

Nearby attractions - 5 - Right in Casper.

Staff - 6 - The staff was nice except for one old guy who yelled at us for going 8 mph (as opposed to 5 mph)

Natural surroundings - 6 - Right on the North Platte River, but you are also in the middle of a treeless gravel parking lot.

Value - 8 - We paid $20 a for a pull-through with full hook-ups using our Passport America card. This included cable and wifi that did not work very well.

Bathrooms - 8 - Nice and clean bathrooms. Big and plenty of shower stalls.

Roominess - 6 - Not really long enough to park our rig and toadie in. Our site was very slim thanks to a light pole as well.

Facility fun - 6 - Playground and a very small game room. Walking path around river.

Cleanliness - 7 - Lots of permanent residents, but they are trying to keep the place up.

Facility usefulness - 7 - Laundromat on site and propane for sale. Slow wifi. Small camp store.

Overall - 6 - It did the job we were asking, plus there is a Super Walmart close by and two big RV supply stores.