Snowed In (sort of)

The snow and cold temperatures continued in the Cheyenne area for a couple of days. While the snow wasn't falling as fast, it added to the accumulation. Roads were relatively clear, but the temperatures were well below freezing for most of our stay. Our plans were to see a few things in the area, but we chose instead to revel in the fun of snow play!



The boys had one snow 'saucer' and collaborated their finances to purchase an additional sled at Walmart when we were picking up thermal socks.


We found a slight incline at a nearby school, so they tested out the sleds there - it worked, but not well. Still, they had fun for awhile but the cold (under 20 F) temperatures limited the time we could stay out.

When it warmed a bit, we found a better incline along the interstate at a visitors center . Now they found some speed!

Another day later and the sun came out a bit and temperatures rose above freezing. This was now our last day of our intended stay, so we made the best of it by checking out the downtown area of Cheyenne. We found a huge Union Pacific operation with seemingly dozens of tracks coming together. A central area featured the depot and an open courtyard - very nice.

Several placards told of the significance of the railroad to the area's establishment and growth.

Scattered around the downtown area were several large boots with various murals decorating them. We supposed it was similar to a community fundraiser in the Corpus Christi area with artist decorated dolphins that later were auctioned to raise money.

The state capitol building is very stately, fitting to it's purpose. Each entrance was marked by statues of western and pioneer heritage.

We had intended to make a drive over to Laramie to see the University of Wyoming and a special dinosaur exhibit. We were a little disappointed to miss that opportunity, but the amazing record snowfall was definitely an unexpected challenge and perk to enrich our travels!

Managing our expectations, we headed back to the RV to see if the slightly warmer temperature would allow us to clear the slide awnings and open some drainage valves. Good news...the valve opened to drain the galley which had been frozen closed for several days! We then borrowed a step ladder and used a broom to reach up and scrape the snow and ice off the awnings. It was still very cold and the wind was blowing, so I lost my help for awhile while I worked from the ladder (Linda bailed into the camper to warm up). I had to pry her out to help with the last bit since I needed to stand on top rung (not an OSHA approved practice). Being unsafe to stand on top of the 5th wheel, it was the only means to reach the last of the slushy pack. We had success and cleared the awnings completely and hoped for clear weather for our departure.

How low can you go?

We woke this a.m. to find this on our dresser. The upper number is the indoor temp, the second number is the outdoor temp. The weather station reported that Cheyenne experienced a record low of 10 F for this date - the previous low temp for this date was 19 F in 1919. Lucky us!
We woke at 5 a.m. and as Craig listened from under the blankets, he heard no sound of the furnace running. He had filled one of the propane tanks a couple of days ago, but we were running on the other tank and it had run out sometime in the night. So, faithful protector of his family, he layered several items over his p.j.s and foraged out to the propane compartment to switch tanks. HEAT!

The water line insulation and heat tape that Craig implemented worked fine through the night. We think it safe to say that it's been tested! The valves for the galley and rear bath are frozen shut, however. Since we don't plan to be in this type of weather often, we likely won't try to remedy that situation.

We've not had time to build the awning supports for the slideouts, so they are still sagging with the mass of snow. By tomorrow, the temps are to return to the 40s so there will be another day to tackle that project.

No one is using our lounger chairs this day!

Pepper shows off her new booties - although they have not improved her countenance regarding the cold or snow. Three of the four booties stayed on while she reluctantly took care of her business, and she returned to her pillow in the warm, dry RV to pout in the corner.

The boys were not so quick to return to the warm RV. Here Will discovers that an incline of some sort is necessary for the sled to work.

Undaunted, the Clark boys are off to find some gravity!

Here we go! The slide at the playground presents a much better incline - like the infamous 'agony of defeat' ski jump. Their velocity wasn't so great as to deter repeated attempts.

Eventually, hot chocolate and french toast lured them in to the warmth of the propane replenished RV.

More adventures to come!

Cheyenne and Rocky Mountain National Park

We arrived in Cheyenne in clear weather, but it didn't last long! Craig scheduled the truck for an oil change and to check the batteries. The truck had been a bit sluggish starting up a couple of times and we wanted to avoid being stranded, especially with this cold weather! Craig shows that he still remembers how to use a snow scraper, even after 5 yrs of living in Corpus Christi.

The Chevrolet shop found that one of our batteries was completely dead, so we had been running on only one for awhile. Craig had them replace both batteries and the service department did a once over on the truck, so all is now in good shape for more miles!

We spent the afternoon looking for snow gear for the boys. We succeeded in finding snow pants for the boys and snow boots for all of us. Before heading to Wally world with an extensive shopping list, we stopped for dinner at Sanford's Grub & Pub. We all enjoyed the eclectic auto garage/50's diner/sports bar theme in the restaurant and the food was great.

This is what arrived for Will off the kid's menu. Have you ever seen a kid's hot dog this huge?

Then, Craig burger arrived. He had ordered 'Kardiac Arrest' and it looked true to form. Let's see...there's fried pickles on the bottom layer, then working up the sandwich - 1/2 lb. beef, provolone cheese, onion rings and veggies on a kaiser roll. Garlic french fries on the side rounded out the tray. After relishing the truly indulgent dinner, the waitress asked if we were interested in dessert - perhaps deep fried OREOS?? We laughed and declined.

We were off to spend a couple of hours and tons of dollars at Wally world, and finally arrived back at the RV with a stash of groceries, thermal long johns for the boys, and thermal socks for everyone except the dogs.

The next morning, we packed a few school books and the new snow togs in the truck for the drive over to Rocky Mountain National Park.

The combination of the rugged mountains, evergreens, and stunning aspens were well worth the drive!

Trail Ridge Road that traverses the Continental Divide was closed early due to the snows already received in the area. We drove to an overlook area near the road closure and took the dogs out for a short walk. The walkways were packed with about 4" of snow and the wind was blasting us with a stiff breeze. We didn't stay long!

The view of the vast expanse of the western face of the mountains was amazing.

Near the parking area was a snow filled area that was perfect for testing out those new snow pants and boots. The boys engaged in a small snowball war and found their feet and other important body parts to be dry when they were done.

We took another drive to the north and found more awesome scenery in all directions!

When we arrived at the lower elevations, we found this sizable herd of elk grazing. We finally spotted a grand sized bull (near the center of the frame). Those guys were all hiding when we were at Yellowstone several weeks ago!

The road continued through Estes Park, a charming area with tons of lodging opportunities, eateries and shops lining the main streets.

One of the major intersections was graced by this sculpture of big horn sheep and more of those showy aspens!

We continued on our way back to the RV park, leaving sunshine behind and meeting snow as we arrived. The temperature is supposed to be a record low of 12 F! We'll keep you posted on how we weather the cold.

more SNOW

We had listened to weather forecasts that projected 2-4" of snow for Buffalo. We were excited to see snow - especially the kids. More than 6" of snow fell and with a very 'wet' snow! While beautiful, the snow falling so early in the season presented some challenges for the city of Buffalo, the campground and us! All the beautiful trees that were just beginning to show their fall color had a huge amount of clingy, wet snow mounding heavily on every branch and leaf. Over the duration of the snowfall, the weight became too overwhelming for even the huge branches and sometimes trunks. The trees began to pop, crack and fall - everywhere. Electrical lines were being hit by falling limbs and power outages resulted for the entire community.

We must explain that the campground had heavily promoted the fact that they had over 200 mature trees. Very tall cottonwoods are indeed throughout the park with at least 2-3 trees between each of the parking sites. Here's a nice view of the trees that surrounded our trailer when we set up.As the snow became heavier during the evening, we didn't think much about it. We were prepared with our electric heaters, plenty of propane and our freshly insulated water line. Then, the power went out about 10:30 pm as we were settling into bed. Hmm...that great insulation would work, but the electric heat tape would not be working. We dripped the faucet and headed back to bed.

Then, around midnight, we heard heavy snow dropping from the branches above onto the roof. People were stirring around outside, looking up at the heavy laden branches.

Then, around midnight, we heard the motor home a couple of spaces over start up. Linda peeked out the window just in time to see a nearby transformer explode and burst into flames. The motorhome honked their horn - probably to warn the folks in RV's parked near the transformer as the trees were beginning to catch fire! Two nearby pickups cranked up and fled. We started putting clothes on while Craig called 9-1-1. Help was already on the way and shortly after a patrol car arrived. Craig went out to tell him where the transformer was, as the flames had died by then. The patrol car backed up after a heavy dropping of snow landed almost on the hood of the car. We heard branches popping, cracking, snow falling and branches crashing seemingly all around us. The patrolman advised Craig to get back indoors and he quickly did so.

Relieved that the fire was out, we still were unable to rest. We heard diesel engines starting as surrounding travellers packing up, hitching up, yelling at each other and moving out. We discussed and prayed about what would be wise for us to do. We knew that the heavy snow was piled high on our slideouts, preventing us from pulling them in without removing the snow first. The thought of any of us being out under those falling branches was terrifying. We decided that there was no point in pursuing getting the trailer out - especially since it appeared that the roads in the campground were becoming heavily strewn with branches as well. We could load up the kids and dogs to retreat out, but with the danger of fire resolved, it did not seem that we were in life threatening danger. We would just have to sit tight in the RV until it was light enough to see what we were in for. We prayed for God to guide us in our decisions and to protect us and our trailer, but were unable to sleep throughout the rest of the night. Indepedently, we both thought about the apostles in the storm at sea while Jesus slept and His admonition regarding their fear. We longed for the peace to sleep, but while comforted in our decision to ride out the night, we weren't quite to the place of sleep!

Another transformer blew out near the front of the campground and set another fire that was quickly under control. We were thankful and amazed at the emergency crews responsiveness and the utility company's adept work throughout the night. Occasionally, we would have power for a few minutes, which was just enough to keep the battery charged to run the blower on the heater.



By 5:00 am when the alarm went off (for no useful purpose since we were already awake), we were ready to start waking the kids to venture out for coffee (no power for our own pot!) and breakfast while we figured out what was next. After cautioning the kids about the falling branches, we hustled them and the dogs into the truck. In the moonlight, we saw large the fallen limbs in all of the campsites. We offered up tremendous praises and thanks to God as we saw that not one branch was on our trailer and only one leaned against the side of the truck. Our site was the only one spared (you'll see a photo below)! We had to drag a few branches out of the campground drive and picked our way out to the main road.

We saw lights at a convenience store next door but hoping for better breakfast choices, we continued in a circle around Buffalo to find everything closed and dark. Snowplows were out, but even the unplowed roads were pretty clear. By the time we returned to the convenience store, the lights were no longer on and the door was locked. The entire town had lost power. We joined others parked in the parking lot, thankful that we had plenty of diesel in the truck. Fortunately, the lights returned to the store within about 15 minutes and we joined the travellers, truck drivers and a bus driver in the rush to the coffee pot. As we sipped our coffee and purchased hot chocolate for the boys, the clerk advised that the power issues were widespread and that snow was predicted to continue all day. With the light of day now allowing us to see better, we returned to the RV park to see if power had been restored and to contemplate moving our trailer with the prediction of more snow.

Here's a the view of the snow laden trees and fallen branches after the long night of listening to the branches fall all around us. Compare this photo to the first photo in clear weather. Notice how most of the trees are now leaning away from our trailer!

We didn't have power yet, but the temperature was warming up a little. The kids were dying to pile into the snow and we allowed them to have at it in the play area that had no tree branches overhead. They had a blast!

We found a better spot to park the truck as some limbs were looming over that portion of the site. Later in the day, several branches did fall so we were glad to have the truck spared. We inspected closely above the trailer and saw few branches that could fall with a direct impact on it, so we decided to leave it alone. The other RV's that had moved during the night were parked in what few open areas existed in the park and along it's driveways. We probably could have squeezed in with them, but would have no hookups and didn't seem to gain any more in safety for the trailer.

Instead, we set about borrowing a step ladder from the park owner and used a broom to remove snow from the awning covers over the slides. At least 4 inches was piled heavily on each slide and the wet snow didn't respond easily to the little house broom we were using, but Craig finally succeeded in removing almost all of the load. We set about packing up the inside of the trailer so that we could pull the slides in. After all that work of unloading the slides, we didn't want more snow to pile up again! The kids would have to sleep on the love seat sofa. We offered that one of them could share the king size bed with us, but they opted to stick it out together on the love seat.

We packed into the truck and found more of the town with power, so lunch at Hardee's was a nice break from the cold in the trailer. School was out in Buffalo due to the power outage, so the boys had 'snow day' too and spent more time building snow forts in the play area. The wind began picking up and thus the wind chill fell to 16 F, so, over their loud protests, we moved them to the on-site laundry to dry out and warm up. The power eventually was restored again, and we all were so exhausted from the sleepless night that we collapsed for about an hour of napping. Not up to meal prep in the cramped quarters, we took another drive around the town to find things returning to normal and had supper at Subway. We returned to find the power successfully restored and arranged the kids and dogs in their cramped sleeping spaces. Still weary from sleep deprivation, we all turned in early and thankful for God's mercy upon us and our trailer.

The power held through the night, so we slept soundly and woke to chilly 27F. The insulated and heated water line worked perfectly! The kids went out for another snow battle, while we finished preparing the inside of the trailer for travel. When the kids returned, we threw their wet clothes in the dryer while they ate breakfast. The branches were no longer falling, but the melting snow and ice from the trees still packed a big wallop. We kept our hoods on our heads while picking the power cord and hoses out of the snow. We kept the kids busy coiling things up under the cover of the hitch area of the 5th wheel and eventually got hooked up to leave. The owner had worked hard the previous day clearing the park drives to the road, so we made it safely to the highway and on to our next destination.

We captured the Big Horn Mountains in this photo as we happily headed south! Somehow the snow looks so much more beautiful without any threat of harm!

Lessons learned: When heavy snow is projected,

1. Don't park under trees
2. Pull in the slides
3. Look around for transformers that might blow in storms, steer clear of them with the RV
4. Remember God's past deliverances and while not taking them for granted, take comfort in His love and mercy

SNOW!

The morning we were set to leave Black Hawk, SD, we awoke to a bit of bad news. The forecast had been for lows in the upper 30s; however, the low was in the upper 20s with a wind chill of 22! We were running our little electric heaters indoors, but we had taken no precautions with the water and it had frozen. Fortunately, the day was clear and the temperature was high enough within 30 minutes to thaw our water supply.



When we were in cold temperatures last January and February, we enclosed the water hose in foam tubing and dripped the faucets. The spigot froze at one of the RV parks, but we had no freezing. This year, since we plan to be in Wyoming and Colorado for the next few weeks, we stepped up our weather-proofing a bit more. We purchased heat tape and inserted it between the water hose and the insulation, then wrapped the end connections with insulated felt wrap and the #1 RV repair tool - duct tape.

The first night in Wyoming didn't test our new system much - the low was in the 30s and the indicator on the heat tape was on for a bit in the morning. The next night will tell us more with the lows forecasted for the upper 20s.

Snow started falling around noon, much to the boys' delight! They were out in it every minute until we drove over to nearby Sheridan for a few essentials and a little sightseeing.

The busy downtown area of Sheridan boasts a long row of shops, many with a western theme. We then found our way to this famous mansion, Trails End. Built in 1913 for the Kendrick family, the 13,478 sq ft residence was donated as a museum in 1982. Also on the grounds is a healthy sized carriage house (over 3000 sq ft).
We turned back to Buffalo and stopped near Story to stop by Fort Phil Kearney. Clearly not a day for browsing around with the 35 F temperatures, we at least could envision how difficult life in the region must have been. We could not imagine the conditions with several feet of snow for months! At least the battles with the Indians must surely have been a bit less frequent!

Here's a glimpse out the window at the falling snow - a little blurry since we were travelling 60 mph.

Back at the campground, we found snow was beginning to stick! We were greeted by the campground namesake wooden Indian having no trouble guarding the swimming pool.

Back at the RV the snow had dusted the grass areas and covered things that held no ground warmth. The boys were elated, they could scrape up a few snowballs and track each other in hide and seek. The play was fast and furious until supper and we were able to chalk this up as pretty good day.

Yellowstone - Pt 5 (final chapter)

Before leaving Yellowstone, we want to include a few photos from the campground. We stayed at Yellowstone's Edge RV Park, approx. 35 miles north of the north entrance to the park. The traffic noise from Hwy 89 was very steady during the day, but was quiet at night and the Yellowstone River bounded the RV park on the other side. We had a view of mountains in all directions. Two nights before leaving, a thunderstorm passed to the west. We received little rain, but saw a spectacular view of the rain, clouds and sunset all at the same time.

On our last day trip to the park, we wanted to see the Yellowstone Falls. We got an early start and were pleased to arrive along the south rim of The Canyon before the first bus tours. The Upper Falls are visible very close to the parking lot.

We ventured further down Uncle Tom's trail, a set of downward expanded steps - no less than 328 steps to descend approximately 2/3 of the way into the canyon. From the bottom of the steps, a close view of the Lower Falls is the reward - before the 328 steps back up!

After catching our breath, we drove further along the south rim to Artist Point that offers a nice view of the canyon and falls.

We drove further south to see the Fishing Bridge campground. We had heard it was the only campground with full hookups. While adequate and certainly an advantage to be within the park itself, the campground offers little aesthetically or facility wise. We were pleased with our choice - also, with our short term planning, it is unlikely that we could have reserved a site. The park has no problem filling their spaces!

On our return to the RV park, we stopped at the Boiling River.

The Boiling River converges with Gardiner River and makes for a very pleasant swimming hole. Very hot springs blend with the icy river waters and you can choose your temperature based on proximity to the source of hot or cold. The boys preferred right down the middle!

While there, a herd of elk joined the swimmers and stood across the trail to the parking area. We managed to get past them without upsetting any of the herd, but two forest rangers were on their way to help assure the humans and elk blended together with no problems.

The last day was very pleasant and we stopped in Gardiner for buffalo burgers and huckleberry shakes - very nice!

The next morning, the boys tossed bits of leftover bread and hot dog buns into the river as we were packing up to leave.

Overall, we had a wonderful trip to Yellowstone and hope you've enjoyed our accounts.