Camping – Page 2 – Living the Dream

Alaska at last!!

August 6, 2019bearcruzer

07/12- 07-14 We left White horse and began our final push to reach Alaska. Canada is a big place too! We stopped to look for Dall Sheep but they were not on the ridges close to the viewing station. We were going to spend one more night in the Yukon but did not find any camping along our route so we went ahead and crossed the border (sorry no border pic, it was pretty crowded at the turn off for the signpost). We found a lovely campsite at Deadman Lake. This is a small 15 spot campground funded by the US fish and wildlife service in the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge. It had wonderful level graveled spots that were spaced far apart so no one felt crowded. We chose some spots along the edge of the lake and got our rigs settled. The lake was small but very pretty and there was a boardwalk interpretive trail with descriptions of local flora and fauna of the Tundra. There were also canoes and life jackets provided to the campers free of charge. The campground itself was run on a donation basis and so is listed as a free campsite. It was amazing to find such a wonderfully well maintained camp with all these amenities. Jim and Mike were the first to take the canoes out and Mike caught a small Pike. It looked like so much fun the rest of us had to give it a try the next day and so we went for a paddle around the lake. We found a large beaver lodge but did not see it’s occupant. We were also visited by and Cow Moose with her Calf and Sierra was more than happy to find lots of snowshoe hares along with squirrels to keep her occupied. This was a wonderful place to begin our exploration of AK.

Flaming Gorge

July 22, 2019August 6, 2019bearcruzer

Flaming Gorge, WY

06/19/19 – Traveled north to Flaming Gorge Nat Recreation Area to spend the night. We read on freecampsites.net that there was quite a bit of free dispersed camping along the shores of the Flaming Gorge reservoir. We turned off and headed across a rather barren landscape through a maze of numerous dirt roads that all lead down to various points along the shore, some passable and some not so much. We really did not know which of these roads to take and even if we could turn around but we took our chances and were momentarily stymied when we found ourselves on a high mesa overlooking the lake. There was a very steep incline that would have taken us down to the shore from there but I couldn’t see driving our little RV or Bobs trailer down it to the shoreline. We back tracked and started down another of the maze of dirt roads on one that looked more promising albeit very bumpy, when we fortunately met a gentleman out walking who directed us to a safer, flat, graded road that we were able to take down to the shoreline without incident. Whew! After some jockeying of rigs and making sure we would not sink in the soft soil we settled in. The scenery along the shore had a desolate beauty. The sun was hot but the wind was fierce and so we were not able to put up our awnings. We slathered on the sunscreen and spent the afternoon, taking walks and throwing the ball and/or stick for Sierra who’s main passion, besides food, is fetch. As night descended we were visited by more that a dozen ghostly apparitions gliding across the lake in front of our camp. It was almost too dark to make them out but they turned out to be a flock of white Pelicans. What a lovely way to end the evening. Thanks for stopping by!

Dinosaur National Monument

July 12, 2019August 6, 2019bearcruzer

06/18 – 06/20 We traveled north up to Dinosaur National Monument. We stopped at the Visitors Center outside of Dinosaur, CO but we were told the actual excavation site was on the Utah side of the Monument so after a bite of lunch we went around to the Utah side and were able to secure a couple of nights at the Campground there right along the Green river. Bob has been our taxi as well as our comic relief on this trip and ferried us around to the numerous petroglyph and historical homesteading sites throughout the park. This is the only place with lizard Petroglyphs. We had to hike a little ways up to the cliff face but the artwork was outstanding. We were then gifted with a beautiful sunset at our campsite and enjoyed a great hike along the river in the mornings. The amount of Dinosaur bones still on display at the excavation site is a wonder. We were also able to see how much of the mountain had actually been removed. Many of the full skeletons seen at museums came from this site. Way Cool!

Colorado National Monument

July 12, 2019August 6, 2019bearcruzer

06/17 – Spent the night at the Colorado National Monument Campground outside of Fruita, CO. I never knew this place existed. The rock formations and the rim rock road that runs along the top of the cliffs was not to be missed. The weather was very rainy off and on but made for a beautiful drive. The red rock sandstone cliffs were amazing and we pulled out to take a few photos before we finally made it to the visitors center. Bob started me on my Passport to our National Parks and so I got my first stamp and sticker to commemorate the occasion. As it was already getting late in the afternoon we asked if there was availability at the nearby campground and there was. The camping fairies were with us yet again. We settled in and enjoyed a relaxing evening.

A New Journey Begins

July 11, 2019August 6, 2019bearcruzer

06/15 -06/17 North to Alaska. Well our Journey to check AK off the bucket list began on June 14th. We left our driveway the afternoon and drove a whopping 4 miles down to happy valley to meet up with our friend and fellow AK traveler, Bob Bishop and to say our farewells to the Happy Valley, happy hour crowd of friends. We headed out early on June 15 and set our first destination as Boggy Draw outside of Delores, CO. A favorite bicycling and camping spot to get back into the rhythm of RV life. We spent 2 nights there and although initially the weather did not seem too fair for bicycling, the rain stopped and we had a great day of riding. Sierra, a Nova Scotia Duck Toller, and a recent and welcome addition to our trip enjoyed the run along with the bikes as well and kept up beautifully. We have found our Water supply to be painfully small and so we are getting back into major conservation mode. We have also found that with our small Fuel tank and the weight of our gear, we will need to keep make frequent fuel stops as we head north. Feels great to be back traveling again even if it is land cruising. Looking forward to the many adventures ahead.