RV travel allows you to get close to places those in hotels or on tours just can’t reach. RV living gives you time to settle in and watch the world from a different angle each day. Our seven days in Grand Teton National Park was all that and more. From the Colter Bay RV Campground in the northern end of the park, we took our time and explored the park from top to bottom, on foot, on bike, and in the truck.
Taggert Lake TrailScenic DrivesPark South EntranceColter Bay RV Campground
Over two days we rode the 13 mile paved trail that runs from the town of Jackson, WY to the center of the national park at Jenny Lake both directions.
Biking into Jackson
Along the way we were able to check out the historic area of Menors Ferry and the Church of the Transfiguration, built in 1925 to serve guests and employees of nearby dude ranches. Check out that view from the altar window!
Biking near Jenny LakeChurch of the TransfigurationView from the altar
Riding through the National Elk Refuge and into the cute town of Jackson was also a treat. The elk have moved up into the mountains and are no longer visible in the refuge but in the winter more than 7,000 elk call the 24,000 acre refuge home. Elk are certainly the mascot of this area.
Just north of JacksonTown Square in JacksonTrail from Jackson to Jenny Lake
Besides elk, which live throughout the park in the summer, we saw coyotes, moose, black bear, and grizzly bears. In fact, a common evening activity here is to join the people with big cameras at Oxbow Bend or Pilgrims Creek to look for wildlife. Even when you don’t see anything, it’s a beautiful experience.
BisonChipmunkBull ElkYoung MooseBlack Bear
Grand Teton National Park is filled with hiking trails, many of which were still snow covered while we were here in mid-May. That didn’t stop us from hiking the lakeshore trail at Colter Bay and trekking to Taggart Lake and beyond. Well, the snow did stop us, but we went as far as comfortable.
Colter Bay Lakeshore TrailSchwabacher LandingBradley Lake TrailOkay, we’re done!Taggert Lake Trail
Visiting Mormon Row is a must-do in Grand Teton. The turn-of-the-century farmhouses and barns reflect the farming heritage of this area. The area also captures the community spirit that was required to live in such an unforgiving environment year-round. The photos are pretty epic.
We did have a tough day when Mia got sick this week. Luckily a vet in Jackson was able to get her in right away, gave her some new food, some medicine, and sent her on her way. We are happy to say she’s back to “normal” or as normal as a 17 year old blind dog with dementia can be. We are happy for every day with her!
Happy with her DadWarm under the blankies
Grand Teton National Park is really about the views, and they are spectacular! Enjoy a few of the many photos we took along the way.
We’re back on the road with a huge itinerary ahead of us. Over the next six months we’ll be traveling in our beloved Solitude fifth wheel from almost coast to coast. We’ll bring you regular updates, as usual, and our first stop was a doozie!
Zion National Park, located in southern Utah, is the third most visited national park in the country. The crowds we met proved the statistic accurate. We learned that arriving early in the morning was the best strategy for getting into the park, getting a parking space, getting onto the required shuttles, and enjoying the trails. By noon the place is swarmed!
Waiting for the shuttleWaiting to enter the park
With a whole week here we paced ourselves with a day or two of relaxation at our beautiful RV park, Zion River Resort, where we had a riverside site and could hear the Virgin River roaring past.
The Virgin River is what created this incredible landscape, cutting canyons large and small into the ancient sandstone. One morning we followed the river from the main visitors center to the end of the park road with our bikes. My new pedal-assist mountain bike was an awesome way to make this gradual eight mile climb while keeping up with Steve. We saw great wildlife along the way and reached the Riverwalk trail before most of the crowds.
From there we walked the one mile easy trail to the end where the famed Narrows hike begins. We would have loved to hike the Narrows, a walk up the river through narrow slot canyons, but the water levels this time of year made that impossible.
Early on the Virgin RiverRiverwalk TrailSun coming up on the Riverwalk TrailRiverwalk TrailStart of the Narrows with high water levelsSteps into the Narrows
Another popular hike in Zion Canyon is to the Emerald Pools. Again, we started early one chilly morning and beat most of the crowds to the Lower, Middle and Upper Pools. Each stop on the four mile round trip brought us to a lush oasis amidst the red sandstone cliffs. Along the way there are incredible views of the canyon.
Not all of the action is found in Zion Canyon, so we made a few roadtrips to explore the outlying areas. On Saturday we hit up a great farmer’s market in St. George and replenished supplies. We also spent one day driving north out of the park towards what we thought would be the highway to Cedar Breaks National Monument. We would never recommend heading out without a little research about the roads, but we don’t always follow our own rules. We drove north on a dirt road for about an hour and half, expecting to hit the northern highway. Beautiful views, lots of wildlife, it was a very pleasant drive…until we hit snow. Using our Garmin GPS we could see that we had climbed from an elevation of about 3500 feet in Zion to over 9000 feet. Suddenly we started seeing more and more snow until we hit pavement, which was a relief. Until we got stuck!
Luckily Steve is an expert driver and our four-wheel drive worked like a charm, and we were able to back out of the snow and back out onto the dirt road where we could turn around and head back the way we came. Scary? A little. And adventure? You bet!
Our drive back to Zion took us through the Zion-Mt. Carmel tunnel. Built in 1930, the tunnel is restricted to vehicles under 11’4”. We couldn’t drive through with our RV, but the truck fit just fine!
We also did a roadtrip to the north unit of Zion National Park, where most visitors do not visit. The area is called Kolob Canyon, and we enjoyed the five mile scenic road and the short one mile hike to the Timber Creek Overlook. The views of snow-covered peaks, red rock monoliths, and the Kaibab Plateau all the way to the north rim of the Grand Canyon were spectacular.
Our Zion grand finale was the hike up the West Rim Trail to Scouts Lookout and beyond. Originally we had planned to hike to the top of Angels Landing via this route and had even received a permit for the dangerous climb.
However, after seeing the crowds attempting to ascend the narrow precipice, using only a chain as a guide, we opted to just watch. Nevertheless, the challenging hike took us over five miles with an elevation gain of over 1,500 feet. Walters Wiggles, the 21 switchbacks that leads to the overlook, is quite a trail-building fete.
See the trail cut into the rock?Beginning Walters WigglesScouts LookoutHope you like switchbacks!Slowly uphillWalters WigglesScouts LookoutWest Rim Trail above Scouts Lookout and Angels LandingWatch your step!It’s all downhill from hereWatching climbers on Angels Landing in the distance
We feel like we hit the highlights of Zion National Park but realize this area has so much more to offer in terms of hiking, mountain biking, and other fun activities. And, while we are ready to move on to our next adventure, it’s likely we’ll be back to beautiful Zion!
Since our last post, we said goodby to the beautiful Florida Keys where we spent a full month enjoying the water, sun (and some rain), and lots of relaxation. It was time for a change of scenery, and the Tampa area offered a plethora of options. Despite some downtime (thanks COVID), we fit in some real fun.
Our first stop was the Florida RV Supershow where we camped, explored one of the nation’s largest displays of new RVs and gadgets, and caught up with great friends we’ve met in previous years. Our group of buddies comes from all corners of the country and have such a good time together.
Kunio, Jeff, Cliff, and SteveKunio and Michelle, our Michigan neighbors!The girls with fingerless gloves crocheted by Gail. Jennifer, Gail, Christine, Michelle, and Marnie
On the last day of the RV show I started feeling yucky and tested positive for COVID. Steve’s symptoms showed up a few days later. My symptoms, especially a cough and fatigue, hung on for nearly three weeks. Steve recovered in a few days. Luckily our COVID time was spent at a quiet campground at beautiful Fort Desoto, just south of St. Petersburg. I didn’t leave the camper much in the nine days we were there but Steve got out to explore on runs and bike rides.
PositiveA little vitamin D on the beach at Ft. DeSoto
By the time we moved to the Madiera Beach/St. Petersburg KOA I was up for nightly sunsets at the nearby beach, and Steve enjoyed the adjacent Pinellas Trail which runs 45 miles from St. Petersburg north past Clearwater.
Madiera Beach at sunsetGreat sunset at Madiera Beach
By the time we arrived to the brand new Key Lime Bay Resort I was starting to feel like myself again and we set out for some adventures. The resort, located in a central location near Old Tampa Bay, offered lots of fun activities where we got to meet some cool people. We attended a takeover of the Tampa Bay Brewing Company, a lively Super Bowl party, and a Paint and Sip for Valentine’s Day, where we also celebrated Steve’s birthday. Yes, he painted too!
Big party at Key Lime Bay RV ResortWe signed upCan you tell who painted each side?
In addition to painting, we celebrated Steve’s birthday with a dinner out and ice cream. Happy Birthday big guy!
New sign to display his 50 state marathon medalsDoesn’t look a day over 58
One day we took a walking tour of nearby Ybor City, the historic area of Tampa where hundreds of millions of cigars were rolled annually by immigrants from Cuba, Spain, and Italy. The traditional social clubs for each ethnic group still stand, and the stories of triumph and loss are compelling. The Cuban food is also pretty awesome!
Original worker housingHonoring the Cuban influence
On other days we ventured a little further out of Tampa. First, we went to the Tampa Electric Manatee Viewing Center in Apollo Beach. Manatee need warmer water in the winter and the discharge canal from the power station is a designated manatee sanctuary that provides protection from the cold for these gentle animals. It’s a popular attraction as the well manicured park and viewing area is free to the public.
Mama with babiesManatee Viewing CenterA few of the hundreds of manatee
We also made a morning excursion out to Plant City, the nation’s home of winter strawberries. The massive farmer/flea market, held on Wednesdays, was filled with all kinds of junk and gorgeous, red strawberries. Live music, food, and acres and acres of stuff kept us busy for awhile. But the shortcake was calling, so we set out for Parkesdale Farms. This farm stand in Plant City sells beautiful produce, fun garden stuff, and the best shortcake and strawberry shakes we’ve ever tasted.
Nice day to shop for junkAwesome half flatSo red and juicyWorld’s most incredible strawberry shortcakeStrawberry queen
Nearby Clearwater is home to a beautiful outdoor amphitheater where one evening we saw an icon. Ninety-year old Willie Nelson and the Family played on a lovely evening, and we were thrilled we can finally say we’ve seen the legend.
At the Sound Amphitheater in ClearwaterWillie and the Family on stage
Another fun day trip in the Tampa area is a visit to the Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks. In operation since the 1870s, Greek sponge divers left their homeland to cultivate a booming industry which is now considered, “The Sponge Capital of the World.” Amidst of tourist shops and fabulous Greek restaurants we watched fisherman prepare their harvest right on the boats. Tarpon Springs is a nice day trip if you are ever in the Tampa area.
Fishermen with sponge haulStatue honring Greek sponge diversGreek boats
Downtown Tampa features a 2.5 mile Boardwalk which traverses the Hillsborough River and the bay. Passing museums, hotels, the convention center, and historic sites, the boardwalk makes for a nice morning walk. We even found the Tampa library and their book sale and scored some good titles.
Tampa RiverwalkSearching for book bargains
After our walk we hit what is considered the “world’s oldest brewery,” Yuengling. Founded in Pottsville, PA, the Tampa outpost is a huge facility that has a great taphouse. We enjoyed a flight that included “everything” and decided our favorite was the Hershey’s Chocolate Porter.
Yuengling BreweryThe “Everything” FlightNosh plate at Yuengling
All in all we spent a little over a month in Tampa, had mostly decent weather, and met some nice people. Now it’s time to head West with a few more stops and a marathon along the way!
Marnie and Steve Travel 