Mt. Rushmore Trip - Part 1 - Utah

Dalton Springs Campground Site #3 

Dalton Springs sites.  Note some pull-throughs.

At the end of May we headed out with my (Greg's) parents for a trip to see Mt. Rushmore, which none of us had ever seen and was on my Mom's bucket list.

My parents are now at an age where driving long distances is difficult for them, so I drove their Pleasureway camper van with my Mom in the passenger seat and Karen drove our Nissan NV Camper van with my Dad in the passenger seat.

We left Los Alamos, New Mexico a little late in the morning.  My parents take quite a while to get the last items packed away these days.

Our first overnight stop was at the Dalton Springs forest service campground that is just a little west of Monticello, Utah (southeast corner area of Utah).  We got to the CG just after the sun had set and we were able to get parked and level just before darkness fell.

The campground was a good choice for a quick overnight on our way to Salt Lake City for a nephew's high school graduation.  It costs $10 bucks a site, $5 with the Golden Age pass. There are dirt pads, dirt roads, water was available and the restroom were vault type. There were a few larger sites and pull-throughs that can handle bigger rigs.

There are a lot of trees that are low to the ground with lots of branches so be warned that you might have to be careful not to hit branches if you take larger rig there.

We were there just for the night and the next morning, so we didn't really explore the area, but there looks like a lot to explore up there. We will have to come back and check it out.

The Harts Draw area trail map.

The next morning, after a quick oatmeal breakfast, Karen and I decided to check out the Buckboard Campground that is a couple miles further up the road while my parent's got their van organized. (My father is very into having everything very organized and in it's place, cleaned and swept out.  Karen and I, on the other hand just toss everything in, do a quick sweep and we are ready to rock and roll.)

Buckboard had a lot of group sites and a few single sites.  It has a nice green meadow in the middle. It was kind of pretty. Both CGs are right at the base of a mountain area.  The drive to them is scenic. We saw a lot of deer in the area.

When we got back, my parent's were ready for the next leg of the trip to the Salt Lake City area.

Bell Rock, Utah

Scenic Utah near Canyonlands

Scenic Utah near Canyonlands

We love this area

Near Moab

We headed north from Monticello through some of the most scenic lands imaginable.  We definitely need to spend time exploring this whole area.

Moab had a lot more going on than I had remembered.  It was packed with late spring vacationers. We had lunch at a Subway in Greenriver and then headed up Hwy 191 past Price and then into Provo on our way to Jordonelle Reservor, where we would camp for a few days while in the Salt Lake City area.

My father really liked Provo.  He called it very "progressive" with all the green space, trails and modern businesses. My Dad has a tendency to want to live in many of the places we see along the route. Provo was now on his large "I want to live there" list.

Karen and Monkey friend relaxing at Jordenelle Reservor, Utah

Enjoying our portable campfire pit at Jordenelle.

The following is a 360 view of our campsite at Jordenelle State Park.  We were in site Hailstorm 71. Click and hold in the image to move around:



Jordenelle Reservor and State Park is a great campground. It's near Park City, Utah up in the mountains east of Salt Lake City. It's very modern and was designed with larger rigs in mind. I've camped here before and we enjoyed it.  (We were in the Hailstone camping unit of the State Park, there is another campground on the other side of the lake.)  Our two sites had water hookups and electric.

The state park has a nice marina with boat rentals and a big store.  It's super pleasant here. The only downside I can give is that there is road noise from the nearby highway, but I enjoy watching the huge three part trucks light up on the highway at night as they creep by. It reminded me of watching cruise-ships going by in Hawaii.

Actually there was a second issue with this campground:  There were hot showers but the water was luke warm. It made for a refreshing time.

Our reason for being in Salt Lake was to attend our nephews high school graduation.  It was held at Thanksgiving Point near Draper, which is a historic public farm with a large auditorium and a cool dinosaur museum.

Aspens on narrow Mt. Timpanogos Summit road

Outstanding scenery on Mt. Timpanogos summit road

We had a great drive from Jordenelle over the summit road of Mt. Timpanogos past Robert Redford's Sundance resort and past Timpanogos Cave.  It's a very curvy and extremely scenic mountain road that is pretty much single lane much of the way.  We don't recommend taking a big rig up there, although we saw a few big ones in a campground on the west side of the summit.  It must have been a white-knuckle trip to get them up there.

The whole Salt Lake region is economically booming. They keep their prosperity pretty much a closely guarded secret, but it looked like 1999 all over again.  There were construction cranes everywhere. They are even widening Interstate 15 again. (We lived through the huge hassle of the last major construction on 15 when we lived in Salt Lake just before the Salt Lake Olympics.)

Thanksgiving Point use to be a fun little public farm out in the middle of nowhere.  Now there are office buildings surrounding the whole farm. It's crazy how much growth there has been in the fifteen years since we lived in Salt Lake.

The graduation was great as we cheered for our nephew, Ben. He graduated from an accelerated high school that allowed him to obtain an AS degree while still in high school.  It's call Itineris Early College High School. Ben has enrolled at the University of Utah in downtown Salt Lake for the fall.

The next day we attended the baptism of our Great-neice, Finley. It was nice to see everyone so happy and healthy.

Our stay at Jordenelle was very pleasant.  We were there for three days and had time to sit, relax and take in the lake. We watched the Park City Sailpaloza that was going on during our stay. We took nice walks through the park in order to keep up with our hour and a half walk time per day.

On our walks we noticed that many of the very best campsites had huge motorhomes sitting in them with no one around at all.  We asked the camp-host about that.  They said that rich Park City home owners were allowed to pay for sites for the entire summer and they parked their RVs in the greatest sites and rarely visited them, basically using the sites as expensive parking spaces for their monstrous RVs. This seemed really unfair to us.  They had turned these great sites into their own private summer lake getaway spots.

There should be a two week limit on spaces, like most places, but I guess money talks in the Utah State Park system. The 1% screw us again! It's the story of our moronic age. Someday our society will wake up and stop this kind of elitist nonsense, but probably not until things get really terrible, which shouldn't be long.

If you need a base camp in the Salt Lake area, Jordenelle is a great choice.  It's a bit of a drive down into Salt Lake itself, but it's a pleasant scenic drive.

Next up: it's onward to Wyoming.

New Mexico: Gila Hot Springs Ranch and Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument

(By Greg - Mid April 2015) After our visits to Faywood Hot Springs and Silver City, we headed on our way up to the Gila Cliff Dwelings National Monument.

We were warned not to take Hwy 15 as it is just too darn twisty and slow, so we took Hwy 152 to Hwy 35, which is said to take about the same amount of time, being less twisty and all.

It turned out to be a very scenic drive. Parts of it are designated as some sort of scenic tour. Karen and I call them "flower roads, ahhh."

First you come to a view point for the Santa Rosa copper mine.  You can also kinda of make out the "Kneeling Nun" on the cliff above the mine.  It's a cliff structure that really does look like a kneeling nun.

The drive is quite scenic to Gila Cliffs!

Nice forest views.

A view point.

View point.

 As we drove into the dirt access road to the Gila Hot Springs Ranch we passed a bunch of cute goats. The ranch also has horses that can be taken out for public trail rides.

Cliffs above our campsite.

Our spot #11

Portable honey wagon.

Campground layout.

Water Analysis of the hot springs.

This is a 360 photosphere that you can move around in:

Views: Gila Hot Springs Campground and pools by Greg Kendall

In the above photospere you can see two of the Gila Hot Springs Ranch - River Campground hot spring pools. There is a third one behind the one to the north.

Very hot water spout for taking to clean dishes, wash hair etc.

The Gila river view from our campsite.

Our campsite.

Greg cooking a hot dog on our great new portable propane fire pit. (Available in our Amazon Store.)

Karen snug in our van bed after a good soak.

A monkey trekker enjoying one of the hot spring pools.

Karen and her Monkey Trekker friend.

A Gila Hot Springs Ranch pool.

Monkey Trekker!

Greg enjoying the morning sun next to the Gila River.

We pulled into the Gila Hot Springs Ranch - River Campground at 5pm. We snagged the last campsite, #11.  The ranch is owned and run by a really nice older ranching couple who keep a darn sharp eye on things during the day.

Periodically, the river area suffers from flooding during either spring or during the summer monsoon. Because of this the owners have made everything portable so they can move stuff out during flooding periods.  The bathroom "honey wagon" is on wheels as is the check/payment in booth.

The last flood big flood in Sept 2013 really changed things.  The pools were filled with rocks and silt that had to be dug out. It looks really nice right now.

There currently is a day use fee of $5 and a camping fee of $6 per person.  If you camp, the fee includes use of the pool 24 hours a day.  We soaked first, right after we arrived and then again after night fall.

It was very cold but the night sky was great! I need a "water" telescope so that we can peer into the sky while soaking.

After a good long soak, we scurried back to the van and jumped into our many piles of covers.  It was 26 degrees out that night, but we were warm and snug.  (We always say we are the "Princess and the Pea" in our huge pile of blankets that we bring for winter camping.)

In the morning we cooked our left over Adobe Springs doggy bag food and then headed for the Gila Cliff Dwellings just up the road.

Entrance sign.

Geronimo was born near here.

This is a 360 photosphere that you can move around in:

Views: Gila Cliff Dwellings by Greg Kendall

Gila Cliff Dwelling.  Amazing!

Inside a cliff dwelling

Outside a cliff dwellling.

Very scenic.

Enjoying some potato salad, chips and hummus.

My whole life, I have always looked forward to visiting the Gila Cliff Dwellings having heard about it in school.  It's in a remote part of New Mexico.  It's not a day trip. We finally made it and it was totally worth it.  It's pretty outstanding. We've been to Mesa Verde and those cliff dwelling are spectacular too, but there is something about these and their location the is extra special.

There is a one mile hike that takes you up a canyon and then up a bunch of stairs to the cliff dwellings.  Do it while you are still good at going up and down uneven rock stairways.

I'm looking forward to returning and spending more time in this area.  There are some great hikes yet to be had!

We stayed in campsite #11.  I recommend getting a more private river side campsite if you go.  These are numbers: 1,2,3,6,11.  #6 is close to the north pool but is not as private as others.  4 and 5 are not bad but they are close together.  They would be good if you are going with others.  7,8,9 would make a big group site, but would not be private as individual sites.  10 and 12 are away from the river but are not bad. They do take reservations.

Links:
http://www.gilahotspringsranch.com/gilafacilities.htm#campground
http://www.nps.gov/gicl/index.htm

New Mexico: Faywood Hot Springs, Silver City

(By Greg- Mid April 2015) We decided to take a mini-vacation for a long weekend down to Southwestern New Mexico for some warmer weather, hot springs soaking and Indian cliff house exploring. We had a great trip!

Leaving from Los Alamos, we first drove to Truth or Consequences for some gas and tasty food at the A&B drive-in in TorC.  They have an amazing variety of food for an old A&W drive-in.

Next, it was on to Faywood Hot Springs for overnight van camping and a relaxing soak. Faywood is just north of Deming, NM.

This is a 360 photosphere view that you can move around.

Views: Feywood Hot Springs pools by Greg Kendall

The above photo is the southern "clothing optional" pool area.  (There are also some "clothing required" pools just east of these.)  The view of the night-sky from these pools is really fantastic. We saw an awesome display of shooting stars during our late night soak.

This is a 360 photosphere view that you can move around.

Views: Feywood Hot Springs campground pools by Greg Kendall

The above photo is of the full-hookup campground pools.  It's a great place to soak and then head into our nearby electric blanket heated bed in our van.

This is a 360 photosphere view that you can move around.

Views: Feywood Hot Springs source dome by Greg Kendall

Above are the source-water storage tanks on top of a mound in the middle of the Faywood Springs property.  There is a dimly lit walk around the top of this mound that is fun to stroll around at night and view the stars and distant lights.

I suggest that Faywood get some artists in to paint these tanks with each a different theme such as maybe Aliens/UFOs or Constellations or who knows, but they need some paint!  They could be a draw, rather then just dull water tanks.

Views: Feywood Hot Springs campground area by Greg Kendall

Above is the full-hookup and tent camping area.  There is a common building with a sink/microwave and a couple big bathrooms.  It has a nice toasty fireplace. You can see a big outdoor fire pit.  Our van is near the hot spring pools building that has a bathroom and two shower rooms. There are also cabins to rent.

We've been to Faywood a few times and it never fails to provide a relaxing experience.  There are a few full-hookup sites.  We like to come here in the winter months to soak and warm up a bit from the cold of Los Alamos.  This year we went twice and both times we lucked out and avoided a cold snow storm back home.  We have an electric blanket in the van that keeps us super toasty on cold winter nights. Faywood is near City of Rocks State Park. We have ridden our bikes and walked to and around the park.

In the morning, after a final soak, we headed for Silver City.  Silver City is a fun town with a neat historic district that provides a pleasant walk.

Our first stop was to the Adobe Springs Cafe where we had an amazing breakfast, one of our top ten breakfasts ever!  The food was just fantastic!

 Karen had the design-your-own omelette.

I had the huevos rancheros with hashbrowns inside.

Wow! is all I can say. It was all super tasty and we had enough to pack a to-go box for breakfast the next morning.  The service was super friendly and attentive.  If you are going through SC at breakfast time, don't miss Adobe Springs!

Next we parked in the historic downtown district and ducked into a couple of thrift shops, buying a couple of very cheap items of clothing and fun/useful stuff.

Another stop not to be missed in Silver City is the Alotta Gelato Italian Ice Cream shop.

Mint/Banana - Oh Ya!

Silver City is a fun town, partially because it is a college town, with Western New Mexico University just up the hill from the historic downtown. I've found that college towns are usually pretty interesting. There's lots of culture, art and good food in college towns, typically.

The downside of college towns: there is usually a lot of riff-raff roaming about, but it wasn't too bad in SC.

Riff-Raff.

I've tried to convince the Los Alamos city fathers that Los Alamos would make a great college town, but the leadership is pretty set on it's small town ways, such as everyone off the streets by 8.  (Los Alamos did just get a new cooperative beer brewing pub, so that is progress!)

Next post: Gila Hot Springs Ranch and Gila Cliff Dwelling National Monument.

Links from this post:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/a-and-b-drive-in-truth-or-consequencs
http://www.faywood.com/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/adobe-springs-cafe-silver-city
http://silvercitytourism.org/
http://wnmu.edu/

Great Sand Dunes National Park

After our fun overnight soak visit to the Sand Dunes Swimming Pool, we took the short drive to the Great Sand Dunes National Park with a plan to hike up to High Dune.

Karen crossing seasonal Medano Creek.

Greg pointing to our hiking goal: High Dune.

Monkey!

A view from High Dune.

Greg and Karen on High Dune.

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is a very special place.  The time to visit is in the spring when the seasonal Medano Creek is flowing with snow melt.

The experience here is much like a visit to the ocean.  There is a lot of sand and what feels like a beach sans the seaweed.  We wore flip flops for this hike. We are still getting sand out of our clothing.

The water flows in a way that's hard to describe, as little sand dams built and bust with the water flowing differently every few minutes.

Water ripples 

Once you cross the creek, you are faced with huge mounds of sand.  It's not easy to hike on and it can get really super hot!  At certain points on the hike we were both yelling at each other that our feet were burning.

This hike is likely unbearably hot during summer months - we hope to never find out!

It is a real slog up to High Dune.

High Dune is not the highest dune in the park, but it is the highest one that is near the parking area and creek.  The view from the top feels high enough.  You have outstanding views of the impressive snow capped Sangre de Cristo Mountains as well as nearly the entire San Luis Valley.  It's really quite spectacular from up there.

We almost didn't make it all the way up to High Dune.  At one point we were both really hot and the sand was particularly hard to walk through.  That's when we discovered a ridge that was hard packed. We followed that ridge up in a roundabout path, eventually to the top.  Other people took the more direct route we had been on previously.  They couldn't understand how we beat them to the top.

The hike up rises about 700 feet but the sand makes it feels like much more. The elevation at the top of High Dune is about 8700 feet.  It's not really a far hike, only about three miles round trip, but a lot of it is two-steps-up, one-slide-back. It feels much further.

Heading back down is the most fun of all.  You can run down the dune slopes, and some people did, including us.

It's really fun to fly down a steep slope of dune.  We saw people on snowboards sliding down. If you bring cardboard up you can slide well on that.

Running down gives you that same thrill as skiing down an impossibly steep slope. It's a thrill you don't want to miss.

The park even provides a sand enabled wheel chair with bulbous tires for those who need assistance getting out onto the dunes.

We had a fantastic day hiking the dunes and we highly recommend a spring visit here.

There is a nice park campground that is closed in the winter.  It opens at the very end of March. There are no hookups and it could be a problem for larger RVs to fit.  (The website says there are a few 35 foot spots.)  There are larger RV sites nearby, outside the park, including the nice ones we stayed at the night before, at Sand Dunes Swimming Pool.

We met a lot of people who were in the area for the annual Monte Vista Crane Festival that is held nearby.

The park is also known for it's 4x4 road that snakes past the dunes and up and over a nearby mountain pass. We plan to give that road a go, in a few years, once we get another Jeep.

Back down at the van, we shook out the sand as best we could, which wasn't easy.

On the drive back to Los Alamos, we stopped in Taos at our favorite restaurant: Out Back Pizza. Unfortunately, Out Back was out of gluten free crust, so instead of great pizza, we enjoyed their fantastic salad with it's out-of-this-world pesto dressing.

Below is a photo sphere. You can use your cursor to move around the view of High Dune.

Views: High Dune - Great Sand Dunes NP by Greg Kendall

Below is a photo sphere.  You can use your cursor to move around the view of Medano Creek.

Views: Medano Creek - Great Sand Dunes NP by Greg Kendall

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Click HERE for more information on the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Colorado.