Tag: river

Tourist Review – Dead Horse Point State Park – SE Utah

by Herb & Kathy, posted in Friends, RV'ing, Sightseeing, Touring, Tourism Review, Traveling, Volunteering, Working

When we stayed a couple weeks at Angostura Recreation Area (Hot Springs SD) you’ll remember that we had the pleasure of meeting and visiting with our neighbors Clark & Anita.

Clark and Anita (and their Oliver Travel Trailer)

They told us that as we traveled south from South Dakota through Wyoming and Utah, we just HAD to stop (and camp if we could) at Dead Horse Point State Park just northwest of Moab, Utah.

He told us if we didn’t make it to any of the other popular parks in that area of Utah (Arches, Canyonlands, Canyon de Chelly, Grand Staircase Escalante, Capital Reef) we’d just HAVE to visit Dead Horse.

As it turned out, our travels back to Rover’s Roost at Casa Grande Arizona found us traveling west along southern Wyoming and the east side of Utah and traveling down U.S. 191 instead of using the interstate highway system – and we’re so glad we did!

This way we stayed out of Colorado and the I-25 / I-70 yet we still got to see a LOT of beautiful scenery and ecosystems as we traveled up and down the hills and valleys, sometimes as high as 9000 feet!

But the Creme de la creme – has been Dead Horse Point State Park. The Colorado River runs through the park. The main (only) paved road through the park is Utah State Route 313 and it’s one way in and the same one way out. The $20 (non-resident) entrance fee is per vehicle so we parked our rigs in a gravel parking area just outside the park entrance and then we climbed into David and Susan’s car to visit the park.

As we all realize, photographs just never represent fully the depth and beauty of the subject. But I just had to share some with you here.

If you click on any of the thumbnails below, a larger picture will open. If you have a slower internet connection it might take a second (or a few) to sharpen up the image. Just be patient and you should be able to see and appreciate the beauty in the detail.

Here’s a short (1-1/2 minutes) video of some of the beauty we took in.

And a special thanks to Clark and Anita for putting us on to this gem. Next time we are going to be in the area, we’ll need to make campground reservations ahead of time!

Thanks once again for riding along on the journey of our lifetimes. It’s been five years now that we’ve traveled full-time and worked (volunteered) part-time along the way and it’s still fun – how about that!

Until we meet again, take care of yourselves and each other. You’re all you’ve got. Be good. And stay safe in this crazy world of ours.

Herb and Kathy

Camp Hosting at Fort Peck, Montana

by Herb & Kathy, posted in Camping, Learning, Sightseeing, Traveling, Working

Kathy and I spent early spring 2019 as Camp Hosts at the Fort Peck Downstream Campground – Fort Peck Montana. This is a U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) Project and our campground is just one of the recreation areas at the project which includes Fort Peck Reservoir, Fort Peck Dam and spillway, the Interpretive & Visitor Center and about a dozen other outlying recreation centers that are along the shores of the 135 mile long reservoir where visitors can use the boat ramps, picnic shelters, and camping areas.

Fort Peck Lake Montana

Campground hosts volunteer 24 hours per week to the park in exchange for their camp site and utilities. There are paid Gate Attendants to handle camper fee collection and the park has contractors who; cut the grass, clean out fire pits, and keep the restrooms and bath houses clean.

Our job as hosts are to be another set of eyes on the park when the ranger can’t be here. There are four rangers here at Fort Peck Project who are responsible for about a dozen outlying recreation areas and the Interpretive Center, so they’ve got plenty to keep them busy.

I’ve gathered some pictures to help illustrate what sorts of things we get involved in. Some of these are things we’ve been asked to do while many of these are things we’ve volunteered to do just to help out and to keep us busy.

  • We cleaned the inside of the Gate House
  • Kathy helps with a school group at the Interpretive Center
  • We raked leaves near the Gate House
  • We removed all the old flyers and posters and washed down the information kiosk
  • We emptied, swept, and organized the recreation shed filled with fishing poles, life vests, balls, bats, horseshoes, and lots more
  • We assembled 400 “Goodie Bags” for the elementary school field trips
  • We repaired Invertebrate “Viewing Cups” that had been damaged during previous field trips
  • We used the Mule to collect downed tree limbs after the winter storms
  • We removed old broken site number posts
  • And replaced them with new posts
  • Have chainsaw, will cut firewood
  • Helping Ranger Sue install a dock in the Donut Pond
  • After installing the dock at the donut pond
  • We pulled all the utility flags after the comfort station construction was completed
  • Kathy and I prepared the electric boats to take over to the pond for the field day kids to use

There’s lots to do here, and lots of “pieces parts” and equipment to do it with. The challenge is having enough staff to get it all done before the onslaught of visitors each spring. That’s where volunteers can help out. We can do the “little jobs” that might otherwise require time from the (4) rangers and (2) maintenance personnel on staff here at the project. That way these folks can utilize their time more wisely doing the types of jobs that their specialized training allows them to do.

One example of the specialized training I mentioned is shown in the photos below. Last year the campground received a new comfort station. The staff here at the project performed the complete operation. They poured the concrete pad for the comfort station to sit on, they did all the trenching and back fill for the supply lines, they did all the rough in plumbing and electrical, they’ll be doing all the final connections, and they will set forms and pour all the concrete curtain and approach walks.

  • Trenching for the power lines to the new bath house
  • Trenching for both power and water lines
  • New Comfort Station w/ private showers
  • Setting the form for concrete to support the electrical transformer
  • Setting the form for an electrical sectionalizer
  • Just some of the equipment these guys use to get the job done
  • Scott on the back hoe
  • Hooking up the power
  • Just one of the typical mundane maintenance jobs

We enjoyed our time at Fort Peck. The folks we worked with and for were very kind, professional, and courteous and they appreciated everything we did to help out.

We also made some great new friends. Dan and Bev came in early May and were contracted as the paid Gate Attendants. They’ve been full time RV’ers for 21 years!

Our new friends Dan and Bev Foster

If you have any interest in working as a volunteer in exchange for your RV site and utilities, go to www.volunteer.gov where you can search by; state, agency, and position type.

Thanks for following along and remember to visit our You Tube channel herbnkathyrv to see some of the videos we’ve published lately.

Fisherman’s Paradise at Pere Marquette

by Herb & Kathy, posted in Camping, Learning, Sightseeing, Traveling, Working

Since we’ve been here just a few days in the “up north” area of Michigan, we’ve been able to do a little exploring.  We arrived at Pere Marquette Oaks RV Park on Sunday the 7th of May and our official work start date is not until the 15th.

Right after we arrived Sunday night, we noticed a leak in the kitchen sink area.  First thing Monday, a trip to the local ACE Hardware in Baldwin.  WOW!  What a store.

Baldwin ACE Hardware

Large store with ample supply of what seemed to be anything anyone might need or want without the need to drive to Big Rapids or Ludington for one of the big box stores.

Just a small length of plastic pipe strap fixed the problem in a jiffy. The slip joint on the “p” trap had come loose from the jiggling as we travel down the road.

While we were in town we decided to check out some of the Pere Marquette River boat launch sites AND OF COURSE one of the local restaurants for a late morning breakfast.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

After breakfast we walked across the street to see the famous JONES Ice Cream Shop.  They have been making their private recipe ice cream in the back room for 75 years.  The parlor’s walls are lined with hundreds of black and white photos showing Lake County history from the mid 1800’s forward.  Take a look at the photos below and see the old time ice cream parlor chairs and stools at the counter.

Jones Ice Cream Parlor

After breakfast we decided we wanted to look around town a bit check out the river that this area is so famous for.  I’ve put together a video (below) showing some of the different walk-in sites and boat launch sites to the river and some of the lakes in the nearby area.

So far, we are impressed by the beauty of the water and the quiet that abounds.  It’s so peaceful and calming.  Our next post will be a little about the park we’re living at for the summer.  Stay tuned for more.

A Little Gem in Central Texas

by Herb & Kathy, posted in Camping, Sightseeing

We left the SKP park at Lakewood, NM Thursday morning and the map told us that State Route 285 would be a direct route down through Carlsbad and on to I-10 where we’d head east.

Yes, it was “direct” but FILLED with all kinds of tanker trucks and heavy equipment working the oil fields that lined the state route on both sides of the highway.  As far as the eye could see, it was nothing but gas and oil wells and all the trucks and equipment to service those rigs. (Ugh)

Additionally, the asphalt was pretty bumpy having been heaved over and over by the heavy trucks day after day.  Although the speed limit was 75 mph (and the trucks liked to do it), I wouldn’t subject the coach (pulling the car) and the two of us to the high speeds with all the bumping and rolling this way and that.

All in all, it was a LONG drive down to I-10 to Pecos, TX (100+ miles) where we were FINALLY able to get on SMOOTH I-10 and head east.

We then drove about 4 hours east to a great little RV park we found on Allstays.com.  Pecan Valley RV Park boasts only 14 sites, (3 are full-timers and 2 are tent sites), but our host David told us on the phone he had a great 60′ 50amp pull-thru site that would be great for us.

The park is nestled a few thousand feet off the road behind a HUGE pecan grove and up against the North Llamo River.

Although there was no Verizon coverage and no television, we’d definately stop here again.  David was a gracious host, the park was spotless (see the slide show below) and the setting was peaceful and relaxing.  We cooked brats on the grill, sat out a bit and when we slept, it was with the windows open all night.  And NO traffic noise.

Beautiful and peaceful.  Pictures below.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Last night we stayed at a “cement” RV park at Port Charles, TX (near Beaumont) and today (Saturday the 18th) we’ll continue east on I-10 where we’ll stay at what appears (online) to be a much nicer park at Livingston, LA.

More to come.  We hope your day will be a great one.

Just a Few Miles Down The Road

by Herb & Kathy, posted in Learning, Sightseeing

Kathy and I heard about a nice drive we could take down into a canyon to Clear Creek, just a few miles down SR 260.  It started out as a dirt road off the state route, then became a dirt trail, then became a “rock” trail and finally down around through a lot of tight switchbacks to the “Bullpen” Day Use Area.  The creek is flowing fiercely since the snow melt is rushing through every crack and crevice it can find.  You can hear the rushing water in the video below.

The ground is soaking up the liquid sunshine and still plenty of water rushing by to the rivers and irrigation ditches.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We are continually fascinated by all the beauty there is to see here in Arizona and although we’re excited about our next trip (east to Florida, Ohio, Michigan) we’ll certainly miss the beauty around us here and especially the friends we’ve made.