Westward Ho in a Modern Covered Wagon – Disconnect the Devices & Reconnect on a Family Vacation
I’m a working mother, who’s hurried, hassled, . . . and hungry for some quality family time. On my endless taxi runs to soccer and dance practices, I’ve dreamed of whisking my family away on some of the idyllic, memory-filled summer vacations that I enjoyed as a child. This summer, it’s happening. We’ll spend four weeks traveling the West – conquering as many sights as possible. Join us on our journey, and share the fun and frustrations of family togetherness. Also, I’ll give you all the info about our destinations, in case you want to visit. In the end, we’ll see if my fairy-tale vision of a family getaway turns out more like “Leave It to Beaver” or Chevy Chase’s “Vacation.”…
Day 15 – Still Wandering Nevada (and the Pioneer Center)
We couldn’t go Westward Ho in our modern covered wagon without paying homage to those who went before us in the first covered wagons. So, we stopped at the California Trail Interpretive Center in Elko, NV on our way toward Yellowstone.
Between 1841 and 1869, up to 250,000 people sold their belongings, packed wagons, and set out for the 2,000-mile journey to California. This center tells their story. Because of its smaller size, you can visit it all in an hour or two. Of course, if you want to explore more, there’s plenty to keep your interest.
Ross got sidetracked by the antique gun expert who was visiting with an entire table of guns. That was fine because Ethan and Autumn got sidetracked outside with the horses. Autumn was especially delighted with a short ride around the field.
I enjoyed the reconstructed wagons, as well as the sample abodes of the Native Americans. The natural landscape in this region is sparse, with no trees. So, it was interesting to see how the Indians built their domed homes by intertwining branches from small sagebrush.
We not only had a great time, but this museum – run by the Bureau of Land …
Day 14 – Wandering Nevada (Virginia City mining)
We left Yosemite and began the long drive toward Yellowstone. Along the way, we stopped in Virginia City, NV – an old mining town. It was a great way to spend a couple of hours and stretch our legs. It would have also been a great way to spend a lot of money visiting tourist traps, if you weren’t careful.
I was pleased with the one mine tour and the one history museum we chose. They were worth the money.
After the tours, we wandered the sidewalks of buildings built in the late 1800’s. Although there were modern businesses inside, the exteriors remained the same. In fact, the interiors of most were also intact. The old saloons with their magnificent bars had been turned into small casinos and restaurants.
Getting into town was also an adventure. There was a steep grade going into town on a narrow road. We didn’t see the “no RVs” sign until too late. Let’s just say that when we left town – we took the truck route down the mountain.
Westward Ho!…
Day 13 – Yosemite (More Hiking)
More driving, more fighting for parking spaces at the trailheads, more hiking, more phenomenal views.
At one point, I was walking along a wooded path near one of the lodges. I had been been looking down. When I happened to glance up, there was a huge mountain of granite dominating my view, It was amazing. “El Capitan” is truly the captain.
For a few minutes, I’d forgotten where I was. El Capitan was a great reminder of the awesomeness of nature – right in front of me.
We left Yosemite through the East entrance and stayed nearby at the Mono Vista RV Park. Ross did some laundry. I paid $4 for WiFI, but still no luck. It has been days since I’ve had a connection – either WiFi or cellular. (And, that explains why these posts continue to be dated weirdly.) Trust me. I’m doing the best I can.
Westward Ho!…
Day 12 – Yosemite (Unscheduled River Escapade)
We couldn’t get the kids to leave the KOA playground this morning. Personally, I should’ve left sooner. We were playing family tag. In my eagerness to evade Ethan, I zoomed down the slide in a hurry. My mistake was placing my elbows on the slide. I landed at the bottom of the slide with two badly burned elbows and the sad knowledge that Ethan had tagged me by a hair.
(P.S. Even multiple daily applications of aloe didn’t help a lot. After 2 weeks, the scabs were finally healing. Yes, I’m a wimp. But, I’m telling you – those elbows hurt for days.)
We drove an hour back into the park. (If you aren’t staying IN the park, there’s no place close to stay OUTSIDE the park.) Along the way, the Merced River accompanied us. Huge boulders dotted the middle of the river for miles.
Frankly, the river wasn’t that wide. It was more like a big creek. But, I’ll refer to it as a river to avoid another feud with Ethan!
We stopped for a quick photo . . . and stayed for hours. We walked down a short, steep incline to feel the water temperature. It was ice …
Day 11 – Yosemite (Phenomenal Views; Stupid Tourists)
The stupidity of tourists never ceases to amaze me. Just because you’re holding a camera in your hand doesn’t mean you can be oblivious to everything else around you. Personally, I wouldn’t walk in front of a 28-foot RV and expect it to stop for me. Apparently, other people think differently.
Once we got away from the tourists and onto the trails, Yosemite was beautiful. The crowds, however, were driving me bonkers.
Okay, Kelly. Breathe. Relax. Repeat, as necessary (or every time I see another clueless tourist).
We stayed on the West side of the park at KOA Yosemite West/Mariposa. They had a railroad caboose that served as their arcade/game room. Cool!
Westward Ho!…
Day 10 – No RVs Allowed
No RVs allowed! After driving an hour to the entrance to Sequoia, we discovered that RVs weren’t allowed to continue on that section of the park road. Well, crap! It would have been nice to know that in advance.
The websites for the National Parks are lousy – especially if you’re trying to see driving maps or hiking trails. (You know – those things you need to know to plan your trip!) At the entrance to the parks, they give you a brochure and map. That’s a little late! How hard would it be to put that info on the website?!?!
Yes, I’m being crabby. But, if you’ve been following along on our journey, you know this isn’t the first time we’ve run into obstacles at the Parks – simply because we didn’t have the right information.
Back to the Sequoia saga –
We had to turn around and drive an hour back to where we started, then take another road. That meant we wasted two hours, and we weren’t even to the park, yet.
At Sequoia, the trees were big, and the forest was beautiful. But, this wasn’t one of our favorite places. I don’t know if we were …
Day 9 – On the Road Again toward Sequoia
We ended our 7-hour drive from Las Vegas to Visalia (near Sequoia) with . . . a traffic jam. We were stuck in traffic for 1 hour and 45 minutes – due to a haz mat spill on the freeway. Poor Ross. He was tired before we hit the jam.
While we sat (and I mean literally sat without moving), I discovered another advantage to the RV – access to food and water. Plus, we could drink the water without fear of repercussions – because we had a BATHROOM. At one point, Ross left the driver’s seat and used the facilities. You can’t do that in a car.
Before we reached the traffic jam, we had been driving by farms for miles around Bakersfield. It was fascinating because each small grove of orange trees was at a different stage of growth.
We could see what the trees look like in all phases – as baby saplings stuck in white tubes, as little “toddlers” starting to spread out, as teenagers almost ready, and as mature adults heavy-laden with fruit. It was like a science class in the real world.
When we finally arrived at the Visalia/Sequoia KOA campground, Eunice was waiting …
Day 8 – Viva Las Vegas in an RV
After a quick game of morning Frisbee, we reluctantly left the Zion River RV resort. Today was a short drive – about 4 1/2 hours. We took the scenic road to Hoover Dam.
The scenery as we left Zion quickly changed from towering multi-colored cliffs to low meandering hills up close, with less colorful cliffs in the distance.
We left Utah and drove about 40 miles through Arizona before reaching Nevada. Unlike the pine-covered approach to the Grand Canyon North Rim, this land looked exactly like the stereotype of Arizona.
Whereas at other locations, the land at least looked deceptively green, here the land was obviously rocky. The sandy soil was punctuated with short bushes and big rocks.
At Hoover Dam, Ross and Ethan enjoyed walking out on the Pat Tillman bridge. I enjoyed sitting in the RV. (You do remember that story about heights at Mesa Verde, right?) The Dam was impressive. It’s hard to believe they accomplished such an engineering feat in the early 1930’s.
Less impressive was the heat. It was warm that day. As we left and drove toward Las Vegas, the landscape became more rocky and barren. It’s a good thing they made Vegas exciting, …
Day 7 – On the 7th Day, We Rested
The past two days of driving were like being at the bottom of a huge bowl that’s rimmed in different colored sides. The view was ever-changing. Some of the cliff tops were flat mesas. Others were jagged ridges. Some of the sides sloped gently like soft mountains, while others provided a sheer drop like angry cliffs.
It seemed we were constantly going up and down. And, I mean serious elevation changes (not some wimpy little hills). Some days we’d go up to 8800 feet and then back down to 4000.
We were tired of going up and down and around. We needed a break!
We stopped at the Zion River RV Resort. The campground was ringed by multi-colored cliffs. The hues ranged from gray to tan to beige to red. Some were dotted with green trees and shrubs. Others were bleak and barren.
There was a big creek (or small river – depending on your perspective) running behind the camp. Ethan told me I’d give the poor river an inferiority complex, if I didn’t stop calling it a creek. So, I’ll refer to it as a river from now on.
The RIVER looked like the scene out of a Western …
Day 6 – Zion Park & Tunnels with Windows
Instead of the light at the end of the tunnel, I saw the light in the SIDE of the tunnel. That was certainly a first for me. I had never seen “windows” in a tunnel before.
At Zion National Park, the 1.1 mile tunnel, which was built in 1930, ran through the side of a cliff. At every curve in the tunnel, there was a huge arch that opened in the side of the tunnel – measuring about 20 feet across and 14 feet high. This provided daylight that shined on the curve to help motorists see.
When we arrived on the other side of the tunnel and looked up the side of a sheer cliff, we could see one of the open archways.
By the way, this tunnel charges a $15 fee for RVs. Also, if the RV is more than 11 feet tall, you must drive through the middle of the tunnel – which turns the tunnel into a one-way route. This means that vehicles must stop at the tunnel opening and wait for traffic coming the other way.
Keep this in mind, as I tell the rest of this story.
We had already selected the trail we …
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Day 15 – Still Wandering Nevada (and the Pioneer Center)
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Day 14 – Wandering Nevada (Virginia City mining)
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Day 13 – Yosemite (More Hiking)
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Day 12 – Yosemite (Unscheduled River Escapade)
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Day 11 – Yosemite (Phenomenal Views; Stupid Tourists)
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Day 10 – No RVs Allowed
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Day 9 – On the Road Again toward Sequoia
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Day 8 – Viva Las Vegas in an RV
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Day 7 – On the 7th Day, We Rested
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Day 6 – Zion Park & Tunnels with Windows