Alpen Rose RV Park, Durango, CO

We have traded Moab dust for Durango mud. Yes, we have made the turn, and are headed home.

It rained as we approached the town of Durango, and the road construction and dust from Moab have made a real mess of the coach. Glad I spent the money to have it washed in Spearfish!

Alpen Rose RV Park has been a favorite of ours here in Moab. It is in a very nice setting and has a huge dog park for Bella to run in. Once we set up the campsite we took her over and she managed to find the culverts full of water. She had a ball, but what a mess! This dog loves the water. Can’t keep her out. Revenge was ours, though, as we tool her to the onsite do-it-your-self dog wash. Ten dollars later she was spiffed up again, much to her chagrin.

The Durango-Silverton narrow gauge train came by. We have considered taking it tomorrow, but at $90 each we decided to pass. 

The Silverton train passes just in front of the partk

Not sure what we will do tomorrow, but taking Bella on the river walk is on the list, for sure.

Red Cliffs Inn, Moab, UT

We arrived in Moab a few days before the club rally was to begin so we got caught up on chores and did a little sight seeing and just relaxed in general.

 

We were met with gorgeous weather on arrival at Portals RV Resort.

A group of us had Sunday brunch at Red Cliffs Inn about twenty miles up the Colorado River. It was a great meal, and the facility is gorgeous. There is a winery adjacent to the inn, so we stopped by for a taste and bought a few bottles for friends.

 

Red Cliff Inn Reception

If you hope to visit Moab to see the beautiful national parks here this would be the high-end place to stay. Next would be the Marriott, I guess, but although it has nice river views it can not compete with the views and charm of the cabins at Red Cliffs Inn.

Black Hills National Forest, SD

We had several fun off-road rides in the jeep while in Spearfish, must were in the Black Hills National Forest surrounding the towns of Deadwood and Lead. The US Forest Service manages these areas and provides maps and guidance as to which trails area open for specific vehicles. While open, these trails are not necessarily maintained other than by local off-road clubs, and as such can be pretty rough and overgrown. We are familiar with forest trails from Florida, but this area provides steep hills and rocky terrain in addition to paint scratching foliage.

Barbara got a chance to drive some of the trails and, as luck would have it, she was at the wheel as we hit some of the most challenging terrain. She handled it very well, as those who know her would expect.

On our last ride we stopped at the remains of an old mining camp called Carbonate Camp. This was an ill fated attempt at mining in this area and the only remaining evidence of those who took the challenge so many years ago is an overgrown cemetery with nameless markers.

Lunch break overlooking the town of Deadwood.

Carbonate Camp Cemetery.

Carbonate Camp Cemetery grave site.

Carbonate Camp Cemetery.

Trail ride lunch break with the O'Daniels.

Happy Hour at each day's end, and planning the next day's adventure.

Homestake Mine, Lead, SD

We took a day off from off-roading to visit the town of Lead, SD. It is pronounced" Leed", by the way. Lead is the homoe of the Homestake Mine, on of the most productive gold and silver mines in the world. The mine was originally a traditional shaft and drift mine that by the time it was first closed covered about four square miles and reached a depth of nearly eight thousand feet. It became too costly to operate given the cost of gold at the time. There are 370 miles of tunnels referred to as drifts. In the photo below of the pit you can see where the pit intersected several of the tunnels. Click on it to enlarge the picture. The Homestake Mine is the source of the wealth inherited by publisher William Randolf Hearst. His parents developed the mine.

In the 1970s the mine reopened as a surface mine that operated until 2001. In all, forty-one million ounces of gold and nine million ounces of silver were recovered.

The mine is now the site of physics experiments seeking to unlock the mysteries of dark matter. Sanford Labs is developing the site at the 4850' level and plans to exchange atomic particles with the Fermi Lab in the Chicago area hundreds of miles away through the earths crust. The details are over my head, but it sure looks impressive to me.

If you are out this way, visit Lead and the mining museum there.

The now closed open pit of the Homestake Mine.

The town of lead has retained many of its old buildings.

Elkhorn Ridge RV Resort, SD

Elkhorn Ridge RV Resort has to be one of the finest RV resorts we have been to. It is a wonderful facility and kept spotless. Throughout the campground are bronze sculptures of western wildlife, and there is a huge dog park for the less-wild life to play. Besides RV campsites they offer two clusters of very nice cabins, a large pool, playground and tennis courts that also accommodate pickle ball.

 

One of two cabin groups

Sculptures of two legged wildlife, too. Pool area in background.

The large playground is probably popular during the summer season.

The park for bigger dogs. There is a similar one for smaller dogs.

Clear skies sunset as seen from our site.

The staff is fantastic and the town of Spearfish is just minutes away, so there is plenty of shopping and dinning to chose from. This area is definitely on our must return list.

Devil's Tower, SD

We arrived in Spearfish, SD early since we had planned an extra day to account for possible weather or mechanical problems and none had slowed us down. We took our extra day to drive over to the Devil’s Tower in Wyoming. This rock face featured prominently in the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind back in the seventies. The drive out was beautiful since the aspen trees are turning a golden yellow and splashes of color dotted the hillsides.

 

Approach to Devil"s Tower

View from base trail

Although it was a cloudy Wednesday there were many visitors, and the parking lot was nearly full. We elected to hike the trail that winds along the base of the mountain. It is an easy hike of about 1.2 miles and the surface of the trail is paved. The level trail was a blessing because my knee is still a mess from my trip to Acadia National Park with my son Chris.

This mountain holds spiritual significance to some Native Americans and prayer bundles and prayer cloths could be seen throughout the trees along the path. It is also holds a strong attraction to rock climbers, and while we were there several could be seen hundreds of feet about the boulder field at the base of the mountain. Believe it out not, the record for climbing this mountain is sixteen minutes! That was done by a very talented, if not sane, free-climber. I understand that the average climber takes closer to six hours utilizing ropes and other aids.

Prayer bundles

We took a less direct path back to the campground and avoided the interstate. Highway 24 rolls through beautiful hill country and is a well-maintained two-lane highway. We saw some deer, but the highlight was the number of wild turkeys we encountered. In the three or four different meadows we saw at least fifty turkeys. The highway runs through the small community of Hullett, and we stopped in at the Red Rock Cafe for pattie melts and fries. Pretty darned good, so if you find yourself in this area stop in. The beef and wild rice soup was great, too.

Al's Oasis, Oacoma, SD

Not as famous as Wall Drug, but similar, is Al’s Oasis in Oacoma, SD. Like Wall Drug, you see signs for Al’s Oasis along I-90 for miles before you arrive. You descend the bluff high above the Missouri River in anticipation of the grandeur of Al’s, the river is gorgeous as you cross and climb the opposite bluff. There it is! Built to look like a western town front, Al’s turns out to be a nice supermarket and shops featuring clothing, gifts and books that focus on South Dakota and Indian life. There is also a restaurant that looks like it can accommodate busloads.

All is within walking distance of the campground that is a part of all this enterprise. We needed some groceries so we made the walk, and got a burger at the restaurant while we were at it. Aside from being very convenient to the river and the activities it provides, this is not a distenation campground. It is a great stop along the rather sparsely populated I-90, however. The essentials of level sites and full hook-ups are here, and the staff is friendly. They offer a nice discount to campers if they purchase fuel across the street. The only downside is the proximity to the interstate, but that is true of most campgrounds accessible for easy overnight stops. We would stop here again. 

View towards river from campsite

Offutt AFB, Omaha, NE

We continued on our way to Spearfish, SD and tonight stopped in the campground at Offutt AFB in Omaha. The facility is just off the base and is on the shores of a 144-acre lake. A Wounded Warrior Care Project is underway this week, and cycling entrants were practicing on the facility roads. These events are meant to acquaint wounded veterans with athletic opportunities that boost their confidence and physical well-being. It appears that the Wounded Warrior program supplies the cycles in this case, and there was an interesting array of modified cycles that accommodate the various challenges these veterans bring to the event. It is great to see such an event, and the participants appear to be enjoying the heck out of the activity.

The campground itself is nicely wooded, with concrete pads. Even with the trees on our site we managed to get satellite reception, which is quite important on Monday nights when Dancing With The Stars is underway. If we were staying longer there would be plenty to do. This is a nice fishing lake, evidently, and boats and gear are available for rent.

Tomorrow we head further north to Oacoma, SD on the Missouri River.

Danville, MO

We are on the road again for this year’s long trip, and stopped over in Danville, MO. We are staying at the Lazy Day Campground for the night. This is a very well cared for campground with nice amenities like a pool, and a few games like horseshoes and ladder toss.

Bella really had a ball with the other dogs in the nice dog park. 

The proprietor is quite the artist and has decorated the office and other building with her murals. Of particular interest are the woodcarvings that are distributed throughout the campground. It appears that when a tree is damaged by storms a local artist carves them into sculptures similar to totems. The guy is pretty good with a chainsaw.

Camp Lake Jasper, Hardeeville, SC

As promised, we are back at Camp Lake Jasper in Hardeeville, SC. We stopped in here last Wednesday on our way to the Asheville area. This park is only three years old and they have done a wonderful job on their infrastructure. The laundry and bathhouse are both very nice, as is the pool. There is a nice deck area looking over Lake Jasper, and they offer rental kayaks. All of the roads are nicely paved, which is great.

 

There is a small camp store and free morning coffee.

Site 15 was pretty level and offered lots of space.

The laundry and bath house flank the very nice pool.

Nice deck overlooking Lake Jasper.

Disney, take note. This is how you ask folks not to swim in your lake.

Nice community fire pit.

It is not without problems, though. Our only complaint is the surface of the individual sites. Rather than crushed rock they used course sand that washes away in heavy rain. This leaves a substantial crown to at least the pull-through sites where we were. Enough sand washed away after the strong rain when we arrived last week that Barbara twisted her ankle when she stepped out of the coach. It is also tricky to get level since the sites drop off a good bit on the ends. We have seen coaches with the front wheels well off the ground. We are a shorter coach and managed to just barely get level on site seventeen. A previous visitor had sunk into the sand and left a large rut for us to navigate. We asked for a different site for our return today and are happy with site fifteen. The deep rut is still there on seventeen.

I talked to the very nice woman at the counter and she says there is new management. Revamping the sites with crushed stone is planned for this year. They have purchased a tractor to perform site maintenance. This is all good news, and we will plan to return in November. If you are reading this for ideas of where to stay in the Hardeeville area keep this place in mind. It is a very nice place if you don’t mind messing with leveling issues. It is an easy stop over when traveling I-95.

We have also stayed at the Hardeeville RV Park on Okatie Highway. It is $15 per night cheaper, not near I-95, and has no amenities at all. It is very convenient to Savannah, though. We will likely stay there again at some point since it is closer to friends that we like to visit as we come through here.

Postscript: 
After writing the above we took Bella out for a post-dinner walk. We found a nice trail that goes back in to property belonging to Jasper County Park. Along the way we disturbed a good sized gator. So, if you come with a small dog be vigilant.

Chimney Rock and Lake Lure, NC. And others.

We had a free day today and used it to goof off and see a little more of the area. Last night we drove to Black Mountain to join some of Barbara’s dog training friends for dinner at the home of Dr. and Mrs. Rechtine. Glenn and Joann recently completed their new home, and it was a pleasure to share their gorgeous view of the mountains.

 

View from Glenn & Joann's deck. Town of Black Mountain in background

We were not out that late, but did enjoy sleeping in this morning anyway. We took Bella out for a nice long walk, and then loaded her up for a drive in the country. We enjoy the back roads in this area. They travel through forest and apple orchards, and wind and twist their way through the mountains. We drove through the attractive community of Chimney Rock and stopped at Lake Lure to enjoy the lake views and let Bella take to the water. She was having fun in the water, but the local ducks were not too pleased. She wanted to get closer to the ducks and in her enthusiasm pulled Barbara in to the lake. Luckily she kept her balance and only ended up with an unintended wade in the muck and was only wet up to her knees. Bella on the other hand was soaked and happy as can be.

 

The Lake Lure beach was popular.

Before the ladies got wet.

We worked our way back towards Flat Rock by way of Columbus, Saluda and Tryon. It was scenic two lane roads all the way. It was a pleasant outing. If you happen through this area, and find yourself in Tyron, stop at the Huckleberry Restaurant for ice cream.

 

Bella watching as Barbara orders at Huckleberry's.

We start back towards home tomorrow by way of Hardeeville, SC. We will not be stopping at our normal campground since they were full through August second. We stopped at Camp Lake Jasper on the way up, and will do so on the way home as well. More on Camp Lake Jasper later.

East Flat Rock, NC. Yet again.

We are back in North Carolina for a reunion of the participants of last year’s dog training course. We had the day together before Barbara went off to a dinner with her friends, so we started with a fantastic Greek omelet at Kosta’s Restaurant in Fletcher, NC. We followed that up with a visit to the Sierra Nevada Brewery adjacent to the Asheville Airport.

The Brewery tours are evidently pretty popular, at least in the summer, because it turned out you needed reservations and they are booked about six weeks out. Bummer. We did the self-guided tour and had a good time anyway. They have a very large taproom and restaurant, but as nice as a beer sounded, it was still a little early for us to start drinking. We will save that for next time.

The Sierra Nevada Brewery story is one that I like. A couple guys start home brewing beer in their garage back in 1989 and after getting a couple of recipes right they thought that they might try to do it on a larger scale. They bought a storefront in Chico, CA and put together a ten-barrel operation. That grew and a taproom was added. Soon they were importing a salvaged 100-barrel brewing system from Germany. That facility was eventually doubled, and when demand continued to outstrip production, they built this beautiful new 200-barrel brewery here in North Carolina.

In this age where so many are looking for government handouts, or blaming everyone else for their financial situation, it is nice to read a story of a couple guys who went out there and made something happen. Thanks to them, not only were hundreds of jobs created, but also we all have some damned good beer to drink. God bless ‘em.

Victoria, BC

Ah, Victoria. This turned out to be a beautiful city and one that would be a pleasure to return to some day when we have more time. Everyone we met was very friendly.

Due to the time of our docking there would only be time for one formal excursion, but the late evening departure meant that we could spend a lot of time on our own. We chose to take a walking tour of the city that took us through residential neighborhoods, a magnificent park, and into the city center where it ended at the Parliament House and harbor. 

 

A little breezy as we started out along the shore.

 

Totems and long house at the museum.

As mentioned earlier, Fist Nation tribes were originally denied their cultural heritage. Potlatches were forbidden and tribes were displaced from the native lands. In the seventies, many totems were retrieved from where the tribes originally lived. It was an attempt to preserve that part of their culture, but many of these totems were badly deteriorated. A tribal chief, and skilled carver, began the task of faithfully recreating the more significant of those totems. A traditional long house was built to house the fabrication of the totems.

We explored Government Street where there were trendy shops and restaurants, and finally settled in at The Bard & Banker Pub, a repurposed historic bank building. Lunch and a flight of local craft beers were fantastic and left us in fine spirits (no pun intended) for the walk back to the ship.

 

The Bard & Banker Pub.

Government Street from Parliament House. Empress Hotel on right.

Barbara found a beach to comb on the way back. Sequim, WA in the background.

Since this was the last day on the ship, Barbara and Jocelyne spent the remainder of the afternoon making sure that none of the provided shipboard credits were left unspent. Each couple had $700 in credits and most of that was consumed at the Spa with massages and mani-pedis. The Regent Seven Seas cruises are all inclusive, and this relieves you of any thoughts of cost for any on-board services or tips. The credit also allows the occasional extravagance at dinner for premium wines, or perhaps to enjoy an evening Cuban cigar and cognac without worrying about your trip budget.

 

Jocelyne and Barbara after a session at the spa.

Toasting a wonderful cruise in one of the lounges before dinner.

Dinner on our last night was a return to the Signatures restaurant, one of two premium reservations only restaurants on board. Signatures specializes in French cuisine, while Prime 7 is a steak house. In addition to reservations, jackets were required for the gentlemen. Getting a bit dressed up was fitting for celebrating the completion of a very enjoyable cruise.

As a final note, I must highly recommend Regent Seven Seas cruises. This was my first cruise. I had resisted in the past because I just could not see how spending a week cooped up with two thousand people on a ship could be fun, let alone relaxing. The size of the Regent ships is much more reasonable. All the key amenities you expect such as live entertainment, fine dining, casual dining, a casino, spa, pool, etc. are there. There were 640 passengers and a crew of nearly 400. At no time did it feel crowded. At no time did we feel rushed. The crew at every level was very courteous and friendly. We had a marvelous time and left very relaxed and energized to return to the real world.