Van-Tramp adventures 2016

[masterplumber]

Great pictures and stories as usual. That's awesome that your son could join you for a bit. You get cool dad points for giving him the 280Z for graduation - i hope he keeps it going long into the future.

 

[Van-Tramp]

Scotts Bluff National Monument
http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/scotts-bluff-national-monument/

It was quickly realized, that we are not at 8000+ feet anymore, once we exited the air conditioned truck after two hours of driving through Cheyenne, WY and into Nebraska. The heat and humidity was quick to slap us awake to the reality of summer in the Midwest USA. It was my first time setting foot in Nebraska since a 1993 road trip to Iowa and it was exclusively to visit two National Monuments not too deep into the state. The first, Scotts Bluff National Monument, served as an important landmark for travelers on the Oregon Trail from 1841 to 1869. The bluff stands 800 feet above the plains and the Platte River below and is easily spotted from many miles out.



After dropping the trailer at a local RV park where we would overnight, we stopped into the Visitor’s Center, picked up another lapel pin for my growing collection, and started up the road to the top of the bluff. Fully expecting a few hours in the park to explore, I was quite surprised to come to the end of the road within just a few short minutes of driving. Sure, there are two short trails up at the top, but we decided to to take on either as an afternoon thunderstorm decided too go on those very hikes moments before we arrived. It poured rain – and hail – for 10 minutes turning the trails to mud and the air extremely muggy.



We came back down the bluff and stopped in to walk the half-mile or so of trail along the historic Oregon Trail. Here we ran into a wagon caravan and  an oxen team on our way out to the end of the trail where we were expecting to see a historic camp, but instead we found only a plaque which explained “this is where the came was”… 150+ years ago! We pondered the whole concept of why the National Park service would create and maintain a trail that leads to nowhere and nothing, then turned around and walked back to the truck.


This is now my 74th National Park visited.

 

[ArtW]

cool!

 

[rvpopeye]

I collect the patches !

 

[Van-Tramp]

Agate Fossil Beds National Monument
http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/agate-fossil-beds-national-monument/


I don’t want to talk bad about Nebraska, but the truth is that Nebraska’s National Parks are… well… boring. Scott’s Bluff was cool and all, for the 30 minutes it takes to visit, but Agate Fossil Beds National Monument (my 75th National Park visited) was very “blah”, especially considering how far out in the middle of nowhere-Nebraska it is. Sure, sure, I know that the National Parks do not exist to entertain [me] and all. Instead their primary reason of existence is to preserve, for which I am happy they do exist, so let me get of my high horse now. So…

The 50-mile (or so) drive had us navigate North through the [barely] rolling hills and farmland of Western Nebraska. Not much out there but grass and cell towers, none of which provided us any service. We arrived at Agate in the late morning after leaving Scottsbluff, NE where we stayed the night before and decided the 3 mile drive into the park – which was the entire length of the road system in the park – did not necessitate the unhitching of the Airstream. So off the the Visitor’s Center we went, and parked, and entered, to get my lapel pin and see the few fossils on display. Inside, there was an impressive display of Native American Indian items on display as this area was obviously occupied by Native American’s before we Europeans came over and sneezed, killing most before killing the rest by hand and stealing their land.

We decided to go on for a trail hike, but which trail? The choice was not too difficult as there are only two trails, one of which was right outside the Visitor’s Center. At two miles long, and paved every inch of it’s length, the trail was far from being difficult. In fact, it was far from being anything at all. Nothing was really showcased but for a few holes scratched into the ground with a sign stating that some bones were excavated here some decades ago. I felt bad that on our way back to the truck we passed a family on their way out and I did not tell them to stop and turn around now, saving themselves the hour or so of complaining children.

So, we piled back into the air conditioned truck, decided not to stay at our planned overnight spot just up the road, and happily drove into South Dakota’s Black Hills National Forest. Thanks Nebraska, but it may be another 20+ years before I visit again… or maybe not at all.

 

[highdesertranger]

are you allowed to do any collecting there? highdesertranger

 

[Van-Tramp]

are you allowed to do any collecting there?  highdesertranger

I can not imagine they would allow it.

 

[masterplumber]

You might dip back down to Chadron NE. The museum of the fur trade is worth a stop, and Fort Robinson is kind of laid back and cool. There's a campground right at Fort Robinson. Lake Ogalala is a nice place to camp also. But yeah, overall Nebraska isn't much for scenery and hiking.

 

[Van-Tramp]

Jewel Cave National Monument
http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/jewel-cave-national-monument/

With our arrival into South Dakota happening a bit earlier than expected, we had a day of freedom to explore before settling into our work week. It has been a while since I went underground, so why not eh? Jewel Cave National Monument (my 76th National Park visited since starting this life in 2010) was right down the road so we drove down there to get into a tour, along with hundreds of others who had the same idea. Our tour still had 2 hours before departure, which turned out to be a good thing since Kerri forgot a sweater and it was 49 degrees underground. After a quick run back to camp and a small bit of scouting around for a spot to camp in the forest after the work week, we ended up back at the Monument to start our cave tour… by entering an elevator that dropped us 240 feet below the Visitor’s Center.

The tour lasted 1 hour 20 minutes, and yes it was pretty cool (temperature) down there.  Unfortunately, the Rangers I’ve gotten in the past for some of these tours were a bit awkwardly geeky. The Ranger we had this day was quite informative, and not overly goober. He had history to share and a few stories, otherwise leaving things pretty factual… just how I like it.
The entire area that we toured had aluminum catwalks that dropped us down near 350 feet below the surface before we had to climb back up the stairs to rejoin the elevator shaft. All in all, while not as pristine as Lehman Cave in Great Basin National Park (my first cave adventure) or as huge as Carlsbad Caverns, Jewel Cave was still fun to see. Not that I would pass up on a National Park anyway.
   

 

[BobBski]

Very nice, thanks for sharing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Van-Tramp]

Mt Rushmore and Crazy Horse
http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/mt-rushmore-and-crazy-horse/

We had found an “OK” spot (not great, but would have done the trick) to camp in the National Forest, but thanks to the heat of being waaaay down here at 4,000 ft elevation, we chose to home base out of an RV park in Custer, SD so the A/C in the Airstream could keep Kerri cool enough to function (she doesn’t do so well in the heat). We had full and unlimited power for the work week, a luxury we had not had in some time. The shore-power does give the opportunity to get a lot of work done, so by mid-week I was not only caught up, I was well ahead. And with some free time on my hands I went out for some exploring.
Right down the road from Custer is Crazy Horse Memorial, an enormous 560+ foot high carving right into the granite mountain. A single man was hired by the local tribes to create this memorial back in 1947. This man worked the remainder of his life – passing away in 1982 – on the memorial. His wife, and children still work on the memorial today. The entire project has been funded by donations and admission fees and is still funded today by those means.
After viewing the short movie in the Visitor’s Center, the theater doors spill the viewers out to a large room lined with large windows. One mile into the distance is the very mountain we were all just introduced too in the movie (although it is easily seen from the highway as well). The size is hard to grasp from this distance but you can see the heavy equipment  on it (in use at the time) for scale.  I took my photos, walked around the displays and shops before getting back on the road for stop #2 of the day.
Not far down the Mount Rushmore National Memorial (my 77th National Park visited) which consisted of a larger parking lot then the memorial itself. Here, you get the honor of paying $11 to park, walk the few hundred feet (past numerous trinket and ice-cream shops) to an overlook of the Memorial, fight your way through the crowds – I actually had to give an elbow to an elderly woman – just to snap a photo between the hundreds of self-sticks and and tripods flailing about. I barely got the few photos I did before my anxiety topped the scale and I ran back to the truck and got out of there as quickly as possible. I do worse in crowds – especially tourist crowds – then Kerri does in the heat.

While I am no fan of the destruction of natural areas and both of these memorials did/do just that; destroy nature to memorialize a few good(?) men. While I was compelled to go see both thanks to my OCD about visiting all the National Parks, and other places, along my travels I am happy that I will never have to return to either and wish neither existed in all honestly. I’d much rather have the pristine mountains that both memorials ruined then to see the large carvings of these men.
If you too feel compelled to see these places some day, allow me to offer a bit of advice. I realized after that I went about these two sights the wrong way and should have seen Rushmore first. Not only would it have been less crowded earlier in the day, it is actually the less grand of the two (if I could call it grand at all). The faces on Rushmore stand about 60 feet tall. The entire Rushmore memorial – with it’s infinite government funding – will fit inside the head of the Crazy Horse Memorial which has a much better backstory to it as well.

 

[Patrick46]

We went through Yellowstone just before the 4th of July (on motorcycles headed to Wis), and the crowds were ridiculous!!

I was pulling out of a parking spot at one of the geysers, and was nearly clobbered by a lady in a huge SUV who was driving IN the EXIT at full speed!!!
(she had a handicap tag in her windshield, and thought since she could park up front in the wheelchair spots, she also didn't need to wait for all the cars that were backed all the way out to the road waiting to get into the parking lot!!!)

Also, and I'm in NO WAY RACIST...but the busloads of rude Asians were EVERYWHERE!!! It must be a cultural thing, but when I go to another country, I try to represent my country and be on my best behavior. Some of the actions I saw from them were childish and outlandish!!! Stopping in the middle of a crowded walkway to set up your tripod to take a photo?? Or how about the Old Lady who rudely pushed her way through a very crowded sidewalk!! Really people??? No manners! NONE!!!


I'm with you Tramp! Let's stick to the woods and chill by a stream, and get some sanity!!!

Loving the travelogue! Be safe out there.

 

[highdesertranger]

this is what I dislike about what the National Parks have become. fricking Disneylands. they pave everything, bring in concessionaires to sell hot dogs, then they advertise like its Six Flages, then it's so expensive low income people can't even afford to go. it's sickening what they say they want to protect they have just ruined. highdesertranger

 

[SUV_RVing]

this is what I dislike about what the National Parks have become.  fricking Disneylands.  they pave everything,  bring in concessionaires to sell hot dogs,  then they advertise like its Six Flages,  then it's so expensive low income people can't even afford to go.  it's sickening what they say they want to protect they have just ruined.  highdesertranger

This is only the case in the drive-up sections of most parks. If you're willing to hike, it's easy to find places to have all to yourself in even the most crowded national parks. I for one have no problem with more people wanting to get out and see the most beautiful places the country has to offer. More power to 'em.

And the parks are severely under-funded even at the current entrance prices, leaving them unable to do basic maintenance. What would you suggest as a solution? Relevant: National Parks maintenance backlog reaches $11.9 billion.

 

[Van-Tramp]

I agree SUV_RVing. As much as I hate the crowds, we need them for the Parks to survive and thrive. More visitors is a good thing

I do agree with highdesertranger too, and wish the NPS had not develop the parks as much as they have though. All these paved roads, buildings, hotels, etc cost too much and allow too easy access to what should remain wild. More graded gravel roads and hiking trails would be less cost and more wild at the same time. Personally I think Denali got it right. No paved roads, no vehicle access unless you are on their tour busses or have a reservation at a campground. The animals love it.

 

[highdesertranger]

stop paving the roads would be a great start. boot the concessionaires out and remove the gift shops, hotels, and restaurants. I don't need a frigging snow globe of half dome. stop advertising. in the popular parks do like Denali, shuttle buses. it's not only the drive up sections some of the hiking trails look better then most dirt roads, hand rails, raised platforms, and bridges on back country trails, really. they are under funded because they are trying to put the infrastructure of a city in them. get rid of all that crap. if they are that crowded, cap the daily entrances, again like Denali. lower the entrance fees so low income people can actually go, seniors and veterans should get in free. stop the reservation system first come first served.

what maintenance needs to be done to nature? maintenance only needs to be done to man made crap.

sorry for the rant but I have seen the park service do there dirty work. Great Basin National Park is a perfect example. I was there before it was a National Park there were no paved roads, no visitor centers, no campgrounds, no water spigots, no gift shops, no restaurants, and NO PEOPLE. if you go now it's a frigging zoo. what did they protect, nothing. they ruined it and enriched some concession company. highdesertranger

 

[FALCON]

Patrick - it's likely the asians that were doing the worst were Chinese. The Chinese (as tourists, but in other ways too) have a reputation as being the most inconsiderate in the world. I think it is a cultural thing - there are so many people in China that they simply don't view other people in the same personal way as many others do - almost as if not considering them people - so they will do things like push others out of the way, cut in lines, elbow their way in, stop in a pathway and create a backup, etc. Sometimes, I'm sure, it's because that specific Chinese person is an asshole, but other times, it's just them acting as people normally do in China.

*Disclaimer - I'm making a generalization and probably exaggerating differences. There are wonderful people from China. I've personally known a number of people born in China and they were wonderful and considerate people.

 

[Van-Tramp]

Wind Cave National Park
http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/wind-cave-national-park/



The plan was to loiter in the Black Hills for a few weeks and take our time to see all the sights. Unfortunately, family matters have once again changed our plans. We need to get back to an International Airport for Kerri to fly back to California in early August our timeline just shortened up a bit along with Colorado making back on the itinerary. Before leaving the Black Hills we dropped in to Wind Cave National Park (my 78th National Park visited) for a quick visit and tour.
Another cave? That’s a big 10-4 bandit! The Black Hills have two cave-parks, separated by only 18 miles as the crows flys. We actually passed through Wind Cave National Park to get up to Custer the week prior and return only with a few short hours before driving off towards Badlands National Park a hundred miles to the East. This was not the plan of course, and neither was the lower back pain that I woke up with this morning either… so I begged (and may have cried a little too) for he shorter of the three cave tours. I admit, the back pain was not the only reason I wanted the shorter tour, but also the fact that we were just in a cave days prior and these tours are somewhat of a bore, moving at the pace of the slowest person (no child left behind!).

You would think that all caves are similar, but Wind Cave was very different to it’s nearby sibling Jewel Cave. Here the rock was worn smooth by water leaving it hanging – almost levitating (pictured above) – in odd formations from the ceiling. The “boxwork” (box-like formation of rock pictured below) is second to none. In fact the Ranger went on to explain that 95% of the world’s boxwork is found in this one cave.

The 45-minute 1/4 mile tour was about all I could handle, and although we only got to see a sample of the cave itself, I’m happy we got to see any at all. I do regret not being able to spend more time in this park. The park consists of not only a large cave but a huge expanse of prairie above with all the wildlife to go with it, including some huge herds of buffalo. Maybe if I am back in the Black Hills again some time in the future I will return, hopefully without a back ache, and go see the prairie side of this park.

 

[BobBski]

Very much enjoyed your pictures of Wind Cave. My parents took us kids there in the 1960's; I still have great memories of that summer that your pictures stirred up. Thanks for sharing, all the best.

 

[Van-Tramp]

Badlands National Park
http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/badlands-national-park/


We nearly had to pass by Badlands National Park in central South Dakota, but as luck would have it (what does that saying even mean?) we had made the trip out no matter the hell-on-earth-heat that was rolling through South Dakota. Actually, we took numerous trips into the park over the week. The first two trips into the park happened while based out of Wall Drug, and another later in the week as we abandoned Wall Drug for some boondocking in the park boundary itself.

Badlands became my 79th National Park visited (I’ve been on a streak lately) and one I’ve been looking forward too for quite some years. For some reason I had this misconception that the loop road was not paved, and that you could camp anywhere off that road. I was looking forward to that kind of solitude and closeness to the grassland and wildlife that roam there. I have no idea where I got that vision of the park, but it was deeply embedded in my brain. Unfortunately, the reality is that the loop road is very nicely paved and no camping is allowed other than in the designated campgrounds. As luck would have it one of those campgrounds is down a long ribbon of gravel road and the scene for our final two days in the area.

The Eastern side is where the badlands area is as well as the majority of the crowds. What is there to say about badlands? They are badlands, nothing more, nothing less. Pretty in the right light, and ugly if the mood is right. I am pretty indifferent about badlands, neither attracted too or away from them. Anyway, if you are looking for them, they are on the East side of the park.
Sage Creek Campground is not only free, it is out in the middle of no-where-South-Dakota. 12 miles of gravel road gets you there, and it is worth it. The campground is small, and mostly only tent campers come out this far, but man does the place pack in a crowd each night. By mid afternoon cars and even a few RVs start pulling in for an overnight spot. By nightfall there was little room left for anything but tents. Within a few short hours of sunrise, nearly all of them will have left. And this happened on a weekday. I can’t imagine how the weekends must be. It is on this western side of the park that the Buffalo roam, in huge numbers I might add.

It was at Sage Creek Campground that Kerri noticed a tiny little action of mine that prompted her to say, “you are a true Airstreamer now.” Upon arrival we pulled up to a family in a classic Airstream. It wasn’t planned, it just happened to be the best spot for us. Within a few hours they were out enjoying the afternoon breeze so I went out to say hello to our neighbors. We chatted for a few minutes and I returned to Kerri, working hard as usual. It was then she said those infamous words supporting it with the fact that I chose to meet the other Airstream family, not the Class-C RV parked to our opposite side. I admit, I did not feel compelled at all to go say hello to the other RV, just the Airstream. I could have argued that it had more to do with one couple already sitting outside and the other not, but I stayed quiet. I guess I may as well go out and buy a Mac and iPhone… because I’m a proper ‘stuck up’ Airstreamer now.