Day 39-42 Sat-Tue, July 11-14, 2015 Ouray, CO

Hip Hip Ouray! We love Ouray, Colorado!! It is pronounced “you-ray;” self-proclaimed Jeep capital of the World and Little Switzerland because of the towering jagged snow-covered mountain peaks. Day 1 Saturday: We arrived into town after lunch and wasted no time hitting the trails. Dakota knows what the open trunk means! He is 9 months old …

Day 35-38 Tues-Fri, July 7-10, 2015

Travel from Moab to Montrose, Colorado We stopped for the night in Grand Junction to restock supplies in a “big city” then headed to Montrose to try out a new Jeep trail. But first–a stop at the Montrose Riverside Park facilitated some fun and relaxation.         Montrose Black Hills ATV/Dirt bike/Jeep Park This trail was …

Day 33-34 Sunday & Monday, July 5-6, 2015 Moab, UT

Last Days in Moab Two towns top the list of Fenlason favorite Jeeping destinations. Moab, Utah is one of them. (The other one is Ouray, Colorado.) This video shows off why! We extended our stay in the red rock labyrinth set on conquering two final challenges: Dome Rock and Gemini Bridges. Little did we know …

Day 29-32 Wed – Sat, July 1-4, 2015

Travel from Jackson, WY to Moab, UT!!   Moab is one our best loved Jeeping destinations! Despite the incredible heat (reaching 95º by 10 a.m. and 105º by 2 p.m.), the 27% humidity level is a relief from South FL summer weather–no complaints here. Day 1 Moab Adventure: Travel & Setup Young son instantly hung …

Day 27-28 Mon & Tue, June 29-30, 2015

Jackson Hole, WY The popular little ski town lies just south of Grand Teton N.P. and was experiencing higher-than-normal temperatures today! This green space in the center of downtown found us relaxing and simply enjoying each other. Jordan broke out the ukulele and Carlye sang along much to the delight of other park patrons. After some …

Day 25-26 Sat & Sun, June 27-28, 2015

Grand Teton National Park is just south of Yellowstone, and is completely different in topography and vistas. Day 1: After quickly settling into our campsite at Colter Bay RV & Campground, we set out on a lakeside hike. Starting at the south parking lot near Jenny Lake, we hiked north past String Lake (not named …

Day 22-24 Wed-Fri, June 24-26, 2015

Travel from Deadwood to Yellowstone National Park! …Finally! 🙂 This stop along the highway should be a national park unto itself! But it’s just a stop . . . along the very windy, mountainous route through the Big Horn National Forest in Wyoming. Our brakes were telling us they needed a rest. It was the …

Day 20 & 21 Mon & Tues, June 22-23, 2015

Travel from Custer, South Dakota to Deadwood, SD So, we thought about driving the 9 hours to Yellowstone today . . . but the drive past many streams, waterfalls, and lakes strewn throughout Black Hills National Forest enticed us to stay longer.   Deadwood is famous for the 1876 gold rush that brought a flood …

Day 19 Sun June 21, 2015 Father’s Day

Happy Father’s Day! The Beaver Lake Campground, where we also stayed 8 years ago, has this super slide for its campers! But that’s not the even the best part about it. What do the kids remember most about staying here? The tame wild-bunnies that roam the grounds. Here, we’re 30 minutes from Mount Rushmore (see …

Days 17-18 Fri & Sat June 19-20, 2015

Travel from Wisconsin through Minnesota to the Badlands of South Dakota with an overnight stop in a Walmart parking lot.   This land is your land; this land is my land; NO! It’s Dakota Territory! 🙂   No trip to SD is complete without a stop at the famed Wall Drugs. The billboards offering “Free …

Days 15-16 Wed & Thur June 17-18, 2015

Travel through the U.P. of Michigan to Wisconsin Crossing the Mackinac Bridge is always a breathtaking experience! It’s the 5th longest suspension bridge in the world; longest in the U.S.   We climbed the amazing viewing tower located on the shore of Lake Superior, took a family selfie and…   …a drone shot with the …

Days 8-14: Wed-Tue, June 10-16, 2015

Travel from Port Huron, Mi to East Jordan, Mi We arrived Wednesday evening to our beautiful RV spot on the East Jordan Bay of Lake Michigan (compliments of Scott & Cheri Scheer) First day there was busy as we help as “staff” of a Jordan Valley Barn Wedding (Rochelle’s parent’s weekend business). This is a …

Days 6-7: Mon & Tue, June 8-9, 2015

Travel to Port Huron, Michigan located just over the Canada/USA border The hard part of being in Canada was also the best part. ATT charges $1/minute for calls, .50/texts, and $20 per 1mb data. Airplane mode for a day and a half brought our family that much closer 😉 Now…back in the USA…We stayed at …

Day 62-64: Thursday-Saturday July 30–August 1, 2009

Thursday morning we woke up to see another rainy day and we made the decision to head home. The map below shows our 3-day,  2,078 mile route from Denver to Stuart, FL.  We took the northern route out of Denver so we could see the beautiful state of Nebraska–one of two states we haven’t been …

Day 61: Wednesday July 29

We packed up–in the rain–and left Garden of the Gods to head (hopefully) to drier weather in Aurora, CO.  We stopped at Focus on the Family headquarters in Colorado Springs and played in their amazing kids’ area.  The kids rode the 3-story corkscrew slide, performed a puppet show, and ventured through the wardrobe door into …

Day 58: Sunday July 26th

This morning brought an impending cold-front of thick clouds which dispensed rain, hail, and lightning.  By mid afternoon we were enjoying 54 degree mountain weather.  Not a great day for family hiking.  So we did the “tourist thing” and toured the Matchless Mine and the National Mining Museum. The Matchless Mine is located just 3 …

Day 55: Thursday July 23rd

Ouray has earned the much-deserved reputation as the “Jeeping Capital of the World”.  Jeep roads, rated from easy to difficult, traverse a variety of terrain from extreme high mountain passes and rugged winding roads to areas of spectacular wildflowers that blanket the ground throughout the spring and summer. Today we got up early excited about …

Day 54: Wednesday July 22nd

Welcome to Ouray, Colorado the Jeeping capital of the world!  Today is a high of 74 degrees thanks to an elevation of 7,792 feet. Ouray, Colorado is one of our favorite little towns.  It sits in a bowl-shaped canyon surrounded by rugged mountain peaks reminiscent of the Swiss Alps.  The year-round population is only 896.  …

Day 50: Saturday July 18th

This morning we went to the Gunnison Saturday Farmer’s Market and sampled fresh-baked bread, local honey, cookies, and lemonade.  Jordan got lots of attention from his pet on his shoulder. And the girls got a few stares and chuckles from people who momentarily thought the stuffed pets were real. We were pretty lucky to be …

Day 44: Sunday July 12th

Today Rochelle & I went on a hike in Glacier National Park while the grandparents (Poppi & Amma) watched our kids. Hike: “The Loop”  Highline Trail to Granite Park Trail Distance: 11.6 miles Rochelle at the trail head near Logan’s Pass (1.5 hours from the West Glacier park entrance) The narrow paths and steep drop-offs …

Day 41: Thursday July 9

This morning we left Forks, WA to head to Glacier National Park in Montana.  On the way we stopped in the historic town of Port Townsend along the northern coast of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington.  The town, established in 1851,  is one of only three remaining Victorian-style seaports. We went to Fort Worden State …

Day 33: Wednesday July 1

Wow!  I can hardly believe it’s July!  We spent the day learning about Mt. St. Helens. Mount St Helens National Volcanic Monument The hour-long drive from the park entrance to the Johnston Observatory (visitor’s center) provided great views the dried mud flows that spread miles and miles of devastation after the initial volcanic blast May …

Day 23: Sunday June 21

Happy Father’s Day! We celebrated with Daddy’s favorite breakfast (french toast) and opened cards and gifts in the motorhome.  Our new campground (in Grant’s Pass, OR) is right on the river, so Jordan fished while the adults read books sitting on the seawall and the girls collected duck feathers.  Later we explored the quaint town …

Day 22: Saturday June 20

Quite spontaneously we decided to pack up the Winnebago this morning and move north.  We stopped in Crescent City, CA for the day and explored this part of the Redwood Forest (Jedediah Smith Redwoods State park) and took the Howland Hill Road (below).   This narrow packed-dirt road is the original logging road used since the …

Day 19: Wednesday June 17

First morning in a new campground was celebrated with pancakes for breakfast–yum!  John & Suzi joined us for sightseeing along the Pacific coast.  These pictures were taken about 1.5 miles from our campground. From there we hiked to a covert radar station that was built in anticipation of a Japanese attack here shortly after the …

Day 10: Monday June 8th

This morning I took a photographers tour of Antelope Slot Canyons.  Antelope Canyon is the most-visited and most-photographed slot canyon in the American Southwest.  It is located on Navajo land near Page, AZ.  The canyon was made by the erosion of this sandstone, primarily by flash flooding (in fact a flash flood in this canyon …

Day 7: Friday June 5th

We finally made it into Canyonlands National Park–the reverse of Arches’ upward topography.  This park is really like a miniature Grand Canyon complete with a river running along the bottom.  We completed 3 hikes–a total of only 4 miles but tough climbs up large boulders.  The kids enrolled in the Junior Ranger program, completed a …

Day 6: Thursday June 4th

Today we started out strong heading to Canyonlands National Park.  A mile into the park, the Honda Odyssey’s transmission started skipping and overheated.  While it cooled down, the kids had a blast running up & down the nearby boulders and catching Moab Lizards (see pic below).  Jarred’s parents took the kids to a rodeo after …

Day 2: Sunday May 31th

Drive, drive, and more driving.  Today we drove from 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM.  The kids had fun at a rest stop playing on the construction barriers.  Forget the expensive attractions… just give them concrete to climb on!  🙂 We are spending the night in Oklahoma City, OK.  We found on www.overnightrvparking.com a casino that …

West Fest 2009! Day 1: Saturday May 30th

Yeah!  Today we left on our home in Stuart, Florida for our out west motor home adventure! Attack of the Love Bugs!! After nearly being overtaken by the love bugs we finally made it through our first day of driving.  From Stuart, FL we had smooth sailing on the Turnpike to I-75 in Atlanta and …