Inbound & Arrival to Grand Teton NP

We made it!

We left Hot Springs, SD Monday (May 12th) with a high over 90 F. Still hot when we make a two-night stop in Casper, WY.  Heading to Dubois, WY, it got real interesting. Sunny & windy as we departed Casper (Wednesday, May 14th). All the weather reports were for rain, rain mixed with snow, and just snow once we arrived in Dubois. Weather Channel app indicated most of it would be over by the time we arrived in Dubois. Just west of Riverton, WY our truck's Sirius/XM weather map showed that'd we probably get some light stuff before arriving in Dubois. (no cell phone signal once we're out of Casper, so those apps were out) The weather was shown as rain and moving northeast. Looked like we'd get just the southern - tailing edge of the storm as we travel US 26. Wrong!

As we approached the weather it started with light hail.  A little further along and it became a full-on hail storm. Soon US was covered with an inch+ of hail. Looked like snow, but it's hail. About two miles of this and it switched to rain. A few minutes later we're out of it. Pull into Dubois with clouds, wind, significantly cooler, but no precipitation. We set up for the night, and I leave to full the truck with diesel. Pull back onto US 26, and I'm traveling in snow flurries. Didn't last long, but it made for a fitting end to a day of travel.

We leave the next morning for Grand Teton NP for the summer as volunteers at the LSR Preserve. Light rain and snow predicted for crossing Togwotee Pass and the Continental Divide. That we got, and it made for a picturesque trip over to Gros Ventre Campground where we'll stay for the summer. 

We arrive to what appears to be an eerily empty employee loop in Gros Ventre. There are units here, but it's not the hustling and bustling loop we saw last year. We setup, eat lunch, take a nap, and head to the park to get our keys and paper work for check-in on Monday (May 19th). Friday is doc & haircut appointments day and load up on groceries. More people arrive Friday. Some we know, some are new. But it's still a somewhat empty employee loop.

So here we sit for the summer. It's still a rainy, cold weather pattern here with temps dropping below freezing most nights. Training begins Wednesday (May 21st). As we get out, we'll post more. Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us! 

Here's some additional pics from our trip into the Teton Valley/Jackson Hole area. David

Crossing the continental divide

First views of the Tetons

Blacktail Butte and the Tetons (I think Mt Moran) from Gros Ventre campground

The Mammoth Dig, Hot Springs, SD

Our first visit to this museum - an archeology dig of various mammoth species at the south end of the Black Hills. The area was once a sink hole during the ice age. Animals could get it for food and warm water, but were unable to get out. The sink hole eventually filled in and preserved the remains. It's an active dig during the summer months. Great for kids - well worth your visit if you have the time.

 

Happy Mother's Day from Hot Springs, SD

Happy Mom's Day!

We on our way to Grand Teton NP for the summer where we'll volunteer once again at the LSR Preserve. We've traveled some distance since we last posted. We were able to visit friends in/around Dayton, OH before moving on to Lagrange & Goshen, IN for trailer repair & service.

Lots has happened in the last month. We learned that DRV was bought out by Jayco and will be shut down this month. (DRV is our trailer brand though our trailer is considered an orphan since Heartland bought out DRV in 2014.) Then we learned that our general repair facility (Indiana Interstate Enterprises) in Lagrange was bought out by another RV service (Landstar RV) and will be shut down. The equipment is moving to the Landstar RV facility on the west side of Lagrange, IN. The building was sold to an Amish family and will be used for furniture manufacturing.

During a three day service at Lippert, our hydraulic system was overhauled and new front legs were installed. These hydraulic legs are a second generation leg from our original hydraulic legs (installed in November 2010). Since leaving the Elkhart area, we've experienced some small amounts of hydraulic fluid draining out while traveling to South Dakota, but it has stopped. So far no unplanned dropping of the front of the trailer, so it appears all is working out OK. 

We spent a few days in Sioux Falls & Mitchell, SD. We visited with friends, got Donna's drivers license renewed, truck's windshield repair, and a required walk around the falls area to see the falls, eat ice cream, and see all the new development in Sioux Falls.

We took a couple of days to travel over to Hot Springs, SD where we currently sit. This is a new stop for us. On the way over the trailer got a much needed bath and interior cleanup after coming out of the shops in Indiana. It's unseasonably hot in this area - summer time hot. We're "enjoying" the heat as weather predictors say we'll be greeted with snow when we arrive in Teton County, WY - planned for this Thursday - May 15th.

Today was our day to get out and visit Hot Springs. Picture above and pics below are from the Freedom Trail in town. We also visited the The Mammoth Dig site (separate blog post). As always, what's a visit to a new town without burgers & ice? Checked that off, too. A fresh supply of fruit, a full tank of diesel, and we're set for tomorrow's planned departure to Casper, WY.

So that gets you up to date. Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us! David

Kidney Spring (at the back of the Gazebo)

Mid-April 2025 Update

We're on our way to Nappanee/Goshen/Lagrange, IN with a weekend stopover near Dayton, OH before arriving in Indiana. Tonight we're staying near Cambridge, OH after a great, three-week stay in Fredericksburg, VA. FYI - Cambridge, OH is the birth place of Astronaut John Glenn.

Doc visits are over for now, and Donna already has doc appointments for Jackson, WY. Yep, we're confirmed for another summer in Grand Teton Natl Park at the LSR Preserve. So our plans noted in last month's update are mostly intact. Now all we have to do is get us and the rig to Grand Teton. Hope to be there May 15th.

We're more or less fine. Today's been our first real rainy day of travel this season and an inconvenience as it always seems to rain just before we arrive at a RV park that won't let you bucket wash or use rinse less wash on your truck & trailer. While we can't say it rains every time we've traveling in this area, dry days are not common. This also our most common travel leg in which we have catastrophic hydraulic failures. We've been experiencing a random hydraulic issue that's more of a nuisance, but it's the ultimate issue that turned us into a nervous wreck back in November of 2024 (there were additional issues that didn't help, either). We'll see what the shop can do for us when we're in Goshen. In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed for us!

So that gets you up to date for us. Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us. Everyone stay healthy out there & enjoy yourselves! David

Mid-March Update

We're fine & currently at Stone Mountain State Park visiting Doug and Elizabeth. Steve & Susan made it down to visit with us and other friends before we left Gulf Shores. They were able to experience those below-freezing temps while they were here. We left Gulf Shores March 1st with stops in Tallahassee, FL (Randy & Shirley), Mt Dora, FL (Dave & Mary) before arriving here in Stone Mountain.  

An unusual experience for us: From Florida to here we made an overnight stop at an automated RV park in Tifton, GA (Tifton Overnight RV). It was a great experience for us as the park is all full hook-up sites, well maintained, and the gate codes worked (big item for me). If you're fully self-contained and don't need restrooms or showers, we recommend this park for an overnight stop when traveling I-75.

Back to Stone Mountain: We survived the latest round of severe weather over this past weekend. Our trend of experiencing severe weather that arrives overnight and is slightly worse than expected has continued. Unusual for all the years we've been full-timing.

Summer plans: We've heard from Grand Teton National Park. We still plan to volunteer at the LSR Preserve just as we did last year.  Arrival & departure dates to be determined, but they have our input for those dates. We'll volunteer three days per week though the exact days of the week we will work are to be determined, too.  Total staffing isn't totally hired, yet, nor is it known just who all the volunteers will be.

Current plans are to leave Stone Mountain Thursday and travel to High Point, NC for the weekend before moving on to Virginia.  We expect to be in Virginia for three weeks and then travel to the Elkhart, IN area for  a total of two weeks "visiting" various service centers. We plan a quick visit to South Dakota before moving on to Grand Teton.

That gets you up to date as of this evening.  Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us! David