Kerhoulas Travel Blog

July 14th, 2011

We’re Off! The RV is loaded and ready to go with 754 miles until the first booked campground tomorrow night in Albert Lea, MN. We will round the southern part of Lake Michigan, continue through Indiana, Illinois and finally Iowa before we stop somewhere for the night.

July 15, 2011

Made it to the Albert Lea, MN KOA Campground in great time this morning after a big driving push by Theo yesterday. Last night we boon-docked in a Walmart parking lot just outside of Des Moines, IA and despite running out of water (we are running light for mileage purposes) all was well!!
Some dark storm clouds started to roll into the area as we were setting up camp. We managed to squeeze in a quick swim before storm clouds unleashed lightning and downpours that sent us literally running back for cover! We found a theater that was playing the new Harry Potter movie (opening day), and after that we “hunkered down” at our campsite while crazy storms and downpours turned our campground into rivers and islands! Flash floods closed portions of the I-90 that we were just on!

July 16th, 2011

By morning, it was clear. We were ready to head for the heartland and the World Famous “Corn Palace” in Mitchell, South Dakota.

The Corn Palace offered a film depicting the history of the site and the importance of it to the area. We learned that the theater inside is used still for many popular shows all year, and we we shopped around the craft show that was there, surrounded by more “corn” works of art!

Zachary and Anna were both amazed that the corn palace artwork is created new and installed fresh every year. Zachary is enjoying using his own camera this trip and plans to create his very own photo album of his adventures.

NOW….an unfortunate turn of events while leaving the “Corn Palace”…. What trip wouldn’t be complete without a trip to the Emergency Room? Well, this time it was Kelly. A trip and fall left Kelly with a broken bone in her foot, on crutches and non-weight bearing for 6-8 weeks.

Quiz: Can you spot the calcaneous fracture?

July 17th, 2011

After much deliberation, we decided to press on since we are already over 1200 miles from home. Following a friend’s recommendations who examined Kelly’s x-rays, we will rest it and get the fiberglass cast changed when we get back. So off we went, bound for the South Dakota Badlands!

In the visitor center, Zak and Anna worked hard on their Junior Ranger assignments and got their National Park Passport Stamps. Later, they were "sworn in" by one of the "Badlands National Park" Rangers and received their Junior Ranger Badges (to add to their collection!).

On our way out of the Badlands we stopped to watch dozens of prairie dogs popping up out of the ground. We learned that these are the number one food source of the black-footed ferrat that was re-introduced to the Badlands just a few years ago.

Continuing on from the Badlands in South Dakota, we reached Keystone, SD and our campground for the night high up in the Black Hills very close to Mount Rushmore. Our campsite was right by a stream and a mule deer came to visit while we were eating our supper.

July18, 2011

Well, with Kelly's broken foot, we have come to appreciate the special accommodations for the disabled, especially at National Parks. We have been ushered to the best parking places and provided wheelchairs at each location so far, making a not so pleasant situation, at little more bearable. Still, Theo had his hands full pushing "mama" through the crowds of people at Mount Rushmore, juggling the camera bag and keeping 2 kids from wandering off any stray cliffs...but he managed without incident.

Well, following our visit to Mount Rushmore, we had quite a drive ahead of us. We were headed to Wyoming, and we had no idea that the Bighorn Mountains ahead were going to be so spectacular (and "white-knuckling"!!)....

West of Buffalo, WY on Highway 16 heading towards Thermopolis, WY you travel through the southern portion of Bighorn National Forest. Very quickly, the elevation changes as you climb up to Powder River Pass (elevation 9666 ft), before beginning the breathtaking (in more ways than one) descent. The ledges up here still had plates of ice on them!

As we started down, the sun was beginning to set and we had some spectacular views.

...but then the landscape quickly changed and Theo's RV driving skills were put to the test:

July 19, 2011

Digging for Dinosaurs!

At the Wyoming Dinosaur Center, Zachary, Anna and Theo had the experience of a lifetime! With paleontologist interns Chad and Stephanie, they spent the morning at 3 different active dinosaur dig sites. Together with the interns and other archaeologists on site, they all participated in the tough work required to clear rock and carefully expose real dinosaur bones.

At the Morrison site, Anna learned the motto"a clean dig site, is a happy dig site" and took this to heart!

Zachary and Anna learned that Saurapods which are the most common dinosaurs of Jurassic North America, are what are being discovered right here. Saurapods include the Camarasaurus, Brachiosaurus, Allosaurus, and Supersaurus. They learned how to be very careful with the tools around the exposed bones and later got a hands on experience in the lab with just this!

Two other dig sites were visited including the "Sundance" Marine and Reptile site where Anna collected several prehistoric sea fossils and Zachary discovered a hard-to-find "Belemnite" fossil. The last site was an Allosaurus specimen that was in the final stages of being fully excavated.

Then it was time for lunch and time to go back to the lab!

Back at the Wyoming Dinosaur Center, we toured the museum, bone storage facility and then got our hands dirty cleaning and prepping some ACTUAL dinosaur bone specimens! With dental picks and toothbrushes, Chad showed them the proper yet very slow process of carefully removing layer after layer of dirt, cemented to the specimens. Apparently both specimens were some sort of saurapod vertebrae (Anna) and femur (Zak). What a day!

July 21, 2011

Grand Teton National Park - Rafting the Snake River

by Theo
Nothing stops Kelly – she was determined to raft down the Snake River (broken foot and all). She somehow maneuvered her crutches down to the water’s edge and slid her way onto the raft and elevated her leg on the cooler … away we went. As you can see we had incredible weather and spectacular views of the Teton Mountains.

Our guide Dan, taught the kids about the river, native culture, and wildlife. The water this year is at a remarkable 30yr high which has affected the fly-fishing industry in a negative way, and further down the river in the "whitewater" section, it has been particularly treacherous this year. Luckily today for us it is just a relatively smooth 13 mile scenic float down the Snake River.

In addition to the gorgeous mountain views we saw some American Bald Eagles protecting their nests, as well as a large flock of white pelicans that are found here in the area.

We also had to include a picture of Disney CEO Bob Iger's vacation home for Jenn and Carolyn (you own a nail or two here by now)!! PS. Other year round residents here in Jackson, WY include Harrison Ford who enjoys flying his helicopter around the area and recently rescued two women on top of a nearby peak, when local search and rescue were unavailable. Can you imagine that?!!

July 22-26, 2011

As a preview to all the wildlife we'd see in Yellowstone, Theo, Zak and Anna had an exciting experience while taking a bike ride along some sideroads in Jackson. A big moose crossed the road right in front of them while they were on their bikes!! The locals tell us that they virtually never see moose so close to town! If they only had their cameras!!

Leaving the Jackson Hole, Wyoming area and Grand Teton National Park we made sure to stop and add to our National Park Passport Stamp Books at the visitor center before making the trip north to Yellowstone National Park. We crossed the "Continental Divide" and gave Papou's theory a test...

Which way will the water go???!!!!!!!!

Rodeo Night!!

Yeehaw! The Wild West Yellowstone Rodeo was a "hoot"!

The highlight definitely for Zak and Anna was the "Calf Scramble." This consists of tying a ribbon to the tail of a calf, and letting a bunch of kids chase it and catch the ribbon!

Warming Up:

They're Off:

Oh So Close!!

Postcards from Yellowstone!

With all the exciting and amazing things that we have seen in the Park over the 5 days of our stay, this section (mainly pictures) will be our "Postcards from Yellowstone"