Another weekend with triple-digit temperatures found us camping at Loyd Park, where we enjoyed a shaded site and mild mornings with cool breezes off Joe Pool Lake. Most folks have the good sense to head toward cooler climates at this time of year, but our jobs keep us tethered to the immediate Dallas-Fort Worth area,…
While most Texans seek indoor activities during an August heatwave, we chose to hitch up Cloud 9 and head to Loyd Park, where we engaged in indoor activities. We had hoped that our heavily wooded site would provide shady relief from triple-digit temperatures, but that was not to be. An expanse of open sky directly…
Webster’s dictionary defines “wearying” as “tiresome.” This weekend was wearying. Because Jon had a work-related event on Friday night, we arrived on Thursday evening to set up for the weekend and to stay overnight. That way, we could go back to the house on Friday morning, attend the after-work event, and return to camp late.…
Jon’s cousins recently notified him to tell him they had discovered a vintage jug while sorting through their mother’s belongings. They thought we might be interested in adding it to our camping collection, perhaps by repurposing it as a lantern. Within a few days, the package arrived at our door, and we knew immediately we…
Airstream owners are advised to polish their trailers at least twice a year using a product called Walbernize, an original formula developed in 1968 to clean and polish while quickly removing grime, tar, and “organic matter” (bugs, tree sap, etc.). The product is easy to use–simply apply it to the surface with a soft cloth,…
Our overnight stay at Ratón, New Mexico brought a surprise the next morning. As we watched the news on TV and read The New York Times online, we noticed people outside our windows gazing at the skies and taking pictures with their cellphones. Cliff stepped out to discover about 15 hot-air balloons filling the skies.…
Yes, that’s hail. About two inches of nickle-size ice balls fell from the sky and pummeled Cloud 9, just outside of Buffalo, Wyoming.We considered it the state’s parting gift. Fortunately, after several minutes of pelting, we were able to pull off the interstate highway and right into a truck wash bay for protection, so we…
Upon leaving Glacier National Park, we returned to Chernow’s biography of Alexander Hamilton. The long drive to Sheridan, Wyoming, was occupied by vivid stories of Hamilton’s rise to power, influential position in the first Washington administration, and bitter rivalries with Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. Although written in 2004, if published today the book would…
Faced with a full day of rainy weather, we had to decide between heading west to North Fork or south to Two Medicine. Considering the North Fork trip would include repeating our sojourn along the Going-to-the-Sun Road, we opted for Two Medicine, the primary destination for travelers arriving by train prior to the road’s construction.…
Our second full day of living off the grid (digitally speaking) left us searching for either a cellphone signal or a dependable Wifi connection. That’s what led us to Babb, a tiny town about 10 miles north of St. Mary. It also happens to be the gateway to the Many Glacier area of the park,…
After a hearty breakfast under clear skies, we prepped for our trek across the Going-to-the-Sun Road, a 50-mile engineering marvel that traverses the entire park. The road features narrow passages, dark tunnels, hairpin turns, and stunning vistas. Glacier National Park was established in 1910. It is characterized by pristine waterfalls, deep lakes, wind-swept prairies, old-growth…
We set out from Sheridan about two hours later than expected, and soon we were traveling through Montana—the northernmost state we’ve visited. With just more than a million residents, the population of Montana is about a sixth the size of Dallas. We entered the state by way of the Crow Reservation, which includes the Little…
