Things learned on this western vacation

[vampress_me]

1. 18 and 16 year old teenagers don’t necessarily want to spend 17 days with mom and dad, full time. Even if it is mostly likely the last big family vacation before they both go their own ways. :(

2. Mom and dad don’t necessarily want to spend 17 days with the teenagers, full time. I have not seen this level of moodiness from them before...or maybe it was the fact there was no internet/ cell service for 7 of those days since we were in the mountains...:D

3. Mining for sapphires at the mine outside Philipsburg, MT is much more fun than “mining” at the store. Just have to remember the mine is only open Wednesday - Saturday and not plan to be there Sunday and monday :facepalm:

4. Yellowstone has turned into a bigger parking lot than it was even 3 years ago. I still love it there, but holy cow!

5. Grizzly RV Park is still my favorite in West Yellowstone. But you have to laugh at yourself when there are 3 Tiffin Phaetons parked all around you. We were laughing that we were the poor stepchild parked there.

6. The Tetons are pretty mountains, would love to explore more there. Jackson Hole is not our style. Too crowded and no place to park a dually. Not what I remember from 40 years ago...(of course!)

7. You cannot imagine the sheer amount of pine pollen that can be produced in Yellowstone and the Tetons! We stayed at Flagg Ranch headwaters campground, and everything was covered in a thick layer of yellow. Daughter was VERY happy she was on allergy shots for the past 18 months, so the pollen didn’t affect her much. I hosed off the slide roofs before bringing them in to leave otherwise I think we would have had pollen all over in the camper. Did I mention it was thick everywhere???

8. If you want to see wildlife and go fishing, go to the Big Horns. One night up there we saw 12 moose (and one cute baby), well over 200 elk (I love listening to them), and 1 big black bear. Just be aware, if fly fishing in the creeks, the moose love the willows and you need to be careful so you don’t end up face to face with them. :eek:

[Logan X]

Thanks for sharing the info, it sounds like it was a good trip.

I feel you pain with the teenagers (mine are 13,12,and11 so just starting with that) and also feeling like the stepchild trailer when I’m surrounded by big class A’s and luxury fifth wheels!

[sourdough]

Lynette,

Thanks for the rundown. I will say this; I took the family on a very much "anticipated" vacation to Yellowstone/Tetons when "he" was 17. It was the most miserable, aggravating trip we've ever taken. We had discussed the trip, looked forward to the trip and just generally "stoked" It was a 16 day trip. Day 2 it began going south because he "missed his girlfriend". Daily it just got worse. Got to the Tetons, Yellowstone and all the things we had hoped to see, but, by day 9 I had had enough. Pulled up stakes and went straight back to SE NM - then I had a very stout heart to heart.

He continued what I considered his "errant" ways and at HS graduation he was immediately enlisted in the Army. Best thing that ever happened to him - and he did well. Now, 35 years later, that's still the case. Successful but still runs to the beat of his own drummer.

All that personal info just to let you know that when they get to that age the things that "we", the parents, think, or thought of as important or just assumed, is not shared by the "little ones". When my kids were the age of yours (mine are 46 (daughter) and 51 (son) it was a given, to me, that we, the parents were going to have/will have a direct/big impact on their choices. Not so. In this current world I suppose I would just go insane.

Love them, pay attention to them and realize that they are about to "go away".

Tiffins sitting next to you and feeling like the "poor stepchild"? Don't. When I retired my intention was to get a Class A. We found "the one"; 409k, beautiful etc. Common sense kicked in. HUGE outlay of money that then had to include a toad vehicle. Use of the RV would be 3-4 months a year at most and the rest of the time it would sit idle....engine, drivetrain etc. wasting away and depreciating like any other RV. Nothing like a TT or 5vr. Insurance, maintenance etc. made it clear to us that the "Tiffin" didn't make any sense to us - I'm a bang for the buck kinda guy and that didn't work. When I see those nice Class A's pull in and set up I can only think how sorry I feel for them......

[vampress_me]

8, 9, 10 (or whatever). DO NOT overstuff the fridge. Leave plenty of space for air to circulate. I have a thermometer in the fridge that reads on the wall display, along with the interior camper and exterior temps. (It’s nice to know the temp outside is 37 degrees in the morning in the Big Horns in July :eek:).

So our fridge was struggling part of this trip to keep the temp cool enough. I moved the temp probe up thinking it may have jiggled down in traveling...I moved the fridge fan...I stood on my head trying to keep the temp down... Well, if all else fails, look in the green file folder for directions. Dometic fridge troubleshooting says - “keep adequate space in fridge around shelves for air flow for best results”. :facepalm: Hmm...I guess I’ve never put that much food in before, so have never had a problem. Rearrange it all, poof! Temp is back where it should be!

[Northofu1]

Sounds like a rewarding trip.
Your next trip without the kids will be peaceful if nothing else. :)

[Racebug]

We just finished about the same trip in 19 days, with the exception of only 1 hormone filled 12y/o boy and a sweet 8 y/o boy that still likes talking to his dad. Loved Bighorn! Next time we will stay there for a night or 2. Wont likely visit Jackson hole again. Tetons could be a day trip from Yellowstone. Loved Cody WY!

[Snoking]

Nothing like a TT or 5vr. Insurance, maintenance etc. made it clear to us that the "Tiffin" didn't make any sense to us - I'm a bang for the buck kinda guy and that didn't work. When I see those nice Class A's pull in and set up I can only think how sorry I feel for them......

We were at Brice Canyon back in 2006 and a LARGE Class A came in and parked next to our 29' 5th wheel. We saw them when they set up, and again 3 days later when they broke camp. Now just maybe they went out and got back while we were out for the day! However we never saw them and the drapes never opened while we were next door.

Another funny thing happen there at Brice, we were standing on one of the overlooks and the couple next to us spoke English, both of us had a good laugh as it seemed we were the only two English speaking couples on the overlook.

Seems like maybe more foreigners enjoy our special places than many Americans do. On that 6 week trip we pasted a lot of caravans of for rental class C motorhomes.

At Circus Circus RV in Lost Wages this spring we had a nice evening sharing a drink and talking with a couple from South Africa that rented a Super B and were touring the Western States. As we were both setting up, I had said bring a drink and a chair over later and they accepted the offer.

BTW the David Copperfield show was very good. We took our first Uber ride to get to the other end of the LV stripe and back after the show.



Chris

[ADQ K9]

Thanks Lynette,
Looking forward to this next week with our almost 16yo. Want to get where there is no cell signal but not this trip. The last 2 nights we will be staying at the same park as his girlfriend though so they shouldn't miss each other much. Nice thing about Alaska is you got the swanky Class A up here but they are not a prominent as they are in the Lower 48

[Huntme]

the I miss my Girlfriend,my phone,my computer,as my father would say,you wont miss the long walk home!