Travel 2024 – The Long West Coast Summer Trip.

Uncovering the History of Garnet: Montana’s Well-Preserved Ghost Town

Ghost Butterfly on a ghost distle !

Ghost Moss

Garnet is a well-preserved ghost town located in the Garnet Range of the Rocky Mountains in Montana, USA. The town was established in the 1860s, following the discovery of gold in the area. At its peak, Garnet was home to over 1,000 people and boasted a post office, general stores, saloons, and a school. However, as the gold reserves dwindled, the town began to decline, and by the early 20th century, it was largely abandoned.

Today, Garnet is maintained as a state park and is a popular tourist destination, offering visitors a fascinating glimpse into the past. Many of the original buildings still stand, providing a haunting yet captivating insight into the daily lives of the town’s former residents. Visitors can explore the abandoned structures, including homes, businesses, and the remains of the once-thriving community. Guided tours and interpretive signs offer historical context and enrich the experience of walking through this historic site.

In addition to tourism, Garnet serves as a site for historical and archaeological research, shedding light on the pioneering days of the American West. The town stands as a testament to the resilience and fortitude of the early settlers who sought their fortunes in the rugged Montana wilderness. With its fascinating history and well-preserved structures, Garnet continues to captivate and educate visitors from around the world.

Garnet, Montana

We visited Missoula to see our Daughter Sasha and her mountain man Tim. Deidre and sasha had a great long weekend in Glacier National Park. Tim and I did the manly thing and visited a ghost town. Because we can and because we’re fearless . Great day with Tim , Thanks !

Quick STORM ,quick post!

So lucky we were home in the camper, around 4pm after a cloudy but beautiful day , our phones, iPads and anything electronic started screaming at us . Warning flash flood , go inside don’t die !! Honestly, those words had an impact ! Next message : thunderstorms with destructive hail , go inside save yourself!!! Ok now we’re serious , all awnings in , quickly . Slide in the storm facing slides and wait !

Didn’t have to wait too long , within a minute the wind started howling , trees were shredding leaves rain beat down in our now kind of fragile house . 39 seconds later blinding and ear shattering hail …….

4 minutes later all over , slight rain still falling and we had our first experience with flash flood causing storms . Pretty impressive . Listen to the noise in the attached video . Turn up the volume and think louder . Today is beautiful and planing a visit to Canyon lands National park .

Hail and 89 degrees!

Better story tomorrow !!

Someone is excited to go to Arches.

Wide awake at 4:30 AM, in the car 10 minutes later , even Beau didn’t wake for a pee or a bone! 4:45 enter Arches National Park, not the first one ???? 5 other early risers shone their headlights on a steep uphill road. No ranger was up this early and it was clear roads ahead into the park. What to expect, I like to be surprised and not study the areas we go to, in depth. Yes I might miss some things , but for me to be surprised is half the fun. Of course I’ve seen the classic pictures of the wide Arch spanning it seems , many hundreds of feet ,with an eternal sunrise or sunset shining through it . What a shot that would be. Better to go into it fresh without ideas of shots already taken. Hard enough to get a few originals, most shots have been taken thousands of times in one way or another . I can’t wait what Arches will show me .

Very disappointed that this park again was made up of a bunch of Hollywood backdrops. This just can’t be real , moonlight illuminating the towering red rocks , don’t think so. Vista’s right out of Rawhide , great painting !! Is that John Wayne on his horse infront of a stove pipe rock , looking mellow but dangerous

I DON’T THINK SO ……?

All joking aside , it was so much better then I had ever imagined , wouldn’t it be nice to share this with Mother , Brother and friends. Well ….. modern tecnology to the rescue . Quick facetime call with Holland and mama and brother joined the rising sun at Arches . What a treat !!

Arches National Park is located in eastern Utah, USA. It is known for its stunning natural arches, spires, fins, and balanced rocks. The park covers an area of over 76,000 acres and includes over 2,000 natural sandstone arches.

The park owes its unique landscape to geological processes that started around 300 million years ago. The region was once covered by an ancient sea, and over time, layers of salt deposited in the area. As the sea evaporated, the salt deposits were buried under layers of sediment.

Around 65 million years ago, the uplift of the Rocky Mountains and the tectonic activity in the region caused the overlying rock layers to buckle and shift. This movement, combined with erosion from water and wind, carved out the landscape that we see today, creating the spectacular arches and rock formations.

Arches National Park was designated a national monument in 1929 and then established as a national park in 1971. The park’s unique geological features and natural beauty attract visitors from around the world, making it a popular destination for hiking, photography, and nature appreciation.

Best Early morning with my Bestie !!

What is The Indian Lady mesmerized by ???

Bryce Canyon

Five AM is normally not a time I can get Deidre out of bed! This day was different as we are going to Bryce canyon. Heard so much about and the anticipation was high. First half hour in the dark to the Carmel Tunnel, steep switchbacks and deep drop offs , of course on the passenger site!! Once through the Tunnel daylight greeted us, lighting up another perfect Hollywood backdrop, in one word ……………..(you fill it in ). amazing.

A nice two hour drive to get at Bryce around 7:30 am. no traffic, very few visitors. What I expected , not. What it was , again undescribable. check out the pictures and maybe you get an idea. As the grand Canyon is a giant cleft in the face of the US , Bryce is one side of a much smaller cleft. A Single Canyon Wall facing open space . Made up of thousands and thousands of drip towers we use to make on the beach when we were young and happy with just sand and water.

These drippers were hundreds and hundreds feet high and bright colored . Sandtowers of all size and crazy colors. We drove from vantage point to vantage point and shot loads of pictures and selfies . Short hikes is all we want to do today. Great hikes are started from the rim , Horseback riding brought us to the real west. what a site . Look for yourself , our plans for the day didnt just start early , they ended real late , but thats for tomorrow ! Enjoy and go plan a visit !

Bryce Canyon’s stunning rock formations were sculpted over millions of years by the forces of erosion. This process began as water, wind, and ice gradually wore away the sediments deposited in a vast lakebed. The unique hoodoos and spires that define the landscape emerged as harder rock layers resisted erosion, leaving behind the intricate and mesmerizing formations that visitors admire today. Erosion, particularly from freezing and thawing, continues to shape Bryce Canyon, ensuring its ongoing allure and beauty for future generations to enjoy.

See you tomorrow!

Red Rock Canyon

When in Vegas its hard to zoom out and look at this tiny speck in the desert with all its lights , excesses and glitter, incredible talent, self importance and sadness as anything but all there is in Nevada. But …. drive 20 minutes west and start your driving , biking, climbing and hiking loop in Red Rock Canyon Conservation area. After showing your National Park Pass you enter the rocky desert with towering mountain facades, perfect for rock climbing and spectacular photos. Dry but colorfull bushes , so different from anything out east, cover the bone dry desert floor. Parched riverbeds waiting for much needed rain. Tortoises, rabbits, Burros and wild horses are roaming fast and real slow. arriving at 6:30 the sun is just over the hills and lights up the place. Gorgeous and worth the early wake up. Its quiet in the park and I’m first with some brave and strong bikers overtaking me on the down hill. After the 15 mile loop and many stops I find the metropolis of “Blue Diamond”

Blue Diamond,

Elevation………………….High

Occupants………………..Few

Burro’s………………..?

Now this town has a Post Office, sherrifs office in the convenience store and , no kidding the best breakfast place within 200 miles.

Coffee and avocado toast for breakfast , homemade everything , to die for!

Back to the RV, as the sun keeps on rising so does the temperature , 108 today . inside from 10-4 .

Yuca

sky

Self portrait

What else is there to do in Vegas but shelter from the heat???

O… there are the casino’s, shows, magicians, lights, ferris wheel and incredible shopping , if you have the big bucks !

Thats For the next one!

Hot Vegas.

One of the many ways to get to Las Vegas is following the i40 cross country for over 1000 miles untill you get to the town of Kingman AZ. There is onto the 93 for 110 miles .

No big deal right.?

The road up to Kingman has been pretty good , occasional bumps and repairs . Now , getting on the 93 is an altogether different story. For 56 miles , yes I checked , it was a true to life washboard from the Wild West. Speed down to 35-40 miles /hour and everything that could shake loose , did shake loose. My center A/C kept tripping the breaker and temperature was slowly rising. My goal was to make a quick stop at the Hoover dam, it has RV parking on the Arizona side only . No signs and before I knew it the damn dam was on my right and disappearing in my mirror. No problem , on to the Campground and checking out the A/C problem. It really was getting a bit hot. Dash A/C was blowing cold and beau was laying next to me . Hmmmm , why next to me if you have a perfectly good bed in the back. shaking for 2 hours must have cured him. That wasn’t it , the second A/C stopped working as well. Now we’re in trouble. Only one A/C left and a heat warning in Vegas and the whole south west. Temperatures up to 115 Fahrenheit (46 Celsius) and it really is that hot!! Yeah but it’s dry heat!!! My ass dry heat. It’s hot !!its very hot .

Arriving at the RV resort , on the phone for the recommended rv mechanic, they were here in 3 hours , analyzing the issues and I’m on the phone with the warranty company for two new A/C units. Good experience with them this time . Friday I can have it inspected and new units installed.

Beau and I are locked into the bedroom with the only working

A/C and keep somewhat cool (82 degrees cool) the front of the RV is a balmy 101 degrees . No fun.

I got up at 4 am , beau deep asleep and got my first taste of Vegas . a bit overwhelming but pretty spectacular. Walked the strip in front of Paris and Bellagio at 5:30 in the morning , saw the sunrise over the strip , had an early morning coffee at subway with my homeless buddies and all was good with the world.

7 am back to the RV to make sure beau is ok and feed and poop him early before the fiery heat comes back.

Welcome to the west!

Into the fire

The fourth travel day took me into Arizona and a first visit to a state park. A few hours at Painted Desert and Petrified Forest was a welcome change to straight roads and happy truckers passing me by. A leisurely 29 mile track through the park with many stops was just what the boredom doctor ordered. First time I took my camera out and tried to get in the groove. It always takes me a while to catch the photo bug .

Rig runs great , no issues , generator hums right along and keeps Beau cool in his king size bed. Dogs have it made!

No idea what’s coming later that day and the coming three days .Stay tuned.

Petrified Forest National Park is a unique and captivating natural wonder located in northeastern Arizona. It encompasses a vast expanse of 346 square miles, showcasing a remarkable array of petrified wood deposits and the breathtaking Painted Desert. The park’s main attraction is the fossilized remains of ancient trees that have turned into colorful and intricate stone formations over millions of years, creating a surreal and otherworldly landscape.

The park is divided into two distinct sections: the northern area features the iconic Painted Desert, a mesmerizing badlands region with vibrant hues of red, orange, and purple, sculpted by wind and erosion. The southern section boasts the most extensive and well-preserved petrified wood forests, including the Black Forest Bed, Blue Mesa, and Rainbow Forest, where visitors can marvel at the petrified logs, stumps, and fossilized plant remains dating back to the Late Triassic period. With its rich geological history, archaeological sites, and diverse flora and fauna, Petrified Forest National Park offers an unforgettable experience for nature enthusiasts and adventurers alike.