Yellowstone 2020 on Jamie Thingelstad

Sun, 09 Aug 2020 08:39:09 -0500

Double rainbow in Yellowstone National Park. 🌈🌈

Yellowstone 2020 Index

Sun, 02 Aug 2020 13:22:00 -0500

RV spots: 5

Vehicles rented: 2

Miles driven: 2,721 on the RV

Total cost of gasoline: $774.03

Pictures taken: 1,313

Times dumping tanks: 5

National Parks visited: 3

National Monuments visited: 1

Number of cities visited: 5

Number of fish caught: 4

Number of bears sighted: 1

See the Yellowstone 2020 Collection for all content from this trip.

Fri, 31 Jul 2020 10:48:01 -0500

Most terrifying thing about renting the RV? Taking it to the truck wash before returning it and navigating this shockingly small entry! Should have brought a helper. Only a few inches on every side. 😬

Yellowstone Log: Day 13, Thursday

Thu, 30 Jul 2020 22:30:00 -0500

Long drive home!
Go through Mankato and have pizza at Dino’s Pizzeria!
Arrive home 7:00pm. 2 hours to empty out RV, put stuff away, and clean out interior.
Return the RV tomorrow morning!

Thu, 30 Jul 2020 11:02:34 -0500

Today is our final stretch with a 593 mile drive back to Minneapolis! We’ve had an awesome Yellowstone RV trip! 🙌

Yellowstone Log: Day 12, Wednesday

Wed, 29 Jul 2020 22:30:00 -0500

Weather: Cool morning. Feels like rain.

Mt. Rushmore
Crazy horse
Chuck wagon dinner

Wed, 29 Jul 2020 13:55:36 -0500

Family selfie at Mt. Rushmore!

Wed, 29 Jul 2020 09:43:21 -0500

We pulled into the Palmer Gulch KOA last night and got setup. Checking it out this morning and this is easily the fanciest KOA I’ve seen. They say it’s one of the largest in the country.

Wed, 29 Jul 2020 00:07:09 -0500

Enjoyed a beautiful drive through the Shoshone National Forest today on our way from Jackson, WY to Mt. Rushmore in SD.

Yellowstone Log: Day 11, Tuesday

Tue, 28 Jul 2020 22:30:00 -0500

Weather: Rain! Cool! Rain stopped after first hour or so and then pleasant driving weather

Breakfast at Persephone.
Visit Teton Park visitor center, cool looking building.
Drive to Mount Rushmore KOA.
First two hours of drive really pretty!

Tue, 28 Jul 2020 19:57:24 -0500

We had delicious takeout burgers from Grazer’s in Newcastle, WY just before entering South Dakota!

Tue, 28 Jul 2020 13:15:41 -0500

Going to be covering over 470 miles today. Leaving Jackson, WY and checking in at Mt. Rushmore KOA tonight. We loved our time in the Tetons! 🛣

Tue, 28 Jul 2020 01:59:12 -0500

It was cloudy tonight but Wyoming Stargazing still got us out to see some cool stuff. Here is the moon tonight from Jackson, WY.

Yellowstone Log: Day 10, Monday

Mon, 27 Jul 2020 22:30:00 -0500

Weather: Clear and Sunny, Warm. Cloudy into the evening.

Tyler and Mazie met and hung out with Nola and Sebastian.
Rented bikes from Dornan’s and rode to Jenny Lake.
Took Jenny Lake Boat and hiked to Hidden Falls.
Waited in long line for an hour after hike to get boat back and stood with a group of annoying people from California.
Waded in Jenny Lake to cool down.
Got Ice Cream treats at gift store.
Rode bikes back to Dornan’s with a heavy headwind.
Attempted to stop at visitors center but they were closed.
Went to Snake River Brewing for dinner.
Astronomy evening with Wyoming Stargazing. Saw: Jupiter and 3 moons, Saturn and rings, moon, Moon closer, Vega, Arcturus, Mixar and Alco(part of Big Dipper) all three are double stars, ring nebula, Alberio (double Star), Hercules globular cluster, ISS, Owl cluster

Mon, 27 Jul 2020 18:40:00 -0500

Hidden Falls by Jenny Lake in Grand Tetons National Park. This may be my favorite waterfall ever.

Mon, 27 Jul 2020 09:37:31 -0500

Grand Tetons. Mt. Moran from Oxbow Bend.

Yellowstone Log: Day 9, Sunday

Sun, 26 Jul 2020 22:30:00 -0500

Weather: cool in morning. Warm and pleasant rest of day.

Got up at 5a to do wildlife tour with Bush Buck
- Start at Teton village
- Moose Wilson road tons of Elk
- Loupin Meadow: Elk
- Signal Mountain: Black Bear
- Signal mt lodge coffee stop
- oxbow bend Mt Moraine: Great Blue Heron with a chick
- black tail ponds: mountain climbers
- Moose Wilson road: Moose
Met Kendra, David, Dawson for a walk. They brought pastries and beverages from Persephone. Walked the Snake River.
Had snack in RV.
drove to Downtown Jackson to explore stores and got Ice Cream at Jackson Drug and Chocolate at Cocolove.
returned to campsite to maintain RV and get ready for rafting
Whitewater rafting with Dave Hansen down the Snake River.
got pizza and Handfire Pizza. It was delicious.

Sun, 26 Jul 2020 15:21:55 -0500

Afternoon ice cream from Jackson Drug in Jackson, WY.

Sun, 26 Jul 2020 14:52:28 -0500

Facial recognition doesn’t stand a chance with my pandemic vacation wear.

Sun, 26 Jul 2020 14:09:24 -0500

Bison in Yellowstone.

Sun, 26 Jul 2020 14:07:58 -0500

Tyler got the Collectors Edition Yellowstone Monopoly while in Yellowstone, and then played it a bit in the RV while driving in Yellowstone! Very meta!

Sun, 26 Jul 2020 14:01:17 -0500

We had a nice (socially distanced) walk along the Snake River / Emily Stevens Park in Jackson, WY with Kendra Gapinski and family! #TeamSPS

Sun, 26 Jul 2020 13:54:22 -0500

We played the Camp board game last night for the first time. Fun RV game. Good game that can be played with multiple ages at the same time. Tammy won!

Yellowstone Log: Day 8, Saturday

Sat, 25 Jul 2020 22:30:00 -0500

Weather: great, clear, mid-70s

Left West Yellowstone KOA.
Returned rental car.
Stopped at Lewis Falls.
Lunch in RV at Jackson Lake overlook in Grand Tetons.
Stopped and took photos.
Missed turn to go down Teton Road and accidentally left the park. Decided to back track 20 miles back into Grand Tetons and go down beautiful Teton Road.
Arrived at Jackson. Very busy. Got groceries. Got okay dinner at Miazgas.
Went to Snake River KOA. Terrible road construction on the way. Can only go 25 mph. Spot 57 at Snake River KOA is tight and hard to get into. Not our favorite KOA.
Early to bed for early wake up!

Yellowstone Log: Day 7, Friday

Fri, 24 Jul 2020 22:30:00 -0500

Weather: mid 70s. Nice.

breakfast in RV
Gibbon Falls
North Rim of Grand Canyon of Yellowstone River
- waypoint
- Inspiration point
South Rim
- first overlook spot
Hayden Valley
Yellowstone Lake
Ice cream at Yellowstone Lake General Store
Tyler got a shirt
Driver back through Hayden Valley
Blocked by Bison walking on road
South Rim, artist point
Canyon Store shopping trip
Ate dinner in RV
Internet in car!

Fri, 24 Jul 2020 22:18:05 -0500

The KOA that we are at has no WiFi and no cellular signal. We’ve been offline for 3 days except for an occasional stop in some town. Tonight we all got in the rental car and drove into West Yellowstone to get LTE signal! 📱

Yellowstone Log: Day 6, Thursday

Thu, 23 Jul 2020 22:30:00 -0500

Weather: started out rain/drizzle. Cleared up and was great day.

Up early!
Fly fishing
Lunch at golf course restaurant
Back to Yellowstone
fairy Falls hike path up to grand prismatic viewing area
Didn’t hike to fairy falls: bear frequenting area
Old Faithful
Walk over to geyser area
Saw grand geyser. Was amazing. 200 ft in air.
walked very fast back to car. Heavy winds and starting to rain!
ate dinner in rental car as we drove thru Yellowstone back to RV

Thu, 23 Jul 2020 14:02:20 -0500

We all had a great morning fly fishing on the Gallatin River! Tammy caught 2 trout, Tyler got a little Rainbow Trout and Mazie had a bunch of bites. I got a Rocky Mountain Whitefish that gave a lot of fight. Gallatin River Guides were great. 🎣

Yellowstone Log: Day 5, Wednesday

Wed, 22 Jul 2020 22:30:00 -0500

Weather: lovely day

Lower Geyser Basin
Grand Prismatic Spring
Biscuit Basin
Mammoth Springs
Roosevelt Arch

Hell’s A-Roarin’ Outfitters

Wed, 22 Jul 2020 18:12:47 -0500

Afternoon ice cream stop in Gardiner, MT at the Yellowstone North Entrance. 🍦

Wed, 22 Jul 2020 09:10:08 -0500

Pulled into West Yellowstone KOA last night. Gorgeous drive here. They are not famous for their WiFi. 😜

Wed, 22 Jul 2020 09:07:52 -0500

Current news from Ennis,MT. 🎣

Wed, 22 Jul 2020 09:05:00 -0500

Short video tubing down the Madison River.

Tue, 21 Jul 2020 23:00:11 -0500

I’m sure that there are people that can look cool with a GoPro attached to their forehead. However, I am not one of them. 😬

Tue, 21 Jul 2020 22:31:37 -0500

We had a fabulous afternoon tubing down the Madison River today outside of Bozeman, MT. We went with Madison River Tubing and they set everything up perfect for us. The water was gorgeous, we had perfect weather, and the cooler with beverages was a nice addition.

Yellowstone Log: Day 4, Tuesday

Tue, 21 Jul 2020 22:30:00 -0500

Weather: beautiful day

breakfast at wild crumb
Return to schnee’s
Lunch in RV
Tubing down Madison River
Drive to west Yellowstone

Tue, 21 Jul 2020 10:31:05 -0500

We had a great dinner outside (pandemic!) at MAP Brewing last night. Perfect weather overlooking a recreational lake. The Midas Crush was great. 🍺

Tue, 21 Jul 2020 10:27:26 -0500

It was 2005 when Tammy first stumbled upon EarthRoamer and I instantly went down that “rabbit hole.” Yesterday we stopped for groceries while in Bozeman, MT and I spotted an EarthRoamer! It was the first time I’d seen one in person. The thing is impressive, and massive. 🤩

Yellowstone Log: Day 3, Monday

Mon, 20 Jul 2020 22:30:00 -0500

Weather: beautiful day

breakfast in RV
Morning hike with lamas
lunch on trail
ice cream at sweet peaks
shopping in Bozeman, chacos, water bottle, rei sunglasses, hat and clothes
dinner at MAP brewing
Bought groceries, EarthRoamer in parking lot
Kids and dad in Bozeman hot springs

Mon, 20 Jul 2020 22:10:35 -0500

Successfully managed the emptying of the grey water and black water tanks in the RV. Feels like this deserves some sort of merit badge. 🏅

Mon, 20 Jul 2020 16:03:19 -0500

Photos of us and our llamas as we get ready for our hike with Montana Llama Guides! 🦙

Tyler and Sunny D

Mazie and Ian

Jamie and Angelo

Tammy and Theo

Mon, 20 Jul 2020 15:28:03 -0500

Afternoon ice cream at Sweet Peaks in Bozeman! Yeti Tracks, Mountain Mint, Bear Scat, 10 Year Birthday Cake. 🍦

Mon, 20 Jul 2020 10:59:33 -0500

Hanging out with Llamas this morning with Montana Llama Guides. 🦙

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Sun, 19 Jul 2020 23:39:43 -0500

We spent the night in Medora last night and before heading out on our way to Bozeman we decided to take a very brief trip into Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We only had a couple of hours so we skimmed the high points hitting. We made the drive on the Scenic Loop with stops at Wind Canyon, Boicourt Overlook, and Buck Hill. We also made a stop at the Prairie Dog town. It was gorgeous scenery and we had a great time checking out the short trails.

Yellowstone Log: Day 2, Sunday

Sun, 19 Jul 2020 22:30:00 -0500

Weather: lovely day

started day with breakfast in the RV
Went to teddy rosevelt national park
Spent 3 hours seeing highlights
drove to Bozeman
Dinner inside at brewery restaurant
pulled into RV park outside of Bozeman around 9pm

Sun, 19 Jul 2020 16:49:34 -0500

417 miles on tap for today. Final of long drive days to get to Yellowstone area. Filling gas at Forsyth, MT. ⛽️

Yellowstone Log: Day 1, Saturday

Sat, 18 Jul 2020 22:30:00 -0500

Weather: hot and humid in mpls, weather much better in Medora

Getting on the road after stop at the grocery store to replace food that went bad in the fridge incident. We’ll be stopping in Medora tonight!
Listen to Trace
Lunch while driving.
Salem sue
Medora musical
dinner at uncorked in Medora, pizza from a little place with no masks and no social distancing
got into campsite around 10:30pm

Sat, 18 Jul 2020 18:14:37 -0500

Stopped to take pictures with Salem Sue! In New Salem, ND.

Sat, 18 Jul 2020 11:46:20 -0500

Today’s task. Next turn in 396 miles. 😊🛣

Sat, 18 Jul 2020 10:02:55 -0500

Hitting the road in the RV!

RV Learning: Mind the Main Power Switch!

Sat, 18 Jul 2020 07:50:24 -0500

We’ve had our first mis-hap of our Yellowstone Road Trip and we haven’t even left the driveway yet!

Last night a big downpour came through and I left the windows open in the RV. I woke up and was worried things would be soaked inside. But, that really wasn’t a problem. The side windows didn’t let in any rain, they just slant out and don’t really open up. However, some rain did come in through the top vents which I had left open. But not a lot, and a quick paper towel was able to wipe it all up.

The bigger issue was last night I asked Mazie to turn the lights off. Which she did, I saw them go off. However, I didn’t consider that how she turned them off was to turned the main power for the RV off! So everything was off, including the refrigerator, which we had loaded just a couple of hours earlier.

So, this morning when I couldn’t get anything to turn on I thought it was maybe a tripped breaker. But then I looked at the main power switch and noticed the red light was off. Uh oh…

We are adding a quick trip to the grocery store before we hit the road… 🛒😬

Yellowstone Log: Day 0, Friday

Fri, 17 Jul 2020 22:30:00 -0500

Picked up the RV from Hilltop Rental.
Loaded it with a bunch of stuff, half of which I’m guessing we won’t use. I suspect forgetting several important things too. 😬

Fri, 17 Jul 2020 15:59:00 -0500

Just picked up our 2020 Jayco Redhawk 22J from Hilltop Campers. We are getting it packed for our two week road trip to Yellowstone National Park! 🛣

Mon, 29 Jun 2020 22:25:00 -0500

I’m getting even more excited about our upcoming RV road trip to Yellowstone National Park! It is going to be a great adventure! We are making stops at: