The day started in Idaho and we drove north and then west to cross Montana for about 10 miles before entering the western gate of Yellowstone. As we crossed the Wyoming line there was only a 6” wide, thigh high wooden sign that read “Entering Wyoming”.
When the fuel pump was replace din Baton Rouge the mechanics has also replaced the vent line that had cracked from dry rot. After replacing the line the vent no longer leaked when the talk was filled. However after a couple of days I noticed that the gas pump would click off quickly when filling unless it was set on the slowest setting. I had then climbed under the RV to take a quick look at the vent line but didn’t see anything obviously wrong. In the last few days the lowest setting was still too fast and I had to add the 20-30 gallons of fuel by squeezing the handle to add the gas very slowly so the tank could burp itself in the fill tube and not shut off the pump. So today I climbed back under the RV and noticed that there was a slight kink that had developed in the vent line where a zip tie was used to secure the line to the fill pipe where it turned to go toward fill cap. I decided to rectify the situation when I could find another zip tie to put in its place.
When we stopped for gas next in Ashton, ID I asked in the general store/truck stop if they had any zip ties but they didn’t sell any. I explained I needed just one. As the cashier looked under her counter for one a guy who appeared to be an outside computer tech who was working on their computer reached in his bag and handed me two big black zip ties! I thanked him profusely and offered to buy them but he refused. There are so many great people in this country! I like to point them out to Mollie & Lucy in the hope of encouraging them to see all the good people in the world.
Right next to the gas pump I climbed under the RV and using my ever present jack knife cut off the offending zip tie. I noted that there were two old clamps put back on the new vent hose but not used. I also noted that the vent hose was sagging which may have placed some extra weight on the zip tie causing the kink. And the new hose may have been of a softer material. Regardless I added another zip tie in the middle of the sag and crawled out from under the RV. I think the vent line should work. We need fuel in the AM so my theory will be tested.
Driving for over 6,000 miles now I have lots of time to ponder things like my vent line, then check it out, then ponder a fix. There is less time when we aren’t rolling to implement the fixes but I enjoy making the repairs.
We entered Yellowstone in the early afternoon and Lucy quickly inquired about the Junior Ranger program. We lucked out in that the first visitor info center we went to was the Jr Ranger headquarters so Lucy got all the info first hand and she was able to catch a ranger led program (required for Jr ranger) that was starting in just a few minutes. The program was led by Ranger Sheila who grew up in Crown Point, NY! I’ve sat in on a few of the ranger programs and all are always very interesting. The Jr ranger program is a great way to get kids involved and learning. The programs prompts them to explore, ask questions and find answers. At the visitor center we saw two cow elk and one had a young calf by her side. We saw many other elk throughout the day as well as some mule deer. No bison yet.
We traveled further into the park and stopped at a geyser area and walked the ½ mile board walk to admire the different hydrothermal disturbances. All were of great interest to everyone. The sulfur smell was strong at times & kept us moving. As we neared the far point of the board walk the skies were getting dark in the direction the wind was coming from and rain was falling in the distance so we quickened our pace. It started to really blow and sprinkle as we sprinted back to the RV a little chilled and winded but no worse for the wear.
We arrived at Old Faithful about 3:30p and headed to what I thought was the info center only to find it was the center of commerce. We bought another sticker and ice cream before heading to the info center father along the pathways. What we had experienced as rain 20 miles away had been a heavy hail here and there was white on the roofs and under the trees. It was melting quickly causing all kinds of run off issues. I was surprised by the lack of proper drainage on the grounds around this well-developed area of roads, sidewalks and large commercial buildings. There we ponds of water everywhere and water was running across sidewalks. Go figure?
As we drove through the park the mountain views were quite stunning. Many mountain tops having considerable amounts of snow on them. Yellowstone Lake was a nice change of scenery adding blue water to the green landscape. It’s unusual to have such a large lake at 8,000’+ but it is in the caldera of the volcano that last erupted 640,000 years ago. The volcano also being the source of the hot springs. Much to see and do here and we so little time.
We visited main info center at old faithful and found that the next predicted eruption was over an hour away at 5:11p so we hit the gift shop, the exhibit hall (“too much like science” said Mollie as she wasn’t going to look and who later quoted a number of facts she found in the exhibit) and a short orientation to Yellowstone movie. We, along with 3-400 hundred of our closest friends, moved dutifully onto the boardwalk to prepare for the coming of old faithful and 5:11p +/- 10 minutes. So at 5:01 we started to watch with keen interest and waited until 5:25 for the eruption which brought an audible eruption from the assembled crowd. Afterward Mollie exclaimed “that was really awesome!” and “it was worth the wait!”. I’m always so happy when I can elicit to kind of responses from a nearly 16 year old!
We then headed for our campground at Fishing Bridge RV Park, the only RV only park in Yellowstone that has water hook up as well as sewer but our site was in the half that didn’t have electric. With no cell service we couldn’t call or text Julie with our daily “we’ve landed” update so she can relax for the night so I sent the girls on their bikes while I made dinner to use the payphone to call Julie. I’m not sure they had ever used a payphone so that was a good learning experience too. After a hearty dinner that included hand packed burgers from Asgaard grass fed beef and brussell spouts Lucy and I went for a bike ride to the store and look for info for her Jr ranger program. As part of the Jr ranger program Lucy needed to find an animal track. We took a short walk and found a large print that I’m pretty sure was from a bear. She and I debated the origin but I have little doubt.
In Yellowstone there is no WiFi and we are in an area with no cell signal. So that meant no computer use of even Facebook via my phone. So the girls read, drew, installed more stickers, listened to music and relaxed. It was really nice! I even finished my book The Dirty Life written by our friend Kristen Kimball about Essex Farm. I recommend the book!
Tomorrow we head for Mt Rushmore and points east as we push for home. Can’t wait!
Jay
Really great post, Jay!
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