Moonshine Arch, The Cairns Trail and the Plummeting Slot Canyon (Robbie’s Version)

[updating – fixing a blog bug, changing pics to a ‘gallery’ allowing for easy viewing]

 

Robbie’s Random Trip Notes II

• Sun shirts > mosquito repellant.  As with sunscreen, the shirt has no mess and works really well.
• Velcro ankle straps made for cycling (to keep jeans out of gears and chain) help turn long pants into mosquito proof pants!  And they make a striking fashion statement.  Form follows function.
• Truck + Trailer > All-in-one camper van.  5 times in our first month we have needed to park in a structure limited to 7’2” or less (truck with racks is 6’7”).  Even the shortest stock sprinter van is 7’11” (we checked), which would have left us high and dry.  Park the trailer and drive around a standard height truck, that’s the ticket.
• A rubber spatula is your friend when washing dishes in camp.  It can get plates 99% clean in advance, allowing you to wash everything in a single batch of wash water (a huge win with spaghetti sauce).  Coolness!
• Binoculars + Point and Shoot Camera = Telephoto lens.  It totally worked, got close ups of wildlife this way.
• Later is now.  When you only have 1 plate, “I’ll do it later” means now.  Gone are the camping days of “let’s cook the messy pancakes on Sunday so we can throw the dishes in the truck and wash up later when we get home.  We are home, here, wherever here is.  Later is now.

Robbie’s Journal Pages

In case you hadn’t noticed, Karen has been doing most of the posting thus far.  I have kept notes in a journal, and am loathe to retype things I’ve written, so here are the pages unedited.  I will try to be more punctual about posting them in the future.  There are 23 pages from our first day til now, so apologies for the burst of stuff.  If you ask me questions about ‘functional infinity’ then I’ll know you read all the way to the end.  Prizes will be awarded.  –r

Robbie’s Random Trip Notes [1]

Robbie’s Random Trip Notes

• Sun shirts > (better than) Sunscreen : no mess, better protection, creates shade so skin is cooler.  Love Exofficio
• Great big industrial propane tank >> tiny butane pint cans for cooking.   Instant coffee instantly!
• Cleaning dishes without running water nearby requires a great deal more skill.  Manage rinse water wisely!  Especially when the pump is almost a quarter mile away.
• Our 7 year old loves pumping water.  This is a deal that works out well for all parties.
• Mice are crafty.  They fit into the cracks around your tailgate more easily than you think.  They will even eat your fancy biodegradable soap.
• Campsite showers are best followed by the use of towels.  Leaving one’s towel in the truck while showering is not a good plan.

And by the way, we got up yesterday at “oh dark thirty”, drove into the park and trolled until we got a site (at Norris campground).  A couple hours of pain for 5 days of gain, a pretty good trade.  We’ll do a bigger Yellowstone update soon.  Suffice it to say that despite the crowds, Yellowstone delivers.  And as it turns out, most tourists are lazy so we have minimal crowds all morning.

T-Minus 5 days and counting

Getting the truck ready last weekend, installing electric cooler, racks for tubs, and getting the all-important seal of approval from Barney