More Custer State Park

 

 

In the Black Hills.

 

 

 

 

 

 

But now we’re in the Badlands.

 

Fall Trip Map

 

 

Custer State Park

 

 

Not much for internet, but it’s got everything else.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now we’re in South Dakota

 

 

 

Fall Colors Trip Map

 

We drove a lot of highway to get here.

 

Grazing bighorn sheep.  Females and youngsters, so their horns aren’t so big.

 

Custer State Park.

 

Now we’re in Wyoming

 

 

No.  Wait.  Now we’re in Nebraska.

 

Fall Color Trip Map

 

 

We’re getting a little weather.

 

Our work of art

 

 

 

Packed up and ready to go.

 

We went in search of high-country color.

 

Fall Color Trip Map

 

 

We’re a little early.  The aspen trees aren’t turning much; no colorful hillsides of aspen yet.  Grasses and bushes are doing their thing and looking fine though.

 

We’re enjoying our camp spots.

 

 

The beautiful beast is back

 

 

 

Shock absorption fully restored.

 

Ready to pack up for our next adventure.

  Our blank canvas.

 

 

We plan to leave tomorrow and head up into the high country to see about fall colors.  We’ll report back as connectivity permits.

 

One of these things is not like the others

 

 

 

The right rear shock absorber is not supposed to look like that.  It took a hit from a piece of road debris.  After that it was flexing in a way it wasn’t supposed to until it failed from metal fatigue.  We should have the van back tomorrow with all the shock absorbers fully functioning.

 

There’s something happening here

 

 

What it is ain’t exactly clear.

 

Okay, so maybe we do know what’s going on at the top of this tree, as we enjoy the early indicator of the approaching fall.

 

Home alone

 

 

Judy and me.  Just the two of us.

 

Except we got Conner and Anna over for Taco Tuesday tonight.

 

Conner is a junior at CU.  Anna is a sophomore.  They each live away from home, but not so far they can’t come by for a meal and a visit.

 

Campground reviews

 

 

We use campground reviews to help us decide where to go.  Positive reviews are great, but sometimes negative reviews can provide an unintended perspective.  This review, for example:

 

            Just Wanted to Have Fun!

The park rangers totally sucked the fun out of this camping trip.  Their visits were way too excessive.  They complained about our kids driving RC cars, about the kids riding bikes, about the kids riding their hoverboards, about the kids being too loud.  Apparently they do not want children to have any fun whatsoever.  Over all, a horrible experience, we will never go back!

 

We enjoy a quiet considerate campground (Campground Etiquette).  As long as we’re sure the people who wrote this review are really gone, this could be a nice campground.

 

Teigan and Elise moved away today

 

 

They’re going to join Tony in the Pacific Northwest.  It’s all part of the masterplan.  Tony rented a two-bedroom apartment so there would be room for everyone.  The three of them get along well. 

 

We waved the two of them off, and they drove away in the Honda.  Within a couple minutes, they were back.

 

Teigan needed another look back at the house.

 

She has lived there her whole life.  She has never moved before.  In fact, she never even changed rooms, she was still in the room she has always had.

 

The house.

 

And for now, the garage is even empty.

 

The garage is empty because Becky and Brian took the Tesla and drove along with them to make sure the move goes well, and everyone is settled in.  Our van is left out front.  There is a pickup truck in the driveway because Brian’s dad loaned it to us so we would have something to drive while the van was in for service for a day next week.  That’s a big house and yard to have all to ourselves.

 

We have a sofa

 

 

 

 

 

 

Room in the back for some cargo.

 

 

And folds out into a very nice bed at night.

 

Exactly what we wanted.

 

Empty again

 

 

 

No seats.  No bins.  No temporary floor-bed.  Delivered back to Vanlife Customs in Arvada.  Ready for the couch installation.  The couch will be bolted to the floor, so a lot of that stuff embedded in the floor, like seat railings and heater vents, will have to be removed or modified.  A significant job, but the last remaining big modification.

 

Today’s challenge

 

 

Carve a cockapoo out of this woolly worm.

 

The groomer in Longmont was up to the task.

 

Much less tangly now.

 

Now it’s September

 

 

Early September.  So what is it with this color on Becky’s tree?

 

I could be wrong now

 

 

It’s happened before.

 

But I take this to be a juvenile red-tailed hawk.

 

The tail looks a little long for a Red-tailed, often it’s barely longer than the wingtips, but the patterning looks good.

 

It was in the middle of Wyoming.

 

Now we’re back to Becky and Brian’s in Colorado

 

Washington to Colorado Map

 

It took four days to get here.  Now it looks like we’re within four days of most anywhere else in the United States!  (80% anyway.)  We’ll probably stay here for about a week, then let the weather help us decide which direction to head next.  So far, we’ve got it narrowed down to West, North, or East.