Eastern Utah
EMAIL ME AT: mgypsy97 at aol dot com

Thursday, June 13, 2013

I have just finished several cups of the best coffee I've ever tasted.  Ara brought her mom and me some Mother's Day gifts, including each of us a bag of coffee beans from a small company in Philly.  They roast the beans in small batches, and I marvel at the flavor of the coffee.

She also gave us big coffee cups which she decorated with a Sharpie and then fired in a kiln.  Mine says "Gypsy" on the handle, and there is a lovely pattern around the rim.

In addition, she did a pastel drawing from a photo taken years ago of me holding her mom when she was about 18 months old.  I'm taking it to Michael's Crafts today to have it framed.  (I just got back from Michael's and it is going to be spectacular when framed, but it's going to cost me!)

Donald began therapy yesterday and according to Jeannie he is really enthusiastic about it.  I'm sure it hurts, but he's not going to stay down for long.  I feel sorry for him, having to ask for assistance, even for something like a glass of water.  He's always so competent, and the one doing for everyone else.  His can-do attitude will certainly help his recovery process.

I remember when I traveled in my 5th wheel, never making reservations at a campground.  I just relied on something turning up and it always did.  I think I will be doing the same with my trip in August.  It will no doubt be a lot more difficult to find good camping spots and I sure don't want to be in crowded campgrounds, but will just have to rely on my usual good luck in finding a suitable site.  I'd like to rely on disbursed sites on forest service & BLM land, but would no doubt have to drive out of the way to reach them.  There is so much country to see and I feel I have so little time left to see it.

One national park that I definitely want to see is Theodore Roosevelt NP in North Dakota.  There are two sections of the park, the north and the south sections.  I would appreciate any comments and suggestions on which one to see as I doubt I'll have time to see them both.  I'm also avoiding Williston, close to the border between Montana and SD.  I remember last year's frustration with just getting through that congested place and never finding a motel that would accept my dog.


7 comments:

  1. Hope you'll show us your cup and the picture once it is framed. Those are such thoughtful gifts. What a wonderful girl! Best wishes to Donald on his road to recovery. I'll bet he'll make spectacular progress.

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  2. Yes, please show us the framed picture. When traveling in the RV, I usually never make reservations until the afternoon, a couple of hours before I intend to stop. Words for me.

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  3. We toured the south unit and it was interesting but not exceptional. We stayed in Medora, but I believe there are two campgrounds in the south unit. Do not have any direct info on the north unit, but have been told it was less interesting??

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  4. I really liked Theodore Roosevelt National Park! I was there two years ago (south unit)and camped at the Cottenwood Campdground in the park. Driving the 36 mile loop tour I saw so much wildlife including bison, wild horses, prairie dogs,etc. The park itself is usually not crowded which is always a plus in my opinion.

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  5. Here at the KOA where I am working, the summer season ends around August 18th and then they go back to off-season rates. You should be able to find a campground or motel to stay at without reservations.

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  6. If you have internet access, it might be useful to look at

    http://www.ultimatecampgrounds.com/uc/index.php

    which shows the location and other information about the public campgrounds available as you go across the country.

    Click on a state, and then on an icon in the area where you plan to be. One useful piece of information is the name of the nearest town, which should help with using a paper map.

    Access is free, but there is an annual charge for downloading.

    I have no connection with this site other than owning the same model/year Lazy Daze as the owner of this site! I don't know him personally.

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  7. I prefer the north unit, there's a nice river running through it, but have not camped there. Very few people actually make the drive up to the north unit, so it's much more pristine.

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