The Mesa Falls Scenic Byway is the road that connected Ashton Idaho to Island Park Idaho before highway US 20 was put in. Leaving Ashton on the Byway the first turn off is Cave Falls which is 19 miles off the Byway. At first we decided not to go to Cave Falls because of the distance but decided to go on the way back to Ashton. The 19 miles turned out to be 5 miles of paved road and 14 miles of gravel road which takes you to a remote corner of Yellowstone. The second turn off was Lower Mesa Falls, after that was Upper Mesa Falls. A long the way we heard of a place called Johnny Sack’s Cabin which is in Big Springs ID near Island Park ID. Johnny Sack build his Cabin in 1929 with hand tools after leasing the cabin site from US Forestry for $4.15 a year. We couldn’t get in to see the inside of the cabin it was still closed from the winter season.

Lower Mesa Falls

 

Upper Mesa Falls

 

Johnny Sack’s Cabin

 

Cave Falls

Since we started the Blog it has been a race to keep up with posting photos of where we’ve been, but the other half of the blog is to share what we learn in the hope that it may be helpful to someone else.

1. Internet; is the cornerstone of being a Nomad these days. It’s not only important for planning our trips but for finding parts or repair shops in places we’ve never been. We currently have a 3GB hotspot on Darla’s Iphone, mostly we relay on WIFI at the RV campgrounds we stay at. Campground WIFI has come a long way in the last couple of years, and for right now its working well but its something we’re always looking at for a better way that’s affordable. Example; We pulled into our current campground and started leveling our 5th wheel so we could disconnect the truck from the 5th wheel when we noticed that the right side front landing gear was not operating therefore we could not disconnect from the truck. We got online and found an RV parts house in Kalispell MT 18 miles away that had the part. Next we went online to see if it was something we could do ourselves in the campground and it turned out it was. Our neighbors are also full timers who also had to go to Kalispell to pick up a part for their 5th wheel and offered me a ride to town to get the part. It took about 1 hour to replace the landing gear and disconnect the truck. Which leads to our next topic the RV Community.
2. RV Community; the RV community reminds me of the old days when neighbors helped you rebuild your barn because you were all in together. Online or in person most RV’er are willing to share information or their help if they can. Example; the example above is not the first time a fellow RV’er has come to our rescue. When we first bought our 5th wheel we had no idea how level and disconnect it. We went online and try to find information on the subject but really couldn’t find any step by step help so we started trying to disconnect the truck and trailer. I know we must have looked pretty lost because before long one of our neighbors showed up and asked if we needed help? He was kind enough to show us how to level and disconnect trailer. In return we try to make ourselves available to help when ever possible.
3. Leveling your RV; leveling your RV is important so your refrigerator works properly (an out of level refrigerator can be a fire hazard)  but also because if your not level the water in your shower can run away from the drain and pool in your shower. Also may create leaks around your shower because the water is going places it won’t go if you were level. Example; Last year we were in a camp site that was so unlevel, the best level we could get was 2% out of level. That was fine for the refrigerator but not so good for the shower. The shower started leaking on the floor from the seam between the glass side panels and the shower pan. Being that we were going to be in this site for a week I got some caulk, re-caulk the shower and let it dry for 24 hours problem solved.
4. Water Pressure and Water; Normally we are hooked to city water in an RV campground and water pressures vary dramatically. Most parks will not assume liability for damage to your rig from high water pressure or anything else for that matter (electrical surge, fallen trees, etc.). So it’s up to us to make sure the pressure is right for our 5th wheel. We have a regulator with a gauge and we have a regulator without a gauge that we used to keep the water pressure at the right level. The regulator are readily available online or at your local store in their RV section. No matter how hard we try one will always get by you. Example; We pull in to our camp site in Cedar City Utah and start our routine to level and hook up the water when I realize that the water pressure is off the charts high. The water is controlled by a handle and when the handle is up it’s on and when it’s down it’s off.  

We set the water pressure and everything seem find until we woke up in the morning and found water inside the 5th wheel in the kitchen. During the night apparently the handle move up in the full on position which was to much pressure for the water inlet on the side of the 5th wheel which leaked into the kitchen. So we decided that if we have a similar situation in the future to simply turn the water when we go to bed. Fortunately there was no damage to the 5th wheel.

Water and cold temperatures; water in the lines of your RV can freeze if the temperatures get to cold which can split your water lines and cause leaks when they warm up. Example; We pulled into our camp site in Deer Lodge MT and we got the 5th wheel hooked up and later that night we checked the overnight low for the area and saw it was going to be 34 degrees. Because it wasn’t going to drop below 32 degrees we didn’t shut the water off and drain the lines before we went to bed. But as luck would have it the temperature dropped to some where around 28 degrees and we woke up to frozen water lines. Once we realized the lines were frozen we turned off the water to the 5th wheel and fired up the furnace to heat the water lines and yet again a lesson learned without damage to the 5th wheel.

Our last thought is that the full time RV life style is an adventure that contains beautiful places, challenges, and an opportunity to learn more about yourself. But after all it is still life and we believe that Life is a Game of progress, not Perfection!

From Canyon Falls we went to Tower Falls.

We continued to Wraith Falls.

 

Further on up the road we came to Undine Falls.

Next on the loop is a change of scenery Mammoth Hot Springs.

We finished the loop with Sheepeater Cliff.

Grand Teton National Park

Tomorrow we’re off to Deer Lodge Montana for one night and than Bigfork Montana for a week to go to Glacier National Park. We still have photos to post from day two of Yellowstone.

 

 

On Sunday we went to Yellowstone this is our first visit to the park. By the time we got through the Visitors Center it was noon and we left the park about 8:00 pm. We took the the North Loop. The photo’s below are only the first two stops on the loop. More to come…

Driving to the first stop there was one of those electronic signs saying there was construction delays and as soon as we turned the corner the traffic was stopped. After an half hour delay this what we saw.

Our first stop was the Canyon Falls.

Our second stop is whats referred to as the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone National Park.

At this stop there was an Osprey Nest with an Osprey in it.

We have more photos from our first visit we will post soon. We have also been to the Grand Teton National Park and the Mesa Falls Byway, photos of these trips to come. Tomorrow is an early day we are off to Yellowstone to do the larger South loop.

This is such a cool little town, our RV park is 10 miles outside of town. The pictures below are the views form where we’re parked.

 

We headed up Interstate 15 North into Idaho it was exciting because we have never been this far North on Interstate 15 or Idaho for that matter. What beautiful views.

The first hour or so of the drive was beautiful farm land but when we got around Provo all the way up to Ogden it looked like most cities in America. It was strange to be in Ogden the little city has grown up. I was stationed in the Ogden area when I was in the Air Force 1980 – 1983. We spent the night at Century Mobile Home and RV Park

We left Bullhead City about 9:30 am and arrived in Cedar City about 4:30 pm Utah Time. What a beautiful time to travel, the desert floor was green which made the mountains stand out even more.

We spent the night at Indian Peak RV Campground.