Our Yellowstone Journal

[Shawnda]

Hey folks!!

I thought that it would be fun to journal our adventures that we have on our camping trip. I thought that it would make perfect sense to start it off before we leave with us gearing up for the trip, during the trip, and winding down from the trip. What better way is there to journal such an awesome adventure like this!!

We decided to do tent camping, as that provides us with plenty of quality time together without a lot of family/friends around; but it will also be a good reason to have them around from time to time as well. Just a great way to stay active and healthy!

This post is to just get us started and give ya some idea of what is going on. I'll make another post of how our adventures begin here at home first and then will continue through. Please feel free to follow along if you'd like!! We're looking forward to it!

We live on the Oklahoma/Arkansas border in a small town called Wister. It's estimated to be roughly a 22-23hour drive from here. We've planned to not drive the straight through. We've planned to get a nice little hotel in Douglas, Wy right outside of Casper (I believe) the night of June 3rd. This would be put us checking in at the park on the 4th of June. We'll be camping in Canyon Campgrounds, in the northern part of the park. We're planning on staying there until the 10th of June. I believe our check out is on the 10th, but it could be the 11th (I have to double check).

We got our tent in from Amazon last week, and have been dying to set it up. But .... mother nature seems to have different plans for this part of the country all the time. We're in the middle of tornado season here in the midwest and as everyone has seen, it's been a horrendous year for everyone. That includes us as well. While we've blessed to not get hit with an EF4 or EF5, we haven't gone untouched either. This past Tuesday night, we dodged a bullet. We had to take cover and seek shelter as a tornado was headed straight towards my mother in laws. It skipped us. After the sound of the freight train disappeared, we were able to come out and see what was going on. I could see the tornado in some distance in front of us touching down (I couldn't hear it anymore, but we were able to feel the winds kicking up) through the sky lighting up from the lighting storm in the sky. So, needless to say, it took a few days for the storms to move out and to allow the ground to dry out just enough to get the tent set up for a trial run.

Well, the whole purpose of us putting the tent together was to get some experience with this particular tent and seal the seams on it to make sure that we had no leaks while we're on our trip. Needless to say, we got the tent set up and we started to get really excited as we know the trip is right around the corner and we just can't wait ... we simply forgot to seal the seams on the tent. My mother in law said something about sealing it after we tore it down! We'll have to resort to doing this at Yellowstone when we set up!

Here are some photos our tent setting up adventure:

Our tent came in this handy bag with wheels on it! It's a beast for sure!


Here's the tent after it has been layed out on the ground:



Half way up!



Folding the tent back up to make it fit nicely in its little bag!! (This is our where my mother in law decided to remind us about the seam seal that we forgot about in our excitement!):



I'll post more updates as we get closer. I'll be taking a ton of photos during this trip from us packing the car, to the car being stuffed full and to us being on the road (again! Sorry, had the jingle in my head!).

Please feel free to ask any questions, I'll be more than happy to answer any that you may have! Or feel free to comment and follow along!

[renodesertfox]

Re: Our Adventure to Yellowstone National Park....

Shawnda howdy....I'm moving this thread that you started to the "Campouts and Outings" section. It is found right on the main page in the second sub-forum section. This section is reserved for trip reports and journals. I'm moving it because, in the tent camping sub-section eventfully your journal will get moved to the back pages more quickly if left where it is now.

In your profile page you haven't allowed pm to be sent to you. This can be changed anytime you want too. That is why this message is coming to you in the form of a reply to your original thread. BTW: The journal is awesome! Thanks for the photos and thanks for sharing!

[Shawnda]

Re: Our Adventure to Yellowstone National Park....

In your profile page you haven't allowed pm to be sent to you. This can be changed anytime you want too. That is why this message is coming to you in the form of a reply to your original thread. BTW: The journal is awesome! Thanks for the photos and thanks for sharing!

It is showing that I can get PM's when I just checked. Thanks for moving it to the right location!

[Shawnda]

Preparing for our trip...

Here were some things that we learned while putting the tent up to seam seal it. As I am sure that this may provide to be valuable information for others.

• Put all rods that go into holes at the top of the tent, BEFORE you raise it.
• Make sure everything is clipped into it's place before raising the tent.
• Don't forget to seam seal it before taking it down :p
• Lay all the rods out that go on each side that corresponds with them. I find that this makes things a little easier and you're not having to hunt and peck to figure out where things go.
• Don't walk in the tent with wet shoes on ... it's no good :(

Last night, we plugged in our Coleman Lanterns that are battery ran and they give off quite a bit of light. The really nice thing about them is that they are able to be charged through the car charger! Yay!

Here is a list of things that we have left to do before we leave Friday:

• Get the oil in the car changed!
• Make sure all the fluids are capped off.
• Organize the mess of camping gear, so it fits in its place
• Place everything into the car to ensure we have plenty of room in my vehicle.
• Go grocery shopping for the food we're getting.
• Must bring warm and cold clothing as it is still snowing there at times.

That's it for now, I'll provide more information as we get closer. I think that's it for the tasks that I have to do before leaving!

[GlitterHiker]

Re: Our Yellowstone Journal

Shawnda, I'm enjoying reading your journal and seeing the pics! Thanks for the tips about sealing. Have a great trip; glad to hear you missed the brunt of the tornados.

If it's of any help to you, here are some things on my "before-I-leave" checklist:
-- some people turn off their hot water heater
-- turn off air conditioner
-- charge all electronics that I'm taking
-- have the post office hold my mail
-- water my plants
-- get cash

Looking forward to your next post!

[surmisez]

Re: Our Yellowstone Journal

Well, the whole purpose of us putting the tent together was to get some experience with this particular tent and seal the seams on it to make sure that we had no leaks while we're on our trip. Needless to say, we got the tent set up and we started to get really excited as we know the trip is right around the corner and we just can't wait ... we simply forgot to seal the seams on the tent. My mother in law said something about sealing it after we tore it down! We'll have to resort to doing this at Yellowstone when we set up!

I'm sure someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I have smelled seam sealing stuff and it stinks to high heaven. Plus, I think it takes more than a few hours for the stink to go away -- maybe a couple of days or so.

I'm thinking you might want to take the time to seam seal before you go on your trip, otherwise, bring a big huge tarp and bungees and/or rope.

I'm going to enjoy reading your trip journal. We only get to camp a couple times a year, so I camp vicariously through others. :cool:

[Shawnda]

Re: Our Yellowstone Journal

Shawnda, I'm enjoying reading your journal and seeing the pics! Thanks for the tips about sealing. Have a great trip; glad to hear you missed the brunt of the tornados.

If it's of any help to you, here are some things on my "before-I-leave" checklist:
-- get cash

Looking forward to your next post!

I've charged and we're even going to be grabbing some extra batteries for the trip as well. We'll be grabbing cash, taking a few hundred dollars on us in case of an emergency. We have dogs, so my mother in law will be stopping by every day and checking on them and etc.

I'm sure someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I have smelled seam sealing stuff and it stinks to high heaven. Plus, I think it takes more than a few hours for the stink to go away -- maybe a couple of days or so.

I'm thinking you might want to take the time to seam seal before you go on your trip, otherwise, bring a big huge tarp and bungees and/or rope.

I'm going to enjoy reading your trip journal. We only get to camp a couple times a year, so I camp vicariously through others. :cool:

I talked the wifey into setting the tent back up and sealing it tomorrow and making sure all is good. We're also gonna water test it with the waterhose, so that way we can confirm that there are no leaks.

When we set it up the other day I made sure that there were no leaks with the sun light coming through.

[Shawnda]

Preparing for our trip #2

So, today we decided to get some more of the stuff packed in the "locker" that needs to go in there. We've got everything from the lanterns, silverware, propane heater, and etc., packed in our "foot locker" It doesn't seem to be heavy, either! Yay for us!



Last night, we made sure that the lanterns that we purchased would give off enough light at either at the picnic table or in the tent. We also made sure that they were fully charged, as they are battery ran and rechargeable. The nice thing about these Coleman Lanterns is that they do come with a car charger, if they need to be charged. According to the information that came with the lanterns, they will hold a charge of up to 10 hours!

Here is a pic with them turned on in our kitchen area with all the light off:

[Shawnda]

Leaving in the Morning

Do you ever get the feeling you're a kid all over again? It's like when your mom and dad would tell ya that you're going to Disney World for the first time and you're so excited for weeks to come and it takes forever to get there. You keep asking; "Is it time yet?", "Are we there yet?" and you're constantly being told no. Until that one day has arrived, you're told YES.. it's time! That's how it has been for me. With each passing day, I get more and more excited. Knowing that we are going to be camping in a fantastic place with a lot of interesting things to see and do. The experience of feeling and learning about something new all over again, just as if I were 5 years old again. I imagine when we're driving in, my eyes will enlarge trying to take in every detail to hold it into my memory. This journey is going to be remarkable, and I can't wait to tell it to my kids and grand-kids one day.

Tomorrow, we're planning on leaving between 5:30 and 6:00am. Today is the day that we get everything all packed and ready to go. Just a few last minute things to grab. Things such as extra batteries and ice for the cooler. We've already gotten the oil changed and all the liquids topped off and checked, just to have it done again in a week. On friday night we're getting a nice little hotel in Cody, Wy for the evening then leaving on Saturday morning probably around 8 to get us at our campgrounds at around 2, if all goes well. Originally we were going to come in through the East entrance, but due to weather - it's closed during the day and is only open from 10pm-8am. As a result, we have decided to enter the park from the South entrance, making our way through Grand Teton.

We decided that this trip was a good reason to go ahead and invest in a camcorder, as we're going to be able to have a video documentation of all of our adventures. We definitely can't wait to see how it turns out, after it's edited (of course). I surprised my wife and bought her a point and shoot camera. I got her a Nikon Coolpix L120, 14.1MP with a wide angel lens built in. I'm more of the photo bug, but I didn't want her to get impatient with me snapping my photos while we're out camping.

After our trip is done and we've recovered for a few days, we'll be getting a lot of photos developed and start working on our scrap book of our fun at Yellowstone. We're both looking forward to the final product.

On Tuesday, we put the tent back up and seam sealed where we thought it was necessary. We didn't do the entire tent at the time because it was so dog on hot outside, it was unbelievable! We both got ate up by the mosquitos out there. We decided to get some stuff for bites to help the itching and irritation caused by them for our trip as well as here at home. Yesterday, we went to the grocery store and got all of the food purchased. Everything was sealed and frozen last night (we vacuumed sealed it all), so that way it will stay nice, cold and frozen for a few days while we travel and once we get there.

[renodesertfox]

Re: Our Yellowstone Journal

Good luck, stay safe, keep us posted!

[GlitterHiker]

Re: Our Yellowstone Journal

Very exciting! You can sense the adrenalin from your writing. I hope you can post while you're on your trip.

[Shawnda]

Re: Our Yellowstone Journal

Very exciting! You can sense the adrenalin from your writing. I hope you can post while you're on your trip.

Thanks!! I am super excited and keep looking at the clock going, yep ... bed time at 10pm to awake at 5! We're going to have a blast though!

I'll grab a pic of my car before we unpack it, so that way I can show just how "stuffed" to the rim it is.

My trunk contains:

-Tent
-2x LG. Bags of Firewood
-1 LG. Bin that contains a lot of the non perishables that we're taking.
-2x Pillows
-1 egg craft for the air mattress
-2x folding chairs
-3x fire starter logs
-2 bags of fire starter sticks

Now, try to picture my trunk ... I own a 2010 Ford Focus 4 door. In the backseat of my car, I have the following:

-1 large duffle bag, stuffed full of clothes
-1x box with dishes
-2x sleeping bags
-1 camera bag that is holding a point and shoot, my dslr, and our camcorder
-1 backpack that will be used for hiking
-1 decent sized ice chest
-1 box with our cans and etc. of food
-1 plastic container with more food in it and will be used for doing dishes
-1 container of bottled water
-2x jugs of water

It's going to be stuffed, but fun!

[Shawnda]

Departure Day ...

So, the time has come and it's departure day! It's as if my mom came into my room and woke me by saying "It's time for your big adventure, little one ... let's go have some fun!" Nothing like waking a child up with a lot of excitement! That's how it is that I am feeling. I have maybe like 5.5 hrs of sleep or so, same with my wife. She's still "asleep", whereas I am wide awake! I'm rearing and ready to go.

We've got my poor vehicle crammed and stuffed full! It's going to be an exciting time! Tonight, we're stopping in Douglas, WY for our nice little stay in good ole hotel room before we start to rough it!

I'll update when I can from Yellowstone!! You'll definitely be having a long journal entry(ies) when I get back as well!

Have fun, fellow campeteers!

[Shawnda]

Re: Our Yellowstone Journal

Hello from Douglas, WY!!! We finally made it to our hotel last night at roughly 11pm MST. We drove for 18 hours yesterday. It sure didn't feel like it though.

Our GPS decided to take u down a gravel road through Kansas at one point. We took it, talk about blind trust not knowing if it wa going to hit pavement or not. That little detour allowed for us to see some fantastic older farm houses though. So, that was neat. We finally made it to Nebraska, and boy that state is flat. At one point we drove the border of Kansas, Nebraska, and Colorado for quite a few miles. It was crazy how the land looked different on all 3 sides when doing a look around. We finally hit Wyoming at sunset. Needless to say it was a beautiful site to see that state sign. The suns rays were hitting the few clouds in the sky to create a very interesting sunset. It looked as though we were looking out into the ocean with waves crashing. As it continued to get darker, the sky didn't separate from the open land. It looked as though we were driving on an island headed straight for water. Absolutely beautiful!!!

We leave in an hour or so for yellowstone!!! I'm excited. See ya later!!

[surmisez]

Re: Our Yellowstone Journal

Wow! Sounds like so much fun! Enjoy and stay safe! Lookin' forward to your next journal entry. :D