Hoff last left you as we were heading out of Yosemite Park. It was a shame that we hadn’t been able to see the park properly but it was just too busy and smokey, so we left that one for another trip.

After a somewhat expensive night in a slightly random campground, and having exchanged ideas and bear spray for beers with the other RV couple, we did some hasty planning and decided to flip the last bit of our trip. We’d planned to drive the California coast in our hire car once we’d handed back Ronda, but with Yosemite off the cards we decided to drive south and spend some time in the sunshine. It meant a drive back along many of the roads we’d covered a few days before, but we bust out 250 miles in one go (not so easy in the petrol powered kite) heading towards Pismo Beach on the coast.

As usual we were free styling our campground – picking a location off google maps and hoping for the best. Hoff ID’d two potential sights, and we aimed for the nearer of the two, but at last minute I made an executive call to press on to the further one as it was next to the beach. It was a bad call as we ended up stuck in Friday night traffic for two hours, and when we finally got to Pismo everything was either full or ridiculously expensive. A very friendly camp host pointed us back towards Lake Lopez, a state campground. It was significantly cheaper, and, it turned out, the other one Hoff had found on the map earlier. She was less than impressed and it was only the fact that I had already been driving for five hours and was the one getting further punished that proved to be the penance!

Lake Lopez turned out to be a cracking location and the ranger there gave us both a discount along with loads of recommendations for future sights to see and places to stay. We left early the next day and after a very quiet ‘dump and pump’ I.e. us emptying and refilling our tanks whilst trying not to wake the neighbours, we got back on the road heading south. We’d set our eyes on Santa Barbara for breakfast. Hoff was still hankering for eggs benedict and I was looking forward to a good coffee. Luckily we found them both at a cafe run by one of my friends, Henry’s Snell’s, cousins in Santa Barbara. We had a monster breakfast and Julian (Henry’s cousin) was kind enough to give us some more local tips. We also got on the WiFi, made a few calls to book some RV parks ahead of us (seeing as RV parks were expensive in is area we wanted to secure the cheap ones in advance) then parked Ronda before catching the bus back into town.

Santa Barbara was settled by the Spaniards some time ago – I believe in the 15 or 1600s, which by American standards is old. California was all part of México until the late 1800’s so there is a distinct spanish Mexican vibe to the place and many houses have a Southern European flavour to them. Our first port of call was a local brewery where we planned the rest if our stay over a local beer and a game of Bananagrams. We then wandered down to the pier and watched dolphins, pelicans and sea lions roaring over, under and around the bay. We also attempted to do some wine tasting as we’d heard there were quite a few wineries in town, but we came out $26 lighter having sampled some of the worst wines we’d ever tasted, so we called it quits and instead went back into the local breweries and spent an evening drinking local brews and trying to wangle as many free refills of the bar snacks as we could. We couldn’t face the walk back to Ronda so we got a taxi and after a quick water to try and sober up a bit (as we’d not been drinking much on the trip we were very lightweight so the few beers had an impact) we called it a night – 11pm was a rather late one for us!

We had a relatively leisurely get up the next day, leaving SB around 11am after using their relatively quick WiFi to do some planning. We were aiming for El Capitan, a state beach that we had heard great things about. It was only a couple of hours up the road so we pootled off looking forward to some time working on our tans. Sun’s out, guns out and all that….

Having made our millions in Vegas (wishful thinking), we set off towards sequoia national park.

Our first stop was to get a picture of the ‘welcome to Las Vegas’ sign. Not wanting to park and stand in line with the rest of the tourists I took pictures as Alex did a U-ey! As I had expected the sign was pretty disappointing and tacky but it was a fitting way to leave Vegas.

We knew we wouldn’t make it all the way to sequoia and aimed for a town called bakersfield. Our drive was uneventful apart from refusing to pay the high petrol prices near LV and so running Ronda down to the wire. We had a very nervous 30 miles driving to the petrol station we ID’d ahead when the petrol light was on. We made it. Phew. Having been driving all day – well, I was navigating/following google maps and suppling Alex with lots of tea – we arrived at the campground we had in mind. It was totally overpriced but we didn’t want to drive on. Having driven through the town we quickly worked out it was a totally dive and we couldn’t wait to get out, so we settled down for the night and planned to leave early the next day.

The next morning we headed early to sequoia. We drove along some very dry country and a coyote was trotting along the field next to us at one point which was fun. At the entrance gate to the park we were warned that driving RVs along the mountain road was tricky so we nervously set off for the hour long drive. Whilst we didn’t see much, as the valley was on the other side of the road, we soon found ourselves surrounded by absolutely enormous trees. We didn’t know much about sequoia apart from it having big trees but everyone who had been said it was their favourite national park and it was also to become ours.

Having faced a ‘campground full’ sign at most campsites we tried to stay at during the trip, it was refreshing that the lodgepole campground was nearly empty. At last we seemed to be hitting off peak season! The ranger at the visitor centre gave us a hike recommendation, “the trail of the sequoias”, which would also include a walk around the largest tree on earth. To get to our trail we had to start with everyone else only doing the 5 min walk and back to see the largest tree. We soon turned off the tourist trail and headed into the forest. I normally lead the hike. Alex says it is so I can set the pace but as most of our hikes are in bear country maybe he has an ulterior motive!

Suddenly, ahead on the trail, I saw something by a rock. We edged our way slowly along and we saw a marmot. It looked like a big squirrel/ small beaver. We decided to leave him be under the rock and we carried on. I was recounting to Alex that so far we had seen a coyote and a marmot and I wasn’t expecting to see anything except tall trees. I turned a corner and threw my arm out to stop Alex. A mum black bear and a cub were just metres in front of us! We stepped back and heard an almighty crash from our left. It turned out this was another cub tumbling through the undergrowth. It was the most amazing moment of our trip so far. We were creating our own bear jam! We felt so privileged seeing these guys and with no one else around. The mum eyed us up suspiciously so we just talked to them and asked them to move out of the way, which they did. One minute they were there and the next all 3 had disappeared into the forest. What a cool moment.

We walked on about 2 mins, still in shock, and then we saw another bear! This one was alone and so maybe a male. We walked a bit faster wanting to get out of its way. 4 bears in as many minutes. Incredible. Although they are described as black bears these ones were actually very sandy coloured. The rest of the walk was great. No more wildlife but the most enormous trees. We saw the biggest on earth. Alex and I decided that we bet there is a bigger one but it just hasn’t been found yet!

The next day we headed to kings canyon national park. It’s attached to sequoia. We headed to cedar grove which was at the bottom of the valley. The road was very windy but when we got the bottom we were greeted with yet another empty campsite. We chose a spot by the river and headed off for a hike to the mist falls. It turned out to be a bit longer than planned but was good nonetheless. We got to the river and a couple said they had just seen a big bear. Sadly we didn’t see him but having seen 4 yesterday we had already been very lucky. We made our way back to camp. The sun was setting and it was getting very cold, so time for a glass of wine to warm up.

2 great days in national parks and Yosemite national park was next. We had heard about some forest fires in the area but hoped we would be ok. Yosemite is also attached to sequoia and kings canyon but you have to drive all the way out and then back into the park to get to it, which took a couple of hours in Ronda. When we got to the entrance the ranger warned us it was pretty busy and that it might be a tad smokey. As we got nearer to the main village with all the campgrounds, it was utter chaos. There were people and cars and RVs everywhere. It was polar opposite to sequoia which was only a few miles away. The air was also thick with smoke, like someone was having a monumental bonfire. Having established that there were no campgrounds available we decided that Yosemite was not for us on this trip. We didn’t want to hike in thick smoke so decided we would head to the coast earlier than planned – the beauty of being able to be flexible with plans. We found a campsite near the park and met an English couple who were on day 1 of their 2 week RV trip. At nearly 5 weeks into our RV trip we felt like professionals and passed on a few tips along with our bear spray (we would really need it for the rest of the trip)! Whilst it was disappointing that we didn’t see Yosemite we were also ready for a change and to see the sea. Next stop Santa Barbara!

First of all, my sincere apologies for the lack of a blog post recently. No elaborate excuses for it – we’re just having too much fun and therefore it’s too easy to settle down at the end of a busy day with a beer in hand and read your book for an hour or two before hitting the hay early, ready for another day of adventures, as opposed to writing a blog!

Anyway, when you last left us we were hurtling down the road into Las Vegas – sin city, the city of lights, where anything and everything you want is available. After skirting around the edges of the main strip we arrived at our RV park. By park I mean piece of asphalt plonked next to a main road and conveniently located near the areas biggest casino. It was, however, cheap, and had a free shuttle bus to the strip, so we didn’t complain.

We quickly dropped our things and after a couple of hasty WhatsApp messages home, using the falsely advertised ‘fast’ WiFi, we headed over to catch a ride into town. We were a little bit early for the bus so we took a detour through the local casino. It was Hoffers’ first glimpse inside a real live gambling den and to say that her eyes were wide when we first walked in the door would be an understatement. To be honest, I too was blown away by the size of the place we’d walked into, even having been to LV in the past (as a 19 year old on my gap year). For those who haven’t been, insides of casinos are things beyond true articulation. The lighting is the same 24 hours a day, they pump oxygen in to keep you alert, there are no clocks, and you can get a free drink no matter what time of day it is (for free as long as you are putting money in the machines). All of these add up to a complete loss of any sense of what time of day it is, and when emerging 20 mins later to get the bus, we’d forgotten that outside it was bright sunshine in a clear blue sky.

A short ride later and we were in town. I thought I’d seen Hoff’s eyes pretty wide earlier but they got even wider as we stepped out onto the strip. The lights, the noise, the sheer volume of traffic – both people and cars – and the sights and smells of the city completely overwhelm you. To be honest the real smell that hits you first, before the sewage smell that comes with plonking a city in the middle of a boiling hot desert, is the smell of cannabis. Being legal in Nevada, everyone seemed to be on the stuff and very soon we decided to head back into the oxygen rich casinos just to get away from the stuff before we too ended up flying high along the rest of the strip.

In fact it was good timing as we’d already decided that we wanted a little flutter on the machines. We couldn’t bring ourselves to buy in on a table so we allowed ourselves a few dollars each (high rollers, I know) to see what we could win. We were also hoping to avail ourselves of the promised free drinks that casinos provide whilst you’re pumping money into their coffers. A short while later and whilst I’d lost all my cash, Hoff had luckily put her sheckles to work and earned back all that I had lost, but neither of us had a free drink in hand. Apparently we just weren’t splashing enough cash! So we called it quits and headed back out into the strip, where we found a dirty shop selling 2 beers for $2 and walked back into town gleefully swigging our cheap booze (alongside cannabis, it’s also legal to drink openly on the streets in LV).

One of the things we were both set on was seeing a show. We knew from the outset we’d not be able to properly gamble and we also had a Monzo with some extra cash in it, courtesy of a very kind wedding present from Hoff’s brothers. We decided on Cirque du Soleil and after sharing a starter at Denny’s (to tie us over for a few hours, much to the consternation of the waitress who I suspect was expecting us to eat more) we headed back to Treasure Island to grab a drink before the show.

Entering the casino, and with a couple of hours to spare, we decided to grab a drink at what was a Treasure Island’s take on a western bar. An OK Corral styled pub, Gillies came complete with a mechanical bull, line dancing and those most traditional and authentic bikini clad cowgirl waitresses (discovered post entrance to the pub, not before, I hasten to add). We amused ourselves watching drunken Americans getting thrown off the bull and line dancing, led by a Chinese man who remarkably knew all the moves (presumably a local?!) all whilst eating a Mexican quesadilla and drinking Alaskan beer (again, presumably both local?!). Before we left we had time to raise a glass to one of the many couples who had got married in Vegas and who had chosen to have their wedding reception in the bar. It was a far cry from a marquee in the fields of Hambledon for our wedding, but I don’t think the bikini clad waiting staff would quite have fitted in. Anyway, before we knew it it was time to take our seats for the show

Having heard much about CDS we had expected two things – for the show to be awesome and for the seats to be sold out. It was certainly one of them. We had a whole seating area to ourselves from which to watch what was the most magnificent show we have ever seen. Despite slightly weird costumes and lack of a storyline, the displays of human strength, ingenuity and agility during the performance were simply staggering. Mind boggling in places. At times Hoff could only peer through her hands clasped over her face as trapeze artists literally flew through the air, with the only indication she was still actually watching being her gasps and shrieks of fear mingled with delight. All too soon it was over and we left absolutely astounded at what the human body could perform and what the mind could think up. We came close to walking up to the box office and booking to see the other 4 variants of the show being played in LV (of course there are multiple variants – this Las Vegas after all).

After grabbing an Uber back to our RV – having spent another hour or so trying to win our millions at the $0.25 slot machines – we slept like logs – not only were our brains trying to digest the sights and sounds of the day, but also because all the previous week the nights had been freezing cold and here in LV, where it was a pleasant 20 degrees or so in the positive even at night, we were warm for once!

The next day, after a leisurely get up (the warmth meant we slept in for once as opposed to being woken by the inbuilt heater kicking in) we headed back into town via Uber. We’d decided we would stay another night to give ourselves time to experience the real Vegas – including the food. Hoff had also spent time googling how to beat the casinos and therefore was sure that we could count the cards together, beat the system, and make some real cold hard cash to finance the rest of our trip. With another three dollars each burning wholes in our pockets, we were ready to take on the machines.

We started in Circus Circus, one of the oldest casinos in town (we learnt this and much more from our taxi driver), where we headed to the Adventuredome, an indoor theme park. It was basically empty and we ran from ride to ride like 5 year olds let loose in a sweet shop with a years worth of pocket money. Pretty soon we both felt the effects of the g forces and were looking, and feeling, green. An hour into our theme park morning and we were done, so we sat outside and shared a nutty bar to get some sugar back into our systems.

Feeling a little better we wandered back down the strip, ducking into as many casinos as we could whilst sipping on beers bought from a ‘definitely legitimate’ vendor on the side of the road. We had expected all the Casinos to be different but after our fourth or fifth it was pretty much same old, same old. A floor of slot machines and gambling tables as far as the eye could see, with people putting dollar after dollar into the one eyed bandits and trying their luck. Employees floated around looking like they really didn’t want to be there and to be honest, we started to get the feeling that we didn’t either. Vegas is just too much to take in. It well deserves its Sin City tagline – indeed there were lorries driving up and down the strip advertising “girls of every variety who want to meet you, just a phone call away”, with Hoff and I debating calling one of the numbers just to see whether they might possibly have been falsely advertising how much these girls wanted to meet us and not our credit cards! Having spent the last few weeks in the peaceful tranquility of the American great outdoors, we felt ready to leave as soon as possible, so we made plans to get off the strip and back to the decorum of our RV.

We stopped in via the M and M shop, which was pumped full of both tourists and a sickly sweet fake chocolate smell, and then had brunch at the MGM Grand hotel, an all you can eat affair, which was, to be fair, pretty good. However we thought it was a trifle steep (no pun intended) to be asked if we wanted to add our tip onto our card payment before we’d even stepped into the food court!

The American tipping system is still something we can’t understand despite 6 weeks here. 25% seems to be the norm, even for a bar person pouring you a drink, and we’ve heard of people being chased out of restaurants by exasperated waiting staff, having received good service and upon leaving a decent 10% tip. Being on such a long trip we’ve not eaten out much in order to watch the budget, and when we have, we’ve always made it a thing to subtly let the waiter or waitress know that we’re somewhat cash constrained so that they don’t expect vast sums from us (which most, thankfully, seem to understand).

With full bellies, our heads still aching from too many roller coasters, and our pockets the sum total of $2 lighter from our gambling flutters, we jumped on the free bus back to Ronda, and after a very light supper (I think we managed a piece of fruit each) we once again got an early night after an episode of the West Wing (with Hoff, as usual, trying to pretend that she hadn’t fallen asleep halfway through). ahead of an early start to make our way towards Sequoia, and back into the tranquility of the wonderful US park system.

Alex left you all on the edge of your seats as to whether we would get a space to park Ronda in Zion NP. We did!! We made friends with the cars in front so we all piled into a group space for only $10 per car. Win!

But before Zion we made our way from the Grand Canyon towards Bryce national park. After a horrifically bumpy drive (the road into and out of the GC is horrific) we arrived at what google said was a campground. It actually turned out to be a few parking areas on a sandy road and it was free! In Utah you can pull over anywhere to sleep. That night it was absolutely freezing. It was too cold to sleep – so cold that our heater came on automatically due to the temperature. The heater is so loud it’s like trying to sleep through a pneumatic drill, and one that turns off and on every 15 minutes!

We headed into Bryce early doors, found the RV parking (having been turned around at the park entrance for being too big) and jumped on the park shuttle. We hiked the fairyland trail. It was boiling and there were no loos for the whole 13km route, which proved to be quite problematic when necking water (Alex was glad he was a boy!). The walk was fab and the scenery was like nothing we had seen in our trip so far. After the walk we jumped on the shuttle for a little sit down and went around the rest of the park. We saw our first prairie dogs!

Leaving the park we headed back to the free camping space from the night before as it was near Zion and we were heading there the next day. We stopped off at a cafe on the way to use some WiFi and got some fries. The local sauce was ketchup and mayo pre mixed. Amazing!!!

The next day we were up at 630 to head to Zion. We had read that the campsite was first come first served so we needed to be early. We got to the park and the park entrance booths were unmanned. As we were in an RV we had heard that we had to pay to go through a tunnel into the park. They make the tunnels one way for a while so the RVs can drive in the middle due to height restrictions. It said the height limit was 13.1 foot. The note above the driver seat said our height was 13.5. We were faced with making a 2 hour detour all the way round the park to use the other entrance or gambling that they’d over egged the height limits for tourists like us and that we would actually fit. We settled down to breakfast and waited for the booth attendants to arrive. Mid branflakes a park worker arrived and Alex legged it out of the RV to check dimensions. The rain get said our RV would be ok so we gambled and headed to the tunnel – Alex having basically bolted the rest of his cereal and getting brain freeze in the process. We were first in line at the tunnel and a result. It was a tense few seconds hoping our AC unit wouldn’t be knocked off but we made it through. Phew!

Alex likes to keep reminding me about his trip around USA when he was only 19-he wasn’t even legal to drink back then! One of the hikes he mentioned was Angel’s landing (I keep mentioning the word hike as we are in America and Americans hike, they don’t walk). I had also read about this hike in a recent book about travelling around the USA. The author said that he had to use chains to get to the top, that it was very high up and whilst at the top it started hailing. This was not my idea of fun. However, I decided to be a nice wife and go with Alex. What a huge mistake that was. Our first error was setting off at midday. We were sweating before we even got off the excellent shuttle service in Zion (the shuttle drivers give brilliant info as you go along). Some people on our shuttle had enormous wooden walking poles. Where the hell were we going?!!! Thankfully they were for a different hike (the one we were going to do the next day!)

As I looked up at our destination as we got out of our shuttle I thought it looked ok – an elevation we had done before and only 5.5 miles round trip. What was the big fuss about? The first 2 miles were hot but fine. Then came the worst mile of my life. I wish I had been clever enough to look on YouTube (as the helpful driver told us on our return trip later that day) about what was about to come as I would have turned around at this point. What followed for the next half mile was climbing with the use of chains and quite literally having a 1000ft drop right next to us. My hands have never been sweatier, which is less than ideal when trying to cling onto the chains to prevent yourself falling off. When there were gaps in the chains and you were expected to walk solo, I moved at a snails pace hunched over like Golem from Lord of the Rings.

The next obstacle was people coming down. Someone had to let go of the chain or you ended up hugging!!! We got to what I thought what was the top. It flattened out and I had only a few metres to go. My legs wouldn’t move and I burst into tears. I pulled myself together and we made it. After laughing at 2 topless lads posing for their tinder pictures we downed a very melted kitkat and some Gatorade for a much needed sugar kick and made the return journey. I feared it would be even worse as I would be looking down but it was actually much better. I can safely say I will not be doing that walk again!

The rest of the day was spent walking along the river and right next to deer with massive ears! That evening we chatted to our ‘friends’ around a campfire. One couple were cycling. They had cycled around Canada and now the USA. Super impressive. Another couple were from Germany travelling around and the final couple were travelling around whilst one of them waited to get their citizenship over here. We got an invite to Jordan and Munich out of the evening! Result!

The next day we decided to walk The Narrows. We set off fairly early as the trail started at the end of the park. I say trail, but actually there is no trial. The trail is walking in the river. Not deviating from our usual hiking rig (shorts and sports tops and trainers) we stood in line for the shuttle. Everyone around us was wearing waterproof shoes and trousers that they had hired from the local town, and carrying these enormous wooden sticks. Feeling pretty unprepared we set off. The water was actually not that cold and we decided if you were wearing waterproof kit you weren’t really doing the hike properly! The deepest bit we went through was just below my waist. Although it was by no means our longest trek, as we made very slow progress in the water, it was definitely the most fun. Walking through a mountain canyon in a river up to your waist is not something I had foreseen on this trip!

From Zion we were headed for Vegas. It was too far to do the trip in one day so we stopped off near a place called Hurricane. We pulled into an RV park that was really a trailer park. It was clear that some people had been living in their trailers for years, judging by how settled in they were (so,some had been created their own garden in front of their RV in the parking lot). Feeling slightly on edge, we found the camp host who was super nice and we settled into an evening of clothes washing. Clean clothes are such a luxury when you’re travelling and living out of a backpack!

The next morning we managed to WhatsApp call our parents which was great. The campsites always say they have good WiFi but in reality it’s rubbish so we normally use Walmart to do our admin (they usually have the best free WiFi).

The next morning we set off for Vegas. When we were planning this trip I didn’t want to go to Vegas as it sounded tacky and not my kind of place. Suddenly I couldn’t wait to get there! As we drove through sand, and a bit more sand, suddenly there it was, looming out of the mountains, a city in the middle of nowhere. Eeeeeek. However I’ll leave Alex to tell you about our Vegas adventures in his next post….

As I write this, we are sat in the queue for a campsite in Zion National Park. It’s first come first served so hopefully we are near enough to the front to get a spot. But Zion is for another time as I am getting ahead of myself, so it’s back a few days to Ouray……

Leaving Ouray without having had our American breakfast – Hoff is desperate for an eggs benedict – we wound our way up into the valley and onto what is colloquially known as the million dollar highway. It’s easy to see why – not only is it obvious that it must have cost them a fair few millions to build, but the views are also spectacular. We hit the first plateau around 10,000 feet up and were greeted by a beautiful alpine scene of mountains towering over crystal clear lakes, reflecting the yellow, browns and greens of the autumn leaves. We’d heard that ‘fall’ in this part of the Country is beautiful but as with many vistas in the US, words just can’t describe them and the views were quite spectacular.

We climbed our way all the way up to 12000 feet and crossed into the next county, heading down towards Silverton and then across to Durango, where we were aiming for Walmart – not only for a resupply but also for free WiFi, which has been harder to come across than we were expecting. It’s sad that we’ve had to spend some of the trip chasing internet connections but things have been busier than expected (hence the reason we are sat in a queue right now) so we’ve had to try and book ahead where possible. We’ve also needed WiFi to stay in touch with family and friends, and plan other parts of our trip in the coming months.

Hoff also took the opportunity to get her nails done! Whilst she was doing that I stayed in the RV, had a coffee and read my book. It was the first time we’d spent time apart since arriving here in early September and actually we both enjoyed the hour of silence. We had been advised by numerous seasoned travellers that an important part of keeping a healthy relationship whilst on a long trip is spending time apart and doing your own thing. We hadn’t really thought much about it until then as it sounds a bit weird, but having done it I think we will add some more breaks into our plans in the coming eight months.

Fuelled up, with extra stores (and freshly painted nails) we left Durango and headed towards Mesa Verde. We’d hoped to see a bit of Durango itself but parking was a nightmare so we pressed on. After booking a tour at the visitors centre outside MV park, we found a spot to camp nesr the park and settled in for the night, ready for an early morning exit.

Morning came and after a quick workout (using the children’s play area as a gym setup) we drove to Mesa Verde. MV is a plateau on top of a high mountainous area where in the 1300s, Native American tribes built homes underneath the rocks in a number of valleys. The homes, made of rock, are all still there, and many in original condition, which makes for a very interesting hike. Our tour took us close to the remaining village and we also did a quick loop of the nearby canyon to get our steps up.

Later that afternoon we said goodbye to Mesa Verde and drove on towards the Monument Valley. Having been there before I was keen for Hoff to see the place. The roads took us across what can only be described as cowboy country mixed with the surface of Mars. It was pretty spectacular. Taking a right off the main highway we ventured into the unknown as Hoff had found a random campsite on her map. Pulling in we were met with a beautiful bend in the nearby river and views that were spectacular in the end of day light. We spent a very windy night in the RV – windy outside I hasten to add – and then turned in for the night as we were planning to get up early to get to Monument Valley first thing.

After a hasty breakfast and cup of tea we were on the road towards MV. We were treated to a beautiful sunrise before we stopped off to take in the famous backdrop as featured in Forrest Gump (and many other films). Dodging traffic we got our obligatory shot then headed on into the park proper. At this point I will confess to being very disappointed. We had to pay $20 just to get into the park – our park card didn’t work here – and then got told our RV wasn’t allowed any further. Tours were ridiculously priced – the locals had a monopoly – so we mooched around the museum before calling it quits and getting on the road again towards the Grand Canyon.

The drive to the GC was the toughest yet. Despite the roads being smooth as silk, the wind really picked up and it made driving Ronda like flying a kite. Three hours of buffeting later and we thankfully entered the park, only to be told that the campgrounds were all full. We took a gamble and chanced our luck at one of the Park Service campgrounds and managed to bag a spot where someone had cancelled last minute, so after a walk around the visitors centre, where Hoff got her first view of the canyon, we turned in early ready for our big hike the next day.

Rising bright and early – both because we were off on a hike and because we had to leave our camping spot – we started our trek down into the canyon proper. After a good coup,e of hours of switch backs we made it to the plateau where we were rewarded with views over the Colorado river below. After hearing another fellow walker say they’d almost fallen off into the ridiculously big drop below – despite walking down almost 1km the river was still a fair way below us – we decided to take our lunch with us and start the hike back up. It was a fair old slog – the old saying of what goes up, must come down, was reversed in our case and we had to get all the way back up to the canyon rim, but we made it in time to grab a well deserved pizza before settling in to an evening of beer, wine, kindle and the West Wing to recoup our strength.

Our next few stops are going to be exciting – aiming for Lake Powell, Bryce Canyon and then Zion Nation Park, but that’s another tale that I’ll leave Hoff to tell.

Ps – no sign of Mr Mouse recently so we think he’s moved on to easier targets!

After a rather restless night at the lake campsite thinking someone was breaking in to the RV, we headed off to the town of vernal. A quick stop in Walmart for provisions and we were back on the road heading south. Our aim was rabbit valley campground, which we had come across during our research. Coming off the main road just after Vernal, we had to drive along a horrible, bumpy highway heading south most of the way there and then finally down a dirt track to reach the campground. However, it was worth it, as in Utah you can basically camp anywhere and this area had been designed as a space for free camping. Win!

After parking up in what essentially looked like a slightly overgrown car park, we went for a walk to check out the area. It was really just a sandy and rocky wasteland with very little to see. It was boiling and so after our short explore, we decided to hide from the sun in the RV and read our books. It was at this point that we realised we had taken on a tenant in the form of Mr Mouse which Alex mentioned in his last post. At least we now knew what the past few nights rustling had been! To get over the shock of the little creature we decided to try and maintain our fitness with a workout in the car park. We probably looked pretty odd, squating and lunging in the middle of nowhere.

The next day we headed to Moab….the adventure town of the West. Alex was desperate to hire a UTV which is basically a go kart with silly big wheels on steroids. I wasn’t so sure about the idea though…! After a quick stop at the visitor centre we floored it as fast as Ronda could handle to the nearest campsite to see if there was a spot. Hoorah. We got the last one! Back into town and we managed to book a private sunset tour for that evening in the UTV. We had an ice cream to celebrate and it was our first ice cream in the states. We couldn’t afford one each so we shared-from a tub not a cone I might add as that would be rank!

Later that evening we gathered our stuff and headed off for what would be one hell of a ride. Signing the waiver for any possible injuries I wondered what I was getting myself into. At this point I thought we were just going to be driving along roads in this weird looking go kart.how wrong I was. Our guide was driving one and we had one too. He first had to drop his kid at footie practice – what a way to turn up to school – then we were off.

We reached the rocks and were told to put it into 4wd. The next 90 minutes were chaos. But amazing chaos. We literally drove up and down vertical rock edges. It was unbelievable. I decided Alex had been driving long enough and I needed a turn. I was hesitant at first. More of a Volvo driver than a Ferrari driver but then I found my groove and I was off! It was brilliant. We stopped along the trail to see some dinosaur footprints too which was cool. All too soon it was over and we headed back to Ronda.

At about 8.30pm Alex asked where his wallet was. We had put phones and wallets in our dry bag which we took on the UTV but after a thorough check it wasn’t there. Alex was certain he hadn’t taken it in his pocket. So where was it?! Without his driving licence I was now worried I would be driving the rest of the trip! Hoping that we had left it at the shop we decided we would get there before opening the next day. After being on such a high following the UTV ride we were now on a low. THEN I remembered that his wedding ring was in his wallet! He keeps it there when not wearing it. So we then felt even worse! Going through scenarios of if we didn’t find it and having to go the police, we fell asleep and actually both slept quite well considering.

The next morning we got up early and pegged it to the shop for 745. It was already open- google hours got it wrong! Alex hadn’t even parked before I jumped out and ran in. There it was along with part of our go pro camera which we hadn’t even realised we’d left behind. What a relief! We headed off to arches national park with a spring in our step knowing we had been v lucky.

After only about 10 mins drive we got to Arches. The name says it all really as to what is in arches Nat. park. A lot of arches in rocks! After lots of twists and turns we found ourselves driving amongst huge rock formations. My immediate thought and which I voiced was “they all look like willies”. Very immature I know but I say what I see. We wanted to do the only big hike in arches which was supposed to be about 11.5km. We headed off and within about 5 minutes my socks and trainers were full of sand. Not the ideal start. We trudged on and soon found ourselves clambering over rocks which Alex thought was fun. I wasn’t so sure as I am a human, not a mountain goat. We followed the signs and then suddenly the signs vanished. There was a distinct lack of people too. How have we got lost again?! We then saw 2 people and they told us we had to go back the way we had come. Grrrreat. Eventually we were back amongst the masses and heading to the exit having done 2km extra.

It was now lunchtime and I had read about a place in town in so many guide books. It sounded like it was the stuff of legends. Today was the day. We headed back into town a bit arched-out and pulled up at Milts burger place. OMG. It was incredible. After our burgers (well deserved after our 14km hike) we shared an Oreo milkshake to top things off. We didn’t speak for the whole 3 minutes it took to eat. Milts will be a very fond memory for us! That evening we couldn’t handle any food!

The next day we were leaving Utah and heading to Colorado. This was a great drive. We were heading for Ouray-the Switzerland of America. We were recommended this stop by someone we had got chatting to on our trip and what a fantastic recommendation it was. After googlemaps had taken us on a whacky route to the RV camp we parked up, had lunch and headed into town to check out the local breweries. We tried 3. The prices were eye waterring and made London look reasonable. Still. This was our first time staying within walking distance of a town so for once we didn’t need to drive! Our last beer was next to a burger shack and it took real strength to not get one and instead return to Ronda and our homemade and slightly weird chicken curry!

The next day we set off on the perimeter trail. This was a loop around the town of Ouray and so we both felt confident that all we had to do was follow the trail and signs and all would be well. It was going to end at the Hot Springs which we decided was an ideal way to end a 12km hike. The first 6km went swimmingly. Morale was high, the sun was out and we were storming along. Then it all went very pear shaped. At a fork in the track, with no sign, I was convinced we needed to go right and Alex wasn’t so sure (Alex turned out to be right). After heading at least 1.5km in the wrong direction, which also involved our first argument of me blaming Alex for us getting lost and asking “what the hell does he do in his army training if not learning to read a map” it was a tense time! We turned around., neither of us speaking to each other. We had lunch which made us slightly more friendly but then we took another wrong turn! We decided to backtrack even more and finally we found our way. There was no sign for the walk if you were coming from our direction and we have since written to parks to complain.

Feeling very fed up we headed back into town and did some shopping to cheer us up. That evening we headed to the hot springs. A bit more public swimming pool than what we had imagined but very pleasant none the less as situated amongst the mountains. We were there until nearly dark and so the stars were out which was awesome. We walked back to camp and went past a rather fresh looking bear poo. Our step quickened. We made it home safe and sound. The next day we would be leaving magical Ouray and definitely our favourite place we have stayed so far. Until the next post…..

In a brief diversion from the usual travel-focused blog posts, we thought we’d give you all a quick insight into life in the RV.

As mentioned, we’ve named our RV ‘Ronda’. No idea why, but now when the hills are steep or we need a little extra grunt from her to overtake a tractor somewhere in the backcountry, we both sweet talk her into giving us a few extra horses with encouraging words like ‘come on Ronda, you can do it”, or“that’s a good girl” along with a gentle pat on the dash when she’s done well.

Yes, life in an RV does send you a little loopy and it certainly isn’t for everyone. Ronda is 22 foot long and apparently can sleep six people. We’d say four adults comfortably but they’d probably be bored of the lack of space after a week. There certainly wouldn’t be any secrets anyway! Some of the RVs out here are more like moving palaces. One parked across from us this morning was so big we joked you’d need a phone to call someone the other end.

In truth Ronda isn’t much smaller than your average one bedroom London flat. At the back we’ve got a double bed, next to the loo, which has a pleasant sit down throne and a one person shower. We try to avoid going to the loo when the other person is still in bed as the walls are pretty thin – good for fuel consumption as they are light; not so good for noise suppression!

In the middle of the RV on each side we have a sink and gas stove, and fridge and freezer respectively. Then comes the table – which would seat four at a push – before you get to the front driver and passenger seats. It’s walk through which means you can get access to the living part of the vehicle without leaving the cab. It’s pretty handy for a quick loo stop or tea break on route, especially if it is foul weather outside, or for running the engine early in the cold mornings to blow through the hot air. Sometimes it’s a dash to the front, engine on, dash back to bed, a wait for the engine to warm up, then a dash back to the front and blowers on full.

All our gear is stored in cupboards around the RV although as were not using the over cab double bed, that’s handy for storage. We’ve learnt the hard way not to store anything heavy or fluid based high up. The other day in Cody, when pulling out of a bumpy turn out, the top cupboard behind Hoff flew open and our four, one gallon water bottles fell out, leaking everywhere. Cue Hoff conducting an in the move damage mitigation action with every towel and drying up cloth she could find. Ironically we’d just finished visiting a dam so maybe she’d learnt a thing or two!

We’ve got into a pretty good RV daily routine. Waking up early, as mentioned earlier, the RV is often pretty cold, especially when we’ve been further north. This means it can be hard to leave the warmth of the duvet, but Hoff is usually the one to give in and get up first, mainly because she needs a wee! On goes the kettle and we rustle up a couple of teas (with teabags from the UK as the Americans don’t do good tea) before breakfast – bagels, porridge, bran flakes, bacon and eggs, essentially anything you can have at home. The fridge has been a bit temperamental recently so we might be eating more bagels the further south we go!

We try to only do 3 hours driving (or 150 or so miles) a day otherwise you end up just driving and not seeing anything. Hoff has swallowed her fear and driven a couple of times as well, which isn’t easy. Ronda is almost as tall as she is long, and that means in cross winds she can be a bit of a brute to handle. Driving the mountains passes in what is essentially a vehicular version of a kite is also interesting.

Dinner is much the same as breakfast – pretty much anything is possible with the hob and oven – but one pot meals are easiest on the washing up. We’ve realised how much water we use when we are back in the UK – with a fresh water tank of 173 litres for all cooking, cleaning and flushing, you need to be sparing with your use of it. This means showers Navy style – get wet, turn off and soap up, then rinse off. In and out in just a few minutes.

One of the most unpleasant but at the same time amusing jobs is emptying the tanks. Once all the gauges are full, it’s time to empty the black (septic) and grey (waste water). This usually involves me doing the dirty work and Hoff strategically heading off to find somewhere to refill our drinking water. It’s a pretty mucky job – think gloves and nose pegs – but as long as you take it slowly things tend to go ok. Another RV’r told us a story the other day about when she watched the RV in front of her go to ‘dump’. The man doing the ‘dumping’ was evidently new to it all and hadn’t quite got the hang of it. On hands and knees he attached their waste pipe, and thinking all was good to go, released the sluices. Unfortunately said pipe was not attached properly and he received a full frontal hose down of human waste – I doubt the fact that it was his own made it much better!

At the end of our last post I mentioned that we had a slightly disturbed nights sleep a few days ago. In the middle of the night Hoff woke me up saying “Oh my god Alex there is someone in our RV”. I couldn’t hear anything but dutifully got up and looked around ready to confront the intruder. Nothing found, I went back to bed. Hoff didn’t sleep a wink for the rest of the night, convinced that there was someone hiding somewhere. Quite where they’d have hidden I don’t know but anyway, I digress.

The next day, when we came to have dinner, we opened up our dry food locker and noticed a number of what can only be described as black rice grains dotted all over our food. On closer inspection we saw that our actual rice bag had been nibbled through and that the black rice looked more like mouse droppings. Seconds later, Hoff screamed and jumped onto the sofas. She’d seen said mouse running along the top of our cooker. So Ronda now has three inhabitants – two human and one mouse – and we’ve discovered that the RV burglar was in fact the mouse rustling away, chomping its way through our provisions. We’ve since had a thorough decontamination and rejig of all foodstuffs and touch wood, we think the mouse has trotted off to another RV in search of easier pickings. Not quite the animal sightings we’d had in mind but we added it to the tally anyway.

Next time – Hoff will pick up on our trip from Vernal down towards Moab and then on into Ouray, the ‘Switzerland of America’ (whatever that means)!

We woke on our last morning in YS to beautiful sunshine. Absolutely typical – the one day we had planned to be in the car so didn’t care if it rained, and the weather was great. Hoff was mightily disappointed We’d not had the sunshine to go wolf hunting but we both agreed that nature was nature and we’d seen so much in the park that we couldn’t complain.

The sunshine meant that our drive East towards Cody through the Shoshone Forest was absolutely spectacular and certainly one of the most beautiful journeys I’ve ever done. The twisting turns took us next to rivers and between huge rock canyons, with the leaves all turning shades of yellow and brown for the autumn. It was a stunning drive that left us breathless and Ronda, our RV, with rather warm brakes! Hoff also managed to get her picture with the Yellowstone sign so she soon forgot about the wolves!

The thing about this part of America is that it is not only massive, but ever changing. One moment you are in never ending forests, the next you are in cowboy territory. Thus we passed into the Buffalo Bill National Park and then into Cody, the Rodeo capital of the world. With over 100 years of history (which is a lot for the US) this is actually a really interesting place and we went to the local museum which was very informative (even Hoff admitted it was good) with the largest collection of guns I’ve ever seen. Hoff fluttered her eyelids at the guard and he let us in for free, so that was an added bonus! Dinner took us to the famous Irma hotel, but not before we watched a rather cringeworthy re-enactment of a Wild West gun fight in the street outside. Hoff didn’t like the blanks being fired – so much so that she spilt half her wine when the first one went off! Having our first meal outside the RV for a week meant we soon forgot the rather am-dram style acting as we waddled back to our RV, full of steak and hamburger.

Thursday morning saw us making use of all the modern amenities we’d been missing in the RV – a proper shower, laundry facilities and WiFi – before we left to drive back towards Yellowstone, which was the quickest way to Grand Teton National Park. We decided to make a pit stop for a night in the aforementioned Shoshone Forest, where we joined a trail horse ride for two hours through the foothills of YS park. It was a spectacular ride and gave us a proper view of the forests at a gentle horses walking pace. This was a wedding gift from family and a lovely wat to spend the afternoon. We overnighted in a local camp sight – $15 as opposed to the $40 we paid in Cody was much appreciated- before heading towards Grand Teton.

Friday dawned wet and windy. In fact it rained most of the night and the Ranger at the gate to Yellowstone told us we were lucky to get over the pass as they were expecting snow and were ready to close the road. We skipped through YS once again and into GT, where the weather was sadly no better. In fact it was worse, and despite a lunch break sat in our waterproofs waiting for the torrential rain to subside before we went for a walk, it didn’t get any better so we pressed on towards Jackson. It was a real shame as we caught glimpses of the Teton range through the clouds and could tell that they’d look magnificent on a better day, but we knew we’d come back one day so said Auf Weidersehn and drove on towards Jackson. On the way out we spotted moose and her calf chilling out in the rain, so it wasn’t a completely wasted trip.

Jackson was what everyone had warned us it would be – a local ski town overrun by the rich, and tourists – so we quickly decided not to stay there and drove on.

By this point we were beyond anywhere we’d planned we’d be and even getting to the edge of google maps, so we’d be relying on paper and local tourist pamphlets for somewhere to stay. The road climb led onto the steeps of Wyoming along the 191, another beautiful US byway, and we eventually found ourselves in a place called Pinedale. Plonked slap bang in the middle of a plateau – which itself is absolutely humongous (in America everything is bigger and the size of the vistas you see on your drives just cannot be described in words) – it’s a real cowboy town. Hoff managed to find her much desired pair of moose pyjama trousers before we found some WiFi at the local visitors centre (hanging around outside as it was locked by this time) and downloaded some more maps, which allowed us to find a beautiful secluded campsite overlooking a local manmade lake. We expected it to be deserted but we found it quite busy with weekenders and those road tripping like us, having left it late in the season to avoid the US school holidays. Our fellow RVers were a great font of knowledge and gave us some good ideas for the rest of our trip.

Saturday morning was a crisp one with frost in the hills above us. We topped up our tanks with water and set off towards Flaming Gorge National Park. Our fellow campers had told us this was a must see. The drive there was another beauty and Ronda’s brakes got another beasting as we went from canyon to mountain top plateau time and again. As we came around a corner we finally saw ahead of us the Flaming Gorge Dam, or as Hoff kept calling it, Flamingo Park Dam. It was an impressive feat of engineering but to be honest, beyond that there wasn’t much to see. Another couple told us they’d spent three days here ‘boondogging”, which despite the naughty sounding name basically just means free camping. I’m not really sure what they did during those three days as, once we’d done a 5km run along the top of Red Canyon (just around the corner from the dam) we really felt like we had seen the place, so a snap decision was made over a lunch of cheese and ham wraps that we’d press on and gamble about where to stay.

The gamble paid off. Driving down off yet another mountain plateau, having navigated ourselves through dinosaur country (this area of Utah has one of the the highest concentrations of ancient fossils in the US) we spotted another lake ahead of us. Hoff was sure there was a campsite next to it and low and behold there was. We prayed it was open and pulled in to what was a beautiful little overlook. Only a few other campers where there and we settled down with a beer and a glass of wine, overlooking the lake as the sun went down into a beautiful sunset. The clear sky meant that the stars where out in force that night and we were in bed and asleep by 9pm (late for us). Little did we know that our sleep would be so disturbed…..but that’s for the next blog post, when we’ll tell you all a little bit more about life in an RV!

Leaving the home comforts of a bed, wonderful food and amazing Kennedy hospitality, it was time to head East and this for us meant Yellowstone National Park!!! Our aim was to get as near to the park as possible on the first day so we only had a short drive the next morning into the park.

The scenery on our drive was amazing. From mountains to prairie to a place called the Craters of the Moon, which was miles and miles of tundra covered in lava. We got to a town called Rexburg and after a quick stop in Walmart for some WiFi and bear spray, we started looking for a campsite. We turned into one just outside the park proper and a Moose walked in front of us! Woo! We weren’t even in the park yet and already it felt like we were on safari. We got a great spot near the river and settled in for the night.

The next morning we had an early start to get to YNP as I didn’t want to miss a minute of wildlife viewing! After picking up a spare camera battery we entered the park. I really wanted to see a wolf during our stay in the park. Yellow signs for bison just after the entrance got us on the edge of our seats. Eyes were peeled. And sure enough we saw some Bison, or American Buffalo as the also call them. They are enormous!

We drove south into the park and checked into our campsite at Madison. We were going to be spending 2 nights here. The park was SO bulsy. We read that only 5% of visitors go on a hike while in the park and we were adamant to be part of this 5%. Within a couple of hours of being in the park we set off on a hike, bear spray at the ready. Within 2 minutes we saw 3 otters right next to us as we crossed a creek, which was really special as no one else was on the trail. The walk took us to some waterfalls. We had some tense times yelling out “hey bear” to let the bears know we were in their territory, which we had learnt from a previous bear territory trip. No bears sighted on this walk. Phew.

Next was a drive to Old Faithful to see the infamous geyser that goes off every 90 mins or so. We were extra lucky as we had a bison near us as the geyser erupted, which made it very surreal. We stopped by the Grand Prismatic Spring on our way back to camp as the crowds had gone down a lot by this time. This was an area full of geysers. The steam was insane. Then it was back to our RV for homemade risotto and early bed as got to get the dawn wildlife viewing in (I am my fathers daughter after all!)

Up at dawn for the morning drive. We headed up north towards mammoth springs. More bison on our drive. We stopped at Norris geyser basin around 730am so hardly anyone else around. We also stopped to do a hike up Bunsen peak. Fairly steep and high and the altitude hit us! The views from the top were stunning though so worth the walk. Then we drove through mammoth springs and got our first sighting of Elk. Lunchtime and time for a siesta after our early start.

After an afternoon nap we drove out to Tower and towards the Lamar valley which is where 3 wolf packs are. Cars on the side and binos out. Here we go! I thought I saw a wolf but no where to pull over!! Agggh. Total nightmare. Alex didn’t even see it!! We then got caught in a bison jam. Bison all over the road. Total chaos but fun chaos. We finally made it through the herd and we saw brake lights ahead and loads of cars and cameras. Something big was here. A black bear and cub!! What a treat!! The bears were so relaxed and just eating away….no doubt getting ready before they hibernate. We also spotted some pronghorn deer in the hills around us which was fun. We were going to leave Lamar Valley to another day but when so near the area and not wanting to get stuck in the bison jam again we continued on into it.

We stopped in the valley with a huge herd of bison below us. V cool. At 1730 we called it a day as had 90 mins journey back to camp. So we headed back towards home with no confirmed wolf sightings today. Boooo. A few more bison and also a badger on the way back then another bison jam! This time a single male walking up the road so no one could pass. Finally it crossed the road. By this point the sun was beginning to go down and we still had a long drive ahead of us. Suddenly a woman in a car on other side on the road flashed her lights at us. We braked hard and a WOLF ran in front of our RV!! Incredible!!! Really healthy looking wolf with a v bushy tail. Alex and I fist pumped, ecstatic we had seen a wolf on our first full day in the park!! So lucky. In Walmart before going into the park I had bought some cheap fizz to have if we saw a wolf. So we enjoyed some v sweet fizz and fell asleep in seconds after a long but v enjoyable day. Tomorrow we head to canyon camp in Yellowstone for 2 nights…..

Headed to canyon. We did a hike on the way there around a lake. No animals but lots of fresh animals footprints! We continued our drive and loads of ppl pulled over and cameras out. We pulled over…it was swans!! We have since learnt they are v rare ones. We headed into Hayden valley where we saw a bison herd whilst having lunch. Makes a wonderful change from the court advocates room! We even got to witness some Bison fighting! Lots of dust flying around and heads interlocked. V dramatic. That evening we drove to Lamar valley to see if we could see more wolves at sunset. After taking our RV down the windy roads of a Mountain we finally got there at 5pm. We were there until after 8 but sadly no wolves, just lots of bison and pronghorn dear. We did have an Eagle flying over us screeching which was fun. A bison we thought asleep or worse, dead, moved just before we left. Phew. One good thing to come out of the evening. Headed home slightly disappointed but hey that’s nature for you. We decided that the journey was too far and too steep and windy to do in the morning for dawn so we would stick to our one wolf sighting.

A lie in, woo! This morning we went to walk up Mount Washburn. Super windy in places. At the top is a lookout tower for forest fires and someone lives in there for 4 months over the summer without a break!! Great views from the top though and a decent 12.5km hike up to 10k metres plus. We turned out of the car park after the walk and suddenly we saw loads of ppl with cameras. It was 2 coyotes nearby on the hillside. I realised that this was what I had seen the other day when Alex missed it. We did a U-ey to take some pictures then drove on and waited for them to pass us on the hill which was cool. A lady said she had been at Lamar valley this morning and seen 4 wolves!!!!! Gutted!!!! The day before they saw 21!!!! We decided if the weather was ok tomorrow we would go to Lamar for dawn. Stopped by the campsite for a proper shower rather than one in the RV. We didn’t realise there was a cut off whilst they cleaned them so poor Alex missed the nice shower! RV shower for him. A drive out for lunch consisting of bran flakes and fruit which we weirdly were both craving. The rain then descended!! Saw the canyon and waterfall which was impressive. Also saw our first elk with antlers! Homemade soup and early bed ahead of hopefully our dawn visit to Lamar valley weather permitting. We will also be going to our third and final camp of YNP-bridge bay campground.

Woke at 5am and the weather was rank. Gutted. Super sad not to be able to go back to Lamar for dawn but we had been to lucky to see one wolf. Drove to bridge bay campground and the rain stopped around 630am. Heaps of cameras and binos. We passed them and then had massive fomo so turned around. It was a grizzly bear!! AND it was being chased by either 2 coyote or 2 grey wolves. There was a mixture of opinions amongst those viewing on the side of the road. I have since asked at the visitor centre and they were surprised 2 coyote would chase a grizzly so maybe we witnessed one of the most extraordinary events ever OR wolves chasing a bear!! After a mid morning nap we checked into our campground and it started snowing so heavily!! Snowflakes were massive. Yesterday I was in shorts and today it’s fleeces!! Couldn’t really do much this afternoon as weather was pretty rank which was frustrating. It did clear up in time for a final evening drive back to Hayden Valley again as was v close. We parked up and waited for 2 hours. Saw some elk and some massive birds of prey. We decided to leave at 1845 and unbelievably at 1844 Alex saw a grizzly!!! Patience pays off.

Leaving YNP we felt sad but excited for our next adventure which was going to be Cody. The real Wild West.

After running from the storm in Rome we made early tracks to Boise, Idaho. Idaho is famous for its potatoes and wine. We got to sample some of the latter during our stay, but more on that later.

We were lucky enough to be staying with some old friends of my family, John and Andrea, who have lived in Boise for 7 years. After a stop at Dicks sporting goods and cabelas for some sports socks and to oogle at all their awesome hunting gear, Hoff finally dragged me away to head over to John and Andreas.

On arrival our first job was to do some washing. I’d already run out of pants although I blame this squarely on Hoff, who during the packing process told me that ten pairs was too many – despite packing 14 herself. We had a relatively relaxed non-RV afternoon, wandering around their neighbourhood, playing ‘soccer’ (aka football) with their kids, and drinking lovely local wine. John fired up their BBQ and we had awesome home made chilli beef burgers, before retiring to a huge bed (after having our first proper shower in a week).

The next day I was up even before the sparrows had thought about farting, leaving the house at 0400. John took me to his local gym, run by another John, a former body building champion. Body building John has created something awesome. A better collection of gym equipment I have never seen. After a two hour ‘leg day’ workout I managed to grab another hour of sleep before we scoffed pancakes and bacon for breakfast. Then I earned our keep helping John to do some ‘yard’ work before we headed off to the Koenigs Vineyard for a picnic lunch and wine tasting. The views were spectacular and we scoffed cheese and salami looking out over the snake river valley.

I must admit that we felt rather dosey as we drove back to Boise that afternoon and I can’t say either of us were looking forward to our planned evening event. We’d signed up to a 9/11 memorial 5km run happening around the corner from Boise. Over 700 participants came along to remember the tragic events of that day by running through the foothills of the Eagle mountains. Despite the hot evening it was poignant event with markers every couple of hundred metres dedicated to those who lost their lives that day.

It therefore felt appropriate that later that evening we concluded our stay in Boise with that most American of pasttimes – an evening at the shooting range. Although it wasn’t Hoff’s favourite of things to do, she still gave it a go, and we both were amazed by the cross section of society represented, all there enjoying an evening blasting away the stresses and strains of life.

Before we knew it it was back to our monster king size bed where we passed out and slept like logs. We were up early again and, fuelled by a breakfast of crepes and maple syrup we saddled up Ronda (the name we’ve given our RV) once again and, complete with clean clothing and a couple of bottles of Snake River wine kindly donated by John, got back on the road, Yellowstone bound.