Where Have The Ramblin Ruis’ Been?

Where Have The Ramblin Ruis’ Been?

It seems like months since we left Yellowstone on September 18^th.  As we left Yellowstone the snow had begun to fall and the temperatures had begun to drop indicating winter was on the way. Our last day as a staff was a breakfast at the Lake Hotel and then we turned in our ID cards and we got our pink slips. This was an eye-opening experience as in 52 years this was the first pink slip I had received.  The pink slip, in reality was just our copy of the HR paper work completing our season at Yellowstone Fishing Bridge RV park.  During the summer we were truly blessed to have this opportunity to live out our dream. Making new friends and experiencing the natural beauty of the greater Yellowstone area.

As we left the park and headed north to Bozeman Mt we had planned in a couple of days to wind down before we did some sightseeing. We met up with my cousin Darcy and her husband Mark for a Mexican dinner. During the time in Bozeman we had 3 days of rain which was much needed in the area along with some mountain snow. At the end of the week we headed out to Alberta Canada. Darcy and Mark had offered for us to park the camper at their house in the side lot while we were in Canada. We had gone and looked at the spot the night after dinner and agreed that would be great. They both said the lot was hard as a rock with a rock base under the grass. The forecast was calling for snow on that Friday so we decided to leave on Thursday afternoon to get ahead of the weather. So we packed up the camper and headed off to Darcy and Mark’s to drop the camper. As I began to back the trailer in at Darcy and Mark’s it became apparent this may not have been such a great idea. As I backed in the ruts began to be cut in the grass. At this point I was at a point of no return and I was thinking, I don’t know where the gravel base is but it must be closer to China than the grass surface.  The further I backed of the road the deeper the ruts got. Then I tried to straighten up the truck so I could unhook from the trailer. As I did the truck tires began to spin it became abundantly clear that 2 inches of rain makes parched ground soft quicker than you think. I got out to lock my 4-wheel hubs and I saw what part of the problem was. The ground was a lush green grassy area but it had the slickest black dirt under the grass. The dirt was slick and reminded me of goose poop. We were able to get unhooked and finally get the truck out without doing to much more damage to the yard. We then headed off to Great Falls Mt where we had planned to spend the night. The drive up I-15 was a unique one as we drove in and out of rock canyons which cradle the Missouri River as it ran alongside the highway. We crossed the Missouri 9 times along the way that afternoon. The Missouri River played a significate role in the discovery and settlement of the west as Lewis and Clark traveled from St. Louis west up the Missouri to survey, map and explore the Louisiana Purchase as charge by President Thomas Jefferson.

After spending the night in Great Falls we headed north toward the Canadian border. The landscape changes in this area from rolling hills to flat farm land and pastures. We arrived at the Sweetgrass port of entry at around 11 am and there were about 15 cars in front of us.  We sat patiently waiting on the line to move forward. As we watched the cars in front of us they all spent a short time talking to the Canadian customs agent and then proceeded on their way into Canada. As we made it to the gate we presented our passports to the agent and waited we answered the couple of standard questions about where you were going and how long we planned to stay in Canada. As the agent checked our passports we waited patiently again. As she opened the window to return our passports she surprised us by saying please pull forward to garage door number 8 for an inspection. As we pulled through the check point a garage door began to open to my left in an inspection building where there were two customs agents patiently waiting on us. As we pulled in and parked we were asked to step from the vehicle and we were again questioned about what we were carrying in the truck and weather we had any weapons or OC spray in the truck. Now being in law enforcement for the past 30 years I have asked the same questions countless times but I also know entering a foreign country these guys were serious about protecting their borders. I responded that we did not have any weapons or OC spray but we were carrying bear spray and that I had regularly transported weapons in the truck at home in case they ran an explosive detection K-9.  They then inquired about what we had in our pockets and searched us. They then asked us to wait in a holding room while they searched the truck. They began to search the truck removing our luggage and running them through an x-ray machine. As we waited Paula asked me if I thought there was a bathroom behind a door at the end of the room. I laughed and said not hardly as that would allow people to dispose of contraband. After about 20 minutes one of the officers came to the door and advised that we were free to go. As we began to back out of the building I joked with Paula and said she must have been the suspicions looking one as last year when I took Ashley her car to Alaska I didn’t get checked and that car was packed.  Then we had another laugh as Paula just realized that we were in a locked detention room and we could not get out until the officer opened the door. Upon realizing this she proclaimed, “that she felt violated” after our detention. We made it to Calgary without further incident.

The next morning, we got up and headed north to the Banff and Jasper National parks in Alberta. This was about a two-hour drive. We spent the day driving in the two Canadian national parks and to the Columbia Ice Fields. The Rockies here just leap from the valley floors and are full of glaciers.  We stopped off at the Lake Louise and the Fairmont Chateau Hotel area on the way back to Banff. This is a five-star hotel built along a glacier feed lake back in the mountains. This is a place that was on Paula’s bucket list to see. Check this one off. We had a nice dinner at St. James Gate Irish pub in Banff. This was a neat place as interior of the pub was built in Ireland and then shipped to Banff and installed and the pub opened. After a short visit we headed back to the good ole USA.

Banff National Park

Columbia Ice Fields

Thankfully it had stopped raining in Bozeman and we were able to pick the camper up without making any more ruts in Darcy and Mark’s yard. We spent a couple of more days in the Bozeman area and had a quick breakfast with Darcy and Mark before heading south to meet Ashley and Tristan in Salt Lake City.

Ashley and Tristan flew into Salt Lake City Utah on Oct 1 and met us at the KOA. We planned a two week excursion through the national parks in southern Utah giving us time to see the area and spend time with Ashley and Tristan. The next morning, we got up early and headed south toward Capital Reef National park. Ashley had rented a car so they headed out ahead of us and secured a tent site for them. We arrived later in the afternoon and set up camp at a campground just outside of the park.

The next day we headed south and to Bryce NP where we spent the day. The drive down to Bryce was through the Grand Staircase National Monument area. This drive is rated as one of the most scenic in America. It surely lived up to its billing. After spending the afternoon in Bryce looking at the Hoo Doos and hiking along the canyon rim we headed back.

Hoo Doos

More Hoo Doos

Happy Campers

The next day we spent driving and hiking in Capital Reef. Ashley, Tristan and I took a hike along a trail that went 900 feet above the canyon floor literally right on the edge. Ashley and I made it about half way up and decided to wait on a landing while Tristian “the mountain goat” continued to the end. These rock formations and views were breathtaking. That afternoon we hiked down the Capital Gorge trail which was a narrow slot canyon which was rumored to be a hide out for western outlaws and even Billy the Kid was supposed to have hid out in the canyon. There were a number of names and dates carved into the rocks the earliest I saw was 1888.

Peak A Boo

Capital Gorge

After covering Capital Reef we moved on to Moab, Utah to Canyonlands and Arches National parks. These two parks were very different to be with in such close proximity.  Canyonlands is a beautiful series of canyons cut by the Colorado River. I would describe it as shallower   and wider than the Grand Canyon vibrant red and green color. We also stopped a Dead Horse State park which gave some wonderful views 2000 feet above the Colorado River.

Canyonlands view from Dead Horse State Park Overlook

Bridge Arch

Arches National Park is appropriately named as there are over 2000 natural made Arches carved in these Red Rocks by wind and water. There are more natural Arches here in one location than anywhere else in the world. It was amazing to see these huge arches standing in the various locations and in so many different shapes and sizes.  Again Tristan, Ashley and I hiked to a couple of the Arches that were lets say not located on the beaten path. 

Windows Arch

Twin Arch

Tunnel Arch

Balance Rock  

We began the second week of our time with Tristan and Ashley by packing up and heading off to Albuquerque New Mexico for the International Balloon Festival. We arrived here on October 7th. We planned to go to the Morning Mass Ascension and car show on the next morning. Now as you may have noticed Paula was not mentioned in our hiking above and that’s because she came down with bronchitis. She had gone to a doctor in Salt Lake and got some medicine but it didn’t seem to be getting better.  So instead of the balloon fest we headed off to a doctor while Ashley and Tristan went to the Balloon Fest. Come to find out she had bronchitis and a touch of pneumonia. So, they gave her a stronger antibiotic and we headed back to the house for rest. Paula and I met up with Gary and Carolyn Cooper for dinner on Monday night. Gary and Carolyn were our neighbors and co-workers this summer in Yellowstone and they are from the eastern Tennessee area. Ashley and Tristan headed south to the Great Sands National Monument while I stayed and cared for the sick in Albuquerque.  Finally, on Wednesday morning we were able to get out and see the Mass Ascension of the balloons. It was a wonderful site  to see the sky filled with balloons of all different sizes and shapes. Albuquerque is such a great place for the festival because the winds here basically form a box so the balloons take off and head south in the wind but when they climb to a higher altitude the wind will carry them back to the north, then if they lower altitude the winds will carry them back to the south where they could land right back where they took off from in perfect conditions. Basically, this forms a box in the air.

Preparing for take off

Mass Ascension

Senior Frog Balloon

After leaving Albuquerque we headed off to Lathorp State Park in Colorado for our last stop on this whirlwind two-week excursion. Once set up at Lathorp we headed off to the Great Sand Dunes national park. This park is a true phenomenon. At the base of the high peaks of the Rocky Mountains is a 30 square mile series of sand dunes tucked neatly up against the mountains. Here nature again is truly amazing, between the wind and the water the sand grains have been moved and sculptured over time to form 750-foot-tall dunes of sand. We hiked out to the base of the dunes which look almost flat from a distance as you approach but are impressive as you stand next to them. There is a mountain creek that runs along the edge of the dunes which actually has waves rippling through it as the water moves down stream through the sandy creek bottom. We also hiked to a slot canyon in a cave with a beautiful water fall cascading through it. Ashley did some bird watching.

View of Rocky Mountains from Lathorp Campground

Sleigh Ride Anyone?

Great Sand Dunes at the base of the Mountains

This was a great two weeks of hiking, exploring and spending time with Ashley and Tristan. Paula, Ashley and I have made an art of doing jammed packed excursions over the years and we were glad to introduce Tristan to a Ruis Family vacation. We were truly blessed to be able to spend this quality time together and to see all the sights along the way. On Friday Morning October 13 we broke camp, after saying our goodbyes Ashley and Tristan headed off to Denver to catch a flight back to Alaska and Paula and I finally made the turn east bound on  I-70. We hit Kansas City on the way back and had some KC BBQ ribs. Then we decided to swing through Nashville as neither one of us had been here before. We did a bus tour of the city including a stop at Ryman Auditorium, Country Music Hall of fame and then a trip to the Grand Ole Opry at the Ryman where the Oak Ridge Boys were the featured group. Wow we’re getting old the Oaks are 74 to 79 yrs old and still performing.

Ryman Auditorium

Tonight we go to the new Grand Ole Opry House to see featured artist Jamey Johnson. We will then have experienced the original and the new Opry House.

As we have crossed the Mississippi River headed east we have noticed somethings that we haven’t seen in while humidity, heavy traffic, big cities and ragweed. Things we haven’t missed at all in the west.

By the time this gets published and read by most of you we will be back in the Danville area. After this last month of hopping, skipping and jumping across the country we are looking forward to landing for a while in one place and visiting with family and friends.

Until next time

Ramblin Ruis

Allen and Paula