August 25

Ms. Dolphin wants to review the summer with her companions. This is her last day of summer travel. Jan starts work Monday with a quick run to work today.

So lets recap the summer experience

Best places to stay. * Rafter J Ranch-Black Hills----great biking, ok pool, great Wi-Fi access. Best sites on the hill.Want to go to Yellowstone 0n 90 because of the Stugis events in August. * Interior KOA---great view, good pool, Wi-Fi access. *The companions think the land at Island Park is the best place to park of everywhere. We are quite comfortable except for several hours in the afternoon when it gets hot. Our solar panels (cloudy afternoons meant no DVD that night) and propane (about a pound a day) took care of our needs. We need to dump and fill every four days when boondocking. Katz loved it cause she got off the leash.

Best food: *Our breakfast of fresh fruit, omelet, and english muffin......love the fruit! *Nevada City Restaurant. *Moosewood. *travel food of pasta salad.

Best exercise *Fairy Falls walk at Yellowstone. *Boardwalk at Old Faithful *Mickelson bike trail at Black Hills. *Biking Lone Star trail. *Uncle Tom's trail for Lew (Who finally did it this year!)

Additional comments * stone and concrete hurt the foot lots, asphalt not as bad...dirt is good.... boardwalk is great! * new roads---Alternate 14---never again! Chief Joseph Highway--very pretty but slow. Going off I80 helped distract from the very boring drive. * Wi-Fi is very nice to have in the evenings.

August 24

Ms. Dolphin wants to get moving so we arrived at the apple cider store before it opened! Two shelter cats have a nice life at the store. Katz had a fine time hissing. The owner was a teacher at Cornell. Geophysicist who went to the Red Lodge geology field camp! Wow, what an interesting world. Talked Yellowstone and Geology, then apples and cider. He also gave us a hint to try for parking to eat lunch at Moosewood.

Ms. Dolphin managed to park near Moosewood! Jan had a great, fabulous lunch. It was Broccili Cheese Frittata. It was sooooooo good that Jan and Lew ate it all up before they thought to take a picture. Lew's taco was ok but he loved Jan's food too.

The chef said to follow the basic Frittata recipe in the New Classic Moosewood cookbook. Everyone said to go and take pictures of the recipe pages....so we did. Ms. Dolphin wanted one more day of travel so we stopped at the Bellefonte KOA with a good pool and fine Wi-Fi. E-mail indicated a quick trip to work was needed tomorrow to save database information, so tomorrow will be an early start.

August 23

Ms. Dolphin worried that the trail at Robert H. Tremain would be stone. She was right to worry but Jan managed the whole walk! Last year, she walked 1/2 mile of the trail. This year she walked 4.5 miles! Wow!!!! Ms. Dolphin's new refrigerator makes lots of ice, so the foot got a icing when the walk was done. Last year when Jan walked the Butterfly Falls trail she didn't know that stone was a problem. It was about two miles and when she was done, she was ready to crawl for days..rather than put any weight on her foot. Jan was ready to crawl the last mile of the trail today, but could actually still walk a few steps by evening! How great is that! By tomorrow, it will be better. No swimming today, even though the swimming hole is open, Jan and Lew are sure that the one bug left will find them.....

August 22

Ms. Dolphin arrives at Watkins Glen for Lew to take a morning hike up the Glen.  Jan says. "No way am I walking on stone for a long time."  Instead Ms. Dolphin takes her back to the KOA for a fine aerobic session in the KOA pool.

After lunch, Ms. Dolphin makes her way to Robert H. Tremain campground.  Ms. Dolphin is thrilled to get her underneath rinsed with creek. 

This is the third year that Ms. Dolphin has visited this lovely campground.  The swimming is closed!  Its a good thing that Jan swam this morning.  It will seem strange to be here with someone else in Cabin Number 2.  Last year that is where Adam and Trista stayed with Cordelia.  Amy and Chris stayed on Ms. Dolphin's site.  This year it is just Ms. Dolphin.....do you think Ms. Dolphin will be lonely?  Hmmmmm????

August 21

Ms. Dolphin got Katz to wake the companions early. Let’s GO! Adventures await! So off the companions went to see what today would bring.

On the way to Interstate 15, Ms. Dolphin saw an abandoned iron furnace from another time. In Pa. these can be seen where nothing but trees exist now. A different world was in existence for the people of that era. Hmmmmm, what will the future land look like for our grandchildren’s children? What do you think?

Ms. Dolphin just loves to drive among Penn’s Woods. On Route 15 the woods were everywhere for miles and miles.

OH! After stopping for fishermen traffic jams as well as elk and bison, it was interesting for Ms. Dolphin to slow down for the feathered friends of PA. Turkey, our almost national bird.

A quick lunch and Ms. Dolphin is left in the parking lot as Lew and Jan travel to Gorge of Walkins Glen. The CCC spent 7 years making this path. Over 800 stone steps

and three tunnels help people go up the gorge.

It has 17 waterfalls….

Ms. Dolphin is not happy to report that cement and stone paths HURT the foot…..Wow that two mile hike hurt! Lets go the the KOA and use Internet and do nothing tonight and maybe tomorrow….NO MORE STONE WALKS……

Since Katz had a early rising, she needed a nap while the humans went on their hike.

August 15-20

Ms. Dolphin got to see her winter home for two days and then travel to the woods. The woods is the ancestor home of the Johns clan. The land is above the Allegheny River and Ms. Dolphin gets her own spot under a pine tree when she visits. Wade (Lew’s Dad) (age 94) was sick so the companions traveled to the woods to see if they could be of any assistance in the getting better process.

Meals were cooked and the Kittanning farmer’s market visited. The Amish who go to the farmer’s market, hire a non-Amish (called English by the Amish) to take them to the market where they sell not only their wares but also produce from other parts of Pa. The companions got very good peaches from the Chambersburg Area. But how do the Amish get the peaches from Chambersburg? Hmmmmmmm……bet more “English” are involved in that process.

Walks were taken by the companions of Ms. Dolphin. Katz loves to take walks at the woods. If Jan and Lew forget her and she can get outside she runs and runs until she is with them. Katz and Jan needed a rest and a drink of water when they got the family picnic shelter (its roof was nailed down by Jan, years ago).

Sunday, Wade was much better, but Jan and Lew were both wheezing and headachy. So the plans changed and they left for New York. Ms. Dolphin was ready for more adventures.

August 14

Ms. Dolphin carries three everywhere she goes. Lew almost always drives (note the change to almost), Jan rides in the passenger seat or sometimes on the back couch. Katz rides right behind the driver’s seat. Here is what she looks like all day long while traveling.

Sometimes she moves to the couch, but not often. Katz is much like Ms. Dolphin, both complain lots when the road is rough. but otherwise valiantly travel where-ever the humans want them to go. What great companions the humans have for their adventures!

Ms. Dolphin arrived a Jerri’s to a great surprise. Christine was here and had made a wonderful dinner of chicken. How great is that? We had some wine with dinner, too.

August 13

Ms. Dolphin senses something different! Jan is driving in Nebraska! Ms. Dolphin is soooo surprised! The cruise control in Ms. Dolphin does not work correctly, so Lew has to use the gas petal through the big winds of Nebraska. His foot got sore, so Ms. Dolphin had Jan drive for over an hour and everyone lived through the experience! You can teach a old dog new tricks! But which old dog needed taught? HMMMM….Lew, Jan or Ms. Dolphin….you decide.

The winds of Nebraska act as a sail but the sails are pointed the WRONG way. Ms. Dolphin valiantly pushes through the wind, but Nebraska takes all day. It is dark when she arrives at the Riverside Resort Campground in Blair, Nebraska. The manager opens the pool for Jan, who exercises in the dark, with the stars…then just floats and watches the stars from the pool.

Early the next morning, Ms. Dolphin gets to see the highway that the Lewis and Clark Discovery Corps used. The mighty Missouri runs through the campground (name is Riverside) and the Corps camped close to this location. The waters run fast, it would have been lots of work to go upstream for those many miles. Kinda like sailing with the sails in the wrong direction!

At Fort Washakie, two days ago, if the forest fire hadn’t been raging we could have visited Sacagawea’s grave. Tomorrow we will reach Jerri’s in Illinois. Ms. Dolphin hopes the wind is blowing in the right direction for that part of the trip.

August 12

Ms. Dolphin arrived in the afternoon at Cheyenne, Wyoming. The home of her friend-Ms. Gulfstream! Ms. Dolphin so admires Ms. Gulfstreams shiny appearance. So Ms. Dolphin got to visit while her humans visited and had fun at Donna and Jim's house! First lets look at one of Donna’s flower beds. They have worked so hard to make a very nice home.

Donna and Jan have been friends since they were teenagers. Donna has many photo albums that she is redoing.

Jim and Ms. Dolphin watches the mountains and sky while Jan and Donna looked at old pictures.

Then Jan took pictures of some of the pictures! This one is a really nice picture of Jimmy, Adam and Amy playing at their house at Hubbard, Ohio.

Over the many years, we have visited each other and covered many places and homes. This is Lew and Jan's first home in the woods.

They loved the bookcases, around the window. It was made to fit only paperback books. A whole shelf was Nero Wolfe books. Another shelf was Heinlein's Sci Fi books. A librarian would remember these things. The metal furniture in these pictures is the same furniture that Wade has on his porch. Our lives were so different then, but still the same. Friendships last and so does metal furniture!

August 11

Ms. Dolphin does not want to leave her new driveway with its marvelous view. Ms. Katz enjoys a morning hiss at a visiting cat, but it is time to go. Ms. Dolphin wants to see if Grotto is still erupting and maybe see Giant!
Breakfast was along the Madison River watching the fanatical fisherman.
Then Great Fountain had a superburst across the road and water to the grass! Ms. Dolphin was sooooo glad she did not get wet.
Why all the bikes? Must be a Giant recovery time, hmmm?
Lazy Grotto and Giant watcher.
Giant hot period is over. Now it is time to say Good-bye and leave! Ms. Dolphin leaves her parking spot at the Lower Store! Good-bye! Geyser Hill! Good-bye to our Yellowstone friends!
The Tetons have smoke in the air.
Ms. Dolphin did not stop at Falls campground, the road was tooo distrucked from construction, with a pilot vehicle….Fire in the air also. Dubois badlands.
More fire at Fort Washakiee. Lots of equipment racing to that fire.
Lander has a nice newer campground with a great view. Ms. Dolphin wants to stay.

August 10

An actually phone call back about water occurred today. Maybe with an entire summer someone will actually get water to Ms. Dolphin's driveway!
Ms. Dolphin got stuck in traffic all the way to Old Faithful. Ms. Dolphin really had troubles with the car jam for the fisherman, who yes, was actually catching a fish!
More Geysers and visits with the Millers.
Then Barry, MaryBeth and Rox appeared to visit.
A lovely day of friendship and geyser gazing in Wonderland.
Ms. Dolphin had promised Katz time for a run on the land. So off Ms. Dolphin went for her last night on the land. Tomorrow Ms. Dolphin will leave Wonderland for one more year.

August 9

Geysers and Friends,
The morning started with a lovely Pink Cone breakfast then on to Old Faithful.
The Millers arrived from Oxford bringing Ms. Dolphin some lovely notecards. She thought the dolphins were only found on roads!
Then Cynthia arrived with Alex and we had a lovely tunafish feast. What a lovely pile and we ate it all up!
Geysers were also watched until it was time to eat at West Yellowstone in the Schwarz’s new duplex with Chief Barry!

August 8

Ms. Dolphin asked for a small adventure today. Sure, lets go to Henry's Lake State Park. Its three miles from the land. It has a campground and a boat launch. We could get a year round pass for the boat launch. Our place looks different from this angle. Can you see our neighbor's house? Hmmm? Then off to the Geyser Basin.

Ms. Dolphin saw several things so it wasn't a patrol of dead geysers.

The Trek bike was moved to the rack in antipation of the Miller's arriving. Ms. Cynthia called and she is driving to the geyser basin tomorrow with her old bike, Lew can play mechanic and change parts from one to the other.

Ms. Dolphin did not want to drive so much so we are spending the night at Madison Campground. That way Ms. Dolphin can watch Great Fountain and have an early evening. Note the many dead trees from the 1988 fire.

August 7

Ms. Dolphin needed an exhaust manifold stud. And the humans were OUT OF BREAD...so a trip to West Yellowstone was needed. After the purchases, Jan called the City of Island Park. Yesterday she had learned that Ms. Dolphin's driveway needed a permit! Well no, Fremont County construction required a permit but not the city. It was OK and Ms. Dolphin could keep her driveway.

The quest for water continues. Calls were made and people visited, but no response yet. Maybe tomorrow?

Ms. Dolphin paid close attention to humans discussion of where the cabin should go if and water is available. It was fun to figure.

Ms. Dolphin got bored and needed to go to the Targee Ranger station for maps. Yep one can walk or bike from the land to West Yellowstone. How cool is that? Using part of the old railroad grade as the path...even cooler.

Well the sun is setting and Ms. Dolphin needs to rest.

August 6

Ms. Dolphin started her day at Madison Campground. She wanted a quick drive and breakfast at Great Fountain…But Great Fountain was a big hole….so she watched White Dome with eggs and coffee. What a pleasant way to start a day! Then on to Geyser Hill for a fine walk on the lovely boardwalk that doesn’t hurt Jan very much at all this year. Beehive might go……NO… but Plume did!

Then on to see Grotto…Ducks and Ducklings along the Firehole entertained us.
But no Grotto..
Lets see about Riverside…..No Riverside….
Lets bike to Fan and Mortar….No Fan and Mortar….
Ms. Dolphin is lonely and Katz is yelling out the window…..let’s go back to our land…
OK and we did. Met more neighbors but still NO water.

August 5

Ms. Dolphin loves waking up to the lake and mountains. Reading the listserv for the geysers is fun first thing in the morning. Oh my, T. Scott says Grotto was marathoning last night..HMMMM …..lets call the Visitor’s Center……is Grotto still in marathon? NO?
Does Ms. Dolphin want to go to the geyser basin? YES…..First lets get a campsite at Madison Campground for first thing in the morning Geyser Gazing.
On to the Geyser Basin. Lucky that Ms. Dolphin has the radio unpacked….MASTIFF to five feet!!! How fast can the bikes be put together? VERY FAST….Mastiff is surging…Bikes to your left!!! Run down the trail!!!! Watch out for the bikes…..Run down the trail!!!
Can we make it in time? YOU BET WE CAN…