Rolling Along With The Reynolds

Jim and Cindy's Adventure Blog traveling all over the USA

Tag: deer

Thermopolis pictures (Album 2023-48)

Heading

Left Gillette today and drove up and over the BigHorn mountains. Got up to 9,679 feet in elevation!
We’ve landed in Thermopolis Wyoming for 2 nights to soak in the hot springs.

 

Floating in 103degree mineral waters under the Blue Supermoon in Thermopolis Wyoming at the “Fountain of Youth RV Park”. Loving Life!

 

Thermopolis Wyoming, I’m so happy we decided to visit this town this year (last year we drove right through it without stopping). Home to Hot Springs State Park, a magical place, as a nice local lady called it. The springs here, although similar in looks to Yellowstone springs, are different in the way the waters get heated.
* The Park offers a lovely scenic drive up into the mountains where bison roam, and spectacular swirled rock formations I’ve never seen anywhere else.
* Bubbling infinity pools, suspension bridge, and teepee fountains are featured.
* While in Thermopolis, we also drove through beautiful neighborhoods full of stately deer and went to the top of Red Mountain to look down upon the town of 2,500 and just beyond the Wind River Canyon.
* The Fountain of Youth RV Park was a wonderful setting with their very own spring and large swimming/soaking pools. Just on the other side of the fence from our site was another bubbling spring that hilariously was a mystery the first night; we couldn’t see the source, yet heard something off in the bushes guessing it was grazing cattle.

 

 

 

 

 

Surreal

The sunniest day yet in the Black Hills (and our last day in the area)  called us back to Sylvan Lake and Needles Hwy. This is one of our all-time favorite places, hands down.

So beautiful!

Surely Sylvan Lake and the Needles were inspiration behind the  90’s virtual reality puzzle games “Myst” and “Riven”.

Sylvan and the Needles Hwy (Album 2023-43)

 

Whales and Sails.

          Port Townsend boasts a maritime working waterfront, a Victorian heritage, and a vibrant connection with all things maritime, including the impressive Northwest Maritime Center. Jim stopped to chat to a pleasant young man who no doubt had a passion for keeping the history and craft of wooden sailboat alive.
         The main street was loaded with history and artsy flair. We enjoyed dining in a full-blown 1950’s soda fountain/diner that featured authentic (and working!) machinery including a jukebox. Fizzy cokes (loaded with extra phosphate soda for bubbly fun) and burgers served with a smile. Walking off lunch, we strolled through town to do a bit of ‘book-sniffing’ at a bookstore lined from floor to ceiling with books galore, a funky vintage store that I would’ve gone crazy with purchases had I the room to store them back in the RV, ha, and a cool toy shoppe.
         The main excursion on today’s agenda was a four-hour Whale Watching cruise. Leaving out of the historic Port Hudson (where, by the way, we made note for future visits that a campground was literally right on the water), the boat taking us and 48 other souls was impressive on its own. The ‘Chilkat Express’, to quote their brochure, ” is a very special boat for a very special tour. No other passenger vessel on the west coast can trael at 40 kts/45 mph to points north in the San Juan Islands or west in the Strait of Juan de Fuca to view whales and be back in four and a half hours. The vessel is a hybrid, combining the stability of a multi hulled catamaran and the speed of a hydrofoil which rides on underwater wings. This combination is known as a foilcat. To say that driving her is more like flying an airplane is not an understatement“.  Spotted Orca whales!!! Bonus to see a pod hunt down a seal. They all took turns slapping their flukes on him to stun him, then took turns sharing a meal. Nature in action right before our eyes. Wow. This particular pod was transient Orca’s, known as Biggs Orcas, and harbor seals are their favorite meal.
          Not yet ready to leave this charming town and head back to our home base in Sequim, we drove around the town and visited Fort Worden State Park and went to the very tip out at the Point Wilson Lighthouse. Bonus here to see both deer and Elk grazing so peacefully on the campus of the Fort, as well as in blooming gardens of residential yards.
         What a Day!  Tomorrow we don’t stop – we head out on a ferry for a day trip to Canada!

 

Orcas and Port Townsend pics – Album #39