The girls spent all morning happily working on their Jr Ranger books and Justin used the Internet while we still had some. In Yellowstone our internet only worked in the early morning and late evening when less people were online, so we had to make the best of it when we had it. Then we were off to the Norris Geyser Basin!
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Our plan worked!!! We woke the girls up before the sun came up, snuggled them into little blanket cocoons in Azul and headed into Yellowstone to try our luck snagging a Mammoth Hot Springs Campground site. When we pulled into the campground there were already 3 or 4 rigs in front of us. Not too bad. Justin checked and the ranger at the desk said that at least a dozen people were checking out that day so we would definitely get a site. Hurray!! Bad news was it was 4 hours until check out so technically we could potentially be waiting for that long. We were hopeful and excited to be promised a site!
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We had a packed day what with the quick tour through Yellowstone and all so we were relieved to find a great camping spot about 25 minutes north of the north entrance to Yellowstone N.P. The campground was lovely and super cheap ($7 per night)! It was nestled at the foot of a picturesque butte mazed between large craggy lichen covered rocks. The girls were thrilled to have such a great climbing gym in our own backyard!
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Our original Yellowstone plan was to camp on BLM land just outside West Yellowstone to let the weekend pass by, and then to head into Yellowstone on a Sunday to try our luck to snag a first-come first-serve campsite. However, when we woke up Friday morning to a rainy day, we thought “maybe the rain will keep the crowds away– let’s go!” It didn’t work out as well as we had hoped…
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This was the third day that the rain had been staying steady here in California. Where there are big trees, there is rain. We stayed in the scenic yet soggy Elk Prairie Campground within Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park for one night. The drive from Santa Rosa to the Redwood State Park was greatly flooded due to the heavy rain.
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We were headed through San Francisco north to Santa Rosa, and decided to stop at Golden Gate National Recreation area for a quick pit stop along the way.
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Okay, so we didn’t actually go on the Islands! The boats were all cancelled due to the crazy winds plus it was pretty pricy. However, the visitor center had an overflowing amount of information for us to soak up. Just as we love and as it should be.
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We decided despite the government shut down we were going to attempt to explore Joshua Tree National Park since we were within 3 hours of the south park entrance. Unfortunately on our drive to the park and in the park we couldn’t get the park maps to load due to poor cell service. This proved to be a bit challenging for planning.
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We were expecting this park to be open but without camping options, bathrooms or Visitor Center perks such as maps, advice, trail updates and the Jr Ranger Program due to the government shutdown. However, we were excited to find that the park’s partner non-profit organization had funded a skeleton crew of park rangers to work during the government shut down. The rangers were also keeping the bathroom maintained at the Visitor Center during hours of operation. It was so very kind and we were so thankful for these things. Boy, this park was amazing! I’m so glad we didn’t miss it.
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Our trip with my Mom had been planned very differently than what it ended up like as far as places to explore. The plan was to explore National areas nearby Vegas but alas, the Government was shut down! We were able to visit Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, but weren’t able to explore it as much as we had hoped.
