Tiffin Rally with the Tangas

11 June      Gros Ventre Campground - Rock Springs, WY       191 miles   4 hours

We had a very nice, scenic drive to Sweetwater  Events Center in Rock Springs, Wyoming. We'll be here for a week for the Tiffin Rally. This is Tiffins 50th Anniversary so looking forward to a good time. We'll be meeting our friends Mark & Julia who also owns a Tiffin. 

The rally costs $449, and we had to pay $70 for 2 extra nights with full hook ups. Sweetwater Events Center is huge! They hold a lot of different events here. The campground itself is nothing special. All dirt and gravel, neighbors are pretty close, but hey, we're friends with our neighbors so not bad at all. 

Kind of tight

12 June  Flaming Gorge Scenic Byway

   The rally doesn't start until Monday so we had a free day to do some exploring. One of the nations designated All-American Roads, the Flaming Gorge Scenic Byway is a 150-mile drive starting in Rock Springs and ending in Green River. 

Flaming Gorge is located in the Green River Basin of Wyoming and in the canyons, parks, and highlands of the eastern Uinta Mountains of Utah & Colorado. It was on May 26, 1869 that Major John Wesley Powell named the Flaming Gorge after he and his men saw the sun reflecting off of the red  rocks.

The area contains 207,363 acres of land and water, almost equally divided between Utah and Wyoming. 

Flaming Gorge Dam

13-17 June   Tiffin Rally  Celebrating 50 Years  Roughing It Smoothly

We spent the week attending seminars, enjoying entertainment in the evenings, checking out new RVs, and hanging out with friends. It was very windy most days and sometimes very cold but we still managed to have a good time.

Meeting Bob & Judy Tiffin was a big deal. We got him to sign our cabinet door.

Julia loves to cook so we were getting very spoiled with some ono food!

18 June    Rock Springs, Wyoming - Hermosa, SD     468 miles    9 hours 30 minutes

We left extra early this morning because the winds are supposed to be pretty bad. We're staying 3 nights at Southern Hills RV Park. They give a Passport America discount for 1 night so we paid $116.64 for the 3 nights. Our friends Mark & Julia are here also. We'll be hanging out for the next few days.

Parked next to each other at Southern Hills RV Park

 

They drink everyday

Even in the rain

19 June     Mt Rushmore & Custer Park

Our drive to Mt Rushmore was absolutely beautiful. We traveled on the scenic Iron Mountain Road. With the beauty of the mountains and valleys as its backdrop, this road was specifically designed with a tremendous amount of curves in order to limit the speed of travelers to 35 miles per hour so that we could enjoy the beauty of the black hills. What makes this road so unique and memorable is the architectural features found along this road. These features include wooden structures, called pigtail bridges, and one lane tunnels that were built to showcase Mt Rushmore. These tunnels frame Mt Rushmore National Memorial like a picture frame and are a spectacular site. 

Peering out into the surrounding beauty of the Black Hills National Forest are four 60-foot U.S. Presidents that stand for the hope and spirit of our nation. Known to millions around the world as Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln are forever engraved into our skyline as they rest above a sea of towering ponderosa pines.

Mt Rushmore is a national treasure. Pictures of this monument does not do it justice, its just breathtaking to see this in person.  The avenue of flags have plaques for all 50 states and when they were established, which was pretty cool. We walked the paths which have interesting information about the monument and different views. 

 

Recognized as one of the best wildlife destinations in the world, Custer State Park spans 71,000 acres and is one of the largest state parks in the nation. 

We had a very nice lunch at Sylvan Lake Lodge. Even tried alligator and rabbit sausage. Joe and Mark had bison burgers, everything was very good. We continued our journey through Custer Park on Needles Highway. It's a spectacular drive through pine and spruce forests, meadows surrounded by birch and aspen,  and rugged granite mountains. The roads name comes from the needle-like granite formations which seem to pierce the horizon along the highway. Such a spectacular drive, especially going through the Needle Eye Tunnel, probably the narrowest tunnel we've been through. Lots of places to pull off the road and get out to enjoy the views. 

The 18-mile Wildlife Loop took us through the open grasslands and pine-speckled hills that much of the wildlife call home. By the time we made this drive it was the middle of the day, so not too many animals. We did  manage to see some bison, pronghorn and deer.

20 June   Badlands & Wall Drug 

Arriving at Badlands National Park felt like we landed on another planet. Vast and endlessly beautiful, this rugged terrain is as colorful as it is desolate - unleashing geologic formations and fossils. Badlands is a natural wonder. We drove along the 39-mile Badlands Loop Road, epic views around every bend. 

We also checked out the boondocking area that overlooks Badlands. Lots of trailers and RVs out there camping for free. We were thinking about bringing our RVs out there and camping overnight but decided it wasn't for us. The road in was pretty bumpy and its always very windy.  

Everybody needs to go to Wall Drug at least once. For us, I think this is our third visit. Home to the beloved Wall Drug Store, the city of Wall offers all of the expected and plenty more of the unexpected. Like it or love it, Wall Drug Store should be on every bucket list.

The restaurant in Wall Drug was very busy, Joe and I have eaten here before and its not that  great. We went outside and found Badlands Saloon & Grill. We picked a very good spot for lunch. Everything was delicious, the portions were very large, and the prices were good. We'll definitely visit again if we're in the area. 

21 Jun  Mark & Julia left this morning. They have a very long drive to Tennessee. We've enjoyed the last ten days with them. It's fun to have travel partners to hang out with and explore new places together. Julia is a wonderful cook and she has spoiled us with her home cooked meals. 

Can't wait for our next adventure with the Tangas!