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37th Stop - Craters of the Moon (ID)

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Blog Post #47 - Written February 13, 2026 Stay: August 11, 2025 After leaving Boise, we trekked back across Idaho to make our next appointment in Montana.  But, we had a pretty cool pitstop along the way.  Although, to be honest, our thermometer said it was anything but 'cool' and we had no A/C since we were boondocking at a farm. Our excitement started as we passed an accident on the side of the road.  It must have just happened because a few moments later a low-flying helicopter flew right past us. Based on the huge dust cloud in the rearview mirror, we think he landed to help out at the crash.  We pulled into a dry and dusty Harvest Host site just outside of Arco, ID.  And who should greet us but a very thick maned farm dog and a few reindeer.   The reindeer farm was small, but we were there in time to watch the bucks scraping their velvet off their racks.  The antlers looked pink, since the velvet is alive and scraping it gets a bit bloody....
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36th Stop - Caldwell ID

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Blog Post #47 - Written February 10, 2026 Stay: August 8-10, 2025     Our travels took an exciting turn as we took a surprise trip to my sister, Abbey, and her new digs in Caldwell, ID.  What a nice change to sleep in a house! And a real shower!  The kids loved building bedtime forts for a cousin sleepover.  And there was even some space leftover for the kids to sleep after all the stuffed animals came out.  Sort of.  The kids were very excited to play with their cousins. They brought out the mini pool, axe throwing, wiggle cars, and nerf darts.   D especially liked chasing the dog and cat, who were not necessarily the most willing playmates for this ambitious toddler. The boys went out back to enjoy many epic Orbeez shootouts.  Cousin Z was relentless!                                      But when Uncle Jay brought out the ...
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35th Stop - SLC and Provo (UT)

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Blog Post #46 - Written February 10, 2026 Stay: August 2-7, 2025 It’s time for the reign of Megan to begin! Ok, so Gary’s been especially busy (or in his words, "lazy") and this blog has gotten quite a bit behind.   So, I made Gary a deal, either I drive the trailer and he writes while we drive, or I can take over.   To prevent the many deaths that would occur if I took over hauling this beast around, Gary finally relinquished control over the blog.   MWAHAHAHA! After our harrowing escape from Flaming Gorge, we ventured down into Utah Valley to visit with more family, friends, and old haunts. Gary’s brother, David, hosted us in his driveway up in North Salt Lake area.   And we mostly fit! Only needed a couple of foam pads wedged between the tree and our windows to prevent scratching. On Sunday, we realized just how busy and congested Utah had gotten as we tried to see as many people as possible.   I met up with my ‘bosom friend’ Kelsey for a quick meetup at ...
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34th Stop - Flaming Gorge (UT)

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Blog Post #45 - Written December 7, 2025 Stay: July 28 - August 1, 2025 Almost a year before our trip, I planned a Butler Siblings Family Reunion camping trip to Flaming Gorge. Starting in 2020, my brothers have planned a backpacking trip each summer to get away from the busy hubbub and reconnect with each other and with Mother Nature. A few of us weren't able to make it last year, and I knew my sisters and some of our wives and kids felt left out, so we planned a family campout for 2025. Unfortunately, my parents couldn't make it because they're serving a church mission in Tempe, AZ.  This was our only fixed/set plan that we had to schedule the rest of our RV trip around, which influenced our route and speed. But we made it! Which was a miracle, because the road into Flaming Gorge from Rawlins is treacherous with a trailer. It was very up-and-down and pretty windy and steep in many places. After we got there, I immediately dreaded having to leave,  but more on that later h...
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