Well, it’s been minute since we shared a story of our adventures. Guess why? We have returned home to New Jersey, and are settling back into life without Franklin. It was tough returning the Funseeker, but we feel happier knowing that he will now bring joy to some new folks who want to get out and adventure with him.

We hate to admit that it almost seems like another life when we left Moab to head to The Grand Teton Nation Park. That’s actually a true statement. What else is true is that it would have been a bummer to drive straight between Moab and the Tetons, so our plan was to break it up with one night near Salt Lake and another night in Idaho. 

Once again, our drive was otherworldly and gorgeous. Route 6 took us from I-70 north through the Wasatch Mountains to Provo. We found ourselves surrounded by snow-capped mountains and serious traffic while driving north on Route 15 to Salt Lake. Our goal was Antelope Island State Park. Who knew there was an island in the Great Salt Lake? And you could camp on it?

By the time we reached the entrance to the park, we were past ready to get out of the RV. After we escaped the busy highway, we found ourselves ensnared in yet more traffic, just of the north Salt Lake suburban variety. But the grumpiness was dusted off our shoulders in Syracuse, Utah when we turned onto a two lane causeway that stretched across the lake that looked more like a shining sea and started rolling toward the mountainous island rising up out of it. We’d never seen anything like this road. 

Although we were given some pause by the signs at the entrance gate that said “no refunds due to insects” and “the no-see-ums have hatched”, we entered the park and were greeted at our rustic camp site by several grazing bison. This was a sweet spot. White Rock Bay Campground, one of several campgrounds on the island, was surrounded by one layer of awesomeness after another. Rolling prairie on one side, the shore of the lake shimmering in the sunset below us, the hulk of Buffalo Peak rising beside us to almost 5000 feet. All of this ringed by the mountains that were everywhere. 

Sadly this was where we had to say goodbye to Margaret. As soon as the kisses we blew to her faded away we wandered down toward the water, wondering just how far away it could be. Turns out it could be far. And the bugs that bugged us we could see. Very well. They were not no-see-ums but instead some half hummingbird, half mosquito monster. Because no-see-ums don’t respond to bug spray, we hadn’t put any on. Instead, we tied our hoods tight around our faces and flailed like lunatics pretending we were really enjoying the sunset. When we got to the “beach” we were momentarily distracted from the bugs by our discovery of mini models of Superman’s Fortress of Solitude. Amongst the buffalo prints on the beach were tiny crystalline structures refracting the setting sun. We couldn’t enjoy any of this much longer while hitting ourselves and race-walked back to Frankie to turn in for the night having never made it near the water. 

Actually, not all of us slept in Frankie that night. Henry decided he wanted to sleep our tent for the first time, so he and Cramer set it up. The following morning we and peeked out from under our tent flap to see if any bison were grazing nearby. There were! But those suckers can move and not make any noise. They’re like 2 ton ninjas. When we looked again a few minutes later, we couldn’t see them anywhere. Never heard a thing. 

Before we left the park, we wanted to get up on Buffalo Peak and see what we could see. For a minute, we thought we would hike or bike up from our camp, but then we remembered how badly we misjudged the distance to the water and reconsidered. Luckily, there was a parking lot high enough up that we were left with only a 300 foot climb to the peak. We picked our way up the rocky trail to a boulder-strewn plateau that gave us 360 degree views of the lake below and the mountainous horizon. Those boulders, rising up between wildflowers, made for great climbing, and we took advantage. Despite our attempts at keeping real quiet so we could see some wildlife like pronghorn antelope or more bison, we had no sightings. But what an incredible view from up there. 

We said our goodbyes to Antelope Island State Park and headed up to Idaho. Just a couple hours north of Salt Lake is the town of Lava Hot Springs, and yes, they have hot springs there that you can soak in. That was our goal. First we had to set up camp at our second and final KOA. Nestled in a little canyon between the Portneuf river and the one-two punch of a railroad and highway, it wasn’t our favorite campground, but it was a short walk to the hot pools. Once we were set up, we grabbed swim suits and towels and started walking.

The Hot Springs complex is made up of 5 pools that range in temperature from a little over 100° to close to 115°. The pools are surrounded by a concrete deck and are mostly shaded by red canvas tarps. We slipped into the coolest pool planning on moving up one at a time. Turned out that the first pool was the best for us. After trying the next hottest pool we moved right back to where we started. 

Though the parents could have stayed longer, lolling about in the relaxing outdoor pool, the boys started getting a little antsy. Just a few blocks west through the little town is an indoor pool complete with diving board, climbing wall, and splash pool. Much better for the boys. And for the parents, they had a spring-fed hot tub that offered views of all those spots.  Coming when it did after the dust and heat of Moab and “roughing it” on Antelope Island, these hot spring waters were just what the nurse practitioner ordered.