Archive for the ‘Wyoming’ Category

Summer 2023, Off to NY again!

Friday, June 23rd, 2023

Leaving the end of June is playing it dangerously with the heat but Summer is amazingly cool and we left on the 22nd. So far the weather has been great, very little rain but as soon we hit Nebraska the smoke from Canada interfered with our enjoyment a little.

Things I learn on the road:

  1. You can find a walmart anywhere
  2. We often look for the same place; ie. The Great Coffee place in Green River, WY. We have been there at least 4 times. They have the best baked oatmeal but they don’t have internet, just games and puzzles.
  3. Nebraska has a lot of corn fields
  4. It just might rain anytime with or without clouds
  5. There is a festival for just about anything! The midwest even has a Testicle Festival – deep fried animal testicles is the main attraction

We went from CA on Wednesday to New York in a week. That’s fast for us but we kept to the Interstate and there isn’t much there. We found a beautiful spot for the weekend right on the interstate. The Summit Rest Stop, the highest point on I80 across the US. We actually spent the weekend at the Rest Stop as it was away from the highway, quite, we were alone up on a hill overlooking the area and we needed to be in Cheyenne WY on Monday for a visit.

Salt Lake

On to Iowa where we were doing just a stop over and then on to New York.

Can’t ever get enough of this beauty, Yellowstone NP

Sunday, October 2nd, 2022

We love this park and always feel like it is the first time seeing the geysers. This trip we did notice a lot of new changes; ie. the Mammoth Hot Springs area is definitely receded from our first trip in 2012. It is still beautiful but in 10 years the beauty has changed.

View of the wall coming from the east
up close, the flow is about 1/3 of what it was 10 years ago

Always a favorite, Old Faithful a must stop and wait for the eruption that comes about once an hour.

There is so much to see here you definitely need at least a couple of days. The Yellowstone River flows thru the park and there are several waterfalls (always a favorite of mine). If I hear water I’m going in that direction.

Just one of the many streams in YNP
Fishing at the base of a waterfall. Looks cold but so cool if I liked to fish!

The pools are all so different and amazing to see. The boardwalks get you right up close to some very cool sites to see. The smell often is very strong.

We saw many wildlife. Our first site was a mama Elk with her offspring. They were along the side of the road eating from the trees. No pictures cause they were too busy eating and the trees were in the way. The Elk above looked like a statue; he was just hanging in the shade right in front of the Mammoth Inn, a popular spot for the Elk herd in the afternoon. The buffalo was one of many. If you go to Yellowstone and don’t see a Buffalo you are going way too fast! Slow down, they are in every part of the park. This one was right outside our campground.

We spent 2 nights in the park with snow predicted the last morning. We woke up to wet roads but no snow. Upon leaving we came into the snow! It snowed overnight at the higher elevations and it was still snowing when we came thru.

The roads were slightly icy sometimes but mostly very safe. We just drive slower!

That was a bonus, seeing snow in Yellowstone. I am sure it is very beautiful in the winter but I hope I don’t get caught up in it! Burr.

Here we are again

Sunday, July 17th, 2016

Boiling River again

                                Boiling River again

One of our favorite parks and this week we are at the top end.  We are coming across Montana and the park is only 50 miles south.  Mammoth Hot Springs area was amazing last time so we made the trip.  By the time we got there it was very crowded and hot so no hiking today.

YellowstoneNorthE

This is the entrance gate from the north into Yellowstone NP,  There is these tiny doors and of course Paul has to check out the mechanics.  We decided the doors are not original and they have been put in so you can see the arch is hollow.

YellowstoneNorthE1

See the door in the corner?  That is how tall this arch entrance gate is.

MamothHotSpringsPaul

Mammoth Hot Springs, this time was not spectacular,  still very cool but there was very little water flowing and they didn’t have that “it” factor.

MamothHotSprings2

MamothHotSprings

This one was pretty cool,  all created from hot boiling water coming out of the ground.

yellowstonefall1

We saw a couple of beautiful waterfalls in the north area.  We had to walk a bit to see them.
Yellowstoneriver5

The river below the falls

Yellowstoneriver6

The Gorge the river runs through.  This was from a viewpoint very high up.

YellowstoneMtn

Just a wall!  Actually it was a wall that went straight up from the road with these trees sticking out into the sky.

YellowstoneElk

And of course the Elk that come into the park to graze and relax on the grass in the early evenings.

 

We find fun stuff no matter how small the area is!

Thursday, June 23rd, 2016

Just past Casper Wyoming is a small town of Glen Rock.  There isn’t much here.  The RV park is owned by some former Fulltimers and Workcampers like us.  They gave up and live in GlenRock in the summer and have a lot in Florida for the winter.  The other cool thing about a tiny town is they have a rec center for the residents and it is free!  Even guests get to use it for free.  They have a huge weight lifting room with a smaller cardio room.  I used it two days while we are here.

This morning we took a kayak ride down the the Platte River for about 6 miles with Ronald who was lots of fun since he has kind of lived the life we have.  The river was pretty fast moving so we mostly steered and only paddled to stay even with each other.  When we got back to the RV park we had to land along the bank and it was really muddy since the river has been high and just yesterday the mud we were walking on was under water yesterday.

After we returned we decided to check out Ayres Natural Bridge which is about 10 miles from the RV park.

Ayres Natural Bridge

                         Ayres Natural Bridge

Underneath the rock bridge

Underneath the rock bridge

Red mountains around the gorge

Red mountains around the gorge

A tiny park with some camping sit in this red rock lined gorge with a small  stream running thru.  The bridge is one of the few natural bridges with water running under it.  It was really pretty, the water was cold so we didn’t really stay long but it was fun to check it out.

Tomorrow we head for South Dakota to check out the Black Hills for a week.

 

Traveling to Casper

Tuesday, June 21st, 2016

Beautiful country heading east from the Tetons along Hwy 26.  Not much there but lots of beauty.  Then we come across Hells Half Acre.  Paul had heard about it so of course we have to check it out!  All 65 feet of us pull off the road where there is just a dirt patch and a sign!  Then I see a  huge hole in the ground and we realize it is fenced off!  So no exploring the big hole and really cool rock formations.  Oh well,  a site we can only say we saw.  There was something more interesting than the hole!  I went over to read the sign that told about the area and right infront of it was a leg for a small horse!  It had the fur from the knee down and a shoe on its hoof.  The upper leg was just wooden looking.  I wanted to pick it up but the fur creeped me out so I just returned to the RV and we headed out.  Paul said I didn’t need a picture of a horse leg!

After Hells Half Acre the landscape started looking more like what I think  Wyoming should look like; lots of fields, a few cows and not much else.  We are staying near Casper for a few days to restock and Paul has a customer here.

This morning I had to get a blood test so we went into Casper and found the Labcorp.  Checking that off our list I suggested we find a tennis court!  I’m ready to play again and we had a good time hitting the ball back and forth.  I only lasted about a 1/2 hour as it was really warm but I think I will be up to speed soon if we can keep finding courts.

Happy Father’s Day – More Teton Adventures

Sunday, June 19th, 2016

Saturday we enjoyed the park again, going to the Jackson Lake Lodge, having a Starbucks and then in the afternoon we took a float trip down the snake river with Barker-Ewing Scenic Trips.  Lots of fun.  We didn’t bring the camera or phones because we were not sure about how wet you would get.  The river is tricky and should not be done without a guide.  Our guide Mike worked the whole 2 hours steering a boat holding 12 adults.  We learned a lot about the area and the river.  We also learned how much the people of the area love the National Parks and the area.

Floating the river

                                      Floating the river

 

This wasn’t our boat but one just like it.  The guide stands in the middle of the boat, usually standing and steering.  This is one we saw the next day while walking along the Snake River near Jackson.

Sunday was Pauls day and he decided that we would just cruise around and do a short hike in town so that Duke could come along.

Happy Dog

Happy Dog

We checked out a couple areas we had not gone to.  Down a very long dirt road was another access point into the Snake River where some beavers had been very busy.  On Saturday we saw many beavers.

A Beaver House

A Beaver House

A Beaver Dam

A Beaver Dam

Then we stopped into Menors Ferry, a historic site with a cabin, the ferry and a general store where you can learn more about the park and how it came to be.  Very interesting.

Paul enjoying the shade at the General Store.   Menors Ferry

Paul enjoying the shade at the General Store.
Menors Ferry

Cabin where Roosevelt sat with some of the locals and came up with a plan to buy up the land for a National Park

Cabin where Roosevelt sat with some of the locals and came up with a plan to buy up the land for a National Park

Paul got his kind of day,  a little hiking, his dog and learn a little history in a less visited area.

Yellowstone National Park

Friday, June 17th, 2016

We were in Yellowstone about 4 years ago and really enjoyed it so today we took a ride north to see it one more time.  We also were going to visit Tom & Karen who we met many years ago and worked with them at Spring Training for two years.  They are working in West Yellowstone for the summer so it was not too far and fun to catch up with fellow fulltimers.  We had a great early dinner with them at the Buffalo Bar and Casino.  This place had everything; great food, a bar, a patio, pool table and of course a couple of slot machines.

LewisFallsYellowstone

Lewis Lake Falls is the first big stop when entering Yellowstone from the Tetons.  Lots of water and a way to get down to the stream below.

yellowstonewater

Then we headed for Old Faithful and the Geysers of the Upper, Middle and Lower Basins.  The area looks a bit like a war zone but so interesting.  The water is boiling and crystal clear (most of them are)  and so many colors depending on the minerals.

Midwaygeyser

Lowergeyser

They have built giant walkways over the geysers so that we can get up close without hurting ourselves or the fragile environment.

DSC_0222

OldFaithfulAudience

Old Faithful is of course the biggest attraction in the park.  The above photo is a third of the people waiting for the geyser to blow.  She blows every 90 minutes approximately.  People line up to get the best view but she blows into the air so you do not need an upfront view!  Tourists always want to line up and wait.  One of my pet peeves about tourist things!  I always want to go but then the crowds and waiting annoy me.  Old Faithful doesn’t have that problem so I enjoyed myself from a great spot and the thousands that were waiting the whole 90 minutes in the hot sun were not a problem.

OldFaithful1

She is starting to perform!

Oldfaithful3

Fully spouting!  It is amazing to watch and I am most surprised by how quiet it is.  This crowd is so thick but not a sole speaks as we watch mother nature doing her thing.  Love it!

Buffalo

On our way to West Yellowstone we passed the buffalo herd or they lead us down the hwy!

Buffalo2

Buffalo3

Beautiful animals that look harmless!  Right!

 

That’s exciting

Thursday, June 16th, 2016

When ever you see cars parked where they shouldn’t be you know you are going to get to see some kind of wildlife.  Today we saw this cute bear eating the grass along side of the pond!  He was only about 30 feet away but there was a pond between us and a lot of people that I was sure I could outrun!
Bear

After the bear we made our way to the Stringlake trailhead and headed out to Jenny lake.  We wanted to finish the hike that we got stormed out of!  The river from String Lake into Jenny Lake is beautiful. We hiked the back side of Jenny Lake and met up with the boat for a short ride across the lake.  This was the only opportunity we had to get onto the lakes.  It has been cold so water time was not part of the plan this time.  The boat ride gave us another great look at the Tetons.

JennyLake

Once we rode the boat across the lake we found the rest of the trail and headed up the east side towards our car.  It would be about 3.5 miles back and about a mile in we pass a group that was coming from the other way (or so we thought)  Actually they were returning after meeting up with some people at a roadside turn out.  The people had spotted a bear and said he was acting irratically and wandering from the road to the water.  The trail runs between the two!  Yikes!  Paul was not fazed!  He said we will be fine, the bear is probably long gone, and besides that is where our car is!  No hitch hiking today!  We continue and it is a beautiful trail with no one anywhere.  But then we are relaxing, enjoying our snack and here comes another group and they share the same info!  By now I’m sure the bear is way gone also.  We said thanks for the information and continued to enjoy nature.  The lake is so quiet.

Once we finished our snack, we continued towards our car (and the bear!)  We came upon the turnout from the road and there we many people there so I’m sure the bear is nowhere near.  Their was a ranger and Paul asked him.  His response was “there are bears everywhere! Use caution and be aware of your surroundings”  Well ok then.  We will keep doing what we are doing!

SnakeRiver

My favorite view of the Tetons is the small river on the way back to our campsite with the Tetons in the background.

Another long hike

Wednesday, June 15th, 2016

Todays hike was about 6 miles from the Taggart Lake Trailhead.

Horse

As we headed up the trail we passed the trail horses.  I thought this was fun.  The cowboy has a long stick with some fabric on the end which he was using to control the horse. To me it looked like the horse was teasing the cowboy into thinking he was incharge!

We passed Taggart lake on the Eastern side and continued to Bradley Lake where we sat and enjoyed our snack(lunch).  While there two guys that were there as part of a geological class.  They had a radio and there fellow surveyors were telling them of a bear on the trail on the other side of the lake.  I made sure where they saw the bear and we were heading the other way, yeah!!!

TaggertLake

Taggart Lake, a small lake that was pristine.  Very enjoyable day

TaggertLakeTrail

We passed a few streams and this one was one of the biggest ones.

Turkey

We didn’t see any bears but we did see this bird that was pretty far off the trail in the woods but he wanted us to know he was there by the sound of his ruffling feathers.  We are definitly enjoying the Tetons.  Lots of beauty, wildlife and exercise!

Ok, 7 miles is a lot!

Monday, June 13th, 2016

Inspiration Point, Jenny Lake

                    Inspiration Point, Jenny Lake

You can take a boat ride for $9 or walk around the lake.  We chose to walk.  It was beautiful and not a bad walk.  Then when we get to the half way spot we decide to hike up to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point.  All together it was about 3.5 miles but then you have to go back!  That was an easy decision,  lets continue down the mountain and around the lake the other way, making a full loop of 10 miles!  I wasn’t tired so I agreed.

Paul trying to solve computer problems from high above the lake

Paul trying to solve computer problems from high above the lake

 

Upstream from Hidden Falls

Upstream from Hidden Falls

We made it off the mountain and I was getting tired.  It is always just as hard walking down as it is up!  We were planning to stop with about 3 miles left to go around the lake and stopped to rest.  The sun was coming out and the storm seemed to be missing us.  Nope!  With about a mile to go to the picnic area we hear Thunder and then giant raindrops!  We were getting to the river that flows into Jenny Lake and it looked beautiful as I was running to get to safety!  Then the hail comes.  We were passing another hiker and he says “it’s only small hail”  Right!  With lots of really loud thunder.

 

Marmot

Marmot

As we were descending the mountain this little guy came out of the woods right in our tracks.  He had no interest in us and just walked right up to us and then down the other side of the trail.

We finally make it to the trail head and take cover under a small roof where the maps  are!  The sky looks really dark and we have 3 miles to go to get to our car!  Paul makes a quick decision as this cute couple come walking off the trail.  “Hey,  would you be interested in giving us a ride to our car?”  With a little hesitation she says sure!  They were from Iowa and very accomodating.  After appologizing because they have been traveling for three weeks in their car, camping.  We squeezed into the backseat and watched the rain continue to come down!

Wildflowers2

Wildflowers

A few different wildflowers on this trail.

We made it home and I felt good. Then I took a nap!  I was so sore when I woke up that I thought I wasn’t going to be able to get up!  I did but we will take a break tomorrow.