Many Faces of Yellowstone

We wasted no time getting on the road yesterday and heading to Yellowstone.  We hadn’t been able to secure a campsite reservation so we were on a mission to get to our desired campground in time to score a “first come first serve” site.  Entering the park, it was hard to bypass the famed attractions but we had a task to accomplish.

Our determination paid off.  Despite being told no sites were available, our new friend Sandy worked through the system and pulled off the perfect site!  With a place to stay secure, we headed back the way we came and went to see all Yellowstone had to offer.

Geysers were the order of the day.  The southwest quadrant of Yellowstone is laden with multitudes of colorful, steaming, spouting geysers.  Everywhere we went, the ground and water had clouds of steam rising from it.  Stopping at one after another, we saw magnificently colored pools, bubbling cauldrons of mud in all colors of the rainbow, spewing geysers shooting their spray to all heights. 

The geology and chemistry behind it all is so fascinating.  The colors are created by bacteria, algae and chemical reactions of various sorts.  The orange, red and brown tones are usually chemical while the blues and greens are bacteria.  We saw blue, pink, bright orange and deep rusty red.  Pools of water were crystal clear or thick as mud and some were deeper than you could see while others showed a maze of holes, nooks and crannies throughout.  Rivers of algae in different colors moved with the water and the water moved in countless ways from bubbling to spraying to oozing to flowing.

Parking with the RV proved to be a challenge in the Memorial Day week traffic but we made it work.  When we found a backcountry bike path that led from one geyser basin to Old Faithful, we happily jumped on our bikes and experienced the steaming country on wheels of a different kind. 

Old Faithful was everything I remember from my childhood and more.  Still as predictable and magnificent as ever, we arrived with over an hour to kill before the scheduled eruption.  We were able to check out the beautiful lodge and wander the countless other geysers in the area before viewing the spectacle of Old Faithful before a thunderstorm had us riding hard to get back to the RV.

When we arrived back at the campsite and started to get settled, a neighbor came by to see what Holy City was all about.  Low and behold, he was a close friend to our great friend Steve Thompson who bought Moonshadow, our sailboat!!!  He has been touring the country this year as a stay at home (well, stay on the road) dad with his two beautiful daughters.  His wife was in for a visit and we all ended up spending a great night together.  Dinner, cards and a walk kept us occupied and by the end of the night, we had great new friends to connect with when returning home in the fall!

Day two had us back on the road to see the more northern area of the park.  The first stop was the Norris Geyser Basin which is the hottest spot of the park with ground temps in many areas exceeding 200 degrees!  With steam rising literally from just about everywhere, it was a magical and actually a pretty spooky landscape.  It is very clear that the earth is active and in control as you walk through the seething grounds. 

With highway work being done on the road, we ended up waiting for our turn to go for half an hour and were entertained by two buffalo that were on a grazing mission within feet of our RV.  Thankful for the distraction, we joined the others out of their vehicles with cameras in hand to get some up close shots.

Back on the road, we headed for Mammoth Springs another mainstay of the Yellowstone legacy.  A landscape I remember from a childhood visit, the multi terraced flowing hot springs did not disappoint.  We wandered and climbed and hiked the springs and the town, visited the visitor center and dodged some elk to get to the post office.  Crazy, this wild wild place!

Before getting back on the road to take in the northern and eastern areas of the park on our way to our next campsite, I decided the bright sun and warm temps were the perfect excuse for an ice cream (not to mention trying huckleberry, the local favorite!).   As fate – and the magic of this trip - would have it, our new friends showed up at the same time!  I had the treat of sharing my ice cream with Elsa and Josie, the two delightful daughters, and we shared a few more laughs.

Tearing ourselves apart again, we all went our separate ways and Rob and I got on the “high road”.  Known for wildlife viewing, the northern route was more remote and so beautiful.  We stopped at waterfalls and other sights along the road.  

People stop in their tracks when they see wildlife so we had lots of opportunities to be distracted.  The count for the day – a baby owl, a baby black bear playing, a momma black bear and 3 babies sleeping, countless buffalo (including one that was not pleased with the sound of a passing motorcycle!) and some elk.  Not a bad showing for a single day!

We made our way over the pass at over 8900 feet still buried in snow and finally arrived at Canyon campground and our home for the night.  A side benefit of a night in this campsite is an untimed hot shower which was fully appreciated and completely taken advantage of!  Now we’re sitting and watching people walking by the RV and handing out beer to those that stare (grin).  We’ve met couples from Holland, South Carolina and Tennessee and it’s another perfect end to a perfect day!

A Memorable Memorial Day

The night of the previous post we managed yet another Holy City Brewing encounter with Adrian and Corey, two engineers from Utah.  It’s been so fun sharing the Holy City story and their beer…we find very few people unwilling to take us up on our offer…(wink)!  Along with the beer experience, we also have an opportunity to meet great people from all walks of life and circumstances that have so much to share in return. 

But I want to get onto what’s fun to report!  The next morning we got up early and headed for Grand Teton National Forest.  The guide books talk about the majesty of seeing the Teton Peaks for the first time and they aren’t lying!  We stopped at the park entrance sign as is our custom and took the obligatory photo which may just be the best shot we’ve gotten so far!

Enjoying the view all the way, we drove from the entrance visitor center to Jenny Lake where some hiking was the order of the day.  We parked and picked our path and headed out along the lake with spectacular vistas at every step.  Being Memorial Day weekend, the trails were busy but the soft forest ground, the surrounding snow-topped mountains and the lake buffered the sound and made for a peaceful, gorgeous hike the whole way. 

Unafraid mule deer

A marmot mid "flight"

Without much in the way of elevation change, it was an easy hike and we went over 3 miles before stopping for lunch and remembering that the only way back was the way we came and we best not get carried away!  We stopped streamside for lunch and spotted several mule deer and I got a mid-flight shot of a fleeing marmot before we got back on the trail.

The next stop was our campsite for the night and we got ourselves settled and enjoyed wandering the area.  Poised on yet another foot-of-the-mountain lake, there was plenty to wander, watch and experience.  We made an early night of it after a rousing game of Scrabble where Rob won when I ended up with a Z and a J leftover!  Man, so close!

The big story of the park was to be made this morning, however.  Being that it’s moving toward the solstice and we’re pretty far north at this point, the sun woke me up some time after 4 and I laid there thinking it would be a great time to get out to see some wildlife (that’s what they say anyway!).  So at 6 I finally chanced waking Rob and started getting dressed.  Of course he wasn’t about to let me wander the wilderness alone (it IS bear country!) and he got ready too.

We were on the trail by 630 and poised for viewing.  Little did we know that Mr. Grizzly was doing the same!  Within the first mile or so, we ran into said bear right in our path at the turn!  Man, I wanted to see wildlife but it got “real” quick!  We followed protocol and quietly backed off the trail keeping our eyes locked.  He – well, apparently it was a momma, so SHE – sized us up and came our way.  We peaked around the path and so did she.  We did this for a while (quick movements are not the best move they say) and she finally decided there were better fish to fry and headed the other way on the trail.  That’s about when I regained my composure enough to snap a shaky “bear butt” photo!

We waited a while and for some reason didn’t have the sense to leave the trail altogether and slowly worked our way around her path and onward.  Of course it wasn’t long before we both realized that we weren’t exactly comfortable being the only people we’d seen all morning on this trail with a bear between us and our origin. 

Solving that problem, 4 young park employees who had spent the entire night hiking in the area happened on the path.  We warned them of the bear.  They thanked us and headed on their way … and it wasn’t but minutes later when they were making a BIG ruckus!  Rule one, back away.  Rule two, make a LOT of noise … which is what they were doing!  We stopped in our tracks and listened for signs of serious trouble.  Everything went quiet for a couple minutes and then it started again.  Rob and I were spellbound, holding our collective breath wondering how bad it was going to be.

Minutes later our four friends quickly were headed back in our direction!  Apparently, our initial encounter had Mr/Mrs bear in a dither and she was NOT happy to have this second group interrupt her morning foraging!  She was clearly agitated and was acting aggressive and the four guys were wide eyed and full of stories when they arrived.  They told of #399, the code used in the park for the momma grizzly who was the biggest, oldest and most established in the area.  Apparently, she was our girl.

Very long story short, we had 4 new hiking partners which turned to 7 within the next mile as others changed their direction after hearing what lie ahead.  We had a great albeit alert hike around the back side of the trail with many eyes out for our nemesis.  Arriving back at the hike origin, several folks peeled off and we said our goodbyes.  Realizing, however, that they had missed the employee meal time for breakfast because of their detour, the park staffers decided that beer for breakfast was in order!

Ends up Ben, Rob, Chris, Eamen and Ariana joined us at Moonshadow for beer and breakfast.  I managed some pancakes while Rob handled beer entertainment with the 20 somethings.  I can’t say we’ve had quite as appreciative or enthusiastic a test market before!  With such an amazing experience to share, there was no shortage of tales to tell.

I’ve already far exceeded my post length allowance but none of you is surprised when I get long winded, are you?!  Well, to sum up quickly then, the rest of the day certainly couldn’t live up to the start but we did enjoy a spectacular 12 mile bike ride, picnic included, to another area of the park (all the while still looking for OUR bear), time in the gorgeous afternoon sunshine and another 2 mile hike through the amazing scenery later in the day.  

We finished the day with sunset Holy City encounters and another amazing dinner ala ME!  The blog is written and waiting for posting and we can put another park and another day behind us with no regrets.  Memorial Day or not, this was one MEMORABLE day!

Craters of the Moon Indeed!

As I write, we are in a campsite surrounded by beautiful mountain ranges, a vast meadow, a meandering creek.  We are in a National Forest campsite that has a level parking area, a campfire ring, picnic table and gentle breezes through the trees.  It will cost us $6 for the night.   To top it off, we have internet access (a most valuable but unusual commodity for these remote parks). 

Today, we have just come from Craters of the Moon National Monument where we were off the grid for the past few days.  Off the grid and out of this world, is more like it!  What an unusual and intriguing park!  Standing on endless miles of lava fields, Craters stretches over a good-sized chunk of Southeast Idaho.  We got settled in our site amongst the chunks of lava and wasted no time getting on the hiking trails. 

We walked around on a’a (big, chunky and sharp) and pahoehoe (smooth and river like) lava then up a volcano and along the ridge.  We learned about spatter cones where at the end of an eruption cycle when the lava has begun to cool, the still hot magma below plops up to the surface and leaves cones of debris behind.   Hours later we wearily returned to our campsite to settle in for the night.

We again had our share of interesting neighbors who were willing to join us for a beer and we had 8 new acquaintances by night’s end.  Especially fun were our Alaskan neighbors who wore shorts, sandals and tank tops as we added layer upon layer as the sun set! 

The next morning we woke to rain on the roof which quickly turned to flurries which then turned to SNOW!  We thought it was an anomaly but it continued for hours!  We bundled up and ventured out to the visitor center to watch the movie provided (thus my extensive and impressive knowledge on lava!) and ran into our Alaskan friends once again.  With an offer to venture further in the park via their car after lunch, we had our means of afternoon entertainment.

With Jennifer, the mom, and daughter Jessica in front and son Andrew in back with Rob and I, we all headed out for the lava tube caves at the far end of the developed park.  Lava tubes are where the upper surface of a river of lava hardened while lava still flowed beneath leaving sometimes huge tunnels and caves below the surface.  Having two college kids as added entertainment, we wandered through the caves until our hands were numb – even the Alaskans had extra layers on by then!

Back at the campsite, we warmed up until the clouds finally broke and we jumped on our bikes to conquer the 11.5 mile road through the park.  The first 2 miles were a steady and very challenging climb up the crater before the road plunged down the back side.  The final 6 miles were up, down and around and a great way to burn off some energy before we gathered the traditional evening crowd for … well, BEER!

We enjoyed the company of a couple from Boise (Dominique and Dave) and their wine rep friend (Carsten) from San Francisco who showed up with designer Manhattans to share in return (a big treat for me!)  We all parted for dinner with plans to reconvene for the rhubarb crisp I had planned to share.  With the delicious aroma filling the RV, the rain began again and Rob and I enjoyed the finished product alone with everyone holed up in their tents!

This morning we packed up and once again said our goodbyes.  On the way out we climbed Inferno Cone and the tree mold trail where imprints of trees caught in the lava’s path left their imprint.  We found lots of elk tracks in the moist ground along the trail and watched the minimal plant life open up with the fresh dose of rain. 

And we’re back to where this post began.  The campfire is now set for lighting and there’s corn on the cob and burgers on the grill.  The sun is sinking toward the horizon and it’s time to put these hands in some gloves!   Moonshadow, out!

New Times with Old Friends

Over a week has gone by since my last post!  Ending our drive through Oregon and into Idaho, we made an overnight stop at a Fairground on the Oregon/Idaho border.  We had some fun with the rodeo animals in residence and shook out our traveling legs with a walk and called it a day.

The next morning brought us to Boise and our rendezvous with dear

friends, the Fiechters, who we met on our sailing adventures 4 years ago.  Their boys, then 9 and 11, had shot up to towering teenagers and it was so great to see them again!  Christine was out of work early and we wasted no time before heading up to a local trail favorite and enjoying some exercise and great views of Boise from the surrounding foothills.

Boise is a surprisingly wonderful city!  I had few expectations other than fun with friends but found Boise and the surrounding area to be very alluring.  With mountain ranges in just about all directions and the Snake River nearby, nature and activity were not in short supply!  The weather was just perfect with sunny days near 80ish and we took full advantage.

The second day we were thrilled to have Christine with us again and we headed to Table Rock, another great hike within a ½ hour drive of their neighborhood.  Trails wound in every direction and even on a Friday were covered with hikers, mountain bikers and trail runners.  Quite an active population in the area! 

Evenings were spent enjoying the company of each other – card games, bbq, a Holy City beer tasting party with their friends, movie night – you name it!  We had several jam sessions with Rob and Logan on guitar, Cole on drums, Mark on harmonica and Christine and I playing various forms of percussion and singing. 

Of course, there was playing fetch with Emma (their 7 month old pup), feeding the pack goats (more to come on THAT!) or watching the chickens peck around the yard.  I even had a chance to participate in some “animal husbandry” when a chicken in distress needed some attention!

The weekend meant that Mark was off and the fun was on!  Saturday we loaded up their three pack goats for a day long hike in yet another wonderful locale.  With Sanuk, Bevis and Elvis and their gear in the trailer, we headed for the hills.  We hiked for hours up, down and around the hills.  We met up with a Mexican shepherd leading 7 horses over a peak.  We found the sheep around another hill and encountered the Great Pyrenees and their amazing herding skills.  After competing with the goats for our picnic and taking a much deserved rest, we headed back to the trailer and Boise.

Sunday brought another adventure further north to the Golden Fork hot springs.  The kids stayed behind with their electronics and homework and we had a fun 2+ hour drive in the hills and a GREAT day of hot springs in the gorgeous pools and setting.  We shared some beers, made some friends and had a lot of laughs.  The night brought homemade pizza and more camaraderie and the weekend was over already.

The next three days passed quickly.  With the gang preoccupied, we set to taking care of some business and exploring on our own.  We wandered the neighborhood, did some laundry and shopping and had the hydraulic jacks repaired and water pump replaced on the RV.   We drove down to the Snake River and Celebration Park where we got in a great hike, saw some ancient petroglyphs and met a wonderful park interpreter that explained the origins and Indians of the area.   We then celebrated Mark’s birthday with the full complement of crepe paper, balloons and ice cream cake!

Our last day we visited the Birds of Prey Center and learned that it’s the largest bird conservation area in the country with an impressive facility and a long list of accomplishments.  Before we knew it, it was our last night with dinner and a final jam session.  The kids got to bed late and Mark and Christine joined us in the RV for a nightcap.  We had some more laughs about our time in the Bahamas and the new memories we created. 

After a short night’s sleep, we were up to see the kids off to school and say our goodbyes and we’re back on the road.  “Saying goodbye is such sweet sorrow” but with Yellowstone and some great parks ahead, one certainly cannot complain!

Our First Rain Day

There's no way I could even take a picture on the bad curves!
I had my eyes closed!!

Leaving our Mother’s Day revelry in Coloma, we conquered the last 10 miles of crazy hills and turns on highway 49 and got onto I-40, our first major highway since before Vegas.  We stopped in Reno for Costco gas and ice (our great money saving tradition when available) and headed north on 395, the scenic road through the rest of California and into Oregon.

We continued to debate whether we should detour the 140 miles off direction to hit Crater Lake National Park.  We’ve so enjoyed the parks and hate to miss any as was the identical dilemma when leaving Death Valley but left the decision for when it had to be made.

Driving what seemed an endless but beautiful stretch of backcountry, we couldn’t find a place to stop!  With internet service coming in and out and our affinity for not staying in typical campgrounds, we began to get desperate!  Miles after we had intended on stopping, we finally took a turn onto a road leading to the Modoc Wildlife Refuge outside of Alturas, CA.  With another beautiful mountain range in the distance and pastures in the forefront, we took a walk down the train tracks before watching the cows retreat to the barn at sunset and being entertained by the ever-amusing jackrabbits. 

Back on the road the next morning, the critical turn for Crater Lake approached as the weather grew colder and more threatening.  Checking what was happening at Crater Lake, the ensuing snowstorm (what?!) made up our mind for us and we headed the other way.  Of course, the weather where we were didn’t look so promising either and we vowed to be sure to have a camp with power for the night.

That campsite ended up happening within the next hour!  With steady rain, dropping temps and 25 mph winds, it seemed a good day to be still.  We pulled into a state park on the border of California and Oregon – seriously, across the street from each other!  Rob battled the elements long enough to get the power and water hooked up and we went into hibernation!

The day passed with 2 movies, a game of Scrabble and several of cards, and watching robins scoring on endless worms and deer and quail wandering around the campsite ignoring the weather.  Cookie baking and lots of eating (including my favorite South African sweet potato stew at day’s end) left us fat, happy and with a bit of cabin fever!  When the rained stopped for a while late in the afternoon, we tried a hike and within 5 minutes were being pelted with hail!  So much for exercise! 

A little tutorial on “coach” living…we live on battery power which Rob enhanced on Moonshadow with 2 solar panels.  The frig, heat and hot water are all powered with propane although the heater blower requires 12v electricity.  Our water is in a tank that has an 12v electric pump. We usually resort to “boondocking” meaning we’re not plugged into anything.  We use 12v power to recharge our phones, etc. but any electric appliance is left useless without a generator being run or hooking up to AC power.

Being in a traditional campsite, we could hook to a power source which allows crazy things – like a TV to watch a movie, or charging the toothbrush!  AC power also meant no worries keeping the heat on all day and, hooked to water, I treated myself to a blissfully hot and long shower before putting our first weather day in 7 weeks behind us. 

And today we’re back on the road again, as the song goes.  A rest stop with a hiking sign allowed for a 40 degree, 20+mph windy hike and a chance meeting with a beer brewer from Colorado, Kurt.  The views on the scenic highway through central Oregon stretch out in all directions as the miles pass.  Rolling hills, crystal lakes, snow covered mountains and pastures of cows, sheep and goat entertain as we work our way to what’s to come.  

Mothers Day Magic

With the crazy weekend and Mother’s Day traffic of Yosemite, we gave up on finding parking and were back on the road again.  We chose a more scenic route vs going west to the major highways and went north on Hwy 49, the gold route.  Wow, what a ride that was!  Talk about steep and winding!!!  Hairpin turns, 13% grades and tiny towns meant long slow progress.  But the scenery was spectacular and we had no particular destination other than north so onward we went.

Being that it was Mother’s Day, I was in a bit of a funk when cell service didn’t allow more than a bite of conversation at a time with our mothers or kids and Rob decided I needed Thai food to lighten my spirits.  After about 5 hours of teeth clenched driving, we pulled into Placerville, CA to check out our dining choices. 

Low and behold, there was a tiny little thai place on the main drag that we bypassed at first but lured us in on second crossing.  The only other table was occupied by a friendly couple who we quickly became acquainted with.  The food was delicious but the conversation was even moreso and Erin and Marty invited us to park the RV in Marty’s driveway for the night. 

Marty spent most of his life as a river guide on the Colorado River (think Grand Canyon, y’all!) and was full of great stories.  Erin is a massage therapist who practices what she calls “mermaid massage” done with her feet while using a suspension system!  Man, I love creative, unusual people!!!

Marveling again at how fortuitous was our journey, we parked at a river access point for a hike while Erin and Marty visited her Mom for Mother’s Day. 


At the appointed time we headed to Marty’s but missed a turn and ended up on ANOTHER steep hill with MORE crazy turns and needing to turn our 30’ bus around with little to no access to do so!  With the help of a beer wielding driveway owner, we got ourselves turned around without any fatalities! 

Finally, attempting Marty’s driveway, we realized it would be best to head back to the river access parking lot.  Erin and Marty joined us when we got settled and we shared a beer and conversation well past midnight – our latest night yet on this crazy journey.

Waking this morning, Marty came by for a quick visit that lasted another couple hours and we shared more stories and life’s lessons before we needed to get moving.  And we’re on the road again and headed for a visit with sailing friends in Boise.  With the snowpack so high and the park campgrounds still closed we’ll be bypassing 3 previously intended national park visits.  I’m counting on back roads through California, Oregon and into Idaho to provide a story or two and on we go.