Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park and Glacier National Park - I could do this full time!

So it's been a bit since I have written anything, this is for two simple reasons, our days have been overfilled with fun and internet is not a "thing" in the national parks. Today was our first full day at Glacier and we are staying at a KOA just outside the park, the internet is not much of a thing here... Grand Teton remains my favorite hiking park, Renee and I took the boat across Jenny Lake and hiked to Inspiration Falls and then up Cascade Canyon for an hour until the thunder drove us bake to the boat. We also took the Tram up to the top at Teton village (over 10,000 feet) and hiked for a while. I then joined up with Randy (met on the trail) and did the hike to the gondola, lots of rock scrambles for the first ½ mile, but a nice hike. Met back up with Renee at the bottom and headed to Jackson to do laundry and shop for groceries. There Renee met a French speaker and talked for a while and then (in English) I gave advice on where to camp in the UP (Michigan's upper peninsula). That was about it for the first week.

   

We woke up early on Sunday to head to Yellowstone and saw great post sunrise colors and took some nice photos. Then we were lucky enough see a mama Moose and Calf near Jackson Lake Lodge, we sat and watched ad photographed for 45 minutes or so. Then a mostly uneventful ride into Yellowstone where the crowds were just out of this world. Tried to get into Old Faithful but it took us an hour to get through the traffic and back out. We stooped at a few Geysers and hot springs and then did some quick shopping in West Yellowstone, it was a sad day for me, the bakery was closed. We found a nice cafe and had a quick dinner and headed to our campsite (Canyon Campground). The campground was nice but very tightly packed and unlevel narrow sites. I had to raise the back of the motorhome 4 inches to be near level (every block I owned). There was enough room for the slide-outs, but not for the awning. We were camped next to a mother and daughter (8 or 9) who were first time campers (and all and all amazing).

 

Monday we headed up from Canyon to Tower Roosevelt (north east end of the park) to do some hiking. Before we got there we saw a Grizzly mom and cub. We stopped a few 100 yards away and looked, me thinking I need a bigger lens for my camera. Another couple was watching with a scope and shared, which remedied me I received a nice scope for my 25 years with GM so I went back to the motorhome and garbed the scope and tripod. Great views of the bear and cub, who slowly worked there way down the side of the mountain and onto the road where lots of dumb people (snacks?) remained. At this point I was still well over 100 yards away, but got a few good shot with the camera. We then headed to Tower Roosevelt and took a trail, just as we got up to the ridge we came across 4 or 5 sheep and managed to not disturb them. Great hike were we saw more sheep more marmots that we could count, each sunning themselves on large rocks and giving us dirty looks as we walked by. We met another couple who had also seen and not disturbed the sheep at the beginning of the trail. Nearly back to the start we ran into a couple who had great photos of the sheep by walking up and disturbing them, I guss no one else got to see them that day (sad). Then onto Ma moth Springs where Elk were blocking roads and the main entrance to the visitors center. Here we got to see a disgusting man scream at a park ranger for telling him to move away from the Elk. He was escorted away, and I hope fined... It was well past noon local time (we stuck to EST so avoided crowds for a few hours every morning), so the sidewalks and walkways around the formations looked like rush-hour in New York. This told us it was time to head back to camp. Tuesday we did a quick drive of the north rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, great views, then drove to Old Faithful. Spent almost the entire day at Old Faithful, enjoying the geysers and doing a bit of hiking, followed by a good meal a the Lodge. Wednesday we spent the morning along the north rim of the Canyon and did some hiking. More annoying parents who did not parent. A child was running and pushing along a steep trail, followed by throwing rocks. I told him to stop and he continued, I asked the Mom to parent the child and got a dirty look. If it were not for Boy Scouts and the young adults I get to see, I would think this Country was in trouble. We then drove out of the park and all the way to Missoula Montana. Thursday we drove to West Glacier and did a few quick hikes and toured McDonald lodge, someplace we need to stay at some point in time. The lodge is a rustic and magnificent timber structure along lake McDonald. Today (Friday) we drove to Avalanche and then took the shuttle up to Logan Pass and hike the Highline trail, even with rain and low clouds the views were spectacular. We then did a quick tour of the visitor center, met with a summer camp group that had biked up to the pass (I want to and fear it) and Renee talked me into buying a 100 anniversary park shirt. We took the shuttle back down to Avalanche and then hiked to the Ceder trail and then onto Ceder lake, by the time we got down it was past dinner time, so we cooked in the camper and then headed back to our campground. That about catches up with things.

Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park and Glacier National Park - I could do this full time!

So it's been a bit since I have written anything, this is for two simple reasons, our days have been overfilled with fun and internet is not a "thing" in the national parks. Today was our first full day at Glacier and we are staying at a KOA just outside the park, the internet is not much of a thing here... Grand Teton remains my favorite hiking park, Renee and I took the boat across Jenny Lake and hiked to Inspiration Falls and then up Cascade Canyon for an hour until the thunder drove us bake to the boat. We also took the Tram up to the top at Teton village (over 10,000 feet) and hiked for a while. I then joined up with Randy (met on the trail) and did the hike to the gondola, lots of rock scrambles for the first ½ mile, but a nice hike. Met back up with Renee at the bottom and headed to Jackson to do laundry and shop for groceries. There Renee met a French speaker and talked for a while and then (in English) I gave advice on where to camp in the UP (Michigan's upper peninsula). That was about it for the first week.

   

We woke up early on Sunday to head to Yellowstone and saw great post sunrise colors and took some nice photos. Then we were lucky enough see a mama Moose and Calf near Jackson Lake Lodge, we sat and watched ad photographed for 45 minutes or so. Then a mostly uneventful ride into Yellowstone where the crowds were just out of this world. Tried to get into Old Faithful but it took us an hour to get through the traffic and back out. We stooped at a few Geysers and hot springs and then did some quick shopping in West Yellowstone, it was a sad day for me, the bakery was closed. We found a nice cafe and had a quick dinner and headed to our campsite (Canyon Campground). The campground was nice but very tightly packed and unlevel narrow sites. I had to raise the back of the motorhome 4 inches to be near level (every block I owned). There was enough room for the slide-outs, but not for the awning. We were camped next to a mother and daughter (8 or 9) who were first time campers (and all and all amazing).

 

Monday we headed up from Canyon to Tower Roosevelt (north east end of the park) to do some hiking. Before we got there we saw a Grizzly mom and cub. We stopped a few 100 yards away and looked, me thinking I need a bigger lens for my camera. Another couple was watching with a scope and shared, which remedied me I received a nice scope for my 25 years with GM so I went back to the motorhome and garbed the scope and tripod. Great views of the bear and cub, who slowly worked there way down the side of the mountain and onto the road where lots of dumb people (snacks?) remained. At this point I was still well over 100 yards away, but got a few good shot with the camera. We then headed to Tower Roosevelt and took a trail, just as we got up to the ridge we came across 4 or 5 sheep and managed to not disturb them. Great hike were we saw more sheep more marmots that we could count, each sunning themselves on large rocks and giving us dirty looks as we walked by. We met another couple who had also seen and not disturbed the sheep at the beginning of the trail. Nearly back to the start we ran into a couple who had great photos of the sheep by walking up and disturbing them, I guss no one else got to see them that day (sad). Then onto Ma moth Springs where Elk were blocking roads and the main entrance to the visitors center. Here we got to see a disgusting man scream at a park ranger for telling him to move away from the Elk. He was escorted away, and I hope fined... It was well past noon local time (we stuck to EST so avoided crowds for a few hours every morning), so the sidewalks and walkways around the formations looked like rush-hour in New York. This told us it was time to head back to camp. Tuesday we did a quick drive of the north rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, great views, then drove to Old Faithful. Spent almost the entire day at Old Faithful, enjoying the geysers and doing a bit of hiking, followed by a good meal a the Lodge. Wednesday we spent the morning along the north rim of the Canyon and did some hiking. More annoying parents who did not parent. A child was running and pushing along a steep trail, followed by throwing rocks. I told him to stop and he continued, I asked the Mom to parent the child and got a dirty look. If it were not for Boy Scouts and the young adults I get to see, I would think this Country was in trouble. We then drove out of the park and all the way to Missoula Montana. Thursday we drove to West Glacier and did a few quick hikes and toured McDonald lodge, someplace we need to stay at some point in time. The lodge is a rustic and magnificent timber structure along lake McDonald. Today (Friday) we drove to Avalanche and then took the shuttle up to Logan Pass and hike the Highline trail, even with rain and low clouds the views were spectacular. We then did a quick tour of the visitor center, met with a summer camp group that had biked up to the pass (I want to and fear it) and Renee talked me into buying a 100 anniversary park shirt. We took the shuttle back down to Avalanche and then hiked to the Ceder trail and then onto Ceder lake, by the time we got down it was past dinner time, so we cooked in the camper and then headed back to our campground. That about catches up with things.

Trip Day 3 Ogallala to Bighorn National Forest

Trip Day 3 – We started the day early and departed Ogallala, Nebraska before 9am. The drive up Route 26 is very nice, our first stop was Chimney Rock visitors center for ½ a movie and a few photos, they had a nice little center on the history of the area and the Oregon trail. We then head out to Scott's Bluff were we did a few short hikes, the wildflowers were in full bloom and it was beautiful. One of the trials was blocked due to a rocks slide, with lots of signs saying stop here, we saw a young couple with a dog hiking past the sign. When we came down we were greeted by a Ranger who asked about them, I think they found out the rules do apply... We then got back on the road for Buffalo, Wyoming, along the way we stopped near Fort Laramie, to see Oregon Trial ruts. 350000+ people traveling west can leave a large mark on the environment. We then stopped for a quick dinner sandwich and back on the road. We arrived in Buffalo looking for fresh water for our motorhome, reading site info on Bighorn Forrest Middle Fork campground, we found they have no water. We were turned away the KOA, but found a gas station with water and a dump. A short drive through town and we headed to our campsite. All was well except it took me a ½ hour to level the motorhome (not a level site, and I was “cooked” form the drive). Our first night (of many) without power or internet. The good side is tonight we will need heat, not AC, low of 50 expected.

Trip Day 2 - More driving, a few nice stops

Trip Day 2 – We started the morning in Amana, Iowa with the intention of paying our bill and moving out. After talking to the campground receptionist, a trip into Amana sounded interesting so we drove into town and decided to walk. It was about 9am local time and stores did not open until 10am, except the bakery (so I dragged Renee into it). The town looks “Modern Amish”, neat and orderly with lots of German in the names, but with electricity and power. Similar history, escaping German religious persecution. We found a very neat (well actually very chaotic) flower and sculpture store, and looked for 20 minutes or more. Full sized horses, pink flamingos, sunflowers, rosters to name a few. So off to another late drive start, but well worth the time. Another mostly boring day (yeah). We stopped at the Pony Express stop in Gothenburg, Nebraska. We arrived a few minutes after closing, but they held the door for Renee and she purchased some postcards. A few more hours on the road and we were in the Mountain time zone and arrived at Sleepy Sunflower RV Park in Ogallala, Nebraska. A small park just off I-80, very clean, very friendly, perfect for an overnight stop. We took a quick walk and watched the sky turn “strange”, made it back to the motorhome in time to not be hit by ice-cube sized hail.

Trip Day 2 - More driving, a few nice stops

Trip Day 2 – We started the morning in Amana, Iowa with the intention of paying our bill and moving out. After talking to the campground receptionist, a trip into Amana sounded interesting so we drove into town and decided to walk. It was about 9am local time and stores did not open until 10am, except the bakery (so I dragged Renee into it). The town looks “Modern Amish”, neat and orderly with lots of German in the names, but with electricity and power. Similar history, escaping German religious persecution. We found a very neat (well actually very chaotic) flower and sculpture store, and looked for 20 minutes or more. Full sized horses, pink flamingos, sunflowers, rosters to name a few. So off to another late drive start, but well worth the time. Another mostly boring day (yeah). We stopped at the Pony Express stop in Gothenburg, Nebraska. We arrived a few minutes after closing, but they held the door for Renee and she purchased some postcards. A few more hours on the road and we were in the Mountain time zone and arrived at Sleepy Sunflower RV Park in Ogallala, Nebraska. A small park just off I-80, very clean, very friendly, perfect for an overnight stop. We took a quick walk and watched the sky turn “strange”, made it back to the motorhome in time to not be hit by ice-cube sized hail.

Trip Day 1 - Mostly just driving!

Day 1, we took a few hours to pack and get ready so the drive started before 11am. We found the hard way that Warren Dunes State Park has no signage on I-95, so we stopped in New Buffalo, MI for a walk and found a small art festival “Artigras”. It was very nice, I especially enjoyed the work of one artist who did nature photography printed on metal. We then hit the road again. I had a small issue with the storage “motorhome”, the bolt holding the bike mount was lose, not sure if it shook lose or started that way, I found it about an hour outside of Chicago and fixed it at a TA gas station. It was warm, with the outside thermometer showing 107 at one point (the real temperature was less, but the pavement was HOT). Mostly a boring and uneventful day so all is well. We put on about 500 miles, I hope to do 600 tomorrow. We are in a campground in Amana IO, a bit off the highway, but it was time (past 10pm MI).

The adventure is about to begin. 3 weeks, 3 National Parks, 4000+ miles.

The motorhome has been serviced, a new storage unit has been added to the back and I am seeking a new BBQ,

Three unplanned road days with the first planned stop of Bighorn National Forest.  We are staying at a primitive campground with lots of good hiking and nearby waterfalls.  After two days we will be heading to Grand Teton National park for 4 days of hiking, we have reservations outside of the park, but I hope to snag a spot in the park.  Then on to Yellowstone National Park for a driving and hiking tour of one of the true wonders of the world.  From Yellowstone we have two days to get to Glacier National Park where we will spent two days on the west side and two days on the east side, renting a car so that I can drive the Going to the Sun road.

Just a few 100 little items to take care of between now and 8am Saturday when we depart!