Thanks for all of your comments! We had a blast!
After another chilly night, we left our amazing campsite of Jackson Lake and headed towards Yellowstone National Park. Our departure went smoothly and soon on our way to Yellowstone. We new the Madison campsite would be as “rustic” as we have experienced – no water and no electricity. We were ready and excited for our next stop.
Again, the journey was only 70+ miles but we found many exciting stops along the way to make it a full days drive. Our first stop was at Old Faithful. We arrived just as she had erupted and spend some time exploring the surrounding area’s other natural hot spring and geysers before seeing Old Faithful erupt. Having heard many fascinating stories about the natural geyser, we were all still amazing by it’s spectacular explosion of water and steam.
We then toured the Old Faithful Inn, which is an architectural feat in itself, and hit the road towards Madison. There are hundreds of natural hot springs along the way and we tried to hit them all. We took the Fire Hole Lake Road passing by Great Fountain Geyser and Fountain Pain Pot on out way towards our next destination.
Our next stop, which almost did us in, was at the Fire Hole Canyon Drive. Some VERY tricky driving and a near fender bender gave us the last possible parking spot. No worries Terry not even a scratch on Rolling Tepee! After lunch, Amy, the kids and I got to experience some warm water swimming just as a storm blew through. When we tried to swim upstream, it was as though we were in a lap pool – no matter how hard we swam, we did not make any progress.
Leaving our swimming hole, we headed to our campground in Madison. The campground is approximately 14 miles from the western boarder of the park. Which is a good thing because when we arrived at camp we discovered that the Madison River and the Gibbon River are “FLY FISHING ONLY” – so a quick trip in R.T. and we were at the fly shop in West Yellowstone. After getting camp set up, Dawson, Emma and I headed out to try our luck at fishing. We had an amazing time playing in the streams, but were unable to land any trout.
Getting back to camp, we made a fire, got the grill going and settle into some buffalo/beef burgers – they have become a staple of our diet here in the West. They are outstanding! After dinner we had some roasted marshmallows for desert
The young ones in bed, Grammy’s luck in cards held up. She beat us all again in pitch and then in golf! As much as she says she does not understand the games – she continues to take our money. L Something is wrong here!!!!!
Fire going first thing in the morning to take the chill out of us, we settled down to some pancakes, OJ and coffee for a hearty breakfast. The excitement of the days adventure traveling through the Park with Yellowstone Alpen Tours made the clock slow down as we all were anticipating our 9AM pick-up.
Brenda arrived promptly at 9 and quickly set out the day’s agenda. We have been truly blessed with all of the people that we have met and have had to depend on. Brenda is certainly included in this category. We quickly learned that we were in the presence of an extremely knowledgeable, passionate and FUN tour guide. We could not have picked a better person to share Yellowstone with!
We started the trip by heading to Norris Geyser Basin, home of Steamboat Geyser. Despite Amy’s good feeling that we would witness the Steamboat blow, it didn’t happen. Last time it erupted was in 2003! Then we went by Virginia Cascade and saw a beautiful 80ft. waterfall. Then we headed towards Hayden Valley where we saw a huge heard of bison and some elk off in the distance.
Throughout the entire trip we were all on the lookout for wildlife. By the days end we would record: elk, bison, mule deer, and MOOSE! Unfortunately, despite everyone’s best effort we never found a bear.
It was time to go see the Yellowstone Grand Canyon. On our way we saw two magnificent bull elk. They were still in velvet and antlers were massive! Brenda informed us that those two have been in the park for about 6-years. Grand Canyon was amazing! It is hard to believe that I have waited 37 years to see it! We had an amazing picnic along the Yellowstone River and then drove through Dunraven Pass then over Mount Washburn. This was a spectacular drive and we spend lots of time glassing the valleys and hills for bear. We didn’t find any bear but we did spot a moose. Which believe it or not are more rare than bears! By the time we returned back to camp it was 3:30ish. Thanks Brenda for a great day!
Back at camp, Dawson and I headed to the Gibbon River to try our luck at the trout again. We had our first hook-up on what I believed to be a really nice size trout. He (or she) was about 10 feet from the net when I lost him L! I am learning and the barbless hooks make it really hard to land these suckers! All that said, I have to say it was an amazing moment, and that Dawson and I shared it made it even better!
Empty handed but full of life we returned to camp. Once the fire was roaring, we finished up the London Broil and the kids had grilled cheese. A few Smores for desert and we were all ready for bed.
Tomorrow we head to the Grizzly Bear and Wolf Discovery Center – Dawson and Emma are going to feed the bears!
We had a HUGE breakfast of eggs and Snake River trout! Lunch packed and water to spare, we headed out for a huge hike. The plan was to hike to Hermitage Point 8 ½ miles…past Heron Lake and Swan Lake to a peninsula out on Jackson Lake.
The hike was amazing! We didn’t quite make it to Hermitage point but we made it past the two lakes. It took about four hours. We headed back to the marina at Colter Bay to have a picnic lunch. We then headed out to do another two mile loop around an island in the bay. Throughout the day we were swimming and hiked over 6 miles. It was a FULL day of adventures and we were all looking forward to dinner and a soft bed.
It is only 8:15PM and I am doing everything in my power to stay awake to finish this entry. We had Frencs for dinner and the kids CHOWED some mac & cheese. We have the heat set for 65 tonight…I am sure it will be another cold one!
We head into Yellowstone tomorrow. It may be three days before we are able to enter our latest adventures. Hope to see Old Faithful erupt tomorrow and much, much more...Good night!
We woke early thinking about the possibilities of fishing on the Snake River. We ate a full breakfast and headed out to meet our guide.
Rob arrived and we all loaded up in his car and headed out to our drop point on the Snake River. It was about a 15-minute drive and we were quickly headed down river. It was a cool morning and we drifted for close to 15 minutes before landing on a rock bar and we started to fish. It wasn’t long before we landed our first native cutthroat trout. Throughout the day we landed about 20 cutthroats but Dawson won the day with a 20 in. two and a half pound monster! It was truly amazing and fitting to see to him land the best trout of the day. Our guide Rob said that it was the biggest trout he has landed this season. The late winter (snowed in June) has caused the fish to be more than difficult to catch. Dawson caught the fish of a lifetime…at the age of 8! The views of the Tetons were breathtaking and we arrived back at our campground with an ever-greater appreciation of the West.
Back at the Virginian Lodge and RV Park, we went for a swim and then settled into the hot tub to warm up. Cocktails served at 6 PM, we all sat down to a great dinner of Tacos and salad.
I know I am probably getting redundant, but I wanted to state again just how amazing our country’s landscapes are…there is no better way to see the country and meet people than to do it in a RV! It is awesome!!
We had some quick errands to run in Jackson – Mom needed a new battery for her camera, I n
eed a cowboy hat, and the kids needed some t-shirts! Jackson is really an amazing place. We had a ball and were ready to head to Colter Bay on the shore of Jackson Lake.
We saw some great wildlife on the drive from Jackson. A few buffalo and then we had a real treat and watch an adult coyote try to catch field mice for about twenty minutes. We arrived at the Colter Bay campsite around 5PM…we learned that they recently had to put a 5-year-old black bear down because he became too aggressive around the camp. The biggest emphasis Colter Bay has been about keeping you campgrounds CLEAN. Unfortunately, most of the bears become aggressive because campsites are left with food or other attractants.
On the way to Colter Bay we stopped for a hike and picnic lunch at Jenny Lak
e and Leigh Lake. It was a bout a four mile trek around the lakes through some amazing terrain with some spectacular views. We even found time to take a quick swim in another freezing cold lake!
We cooked up a Big London Broil that would last for about 3 meals and then headed to the camp center for some ice cream. Darkness was on us and we all headed for bed. It was – by far – our coldest night and I got up around 3AM to turn the heater on for the first time. RV temperature was 54. Needless to say, everyone was awake! I was actually surprised that I did not hear – IT”S ABOUT TIME!
Back to bed! We have an 8-mile hike awaiting us in the morning!
We woke early, pulling out of our KOA at the base of Devil’s Tower a little before 8AM. We had long ride (6hrs) ahead of us and we wanted to get to Cody, WY in order to see the Buffalo Bill Historical Center and get a Rodeo by 8PM. The trip took us over the Big Horn Mountain Range through the Powder River Pass (el. 9468). The views were spectacular and the changes in the landscape where remarkable. From Blackhills, SD, to the snowy peaks of the Big Horn and finally the barren drylands of Worland, SD the trip was long but very scenic. You can even see smoke form a 500 acre fire in the Shoshone Mountains.
Once we arrived in Cody we headed to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. We spent most of the afternoon visiting various part of the museum. If fact, the museum is so big that we decided to finish up our tour the next morning. If you want to check out the BBHC click on the web - www.bbhc.org
Checking in at the KOA went smoothly and we set up camp without trouble. We made some buffalo burgers for dinner and they were thoroughly enjoyed. We boarded the 7PM bus we off to the RODEO!!!
We all loved the rodeo. It started with some bullriding and only got better. We all agreed that the barrel racing was the most exciting to watch. Anyone who needs a shot of patriotism should visit the Cody Rodeo. I can’t remember ever feeling more patriotic in my life.
Arriving back at camp around 11PM, we were all pretty exhausted. We all went to bed wondering what adventures lay ahead of us on our journey to Jackson…
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