2020 July, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons

  Grand Tetons, Yellowstone National Park

Camping in the Bridger Teton National Wilderness a dispersed camping area with another couple from NY State we have a beautiful view of the Grand Teton Mountains.  There happened to be a horse trail ride stop in front of us and it makes an excellent picture of this view from the campsite.

Playing tourist in Jackson, WY with the required picture in front of antelope arch. The Wild Bill Bar and grill although too expensive for our taste is beautiful to walk through in the afternoon.

I stopped in a fly-fishing shop and they were very helpful to tie a but section onto 2 of my fly lines. I am so out of practice trying knots and really appreciate their help. Soon I will decide where to fish for the choices are too many and to get a fishing license for 3 states just goes against my frugal spending lifestyle.

Tanya is also frugal and although she looked around, she did not purchase anything just enjoyed the scenery.

Covid appears to have relaxed, merchant s all had masks and hand sanitizer at shop entrances, but few tourists wore masks.

We tried to find the Morman homestead, but the GPS took us off on a fun backroads trip so that we eventually gave up and headed back to the campsite.

We have discovered that the Holland BBQ grill makes an excellent oven, baking a pizza and a glass of wine while looking at this excellent view. Oh, what a life this is!

After a few days in the Tetons, we mosey on up to Yellowstone National Park to see the sights. At both National Parks the numbers of tourists is quite down from the normally high level. I am attributing this to Covid in that people are being cautious and also many people have used up their vacat6time during the national shutdown. Although this is a terrible thing it does make our travels much more comfortable to have less crowds. We do not come into direct contact with very many people and disinfect frequently so we do not spread viruses.

I stitched together short videos of several of the sights to make a memorable video of visiting Yellowstone.

While dispersed camping nearby Yellowstone a bear came into the campsite.  I did not want to be lunch for this Grizzly bear so these pictures were still at some distance.

Frugal Tom bites the bullet and decides on a Montana fishing license. After so long of not fly fishing my elbow muscles ache after a short while. As experienced in kayaking and the last work assignment “ibuprofen is my friend “. I resolve to continue to fish every few days to build up some new muscles.

Successful at my low level of experience, Tanya gets a trout dinner!

Multiple trips into Yellowstone and we feel we have seen about all that is available to see and decide on a fishing day on the Madison River near Ennis, MT. I could not wade very well for the current was quite swift, fortunately the fish thought so also and were close to the bank. 3 fish, 1 of which broke the road before landing it. Wow, must have been a crack in the red to break like that, but it makes a good story!

Got lucky to get a campsite in National Forest, Madison Baker which is just outside Yellowstone.  My brother, mother, sister will meet us here the 4^th July weekend so we lock in with a 2 week stay.

Taking Tanya to the Potato Museum in Blackfoot, ID and she is thrilled at the displays. My previous trip here I took a video of one of the video displays.

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A work friend Mike had bought a ranch in Wyoming and playing email tag we connected to catch up. What a beautiful place! I did not get a picture of the view from the living room looking over winding creek and cattle in the field, but you can see a tiny bit of it behind the lodge.

That night we sat around the campfire and the men who delivered the chuck wagon sang “cowboy" songs. They explained that country songs are all inside – bars, jail, truck and cowboy songs are all outside in the form of a story. Like when on a roundup the cook puts a lantern on the wagon so that the night rider can find his way to camp. Great songs, great voices, we all had a good time.

Mike had just purchased an authentic Chuck Wagon! So cool! He sent me a video the evening before we arrived of cowboys sitting around the fire next to the chuck wagon.

A nice visit with Mike and as he takes the cowboys to Jackson, WY for tourist we head to Fossil Butte National Monument.

 

OMG, so mindboggling, the ranger talks of the history of the earth revealed 5 extinction periods, oxygen and carbon dioxide level changes, impact of a Bolides (Asteroid) in Yucatan. Another was volcanic activity in Siberia with lava 2 miles deep covering land mass the size of the US.

The displays were phenomenal, there was a range using an air gun (mixed with different sands) to remove sediment from a slab to expose a fossil.  He stopped and described to us many facts of earth to include fracking for oil, earth formation and much more. I am so overwhelmed that my brain hurts.

Back at Mike’s we share experiences, chat what a good visit we’ve had and make goodbyes for we shall leave in the morning going our respective ways.

2018 October Yellowstone, Fishing MT

 Yellowstone NP

Yellowstone national park.

It was untimely for us that many of the campgrounds were closing for the season.  Several nights in a row were spent searching for a campsite.  This did not allow us the leisure we had wanted to stop and spend more time at each location.  We did get through most of the things to see in Yellowstone and had a great time.  I had visited here around 13 years ago but it was still different and enjoyable I am glad we came. 

 

Mary seeing this for the first time truly loved everything.  Did not see bears but many, antelope and bison.

 

The trees were in first bloom of fall colors.  I learned that the grasses change colors too, soft yellows and reeds are the predominant colors on grasses.

 

Watching many different geysers of different colors and activity is so cool.  Once more the feeling of mankind is so small in the universe.

 

 

 

Parking in a campsite one night I was seeing up the camp chairs and heard a hissing noise.  The rear tire had seemed to separate from the rim, this concerned me for we were 8 miles from West Yellowstone.  We broke camp and went to town right away.  There was plenty of places to get air as we looked for a tire shop.  It was a Saturday, and everyone was closed.  Stopping at a NAPA auto store they knew of a place that had opened that Monday and was open on Saturdays.

 

This place was so great, they put the spare on, found a trailer tire that would work and helped me order 2 tires. Feeling uncomfortable with the old spare on, we limited ourselves in our travels. 

Sunday, we toured the west Yellowstone Museum while waiting to meet brother Bob. We met up with brother Bob, Mom and Bob's family also Patton and his wife (Bob's fishing buddy)

 

 

 Lunch and catching up we were all smiles.  Caravanning to Big Sky, MT where Bob had rented a large house, this is the first time in a month I have slept inside a house.  Kind of nice waking up warm and toasty.

 

 

Three days of guided fishing with w different guides we were able to fish the Madison, Gallatin, Yellowstone rivers.  Beautiful country, colors in the landscape,  snowcapped mountains in the distance, oh so nice!

 

 

 

The drive to each river had wonderful views and the conversation of fishing and countryside is an experience I will remember.

 

The guide would take 2 people in his right boat and 2 people would use brother Bob's raft. I was able to convince brother Bob to let me row the raft to let him get some fishing time in. I actually enjoyed rowing for it allowed me to look around at the landscape more than when you're fishing.  You tend to watch and read the water for your casting and forget to look around at the beautiful countryside. 

 Knowing you are on some of the world's most famous trout streams that are also available to common people is exciting. Famous fly fishermen from all over the world have finished the same waters.  Of course, you need to catch fish as well, no problem we all caught fish and had a great time.

 While the fishermen were out fishing Mary, Mom, Jan, Cheryl toured Yellowstone, so Mary was able to enjoy the park more and spend time with Mom.

Last day of guided fishing and my personal best for this trip of 7 fish.

 

Tomorrow we all leave the area, Bob and Mom to Sacramento, Patton and Cheryl home in Oregon, Jan takes a detour home to Oregon, Mary and I to Oregon and Bob's house for a rest while I fly east for a quick business. See you on the road!

2018 October UT, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons with sister Mary

  Las Vegas to Salt Lake City, UT

 

Meeting up with my sister Mary and Larry Pelman in Hemet, Ca at Los Vaqueros restaurant (Excellent food) great to meet, Tanya and Mary hit it off very well chatting away like sister of many years.

Larry helped me to find an RV part that had been lost so a few hours driving around Hemet (little town but a lot of miles). Mary and Larry had space available next to their home where we camped for the night. Getting ready for Mary to accompany Tom on the next leg of the journey required much deliberation of how much to pack!!!!!!

Mary’s comment: deliberation??? Huh…

 

Soon we are packed and head for Las Vegas. Mary and Tanya chatted a lot on the way there as I caught a nap. First time sleeping while RV is underway and was pretty good. Dinner at Chinatown in Las Vegas followed by cruise the “STRIP”. Seeing sights of Los Vegas, traveling together all of us was so enjoyable we hated for it to end. But alas it was time for Tanya to return to that dreaded word “WORK”.

 

Tom and Mary lay over at Nellis AFB before heading out for the next leg of this journey. Taking time to feel out each others quirks and preferences also helped us build our relationship. Our family is spread out over the country and we do not get together very often, this trip is the first for me and one of my siblings. Mom had traveled with me often in the big RV but never any of my siblings.

First stop was Silver Reef Museum, UT. A unique place where silver and other minerals were found in sandstone. Clowning around a little (Mary’s the one with blond hair)

 

 

Returning to Bryce Canyon we arrived in time for the sunset view and find a campsite. Falling asleep hard and waking in time also for the sunrise I still feel that we are rushing the trip some.

 

In the morning as we left the campground to go to the Sunrise Point there were no other campers stirring, I thought that it would be nice to not have a large crowd this morning. Boy was I wrong, there were a lot of people there already, fortunately parking was available, and we had a good showing.

Holding Mary’s hand so she could look down at her feet and not seeing glimpses of the canyon allowed her to have that AHA when seeing Bryce Canyon in early morning sunlight for the first time?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last week when I was here with Tanya there was a parking restriction for RV’s, you had to use the shuttle bus. This was because of the quantity of people for now there is no parking restriction, and we were able to go to multiple locations for different views. The very impressive one is the Natural Bridge. I brought the ladder out of the RV, and it allowed a better picture of the height of the Natural Bridge.

 

 

 

My very first sighting of Antelope. OOPs wrong picture. got to find it and post later.

 

Leaving Bryce and heading north toward MT, we follow HWY89 in Utah, a road sign states, “Birthplace of Butch Cassidy” This is the famous outlaw of movie fame Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

 

 

 

Along the HWY is another amazing sight - Caboose Village in Big Rock Candy Mountain Resort Center. This is a converted railroad train cars to Motels. So cool!!!! We chatted with the Manager Suzanne, and she was very helpful in sharing how the place came to be and what their aspirations are. What a great country we live in when someone can achieve their dreams.

 

 

 

 

 

We were on HWY 89 in Utah traveling through the Sevier Valley. A river flows most of the way through the valley and there were alfalfa and hay farms in much of the valley. I love 2 lane roads for you see much more of the country than through and interstate road.

Using the APP - RVPARKY we found a Maple Canyon National Forest Campground. Nice views good elevation 6427 and nice cool wind. We chose a campsite with a great morning view and settled in for the night. Watching as the sunset developed our back was to a western mountain and our front faced the eastern mountain. A broad valley between and as the sunset progressed you watch the shadow of the western mountain walk across the valley. The light in the sky remained long after the shadows had covered the eastern mountain. Very little in the way of color was seen. There is a rushing stream in the campground that you can hear all night.

 

 

 

 

Next stop Orem, UT to see Ira Fulton Library (Roots of Knowledge) where the stained glass depicting western images. Unfortunately, we drove in circles for quite some time and could not find it. Ah so it goes sometimes. We did see some murals and booked us a campsite at Hill AFB.

 

Spent 2 nights here (Hill AFB) and visited “This is the Place Heritage Park” Salt Lake City, UT. It is named for the founder Bringham Young who led the Mormons to this valley, as he saw the valley he said, "this is the place". Well worth the visit, either actual original buildings or replications of the buildings during the settlement of Salt Lake City. Docents in period costume were in most of the buildings and explained or demonstrated the crafts of the day. Very cool.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the Leather shop the Docent had the opportunity to explain a few things that were extremely interesting to me. First that Brigham Young chose this location because he wanted a place that no one else wanted so they would not be harassed. Not even the Indians lived here. Second that because of the spirit of community the Mormons of this area are self-reliant and a close community that assist each other tremendously. They have their own Internet Technology that rivals Silicon Valley, and many companies are coming here because of the intelligent labor force and strong moral work ethic.

Breakfast at Chris Café the waitress was so friendly and inquisitive. Very young girl who noticed us pull up in an RV and was very interested in our travels. Food was good and priced reasonable as well.

 

Traveling along we see the Idaho Potatoe Museum. I am very curious of what can they have in a potato museum and was very surprised how much it held my attention, particularly the video of the entire planting and harvest process. I am careful to not show you all of the pictures of the process so that you will go yourself and see this small museum with allot of interesting things about potatoes! Also, we all know that Tanya loves Potato's nearly as much as she loves Tomatoes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are many many more pictures of the harvest process, it is truly amazing what technology can do!

 

Traveling along and next is "Yellowstone Bear World" this is still in Idaho on the way toward Yellowstone and Grand Tetons. We balked at first at the entrance fee but were very glad we did go. You can drive through the enclosed area and have Bears, Buffalo, Elk, come right up to your RV. Only a few walked the road but being this close to these amazing animals is breathtaking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yep. folks Mary is definitely the most photogenic in this crowd!!!!

 

Mom has collected pigs and when the shelves got too full, we started sending her pictures of pig figurines. Here she finally gets pictures of 2 of her children with live pigs.

 

 

 

We had a great time in Yellowstone Bear World and decide to go on a little farther before stopping for the night. It is definitely clear that the more north we are and higher elevation the nights are getting much colder. I had researched a heater called Gas Buddy last year and we found one at Walmart here in Idaho. Boy does that help getting out of bed in the morning!!!!

Moving over to enter Grand Teton National Park the road from the southern entrance is a full 10% GRADE!!!! This is the first time I have had to drop into 1st gear!!!! Yes, my transmission temperature did rise for a while because even though I remained locked out of overdrive by downshifting it was a prolonged period of heavy pulling. Boy is this Rialta an amazing machine!

 

Jackson Hole, WY famous antler Arch. Once more we can tell who is full of life in this family! Love my Sis! What a great travel companion.

 

 

I tried on some 20 hats and everyone says I am not cowboy material.

 

 

Mary is preparing for one of her favorite things - Campfire!!

Mary is very successful with her campfire.

 Spent the day doing the Teton Loop and saw a herd of Antelope crossing the road, so cool. The driving tour included 2 lakes and we are fortunate enough to see allot of Aspen trees in 3 different stages of color. One hill had all 3 colors, green in the center of the hill, yellow surrounding it, and orange farther down from it by the creek. So beautiful.

Arriving back in camp it was so nice to relax and read a book and just slow down for a little while. Of course, all of you who know me I couldn't sit very long, I took on chasing down a squeak in the cab. The forest service had a fire truck drive by and we kind of think they were just familiarizing themselves with part of their territory.