Rocky Mountain National Park

 We get to visit Rocky Mountain National Park today!  Our day began as it has consistently,
taking our time in getting up then going to the store for groceries.  By 10:30, we were working our way up the mountains toward the  YMCA of the Rockies.  We were able to check in and even get our things into our room before our reserved entrance time into the park.   We stopped in Estes at a grocery/deli to grab sandwiches to bring with us.  The line was about 10 cars to get into the park and we immediately headed to find a Lyman style picnic spot.  We stopped at a viewing area bordered by a huge bolder area where we could sit to eat.  The wind was strong enough to blow off our ball caps so we rushed lunch a little so that our paper wrappers and napkins wouldn’t end up floating down toward the valley.  Johns greatest desire was to drive up the Old Falls River Road which is dirt and a one way climb up the mountain to the 12,000 visitors center, the Tundra.  The drive was absolutely incredible!  The water flowing from the melting snow created some of the most beautiful falls where we were able to get out to hike down a little.  We made multiple stops just to see the variety of scenes where the water flows.  One pull off looked particularly inviting for some reason though we couldn’t really see what was beyond the trees.  We took a break to check it out and it lead us to a meadow with a wonderful surprise – a very large Moose bull.    A little further along, there was a traffic jam caused by five male elk who were grazing and playing around right on the edge of the road.  Just beyond that we could see the Tundra.  To get there, we drove along some very steep cliffs with no guard rails. 

We parked at the top for a quick hike but some of us chose to stay in the car because the wind made it so cold above 12,000 ft.  The drive back down the paved road was much more scary that most of the dirt path because again, no guard rails and the wind was so crazy that either I struggled to open my car or to hold it from flying open depending on our direction at each viewing stop.  Very quickly, Parker and I began to feel altitude sickness.  It wasn’t until we got back down to about 7,000 feet that I started to feel better.  Before returning to the room, we took a detour to hike around Bear lake and up to Nymph lake.  Both amazing little mountain treasures but the crowds were more than we would like. 

 

We arrived back at the YMCA about 8:05 only to find out that all restaurants closed at 8:00.  We scrounged through what was left of our sandwich materials and snacks to feed our after hike hungers.  The peanut butter only lasted for about a half sandwich each; not that there was more bread than one slice each.  No one seemed to care what we ate because we had such an amazing day in the park.  Our little camp room has a queen bed, two sets of bunks, a sink and table plus a small bath inside the roo.  It’s kind of fun to be at camp.  

Day to explore mountains

Today we start our journey back east somewhat.  It’s about an eight hour drive down to Longmont, CO.  We got an early start so that we can stop for any sights along the way.  It was a rainy morning to pack and get out.  After a short stop of gas and drive through breakfast, we started out drive through the valley along the Hoback River.  It was gorgeous to have the clouds settled in the mountains all around us as we drove along this beautiful river.  Again we took note of lots of camp grounds along the valley.  We took a little detour to see Freemont Lake in Pinedale.  It’s a large lake with a very nice campground along the south side.  Beautiful clear lake and with fantastic views of the far mountains.   

Our lunch stop was in Rock Springs where we ate at the Chill Grill; mildly decorated as a 50’s dinner located in a remodeled gas station.  We sat outside under the pump awning.  It was a fun first.    The food was typical grill sandwiches, burgers and hotdogs plus they had a large menu of ice cream sundaes, shakes, etc.   

Continuing our journey now on Hwy. 90, we watch train after extra long train travel West.  Some appeared to be loaded and others completely empty of cargo.  You can see them coming for miles and they seem to be a mile long each.  It’s raining again after having blue and white skies since late morning.   We are bypassing the Medicine Bow scenic drive because the rain is pelting and the warnings are 40mph wind gusts – much happier driving in the valley in these conditions.  

 

We drove under a canopy of dark cloud for about three hours always chasing the edge.  Just as we arrived near the Longmont exit, our stop for the night, we came out from under the edge of that cloud into sunlight.  We celebrated!   Tonight we are in a Home 2 Suite and it is so roomy for the five of us and has a nice little kitchen.  

Snake River

 Snake River day!    Marriott lazy morning – folding clean laundry - snacking – watching cooking chanel and resting.   COVID again changes many things:  the breakfast at the hotel is a serve line instead of self serve, which I’m completely happy with, but this Spring Hill Suites does not have a well organized plan and the line wrapped around the lobby so we opted out.   Peanut butter and bread will be our staple before rafting!

Around 12:00 we checked out and drove north to the meeting point for the raft trip.  Since we were early, we drove into the National Park for a little while.   In the limited time we had, we walked a service road to a stream where we could walk across a really cool old log bridge.  On the other side, we found a grouping of log homes, buildings built by Rockefeller and one 1913 home built by a woman, Maggie I think, who moved out here, went to college and was the first woman to climb to the peak of Grand Teton.   

Meet up with the raft guides at 1:15 just outside Teton NP entrance.  We pulled in just about the same time as the Allens.  Our sweet friends actually booked this trip for us when we discovered we would be in the same town on the same night!  We randomly booked at the same hotel as well.  What a blessing!  Our girls are dear friends.  The foat was 11 miles so we had a short van ride to the drop off site, donned life jackets and got the rules of the water.   The float raft is so different from any raft we’ve been in before.  It has carpet on the floor, extra wide and long with and outside boarder tube to reduce the amount of splashing passengers receive.  It was a playground for the girls who were just beyond happy to be together!  They acted like they haven’t seen each other in a year.  This is such a fantasic way to see the Tetons and so peaceful!  Our guide, Justin, was fantastic.  He was great about sharing information requested, accommodating picture times and letting the kids row the raft.  I can highly recommend Solitude for rafting.  The kids were thrilled by some small white cap areas of the water, we spotted a pair mule deer and a bald eagle flying downstream.   Without three giggly girls aboard, this would be the most peaceful trip!  Not that I would change the current company aboard at all!  

Wrapping up the float, we decided to meet back at the hotel, change and walk across the street to have dinner at Cutty’s.  We were able to sit out on the lawn even.  That turned out to be a huge bonus when the Allen’s food took so long and the kids needed to move around.    After dinner, we took turns showering and watching the kids in the pool so that they could have all the minutes together they possibly could.  We are at the Pony Express Motel – old and quaint with a queen bed and bunk in the corner.  Nothing special but comfortable and the old fashioned motel, outside facing doors, is always fun!  Night, night Jackson Hole.  We didn’t see much of you but had some nice rest and company. 

Opt out of Yellowstone 2nd night

 The sun still gets us up between 5:30-6 here but we did go back to sleep until maybe 7:30 today.  When we opened our eyes, John said, “I think we should pack up today and try to get a place in Jackson tonight.”  I had the same thought during the night when I woke to dampness inside the tent.  It was super cold because of the dampness and its supposed to be 36 degrees here tonight!  

We left the campsite just after 8 to get doughnuts and coffee at the marina before exploring the part some.  We were a little early since the store opens at 9 so we drove over to West Thumb geysers and were in awe of the bubbling, the crystal water compared to the scummy looking water.  So many different looks to the pools.  

We didn’t think we would end up spending so much time investigating each pool.  The boardwalk passed by Yellowstone Lake where there are some under the surface of the water.  In some places, you can just see little bubbles hitting the surface and can’t see the hole.    Afterward, we found another store where they did sell the doughnuts but actually they also had homemade chocolate chip cookies and enormous cinnamon rolls so we had a change of plan.  Next and last stop was Old Faithful.  

 

Sadly, we ditched our last night of camping and not seeing as much of Yellowstone.  Tomorrow, we have a snake river raft trip at 1:30 and as wet as the tent was this morning, we can’t pack it up in the morning.  We were able to find a room at a Marriott for way too many points but it sure is nice to be in a room and mainly take a shower.  All adults think we will take two showers.  We strolled around Jackson for a while to find dinner.  It’s really crowded here and we aren’t huge fans of crowds.  We finally found a place to order take out pizza because most so many places had lines or the wait was beyond our limit.   

We enjoyed the pizza back in the room and took turns enjoying second showers!  

Today’s journey – Yellowstone!

 We are getting more efficient at packing camp and this morning went pretty smoothly.   I think we got out of camp by 9:30 and started down the mountain.  Parker was shocked because he hasn’t been out of the hammock before that time until now.  We were anticipating the down the mountain drive we had been warned about by our camp host.  He said to keep the car in low gear and go about 25mph; the grades are between at 8 and 17 degrees which is pretty steep when you start down.  The views are breathtaking! 

  

When we got down the mountain, John’s phone began to blow up with txt from family.  We had a chance to talk to Rich in the hospital and Laura at home – hating this COVID time when people are not able to be together in the hospital!   We had a fantastic lunch at The Trailhead in Cody, WY.   While John went to get supplies and gas, we sat outside to order food and talk to Aunt Laura.  John had a little scare and misplaced the crank for the trailer while he was getting supplies in and lost the bucket ‘seat cover’ somewhere in the middle of town.  After filling our bellies, we were able to talk to Uncle Rich who is bored in the hospital.  (Update later - what I'm not sure we were told at this point was that Rich was told he did not have the rare pancreatic cancer that was treatable.  I remember being at this gorge when we felt the weight of his being sick.)

Outside Cody to the west is the most beautiful lake filled valley and then the Shoshone River.   For future trips, we are interested in the Buffalo Bill Park area North Shore camp ground.  Along the river, Big Game, Wapiti and Elk Fork camp grounds look amazing!  (We sent this photo to Rich.)

               

We made it into Yellowstone and the scenery once again changes to much more green with dense pine.   It’s so peaceful driving along the river.   Just when we neared our campsite area, a buffalo decided to cross the bridge we need to pass over.  Not a care in the world, just meandering across.   He was enormous!  

 Just across from our campground several elk were just relaxing in the dense trees.  We checked into the campground, set up the camper and we drove over to the marina store to have ice cream.  No one was really hungry for dinner so we decide on a short hike behind the marina to a natural bridge.  We got about a half mile in when it began to rain.  Since it was incredibly windy and cold, we were all in layers but some of us in the layers that have been keeping us warm at night so we began to run back to the car.  The higher elevation/less oxygen had us stopping to breath.  Back in the tent, we played Uno and ate sandwiches until the rain stopped.  By then, we were all ready to turn in.  Because we are in bear country and they made us so nervous about it, the kids slept in the floor of the GO and Parker slept in the car only because he was tired of his hammock.   It was quite a noisy night in the campground of 400 sites.  We were missing the quiet spaces we previously camped!

It’s COLD at 8900 feet!!

I don’t know what the temp was because there wasn’t any service in the mountains.  The car told us it was in the mid 60’s when we went hiking around 11AM.  The hike was to 150’ Porcupine waterfall 2/3 mi down to the fall.  We arrived at the trail head to discover a little Grizzly Adams cabin somewhat falling in with a corral that held a lone mule deer standing so still in a corner.  When we approached he panicked a little, ran circles and then jumped the fence behind the house.  We really wanted to see the jump!  The hike down to the fall is a pretty quick 500’ drop in.  We didn’t have enough eggs for breakfast for the climb back up.  At almost 9,000 feet, the oxygen is a little hard on us trying to climb.  As with so many of these places, it’s hard to describe the beauty!  Carter & GraceLin needed to dip toes in the cold water and of course Parker started to climb immediately.  He blew me away with his quick ascent to the highest point comfortable after he had scoped it out a bit first.  Carter is stretching his climbing skills on this trip as well.   It continues to make a mom nervous but over the years, I’ve grown a little more used to it.

 

Nearby, we had plans to drive up to the top of Sheep Mountian for the views.  Somewhere in between the falls and the road to sheep, we spotted to moose meandering down a small stream.  The turn toward us as the continued to move in and out of the creek bed.  Antlers disappeared and reappeared as they moved.  What a fantastic sight!   At the top of Sheep, elevation 9.800 feet, it’s pretty desolate except for the beautiful wildflowers.  We parked to walk a little further up the peek for a view.   The boys kept walking over the other side toward a snow patch as we went back to the car.  We moved the car back downhill a little then walked across to where they were playing in the snow.  We could see range after range from here.   Going downhill from the top of Sheep Mountain on this gravel road was not nearly as scary as anticipated.

 

 

At camp, we had sandwiches for lunch, hammock and naptime.  Ahh!  It was great to rest our feet.  Afterward, John and Carter fished with stale bread.  No luck but he had a blast.  I sat by the stream just praising God for His creative beauty and the blessing of this family trip!   We are so thankful to spend this time with Parker along because who knows what future summers bring for him.  Also, praying for our family – Mimi, Bob, Rich, Laura & kids, Barbara & Tony; continually praying for our children to know who they are created to be and follow the heart they were given knowing their Creator.   

 

Highlights of Porcupine camp ground – mule deer in camp, Tanna, the camp host’s white German shepherd and such friendly host and neighbors.  Downside, the mosquitos here are unphased by anything and no shower.  

   

Happy Birthday Popi!

We are thinking of you today and telling stories, sharing memories of you!   John has been waking up early so he’s getting the coffee going and watching the sunrise.   It’s really nice to have coffee ready and waiting. ;)   We took our time repacking today and regrouped on things.  When we packed in Badlands, we didn’t get everything back in to the crates.  When we packed today, we had a little space to add something more.  We stopped one more time at the grocery for supplies – headed to nowhere in the Big Horn Forest!  Goodbye Custer...

First stop Deadwood to feed Marvin and John’s curiosity.  A lot of the buildings are very old and you can see hints of the old town but it’s also very much touristy.  There was a “gun fight” posted for 2:00 in the street.  Turns out it was really just a little bit of the Wild Bill story and one gun shot which I think must have been the shot that killed Wild Bill.  We couldn’t hear a lot from our outside seating at a restaurant.  It was an American grill type food and I don’t even remember the name – neither good nor bad.                 

John wanted to look for a book by Craig Johnson about Walt Longmire.  We just finished watching the series on Netflix, so decided start one of the books as we drove through Gillette where the author signs books at the library during Longmire days.  It was fun to listen and drive through the area of inspiration for the books.   The drive up the mountain into the Big Horns is breath taking even with the sun setting in our eyes.  We spotted a few mule deer and antelope along the way.  Arrival at camp – 8:08PM.  It was a race to get camp set up and dinner (sandwiches) prepared before it got dark.  There was time for "King of the Hill" during set up. 

       

The landscape for all three of our campgrounds so far has been very different from one another.  This one has big pines like Custer but different kind because the branches to very near to the ground where the others were 20 feet off the ground.   The kids started a fire – it’s cold here.  Kids got hammocks all set up and climbed in just as we started to see lightening in the distance and then heard thunder.  We were able to watch the thunderhead roll in across the landscape as we quickly put the rain fly onto the tent, fortunately already set up, and move the kids into the tent.  Parker has a hammock rain fly so chose to stay put.  It was a great sleep with rain pelting the tent. 

      

Buffalo or Bison?

Sleep in day!  We got up at 6AM, J grabbed coffee and snacks so that we could go drive the wildlife loop.  We were beginning to wonder about seeing anything other than random white tail deer and antelope until we found the burrow and in the far distance a buffalo heard.  Nearby was a wildlife center but sadly it is closed due to COVID.  Side note: Don’t think I’ve mentioned CoVID before now on this trip.  It changes things quite a bit.  Very short "run in" stops when we need and we are discovering it saves a pretty good amount of money.  It’s just so strange to walk into any place or walk down the sidewalk in a town with a mask on and seeing so many masks around us.  We wear masks everywhere we are around people not because we are afraid of the virus but for two reasons:  We have a child going to college and don’t want him to miss his first days because he’s sick and because we don’t want to potential bring it to these small towns that don’t have very many cases, etc.  The travel is ingraining new routine in us anytime we enter a public place.  On a fun note, GraceLin woke up to a visitor on her hammock this morning - she named him Sneaky the Squirrel.

 

Beyond the wildlife center we turned off on dirt and shortly found a heard of buffalo.  There were  two males blowing, pawing the ground and grunting.  There were many mamas with adorable calves.  We had lots of discussion about whether they were buffalo or bison and if ther is a difference.  I’m not sure we came to a conclusion.  John was on alert as the males came closer to one another not far from us.   A few hundred yards away two pronghorn (antelope) running and playing.  The female would run away and wait for the male to follow.  He would stop near her and she would take off again.  Finally, they began a chase that just continued at a decent pace but then she kicked up the speed and they ran incredibly fast, crossed the street and over a ridge.  When we turned at the next dirt road, we found the pronghorn drinking at a nearby pond. 

                                   

    

Back to the camp for yummy griddle breakfast of sausage and very tasty eggs, we brough along hot sauce just for these.  We all did a few camp chores then John and I went into town.  He dropped me at the Lost Sock laundromat – they were amazing family owned business who did full service laundry but sadly didn’t have time to get to ours that day.  Still, they stopped to help me get acquainted with the machines and checked on me regularly.   John went to the grocery for supplies then came back to help fold.  Around 3, we drove to Crazy Horse and Mt. Rushmore.  Back home in camp, with firewood from church (donation) to build a fire, we cooked corn on the cob, chicken over the fire, played frizbee and roasted marshmallows.  Lots of great connection with kids.  

  Loving these long days filled with fun!~~