As always out here, sleep comes easy and long; guess it’s the cool temperatures (though the low has only been 47 degrees the last few mornings, but we’re not complaining) and the great foam mattress in the RV.
I had been hungry for pancakes, and Kay needed to visit a couple of stores in West Yellowstone, so on Saturday morning (Day 16 for us) we headed east for the 22 mile drive over the continental divide, from Idaho to Montana, into town for a great breakfast.  As fate would have it, we sat next to a couple who told us they were from near Searcy, AR.  He then said it was actually McCrory, but said when he told people that, they didn’t know where McCrory was, then finally after several minutes of conversation, he said they were really from Beedeville, AR.  Kay told him I was from Bradford, and I told him I knew where Beedeville was, that my Dad and brother built a duck club there, and we played high school basketball against them—it is truly a small world!  While Kay shopped for groceries, I walked the streets of West Yellowstone which is a really neat town once you filter the tourist shops out.
After finishing our “business” in West Yellowstone, it was back to the RV park for some much needed rest to get ready for the Happy Hour and hors d’ouvers (this word isn’t on the blog spell checker)—actually a chance to meet the neighbors.  Special guests at the Happy Hour were Trailer LIfe/Camping World representatives who rate campgrounds in this region.  After some great heavy snacks (hors’ d’ouvers) and adult beverages, a drawing was held, and several Trailer LIfe/Camping World items were given away; we won a plastic mat which will be used to pad items in one of the storage compartments.  After “dinner” Kay played Left/Center/Right and promptly lost $3 (though she was in the final 3) and I met and talked with several fellow RVers from around the South and Midwest.  We had a really good time, returned to the RV, and watched the 2nd installment of Centennial.

We almost overdid it yesterday—so we’re “resting” the next few days just around the RV park.  Those of you who know Kay knows she gets antsy after being at “home” for an extended period of time—say a couple of hours.  So, after a late breakfast on Friday (Day 15 for us), she drives to Island Park (with a 20+ mile main street) to check out the stores, houses, condos, and side roads.  We share a large open space with Jack, our new friend and RVer in the next site.  As we sit out enjoying the cool breezes, we enjoy visiting with Jack, and being amused by 3 new found furry friends who hurry and scurry about, eating grass, chasing each other, and burrowing into the ground.  We think these are ground squirrels.  They sure are fun to watch, and are everywhere out here; we see them scurrying across the roads, and before you know it, they are down their hole in the ground.  It sure doesn’t take much to entertain us.  After taking naps, watching the weekend RVers come in, etc., we watched watched the first DVD installment of Centennial.  We both had forgotten just how good it was/is.

Wow, two weeks since we left home—only 4 more weeks.  Time, as we perceive it, is really going by fast.  As we have stated in previous blog entries, Yellowstone National Park is really crowded, more than on any of the previous 4 visits.  We are trying to see it thoroughly, and thus are taking our time.  We still lack the thermal basins in and near Old Faithful, the magnificent falls in the Canyon area, and the wide open spaces, and animals, in Lamar Valley.  But, it doesn’t pay to go during the middle part of the day.
Firehole Canyon.  Today, we wanted to finish the west side, in and around Old Faithful, and waited until 2 pm to leave the RV park in an attempt to avoid the crowds.  The tire pressure monitoring system on the Honda showed a tire as being underinflated, so it was back to the RV park, digging out the compressor, and airing up the tires.  Finally, we left again and entered Yellowstone NP about 3 pm.  Immediately after going through the gate, traffic came to a near standstill—bear jam!  The black bear was on the ground, in the forest, and people were crowded all around it.  We didn’t see it, and slowly drove by, turned south at Madison Junction, and drove the 2-mile Firehole Canyon Drive.  The Firehole Canyon falls was beautiful, particular since there is plenty of water coming down the river.
Lower Geyser Basin.  As we entered the Lower Geyser Basin, we drove Fountain Flat Drive, finally found a parking place, and walked the boardwalks to view the thermal features.  There were several thermal pools and small geysers, and lots and lots of people.  Our next stop was at Fountain Paint Pot.  It’s much larger than I remember.  In fact, so many of the thermal pools and geysers look different—larger—and many I just don’t remember despite being here 4 times previously.


Midway Geyser Basin.  Prominent in the Midway Geyser Basin are two large pools, perhaps a half acre each.  Additionally, there are several smaller pools and a geysers.  Talk about crowds, we drove through the parking lot twice to find a space.  After crossing the Firehole River, passing a small geyser, Grand Prismatic Spring appeared.  This was a huge thermal pool, with water so clear as to allow a penetrating glace towards the bottom—simply amazing!  Further up the hill was another large thermal pool, with varying hues of yellow, brown, and blue.  The combination of thermal features in this area was breathtaking, and provided just another example of how great our God truly is.
Upper Geyser Basin.  As we neared Old Faithful, we stopped by Biscuit Basin for more thermal pools and small geysers.  The thermal pools were so clear, one could see into their inner depths.  One of the small geysers along the way erupted every 5 to 7 minutes and provided quite a sideshow.  Kay saw a trailhead sign for Mystic Falls, so decided to divert from our itinerary, and hike the one-mile trail.  Just as we began, we met a young man from Holland who asked to accompany us along the hike.  He spoke excellent English, was a biology/ecology teach, and was visiting the US to attend a biology seminar in Salt Lake City.  The three of us hiked the trail to view the most scenic waterfall we have seen on this trip.  As we were leaving Biscuit Basin, several fly fishers had begun plying the Firehole River.  It appeared one had hooked a fish, but he was caught on bottom!  Just down the road from Biscuit Basin was Black Sand Basin.  Immediately along the path, a small geyser was erupting every few minutes.  We laughed as we tried to time our shutter release with an eruption, getting lots of photos just before or just after an eruption.  A few small thermal pools completed the circuit along the pathway.
Old Faithful.  Last but not least, we made our way to Old Faithful, and as luck would have it, it had just erupted as we began walking to the observation area.  We sat in rocking chairs on the porch of the general store, shared an ice cream cone, and waited 90+ minutes for the next eruption.  As fate would have it, our new Dutch friend pulled up right in front of us, and asked to join us in watching Old Faithful erupt.  With plenty of time to kill, we go to know him better, and asked a lot of questions about the Holland educational system; it’s not too different than ours, but perhaps a little more advanced in its curriculum.  Old Faithful sure controls the show.  We waited, and waited, and waited.  Occasionally, a small fountain of water would rise, exciting all the visitors, then we’d wait again.  Finally, after fifteen minutes of this, she blew, at about 8:45 pm and just as the sun set, a great ending for another great day.

Several people who read the blog have asked for more photos, so we’ve tried to add more, balancing the addition of photos with time and data requirements for uploading those to the internet.  We have created a web album containing many more photos of this trip; you can access it at this link:  https://picasaweb.google.com/DunnGoneTravels/Idaho201102?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCIyBlc3Wn9WGuwE&feat=directlink

Still no fly fishing for us.  This area experienced about 10 feet of extra snow this past winter, and it was a late snow melt to boot, so all the rivers are real high, some still raging with runoff.  As we began the drive today, a ptarmigan was in the middle of the road between the RV park and the highway.  It would not and did not move for the longest, so we were able to take a few photos, and as always from the south end of a north bound animal.

Big Springs.  Today, we drove to Big Springs near the RV park, and it was a picturesque place, complete with an old cabin, intact and complete with furnishings.  The cabin was built by Johnny Sack, a 4’ 11” German immigrant furniture maker.  He powered the cabin and his woodworking tools with a small waterwheel located in the foreground.  The cabin has been kept in immaculate condition, complete with furniture he made.  Big Springs is a US Forest Service facility, and the springs themselves serve as the primary source of water for the Henry’s Fork of the Snake River.  They are not as impressive as Mammoth Spring in northeastern Arkansas in terms of size and volume of water, but do discharge a significant quantity of cold water (56 degrees) sufficient to create a small river. Below the springs, rafters and tubers are numerous, filling the river—people from Idaho love their outdoors.  A bit further downstream, fly fishing seems to dominate with a myriad of drift boats and waders.

From Big Springs, we drove further south to Ashton, ID, to pick up lunch at the local deli.  Our goal was to drive to Cave Falls on the Falls River in the southwest part of Yellowstone National Park, then return to the RV park for lunch, then to Old Faithful.

At Cave Falls, we found a table near the lower falls, and had a picnic lunch under the trees with the roar of the falls behind us.  We walked the short distance to the upper falls, and was surprised to find that high water blocked the trail to the cave; obviously fly fishing was out of the question.  (Our friends and neighbors, Bill and Bootsie told us about this great fly fishing river; we’re sorry we didn’t get to fish it—maybe in a couple of weeks.)  By the time we finished our “tour” of the falls, we were wiped out, and opted to head back to the RV park for some R&R.

We did stop by the Upper Coffee Pot Rapids to scope out fly fishing opportunities on the Henry’s Fork River there, and it looked real good.  We’re now back at the motorhome for a nap and our evening walk, maybe a movie, and goodnight to all!

We’ve settled in, trying to make this our home for the rest of summer, so no significant activities outside the RV park today; just a quiet day in the neighborhood.  The slogan for the RV park is “Shhh!  It’s quiet out her.” and it really is.  We enjoyed the cool breezes, and watched 3 antelope play in the meadow just outside the park.  We did venture to Henry’s Lake for some casting practice with new friends and fellow RVers, Randy and Kathy.  They are fly fishers and live among some great fly fishing waters in central Colorado.  They come to the Yellowstone National Park area usually in the September time frame, but came early this year because of some other commitments later in the year.  Like us, they enjoy fishing the various waters of Yellowstone, as well as the many rivers, streams, and lakes near the RV park.

Prior to dinner time, we did our 3-mile walk, and saw 3 Sandhill cranes.  Otherwise, not much going on with us.  Guess today was a day of “3s”—3 antelope, 3-mile walk, and 3 Sandhill cranes. 

Even though we’re here in Henry’s Lake, Idaho, for 6 weeks, there’s too much to do to fit within that time period—too much water to fish, too many trails to hike, too many scenic wonders to photograph, and too many small towns to visit.  Also, one has to be cognizant of changing water levels for fishing, build in some down days to recharge and rejuvenate, and realize that some days the weather will not be conducive to most outdoor activities.  Kay and I listed all the things we wanted to do out here, including day trips, national park visits, and fishing excursions to optimize our limited time visiting this region.

There are some wonderful day trips departing from here if one is willing to drive a couple of hundred miles.  So, with a foot blister from too much hiking last week, today was set aside as a road trip via Hebgen Lake, Quake Lake, Lake, Ennis, Virginia City, Bozeman, Big Sky, and finally back to the RV park. From Quake Lake northward, the Madison River had way too many drift boats—at least 10 within eyesight at any stretch—and this went on for miles and miles all the way to Ennis.  I had a particular interest in Ennis in as much as the Madison River Fishing Company, a great fly shop, has been sending us a black and white catalog for at least 15 years.  Second, the head of our HR office at the Corps in Memphis, Chuck, had worked for the US Forest Service in Ennis.  Ennis was a nifty, small western fly fishing town with lots of fly shops, gift shops, and eating places.  We ate at an old drug store that had wonderful sandwiches.  A sheet metal statue of a fly fisher was located at a prominent junction just north of the town.

Virginia City is considered the best preserved western town in the US, and true to reputation, it was—mainly because none of the buildings had undergone restoration, and remained much in their original condition; now they are shops and eating establishments.  We drove some of the side streets to view the old churches and other buildings. From Virginia City back towards Ennis, we continued north, then turned eastward towards Bozeman.  Rafters and tubers were fully enjoying the Madison River, with few fishers in sight. Bozeman has a Costco, so we took the opportunity to purchase some food and beverage products for the remainder of our time out west. As we turned south, we drove through Big Sky and were amazed at the extent of ski slopes.  The drive from Big Sky to West Yellowstone is one of the most scenic we’ve been on. We have friends that live in Big Sky and it easy to understand why they choose to live there, with great skiing and fly fishing.

We made what seems like a daily stop at the supermarket in West Yellowstone (small RV refrigerators and storage spaces require constant restocking if you eat in), then back to the RV park. Jack, our next door neighbor, brought over a cherry cheesecake that was scrumptious—in fact, it was the best I ever tasted.  We also got to know fellow RVers and new friends, Randy and Kathy from Denver, a bit better.  They too are fly fishers so we had a lot in common.  You meet the best cooks and nicest people RVing! 

We missed church last Sunday, on the road between Sydney, NE, and Lander, WY, and it seemed our week just didn’t start right.  This Sunday, we attended Community Protestant Church in West Yellowstone, MT.  Community Protestant Church is a small Presbyterian Church, but remarkably, very much like our First United Methodist Church back home, both in terms of order of service and music; the music included praise songs we have sung for years, so we felt at home.  The lay leader, a lady, gave a great introductory message about discipleship using an analogy comparing fly fishing to discipleship.  As mature Christians, discipleship is one of our most important responsibilities.  The preacher was a visiting preacher and talked about the 2nd coming of Christ, but regrettably got lost in the details about how the world was speeding up, citing statistic after statistic for over 30 minutes without ever making a point.  Humorously, at 12 noon, one of the older members in front of us began giving him the cut-off sign, drawing his finger across his throat, then looking at his watch; he repeated this for the next 15 minutes, and finally the preacher ended his sermon without a substantial conclusion.  The regular preacher returns next Sunday, and we’ll give it another try. 

Prior to leaving for church, we sautéed onions, peppers, garlic, etc. and began slow cooking a huge pot of red beans for red beans and rice later in the day.  After church, Kay cleaned the motorhome and washed clothes while I napped; no, no guilty conscience on my part.  Because Kay had been to church, she had no qualms about playing Bunko, losing $5 of our hard earned money.  At least she did meet some of the neighbors.  To end the day, we had a late dinner of red beans, rice, and Andouille sausage—um, um, good!

We drove eastward to West Yellowstone, through the west entrance to Yellowstone NP and Madison Junction, then northward to Mammoth Hot Springs. 
Mammoth Hot Springs.  Crowds this year are far more than we have experienced in the past, and parking spaces at places of interest and exhibits are hard to find.  After finally finding a space perhaps a quarter of a mile away, near the Mammoth Hot Springs horse corral, we made our way to the Lower Terrace Trail.  My, how these thermal features have changed, even since the early 2000’s when Kay and I were last here.  This is my 5th time to visit Yellowstone NP, the first being in the early 1990s, and many of the terraces are gone; just dried up and crumbled away.  It was quite disappointing to look forward to a particular thermal feature, then find it no longer existed.  Perhaps because of the crowds, there seemed to be more debris in the features as well, such as caps, paper, and coins.  Nevertheless, there were many “pretty” features, with rich hues of blue, gold, green, and white.  After walking the Lower Terrace Trail, we drove the short distance to the Mammoth Hot Springs Visitor’s Center for a bathroom break and lunch, finding an unoccupied picnic table behind the building in the shade of a large tree.  In our visit here a few days ago, we had wondered where the elk had gone which always seemed to be grazing on the grass at the Visitor’s Center.  As we left the picnic table, we were pleasantly surprised to see some cow elk grazing in the adjoining lawn area.  We drove to the turn around, and saw a young bull elk making his way to join the cows.  We hope the National Park Service continues to allow the elk to graze near the Visitor’s Center.  The Upper Terrace Trail can be driven, or hiked, and we chose to hike it, giving us access to all the thermal features.  The number of thermal features in this part of Mammoth Hot Springs has actually increased, and is now the better part of the two terrace trails.  Again, there were many colored pools, and several new features with hot, steamy, particulate-laded water in the process of growing.
Norris Geyser Basin.  To complete a thorough tour of the northwestern part of Yellowstone NP, we hiked the long trails of Norris Geyser Basin after Mammoth Hot Springs—we found one of the few remaining parking spaces.  We did not see any active geysers, but saw lots of steam vents and pools.  Again, some of the thermal features we had seen in previous visits no longer existed, but not as many as at Mammoth Hot Springs.  The good Lord has blessed us with being able to visit here several times, and witness, firsthand, the many changes that are occurring.  For me on this particular trip, this was the most interesting area visited thus far (except for animal sightings).  As the afternoon wore on, there seemed to be less visitors, making the area a bit more pleasing as well.  Despite the warm temperatures (low 70s), team was visible throughout the area, and even clouding camera lenses several times.
On our drive back to the RV park, we got caught in a traffic jam for about 30 minutes—a huge, bull elk was grazing on the side of the road.  By the time we got there, a ranger was waving traffic by, and we did not get a good photo.
We walked so much today that our bodies were stiff, and I managed to get a blister.  Tired from all the activity, dinner was leftovers made into fajitas—not too bad.

Red Rock RV Park sits at the edge of an old caldera, surrounded by mountains.  The park is encircled by mountains on one side and a large meadow on the other three sides.  There has been an attempt to develop some of the land around the park with some really large log houses having been built, but all seem vacant and for sale.  The park is about 5 miles to the south of US Hwy 20, with the turnoff about 14 miles west of West Yellowstone, MT.  Our particular space has the driver’s side, with all the hook-ups, really near another RV, but the passenger side enjoys a fairly large open space, with picnic table and fire pit; we can see for miles out the passenger side.  The front of the RV has an unobstructed view of a meadow and mountains to the west, while the back, our bedroom, faces other RVs in the park.
Kay spent time today having a flat tire repaired, a $35 endeavor, and got to know the shops of West Yellowstone up close and personal, while I enjoyed a nice 2.5 mile walk/hike in the US Forest Service land adjacent to the park.  This short, 2.5 mile trail through the forest presented many meadows, complete with wildflowers, while the rural road on the return offered spectacular views.  On the trail a small mule deer was startled by my walking, and while returning along the road, I saw 3 Sandhill cranes and 2 antelopes in the adjoining meadow.
Kay picked up a new satellite finder at Radio Shack in West Yellowstone, and we once again tried to get satellite reception.  After an hour or so, using 3 satellite finders, we concluded that the Directv receiver is bad—not surprising.  We have had a difficult time dealing with Directv, and don’t recommend them!
Together, we did another 3 mile hike through the forest, and saw two separate mule deer does laying down, then bolting when they saw us.  We saw some really large trees, and we saw the 3 Sandhill cranes nibbling the grasses along the road.  A thunderstorm moved off to the north, providing some amazing skies on the horizon.

Oh yeah, this is what we came for; 37 degrees this morning—make the pajamas and sweatshirt feel good, and the hot coffee taste even better!  We have yet to turn on the heat.
Today, there is to be no driving, no sight-seeing, no fishing, and no shopping—just a quiet day to rejuvenate and recharge our batteries after the long trip out here.
With nothing planned, we installed a new home theater receiver—a really cheap one that actually works to replace our other really cheap one that didn’t work.  It was more of a job than met the eye, labeling all the speaker wires, and video and audio connections for two HD televisions and numerous speakers.  Alas, we got it done!  Next, we gathered all the odd things that had gathered in our small motorhome, and repacked them, stowed them out of sight, or simply threw them away.
It’s amazing how the day can just disappear—seems like it’s faster each year—and before we knew it, it was time to walk before dinner.  This place in which we’re staying is surrounded by mountains, with a large meadow (hundreds of acres) on the north.  We are literally surrounded by forests and meadows.  Roadsides around the park, such as is in the photo are flooded with wildflowers; it is difficult to take a bad photo.  With cooler temperatures, we walk everyday and have numerous walking options.  Today we chose to stay in the vicinity of the RV park, taking pictures of wildflowers along the way.
We have a new neighbor, and visited with him at length.  He’s a full-timer, and I picked his brain as to how to set up a satellite dish to receive DirecTV high definition.  After all the frustration the last few days, it may be a day or two before we try it again.
Dinner came late, and it wasn’t too good suffice to say.  Kay and I played Hand and Foot until bedtime, and had lots of laughs.