This road trip is a vacation from vacationing!  Seriously, the trip to the canyon area, Roosevelt Lodge, Lamar Valley, Red Lodge, and Bozeman was a bit too much for one day, so we spent the night at Roosevelt Lodge.  It is a rustic old place, with a log main dining room and lounge, and log cabins that offer the most basic services—a bed with clean sheets, towels, ceiling and bedside table lights, and a wood burning stove—no insulation, but clean and we share a bath house with other guests just like most campgrounds.
After a full day yesterday, I hit the bed early and awoke a couple of hours later to the sound of a mouse rattling some papers.  Said to heck with it, and went back to sleep.  It was chilly when morning broke, so we started a fire and it quickly heated the little cabin.  When Kay got up and went through her stuff, she found that the mouse had been in the peanut butter and crackers, and multi-grain bars.
We dressed, but it was too early for coffee in the dining room, so we headed for Tower Falls, the remaining major attraction in the area that we hadn’t seen.  At 6:30 AM no one else was in the parking lot, and we had the falls to ourselves.  At slightly less than 100 feet high, it seemed a bit small compared to the magnificent centerpiece falls of yesterday.  Our return to Roosevelt Lodge to checkout found the coffee to be strong and hot, just the way we like it.
The Lamar Valley awaited us, and as we arrived a few hardy wildlife watchers were already plying the road looking for grizzlies and wolves; they were not to be seen.  We drove towards the northeast entrance, but were stopped by a herd of bison crossing the road, allowing us to get up close and personal.  There were hundreds of them scattered across the fog covered valley, with lots of young calves born just a few weeks ago.  We traveled through Cooke City, and stopped at Silver Gate for breakfast.
After the late breakfast, we began Kay’s first trip on the Beartooth Highway—Charles Kuralt named it one of his top 10 drives in the US.  The road gradually wound up the mountains with meadows gently falling away on the downhill side.  Even the switchbacks were somewhat passive.  Many lakes and small snowfields dotted the landscape, and there were lots of motorcycles on the road as the Sturgis rally is going full bore and this was just a short day trip for attendees.  As we topped the pass, and began the descent into Red Lodge, Montana, the switchbacks were more perilous and the sides fell away abruptly. We drove into Red Lodge about noon and the western town was packed with tourists.  It’s a neat town, but has grown and become much more touristy than since my first visit almost 20 years ago.
Troubled by a Verizon cell phone charger that would not charge, a front tire with a slow leak, and the need for groceries, we drove north, then west to Bozeman for a stop at Costco, and Walmart.  Costco was packed and people were everywhere, but we got the tire repaired at $10 rather than the $35 at Henry’s Lake, bought some DVDs and paperbacks, and a few groceries.  At Walmart, Kay found a charger for my cell phone and I was once again able to communicate with the world!  We drove through the Gallatin Canyon on our way back to the RV park, and probably passed old friend, Mike, fishing just north of Big Sky.  We gladly arrived back at the RV park about 7:30 PM, ready to be “home” once again.

We decided early on to be deliberate in our visits to Yellowstone National Park—taking our time to see as much as possible, and as thoroughly as viable.  Prior to today, we still lacked the canyon area, Lamar Valley, and the Yellowstone Lake area.  Also, we wanted to spend at least one night at Roosevelt Lodge, sit in the big rocking chairs on the front porch, and eat in their dining room.  Then, we would spend some time in Lamar Valley, “hunting” bears and wolves with binoculars, drive the Beartooth Highway to Red Lodge, on to Bozeman for some shopping and “big city” chores, and back to Red Rock RV Park.  We chose this particular time to do the trip because we were finally able to find a vacancy at Roosevelt Lodge!
Our first stops were at Running Bear Pancake House for breakfast, the car wash for a MUCH NEEDED wash, and the gas station for a fill-up.  While waiting for breakfast, I was able to reach my brother, Ronnie, on the phone, and we were able to talk briefly (I love you, brother, and look forward to seeing you in early September).  As we drove through the park, we stopped briefly at Canyon Village to make some last minute phone calls and send emails letting folks know where we were and would be the next couple of days.  The crowds were down today, and made visiting the park a bit nicer.
Lower Falls and Upper Falls.  Much of the area along the  South Rim Drive to viewing areas for both Upper and Lower Falls is closed due to recent bear and bison activity; it was not too far from here that one visitor was killed a few weeks ago, and another was mauled just a few days ago by grizzly bears.  There were several viewing locations along the road, but the best and best known is Artist Point.  The first time I brought Kay to Artist Point to view Lower Falls, 308 feet high, she began weeping because of the overpowering beauty.  This is still one of the most picturesque places in the park, and regrettably, photos do not do it justice.  (Please see the web album for more photos of Yellowstone National Park; I’ll try to put a link at the end of this daily entry.)  After departing Artist Point, we stopped at Uncle Tom’s Point to view the Upper Falls, 109 feet, a bit anti-climatic.  Re-crossing the Park bridge over the Yellowstone River, we stopped to walk to an observation point on the very brink of Upper Falls.  It’s a bit scary seeing the millions of gallons of water dropping over 100 feet, hearing the roar, and feeling the vibrations while on the viewing platform.
We began the one-way North Rim Drive, stopping to hike the steep trail to Brink of Lower Falls; the trail dropped some 600 feet, with over 10 switchbacks.  Fortunately for us, there were many places to stop and rest.  It’s difficult standing on the precipice and not having some fear, wondering who designed the platform, and what would happen in the event it failed.  From here, we could see Uncle Tom’s Trail and Artist Point.
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.  Even more awesome from the Brink of Lower Falls platform, at least to us, was a spectacular view, complete with rainbow, of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, up to 1200 feet deep and 4,000 feet wide.   Depending on the sun, the canyon has many shades of golds and browns, giving it its name, Yellowstone.  As we made our way along the North Rim Drive, we stopped at Lookout Point where I took a side trail, steeper and dropping as much as the one to Brink of Lower Falls, to the Red Rock viewing area.  Further along North Rim Drive was Grand View, and Inspiration Point, though Inspiration Point was closed for trail repair, and at this point, we had received just about as much inspiration as our legs and tired bodies could stand.
Dunraven Pass and Roosevelt Lodge.  We left the canyon area of Yellowstone NP, and drove northward towards Roosevelt Lodge, crossing over Dunraven Pass at 8,859 feet.  On the drive down, we stopped at one of the turnouts and were fortunate to see a grizzly bear foraging in one of the far meadows.  Interestingly, a number of elk were laying down within relatively close proximity to the bear.  This is one of daughter Jenny’s favorite viewing areas and she has seen bears here on every visit.  It began raining during our stop, and tired from all the walking, we drove to Roosevelt Lodge, checked in, and sat on the porch in their big rocking chairs.  Dinner was okay, but not up the standards our memories had enticed us to believe—after several visits, memories of meals at this place left us imagining that the food was going to be spectacular; it was not bad, just okay.
Lamar Valley.  With a couple of hours of daylight left, we drove to Lamar Valley with hopes of seeing bears and wolves.  We spotted a grizzly bear on a far mountain peak with our binoculars, and watched it feed for about 30 minutes.  Then, someone stopped to say that a wolf was trotting near the road.  We drove a short distance to another viewing area, anticipating where the wolf would appear, and were rewarded with a close-up view.  The almost black wolf stopped at a 4-day old kill, retrieved the remains, and sought a place of solitude to enjoy a meal.  For us, this was a real treat, and particularly since we were able to photograph the wolf.

Here’s the web album link:  https://picasaweb.google.com/DunnGoneTravels/Idaho201102?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCIyBlc3Wn9WGuwE&feat=directlink

P.S.  Today was a bit sad as we said good-bye to new friend, Jack.  Jack was our neighbor at Red Rock for the last couple of weeks, and tried to coach us in getting the satellite hooked-up.  Formerly from the Gary, IN, area he is a full timer, and has criss-crossed the country a few times, always seeking good weather.  He knew a lot about northern Arkansas, having camped there several times.  He made a “to die for” cherry cheese cake.  Jack, Kay, and I visited several times a day in our shared common space, and he introduced Kay to the Strongback folding chair (strongbackchair.com); it offers tremendous back support.  So long, Jack, and we hope to see you on the road again.  Safe travels, and God be with you.

No vertigo!  Guess Kay’s threat to do something today scared it away.

Wade and Cliff Lakes.  After a slow start to the day, we drove to a couple of alpine lakes near the Madison River Valley in Montana just a few miles west and north of Red Rock RV Park.  We turned off the paved highway onto a gravel road, followed a sign giving wrong directions, and retraced the drive to the point of the sign.  Finally figured out where to go.  As we drove through the high desert, the though of alpine lakes escaped us.  Then, as we began an unexpected descent, Wade Lake appeared with it’s varied hues of blue and green.  The US Forest Service campground was full, and there were many families enjoying the crystal clear lake.  Kay talked to some fishers and though they didn’t fly fish, indicated that there were prolific hatches in the afternoons and early evenings—food for thought for future trips.

Just a short distance “up” the road, we came to Cliff Lake, a sister lake to Wade Lake, though not quite as heavily used, perhaps because there were fewer campsites, and access was poorer.  It, too, had the varied hues of blue and green, and we could easily see the bottom through its clear water.  Who would’ve thought these alpine lakes existed in high desert.

Sawtell Peak.  We returned to paved roads and US Highway 20 for a short drive to the access road to Sawtell Peak.  Sawtell Peak is on the Centennial Mountains just behind our RV park, and has a number of FAA antennas located on it.  The drive was fairly gentle the first 90 percent, all on gravel, meeting several other autos and ATVs coming down the mountain, then we began some serious switchbacks to the top.  Kay made it just great, with a relatively low “pucker” factor; she has come a long way with taming her acrophobia since we first met.  At the top, the views were spectacular, with snow on several mountains around us, and the shimmering surfaces of Henry’s Lake, Island Park Lake, and the entire surrounding area available before us.  As I walked around the peak, I was surprised to find that the eastern side of the mountain was a sheer drop-off, and I backed slowly away!  Our return down the mountain brought an unexpected view of a female mule deer laying near the edge of the forest, and lots of wildflowers peaking in their blooms.

Our return to the the RV park brought an end to the day’s road trip, but it was a good one, and we were able to mark a couple of things off our “things to see and do while in Idaho” list.  As usual, early evening brought winds and a brief rain, though the roads, mostly gravel, are still dusty.

We stayed at the RV park today, all day—in fact, didn’t even start the car.  I am still suffering from vertigo, but no other symptoms.  Did a consult with Wayne, and am looking up different ailments on the internet.  Hope it goes away soon!

As seems to be the norm these days, we had our early evening wind and brief rain.  It always runs us in from outdoors, but the resulting sunset is awesome.

Kay says tomorrow we’re going to do something as she’s tired of hanging around here all day!

Weird!  I woke up this morning with tremendous dizziness, and spinning inside my head (Kay says more than usual), so I definitely did not want to drive anywhere or walk along high places, though she tried to arrange a hike on a steep cliff near the park!  Really, we hope it’s just an inner ear infection.  With 50 degrees inside the coach, the heat came on this morning; guess we’re getting thin blood. 

We sure didn’t do much today, though the 3-mile walk was great; got to see a pair of Sandhill cranes fairly close, and 3 antelope grazing in the meadow between the RV park and Henry’s Lake.  The Sandhill cranes are large birds, similar in size to Great Blue Herons, and have red foreheads.  Henry’s Lake is in the heart of their summer breeding grounds. I returned to the motor home for the camera with a telephoto lens, and walked backed to where I saw them, but they had moved to an adjoining meadow.  Got a few photos before they took off in flight to another adjoining meadow.

At about 6:30 PM, yet another storm rolled through, with high winds and a few sprinkles, but only briefly.  We rushed in from enjoying a peaceful evening outside visiting with our next door neighbor, Jack, gathering chairs and fastening things down.  This is about the 4th night, we’ve had afternoon storms. 

Kay and I played Spite and Malice (verdict is still out on how much fun it is) and watched what we thought were the last installments of Centennial.  Unfortunately, I thought when the “Play All” button was pushed, the entire DVD would be played; apparently, there were two episodes on each DVD, and only one is played.  So, we only watched an abbreviated version.  We replayed the first DVD and saw the very first episode.  If errors like this are a result of getting older, the aging process is not a lot of fun!  At least we’re in good company.

Today was both rainy and a Monday—a good day to venture into the town of West Yellowstone for information at the Visitor’s Center, IMAX, museums, Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center, and lunch.

We picked up a lot of maps and brochures at the Visitor’s Center, crowded because of the rain, then were off to the IMAX.  Sad to say, I have only been to one IMAX before and that was at the Canada exhibit at Epcot.  We walk in, about an hour early, to the smell of burnt popcorn.  The first movie is Yellowstone and was just okay.  The theater folks allowed folks to come in for about the first 10 minutes, and the number of talking small children was very high, making for a very distracting short movie.  The next movie, Lewis and Clark, was excellent, and the crowds were especially light, resulting in a really good movie experience.  After the movie, it was off to the old Union Pacific Railroad depot, now a museum—we would rate it just okay.  Folks around town had told us about a Mexican restaurant in old bus parked in an alley; we found it, and it was great.  Our last stop was the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center.  It was no more than a zoo, and after seeing these species in the wild, kind of disheartening.  Admittedly, this photo has been severely cropped and retouched to make it look more wild.  More than likely, 99 percent of the folks there had never seen a grizzly bear or a wolf in the wild.

Back at the RV park, it was still spitting rain when a ferocious thunderstorm struck, with winds in excess of 50 miles per hour.  It made for a quiet evening, with us watching the 4th and 5th DVDs of Centennial.

Up and at ‘em this morning; it’s Sunday and church day.  Kay put a roast in the crock pot and we dressed for church.  The regular preacher was back today—thank goodness—but it is youth Sunday, and we were dreading the service as we were looking forward to a good message.  Were we ever surprised.  Their youth consisted of 4 young men who had just been on a mission trip to Las Vegas, and though West Yellowstone is a tourist town, these young men were not widely traveled; we forget that West Yellowstone is still in Montana and has very long winters.  One of the four, a tall, gangly redhead, gave a most inspiring talk about one of his evenings in Vegas—being bored, reading the Word of God, praying, and regaining energy and strength—actually finding some purpose in his life.  It brought tears to our eyes.  With young people like this, there is hope for our country.  After a great service and communion this morning, it’s got to be a great rest of the day.

Before a much needed rain shower, I took a 3-mile walk near the RV park; it’s such a beautiful setting, with Henry’s Lake and the Henry’s Lake Mountains, the East Centennial Mountains, and wildflower covered meadows surrounding it.  Here, in this photo taken with the Droid phone, is the RV park and the East Centennials in the background.  One can understand why people keep coming here year after year.

It began raining about 5:00 PM—just a light rain—and rained the next few hours; so much for Bunko on the deck today—just saved us $5.  With outside activities curtailed, Kay and I played Hand and Foot, then watched the 3rd installment of Centennial.  Without television, we’re having to do more things together.  Is this a great life or what?

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