Yellowstone..and Beyond-Part V

Yellowstone..and Beyond-Part V

The girls parted ways on Saturday morning for their next destinations.  Sharon & I began our trip back to Rio Dell, CA via Teton National Park.

I want to give a special shout-out to Theresa--who owns the motorhome that all four of us + Cassie toured the park in during the day and messed up at night!  She did a lot of driving and stocked the essentials for lunches.  Theresa also acquired the campfire wood and managed the evening campfires.  Theresa's generosity and patience with "the girlsl + Cassie" for 5 days was very much recognized and appreciated!

Teton Mountain Range is the most beautiful and picturesque of any I have ever seen.

Cassie loves to sniff the mountain wildlife smells.

Sharon and I stayed in a log cabin in Pinedale, WY enroute to our I-80 connection.

The Log Cabin is a historic landmark and was restored and rehabbed for guests.

They welcome dogs with a Doggy Bag with a coverlet for the bed quilt, treats, wastebags and a water bowl.

Sis and I enjoy cocktails on our porch.

About an hour out of Pinedale heading for Rock Springs and I-80, Sharon and I were busily brainstorming a problem when she became aware of lights behind us.  Colored lights.  State Trooper. Speeding.  We schmoozed a bit and he gave us a warning.  Whew!

About a half hour later, my fuel light came on.  My sister freaked because when her 2007 Prius fuel light comes on, it is an empty gas tank within a few miles.  I can go around 40 miles.  However, we were in Wyoming on SR191 with no civilization in sight.  For miles. 

Here is what it looked like.

My GPS showed our mileage to Rock Springs and "Miles to Empty" on my Prius that we could possibly reach Rock Springs but it would be dicey.

When we caught a cell signal, I nervously decided to pull off the road and call Toyota Road Assistance in a town called Reliance, WY.  It was town without a gas station.  I asked Road Assistance to find me a gas station nearby and found out there was one only 3 miles away so we headed back out into the bush.  We had cell phone service and made it the 3 miles.  Whew!  That's just too much excitement for one day!

Yellowstone Lakes-Part IV

Yellowstone Lakes-Part IV

Our final day in Yellowstone dawned sunny and pristine-pretty.  By this time--Day 4--, we were NOT pristine.  We started to want a shower.  There are no showers in the campgrounds and the only practical solution is a towellete touch up or a navy shower in the moho.  Since there was not enough hot water to make even navy showers practical for 4 women, we made do with touchups.


                                                                                                            Our plan for seeing the park was the West Thumb region and Yellowstone Lake.
 
After appreciating awesome lake views--frozen and unfrozen--we claimed our spot near Lakeside Inn for lunch in the moho.  It was windy and chilly at lake's edge.

 

At the ParkStore veranda, which was sheltered from the lake wind, the weather felt quite warm and we enjoyed ice cream.  My sis bought a book on Yellowstone Catastrophe's and Nightmares--a compilation of disasters describing in great detail past tourist deaths by grumpy bears, pissed off bison and unfortunate photos taken at canyons' edge.

Cassie patiently watches ice cream girls and hopes for a few licks.

Finally, Sweet Success!

The Girls at Lakeside

Sisters Theresa and Pat

Cassie and Sharon share a tender moment.

Yellowstone -Part III

Yellowstone - Part III

Another gorgeous day in Yellowstone!  The weather was diamond-sunny and the air crisp and piney-fresh.

Sharon and I went for our usual coffee and internet and finally spotted the bison moms and babies:

Baby bison approaching for a meal.











Beware Momma--the bulls are nearby:












 Newly-birthed baby elk.










On Day Three we were forced to change sites; we had originally thought we would move the rig to Mammoth in the far north of the park for 2 nights; however, we were so happy in Madison that we decided to stay.  We did not realize that the approaching season would complicate our camping lives.  All the campgrounds were reserved and full!  However, the Park personnel found us a spot so we gathered up our stuff and moved to a new site.  Though we were unfortunately close to the Volunteers' service area, we were treated to super-clean, cozy-heated and lavender-vanilla scent filled bathrooms.

After the Speed Move, the girls headed out to discover more Yellowstone--today to Mammoth and Lamar Valley.  The streams, rivers and waterfalls were overfull from plentiful mountain run-off and waterfowl seemed happy to put on a show for us.  Theresa screeched the RV to a stop whenever we spotted humans with ridiculously-long camera lenses.

We encountered "safari's" from over a 100 miles away who were tracking a mated pair of rare species of duck (harlequin) that had been spotted.  These ducks like fast-moving water and we wondered how they weren't swept away by the swift river current.




We saw no bears or moose though I spoke with some folks who did see a moose mom and her twins in Teton immediately south of Yellowstone.  They also saw momma grizzly bear and cub at an elk kill in Teton.

The girls made the mandatory visit to Old Faithful and the new Visitor Center. 

Thirsty, we snagged a young buck bartender at the Old Faithful Lodge. This might explain the silly grins on our faces.

We checked out the iconic Grand Canyon of Yellowstone which was actually tricky to find.  We pulled into at least 6 overlooks before finding "The One".  The road is a big loop around the canyon but the signs are pretty lame.












After our extended canyon search, a nice bystander took our group photo; Sharon is steadying my dip to my knees for the pic.

Cassie was super-excited to see all the sights from the comfort of Pat's "pillow lap".

The girls, weary from their travel in the park, finally returned back "home" for a burger dinner over the campfire.  Later, we roasted marshmallows slathered with various forms of chocolate.  Yum-O.

Princess Cassie awaits leftover Burger Bites.

Exploring Yellowstone NP-Part II

Exploring Yellowstone NP-Part II

Since we have no hookups at the campground, it was easy to just UP and GO in the motorhome and have all the amenities of "home" available.  It was more expensive to run the rig, but much nicer than everyone crowding in the Prius.

Cassie also had access to her crate--her safe place.











Stops on the itinerary included geologic and thermal features and pretty scenic overlooks.  Yellowstone was "eye candy"-sunny, clear and lush and the park had plenty of parking pullouts for gawking and photos.

 

In the middle of nowhere, Sharon takes a call from her Park Manager about park shenanigans.

All that  beauty made the girls hungry, so we found a picnic spot for some lunch.  We were observed by several chipmunks, an ominous, Stephen King-ish black bird perched in a treetop overlooking us--and one predatory white, fuzzy dog.

We enjoyed campfire-worthy weather--and are thrilled to have no rain, wind or cold weather to enjoy another evening of Girl Chat by the fire!

 

Cassie eyeballed her Treat Jar.

Treat Jar and all food was carefully secured from marauding bears and wily coyotes.

Mellow Yellowstone-Part I

MELLOW YELLOWSTONE-Part I

The Coast-to-Coast Meetup with the Girls happened, with only a 2 hour delay, in the cowboy/tourist town of West Yellowstone, MT.  I saw Theresa's  motorhome approach at the edge of town and eagerly planted myself in the middle of the main strip.  I waved excitedly, pointing to the hidden entry road behind the restaurant chosen for dinner-Bullwinkle's Saloon. (The town was fairly empty of cowboys and tourists as "high season" had not kicked off yet, so my presence in the road was virtually unnoticed.)

After happy greetings, we nailed some drinks; my preference was the local brew--Moose Drool.

After dinner, we traveled into the park to Madison campground, with plenty of daylight to set up our SPOT, which included a spare tent for feminine belongings for 4 women and had our first campfire.  Theresa (the one reading the park newspaper) had brought a huge load of wood for campfires and was an expert campfire maker.  To her right is her sister, Pat, and I and Cassie are to her left.  My sister, Sharon, took the photo.

When it got too cold to remain outdoors--temp headed for 37 degrees!--we retired to the RV, rearranged stuff and made our beds.  It was cozy but the mortorhome accommodated 4 sleepers with careful maneuvering inside.  One person snored lightly and one had a screamer nightmare.

The next day dawned sunny and windless and my early-bird sister and I took off for West Yellowstone 14 miles away to get coffee and internet, leaving the two late sleepers to awaken at a more leisurely pace.  

Our first wildlife sighting was a lone bull grazing next to Madison River, creating a perfect reflection in the still, awakening dawn.

The road is is a commonly used bison trail and, sure enough, we encountered wildlife on the road--bison and elk.  You can tell when bison/elk have been through--there is scat on the road.  Big Scat.  I was looking for the calves, but the mommy bison herd had not yet come to the area.  Just the big mean, hungry bulls.

Ahhh--finally snagged McDonald's coffee and internet.  McDonald's internet served about half of the town but did not offer a senior discount.  Sharon checked in with her RV Park Manager pro tempore, Veronica (or just "V"), for her daily update of RV park shenanigans.  Happily, there was little to report and we went in search of open shops and better coffee.

We soon located much better coffee than McD's!  Additionally, the small coffee shop had a few tables/chairs set up for bistro dining.

After having our fill of designer coffee, we went back into the park to join the late sleepers and begin our exploration of Yellowstone NP.