Medicine Bow National Forest, WY - Sept. 25 - 29

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Beautiful area, great hiking. We decided on Brooklyn Lake CG which was at 10,500’ elev. but more protected from wind than other CGs and the forecast was for warmer weather. Our site was the best and overlooked the lake and meadows. We could see deer come across at dusk and the hunters’ trucks circling. It was bow season. Although we wouldn’t hear anything, the deer behavior was relaxed so the hunters were either just scoping it out or were a poor shot. We only left because the battery needed charging and it was too peaceful to start the generator.

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Our next stop, Vedauwoo (vee-da-voo) a derivative word in Arapaho meaning  “earth”, is an area in the eastern section of the Medicine Bow NF. The rock formations are dramatic, large Sherman granite that are sculptured by erosion. 

We decided to stay a couple days to bike/hike around. The highlight was the Blood Moon and lunar eclipse. On our way out through Laramie will be a visit at the Geological Museum at the University of WY, shop and fill up with propane. Warned by a WY resident not to be wooed by the good weather, it's time to continue south through CO.

Last photos of the Snowy Range

Traveling back the way we came, views were in a different perspective. Loved the chance encounter of a cattle roundup in Riverside with cowboys and dogs working, whistles, whips and lassos. After spending the summer up in the mountains, some of the cattle were a bit ornery.

Final night in WY was on BLM land at the Encampment River CG in Encampment of course. Ticket box was locked so it was a free night in a nice spot.

Wind River Range - Sept. 20 - 24

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Moving south along the Wind River Range, we decided to take the western route because campgrounds are mostly on this side. Turns out there are barren foothills that block all but the tops of the mountains from view. We tried to get around them. The one campground that succeeded was the Trails End CG but at 9334’ with snow on the ground, we settled for one a bit lower. In hindsight, the CG that looked intriguing was the Green River Lake CG in the Bridger-Teton NF which goes up and around to the north side of Gannett Pk. Hunting is in full swing so Nina wore orange for us all.

Next stop was Shoshone NF and this we loved. A tip from a ranger sent us to Fiddlers Lake CG. The elev. of 9400’ was high but the weather was warm and mornings never got much below 40. Riverside camping with beavers, ducks and plenty of chipmunks to entertain Nina. We also met Gary who was up gathering wood. Talk led to rocks and by the time we parted ways, he gave us an invite to his house in Lander which we did. 

He has rocks everywhere in closets, shelves, boxes on the floor, around his foundation outside and inside, in sheds and garages. He had saws, grinders, polishing wheels and tumblers. The rocks were beautiful and he generously gave us an overflowing bucket of them. Banded iron, flaming agate, turquoise, dinosaur gizzards, arrowhead, jade, petrified wood and many more. Once again, the van will come home loaded but at least the suspension will carry it all.

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Quick drive up to Thermopolis through the Wind River Canyon and a visit at The Dinosaur Center of Wyoming.

Grand Teton Finale - Sept. 18 - 19

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With the sun came grand views, hikes and fireside stories with our neighbors, Chris & Jackie from Salt Lake City, UT and Herlinda, a fellow Roaktrekker from Oahu, HI. 

Harry got some biking in while I took the shuttle across Jenny’s Lake with C & J to hike several trails and the next day, Taggert/Bradley Lakes with Herlinda. Inspired by Chris’ photography and his Tamron 18 - 270 lens, I’m tempted by the DSLR world.

All such great neighbors and fun people. I hope our paths cross again, and the Tetons, I know I will see again.

Grand Teton NP - Sept. 14 - 17

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One would think 3 days of rain would give me time to catch up but there always seems to be something to do and see even in the rain. We just finished up our 4th day in Grand Teton NP. Coming in early on the 14th with bad weather on the way, we had our pick of some great sites at Signal Mtn. Campground. Folks from OR packing up to leave flagged us down, told us their site was the best and that we should take it. We did and it is wonderful! We have our own path through the back to a spectacular view of Jackson Lake and the Tetons and a decent amount of privacy in an intimate campground. 

The first day was grand with sun and views and then the rain and cold moved in. Regardless, we’ve got some short hikes in, seen great wildlife (bison, elk, deer, fox, coyote, moose), found picnic and bird hotspots, visited the Clark Thomas Discovery & Visit Ctr., eaten out too much and got some shopping done (mostly food) in Jackson.

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Ellen gave me a tip about the Laurence S. Rockefeller Preserve. Up until this morning, the area was closed due to increased bear activity. Harry’s knee is giving him more trouble so I planned to take a quick hike until I met rangers who said bears were seen on the trail 20" earlier. Having neglected to bring bear spray, I immediately lost interest in a solo hike. Instead, wimp that I am, I signed up for a guided hike on Saturday. Noisy but safe.

We plan to stay on at least till Sunday with the hope of some sunny days.

Yellowstone National Park - Sept. 11 - 13

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Coming into Yellowstone from the NE was spectacular. Just 6 miles from the entrance the night before, we were able to spend time in the Lamar Valley where we saw the most wildlife including several wolves. Although we didn’t know at the time, this area turned out to be our favorite. In hindsight, we should have tried to get a campsite at Pebble Creek, the most NE campground, and spend more time here. Instead, we had already made reservations at Canyon CG, a tight, oddly designed area that we only went back to when it was time to sleep.

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Yellowstone is diverse, beautiful, awesome and should be on everyone’s bucket list. The photos describe best. The weather was perfect. What kept us from staying longer was the unexpected crowds of people, traffic and campground sites that were zooy. Harry’s knee was also giving him enough pain that hikes were difficult. There doesn’t seem to be an off season. Once the kids are back to school, large groups of foreigners plan trips and then the campgrounds start closing mid to late September.

Along the Beartooth Scenic Hwy. - Sept 10

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A photo journal.

Drive to Cody - Sept. 9

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Devil's Tower - Sept. 7 - 8

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Devil’s Tower perhaps best known from Close Encounter of the Third Kind, was a great stop to rest for a couple days. The tower is sacred to many tribes and hiking the base we saw many prayer clothes tied to trees. There were also several rock climbers making their assent. A ranger told me there is a shortcut they can take making a 4-5’ jump across a crevasse to a section called the Meadows where they can walk to the top. Right!

Wind Cave NP & Custer SP in SD - Sept. 6

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We decided to chance leaving Iowa on Sunday of the long holiday weekend and picked Wind Cave in SD because there are few services. This wouldn’t be the type of CG for weekenders. Perfect choice for us. The CG was nice and it was here that we learned from Ranger Mike that there are no buffalos in the US. Forget the buffalo nickels. They are bison! The herd at Wind Cave is tightly controlled, DNA tested and said to be 100% pure bison. Here and in Custer State Park, we got into some large herds making driving down the road both exciting and challenging.

The cave itself was a bit of a disappointment. Having gone to Carlsbad Cavern in NM several years back, most caves would pale. Wind Cave is dark, dank and with narrow passages. What is unique to this cave is the box works structure (see photo) but there isn’t any of the limestone caves and rock formations that you see in other caves.

Part 2 - Sept. 4 - 5

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After 1424 miles, we came into Iowa on a Thursday before the long Labor Day weekend. This complicated finding a place to stay. After trying a couple campgrounds, we grabbed a spot on Clear Lake for the night and then departed early to a county park, Oak Grove CG, up on a hill in Hawarden, a better choice with a nice breeze and views of a farmer rolling his alfalfa.

Iowa, land of corn and soybeans, is beautiful. Many of the fields have labeling of Pioneer, Asgrow and others which are some of the GMO seeds from Monsanto, Dupont and Syngenta but there also seems to be a growing movement of farmers turning back towards non-GMO seed.

Tomorrow will take us through the Badlands of SC and into the Black Hills.

Westward X-Country Trek - Sept. 1 - 3

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Trading sea for land, we are off again heading west to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Parks in Wyoming. The Fishers led the way for the first two days to Seneca Falls, NY and Elkhart, IN. Had I done my research, Seneca Falls would have been a several day stay visiting the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Next time!. In IN, we parted ways with T & J hoping to cross paths again down the road in Wyoming.