Travels of Geo Nova: May 2022

Saturday, May 28, 2022

Idaho and Yellowstone National Park

I thought we left winter behind us when I retired and headed to Florida in 2011 but it has found us again. This time in Idaho and Yellowstone NP. Idaho was one of the few states that Diana and I had not visited so a stop was mandatory. We departed Gros Ventre ( pronounced “grow vay”) Campground in Grand Tetons NP. We were told it is an Indian name but it sounds French to me.

From here we traveled to the small town of Ashton, Idaho. Ten miles out of town we stayed at a small campground/ lodge backed up to the National Forest that is contiguous with the west side of Yellowstone NP. We were the only people there besides the owner and his wife. We spent a day exploring Mesa Falls in the area of Henry’s Fork of the famed Snake River. The area is known world wide as a premier fly fishing spot. The natural beauty abounds. We traveled 13 miles down a dirt forest service road to a warm spring. A geothermal spring that feeds a mountain creeks that eventually joins the Snake river. The trip down the road to the spring took an hour and we did not see another person until we arrived at the spring and found a loan fisherman. We did manage to get a lunch of warm home made soup in the small town of Island Park population 186.

The other area we intended to visit was Cave falls a little visited area in the remote western portion of Yellowstone NP however it was closed for renovations.

On to Yellowstone NP. This storied National Park is one of the most visited spots in the country. This is precisely the reason we are visiting so early in the season. We arrive in snow flurries. This did add to the natural beauty but also added to the discomfort level. That being said we survived. We were not able to hook up to water because it would have frozen so we lived off our tank water for the 5 days we were there. We spent those 5 days exploring the park stopped at every turnout that was open. We also managed to hike about 5 miles each day. Many of the trails were closed due to Grizzly Bear activity. One morning driving into the park we were delayed for an hour while a herd of Bison decided to stroll down the road to greener pastures. The park indeed is a very special place with all it’s geothermal features and astounding beauty in what ever direction you look. Our last day there was the Thursday preceding Memorial Day weekend. The hordes of people coming into the park were a harbinger of what was to come. Fortunately we were departing Friday morning to visit the famed site of the Battle of Little Bighorn.

Example of one of the numerous hot springs in Yellowstone


One of many waterfalls in YNP


Hot spring note different colors denoting the presence of many species of microorganisms

Group of Bison just off trail

Old Faithfull

B and W Photo of Mineral deposit at Mammouth Hot Spring The landscape was actually this b baron

Grand Canyon Of Yellowstone as seen from South Rim

View of mountains across iced over Yellowstone Lake

Bison shedding winter coat

Travertine Terraces

Harlequin Duck Swimming upstream in fast moving Yellowstone River

Waterfall looking down The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone from the North Rim

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

More Travertine Terraces

Hot Spring

Mt Haynes from across The Madison River

Madison river


Old Faithfull after small snowfall

Boiling Mud Hole

Steming Hot Spring

Dark Eyed Junko gathering material for a nest

Hot Spring comming out of mountainside

Warm River heading to the Snake River

Our truck on the best portion of the dirt road to the hot spring in the National Forrest

Mesa Falls in Idaho

Saturday, May 21, 2022

Pushing further west

We head to the far western parts of Nebraska, an area steeped in the history of the western expansion of the mid 19th century. A number of the roads that took us westward followed the historic Organ Trail. In fact most of the trails followed the Platte River. The Pony Express also followed this general route.

Scott’s Bluff is our last Nebraska stop. The large stone outcroppings were a landmark described in the journals of the westward migrants. The first is Chimney Rock then 12 miles down the road is Scott’s Bluff National Monument. We drove up to the top of the monument on a road constructed by the CCC during the Great Depression. This road includes 3 tunnels through the rock. After exploring the top I decided to hike the 3 miles down and Diana drove down. I was not aware of a storm brewing to the west. About half way down the trail there is a small people size tunnel. After exiting this tunnel the storm hit. The winds were the strongest I have ever experienced. They would not only stop me in my tracks but pushed me back while I was getting pelted with dust, grit and rain. The temperature dropped about 20 degrees. I know know what the westward travelers had to endure. The expression grit in your teeth hit home! At least Diana had the truck running with the hot seat on and took me back to the trailer for a hot shower and hot chocolate. I looked at my weather app and it said Scottsbluff had recorded wind speeds of 75 mph. I don’t know if that’s what hit me but what I experienced sure was powerful.

In addition to visiting the National monument we took a day trip to NW Nebraska to see The Agate Fossil Beds National monument along with the Forest service’s Toad Stool Geologic Park. The road to get here was interesting. Driving out in the middle of nowhere down a 12 mile long gravel road that wasn’t even on Apple Maps was fun(?).

Our last day was spent at The Legacy of the Plains Museum a world class museum. Of course we also had to explore the local microbrewery. I must say both good food and beer. Before leaving town Diana wanted to go to a local quilt store. Upon entering the establishment there was an older gentleman sitting there. I struck up a conversation with him. Serendipitously it turns out he was a retired local farmer who as a child used to play in his grandfather’s home, an original homesteader, that home is now part of the Legacy Museum.

The trip to Grand Tetons NP was over 400 miles so we broke it up with a stop in Casper Wyoming. We spent the night in a Harvest Host, you guessed it, another microbrewery/ restaurant. Lovely place the owner came over to our table to welcome us and make sure everything was ok. Bonus to the stop was a great BLM museum, The National Museum Of Westward Expansion. They had a “ride” simulating the crossing of the Platte River in a covered wagon and another riding in a stagecoach.

The Grand Tetons NP is indeed grand. We spend our days driving around and stopping at all the turnouts, some of which offered great hikes. We saw moose, grizzly bears, bison, coyotes, prong horn, elk and many different birds. I will let the photos tell the story.

So many beautiful spots it is hard to pick and choose what to show you.

David

Do you see the face of the mountain?

Panorama of snow covered Tetons Range

Small pond in valley

Beaver Dam

Airstream Western Wyoming Red Rock Area

One sided snowball fight at Continental Divide

Abandon Mormon Barn with Tetons in background

Beautiful mountain lake we hiked to sometimes through the snow

Old Tractor at Legacy Of The Planes Museum

Scotts Bluff National Monument

Chimney Rock as seen from the east

Storm approaching exiting the Trail tunnel Scotts Bluff

Small Mountain Pond

Mountain Pond

Small waterfall on mountain creek

Scruffy Moose We almost walked by on hike to Mountain Pond

B and W photo of female Barrows Golden eye

Tuesday, May 10, 2022

On The Road Again

We have started our long slow migration north once again. This time we are detouring through Wyoming, Idaho and Montana where we plan to see Grand Tetons NP and Yellowstone NP. Along this route back to Maine there are multiple stops planned. We will visit family, friends and many places of natural beauty as well as historic sites.

First stop Lake Norman SP where we camp so we can visit with Abe, Alexis and our grand daughter Elliott. They all came out to the campground to meet us and Elliot was wearing a tee shirt that said Big Sister. Our new grandchild is due to make its first appearance just before Thanksgiving. During our 10 day stay we were able to visit with Elliott every day. I was tasked along with John, Ellie's other Grandfather to build a "Picklers Triangle", a climbing apparatus for Elliott. It was great to see how fast she is developing into a little person.

Second Stop, Huntsville Alabama, to visit Airstream friends Russ and PJ. It was great catching up with them. We met them on the Alaska Caravan in 2018. They showed us around the city of Huntsville, of course this tour included stops at several local breweries. Huntsville is a fast growing city with a vibrant feel to it. The aerospace, military and automobile industries seem to be the driving economic forces at play.

Our next objective was the National Quilt Museum in Paducah Kentucky. We were able to park our Airstream in the large parking lot adjacent to the museum under the auspices of an organization called Harvest Host. This organization matches up rv’ers with farms, breweries and museums where we are given a place to park overnight, usually without any services. Our part of the bargain is to spend some money at these places. The Museum was fabulous and the town was a fun place to be. We went out to dinner, it was farm to table, wonderful. Walking there we found a bakery and headed there the next morning.

From Paducah we were headed to Eastern Nebraska to see the Homesteaders National Historic Park in Beatrice Nebraska. Since this jump was over 600 miles we took advantage of Harvest Host and stayed in Mid Missouri where we had cinco de mayo dinner at a local winery/brewery.

Our camping spot in Nebraska was a State historic park called Rock Creek Station, the site of a Pony Express Station. We learned this is where Wild Bill Hickok gained his notoriety. He shot and killed a man under dubious circumstances and was glorified in the press at the time. He was never found guilty of murder but it is far to say he goes down in history as at best an unsavory character. The homestead park did a good job of detailing all the good and bad of the westward expansion of the time. My maternal grandfather’s family were homesteaders in Nebraska at the time.

Next stop in Nebraska is North Platte home of the largest train yard in the world. This is the home of the Union Pacific Railroad. It was interesting to see up close the enormity of the yard. 8 miles by 2 miles. The area is also rich in history. In fact we are camped at Buffalo Bill Cody State Park. His country home is a museum around the corner. At the local history museum we learned about a large group of local ladies that greeted the troops during WWII as they passed through the N Platte train depot. They served meals to1000’s of men on a daily schedule. All food was prepared in their homes and brought to the depot to feed the men.