Waterfalls, baby bison, and Soda Butte

We took a drive through the northern part of the park today.  First stop was Undine Falls:

Next, we headed east on the main road, and saw herd after herd of bison all over the place. Right after we crossed the bridge over the Yellowstone River, we saw a small herd close enough to the road to get photos of the babies.

We turned onto the Lamar Valley road at Roosevelt-Tower, and headed up the Lamar River about 15 miles to Soda Butte.  It's the formation for which Soda Butte Creek is named. 

Right where Don is standing are the vents from which sulfurous gas is still escaping. It really stank there.

After we left and headed back west, we stopped for lunch at a wildlife viewpoint near the trailhead for the Lamar River.  We ate lunch, and then sat for a while -- we saw bison, pronghorns, a sandhill crane, and a moose.

Then, about 2 miles farther on, we stopped with a huge crowd of people to watch a standoff in the river between and elk and some wolves.  The wolves were hanging out in a small grove of trees, not attacking the elk.  The elk was on an island in the river - the fast-flowing part of the river was on three sides, and the easy, shallow way out was where the wolves were.  We heard the standoff had been going on for almost an hour, and we watched for another 15 minutes.  As we were leaving, we saw the elk swimming in the deepest and fastest part of the river, and she did make it to the other side.  We don't know what happened after that.

Our last stop was at a self-guiding nature trail, where we walked around and looked at exhibits related to geology, animal life, trees, flowers, and the fires of '88.

After a stop for bread at the store in Gardiner, we're now watching some TV and I'm getting ready to put some chicken in the oven. 

While it rained on us several times today, most of the day was quite wonderful!

Settled In

I think we have one of the nicest spots in the park. There's no one on one side of us - just a "yard" that even the dogs have been banned from. On the other side, with lots of room to spare, is a small trailer that has a single guy in it whom we've seen just once in two days.

We're close to the restrooms and laundry, and the park is close enough to town to dash to the store for a quick pick up if I need something.

We got here yesterday around noon, and there was still an RV in our site. We checked with the manager and found it it was a gal who was in training in the park and was running late. Sure enough, she showed up and said she'd hurry.  She took about an hour to pack up and go, and then we were in our site.  After relaxing for a bit, Don asked if I wanted to go out and eat - you don't have to ask me twice!

Based on Yelp! reviews and a recommendation from the manager, we went to the Raven Grill.  It was definitely a good choice.  While the interior reminds me of a little rustic diner, the waitress was friendly, the service was prompt, and the food was outstanding. They're known for their steak, so Don and I each had a ribeye - I had the 12 oz. and he had the 16 oz.  The salad was great, and the steaks come with Delmonico potatoes - cubed and cooked with breadcrumbs and some cheese.  They were a bit  like au gratin potatoes but not creamy.  They also served us some homemade Worcestershire (that's what they called it) but it was really a dark sweet and savory onion chutney.  It was great on the steak, though the steak was good without it, too. Dessert was sublime - a huckleberry creme bruleé - the custard had a few huckleberries in it, and on top of the crystallized sugar topping was some huckleberry syrup.  I will go back and repeat that meal!

Nice day in the Park

We just returned from a trip through the Park. We are camped at Valley View RV Park on Henry's Lake, which is about 14 miles west of West Yellowstone. This is the first time I've had WiFi for a couple of days, so I'll briefly catch up.  Since my last post we left Elko, drove to Arco, Idaho, where we stayed one night, and then came here. 

Our experience in Arco was worth noting - we'd called two days prior to get a site, not knowing whether the campground was open or busy or what.  When we arrived, no one was there. No one. The office was closed, but we'd been told to look for a sign on the door.  It was there - a generic "take your site and pay in the envelope" sign, along with the code for the restroom and the rates for 30 or 50 amp/Good Sam.  We drove out to a place where we knew we'd have the open sky for our satellite dish, and I put $27 in the envelope (30 amp site with Good Sam discount). Don and I walked down to check out the restrooms - roomy and clean, and after dinner enjoyed long, hot showers. The whole afternoon and evening, no one was there. We had the whole campground to ourselves, which was both peaceful and a little creepy. No one was there when we left in the morning. A bit strange compared to the experience the night before in Elko, where we'd gotten the last available spot in a fully-booked campground.

Yesterday we arrived at Valley View RV Campground, where we were greeted by some full-timers from Riverside, California. They're here to work for the summer. Valley View officially opened for the season yesterday, so there are only 3 other rigs here. The bathhouse isn't open yet, and last night the WiFi wasn't working yet. 

This morning, we decided to go into West Yellowstone to see where I'll be checking in on Monday, look for a barber, and pick up some groceries.  We found the Human Resources office for the Delaware North Companies, and didn't find a barber.  Then, Don said, "Let's take a ride through the park and check out the store and the campground in Gardiner."  So off we went.

About 3 miles into the park, we came across the first animal-caused traffic jam.  The road parallels the Madison River, and over on the far side of the river was a herd of about 40 buffalo - with babies! - attempting to cross the river.  But dozens of cars were stopped along the road, and people were outside with their cameras, and the buffalo were getting a bit upset about it all. The reason I know this is because I also got out, but before I could take a step, a ranger came by and used his loudspeaker to tell everyone to get back in their cars and get out of the way. He said they wanted to cross the river but wouldn't/couldn't as long as people were in the way.

We turned north at Madison Junction, and then stopped at Beryl Spring, a large fumarole and hot spring right next to the road. (A fumarole is a steam-producing vent.)

A little further on, just above Gibbon Falls, we stopped at Gibbon Picnic Area, and Don checked out the river for future fishing. 

Then we continued on, past Norris Geyser Basin, through some lovely high country, and then dropped down into Mammoth Hot Springs. There we stopped at the General Store, where I met about 6 of my co-workers and took a look around.  Then we drove to Gardiner, and checked out Yellowstone RV Park, our home beginning tomorrow. We met the managers, saw our site, and then went to the Two Bit Saloon for a wonderful lunch. (They have the best French fries! Freshly cut and with the skins still on.) 

We went in search of Joffe Lake, which is accessible through one of the employee housing areas, but didn't find it. What we did find was this:

 Apparently you don't have to mow your lawn there - the bison will take care of that for you!


Our next stop was up at the top of the Mammoth Hot Springs terraces - there's a loop drive to take.

 You have a fabulous view down to Mammoth Hot Springs.

 Above:  I was able to zoom in on the General Store where I'll be working.

 Above: the appropriately-named Orange Spring Mound

As we headed back south, we stopped at the Obsidian Cliffs, but instead of taking a picture of the cliffs, I took this one of Obsidian Creek.  Don will be fishing this one.

 This little exhibit shelter for the Obsidian Cliffs was built in 1931, as part of a system of outdoor "mini-museums."


Our last stop was Roaring Mountain - so named because there are so many loud fumaroles on the side of the mountain.

We drove back to West Yellowstone, picked up some groceries, and then came back to our trailer here at Henry's Lake.

Tomorrow we move for the last time for almost 4 months. 

Long day, but worth it

We were up at 6 am - and in Bridgeport, that meant it was about 38 degrees outside.  I knew that where we were heading it was going to be hot, so we were both in shorts.  My feet were so cold while we were hooking up the trailer, and it took a long time till they warmed up. We headed down the East Walker River, then through the Sweetwater Valley to the Smith Valley, and had breakfast at McDonald's in Yerington.  I tried to find a sit-down place, but with McDonald's you at least get consistency.  I mean, how can you screw up an Egg McMuffin with hash browns?  And their coffee is pretty good. 

We continued north on the 95A to Fernley, where we picked up Interstate 80.  Our plan was originally to stop at Battle Mountain - there were two choices there, neither of which sounded "nice," but would be okay for an overnight.  But we hit Battle Mountain around 1:30, and decided to go the extra hour to Elko. After reading some posts on the RV forum, as well as reviews, I selected the Iron Horse RV Resort as our stop for the night.  As we took the turn and began to drive down into the resort, I was surprised to see that the place was packed.  Nearly every site was taken. We got lucky - we got the very last spot. We found out at dinner that due to the price of gold going up again, mining operations in this area of Nevada have greatly increased and there's a major housing shortage because of it.  Every RV park around here is mostly full of permanent folks - people who have built structures around their RVs and have 100-gallon propane tanks sitting outside. But we got a spot, so we're okay.

Here's a great article that tells about the mining boom here and how the RV parks are affected.

This is a pretty nice place - paved interior roads and sites, roomy sites, small swimming pool, hot tub, club house/game room - and a bit on the pricey side. We paid $45 for the night.  However, since the owners also own the Hilton Garden Inn next door, we got a coupon for 20% off a meal at their restaurant.

After we unhooked and set everything up, we went to the restaurant, where I enjoyed a steak with shrimp scampi, and Don had a dish that had fettuccine in a beef & pork red sauce.  We enjoyed our meals - and are now relaxing in the trailer watching the Angels-Royals game.

Since we came farther today than we'd planned, we'll go to Arco, Idaho tomorrow instead of Twin Falls, and then spend 2 days at Henry's Lake before we get to Gardiner.

No pics today. 

It is so pretty here!

This morning the sun was finally out with no clouds in the sky at all. 

This was the gorgeous view from our campsite this morning.

I walked over to the edge of the campground to get a nice shot looking west up into the Emigrant Wilderness.

Peaks of the Emigrant Wilderness

Since the wind wasn't blowing, Don decided to try his luck in the float tube on the reservoir.  He walked out to the edge from our campsite, and came back 5 minutes later. He said he'd gotten about 15 feet away from the shoreline, and started to sink in the mud. The water was still not deep enough to sit down in his tube. So, he took the truck down to the dam, where he could put the tube in easier. He returned around noon, since the winds started to pick up, and said he hadn't gotten a single bite.  (This was after having 5 straight days on the river with lots of fish biting.)  I suggested he go back on the river, but he said someone told him the fish were biting on Lower Twin Lake, and was going to go up there.  He also thought it wouldn't be as windy up there.

He just came back a few minutes ago (dinnertime), and said he didn't get a single bite up there, either. And to top it off, he'd forgotten to put any beer in the fridge to get cold, so the day was just a total loss. ;)

I sewed all day - I brought a tub of "kits," which are made up of fabric I pre-cut into all the necessary parts for quilt tops.  I'm halfway through my second top of the trip.

Bodie State Historic Park

So far, the weather here in Bridgeport has been what the meteorologists call "unsettled."  We've had wind, rain, hail, and sun, and it's all been cycling through constantly since we got here. Don has still managed to get down to the river each day, and he doesn't mind getting wet when it rains anyway. I've stayed here in the trailer and sewed or read.

Today we had the promise of better weather, so we decided to go to Bodie.  Gold was discovered in Bodie in 1859, and by 1879 10,000 people were living there. Now only about 5% of the original buildings remain, but there are plenty for visitors to see. Don and I went there back in the early 90s with the kids - we drove the washboarded dirt road from Mono Lake.  Neither of us remembers much from that visit, other than the fact that it was fast and we didn't see much.  This time we decided to take our time.

To get to Bodie, you drive south on the 395 to the turnoff at Virginia Creek Settlement, then take a paved road up into the Bodie Hills 9 miles to the dirt road.  There it's only 3 miles more to Bodie. There's a parking lot with restrooms, and from there you go into the town on foot.  Don and I saw as much as we could - we followed the guide we'd purchased for $2.

Head frame and machinery next to the parking lot

Commemorative markers

View of Bodie from the parking lot

Methodist Church, erected in 1882

Interior of the Methodist Church

Don looking in the window of the McDonald House

Metzger House

Looking east toward site of Chinatown - several hundred people lived here in a "town within a town." They had their own stores, saloons, boarding houses, laundries, and other services.

Standard Stamp Mill and accompanying buildings

Kirkwood House

Town Jail

All that's left of the Bodie Bank - the vault

The Firehouse

The School House, originally the Bon Ton Lodging House

Looking north up Green Street, with a 4WD road to Bridgeport in the distance

L-R: barn, Post Office/Hotel, IOOF Hall, Miners' Union Hall (now the Visitor Center), Morgue

Swazey Hotel

Stagecoach (in the Visitor Center)

Horse-drawn hearse (in the Visitor Center)

After we walked all over town, we drove to the picnic area for lunch. By then the sun was shining more, and we were okay even though it was windy.

We were going to drive up to the Virginia Lakes to see if they were open, but Don decided that even if they were, it was going to be really cold to fish them. So he decided to come back to the trailer, and now he's out on the river again. I was going to watch the aggravation phase of the Jodi Arias trial, but court has been cancelled until the 15th. So I think I'll read.

Bridgeport

We're now camped in site #19 at Paradise Shores RV Park & Marina on Bridgeport Reservoir. We have a view of the mountains in 3 directions, with the reservoir just in front of us. 

Looking north across the reservoir right after a small hail shower moved through.

We left home around 6:00 yesterday morning, and had a pretty uneventful drive to Bishop. We'd considered stopping in Lone Pine, about 50 miles south of Bishop, but Boulder Creek RV Park sits right on the northern edge of Owens Lake, and the wind was whipping pretty hard through the park. So we kept on going, knowing that we'd be a little more sheltered in Bishop.

In Bishop, we stayed last night at Highlands RV Park, and while it was windy, it definitely was as sheltered as we'd hoped. We finished hooking up around 1:30, and by 2:00 Don was fishing his beloved Owens River. I spent the afternoon watching TV and reading; and Don came back around 5:00. Dinner was our traditional chili dogs - something I started about 8 years ago. (Don't ask me why - but it's now a tradition.) We watched some TV and were in bed by 9:00.

This morning both of us were up pretty early again, so we enjoyed taking our time to have our morning coffee together. After breakfast, we hitched up and were on the road north by 9:00. Don was worried about how the truck would perform going up the Sherwin Grade, as well as Deadman's Summit near June Lake and Conway Summit coming out of the Mono Lake valley. He knew the Dodge would have labored, and since the trailer was loaded for the summer, he didn't know how the Titan would do. It did fine!  I thought the Conway Summit would be the hardest, but we just zipped up it with no problems.

11:00 found us settling in to our site in Bridgeport, home for the next week. Don's getting ready to go down the East Walker River, and is planning some float tube fishing on the lake tomorrow if it's not too windy.  Right now it's calm.  I'm trying to decide whether to sew or read.  Tough choices, huh?!

Three More Nights

Three more nights and then we're on our way. Tomorrow I'll be taking most of the cold food down to the trailer, and then Saturday we'll do our last-day preparations. Our daughter will be here, and the three of us will go out to El Mexicano so I don't have to cook or clean the kitchen the last night.

Then Sunday we'll go to Lone Pine for one night, and then go to Bridgeport for nine nights. We have reservations at Paradise Shore RV Park on Bridgeport Reservoir - a place we've stayed at before and liked. Don will be able to fish the East Walker River, the West Walker River, Robinson Creek, the Virginia Lakes, and a few other nice fishing places in the area. I'll get some last-minute sewing done and do some reading, too.

Then on the 15th we'll make our way across Nevada and into Idaho, with stops along the way, and end up in Gardiner, Montana on the 19th. Our summer home will be site #19 at Yellowstone RV Park in Gardiner, right on the Yellowstone River. I report for in-processing in West Yellowstone on the 20th of May.

Don and I had our usual pre-trip "discussion" about what I take along in the way of food. I take as much as I can, including condiments - I like to cook - and he thinks I should take the bare minimum and then do a big shopping trip when we get where we're going.  I just don't see that as a feasible way to do things. All the things I'd have to leave here would spoil, and it would cost a ton of money to stock up later.  I'm talking about things like ketchup, mayonnaise, eggs, cheese, lunchmeat, jelly, butter, salad dressing, biscuits, flour, sugar, coffee, and so on. Needless to say, I "won" the discussion, but I know that the first time the truck labors as it's going up a hill, he'll blame me for it.  For those of you reading this who take long trips, what do you do?

Back from Bishop

We just got back from a wonderful 10-day trip to Bishop. We needed to get away from almost 2 feet of snow here at home, see what we needed for the trailer before our big summer trip, and give Don a little fishing time.






Our initial plan was to spend the first few nights at the Tri County Fairgrounds--full hook ups for $25 a night. However, when we got there on Sunday, we couldn't find the office, no one else was there, and even the restrooms building was locked. We decided to go on out to Pleasant Valley Campground. It's right on the Owens River, and even though it doesn't have hook ups, it's only $10 a night.

We were able to get our favorite spot near the bridge on the south side, just under the cliffs.


Once the trailer was set up, Don put his fishing gear on and headed out to the river.




I spent my time reading, doing some hand stitching, and visiting the quilt shop and other stores. The weather was perfect--warm (but not hot) days and cold nights.

After 3 days at Pleasant Valley it was starting to get hot during the day, and we moved to Highlands RV Park in West Bishop. There we had hook ups, and the first 3 days we needed the air conditioner. Don continued to have fabulous fishing on the river, and I was able to get my sewing machine out and sew. (I was also able to get caught up on the Jodi Arias trial that I've been addicted to the past couple of months.) there's a nice quilt shop right next to the RV park, so I walked over there a couple of times.

Our plan was to leave Bishop and go to Lone Pine, where Don could spend a couple of days in his float tube on Diaz Lake. But he came back from the river and announced that he wanted to stay in Bishop. "I can fish in my float tube when I'm old. I won't be able to fish rivers like this forever." I was fine with staying put, so we paid for 3 more days.

I had to teach a class at my local quilt shop today, or I think we'd still be in Bishop!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone