July 15, 2013 - Big Sandy Reservoir to Fort Collins

We awoke early – about 6:30 – to a bright, sunny morning and were on the road by 7:15.

It was an uneventful day – thank goodness, and we made it home by 2 pm. The inside of the RV is cleaned, laundry is in the washer and dryer, grocery list made, and most things put away. Tomorrow will be putting the last of everything back into the RV and washing the outside before parking it for a few weeks.

We are looking forward to having Katie and Tyler join us for dinner tonight and bring our little Penny dog home. Nine days and 1000 miles – it’ s good to be home!

July 14, 2013 - Granite Creek to Big Sandy Reservoir, Wyoming

After breakfast we went to the waterfalls to check out the “natural” hot springs pool. From the parking lot we hiked down to Granite Creek and stepped into the icy water. I wasn’t so sure I wanted to go any further! The water was quite fast and the rocks were slippery. I was thankful for the taut line. Once we got across we joined three other folks already in the small pool to warm ourselves. (I am still having a hard time trying to figure out how all the people that were here yesterday managed to get in this pool!)

The hot water enters the pool from a waterfall. Some energetic person gathered large rocks to capture the water and form a small pool. Cold water from the river combines with the hot water to make a great little hot pool. After we toasted ourselves warm, we gathered our courage and plunged back into the river and across to the RV. After showers we packed up and were on our way. The fields were covered with wildflowers of all kinds as we wound our way out to the highway.


We stopped in Pinedale, Wyoming at the Mountain Man Museum. It is very well done and has lots of great artifacts. Unbeknownst to us, Pinedale has its annual Mountain Man Rendezvous the second weekend in July, so there were lots of activities going on, but our timing wasn’t right for many of them. We spent a couple hours at the museum and were happy with that. They had several displays explaining about the beaver trappers and demand for beaver hats and coats in the East. We also watched an interesting 20 minute video about mountain men in the West.

After the museum, we headed south another 60 miles to the Big Sandy State Reservoir Recreation area. They have free camping and it turned out to be a beautiful spot. (I have to get lucky once in a while!) There is one other RV parked on the opposite end of the campground – we can barely see the top of his RV over the top of the hill.
There was a group of boaters here when we arrived and we enjoyed watching them. It looked like they were wake surfing, but we didn’t think to get out binoculars out to check for sure!

The sun is setting now and the reservoir is still calm and beautiful. We will probably head home tomorrow, but have really enjoyed our week in Wyoming.

July 13, 2013 - Granite Creek

Well, we slept in and had a big breakfast … and then the rain started. Then it rained some more, and more, and more! We hung out in the RV reading and napping. After lunch the weather finally started to break up and about 2:30 we decided to walk up to the hot springs pool. We followed the road and arrived at the pool, paid our $6 each, and changed to relax in the warm waters.
The swimming pool was constructed in 1933 by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and is operated under a special use permit from the Bridger-Teton National Forest. It is located at 6987’ elevation and has an average summer water temperature of 93° F.
We spent a couple hours relaxing in the pool and the clouds cleared off and the sun came out.

We walked along a small trail that follows the creek most of the way back to the campground. Just below the Falls, there is a small, natural hot springs that seems like a very popular spot among the locals from Jackson. They have a taut line stretched across the creek to make it easier to get there.

We opted to continue back to camp! We took the walk around the camp before dinner and will settle in for the night soon. Tomorrow we have decided to head south and camp near Big Sandy Reservoir, south of Pinedale, Wyoming.

July 12, 2013 - Tetons to Granite Creek

The rain stopped during the night and we awoke to sunny skies. Before heading south we drove over to the Signal Mountain Lodge and marina for a view of Jackson Lake. The low-lying clouds were nestled in front of the mountains, making a beautiful sight!

At Mountain View turnout, the Teton range was draped in clouds.

We made a stop at the Moose Visitor Center at the south end of the park so we could post some entries and do a quick email check. We stopped again in Jackson at the Visitor’s Center, then picked up some groceries, and had lunch before continuing on to Granite Creek. The road into the campground is about ten miles of rough gravel. It took us almost an hour to get here!

We drove past the campground, hoping to find a spot to dry camp on national forest land, but there were few good areas to turn out and get down near the creek, so we ended up in the campground. We turned around at the falls and headed back to pick this spot.


We set up our chairs and sat outside reading for a while and met a couple of our camp neighbors. These little guys have a burrow next to the camp grill. They entertained us with their antics for a long time.

Before dinner we took a walk around all three loops of the campground and stopped to talk to the camp host. It is beautiful.

About dusk this fellow stopped by to much on the vegetation just past our picnic table. He didn’t stay long, but it was fun to see.
Tomorrow we plan to sleep in, then take a hike to the hot springs pool.

July 11, 2013 - Yellowstone to Signal Mountain Campground - Tetons National Park

Today we said goodbye to Yellowstone and headed to the Tetons. Everything we have read about Signal Mountain campground said the spots usually fill up around 1pm, so we got on the road about 8:15. We made a stop at Lewis Falls near the south entrance of Yellowstone. Even though we have been to Yellowstone several times, neither of us remembered stopping here before.

It wasn’t long before we left Yellowstone and arrived at the north entrance of Grand Teton National Park. Road construction delays and heavy traffic put our arrival at Signal Mountain at 11 am. We got the LAST campsite available. In all of the park service magazines and on the website it shows 86 campsites and only one RV site with hookups. The fee is listed as $21 per night. WELL, 45% of all the sites have electricity and they are $45 per night. We took it for one night.

After paying our fee we took off in the RV to see some of the park. (It’s times like this we wished we had brought the scooter!) The mountain view turnout gave us a great view of the peaks that seem to rise up from no where!

The black dike seen in the Teton Range was formed when magma was forced upward into a large crack. This molten rock solidified, becoming the dark igneous rock, diabase. Erosion of the surrounding rock makes this vertical, 150-foot-thick dike clearly visible in the mountain.

We continued on to the Leigh and String Lakes trailhead – about two miles round trip between the lakes. There were lots of people out enjoying the water.


We watched a group put in at Leigh Lake. They were carrying all their gear to do some backcountry camping.

After lunch we decided to take a small portion of the Cascade Canyon trail to Inspiration Point which overlooks Jenny Lake – about six miles round trip. The weather started to cloud up, so we grabbed our ponchos and headed out. The trail leaves the parking lot and winds around String Lake before crossing a bridge to the back side of Jenny Lake. Most of the trail was dirt or rock, but with little elevation gain. The cloud cover and breeze made it a pleasant afternoon.

Just before String Lake joins with Jenny Lake, it narrows down and looks like a river. We read that sediment and rocks from the winter snow melt off fill in the lakes. Eventually, String Lake, as well as some of the other lakes in the area, will become so clogged with rocks they will change and become small streams.

The trail skirts along the edge of Jenny Lake and passed through an area burned in a 1999 forest fire. After two miles we arrived at the West Boat Dock area where many hikers arrive from the Jenny Lake Lodge to begin their hike!
From the boat dock we hiked another 1/2 mile to Hidden Falls. This is where the elevation begins to increase, but the view was incredible and it was well worth the effort! The wildflowers were beautiful, too!

Since Inspiration Point was only another 1/2 mile, we forged on. This portion of the trail was quite rocky – and narrow – and steep. The elevation at the point is 7200’. We could see the boats coming and going from the ramp below.

After a short break, we headed back down the trail to String Lake. It was really pretty passing through the wooded areas.

Three hours later we were back to the RV – tired, but glad we had done the hike and happy that the rain held off. We took the one way three mile drive south of Jenny Lake Lodge and stopped at the overlook to finish off our day. It was really windy and felt like winter was on its way!
Back to the campground and the rain started about 8pm. We are hopeful it stops by morning! Tomorrow we will head south to Granite Creek, south of Jackson.

July 10, 2013 - Yellowstone National Park

We got a fairly early start today – about 8:15 – as we headed north from Fishing Bridge to Canyon Village, Tower-Roosevelt, Mammoth Hot Springs, back south to Norris, to Canyon, and back to Fishing Bridge.

Our first stop was the Mud Volcano area. We met a group of Boy Scouts also hiking around the area – what a pleasant change from the teens we encountered yesterday! They were so respectful and considerate.

It was interesting to read about Sour Lake (below). The microbes in the water ate the sulfur in the the lake and create sulfuric acid. Not a lake in which I would like to swim!Shortly before arriving at the Canyon Village area we hit a traffic jam … a large herd of bison were hanging out near the road.

We stopped, as did several other cars to take some pictures of these huge beasts! This baby decided it was time for a snack.

At Canyon, we took the walk to Artist Point for a view of falls. They were beautiful!Mineral stains mark the sites of hot springs and steam vents in the canyon walls. For thousands of years, upwardly percolating fluids have altered the chemistry of the rocks, turning them yellow, red, white, and pink. From the rim, the bright patches of color are the most visible evidence of hot spots. Puffs of steam mark areas of ongoing thermal activity in the canyon. The 109 foot Upper Falls of the Yellowstone River were created by volcanic and hydrothermal activity.

We continued on to Tower Falls, located in an area called the Hanging Valley, near the Tower Roosevelt Junction.

Like many of Yellowstone’s waterfalls, Tower Fall began as a low ledge at the junction of two different bedrocks. Rock at the brink and underlying the fall is a tough, volcanic breccia; the weaker downstream rock erodes faster.

Not far past Tower Junction is a turnoff to see the Petrified Tree. I was sure we had seen it before, but said we might as well go again since we were there. How lucky for us! As we approached the parking area it was jammed and we weren’t sure it was worth it. The traffic jam was caused by a small black bear!He was walking along right next to the petrified tree and stopped to look out at all the people nearby before meandering down the hill and crossing the road right behind Dean’s truck! We talked to a ranger who told us he was probably a yearling.

I was so glad we decided to go ahead and stop – my day was complete!

We headed on to Mammoth Hot Springs and stopped for lunch before taking the walk around the lower and upper terraces.

This area has really changed over the years with much less water flowing in the area right now. When we made it to the Upper Terrace Overlook, the springs were completely dry! The underground channels sometimes shift or clog, causing the water to change direction on its journey to the surface. Above ground, a spring may slow down or stop. New springs may bubble up, or dormant springs may flow again. If we come back in another six years, it will probably be different again!

As we left Mammoth and headed south, we told ourselves to be on the lookout for moose, since we were passing streams and marshy areas. We didn’t see any moose, but we were rewarded with a grizzly bear! Dean managed to get a parking spot and we hopped out to join several other folks watching this young grizzly have a great time digging in the dirt. We stood at the top of the hill and had a great time watching him play! You might enjoy watching him, too! http://youtu.be/mhtSzR0H0rA

We finally tore ourselves away and headed to the Norris Geyser Basin where we took the mile walk around the Porcelain Basin. It was really cool to see the beautiful colors in the geysers.



It was interesting to learn about how the temperature of the water affects the organisms in the water, changing the colors you see. The greens are at the coolest temperatures – around 100° F!

We decided to call it a day and head back to our campsite. We had another traffic jam as we passed another large herd of bison in the Hayden Valley area.


This was our last day in Yellowstone and it was incredible – even if we didn’t see a moose!