Day 304. June 6, 2014. Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces

LOCATION:  Yellowstone National Park in NW Wyoming

WEATHER:  Mostly sunny.  High about 60

We are camped next to a couple from Paris.  They flew into Salt Lake City and rented a car.  They are camping in a pup tent.  This morning, I ran into the woman in the bathroom.  She looked so sophisticated....scarf tied jauntily, makeup and hair just right....all from a tent!  .  And I looked like I've been camping!  How do the French do that?  . 

 We took a park ranger-led walk around the Springs.  It was very informative.  This part of Yellowstone looks quite different from the rest.  Instead of geysers, there are streams of lava coming down the hillsides creating what are called terraces.

They change much more rapidly than geysers.  This one, as an example, is now dry after flowing many years.  Once dry, it turns to this white limestone.

Yellowstone is mostly in Wyoming, but also spans into Idaho and Montana.  We drove 5 miles to a town on the North Entrance, in Montana, to buy propane.  Then, we took a long drive around the remaining part of the park we hadn't seen before.  Each section is unique. 

We stopped for lunch at Roosevelt Lodge and ordered bison nachos.  This lodge does cowboy dinners and stagecoach rides.  It is quite rustic.

Today's wildlife sightings are:  elk, osprey, black bear, pronghorn antelope, long-horned sheep, and herds of bison. 

Back at the campground, we made a fire from logs we collected along the road.  ( instead of buying firewood!).  This is the evening view from our site.

The days are really long.  At 9:00, it seemed more like 6;00 with children playing, campfires roaring, and still very light.  

DINNER:  We cooked chicken over the grill.  Delish!  For sides, we roasted a sweet potato in the coals, and I sautéed the rest of the zucchini.  It has been great having a campfire again.

Day 303. June 5, 2014. Enjoying elk!

YLOCATION:  Yellowstone National Park in NW Wyoming 

WEATHER:  Very nice. Highs in low 70s

Again, this post is delayed due to lack of internet...

After spending 3 nights in this campground in the southern section, we moved to Mammoth Hot Springs Campground in the northern part of Yellowstone.  It is much nicer here.  The first campground was run by a for-profit concessionaire. They were so afraid of bears that they only admit hard-sided campers.  They also do not allow campfires or provide picnic tables.  At 8,000 feet and surrounded by snowy forest, it was quite cold.  The bathrooms were about 1/2 mile away. To add insult to injury, it cost $54 per night.  This new campground, however, is run by the park.  The campsites are spacious, have picnic tables, and allow campfires.  No hook-ups, though, although we have water and propane, so we are good.  At 6,000 feet, it is sunnier and warmer.  To sweeten the deal, it is only $10 per night, with George's Senior Pass!  

We got settled and made a day trip around this part of the park.  The geysers and springs look different here.   

The "village" has a lodge and general store.  Next to the lodge, these elk were enjoying the freshly mown lawn

This retro park tour bus was picking up tourists at the lodge

Back at our campsite, we made a fire to cook dinner.  George added some dried bison poop to the fire which burned well. There are several varieties of poop (elk, bison and moose) all over our site. 

Suddenly, an elk ran right by our car to a grassy area next to the bathrooms.  We followed her and must have gotten too close.

She started to charge us, so George and I cowered inside the women's bathroom until she calmed down!

DINNER:  I needed to use the rest of the meatballs, so made a spaghetti sauce with them and veggies over the fire.  Added pasta, Italian bread, vino and a salad, and presto....great meal!

Day 302. June 4, 2014. Geyser world!

LOCATION;  Yellowstone National Park in NW Wyoming

WEATHER:  Started out sunny and warm.  Turned to snow and freezing

This post is delayed as we don't have internet service....

We took the south loop road around the park, this time going in the opposite direction.  We stopped at a lot of geysers along the way.  

Each is different, all with  vibrant colors.  There seem to be more international tourists than American.  Lots of Europeans and Chinese.  

We took several walks around different geyser stops.  On this trip today, we saw some elk, lots of bison, and a trumpeter swan.

We had lunch in one of the lodges around the park.  There are about 10 "villages" around the park, with lodges, cabins, campgrounds and general stores.  We had a wildlife meatloaf sandwich made from elk and bison.  There was a nice fireplace near our table

After lunch, it turned cold and rainy, so we didn't feel like hiking.  We started back to the campground and watched the outside temperature drop and drop.  The rain turned to snow.  It was 34 mid-afternoon, so I'm sure it got colder at night.  

We have electricity, but no Internet or TV channels here, so we watched a DVD that I had picked up at a previous campground....many have little libraries where you can swap books, DVDs, CDs.  It was the Stepford Wives...from 2004.  Nice and cozy to watch it with the heater keeping us warm. 

DINNER:  I used the last of the frozen shrimp.  I sautéed them, then added some Worchestire sauce, butter, and hot sauce.  In Louisiana,  they call this barbecued shrimp.  On the side, I did a vegetable mix of sautéed zucchini, onions, and the rest of the cannellini beans.   The last time we shopped, the only good salad greens came in a large container, so we have been eating salad every night, too!

Day 301. June 3, 2014. Terrific Tetons

LOCATION:  Yellowstone National Park in NW Wyoming

WEATHER:  Mostly clear; some rain. Highs in 60s

We made a day trip to Grand Teton National Park, which is about 25 miles south of Yellowstone.  The mountains are breathtaking.  Some are as high as 13,000 feet.  

We took a gravel road part of the way, with promises to see lots of wildlife.  But, zip, nada.  Then, as we got to the outskirts of town, there was a moose happily eating grass along the highway in a congested area.

We ate lunch in a brewpub in Jackson Hole.  I was hoping to see Robert Redford or some other famous person here, but no luck. The town square has 4 arches made out of elk horns..pretty impressive.

On our return trip, we saw an elk and two grizzlies.  The mountains continued to be magnificent, some appearing to rise  out of the lake

It seems a little crowded here in Yellowstone, with tour buses (mostly Chinese people), but it really gets jammed in July and August.

Back at our campground, we took showers.  When we checked in, we got tickets to take a shower each day.  Campers in campgrounds without showers can use these showers too, for a price. It is a pretty good system.  Other campgrounds have the kind of showers that you have to put quarters in.  The worst thing is when the time ends, right after you have  just lathered up!

DINNER:  I made a hearty soup since the weather turned cool and drizzly in the evening.  (Our campground is at 8,000 feet).  I browned some meatballs, and added carrots, celery, cannelini beans, onion and garlic.  Then I added chicken broth and let it cook for a bit.  At the end, I threw in a few pieces of Parmesan.  It really hit the spot!  

Day 300. June 2, 2014. 30,000 miles and 300 days on the road!

LOCATION:  Yellowstone National Park, in western Wyoming

WEATHER:  Sunny and pleasant.  Highs in 60s

We left Cody, Wyoming after eating breakfast with a nice couple from France, at the motel's lobby.  We drove about 80 miles to Yellowstone.  Photo opportunity at every minute.  Here we are at a roadside pull-out.  Still lots of snow. 

We are staying 3 nights in the southern part of the park.  Here is George setting up the Airstream with snowdrifts in the background

We drove a circular loop around the south end of the park, stopping at geysers along the way.  This one is called Mud Pot

There are warnings all over about wildlife.  Our campground does not allow tents or soft-sided pop-ups due to the number of bears in this area.  While we were driving we saw lots of bison.  This one had a baby with her.  Cute!

Another one was just standing on the middle of the road, holding up traffic.  A ranger came and blew a special horn to make him run away.

This geyser is called Dragon's Mouth.  It looks and sounds like its name

The afternoon's trip culminated at Old Faithful.  We sat on the old lodge's balcony sipping a drink, waiting for it to blow

Then she blew!

The lodge itself is beautiful with huge wood beams and an enormous fireplace

DINNER:  Pasta with sautéed shrimp in a garlic sauce with green beans and feta.  Mixed green salad on the side.

Day 299. June 1, 2014. In the wild, wild, west!

LOCATION:  Cody, WY in north central Wyoming

WEATHER:  everything in one day!  From 30s to 70s and sleet to sunshine.

We left Buffalo and headed west through the Bighorn Mountains.  I am SO glad we did not camp here last night.  There is still snow on the ground, and it was sleeting.  Temps dropped to the thirties as we drive through mid-day so it must have been really cold at night.  

The road was pretty steep, and our car struggled a bit to get up some  of the mountains.  We reached 9,000 feet.  That is when the twisting roads became frightenly icy.

Down in the valley, we followed Ten Sleep Creek, which was swollen with snow melt.

We took a shortcut through another valley.  The cattle are free range, so they wander on the roads.

After about 150 miles, we decided to stay overnight in Cody, hope of Wild Bill Hickock. It proclaims itself as the rodeo capital of the world, with a rodeo every night in the summer.  We are staying at a motel in the downtown area.  We strolled around Cody, stopped at a brewpub, then enjoyed a nice dinner in an Italian restaurant.  

Day 298. May 31, 2014. Mountain country!

LOCATION:  Buffalo, WY, in North Central Wyoming

WEATHER:  Cool, highs in 60s.  

We left Devil's Tower Monument early and stopped in a small town cafe for breakfast.  It is always fun to listen to the conversations.  A cowboy next to us ordered a breakfast steak with his eggs and hashbrowns.  It was huge!  (We split the senior breakfast plate). :-)

We drove about 100 miles west.  The mountain peaks and pronghorn antelopes were a beautiful sight from the car

We stopped in Buffalo for lunch.  It is a cute town, in the foothills of the Bighorn National Forest, part of the Rocky Mountains.  

We told the waiter that we were heading up to the mountains for camping.  He said he hoped we have our snow gear.

Lunch was at the saloon at the Occidental Hotel, in business since 1880.  Prior satisfied customers are Teddy Roosevelt, Wild Bill Hickok, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.  We split a buffalo burger and a Wyoming beer.

Lots of wildlife on the walls and a wild guy drinking his beer....

We strolled around downtown.  It was so pleasant that we decided to camp here overnight rather than in the snowy Rockies.

We found a commercial campground near town.  Nice shady sites with electricity, and wonderful bathrooms with private showers.

In the afternoon, we relaxed at the pool while I did LOTS of laundry.  Pretty nice way to get that chore accomplished!

We found a trail and walked into town to try their local microbrewery.  George liked their stout.  He also sampled their chili-infused porter which wasn't too bad.

DINNER:  As with most commercial campgrounds, there was not a fire ring, so I cooked inside.  I microwaved potatoes, and made a sour cream/adobo sauce mix with leftovers.  Green beans on the side.  Pretty good!

This campground has wifi and electricity, but no TV channel signals.  So after dinner we watched on Netflix the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind.  It features Devil's Tower Monument.  We could have watched it at the Devil's Tower Monument KOA had we stayed there last night  However, ithe KOA appeared kind of dumpy and  cost $50, as compared with the national park rustic campground at the foot of the tower, where we stayed for $6.