Yellowstone and Craters of the Moon

On Sunday August 4^th, we started our drive to Yellowstone around 10 am. We made a couple of stops, and arrived in Lander around 4PM, about 280 miles. The Mountain Range campground is only three years old, about 20 sites. No shade, but well cared for, with a nice view, and far enough off the main road to not have road noise.

Our host suggested that we visit the nearby Sinks Canyon State Park, where a river goes underground in a cave, and reappears a quarter mile later. It was a pretty canyon, and there was a pool with huge trout at the bottom. We were told they were 8 to 10 pounds, huge for trout. We had dinner at Cowfish restaurant, where we had a Oaxacan chicken salad, followed by ice cream around the corner.

Monday turned out to be an RV repair and driving day. The cable that operated the dump valve pulled out from the valve, requiring a lot of time on my back working over my head, and two trips to the hardware store. We stopped at the Sacagawea cemetary in Fort Washaki, and had lunch at a park in Dubois. We continued into a smoky Grand Teton National Park and then Yellowstone. After some confusion about what site we should be in, we settled in, only to find some loose bolts holding the slide motor. I tightened the bolts, but in order to prevent this happening again, I will need to drill all the way through the frame, and use nylock nuts rather that tapped holes.

Tuesday we agreed to minimize our driving. We walked near the lake in Grant Village, and had lunch at the restaurant there. In the late afternoon we drove to Old Faithful, where we sat on the deck and watched the geyser for the 7:10 Pm erruption. We went to the evening ranger program at Grant Village, on navigation.

Wednesday we drove to the Fishing Bridge area, and then to Storm Point, where we hiked over 2 miles to Storm Point on the lake. It is a loop trail; we came back through a forested area that had an impressive amount of downed timber. Then we headed for the Hayden Valley, looking for bison.

We did find a few bison there, including one that walked down the road next to us. We continued to Canyon, where we looked at the upper and lower falls of the Yellowstone, both quite impressive. Today we saw very busy parts of the park, a reminder to come back in September, as we have done in the past. We drove home, where Sandi made dinner.

We stopped at Isa Lake, straddling the continental divide; Amazingly, it drains both to the Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico.

Richard was frustrated that he had no working phone or internet in the park. In the past, using AT&T, he had some coverage, but with T-mobile, nothing. The registration desk for the hotel was supposed to have internet, but too slow to be usable, even for getting email. Luckily Sandi has Verizon, which has some coverage in the park.

Thursday we hiked to Mystic Falls, near the Biscuit Basin, which was closed due to a recent hydrothermal explosion. Then we went to the Tribal Center at Old Faithful, where an indian couple from Pine Ridge were selling and educating the tourists. Sandi joined an impromptu drumming circle, while the man chanted. We headed back to the campground, and met Tim and Cindy, who drove down to meet us.

Friday Sandi cooked breakfast. Tim and I drove to the northeast corner of the park and fished the Yellowstone River. It was a 3.5 mile hike, up and down over a ridge to get there. The traffic was heavy, as you would expect in Yellowstone in August. We saw large herds of bison, an elk, and Tim saw a bear. Tim caught a nice Cuthroat Trout. We drove back to camp, and Sandi made a nice dinner. It was great to see Cindy and Tim; Cindy and Tim and Sandi got to get better acquainted.

Saturday we ate breakfast at the restaurant in Grant Village, and headed for West Yellowstone. We did some shopping, and ate lunch with Tim and Cindy. They headed home, and we headed for Island Park Idaho. Sandi had never been to Idaho, and was pleased to cross it off her list. We camped at Flat Rock campground, near the Henry Fork of the Snake River. There were many people boating on the river.

Sunday we drove to Idaho Falls, where we went to a Spanish language mass. Next we went to a kind of dive Mexican restaurant, where we could watch the old guys in the kitchen cook. We were told that everyone who works there is friends or family; the food was good. We bought some fresh tortillas for a dollar, fresh out of the machine. A cultural experience, for sure. We then went to the Museum of Idaho, where we learned about Idaho geology, indians, and history. We continued to Arco Idaho, where we stayed at Mountain View campground.

Monday we drove 20 miles to Craters of the Moon, which exceeded our expectations. We took a Ranger hike to a lava tube cave, which Richard explored. Some of the lava flows are only 2000 years old, and have barely started to revegetate. We continued to the Fort Hall reservation, where we had a very interesting conversation with the director of the Shoshone Bannock Museum. She speaks Shoshone, and made the museum worthwhile, telling stories of her youth and family. We visited a store to buy beaded earrings, where they also had a huge supply of bulk beads; beading is big in Shoshone culture. We continued to Pocatello Idaho, where Sandi wanted a photo in front of the Pocatello sign, to prove that she had been there. We called some RV parks, but got no answer or return call. We chose the Bastiste Springs RV Park because they answered the phone; they employee was very nice and efficient. The park is in an industrial area, but with a nice view of a green valley with a stream.

Tuesday we followed the Oregon and California trail to Montpelier, where we visited the trails museum, which turned out to be a hodgepodge of old stuff. We enjoyed chatting with the hospital auxiliary ladies, who were hand quilting. The quilts on exhibit were generally of high quality. We had lunch at Dan's, a small time 50's style burger joint. The area was mostly wheat fields, and very rural. 

This is a display of fossil coprolites, fossilized poop. 
Amusingly, it was found in the men's bathroom

 We continued to Fossil Butte National Monument, near Kemmerer WY. Sandi had a phone call to make, but I went into the visitor center and enjoyed listening to the ranger talk to a group of men whose job is to find fossils on private land. I got to ask my own questions as well. Not sure that I understood everything that he said, as there were lots of references to long extinct species. Sandi bought postcards and t-shirts for the grandkids. We continued on to Green River Wyoming, where we got a back-in site at Green River RV Campground. Sandi laughed at the small site; I unhitched and parked the truck in a vacant site. We discussed the various campgrounds that we had stayed in during this trip, and the pros and cons of each. Lander was the nicest campground, and the lady in charge was super-nice. Sandi said that she has camped in three different Yellowstone campgrounds, and Grant Village is her least favorite.

Wednesday was a routine drive from Green River home, using I-80 and US287.