Trip to Bozeman, Montana

Aug. 19, 2010. Today we traded shifts at work so we could leave for Bozeman, Montana by 3:30 p.m. and spend the night. Our purpose was to get our windshield replaced something we need to do every year on our trips out west. The first year at the "Stone" our windshield was attacked by tumbling tumbleweeds in Kansas. Last year and this year we were hit by loose gravel. So far, it's are three for three! Due to a very damaging hail storm in Bozeman, we had to wait for over a month to get this appointment. However, we decided it would be a good opportunity to have the dogs groomed, and actually do some shopping, which we hadn't done in about four months! Wow, we were in hog heaven. Macys' JCPenneys', Michaels, Home Depot, they all made us feel at home! A great day lay ahead of us! Another reason for our overnight trip was to bring a young lady named Dorothy, from Taiwan, to Bozeman so she could begin her long journey home. Her Chinese name is Lin Tsai-I. As you can see by her photo with Claire they really bonded. She wanted to leave Yellowstone early as her grandmother was quite ill. We also feel sure that she was homesick. If we could have adopted her we would have. What a wonderful young women she is. We have found that so many of the Asian young people display much respect for the elderly. They do not discriminate because you are older. They hold you in high regard. Abel, a young man from Singapore whom I worked with also just left. His contract ended and he had to head back home. He also was a wonderful young man. Two years ago it was Ken and Agnes from Malaysia, and last year Dee from Singapore. We certainly have enjoyed working with these young people and I still hear from them on Facebook. Ken and Agnes call me grandpa. What fun! Back to our trip to Bozeman. As we neared Mammoth Hot Springs we saw a young grizzly on the side of the road and had fun watching him. As we left the park we saw a magnificent sunset over the mountain range. We got into Bozeman and into our rooms at the Holiday Inn. Dorothy wanted to head over to Walmart to get a few things to bring home. Back at the motel we said our goodbyes and Claire told her we would go to her wedding in Taiwan! Of course we would go to Singapore to see Dee and Abel, then off to Malaysia to see Agnes and Ken. What a trip that would be! Friday we got the windshield fixed, the dogs groomed, grocery shopping, then back into the park. As we neared Mammoth Hot Springs there were a bunch of young bighorn sheep waiting to greet us. They were about 1 to 1-1/2 years old by the size of their horns. That same young grizzly was still showing off, forcing us to slow down as the Park Ranger was directing traffic. The closer we got to the young grizzly he stuck his head out as though asking for a ride in our car. The end of the day was approaching and we still had to head through Hayden Valley, where all the bison hang out. It's easy to get into a bison jam and spend hours waiting to get past them. Sure enough, they were walking in the road, causing quite a stir but we did manage to get around them. Eventually we arrived back home and settled in for the night. We will be working the next three days before getting another day off. Actually, I get a day off. Claire has to work on her off day as her Manager will be gone for the week. His daughter is visiting and the employees are each working one day to cover for him. I am planning to take Joan, a gal I work with, on a bike ride tomorrow morning but the weather is supposed to be quite cold, in the forties. She in really excited about riding on the back of my Hog! This is the end of our little journey into Bozeman, Montana

Hike to Fairy Falls

Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2010. After getting up and having our daily coffee we looked outside to see what the weather would be for this day. We decided to get on the bike and drive over to the Midway Geyser Basin. Our goal was to see the Grand Prismatic which is the largest hot spring in the U.S., the third largest in the world. The spring is 300 ft across and the depth is 160 ft. with a temperature of 188 degrees. So we hopped on the bike and drove about 65 miles to the Fairy Falls Trail. Most people will drive to the basin, park their car, then walk on a boardwalk over to the hot spring. Little do they realize that when you are at ground level all you see is the steam rising from the hot spring. One of the perks of working in the park is that you find out where the best hiking trails are, as well as the best viewing area for most attractions. We parked the bike at Fairy Falls, only a few yards form the Midway Geyser Basin. From there it is about 1-1/2 miles before you come to a very steep hill. Here is where you begin the hike upwards, stepping over rocks, tree roots, fallen trees, etc. After several stops to catch our breath we finally made it to the top! We are above the trees and as we look down on the most beautiful hot spring anyone will ever see, the whole experience becomes spiritual. We are looking down on what can only be Gods' handiwork. Sitting on top of this hill, gazing down into this hot pool with its vivid colors is something one could do all day. We debated whether we wanted to continue down the hill and off to Fairy Falls which was at least another 2 miles away. Claire felt that we had hiked enough. However, I concluded that we may not ever get another chance to view the Fairy. So we both agreed and off we went hiking to Fairy Falls, an additional 2 more miles. This trail traverses behind the midway geyser basin for 1 mile, then cuts upward, between the twin buttes and a spray geyser for 1.5 miles. It wasn't long before we thought we would never get there! We were hot, tired and anxious, not entirely sure we had made the right choice to keep on going. After all, some place with the word Fairy in it probably was rather small and will it really be worth it? Also we knew that there was no magical way back to the bike which was several miles back. Pushing onwards, like the brave hikers we tried to be, an hour later we finally made it to Fairy Falls! What a pleasant surprise it turned out to be! The falls are 197 ft. high coming off the Madison Plateau. The water shoots off the cliff, plunging about one third down until it strikes the rocks, then continues cascading down to the bottom, into a pool of water. Once again, another memorable and spiritual moment. Although the hike was very warm and tiring our final reward was a gentle cool mist mixed with the sound of falling water. For a moment you felt at peace on earth. Yes, God has created a wonderful place that we have been blessed to experience. After resting a bit it was time to head back, oh yes, another 2 - 3 miles. Was I tired? You bet. Did my feet hurt? Absolutely! At this point I wished I had listened to Claire and not pushed on to hike to Fairy Falls. We struggled but we made it back, singing and laughing all the way. Nothing felt better than to put our tired rumps on that hot black leather seat of the bike again! We headed on back to the RV park. When we got to West Thumb, however, we saw a nice bull elk, lying along side of the road. It was as if he was saying, "it's pretty awesome here, eh?". West Thumb is on the southern end of Yellowstone Lake and about 25 miles from our little home in paradise. Once there we settled into our chairs, too tired to eat, too tired to watch TV. Bed sure looked good. Are we glad we did this hike? You betcha. We have about 5 weeks left and the weather will start to change. Fall is around the corner. September could bring snow, the elk will start bugling calling for their mates. Life is an adventure and we are blessed to have had the opportunity to live this adventure for the past three years. Thank you God for your wonderful, amazing creation and for giving us the ability to enjoy a little corner of it. Yellowstone is a Garden of Eden.

Bike ride to Jackson Hole, WY

Aug. 10, 2010. We wake up and look at the temperature and its 40 degrees. Believe it or not but every morning since we have been here the a.m. temperature has never gone over 45 degrees. Our plan is to go into Jackson Hole, Wy., about 120 miles from our little home in YNP. We decided to layer up, jump on the bike and head off to Teton National Park. By the time we got started the air had warmed up to about 55 degrees. When you ride along the lake with all the trees blocking the sun, it is at least ten degrees cooler than anywhere else in the park. The feeling you experience when riding the bike in Yellowstone is unlike anywhere else! The smells, the views, the fresh air hitting your face, this is heaven on earth. When we approached Teton Nation Park we were able to shed some of our clothing as the temperature was now in the 60's to low 70's. We arrived at Moose Junction around noon and stopped off for lunch. Moose had become one of our favorite places, good food, awesome views, and fun times. We enjoy sitting outside, on the roof, with clear blue skies overhead and the Tetons so close you could almost touch them! After lunch I dropped Claire off at the visitor center, one of her favorite places to "book" shop. I went off to a location where the moose like to hang out. It was high noon and because of the warmer air I knew that I would not see many moose, but the location is very peaceful. I met a couple from Texas also riding their bikes. They had ridden over 1,500 miles with a few more sights still to enjoy. I picked up Claire and we continued on into the town of Jackson Hole. Did I mention that there is a Harley shop in the "Hole"? Should I mention that I stopped at the Harley Davidson shop? I guess in all fairness to Claire [re: Visitors Center], I will 'fess up. However, all I really ended up doing was sitting in their big leather couch where I could get a little "shut-eye" while Claire did her thing [re:shopping]. We left Jackson and headed on back into the park. Before long we were being drawn over to the side of the road where a small crowd was gathering. A beautiful moose was doing a very good job of lying down, camouflaged in the high grass. Her ears were very nice though! Back on the bike and on with our journey. We eventually came to the intersection where we turn to go towards Lake. We spotted a large bull elk who was huge! Incidentally, when we were in Jackson Hole the temperature was in the 80's. Now that we are back in the park and climbing in elevation the temperature was dropping. It was close to sixty degrees, time to get the jackets on. Once again we had a great day! Here it is in the middle of August, the forecast is for a 40% chance of snow, and we have been on the bike all day. Where did the summer go? At the present time the bison are mating, causing quite a number of traffic jams. Soon the elk will start their annual ritual. What a joy to be living in the "Stone"! I hope that you are reading my blog and perhaps you will feel an itch to come to Yellowstone. Don't wait, life is too short. Just Do It!

Day Trippin

Tuesday, our day off, we hopped on the bike and drove the upper loop of the park which is about 150 miles round trip. We start out at Lake and head north to Canyon, then west to Norris Junction. After that we then head north to Mammoth Hot Springs where the elk like to hang out on the grassy area in front of the post office. This grass was originally planted when the U.S. Calvary took over Yellowstone in the late 1800's. Mammoth has many very well preserved buildings that were originally used by the soldiers. Ruth, you would love the history here. Anyway, the grass is sweet and attracts the elk. It is quite a sight to see both mama elk and their babies sitting around, looking at all the people who are pointing cameras at them. You almost forget that they are wild animals. We then head to Gardiner, Montana about 6 miles from Mammoth. This small town has two gas stations, one grocery store, and about fifteen saloons! We filled up the car with gas and a got few supplies. It didn't take us long and we soon were heading back into the park. From Mammoth we head west to Roosevelt, which hosts the horseback rides, hay rides, stagecoach rides, etc. Next our direction is south, back into Canyon and then on towards Lake. As we were approaching Roosevelt we came across the largest bull elk that we had yet to see. Whenever you see a bull elk it is always special. Most of the elk you see in the park are the females and their offspring. That ended our day.

Friday, our next day off we decided to head into Cody, Wyoming. We were expecting rain and strong winds in the late afternoon so we decided to drive by car instead of the bike. This turned out to be a very wise choice. As we were heading home the winds were extremely strong with buckets of rain. While we were in Cody, which is known for their cowboys and rodeo events, we decided to ride our own horse and bull! It was difficult to decide who would ride what, but in the end Claire chose the bull while I chose the horse. Okay, I can hear you all saying that this is a lot of "bull-". We were both a bit nervous, not wanting to have anyone laugh at us. As it turned out, we became quite quite the attraction (in Walmart)! We drew a large audience, receiving cheers from the nice folk in Cody who seemed to enjoy watching us city folks have a good time. You cannot visit the west without a trip to a brothel, so we had lunch at Cassie's. Just to explain a few things, the town of Cody is named after Wild Bill Cody. The man was a legend, a showman, a friend of the Indians, an entrepreneur. He founded and lived in Cody, Wy. There are many local places that bear his name, including his own hotel and saloon. Cassie's was probably visited by Buffalo Bill Cody one or two times. You won't find any plaques on the wall, however being in Cassie's is like stepping back in time. The original, uneven wood floor had tin pieces nailed over the holes, the gas lamps still worked, and the photos would have kept you busy all afternoon. We are hungry, especially after our hard ride on the horse and bull so I had a bison/elk burger while Claire had the traditional beef burger. We do truly enjoy our "city" trips! In case you are wondering about the bear pictures, on our way out of the park that morning, I saw my good friend Larry on the side of the road. Larry is a great photographer, so we stopped to see what he saw. A beautiful black grizzly was walking down a hill, eating as he went. We stayed on, watching him for at least thirty minutes, as he came closer and closer. Trust me, this is a different grizzly than the other pictures. This summer the grizzlies have been out and about, seen every day somewhere in the park. Well my friends, Claire is calling me so I have to end. She wants me to start the grill as we are having spare ribs, corn on the cob, and baked potatoes for dinner. We do eat good in the "Stone"!

A drive to Cooke City, Montana

July 20, 2010. Since this is our day off we decided to take the bike out and drive to Cooke City, Montana. The bike ride is approximately 160 miles round trip taking us through valleys, mountains, hills, curves, and woods. Need I say more? We will be leaving the park, going into a small town in Montana. Just a few days before outside of town, a grizzly bear had attacked a man while he was sleeping in his tent. The man was killed by the bear. This bear also attacked two other people but they fortunately were able to escape. After capturing the bear and the rangers had no other choice but to euthanize her. This mama bear had two cubs that were captured and soon transported to a zoo. They say here in the park when you feed the animals you are actually killing them. People just don't seem to get it that the animals are wild and need to stay that way.

Starting out on our journey, we pass through Hayden Valley and begin the climb up Mount Washburn. The road is quite steep and has many curves and switchbacks. Being on the bike you feel like you are on top of the world but I am sure Claire looked the other way as the road just drops off, offering no room for error. As we got higher in elevation the wildflowers were in bloom by the thousands. We stopped to get photos of tons of yellow daisies. Leaving the mountain you start heading down into a wooded area which is called Tower-Rooselvelt. This area is common to the black bear. Once we leave the woods we enter into another valley which is called Lamar Valley.

We had taken a sack lunch with us so we found a spot near a stream just outside of Lamar Valley and had a picnic. This valley is known for the many animals that roam the area which includes the wolves. We didn't see any wolves but the bison were plentiful and were very active as they are nearing the mating season. The bison are also plentiful in Hayden Valley which we have to pass through on the way back to our RV park. Here the Park Rangers were busy herding bison out of the road. Being on the bike allows you to get up close to these huge animals and, yes they are very intimidating, to say the least.

One reason for this particular trip was to hike up to Trout Lake. I had done this hike three years ago without Claire and I wanted her to go on this trip. The hike to the lake is one mile, all steeply uphill, requiring many stops for us older folks. It is a pretty hike through wildflowers and around trees. When we got to the lake, hearing thunder encouraged us to notice the dark, heavy clouds overhead. I was disappointed as I wanted to hike to the other side of the lake where I had seen an otter family in the past. With the possibility of lightening, and because we were near to trees and water we decided to leave. It did spit rain a little but we did not get wet.

The drive back to the RV park was great since the stormy weather by-passed us. We stopped at Canyon, which is another area where there are lodges and gift shops. Claire decided to go into the book store at the Visitor Center, so I relaxed on a comfy chair. We each had ice cream (wild huckleberry) then headed back to camp.

We are very fortunate that we have been able to spend many months in the oldest National Park in this country. Being able to see Yellowstone from the vantage of being on a motorcycle is very rewarding. We will always have many fond memories of the park, and as we get older, we can sit in our rocking chairs and imagine we are in the "Stone".