GRAND Tetons

Gros Ventre Campground, Grand Tetons National Park, WY – July 17 thru July 23, 2013

When we had visited the campground earlier, we were told it is best to check in between 11:00 and noon, So we packed up and headed out. The drive was even better sitting up high in BG.

After getting settled at our site we took off for Jackson or as it’s also known,  Jackson Hole. Traffic was heavy and lots of people, so much for our theory that mid week things aren’t as busy. We found the Snake River Brewing Company and had lunch.

Thus fortified we’re off to check out the town. EJ did some browsing and Frank sat in the town park to avoid the crowds. They had these great arches made from Elk antlers at all four corners of the park. Nice place with lots of Galleries, but nothing in our price range.  

Frank was ready to be done with town, so we headed back. We did stop at the Visitors Center and enjoyed the dioramas and displays. We learned that the male Elks shed their antlers every year, so that is why there are so many to create all of the arches and other art. The center was located overlooking the Elk Refuge and from up top we could see all of the traffic coming back into Jackson.

We had heard about the town of Kelly near our campground that had a deli/coffee shop so we checked it out on our way back. The town has maybe two dirt roads with houses and several Yurts. Kind of a cloudy sunset, but the view from the RV can’t be beat.

What a nice cool night and lazy morning. Frank was outside and told me to look out the front window. This herd of Bison were slowly grazing by.

We headed out for some of the roads less traveled that we had not done yet. We drove out Gros Ventre Road and made a stop at the coffee/deli in Kelly. Uh oh – they make a great Mocha Latte. We came upon the Gros Ventre Slide area. Interesting  event that caused the damning of a river, creation of a lake and dramatically changed landscape.

We had to check out the Kelly Warm Springs. It turned out not to be so warm, but it was a spring none the less. We got out feet wet, but the rocks were too slippery to go very far. We later talked to the coffee shop manager and she said the locals don’t go in because of all of the Bison using it. Maybe that’s why they call it a Warm Spring.

Off to Signal Mountain and more great Teton Views along the way.

It was a really nice drive up to the top and we were rewarded with spectacular views of the northeast corner of the park. Including an area they call the potholes. Back at the bottom of the drive we had a peek at Jackson Lake.

Traffic wasn’t too bad, so we decided to check out Teton Village to get some information on the Tram ride up the mountain. Turns out it had stopped running at 6pm, but the 8 passenger gondola that went up 3/4 of the way to a restaurant and overlook was still running AND since it was after 4:30, it was free. Can’t pass that up, so off we went. Great views on the way up and at the top.

As usual for us, we paid for two nights thinking that would be enough, but we felt there was more to do and enjoy so we upped another night and hung around camp. Later in the day we took a break and a drive to the coffee shop. It is very bad that it is only a mile from camp. Went to explore a dirt road we hadn’t been on yet and came across a herd of Bison enjoying the afternoon. This time we could see some young ones.

Still not sure where to next and we are getting sooo good at this linger longer stuff, we upped another day. Went to our(getting to be personal) coffee shop for lunch and local wildlife.

Also on Monday Frank’s theory concerning crowd sizes and idiots was proven again. (Let’s use the term Bozo’s instead of Idiots. It’s a little less harsh). Monday morning we went to the camp entrance to pay up for one more day. It seems as though a lot of folks decided to stay over Sunday night and leave on Monday. You can already sense that a crowd is in the making.

At the entrance there is a loop that contains 2 dump stations and one fresh water station. The loop is one way, with signs, and there is room for one RV at each station. Well, all the stations were full and there was a line of RV’s waiting their turn. That makes a crowd, right? Well, sure enough, one Bozo decides he doesn’t want to go the direction the one way sign indicates. So he backs up and runs right into another RV. Sigh, you just can’t fix stupid!!

We have really enjoyed our time at the Grand Tetons. We did take time to go into Jackson again for groceries, Pizza fix, a movie and to take care of some paperwork. We also got to have a campfire one evening and soak up the full moon. Not a bad way to end our stay.

Unfortunately the additional inverter that Frank installed to help conserve our battery usage shot craps one day, so our next stop will be in Salt Lake City, Utah where we will pick up a new one.

Duboyz

Falls National Forest Campground near Dubois, Wyoming – July 11 through July 16, 2013

We’ve left Casper and we’re not really sure where our next camp will be. We stop in Riverton, Wy to see the Wind River Indian Casino. When we arrive it’s pushing 100 degrees. After parking the RV and walking across the parking lot it feels like the inside of an oven. So we decide real quick that this is not the place to stay over night even though they offer free camping with no hookups.

However, we do go inside and register at the casino and get 20 dollars in funny money. It takes EJ close to an hour but she manages to turn that into 20 dollars of real money and we decide it’s time to leave while we’re ahead.

The hills are getting colorful and the mountains more jagged.

As we’re rolling down the highway, Mocha is soaking up all the loving she can get. And EJ is soaking up her daily dose of caffeine.

No other campgrounds look promising and we stop in Dubois to get some information at the visitor center and buy some fuel. We wonder at the name of the town and how it should be pronounced. Duboze? Dubwah? Hmm, another mystery to be solved.

We head on west on US20 getting higher into the mountains and looking for likely boondocking spots. We read about one in Days End. It’s a parking lot for snowmobiles so it shouldn’t be busy in the summer. We find it and there’s a locked gate across the access road. That’s not nice. Well, our next bet is a National Forest campground about 21.2 miles west of Dubois.

We pull in and find out one of the two loops has electric hookups. Yay! Not that we need them, but the difference between  electric and no electric is $2.50 a day extra for us geezers. We’re taking the electric.

Once we’re in and set up, Taz gets a little me time in front of the open window. (And yes, the window screen is closed).

Our Latte or Macchiato habit is still running amok and the fact that Dubois has an excellent little sandwich/coffee shop named Kathy’s Koffee doesn’t help a bit. It had a lounge upstairs where you could hang out and use their Wi-Fi connection (we have no wifi or phone at the campground). The coffee shop closes at 2PM and one day they almost had to run us out. But the owner said if we needed to hang out longer, she would just ask us to lock up when we left. Are Wyoming small towns great or what?

Elk horns are a big deal up here and it seems almost every small town has elk horn statues or arches and Dubois is no exception.

One day we were downtown browsing through the stores and EJ asked about how the towns name was pronounced. The clerk said it was spelled and named for a Frenchman Dubois(Dubwah), but the local cowboys wanted none of that Frenchie stuff so they pronounce it Duboyz. Another trivia question answered.

We thought we would have dinner at Cowboys Café after we were done.  We  had heard the food was very good. But the fates we against us. The place had a fire and wasn’t going to reopen anytime soon.

 

After the whole volunteer fire department showed up, we were blocked in and couldn’t move the Element, so we repaired to the Outlaw Bar to wait until the fire department was satisfied with their efforts. The Outlaw Bar was definitely a hangout for the locals, and we were quickly reminded that smoking indoors is not against the law in this part of the country. But the beer was freezing cold and only $2 a bottle so we manned up and tuffed it out.

The fire department finally cleared out and the Element was free to move once more. On the way out of town EJ spied a dirt road that went to a City maintained overlook. As seems the norm in these parts, you get one sign and then no matter how many turn offs, twists and turns, the rest is up to you. If you’re lucky there may be a sign telling you that you have arrived at your destination. Maybe! So we finally figured out our way to the top and found some amazing views. While we were up there we also spotted another pronghorn antelope. And to make Frank feel better, we even spotted another car wandering around trying to figure out where the overlook was. Hah! Frank and EJ weren’t the only clueless ones.

Since Cowboy’s was closed due to fire, we decided to cook out. Frank is very particular about how the BBQ fare is cooked and carefully times the cooking process. However, EJ didn’t capture the effort that goes into cooking the meat to tender deliciousness. No, she takes the picture while I’m timing the next stage of the cooking process (and exercising my brain with a game of solitaire).

On Saturday we went back into Dubois for coffee and to use the internet and make some phone calls. A close friend, Tom Powell, had passed away on July 10 and today is the service for him meaning we wanted to get in touch with folks and convey our condolences and our sorrow at having to miss the service.

The town has a nice museum named the Wind River History Museum with many old buildings and local fauna displays.  We also checked out the National Big Horn Sheep Interpretive Center. This  is an excellent source of information and highly recommended by us.

Before we left town, we just had to stop and check out the “World’s Largest Stuffed Jackalope”. These Wyomians take their Jackalopes  seriously. Be sure and look closely at the detail at the rear of the statue.

On the way back to camp we decided to go see another NF campground at Brooks lake, which is fairly close to our camp. Once again there was a sign at the highway pointing towards the camp, then after that we were on our own. We got lucky and made a few correct guesses and found the sign that said we were there. This is where EJ had her second Grizzly encounter. The first one was in town and not nearly so active.

And just so you can get a flavor for how rough it is out here in the woods, here is a picture of a Pit Toilet at the Brooks Lake National Forest Campground. The camp hosts here want you to feel at home.

One map Frank had looked at showed a simple loop up to Brooks Lake and back. Boy did that map over simplify reality. After we 'saw a sign that said “Only 4-Wheel Drive Vehicles Beyond This Point” the gravel road turned into dirt and became single lane going up the mountain. But the Element was up to the task. And this time the cliff was on Frank’s side so EJ didn’t mind at all.

Sunday was a stay in camp day. We did finally take a hike to see the attraction the campground is named for. As you can tell it is a little on the cool side, just the way we like it.

This is the first pay campground we’ve been in where the camp hosts were practically invisible. The only time you saw them was at 7pm every evening when they would inventory the filled camp sites. Usually camp hosts are chatty and friendly, but here it seemed like they didn’t want to have to deal with people. Oh well, for them it’s still a free camp spot for the season.

On Monday the 15th it was time to drive over to the Grand Teton National Park. It was going be a quick overview, just to check it out and see where we wanted to park the RV for a few days. This is our first view of the park.

The Element had about a half tank of gas, but we thought we would wait until we got to Moran junction to fill up. Along the way we saw regular gas for $4.09 and thought this isn’t looking good. When we got to Moran there was no town, no filling station, just a crossroads. So we decided to head north to see that end of the park, particularly Colter Bay.

The first thing we run into is a traffic jam. Actually it was a construction zone but Frank is apprehensive about crowds and this only adds fuel to the fire. But we persevere and drive on. (His opinion is, the bigger the crowd, the the greater the potential for more idiots you have to deal with. And he doesn’t handle idiots real well.)

We make it to Colter Bay unscathed and check out the visitor center and lake. We FB a friend that she needs to bring her boat up here and she let’s us know that is just so wrong! What are boats even doing in Wyoming?

EJ also got her National Park passport stamped. Having accomplished that we took off for the next visitor center at Jenny Lake. Whoa another big traffic jam. The parking lot was full as was the entrance road to the parking lot. Cars were parked on both sides of the road leading to the parking lot. The Jenny Lake site is the most visited site in the park. This is because it is the gateway to the most popular hiking trails in the park. Also note worthy is the fact that the Jenny Lake visitor center is the smallest in the park. Hmmm! Most popular, smallest facilities.  Sounds like an opportunity to me.

EJ and I want to do a hike, and find a trail off the beaten path. It leads over a stream and eventually ends up at Jenny Lake and we found a little spot and had it all to ourselves. Luck strikes again!

Next on the agenda was Moose Junction and the visitor center there. The building was very modern looking.

We’d done a circular tour of the park and now it was time to find a place for Big Guy to stay. Grand Teton National Park, being as popular as it is, is light on available camping sites. All of the campgrounds but two were full and tended to stay that way. Of the two, one was further north than we wanted to be which left Gros Ventre Campground. (It’s pronounced Grow Vaunt) So we looked it over and discovered it had 300 plus sites, shade, a sanitary dump,  and a fresh water supply. There are no hook-ups, but you can run the generator from 8am to 8pm. This will be Big Guy’s home while we explore GTNP.

Leaving the campground we spy a small heard of Bison grazing in a field not to far away.

It’s getting late in the day and we haven’t had lunch yet, so we start looking for a shady spot (shoulda grabbed an empty site in the campground.) We found an access point that leads to the Snake River. It had plenty of shade and entertainment as we got to watch several rafts get launched to began their float trip down the river. We were interested but noticed most of the rafts held 10 or more passengers, most of them kids. Maybe we can find a company that has smaller rafts and less passengers. We’ll see. We set up our table and chairs under the trees and have a late lunch and watch the activities.

It’s been a full day, and now it’s time for the hour long drive back to the Falls campground.

Tuesday the 16th was cool, overcast and drizzly so it was a good day to stay inside and get caught up on computer work. Good thing we did as there was a serious rain storm that afternoon. Note our homemade “special” coffee.

Later in the day, we took a walk back over to the Falls to see how it had been affected by the rain. As you can see, it’s now brown with all the runoff and the flow has picked up a bit also.

We had planned to have a campfire tonight, but with the drizzles coming and going, we think we’ll wait until we get to Gros Ventre. Weather forecast is for much hotter temps in the valley. We’ll miss our mountain cool.

And for those of you that had been wondering, Gros Ventre is  French for “Big Belly”. In fact, the Gros Ventre are an Indian Tribe. They would rub both hands across their bellies to indicate they were big eaters, and the French thought they were referring to the size of their stomachs.

More coming as we explore GTNP.

Caspar or Casper?

Wyoming Cat Parking Lot and Ft. Caspar Campground in Casper, Wyoming – July 8 through July 10, 2013

It was time to depart the Lewis Park Campground in Wheatland, Wyoming for a couple of reasons. There was a three day limit at the campground and we had stayed 3 times that long. Although we did get the word that unofficially you can stay until they ask you to leave, we didn’t want to put them in that position.

The other reason was that Big Guy was due his 11,000 mile oil change. Frank had contacted the Caterpillar dealer in Caspar, Wyoming Cat, and made an appointment for 8am Tuesday.

Since we knew we would be camping without services in Wyoming Cat’s parking lot, we saw no reason to leave Lewis Park until 5:30pm. That way the cats could have AC all day long and we would arrive in Casper as the sun was setting and the temperature were dropping to comfortable levels.

We caught site of this statue high up on a hill. It seems the Jackalope are everywhere.

Along the way we were passed by a highway patrolman doing at least 100mph and wondered what the rush was. He disappeared into the distance and after 25 or 30 minutes we saw a car pulled over and a highway patrolman behind him with his lights flashing. We thought it odd that the patrolman would speed after someone in that manner just for breaking the speed limit. Then immediately after that we saw the remains of one or two (we couldn’t tell) travel trailers on the opposite side of the interstate. It was a mess, part of the wreck was on the ground another part was on a flat bed truck. All you could see was sheetmetal, insulation,  and axles all twisted together. I guess that’s where the highway patrolman was going so fast.

We made it into Casper without further incident and found the Cat dealer. The directions weren’t quite clear where we were supposed to park. Bear in mind this place is absolutely huge, encompassing about 6 or 8 city blocks. We drove around until we found the service department. This is a 24 hour operation and one of the serviceman came out to great us. He told us where to park for the night. We followed his instructions and got Big Guy settled in for the evening.

As we were enjoying the first few sips of our adult beverages, a knock came on the door. It was another worker that wanted our information, what we were having done and then told us we couldn’t park there. So he gave us another set of directions that led us to the opposite side of the complex. So we settled in for the night, and this time no one bothered us.

I set a 6:30am alarm with the idea of showing up at the service bay at 7:30. At about 7:10 we got a phone call wanting to know where we were, they were waiting for us. Good thing we were already ready to move.

This place is professional. Everyone is wearing white smocks and the service bays inside were spotless. We pulled Big Guy completely inside the service building and they shut the doors. We got the OK to stay inside Big Guy and it’s a good thing as they had lots of questions and even found a problem we thought had just been fixed two weeks ago.

It turns out Big Guy’s air conditioner had been re-installed incorrectly and was not sealing to the return duct properly. They were very nice and let me borrow a crawler so I could scoot under the coach and take pictures. Of course we had to have it fixed, and fortunately it turned out to be quick and easy. So now I have a bone to pick with DM RV in Loveland, Co.

We paid the bill and headed over to Ft. Caspar campground. Because it was just after 10am, we stopped and filled up with gas and found a place to park in the filling station parking lot to cool our heels for about 45 minutes. This was a first for us. We were too early to check into the campground. After 11am rolled around we pulled into the campground and checked in.

As soon as we got set up, we took off in the Element to find the visitor’s center. I had gotten the address off the internet and it turns out that street didn’t exist. So EJ checked her AAA guide book and found an address for it with the correct street name spelling and we went to that address. It was a big empty parking lot. There was a policeman sitting there in his car having lunch so we pulled up and asked him where it was. He gave us another set of instructions. However, his instructions were right and we found it. You have to be pretty tenacious to find this place.

We talked to a real nice lady who told us where to go for lunch and several other sights we needed to see.

We went to a discount theater (which was very nice). Senior price was $2.50 each. Off course the popcorn & drinks were almost twice our admission. We saw Iron Man 3. We’ve enjoyed the first two and this one did not disappoint either.

At the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center they cover the history of the Oregon, Mormon, California & Pony Express Trails. We learned more about how tough the early pioneers were and what some of the reasons were for people to make this arduous journey. One thing we didn’t know was that even though wagons were utilized by most to haul their worldly possessions west, almost every settler walked the whole journey. Another was that Indians were responsible for very few deaths on the trail. Around 1 percent if I remember correctly. Deaths from disease, drowning, being run over, and other accidents comprised most of the total. In fact most of the settlers that encountered Indians went on to say how friendly and helpful they were. We even got to ride a wagon across a virtual river. It was pretty realistic.

And here’s EJ enjoying a ride in a stagecoach.

Before the day is done, we want to squeeze in one more activity. The Rodeo is in town. A couple of years ago in Cody, Wyoming we missed the chance to see a rodeo and this time we’re gonna do it.

And besides, it’s Geezer Day so we get in for free. But first we have to find a place to park. We were told to go in the main entrance, but apparently every one in Casper received the same instructions. So we drove around to the back side, found some off street parking right next to the rear gate and walked on in. The ticket taker just waved at us. Man! We don’t feel that old.

But the rodeo was fun. We saw the bucking broncos, calf roping and youngsters trying to ride sheep. And there was one little 8 year old girl that sang the National Anthem who had a voice a whole lot bigger than she was.

And that was just the first day in Casper.

Day two was not nearly as exciting. We did see another movie. This one was not so cheap, but boy did it have and impressive sound system. We saw the Lone Ranger. What a different take on the original franchise. It’s a good story and Johnny Depp livens it up. Other than that it was grocery shopping, maintenance and laundry.

It’s Thursday and our two Passport America discount days are over so it’s time to move on. But first we rush downtown to have breakfast at Sheri’s where we meet the owner and tell her what we’re up to. She gives us advice about places to go in Grand Teton National Park and also Jackson.

Check out here at the Ft. Caspar campground is 11am and we just barely make it. Leaving the campground we have to pass by the Ft. Caspar Museum. So we stop and learn more about the Casper area and it’s history. Two more mysteries are solved. Casper was originally named for Lt CaspAr Collins, but when the town was officially registered, the name was misspelled and now forever remains CaspEr. The second is that CY Road is not pronounced “Sigh” it is pronounced C-Y. It’s not someone's initials it comes from the name of one of the big ranches in the area, The CY Ranch.

And now we head on down the road, where we’ll end up next nobody knows, not even us. But we are still headed west with the Grand Teton National Park on our radar.