S'More Camping

[Click on any photo to enlarge.]

*Critters we’ve seen on our 2015 trip so far: elk, mule, mule deer, llama, prairie dog, donkey, bison, coyote, pronghorn, Uinta ground squirrel, black bear, moose, bighorn sheep, yellow-bellied marmot, wolf, least chipmunk, fox, bull snake, mountain goat

*Birds we’ve seen on our 2015 trip so far: California condor, Brewer’s blackbird, American kestrel, spotted towhee, magpie, wild turkey, mountain bluebird, bald eagle, Canada goose, Clark’s nutcracker, sandhill crane, osprey, red-tailed hawk, mountain chickadee, Northern flicker, great horned owl, Peregrine falcon, brown-headed cowbird, cliff swallow, Cassin’s finch, western tanager, cedar waxwing, Lazuli bunting, blue heron, common merganser

*National Parks/Monuments visited on 2015 trip so far: 6

 

We had decided to take a couple of days and go tent camping like we did last year returning to Grand Teton National Park (www.nps.gov/grte) located about 30 miles south of the Yellowstone’s south entrance.  We were delayed a little bit that morning because Touchdown decided to pay a visit.

 

Abby was loaded in the car with everything needed for a short camping trip, and since she was laying on blankets and other stuff, it gave her the perfect height to be able to simply lie down and still be able to look out the window without much effort.

 

  Our route was going to take us along the west side of the Grand Loop Road, and not long into our drive we pulled over to watch a coyote stalking its prey (a small varmint of some sort in the grasses), and I was even able to get a pic of it mid-pounce!

 

We knew this route would take us through the road construction between Indian Creek Campground and Norris but those delays were only up to 30 min.  Well, this is also the most direct route to Old Faithful which is only 50 miles away, and it took us nearly 3 hours to get that far and only 15 min. of

   that was road construction!  At our first delay initially we thought there was a bison jam, but when there was no movement for quite some time, we thought there might be an accident, but we were hearing nothing on our park radio.  Gradually we started moving and finally discovered that it was

indeed a bison jam!  There was a ranger assisting with traffic but could see he was not doing a very good job of it as we got closer.  Not far down the road we hit another bison jam (they had moved off the road by the time I was close enough for photos).  Just one of the joys of traveling in Yellowstone!

After getting past Old Faithful, we continued along crossing the Continental Divide 3 times, driving past the 29 ft. high Lewis Falls, and along the John D. Rockefeller Memorial Parkway (www.nps.gov/grte/jodr), the 8 mile stretch that connects Yellowstone to Grand Teton. 

  Unfortunately our first view of the mountains was obstructed by the haze from various wildfires in neighboring states.  It’s amazing how far the winds can carry the smoke!

 

      Our destination was Colter Bay Campground where we had stayed last year, and though we couldn’t get the exact same spot, the one next to it was open and proved to be just as nice and private.  We set

     up camp, relaxed for a bit, and after a yummy dinner of shrimp quesadillas, enjoyed a roaring campfire (Abby hid in the tent…she doesn’t like the popping noise from campfires!)

     The fall colors were just beginning to grace the trees, and after a leisurely breakfast, we decided to head out to see the sights. Though there didn't seem to be as many trees that had turned yet nor did

      the colors seem as brilliant as the same time last year, there were still plenty that did not disappoint with their various shades of yellow, red, and orange.  Those that were still green created a lovely contrasting backdrop.

 

The mountains, though more impressive when snow covered, are quite remarkable.  For those who don’t now, they were created about 13 million years ago when a series of earthquakes caused the earth to thrust up a block forming the mountains and at the same time dropped the valley floor so there are no foothills like most mountain

ranges.  The elevate on ranges from 6,320 ft. in the valley to 13, 770 ft. at the summit of the Grand Teton peak.  The rocks found in the core of the mountains are some of the oldest in North America while the mountains themselves are some of the youngest in the world.  We decided to stop for a lunch break in the shadow of these magnificent peaks.

 

Most folks love going to the park for the mountains, and this time of year the fall foliage, but we love going for the wildlife.  The Oxbow Bend area is our favorite…not the turnout but rather sort of a secluded spot right on the Snake River.  We saw an osprey, a blue heron, a couple of bald eagles,

   plenty of Canada geese, and some common mergansers who seemed to suddenly decide to race each other down the river.  And though we didn’t see any American White Pelicans (very unusual), we did get quite a thrill seeing a bald eagle catch a fish!  Actually it had flown

   from the tree to we thought some brush (which seemed odd), and then when it suddenly flew out and across the river, I started snapping pictures.  It wasn’t till I reviewed the pics that I saw the fish it was carrying!

 

  We left there and drove down to the Gros Ventre River area hoping to spot some moose, but we didn’t see any nor any of the 8,600 elk we had been told live in the park.  In fact the only 4 legged critters we saw over those 2 days were squirrels and chipmunks!  However, as we made our way back to camp, we were rewarded with this incredibly beautiful sight…the sunlight seemed to create a checkerboard in the sky.

 

Russ had been watching the weather and found that it would probably start raining during the night so after dinner we put most everything in the car.  Sure enough about 3 a.m. it began to rain and was still coming down pretty good when we got up to head home.  Once again we took the tent down
   in the rain but at least there was no thunder or lightening this time!  It rained the whole way home.  We returned to Yellowstone by way of Dunraven Pass (elev. 8,589 ft.) crossing the Continental Divide one more time, and despite the rain still had some nice views and no
   bison jams even though there were plenty up in the hills in Hayden Valley.  Overall it was another enjoyable, relaxing, and memorable camping adventure, but Russ has vowed that next time even if there’s a hint of rain in the forecast we are not going! J

 

Yellowstone Tidbits:

·         Annual precipitation ranges from 10” at the north boundary to 80” in the southwest corner.

·         Yellowstone is the only place in the lower 48 states with a continuously free-ranging bison population since prehistoric times.  They can run 35 mph, jump over objects 5 ft. high, and reach food 3 ft. below the snow’s surface.

·         Antlers of a typically healthy bull elk are 55-60 in. long, about 6 ft. wide, and weigh about 30-40 lbs. per pair. A bull elk sheds his antlers in March and they begin growing again around May, up to as much as 1 inch per day.