May 2000

It's time to leave Utah and touch on Idaho on the way to Grand Teton & Yellowstone NP's in Wyoming.

Salt Lake City is hosting the winter Olympics in 2002, and we time our departure to avoid delays caused by Interstate 15 widening to accept Olympics traffic. Once off the Interstate we were back onto scenic highway 89 which we have used on and off since northern Arizona, and these miles to Montpelier, Idaho were just as beautiful as the previous ones. Winding through canyons, ascending to a 7,800 feet summit giving us our first view of the Grand Teton mountain range in the distance, then descending once again for views over the beautiful blue Bear Lake and into Idaho.

We made the most of our three beautiful sunny days in Idaho by visiting as many places as time would allow and seeing as much of the country side. We took a drive back to the very rich pale blue watered Bear Lake, then onto the State Park RV Park which is situated right on the east shore of the lake. This would have been a lovely place to stay if it had been open as it offered beautiful views of the entire lake and surrounding rolling hills. We spent nearly a day driving around the Nature Reserve at the end of the lake, adding more bird species to our collection. The other day we took a drive to Soda Springs in the hope of seeing our first live geyser, but luck was not with us, it was out of action. Our detour home took us through a very fertile valley (5,000+ feet above sea level), which reminded us of Scotland with the surrounding rolling hills. Being adventuresome once again we decided to take a dirt track by the side of Oneida Narrows reservoir then it took us up and through Wasatch mountain range, at one point reaching well over 7,000 feet, before descending to Bear Lake area. We visited Paris and took a photo of the famous Mormon tabernacle before returning home.

Continuing our scenic journey on highway 89 for a further 200 miles. The Salt river and then the Snake river kept us company throughout the journey as they rushed along the valley (5,000+ above sea level), taking us through Jackson Hole, part of Grand Teton NP before arriving at Moran Junction.

Grand Teton National Park The Teton mountain range consist of snow covered peaks ranging from - Static Peak at a mere 11,303 feet to Grand Teton at 13,700 feet, plus eight other peaks between 11,900 - 12,804 feet. Jackson Hole valley where Moose, Elk, Bison/Buffalo and Bear graze early morning and evening. Trails near and around the many beautiful lakes offer an abundance of wildlife, especially at this time of the year.

Our first trip into the park was mainly for fact finding, pick up some hiking information, stop at some of the viewpoints while driving through the park. Our first port of call was Colter Bay on Jackson Lake which has a Lodge, Ranger station, Petrol station and trailheads. As we approached the turn off we had the very good fortune to see a black bear walking towards us in the grassy centre portion of the dual carriageway. We pulled into the side of the road and filmed as he meandered along eating wildflowers. He then decided to cross the road towards us, so it was back in the truck and into the petrol station/shop nearby. The bear joined us, causing the shop doors to be closed - we reckoned the shop was out of the bare necessities! We along with the crowd who had gathered by this time got lots of photos and video film. As he decided to wander through the middle of the petrol pumps the park Rangers ushered everyone back to their vehicles and Bruin walked off into the woods. We continued on our journey excited by what we had seen. We drove around the loop road to Teton village and added two more sightings to our photo album, a Mule deer and something we are not sure of but looked like a Mule! of some sort (later confirmed as a Moose). Our day was made complete by a visit to the Snake River Brewing Company, Brewery & Restaurant in Jackson Hole. Linda enjoyed two pints of cask conditioned ale (unchilled) while Wullie had three different pints, a Pale Ale, an Amber Ale and a Cask Conditioned bitter, all good although the first two were chilled USA style. Persuaded Linda to eat as well as drink and the Pizza which we saw being fired in their wood oven was delicious. We were leaving as the place was warming up for the weekend but Linda insists the only wildlife I am allowed is in the National Park!

Hermitage Point - The weather forecast looked OK for the morning with rain coming in the afternoon so we decided to take the bull by the horns and do a walk in the park. What a great day it turned out to be. The Hike started at Colter Bay on Jackson Lake, left the lakeshore to the side of Heron Pond and returned to the lake at Half Moon Bay. We had intended to walk to Hermitage point for great views up & down Jackson Lake but we had to terminate here as the rain/sleet became quite heavy. During this walk we added quite a few birds and water fowl to our spotter list before returning to our truck. The drive back from the hike was a real nature bonanza and 15 miles took us 2 hours to complete. We saw a couple of Moose in a meadow alongside the road, numerous Elk, a Sandhill Crane in its mating plumage and many species of hawks. We still have great difficulty in distinguishing between the different species but we did spend quite sometime admiring a Red Tailed hawk sitting in a tree alongside the road. We were nearly back to the RV when we spotted a large mainly Black Bird with a white head perched in a dead tree alongside the river. Out came the binoculars and the Bird books, is it a Bald Eagle? - No. We couldn't find it among the Hawks/Eagles but it looked like a Raptor - from its beak and its size. Brainwave it's an Osprey - alongside the river a quick check in the Bird book confirms it. (We then realized that those huge birds we had seen quite often flying high above us were Osprey. We have so few in Scotland it bamboozled us.) We watched him and he us for 10 or 15 minutes and it was only then we noticed a nest on a platform on top of a power pylon. In the nest is mother (easily seen) and chicks (occasionally glimpsed, clearly heard - hungry!). We realize that we are disturbing their routine and nothing will happen until we leave. Now we know the nest is there we can return later for more viewing. Although the day turned very wet and miserable we return to the RV excited by all we have seen.

Two Days Later - Once again we woke to wet weather. It cleared in the afternoon enough for us to take a drive to the park. We looked for our Osprey (by this time we had adopted him) but he was nowhere to be seen. Mother was in the nest and the chicks were quiet. We saw lots of elk feeding near to the road and added a couple more ducks to our list. On our return journey we visited our Osprey and he had just caught a fish. He was sitting in his favourite dead tree with the fish between his feet occasionally pecking lumps from it. Mother was looking down from the nest and calling, the chicks were wailing (obviously hungry) everyone wanting their share. We quickly took some photos and video film and cleared out to allow the family to enjoy their evening meal.

Two days Later - Drove into the park hoping to get a walk done before the forecast rain/snow/sleet came in once again. Unfortunately the weather beat us so we just took a drive through the park looking for wildlife. Buffalo/Bison were feeding in the meadows near the road, suspect the rotten weather had brought them down to a lower level. Plenty of Elk around as well but we were too early to see our Osprey feeding.

One Day Later - Woke to another very cold and windy day. went for a drive through the park before arriving at Jackson for shopping. On the way home the temperature reached a low of 28 degrees and most of the wildlife could only be glimpsed sheltering by the treeline. On our way back stopped to see if our Osprey was sitting on his favourite tree. No luck but we did see an Osprey periodically fly overhead. Moved our truck and he returned to the nest once we went away, making us feel guilty.

Moving to Yellowstone Day - Booked in for yet another night. Due to the heavy snow that fell overnight, Yellowstone south gate's seasonal opening was delayed yet again. The sun came out in the afternoon so we took a drive into the park to take photos and see if we could add more wildlife to our collection but it seems the sun had moved them on. Bade farewell to Mother Osprey and the chicks but didn't see the Big Fisherman himself.

Yellowstone National Park America's first National Park, at 3,472 square miles it is also the largest. A colourful grand canyon with two spectacular waterfalls on the Yellowstone river, 37 active geysers, numerous hot springs, Yellowstone lake at 136 square miles of surface area is North America's largest high altitude lake. Many species of birds, mammals, including Grizzly & Black Bears, Buffalo/Bison, Gray Wolves are resident here.

Moved to Fishing Bridge RV Park inside Yellowstone NP. Once we entered the south gate of the park we knew why this gate had only just opened. Deep snow lined either side of the exposed portions of the road. We had a wonderful winter scenic drive to the RV park. Quite a bit of roadworks taking place within the park to repair the ravages of winter and in one of these sections a Buffalo decides to share the road with us. As he is a very big fellow we give him a wide berth and regret we cannot stop for photo's, but maybe we will get another opportunity later? as these are really magnificent creatures. This was another expensive site, and seems to be the norm around the NP's in this part of the USA. Once we had everything hooked up we took a short drive drive to a smelly Mud Volcano and Sulphur Caldron.

Mammoth Hot Springs - Sun was shinning early so we made the most of it by getting up early and making our way to Mammoth Hot Springs. As we climbed out of Canyon junction the snow got really thick, therefore, not a lot of wildlife was expected. Once we were on the Mammoth road the meadows cleared we saw Moose, Bison, Mule Deer & Elk all near to the road. The colours of the hot springs were made even more beautiful when the sun came out, with the most impressive Cavern, Cleopatra Spring, Orange Spring Mound and Highland Spring. During the drive round the Hot Springs we parked to take some pictures and then wandered off on a grassy path looking at wildflowers. Linda had the Video camera out to take some pictures of the wildflowers when a Coyote rose from the undergrowth on our left (we thought it was a Wolf at first- idiots!). What made this Coyote exciting was he had his lunch in his mouth - he had just killed a Marmot and we had disturbed him as he fitted his napkin and settled down to eat. This fellow was hungry, he watched us follow him until we had a clear view, and when he felt he was far enough away he stopped. He settled down to eat his lunch whilst keeping one eye on us. We moved once to get a better view and he moved on another few yards until he felt safe and resumed feeding. On the way home we stopped for our lunch (not Marmot sandwiches!) at a layby in an area where wildlife is often seen but alas not today. A few miles further down the road there were so many vehicles parked with people milling about outside - it can only be a Bear - but is it Black or Grizzly? We stop of course and it's a female Grizzly Bear with two cubs, about 30 yards from the road on the opposite side of the river. Mum is feeding while the cubs are playing and climbing trees. One of the cubs receives a good clip around the ear from mother for some misbehaviour. Now it's their turn to feed, so Mum lays down on her back with her head resting on a fallen tree and the cubs start feeding. What a wonderfully natural sight, one we will never ever forget and feel privileged to have witnessed. We got it all on video and took various still photos. The atmosphere was electric, everyone talking in whispers eyes filled with excitement & joy. I don't think anyone could believe this was really happening, something you dream about but never expect. We continued our journey content and happy but more was to come. Crossing over the heavy snow area towards canyon we come across a Coyote crossing the road so we pull off into a layby for filming and the Coyote wanders round the truck, as if he wants a lift, then settles into a photographic pose. We saw three Trumpeter Swans on the Yellowstone river, numerous Buffalo/Bison feeding alongside the road and sometimes crossing it and yet another Grizzly Bear! This one was on the far side of Yellowstone river obscured by trees. Eagle eyed Wullie spotted something big as we were driving home. Abandoned the truck in the nearest safe spot and rushed back to where we thought we had seen something. Fought our way through the trees and spotted him on the far bank near a split in the river. He had just been in the river fishing for his evening meal. By the time we got to see him clearly he was shaking the surplus water from his coat. We watched him meander along the riverbank, sometimes retracing his steps eating vegetation as he went. The end of another perfect day to remember.

Old Faithful - Woke to another sunny morning. Intended to make an early start to Old Faithful but had a problem with the parks sewer connection. Once they had repaired it we started another day of seeing the sights. While Wullie was preparing the truck the park ranger was driving around the RV park advising everyone that a Grizzly with two cubs had taken up residence in the surrounding forest and would be staying for the season (don't know how she could afford the site fees?). We were all told to take extra care when walking out - how exciting!.
Yellowstone Lake is still partly covered with ice giving it a winter wonderland look. By the time we arrived at Old Faithful it had started to rain and became quite cold and windy which had been forecast. Visited the Rangers office to get information on the geyser activity. The rain cleared, wind dropped and the sun came out just in time for us and the Buffalo/Bison to see Castle Geyser and Old Faithful geyser blow which we both found far more interesting than the hot springs of yesterday. It tells you in all the NP literature not to approach any wild animals especially Bears or Buffalo. It says Buffalo/Bison injure/kill more people in Yellowstone than Bears do, yet here are hundreds of tourists watching geysers erupt and Buffalo are crossing the footpaths in front of us! We continued our journey towards Madison Junction. Saw Bison with young, called into see more geysers and springs, stopped at Firehole Falls where boiling water from the nearby geysers enter the Firehole river. The road between Madison and Norris is very rough and winding, but also very scenic as it weaves alongside the Gibbon river with an overlook of the 46' Gibbon Falls. This road reminded us of the Lake District with the exception of the continuous sunshine. Between Norris and Canyon we saw another Coyote, two Osprey sitting on the same tree, but no more Bears.

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River - Parked the truck at a carpark near the 109' upper falls intending to hike along the river to Artist Point. While parked at the trailhead putting on rucksacks a truck drove into the parking area and the driver advised us that there was a Grizzly Bear near the path we were taking so we decided to forsake Shank's pony for the the safety of the truck (We later found this to be doubly a wise decision as the path was blocked by snow which means we would have passed the Bear twice!). Artist Point has wonderful views of the colourful canyon and the 306 feet (twice the height of Niagara Falls) lower falls which run at full spout at this time of year. Once photos were taken we drove to Inspiration Point on the other side of the canyon and hiked along the rim to Grand View (No Bears?). As we were admiring the view below the sky became progressively darker, lightening and thunder made us change our original plan to hike to Lookout Point opting instead to return to the truck. Heavy rain and sleet accompanied us most of the way home, with a few loud claps of thunder and lightning. Once snug at home the storm was directly overhead, very loud thunder and bright lightning would have made the faint hearted frightened. Yellowstone Grand Canyon to us is the most beautiful area in the park.

Fishing Bridge to Yellowstone East Gate - Took a drive towards Yellowstone's east gate as far as a viewpoint across Yellowstone Lake. A very clear day giving the lake a mirror effect which coupled with the remaining ice floes provided some good photographic opportunities. The Grand Teton's 80 - 100 miles distant were in full view (Something that didn't occur too often when we stayed there!). While driving across the Yellowstone river at Fishing Bridge we saw a White Pelican flying downriver - so what! you might say. The reflections in the river at that time of day were terrific and as the Pelican flew his shadow followed below until the two coincided as he splashed down by the bridge - Oh to have the Video camera to hand! It was actually the shadow we spotted first as the Pelican was just starting his descent. So lets park this truck, break out the camera's and walk along the river as there seems to be a lot of Osprey activity. Once we hide ourselves away the Ospreys go fishing. One Osprey's catch is so big he cannot gain any height and has to land on a sandbank. He sits there for 10 to 15 minutes pecking away at the fish to reduce it's weight before flying home to the family nest. Unfortunately this happened too far away for filming but we were able to observe through our binoculars.

Our move into Montana was started at the crack of dawn. The temperature was 27 degrees and thick frost covered the truck. Luckily all the outside chores were done the night before which made our getaway quick. Travelling to the north gate of Yellowstone we encountered quite thick mist until we got to Canyon Village then clear blue skies started to appear and stayed with us for the rest of the journey. Scenic Highway 89 north from Yellowstone descends quickly into Gardiner, Montana giving a wonderful view of the green valley and snow capped mountains beyond. Once through Gardiner we travelled through the lush fertile valley, cattle and sheep grazing which reminded us a lot of home except we were at 5,000+ above sea level and the surrounding mountains were over twice the height of ours. The 160 mile journey passed quickly once again.

Since arriving in Montana we had noticed that fence posts on most of the roads we had travelled so far had a lot of birdhouses attached to them, with Mountain Bluebirds occupying most of them. Also, quite a few telegraph poles situated near to a river had platforms on top, making ideal nesting spots for the many Osprey that fish and nest near these rivers. It made driving these very quite roads even more enjoyable as we watched the activity of the birds.

Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park - These caverns are certainly not for the unfit. When we purchased the tickets we were advised as usual what was entailed. Unusually for the USA the degree of difficulty was undersold. As you would expect in caves there were quite a few low ceilings. This made walking difficult at times, and on one occasion we even had to slide down a short incline on our behinds. It was an enjoyable two hours and we met Jackie & Bob Durling from Powell River BC - she was English and he was from Glasgow. We got an invite to go and see them if we are ever nearby. On the way home we went to see where the Madison, Jefferson and Jackson rivers meet to create the start of the Missouri river, and what a disappointment that was. Luckily the area is part of a nature reserve with lots of marshland and small streams. The sight of a Sandhill Crane sitting on her nest near to the road made this journey worth while. .

Helena, State Capital - Took what was supposed to be a scenic drive by Canyon Ferry lake on the way, but missed the road into the southern shore. Called into a no facility RV site situated on the eastern side of the lake - quite a lovely spot. Whilst walking along the lakeshore Linda disturbed a Snake which was about 6 foot long! When we arrived back at the truck we got out the nature book and it turned out it was about two foot long and almost harmless. On the way out we stopped to watch some Osprey's flying around and realised they were nesting on top of telegraph poles. It soon became apparent that we were witnessing flying lessons being given to young Osprey's so we quickly moved on as they would not return to the nest while we were around. Had a wander around the old part of Helena and lucked in with our choice of restaurant for dinner - a local's favourite very good & very reasonable. On the drive home spotted two Pronghorn Antelope, our first, grazing near to the road.

Lost Creek State Park - Parked by the waterfall and had a leisurely walk up the creek admiring the wildflowers & wildlife. A squirrel was sitting on a tree stuffing his pouches full of bark for a nest. We got a good video. Watched an American Dipper (Not as pretty as ours) diving for food. Round trip about four miles.

Mount Haggin Wildlife Refuge - A pleasant easy stroll in beautiful warm sunshine. Took lots of photo's of wildflowers. Did not see any wildlife. Round trip about four miles.

The 130 mile journey started on a 30 mile rough road, but then improved once we got on the main highway. We saw two immature Bald Eagles. One was sitting by the road so we got a really good look & the other one flew low over us. Once again a very scenic drive and so very very little traffic!

Canyon Falls - Bitterroot Wilderness - The last three miles of the drive to the trailhead give wonderful views of Hamilton and the valley. The hike to the waterfall was listed as seven mile round trip but we believe it was more like 8/9 miles. The trail had a wonderful variety of flowers. We have not seen so many different types since we were hiking this time last year. We hiked as far as the waterfall where we had our lunch with views of the valley to the left and the fast flowing waterfall, dropping hundreds of feet into the valley, to the right. One the way back it started to rain. The only wildlife spotted were squirrels & birds.

Bear Creek Canyon - A four mile round trip was a nice way to spend the afternoon. Bear Creek was in full spate with snowmelt from the Bitterroot mountains. The trail winding through a narrow canyon was surrounded by numerous different varieties of wild flowers. This provided a very colourful backdrop as we walked toward the waterfall. Views of the snow capped mountains above were only glimpsed through the trees.

Our fist Year

It is very difficult to believe how extraordinarily well the whole trip has gone, in fact we are in a way frightened to talk about it too much in case something changes. We love our Ford truck and the Sunnybrook 5th Wheel was a good & wise choice. The areas we have chosen to visit have all been very interesting. The only time we felt even slightly bored was towards the end of our stay in Arizona, but we had been in the "Desert" nearly four months by then. We have tried in our Month to Month account to convey the wonderful & amazing sights we have seen and hope we have succeeded. Many of the things we have encountered have been unbelievable, from Cactus plants growing under Conifer trees in Southern Arizona, to a female Grizzly Bear feeding her cubs in Yellowstone NP, to our first sight of THE mountain Mt. Rainier, to the unbelievably BLUE Crater Lake, to hiking through Yosemite NP, to Harbour Seals, Sea Otters and Sea Lions on the Pacific Coast, to the beautiful wildflowers everywhere, to an Omar Shariff type Oasis in Southern California - the list just goes on and on. We turn to each other on a regular basis and remind ourselves how lucky we are to be able to experience all these wonders. All of those who know me (Wullie) well are aware that I have looked forward to retirement since the day I started working. I am happy to report that not only has retirement met my expectations it has exceeded them. My advice to everyone is if you can afford it, Go for it! - but then that always was my advice.

The only downside is the distance we are from all our friends - we miss you all.

Miles travelled this month: 2,136

Accumulative miles: 25,338

Interesting Hyperlinks:

Teton National Park

Yellowstone National Park

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