Montana

After spending several nights in Yellowstone, I traveled north to Helena, where I rested and planned my trip through Montana. The following day I drove to the Gateway to the Mountains, where I had planned to camp, only to discover that the campground is accessible only by boat. I did see a bald eagle at the lake, though, so the drive was worthwhile.

I decided to drive a bit farther north than I had originally intended, and I eventually found a campground on the banks of the Blackfoot River.

I built a nice fire, read a book, and drank some cold beer. The next morning I drove north to Seely Lake, which looked like a nice stepping-stone on my way to Glacier NP. I gorged myself at a tiny drive-in burger joint, and then I hiked along the banks of the lake and took in the views.

The Seely Lake campground is nestled among some giant trees.

Apparently, this area serves as a breeding ground for many, many, many mosquitoes. Way too many mosquitoes. As Percy lay around the site, the bugs swarmed around her, and I had to put her in the tent for the rest of the evening…

…and after my patience ran thin, I also sought refuge inside the mesh, and I hit the sack early.

I packed up camp early and quickly the following morning so as to avoid the swarms, and I was on my way to Glacier NP.

As I set up camp at Glacier, deer strolled through the campground.

That afternoon I drove the Road to the Sun and gawked at the scenery. This is the lake near my campsite.

Initially, the road paralleled a blue-green glacial river.

Giant and jagged peaks appeared in the distance.

The road took me up into the mountains…

…and even through some cascading snow run-off.

After 20 or so miles the road was closed due to heavy snow.

Here Percy experienced snow for the first time. She sprinted in circles, rolled over and over, and dug her nose into the snow.

The drive back to the campground offered some more beautiful views.

After leaving Glacier NP, I drove west along the Kootenai River until I arrived at some falls on the Yaak River in far northwest Montana, where I set up camp. I was surprised by the heat, and I baked in the sun on the banks of the river for an afternoon. The following morning I drove a few more miles and crossed the border into Idaho.

Since then, much has happened, but it'll be a few days before I upload the stories and pictures from Idaho and NE Oregon. For the time being, I am alive and well in Washington, and I'm eager to transition from mountain roads to the 101. 

Wyoming: Encampment, Tetons & Yellowstone

This was simply the best week of camping that I have ever had. 

I drove into Wyoming on Monday morning. Initially, the landscape consisted of perfectly green, rolling plains. Deer dotted the hills, and few signs of civilization were visible. 

After I passed through Cheyenne and Laramie, the geology changed dramatically. Here is the Snowy Range in southern Wyoming, where I drove through snow drifts in excess of 10 feet, as snow and hail was coming down: 

From there, the road descends into the valleys of the N. Platte River and its tributaries. Here you can see how an extensive beetle epidemic in this area is killing the mature lodgepole pines. 
Due to the hazardous trees, many of the campgrounds in the Medicine Bow NF were closed, but luckily, the campground I wanted was still open. This campground on the Encampment River was remote and peaceful. In June the river is flowing fast and strong with snow run-off, and I set up camp on its banks. 

Immediately after I made camp, I began worrying about the weather. Windy, rainy, and violent storms had been hitting CO and WY for nearly a week, and I could sense a terrible storm approaching. The trees creaked and groaned in the gusty winds that blew through camp for nearly an hour. Then, it became disconcertingly still. 

I emerged from the tent to discover a very big and very, very dark cloud just to my east. The wind began blowing towards the storm, and I prepared for the worst. I grabbed the dog and valuables, threw them in the car, and drove across the dirt road, away from any potential falling trees. 

As I parked the car, I could not believe what had appeared. This rainbow spanned the small river valley beside the campground.  
I stayed in the car until I knew it was safe. Just as I had finished cleaning up camp for the night, I turned towards the tent, and my headlamp hit on something in the freezing and fast-flowing river. It was a large doe attempting to swim across to my side. I grabbed my camera, and I'm certain that I captured the moment when the deer emerged from the water. The deer slowly climbed the bank, stopped motionless, and then shook off the water. She then looked at me for a few minutes and then scampered into the trees and up the hill. It was hard to believe, and I'm irritated I somehow lost that photo. 

It got seriously cold that night. I woke early and began driving north towards Jackson Hole. After leaving the N. Platte River valley, I passed through more mountains and into the Great Basin, which straddles the Continental Divide. The Oregon Trail passed through this area. Once again, the landscapes were dramatic and diverse: 

Eventually, I made my way into Grand Teton National Park: 
The Tetons: 
I set up camp just outside Jackson Hole, near Kelly, WY, on the Gros Ventre River. This was my first night camping in Grizzly country. I spoke a while with the Park Ranger, who assured me that I would be safe as long I wasn't a complete fool. I wasn't sure how safe I should feel. 

That afternoon I drove into and explored the Gros Ventre Wilderness Area, which is frequented by Grizzlies. My dad and I also snowmobiled this road a couple years ago, so I was eager to see how the valley looked without the heavy snow: 

This is a view looking up the Gros Ventre: 
That evening I drove into and explored Grand Teton NP. I visited Jenny Lake, a popular spot for campers and hikers: 
The next morning I broke camp and was in the car by 5:35 AM. New record. I wanted to get to Yellowstone as early as possible. Here, though, it's hard to get anywhere fast because you keep encountering wildlife: 
That morning I also saw a couple moose just outside Jackson: 

I was so excited to get to Yellowstone. The geysers are other-worldly: 
Here you can see a hot spot in a valley: 
That first day in Yellowstone I also saw a couple black bears: 
This is the Yellowstone River valley: 
Doe and fawn: 
Picturesque mountain river: 
Driving around Yellowstone for the first time, I saw wildlife of all kinds, strange hot spots, and amazing geological features. 

Just as I was approaching my intended campground, I encountered a herd of buffalo. One of the buffalo was behaving erratically, bucking like a bull, but, nonetheless, people drove right by the animal. Of course, everyone had their cameras out, including me. I encourage you to watch this video with the volume on.

The fun ended when my tires left the pavement. No damage, great footage. Following this encounter, Percy shook for 10 minutes straight, and we had to pull over to calm down. 
That night we camped safely and slept well. We went for a drive at dusk, and I saw my 1st Grizzly, but it was too dark for any pictures.

The next day we continued to explore Yellowstone. Many unfamiliar smells fascinated Percy, and I was constantly scanning the area for wildlife. Late in the morning, we came upon a huge Grizzly just 40 yards or so up a hill: 
Here is a better shot: 
I watched the Grizzly for nearly an hour. He slowly climbed the ridge. 

Just as he was 15 yards or so from the ridge line, a group of hikers suddenly emerged from the other side. Whether or not these people knew what they were coming upon, we don't know, but a few of them demonstrated their stupidity by getting even closer to the bear. 
Eventually, these people came to their senses, turned, and slowly walked away. The bear later disappeared behind some boulders. 

As I watched the grizzly, Percy eyed groundhogs, which provide endless fun for her. 
Here are a couple, beautiful elk in a river valley: 
Sunset at Yellowstone: 
After camping a couple nights in Yellowstone, I decided to visit Old Faithful and then move into Montana. It was Friday, and Yellowstone was getting too crowded. 

As I drove towards Yellowstone that morning, two grizzlies suddenly darted across the road ahead of me. They walked down a dirt road and across a bridge. Alone, I followed at a distance: 
After snapping that picture, I switch to video. Here, you can see the bears walking calmly down the road. I'm following at about 50 yards. Suddenly, another car cuts in front of me, moves too close to the bears, and pursues and provokes them. About this time, I realize that these bears are walking directly towards a populated campground. Unfortunately, the other driver continues to push the bears towards the campground, and eventually, the bears disappear into the trees and up the hill to the left of the road. Copy and paste this link in your web browser to see the video on youtube. This is a must-see. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wPYqeOeE-Q

As it turns out, the Indian Creek campground is located directly in the path of those grizzlies, up that same hill. I sped to the ranger station at the camp and informed him that two grizzlies would probably be walking into camp very soon. I didn't stay around to see what happened. I'd had my fill of excitement. 

Arriving at Old Faithful 10 minutes before it erupted, I captured the geyser on video. It takes too long to upload, though, so I'll share it later if you want to see. 

Here's another hot spot on the west side of Yellowstone. 

After seeing Old Faithful, I left Yellowstone and Wyoming for Montana. I think my experience in Wyoming will be hard to beat. 

Colorado

I drove into Colorado on I-25, arrived at Dave Graf's house in CO Springs by lunchtime, and stayed in "the Springs" for the night. The next day we drove out to his family's summer camp, Blue Mountain Ranch, just west of Pike's Peak. On the way I stopped at the Garden of the Gods in western CO Springs:

I also tried to drive the road up Pike's Peak, but the top portion of the road was closed due to snow:

After arriving at Dave's family's summer camp, Blue Mountain Ranch near Florissant, we hiked the property, looking for signs of Native Americans or wildlife. We had to keep a close eye on the dogs because coyotes visit regularly, and one coyote have tried several times to lure dogs into the tree line, where the remainder of the pack waited to attack. Dave and his family have had to rescue dogs before. Needless to say, I kept Percy on a leash almost the entire time. Here is an aspen grove at the camp:

I wish I had taken more pictures. Graf took me to some of the most beautiful and unique spots at the camp. I collected some rocks at a huge quartz exposure, and we visited the meadows, a picturesque area of the camp that Old Mose once roamed. 

After staying at the camp for a night, I drove to the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, a collection of 34 million year old fossils. Of most interest are the petrified redwoods, which flourished in this area ages ago when the climate resembled San Francisco's today: 

Here scientists have also found fossils of tse-tse flies, which exist only in equatorial Africa today. Cool.

As I left the Fossil Beds, I tried to visit the Wolf Education Center, but they require reservations for tours. Bummer. I then decided to head north, paralleling the S. Platte River on National Forest roads. This drive is beautiful. I think these are the Collegiates to the west: 

Eventually, I made my way to Denver, where I stayed with Allison and her friends for a night. Denver was much warmer than the mountains, and it resembled Houston in its urban sprawl. Uggh. But, tt was actually warm enough that we went to the pool for a while. 

Spending three consecutive nights away from camping let me catch up on much-needed rest. The next morning I drove to Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, CO, a famous and gorgeous live music venue. I'm not sure what happened to the pictures of Red Rocks. 

From there, I drove northwest to Rocky Mountains National Park. This drive took me through Winter Park and some amazing mountain passes. I saw a nice bull elk as soon as I entered the park: 

Some of the high elevation roads in this park terrified me. I think it was hailing on me a couple minutes before I took this picture of the No Summer Mountains. 

Eventually, I made my way to Fort Collins, CO, where I planned my trip through Wyoming. 

New Mexico

For the past week or so I have been exploring New Mexico and parts of Colorado. I am short on time, and eager to see Wyoming, so I'm just going to upload New Mexico now. I will upload Colorado in a couple days. 

After leaving the Big Bend area, I drove to the Gila National Forest & Wilderness north of Silver City, NM. This area straddles the Continental Divide and offers free national forest campsites in the mountains and along the Gila River. In addition to diverse mountain ecosystems, the Gila has some Native American cliff dwellings, many trails, and a few hot springs. For these reasons and more, the Gila Wilderness was the first Wilderness Area created by Congress. 

I camped on the Gila River for the first night. The next morning I visited the most extensive system of cliff dwellings in the forest. 

The Mogollon people constructed these dwellings in the 14th century. Like many Native American this sites, this place was abandoned prior to the arrival of Anglos. While the dwellings are relatively recent, pictographs and other evidence suggests that other people had been using these caves for over 11,000 years.  

In the picture below, you can see a two-story dwelling and the divided rooms. 

For over an hour, I was the only visitor at the site, and I really enjoyed visiting with the volunteer retiree-ranger who guided me on my tour. Here is an area resembling a kitchen.

Some of the pictographs date back to 10,000 years. 

Later, I left my car at the visitors' center and backpacked 8 miles on the Middle Fork Trail into the Gila Wilderness. This trail crosses the Gila River at least 40 times on its way to a semi-developed hot springs quite a ways up into the mountains. Along with 15 or so other backpackers, I camped 1/8 mile downstream from the hot springs. That afternoon I sat in the pool with a family from Midland. After eating dinner, I returned to the springs to find a younger crowd with everyone nude and engaged in entertaining storytelling. I joined and met some great people - some from Seattle, Flagstaff, El Paso...It is one of the best overnight camps I've ever had. 

The next morning, I woke early and booked it down the mountain, again following the river. Halfway back to the car, I followed a different trail that took me through a small canyon full of moss and Columbine. I saw two huge elk and a horned toad along the way. Smoke was also visible in the east, and a smoke plane occasionally passed overhead. 

I did manage to get a great pic of this busy squirrel when I returned to the car. 

The next destination in New Mexico was unplanned, but several people insisted that I visit Santa Fe. I stayed overnight, drank some microbrews, randomly ran into Mr. Cannon (my high school dean), and visited the plaza. This is the beautiful church on the plaza. 

In the plaza I met some awesome people and Percy met some cool dogs. 

The next morning, I drove north towards Taos. Ten miles or so south of Taos, I drove through the Rio Grande Gorge Recreation Area. It was so beautiful that I had to stay there.

I camped in the gorge beside some friendly white-water raft guides from Amarillo. Before sunset a pack of coyotes attacked something within 1/2 mile of our camp, and then a huge storm rolled in. 

The next day I drove 10 minutes into Taos and spent several hours exploring the plaza area. Taos is celebrating the Summer of Love again with the 40 year reunion of 1969. A bunch of sixties artists and musicians are headlining the festival, so even more hippies than usual are making Taos home for the summer. It was fun visiting with the eclectic crowd. 

This is the St. Francis of Assisi church in Taos. 

I eventually left the Taos area without any definite plan as to where I would stay the next night. I decided to drive through Questa and Red River into the New Mexico high country. This drive is unbelievably beautiful. I enjoyed some great views of Wheeler Peak, and I reminisced about the 4th of July when Will, Kareem, and I climbed to the summit. This isn't actually Wheeler, but you get the idea...

As I descended into the foothills of the southern Rockies, I came upon a picturesque state park, Cimarron Canyon. The campgrounds are on a small trout river and several trout lakes. I set up camp on the banks of a small mountain lake that was teeming with trout. My neighbors for the night, a family from Kansas City, visited with me for quite a while and insisted on feeding me a tasty dinner. We also watched a skunk circle the small lake. 

The next day I drove north into Colorado. As I hit the plains, I saw many pronghorns...

...and I was on my way Colorado.