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.