FINALLY!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Once again……a great day to be alive!!! After coffee on the “patio” under the tall pine trees surrounding TheHowserHouse, we decided to head for the Snake River to try our luck. No matter how great the day……our luck went sour. No one along the riverside was having any luck with the elusive trout. We spend about three hours there and called it quits……for lack of patience???? Yep….that’s right.

Returned to the cg, had a late lunch, and then a walk around the cg looking at all of the people who are now arriving……the summer season for tourism as arrived. No matter where you are, there are people wandering around. I sat under the pines and read in the afternoon sun/shade.
Right at 4PM, the McDonalds arrived from their home in Thayne, WY. They are on their way to their home in Alaska and stopped by here for the night. We had some of the medicinal red liquid, grilled some hamburgers, and joined together for the rest of the dinner. As the mosquitos decided to invite themselves for dinner……and NOT what we had fixed for ourselves……we took the evening meal in TheHowserHouse where the uninvited guests could not come in.

Following our dinner, we loaded up the truck and went off in search of wildlife at dusk. WOW…….did we it the timing right for sightings!!!!! All kinds of elk herds in the pastures, moose in several locations up close to the road, and then more elk with small calves crossing the road directly in front of the truck. A great evening for wildlife visuals!!!!

I have tried to load more pics from yesterday’s hike, but having some real problems this evening getting online with the cell phone. Soooo, this post may not make it until Thurs…….I HOPE by then!!!!

Will close for now…….the cell service is completely void of any towers. Must be a cloud that is hanging over us?????? Or the wind is blowing in the wrong direction???? Or…?????

Later…..

Thursday, June 16, 2005

Breakfast with the McDonald’s was in TheHowseHouse. It was a good time to spend our last hour with them before they hit the road for Alaska…….they left a bit before 10am. The 1st Lady and I decided to make a day trip into Yellowstone National Park……the first national park in the world!! It is only about 20 miles from here to the southern boundary of the huge park.
We drove in and were admitted without the usual $20 per car admission since I am the OLD man of 62 and now have a Golden Age Pass for all national parks. Drove up to the first visitor center area, Grants Pass, and stopped to look around in the general store. From there we drove along the banks of Yellowstone Lake……a HUGE lake that is very, very cold. The setting is not nearly as pretty and attractive as Jackson Lake here in the Tetons. Oh…..prior to getting to the Lake we drove through miles and miles of the 1988 forest fire in Yellowstone. There are lots and lots of new growth, but it will take years and years before it is completely recovered. I’ll try to get a pic posted with this……notice I said “try”.

We had lunch overlooking the Lake and then went on to Fishing Bridge…..another visitor center with campground, service station, general store, etc., etc. Parked and walked for a few minutes through the cg there…..it is the only one in the park with hookups. The sites are narrow and packed side to side and front to rear with other sites. But……I might be albe to get my unit into some of the sites…….if I wanted to.

Drove on northward…..to the mud holes/ponds which are blazing hot and bubbling up like volcanoes. This area was a very large volcano at one time. Then from there we on northward to the “Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River”. Always, always a beautiful place with many walks and hikes down the canyon walls. Since we had taken all of these at one time or another, we simply enjoyed the magnificent views of the Upper and Lower Falls of the Yellowstone dropping into the canyon.

It was beginning to rain so we headed back southwards to the Tetons and TheHowserHouse. Saw lots and lots of elk and bison as we drove back through the Hayden Valley…….a long and wide valley which the Yellowstone River runs through……a place where there are always lots of wildlife sightings.

Returned “home” around 6pm and had supper. Now……a somewhat rainy evening ….good for some reading. Hope this will get posted….

Later…

Friday, June 17, 2005

WELL…..IT IS MUCH LATER!!!!! No matter what I did, besides stand on my head and hold the damn cell phone upside down, I could not get enough towers to get online last night…….the second night in a row……DAMN!!!!

Today was another wonderful day…….went fly fishing in a couple of streams……caught a couple of small brook trout, but returned them to their very cold homes. Followed a park road over a “four wheel only” road that went up into the forest and to a nice lake. Fished along the stream along the way……no luck…..the water is still murky from all the rains.

Then fished below the dam, and it is ROARING with water…..way tooo much speed for any type of fishing today. Just kind of a washout for fishing here in the park on this trip. We DID get to see a huge bald eagle sitting in a tree, ohhhhh sooooo proudly, overlooking the lake and all of his domain. A great sight because he did sit there so stately!! A highlight of this day.
Tonight we ate again at the Signal Mt. Lodge restaurant……such good food, service, and the view is worth it all!! Ohhhhh such a grand view of the grand Tetons across the blue, cold lake. WOW!!

Have about decided to leave on Sunday and head towards the Big Horns, in the north center of the state. We are anxious to try the fly fishing there…….???? Who knows????

Ok…….keeping my fingers crossed about posting tonight!

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