July 16 - All Good Things Come to An End

This is the last day in Big Sky country and probably my last blog entry until I return to WV. Today was an errand day and an exercise day. We all pitched in to wash windows and clean the bathrooms, did laundry, worked on the hot tub lid, and mundane stuff like that. Thundershowers and flat tires on the remaining bike cut my mini-triathlon (swim, run, bike) into a biathlon (swim, run). I'm making Jim's famous black bear burritos for dinner tonight so it seems only appropriate that I share one more version of my picture of the fine black bear we saw in Yellowstone...


I plan to head out tomorrow morning and do a couple days of exploring on my own before heading east in earnest. I'm planning to eat breakfast at Huckleberry Cafe to stoke up with some gourmet breakfast food. By the way, the Town Centre of Big Sky has many more restaurants now for those who have been here before. A new chinese place, a cafe, a Choppers grill, Lotus Pad (thai), and several others. So for apres ski, etc., there are many choices, which is a nice improvement. We are working hard to get Big Sky Dream back on the rental market, so all you readers out there, tell your friends to contact Kevin or me and we'll check availability.

All the best, Jim

July 15 - Wolf Day, and a little fishing

Determined to take one last run at wildlife drive (the Lamar Valley), we arose early, swigged some coffee, and drove away from camp before breakfast. The first thing we encountered (besides the usual bison, pronghorn, etc.) was a large group of people with large, expensive looking spotting scopes, gathered at a pulloff...this is around 7 in the morning! They looked like they had been there a while. Turns out these were the semi-pro wolf watchers, and we were told they were watching a lone dark wolf. However, it was probably over a mile away, and sitting still in some shrubs. Not a great spot, but once again, it was encouraging to see how much these folks cared about these wolves! Many seemed to know them intimately. The wolf (speck) being watched was probably part of Mollie's pack.


The ranger on the scene (Rick McIntyre) was patiently explaining his tracking device to the onlookers - I was also tremendously impressed by his patience and professionalism; Kevin knew him as one of the principal wolf project rangers at the park.


We elected to drive further out the Lamar Valley and scout for wolves on our own. Nothing, as we drove through the Slough Creek pack's territory. Again, nothing, as we crept through the do-not-stop zone of the Druid pack. At a pullout just beyond, we spied an osprey. I tested my optical (10x) multiplied by digital (4x) = 40x zoom capabilities of the camera. Didn't come out too well I'm afraid.


On our return trip, we were intrigued to see a group of cars parked at a pullout that hadn't been there before. I glanced to the left and saw a dark figure trotting along about 300 yds away in the sagebrush. Kevin saw it too and cried 'Wolf'! But this was not the proverbial boy crying wolf. This was a great sighting of a lone black wolf trotting through the shrubs. We scrambled into action, Kevin pulling out his spotting scope, me grabbing my camera and keeping my eye on the wolf, while Colin pulled out his tripod and camera. Everyone was excited. Once again, I paused just to look at the people in the scene - how animated everyone was, how excited, how alive! Biophilia, again. We watched this graceful, powerful, handsome animal for several minutes. This sighting made the entire trip for me. Now I'm not so sure about my 'totem' animal. Hmmm...maybe it is a wolf. At any rate, this member of the Druid pack was an inspiration.


Can you find the wolf in this picture? It was much bigger in Kevin's Swarovski scope! You'll probably have to click on it to make the picture enlarge. See if you can spot the bison too!

When the wolf was finally so far away that observation was minimal, we kept driving back toward Tower Falls. When we arrived we broke camp quickly, packed up, and headed to the Gardner River, where I was determined to wet a line once more in an attempt to repeat the wonderful morning Bill, Jamie and I had had there last year. Unfortunately the water was much higher and the fast flow made it more difficult to see the deeper holes where the trout were waiting. Despite that, I received about 10 or 12 strikes, 'missing' on every one, but coming very close to catching a couple of big fish. Colin had one on for a while, but he needs to work on his knots, because the fly eventually came off. When we first arrived at the stream, I noticed a 'kill', consisting mostly of bones and fur, only yards away from where we were putting our poles together. Upon closer inspection I decided the kill was well picked over and that a visit from the original predator was very unlikely. But I must say, I was never 100% sure that a large grizzly wouldn't appear out of the streamside shrubs and be rather upset at finding intruders. My feeling of being immersed IN nature, with a very real element of danger, returned.

By 1 PM, we had to call it quits and head back to Big Sky. Colin's friend Garrett was flying in from Vermont to visit, and his plane arrived at 6:30. The camping trip was over, with many memories made.

July 14 - Time to Get Active!

Enough lollygagging around! Today was going to be our only full day in the park, so a full one it was bound to be. We decided to head south of Tower Falls this time. I fired up the Coleman stove, made strong french press coffee, and after a brief jaunt up the hill above camp to watch the sun come up, and a second short hike to see Tower Falls itself, with a wildflower

and wildfauna

photo, we were all ready to head off for more adventures. First stop, Mt. Washburn summit via a steady climb from the Chittendon spur road off the Dunraven Pass area.

But first, we spotted a beautiful black bear in the same area that Kevin and Colin had seen one the week before. We all clambered up the bank to try to get photos, but I think I may have lucked out to get this picture with my 10x zoom. We were probably almost 100 yds. from this bear when it stood up and acted a bit annoyed at being followed.


The photo below was taken toward Mt. Washburn from one of the roadside pullouts.



The hike up Mt. Washburn traversed open meadows and burned over forest (from the '88 fires). As elsewhere in the park, the heavy snows were watering heavily flowering fields that must have been at peak color. Here is just one flower from this hike.

Silky Phacelia. Check out those stamens!


Marmot (i.e., golden eagle food!)

Many hike this trail to see the 'elusive' bighorn sheep. Upon arrival near the summit, we realize that they weren't so elusive and in fact, the ewe and lamb herd seemed to gravitate to the trail, where probably they sensed the 'protection' they were receiving from Yellowstone's abundant predators (grizz, wolf, mountain lion). The lambs, like so many baby animals, were adorable.



Mt. Washburn provides a great vantage point for much of the park and the visitor's building at the top explains the panorama. We were surprised at the number of people who had made the trip, and encouraged by it, since the 1500 ft. vertical climb over 2.8 miles was not trivial. Here is proof that I was still smiling after making the ascent!



Colin, Kevin and I decided to descend to Dunraven Pass via a different route, while Chelsea and Laurie returned to the car. They would later pick us up. Our total hike was 6 miles, and lots of switchbacks and large snowbanks to traverse made the hike interesting. We also happened upon this spruce grouse on the side of the trail, who occasionally puffed up and made deep beating mating sounds, as if, when he saw us, he was not quite sure what a female grouse looked like, so to be sure, he held forth! Apparently this bird's brain was undersized relative to the body...


More wildflowers on the descent. Gorgeous!


After the hike, we moved on to Canyon Village, where we ate a late lunch and enjoyed the Visitor's Center. Then it was on to Hayden valley, land of many bison, pelicans, grizzlies, and the wild Yellowstone River. We stopped to see some thermal features and smell the sulfur (mmm...reminds me of Moffitt Rd. where we had sulfur water). We were going to head toward the shore of Yellowstone Lake, but ran into a traffic jam near Fishing Bridge, found out that it was a motorcycle accident, and that our turn was temporarily blocked, so we pulled a u-turn and headed back north. We spied a bald eagle pair hanging out near the river, a sight that, jaded as we now are, did not keep us transfixed for long. But one sight that did get us very excited was a herd of bison running. They had jammed up traffic because the entire herd was crossing the road toward the Yellowstone. Then they plunged into the swiftly moving river, Moms, Dads, calves and all, swimming desperately to get to the other side. We were sure a pack of wolves was going to appear behind the panicking herd, but if they were there, they never showed. It was quite a sight to see these huge beasts being swept downriver as they swim across. Glad I wasn't fishing on the bank right then!

We also came upon a single car stopped by the side of the road, trying to wave us out of the way. We knew they must be onto something - looked back and saw this handsome brown black bear (black bears come in many color phases). We were much closer to this bear, and once again, he wanted nothing to do with the stopped cars and flashing cameras.


We ate dinner at Canyon Village, and headed out for an evening drive in Lamar Valley again. Can't get enough! Wildlife drive.

July 13 - Yellowstone Camping Trip Day 1

Vowing to leave Big Sky by 8:00 AM, we roused ourselves fairly early Sunday in order to get to one of the first-come, first-served campgrounds in Yellowstone. We managed to leave only a couple of minutes behind schedule, which is amazing since Chelsea is notoriously slow to get up in the mornings. The five of us (Kevin, Laurie, Colin, Chelsea, and I) with all of our camping equipment, squeezed into K&L's hybrid SUV, and we were reasonably comfortable. It is always difficult to make a beeline to a campground past the many scenic wonders of Yellowstone, but in order to secure a site, it was necessary. Thus it was that we did not stop as our sharp-eyed contingent of kids spotted elk, and eagles, and osprey, and deer, and bison, and gorgeous wildflowers. We reached Canyon, where the campground had the luxury of showers, but they couldn't guarantee a site for 2 days, so we opted to move on to Tower Falls Campground, where my friends Jamie Shumway and Bill Peterjohn had camped last year on our fishing expedition. There were several empty sites, and at the very end of the 30-tent campground was a beautiful site nestled in the huge conifers. We claimed the site, pitched our tents, and jumped back in the SUV to head toward Trout Lake, where Kevin and Colin had observed the otter family, on the off chance that we might be so lucky again.

On the way up the path, we passed famed nature videographer Bob Landis, hauling 50+ pounds of video equipment (including a $50,000+ camera!) up the 1/2 mile grade. Kevin and Colin had met him previously at Trout Lake with their photography mentor Tom Murphy (http://www.tmurphywild.com/). Tom is an amazing nature photographer in his own right, and has several books for sale at Yellowstone visitors centers. Kevin and Colin (Colin especially) continually talked about Tom's pronouncements about wildlife until the rest of us accorded him the status of a minor deity. Both Tom and Bob were so enamored of the otters that they exclaimed it was truly a unique viewing experience. Bob Landis' willingness to haul his equipment up to Trout Lake was proof of that!

Trout Lake was a gem. Surrounded by sage and conifers and wildflowers, the lake reflected these, along with the brilliant blue sky and clouds, blurred only occasionally by light breezes over the shimmering surface. As we walked around the lake, we kept a sharp eye out for the otters. Most visitors were fishing, or watching fish, for Trout Lake was stocked long ago with rainbow and cutthroat trout. These fish have grown huge by being wily enough to spot hooks. At the upper end of the lake, they were massing to spawn in great numbers, attempting to leap a small waterfall in order reach their spawing grounds...er...waters.

But after only 20 minutes, a couple of tourists were pointing at a log, and a photographer with a very long lens was peering intently at that same log. We scurried along the trail to take up positions to see if the otters had returned. Amazingly, they had. This time, two adults (presumably females, since males are driven away - they may cannabilize the young) and ONE young otter were there. All afternoon we wondered where the second baby otter was, and of course hoped that it was simply in the den napping. But these three were after dinner. It wasn't long before one of the adults popped up on the log with a fish in its mouth. She devoured that fish quickly, sharing bits with the other two. For the next hour (plus), we, along with a gathering group of hikers, watched with delight as these playful animals swam, dove, and generally frolicked in the lake; first on the log, then later out in the lake, then later down the shore, then back to the original log. All this time we (and 20 - 40 others!) were only 30 ft. - 50 ft. away! They did keep a watchful eye on us. The delight of everyone in seeing this spectacle really warmed my heart - biophilia at its best. I found myself taking a picture of the people watching, so I could show my Ecology and Evolution class first hand what biophilia looks like. I've included a picture or two for your viewing pleasure, though I don't think the quality quite matches Colin's original posted earlier.






We left the lake very reluctantly in late afternoon. On the way back to Theodore Roosevelt Lodge for dinner, we saw another incidence of biophilia; a group of gawkers in the Lamar Valley staring intently through their scopes at a distant object. A gentleman was kind enough to let us peer through the spotting scope and we caught a short glimpse of a black wolf, probably nearly a mile away. It wasn't much, but there it was, and all of these people were so excited to watch...a dot...running.

Oh, and Chelsea spotted my 'totem' animal - pretty sure it is 'my' animal now - a golden eagle, soaring above the Lamar Valley, majestic.


Oh, and before dinner, we took a ca. 1 mile hike to Lost Lake from near the Petrified Tree. A horse train rode by as we started out on our hike.


Laurie and I looped around to the Lodge, while Kev and the kids returned via car to the lodge. I thought this pond lily shot came out pretty well with my little Canon SX100 IS!


After a nice dinner at the Lodge, we ventured back out into the Lamar at the magic hour, sun setting, watching the hills turn golden and clouds catching the setting sun. A very full first day in Yellowstone, wouldn't you say? What would tomorrow hold?

July 12 - Taking it easy in Big Sky

Here is a day taking it easy in Big Sky: (1) Get up at the lazy hour of 7 AM. Make coffee. Eat light breakfast. Retrieve running clothes from the Prius, where, on the roof, I find FROST from the radiative cooling of the previous night. It's July 12...frost! But the day portends warmth as the intense sun rises over the Gallatins. The sky is clear and as blue as any sky you've seen. Need some exercies, so (2) I don running clothes and set out down the gravel path along the golf course, only to find that the watering guns are spraying full tilt, wetting the path and blocking my way. So I turn left, following the narrow horse path up the draw to the north of the valley. And I do mean up. The path rises about 500 feet in less than a mile, and at this elevation (ca. 6000'), I am huffing, and my heart is threatening to burst through my ribs. OK so I stopped and walked 50 yds a couple of times. My heart still raced, but I did run most of 1.5 miles or so to the high meadow where the stunning wildflowers pulled me up short. Bluebells, columbine, wild pink onion, larkspurs, yellow composites, cinquefoils, potentillas, lupines, and 30 or 40 other species were in full flower. After 15 minutes of wandering through this splendour and suddenly realizing I also had a tremendous view of Lone Peak, I turned to run back into the valley. I was in such a great mood that I ran very fast, managing to avoid turning an ankle on one of the many rocks and horse hoofprints along the trail. Oh, and all of this was done to some of my favoirte music on the tiny ipod shuffle I often carry while running.

I was back by 10:30, just in time to do 30 minutes of Namaste Yoga. Interesting, I found it much easier after running than it is when I first wake up in the morning, my usual time to do it. I guess after a run, I've jolted loose some muscle fibers that make twisting and stretching of Yoga easier.

By then, Colin and Chelsea were up, so it was time to play tennis. We played 3 sets of tennis on the courts located a short 1/2 mile down the road. They had improve a lot since I last played with them. It was great fun, and Kevin and Laurie joined in, Kevin nursing his ACL-repaired knee and being very careful not to twist it.

After eating a late lunch, Kevin and I headed up to the resort where they were having a brew and brat fest, along with several live music acts. The music was a mixture of bluegrass, rockabilly, and some old dude from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. The atmosphere was great. THe music, well, let's just say Porcupine Tree it ain't. But there were some nice guitar licks and the brews made the music go down easier.

So there's my relaxing day in Big Sky. The picture shows the stage they had set up, and Kevin bringing a sample of the local brews.

I'm really looking forward to the next 3 days, when we're heading to Yellowstone on a camping expedition. So the blog will be dormant until Tuesday evening, but I hope to have a few images to share with you then from our adventure.

July 11 - Take a boy fishin'

In the age of cell phones and video games, it's a novelty to find a kid more interested in recreating in the great outdoors than doing what all his friends are doing. But that's Colin. Thus it was I had a ready companion to accompany me to Fan Creek once again to enjoy the wilderness stream and seek out its predatory trout. We had a rather lazy start and got to the trailhead about 12:30. A pair of red-tailed hawks was putting on a show overhead, and Colin was lamenting leaving his camera back at the condo. His new Canon EOS Rebel digital camera is fantastic, and his zoom lens can really do justice to wildlife. As we traversed off the beaten path toward the stream, Colin's comment was "I can't believe I'm going to have to go back to Illinois later this summer, and leave this behind." Amen. Hard to leave. But we were in the moment, plying the waters with attractor flies, and arousing quite a bit of interest from 6" - 14" rainbow and cutthroat trout. The high visibility seemed to be giving the flies away at the last second though, because we had numerous swirling fish turn away at the last second before grabbing the hook. I managed to land one 6" cutthroat, but that was the sum and total of our tangible take for the day. Actually, he wasn't taken at all - he was released back to the stream to grow bigger to provide a thrill for some future fisherman or a meal for some osprey another day. Meantime, we took home great memories of a beautiful pristine stream.

That evening, Kevin and Laurie and I went to the Art Walk in Bozeman. Many of the galleries open their doors to all comers from 5 to 8 PM about once/month during the summer. Enticed by wine, crackers and cheese, hundreds of people, many if not most locals, tour the galleries to sample the area's thriving art scene. It was a beautiful cool evening for July in Bozeman (70's instead of the usual 90's), and we ended up enjoying a great local Sushi dinner with more wine after the walk.

The only down side: The trip to Bozeman destroyed my gas mileage - it went from 58.9 mpg to 56.1 by the time we returned. Sigh. :)

July 10 - HB2Me

If you could design your birthday day from scratch, what would you do?

One of my top 10 birthday days would be what I did yesterday!

After warming a raspberry danish and sipping Starbucks coffee while watching sunrise over the Gallatins, I assembled my flyfishing gear and headed toward Yellowstone Park. A quick stop for advice and license from a local outfitter, and I was on my way. Hmmm...where to fish? I could wet a line on the Gallatin itself inside the park. The Gallatin, made famous by 'A River Runs Through It' is a quintessential gold medal gorgeous Montana trout river. But the Gallatin is still swollen by snowmelt from the long winter of '08, so I opted to look for a smaller stream. The first one I came to was Fan Creek, joining the Gallatin at the trailhead of Fawn Pass trail on Rt. 191. I had fished this little stream before and gotten skunked, but I was willing to give it another try. There was something appealing about the hike in; a distinct feeling that you could happen upon a grizzly or mountain lion or moose is with you all the way on this hike. That's what I was looking for - that feeling of being within nature - not the dominant member of the food chain, but a wary member of the ecosystem. Call me crazy (many would), but I actually enjoy that heightened feeling of alertness that comes with walking in a truly wild ecosystem.

I veered off the path toward Fan Creek after about 0.8 miles. I then assembled my new stream-fishing fly rod, a lightweight 7.5' rod, tied on the leader, and the recommended fly - an 'stimulator' fly that was supposed to get the trout aroused. Within short order, a beautiful leaping 12" rainbow had taken a liking to the fly and I caught and released him/her. A short while later a tiny 5" trout grabbed the same fly and I discovered the stream had western cutthroats as well. I was quickly becoming a fan of Fan Creek! I moseyed on up the stream, and a few more trout showed interest, but were warier as the sun got higher. As I was getting ready to leave, I gave one last try with a different fly at a pool where I had seen rising fish. On the second cast, a 12.5" rainbow snatched the fly and leaped 3' out of the water trying to throw the hook. What a fighter! After several more leaps and runs, I landed this fish, which you see in the photo. This time I remembered that the park was encouraging fishermen to remove non-native trout from these streams, so I decided this one would be my dinner. And a delightful dinner it was; grilled wild caught rainbow trout...yum.

Later that evening, I returned to the Gallatin to try for one of the lunker browns, but I was rather late getting there, and pretty much just enjoyed the drive up and back, though I did wet a line for a few minutes in the setting sun.

Kevin and Colin returned from their photography expedition with Tom Murphy that evening bearing beautiful images captured from their several days in the park. All I can say is 'Wow'! I pilfered one (it was very difficult to choose) picture of an otter family that Colin took to share. I'll direct you to his web site as soon as he posts more images (and to Kevin's blog). Until then, this little sampling will have to do. By the way, if you haven't figured it out yet, you can click on the picture and it will enlarge, so you can see it in detail. I highly recommend it for this superb photo. Skol!

July 9 - Yellowstone and home...to Big Sky Dream

The picture above is not too far off from the puzzle picture I loved so much I think...

If I've been to the Tetons 8 times, I've been to Yellowstone 16 times. Well, maybe not quite, but, even more than the Tetons. In part that's because it's closer to Big Sky Dream, but also I've come to appreciate its own not-so-subtle beauty. Plus, it is just teeming with wildlife - it must be the closest thing we now have to what Lewis and Clark would have seen on their journey through the northern Rockies, in terms of animal abundance. I can't even catalog all I saw today in a fairly short jaunt from the southern end of the park to Fishing Bridge and Canyon, over to Norris Junction, to Madison Junction, two loops on the Firehole Canyon (it's one of my very favorite places) and on out along the Madison River to West Yellowstone. That's the other thing about getting to know a place - I didn't look at map all day - I knew the pullouts, I knew when to look for eagles and osprey, where I might see bison by the hundreds, pelicans, swans, geese, ducks, and where to be on the lookout for grizzlies. I wish I knew more where to look for wolves, so I'm hoping Colin and Kevin can teach me those spots. I'm learning where to fish too, but I'm a rank beginner in this realm because it's a huge park. I didn't get going until the lazy hour of 8:15 this morning, and with driving and stopping at pullouts, I was not to West Yellowstone until about 4 PM. I'll let a few pictures tell the tale but some images are only in my mind. I'm not yet quick enough to snatch pixels of the osprey I saw dive into the Firehole and come out with a fish in its talons. I was not ready for the pelican that swooshed its beak into the Yellowstone River and pulled out a huge cutthroat. And as you'll see, my hand was not as steady as I would have liked for the long-distance shot of the mamma griz and her cub, but I at least tried on that one. Enjoy!


Phlox multiflora - this was everywhere along the roadsides today.






Frasera, I believe...










You can bearly tell what they are!




Need a Scroph expert!

July 8 - Winds not so much, Tetons yes as always!

Sinks Canyon was a small slot canyon (?I think that's the right word) with a major medium size stream at its heart. This stream was feeling quite full of itself and literally roared all night long, no doubt pumped up by the outsized snows of 2008 in the northern Rockies. At any rate, the Popo Agie was a pretty roaring stream, and as the name of the state park suggests, it flows underground. Dramatically! This is like Sinks of Gandy in WV, but the Pop Agie doesn't just flow into the tunnel bored out of limestone, it pours down it like a drain. Pretty cool! Here's one shot to show what I mean:



Before I left this little state park with the $8 ($4 resident!) campsite, I decided to give my birhtday present (Canon SX 100IS point and shoot digital camera) a whirl at closeup flower photography. So I figured out the macro setting and voila. The light was very nice early in the AM so I did snap a couple of decent images. I was pleased at any rate.




I wish I could say the drive along the east side of the Winds was everything I hoped for. But it wasn't. It may have been due to the haze, reported to be from the California fires. It may have been my own mood and expectations, which were so high after the previous evening that anything might have been disappointing. But most likely it was due to the fact that highway 26 north of Lander to the Pass into the Tetons is just not quite as scenic because the road is actually quite some distance east of the Wind River range, and there are intervening ridges that make unobstructed views rare. Next time, I might try the west side through Pinedale. To give it its due, Lander is a cute town, reminding me quite a bit of a small Bozeman, with a smattering of groovy shops and coffee places to give it an upscale feel but an authentic western town nonetheless. Now I'm wondering what that ski area sign is on the map near Lander. That could be a good one...

Things got better as I ascended the Pass. Still getting good gas mileage, surprisingly so given that I ascended to well over 8000 ft., getting to a level where there were scattered snow banks around the road. And of course, the alpine wildflowers added to the beauty of the elevation. Some road construction slowed things down, but eventually the long descent into Jackson Hole began. I realized then that the smoke from CA was real as the haze actually made it difficult to see the Teton Range from only about 25 miles away, which is highly unusual. Later, a ranger confirmed that the smoke was affecting visibility. I tried to get a site at Jenny Lake but at the late hour of 11:45, it was already full. So I zipped up to Signal Mtn campground, and easily found a nice site near Jackson Lake with splendid views of Mt. Moran. Even in the haze, I felt like I had come home to the Tetons. I'm trying to count all the times of been here. Eight or nine? I don't know. All I know is that there is no place like it. We don't really have words in English to describe the way these jagged mountains come straight up out of the plains in a staggering panorama. The sheer rock faces and snow, with a foredrop of sage and deep green conifers, accented by deep blue waters reflecting the deep blue sky. What word describes that? Heavenuphistedness?

In the afternoon, I took a short 2 mile hike around in a peninsula in Jackson Lake near Colter Bay. Many nice wildflowers and more chances to try out my macro lens.




Sorry if the orchid is sideways...alas, I haven't quite mastered blogspot yet.

I think my love of the Tetons can be traced back to our first western trip. Kids aren't much attuned to scenery, but when it clobbers you over the head like the Tetons, even a 12 year old will sit up and take notice. Contributing to its mystique was a big puzzle we did many times when I was a kid - a majestic panorama of Mt. Moran reflected in Jackson Lake. It was my favorite puzzle. Here is one more image from my first day in Grand Teton National Park.


OK, one more...

July 7...moving ever closer

When you cross from Iowa into Nebraska on I-80, you begin to feel like you're getting to the west. It's a barely perceptible shift from corn to grazing lands, from tree rows between fields to windblown openness. But the change becomes real when you reach Wyoming. Then you ARE in the west. The aridity and elevational gradients and rocks and ecotones become sharper and more extreme. More than this, the towns feel west. They practically shout it. Words like rodeo, cowboy, horses, dude ranch, and the like become, not a descriptor of something 'out there', but something here, something you too can experience. Towns with boardwalks. Towns with dusty back roads. You can almost imagine a shootout in one of those back alleys. Bullets flying, dust kicks up as the bad guy hits the ground, and the townspeople walk away, murmuring things like 'served 'em right', 'cattle rustler', and the like. OK, maybe I've been 'reading' a little too much Bill Bryson.

When I hit Wyoming, I was in a hurry to get to the Wind River range. The 'Winds' as they're known, have always held an attraction for me, for they seem like a big wilderness blank on the map. I've flown over them a number of times and stared down, asking myself, What's in those mountains? Or rather, What's in them thar mountains?

I bypassed the university town of Laramie, and the oil town of Sinclair, for the dusty highway town of Rawlins. I cruised the streets a bit to look for some local flavor to sample for dinner. After seeing all those beef cows, I was ready for a steak. I'm sure there's an excellent steak house in Rawlins, but I gave up after 15 min. and went to Pizza Hut. I know, terribly cliche, but I was hungry.

After refueling myself and RubySipr, I embarked on one of those magical drives that makes you glad you pressed on. Highway 287, a 2-lane road most of the way to the town of Lander WY. Despite, feeling like I was rising in elevation, I was getting 53, then 54 mpg! OK, that's not exciting to a lot of people...or maybe it is with these gas prices. The real exciting part was the scenery and the setting sun. I'm posting just one image from this segment so you can get an idea. After 2 hard days of hard driving (actually not, just LONG), I had finally arrived in the mountains - the Wind River range in the distance, sage and range in the foreground, dramatic clouds and rocks all around. And the road. Add a little sweet music on the ipod, and those of you who have experienced this, what else can it be called?, bliss, will understand how I felt that night. I pulled into Sinks Canyon State Park outside of Lander just before dark, set up the tent next to a roaring stream, the Popo Agie, and fell asleep.

July 6

This is being written 4 days later. The first day of the trip I was late getting started by about 8 minutes; I departed Morgantown at 6:08 AM, not knowing exactly how far I would get across the country toward my ultimate goal - Big Sky country via the Wind River Range, The Tetons, and Yellowstone. I used Maggie sporadically (our Magellan GPS system); she routed me through Ohio but west on Rte 70; therefore over her protests I headed west on 76 just north of Pittsburgh, heading toward I-80. I wish I could say that Ohio and Indiana and Illinois were great thrills, but it was standard interstate driving, Prius style. The biggest problem with driving the Prius is that it can go so far on a tank of gas you are tempted to go the whole way between gas station stops. That gets close to 500 miles (or more on a couple of my tanks), so it's not advisable. I was very glad to have Bill Bryson and Steven Leavitt as traveling companions that day, along with a little Alanis Morisette and some miscellaneous other tunes. By 10 that night, I had passed Des Moines Iowa and was heading toward Council Bluffs. There was a state park not far off the interstate, but I was so excited to get going early in the morning the idea of pitching and de-pitching the tent had less appeal than usual. Having driven about 975 miles, I was ready for bed. Therefore I found a cheap ($39) hotel which was actually not bad, and slept a whopping 6 hours, with only fitful sleep after 5 AM. I was raring to go!