It gives one a different perspective looking at life when you are over a couple of miles up into the sky.
Seems something is missing too.
There are very few trees up here. We’re again above the tree line, driving across the highest major highway in North America, topping out at 12,183 feet above sea level.
But we found wildlife!
Seems this is where all those herds of elk have been hanging out.
Including this group of bucks, each with their own little defined circle of grass.
It’s a sunny cool morning…we’re camped here at about 9,000 ft. elevation again.
Pia is usually the first up in the mornings, and Fred and I have developed a bit of a routine, where one of us gets up, gets dressed and takes her out, while the other one relaxes a bit, enjoying the warmth and bed for awhile before rising. The late riser then rolls up the bedding and makes the bed into a couch, which quickly doubles our living space into a house. We for the most part, try to informally take turns with these tasks.
When I get up early, (depending on location and environment) I like to take Pia for a nice early morning walk, so we can both get in some brisk exercise to start our days.
This morning, surrounded by a beautiful aspen grove, we set off on a game trail, saw a glistening body of water between the shimmering leaves, and followed the trail down to a surprise lakeside, where we found ourselves with the lake completely to ourselves, apart from one small family of ducks way across the far end of the water.
Unidentified birds flittering about, peaceful, calm water, and a golden orange sunrise.
Lovely. These quiet mornings are every bit as cherished as all the beauty and grandeur of the national parks and monuments we visit.
Walking back up the hill was a bit of a challenge though. I forget about the altitude. Hiking uphill at 9,000 ft, for even just half a mile, takes a lot of effort.
In the northeast corner this time after spending three glorious weeks in the Montana and Wyoming national parks. After living in vast open spaces that go on forever. After living with so much wildlife. After living around many awesome like-minded people. After being immersed in beauty, remoteness, nature, happy days, winding rivers, snow capped mountain peeks, and serene valleys.
After all that, the drive through rural America on Wyoming back roads was a bit disenchanting, but once we made it into the Flaming Gorge recreation area, the gorgeous rock country felt relaxing and comforting. This campground we stayed at with enormous orange rock cliffs in the background, dwarfed our van and made us feel small, but we were cozy at home as the creek wound slowly along the base of the cliffs, thunder roared and the wind blew in the background. Raindrops splattered the van windows. We were happy and at peace.
When we woke in the morning the sun was out, so we took a side trip around Sheep geological loop, which points out which dinosaurs lived in the different geological formations all along the loop. It was fun seeing signs pointing out “Stegosaurus lived here, and Brontosaurus lived there.”
The day was a restful day, with time for reflection on where we’ve been and where we were going, while enjoying green pastures and golden afternoons, as we made our way into Colorado.
They’re moody – sometimes appearing furious and angry, other times blissful and full of joy. Every day, they greet their guests with a sense of bewilderment, and only by visiting often and lingering long, can one get to know them.
The many moods of the Teton Mountains.
We spent long hours in the shadows and valleys of their towering auras, feeling the energy of their power.
We walked along the shores of mountain runoff, nourishing the bounty of life.
We visited Morman Row and long forgotten barns.
As always, we loved and enjoyed the wildlife and flora that reap the nourishment from the majestic mountains and peaceful waters.
We paid tribute to Olaus and Mardy Murie…known for their conservation work, which set the stage for the enactment of the Wilderness Act, passed in 1964. They lived, loved, and raised their family among these mountains, as Olaus worked as a wildlife biologist in the area before becoming director of the Wilderness Society. Both Olaus and Mardy were amazing naturalist, writing and sharing their love of all nature. I truly felt their presence, walking around this old homestead and sitting on the front porch. The cabin on the left is the house, the smaller studio on the right was Olaus’ studio, where he was also an awesome artist.
We were sad to leave the magnificent Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem area, and hope to return soon for even more in-depth exploration and study.
A good time was enjoyed by all. Hopefully we can carry forth lessons learned here, and share with others.
While hanging out in Yellowstone, we explored all parts of the park.
And since Fred is the proud owner of a senior interagency pass, we can come and go into national parks as we please for no fee. Definitely one of the better things that come with aging…being able to acquire and utilize that interagency pass. It has saved us so much money on park fees and camping fees.
We decided to venture into Cody, Wyoming, where we spent the night, restocked up on supplies, and ate a wonderful lunch at this little organic cafe, where the server was not what we expected from Cody, Wyoming. Surprises abound everywhere.
Cody, Wyoming
As western themed as this town was, it really was a happening little place, and we enjoyed our couple of days there.
But the main reason for going to Cody, was so that we could re-enter the park through the northeast entrance and journey across the scenic drive over the Beartooth Mountains of the Absaroka Range of the Absaroka Wilderness area in northwestern Wyoming.
And those mountains were another surprise we weren’t exactly prepared for either.
“Ooh-la-la”
That’s how our friend Paul from Seeley Lake described the drive. And that is exactly what we both said, going up and down the switchback road. I didn’t count, but the road must have had at least a hundred switchbacks…most without guardrails.
I have a habit of leaning into the middle of the van, and getting as far over to the opposite side of the cliff as I can, when we maneuver these white knuckle cliff hanging roads.
But, boy oh boy, when we reached the top…
And were above tree line, that crazy road leveled off, and we drove for miles through a high plateau, complete with freezing temperatures, ferocious winds, and remaining August snow drifts.
We felt like we were truly soaring above the world up there, looking down and across at the magnificence of Mother Earth.
Until we slowly descended back down into a valley of calm.
Where the flowers and green meadows drank from the spattered lakes.
Not a bad day’s drive…thanks Paul for telling us we needed to take that trip over the mountain pass.
It’s a spectator sport in Yellowstone…wildlife spotting. It’s like winning the jackpot in Las Vegas when you actually get to see the big ones.
Some people set up and wait hours in lawn chairs for an appearance. Others are willing to stand out in the rain in complete gear and huge cameras with their own rain suits covering the glass.
Cow Elk
Bald Eagle
Gotta Scratch – Young Bison
We were lucky, observant, and always searching. We didn’t stand in the rain, or set up our chairs. Fred’s an awesome driver…and doesn’t mind pulling over, turning around, or even dropping me off and later retrieving me if there is nowhere safe to pull over. We take the roads least traveled, and stop often.
Napping In The Warmth Of Hot Springs
Bull Elk
Killdeer Among The Hot Springs
We are very respectful of the animals, and super aware of our safety.
Trumpeter Swan
Dripping From Drinking
The Van sits up high, and I often shoot out the window, using the half rolled up window to brace my camera. Or I can stand on the door step to get some extra height.
Grizzlies Sharing A Bison Kill
Sometimes we have solitude, sometimes there is madness. Even with these chaotic traffic jams that do sometimes occur, all in all, it’s an awesome sport, and everyone wins sometimes.
That’s the story of Yellowstone. While driving and hiking around exploring, it’s hard to imagine that we are actually inside of the caldera of a volcano. The expansiveness of it is too much for this simple brain…but the impressions, colors, and incredible fairyland images were so fun to capture.
The smoking Earth and Nature’s paint pallets reach out in all directions!
Cavernous holes and eerie formations create mysterious landscapes.
Earth Hues concoct impressive color combinations and saturations.
And yes, We did watch the eruption of Old Faithful, the most famous of geysers, which on this day was erupting every 45-90 minutes. We almost turned back when we saw the masses of people and rows and rows of metal shiny cars and RV’s in the largest of parking lots.
I was afraid of seeing nothing but backs of heads, but we now learned travelers about these things, just walked right up past the grandstands, and like pro’s, sat on the edge of the viewing platform, with legs dangling over the sides with other photographers and serious science nuts, to get our front row seats.
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A little bummed that the sky was not a blue background sky, but all was still impressive, and the theatrics were beautifully performed and synchronized.
As we left Bozeman, Montana, on our way to Yellowstone National Park, we passed by a huge sign advertising an up close and personal experience with Grizzly Bears.
Fred’s typical response of “Do you want to stop?” was met with silence. I had images of cages of bears behind bars and expensive admission prices; it really wasn’t my cup of tea, as I don’t like seeing wild animals in confinement. But he pulled in and just as he started talking to the woman at the entrance booth, my phone rang and I was consumed with a conversation with our daughter, so really missed his entire conversation, and before I knew it, we were in the lot, parked, and walking around.
Meet Jake and Maggie.
Jake
Maggie
Somewhere between west Glacier and Bozeman, after becoming insatiated about Grizzlies, I picked up this book “In The Presence of Grizzlies” by Doug and Andrea Peacock, which is an excellent book about the world of Grizzlies. Thanks to these folks, (an excellent highly recommend book by the way) I’ve learned just how complicated the Human / Grizzliy world is, politically, environmentally, and financially.
Without writing an entire essay on the subject, let’s just assume that Bozeman Grizzly Encounter is a pretty reputable place where they rescue grizzly bears from very unfortunate circumstances. These bears cannot be turned back into the wild, without getting themselves shot, so I guess this is a good solution. The bears are on display for short periods of time, well fed, have a reasonable environment to hang out in, and seem to have good spirits. (Yes I believe these intelligent animals do indeed have spirits.) The place is purely educational, costing $7.00 each, which goes for care and food.
Although I could have stayed for hours and hours watching these guys interact, we only met Jake and Maggie, as the other bears came out on a rotational basis, and we needed to get on the road before it got too late.
Jake Enjoying His Pond
Some Bear Yoga
Keeping Those Teeth Sharp
Oh Sweet Maggie
Don’t Dare Me
I had another entire memory disk of photos of Jake and Maggie, actually standing up on hind legs, wrestling with each other, and displaying incredible bear posturing. That disk unfortunately became corrupted when the card reader got banged and fell out of the computer during transfer. At least I did switch cards while there, so Jake and Maggie still live on in my photo collection.
Time for a nice easy drive down the highway. We followed 83 south through Montana, winding down the mountain, spending a quiet, peaceful, and restful night at Swan Lake. In the morning it was just a jaunt across the road to the lake, where we strolled around the beautiful pedestrian pathway watching the glass smooth lake come alive.
Mid-day we drove a few more hours to Seeley Lake. On the way down, there was definite smoky haze in the air as we we were heading straight for a fire area…But when we arrived, rain had started falling, the air was crisp and clean, and the campground was practically deserted. We set up our awning, sat on the van porch and watched the puddles form, until it became a downpour, at which time we came inside and cozied up for awhile with our books. A few hours later, the sun was out, and people everywhere exited their tents, trailers and vans to walk wherever they could walk. Life was fresh and renewed. The deer came out to graze and the birds and squirrels again took up their search for food.
Clearwater River Near Seeley Lake
Seeley Lake was peaceful and quiet, so we decided to stay put for a few days. We were immersed in nature and beauty, and continued meeting interesting and inspiring people.
Paul, for instance touched our hearts. This gentle person with a huge soul kept us company, provided us with much valuable travel information, gave ups tips on which roads to take for the best experiences, and inflamed a torch that has been lit in us, about planning a trip next summer to Alaska and the Yukon! We shared thoughts on politics, the environment and most excitingly about the Absaroka Mountains, which we were soon to make our way over the top of.
Clearwater River Marsh
Pulling away from Seeley lake, after exploring a few back roads, we passed by the Bob Marshall Wilderness area.
A Tiny Glimpse of the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area
Thank you Bob, for being the visionary you were.
Bob Marshall Wilderness Area
Butte, Deer Lodge, and Dillon. We camped in Boulder Creek Campground along a little used winding road. We followed some of Lewis and Clark’s trail, and saw rocks the Sacagawea played underneath as a young girl. There is much history in this area.
A Nice little rainstorm over the mountains to light our way and we landed in Bozeman for the evening.
Driving Through The Rainstorms
Next post, we meet more unexpected acquaintances, of the four legged kind. ❧
And yes…
Keevan Soul 