Abbey's Road

About 8 or 9 years ago I did a backpacking trip with Outward Bound in the Beartooth-Absaroka Wilderness near Red Lodge. I had contemplated going to Bozeman, but Red Lodge was a lot closer to Billings and with gas prices being so high I decided to check Red Lodge out again on Monday. It's not a bad little town but outdoor activities are definitely the prime attraction here. I found out that there were only a few campgrounds that hadn't closed for the season. Abbey and I headed south out of town to do a moderate hike before finding a campsite for the night. It was a gorgeous day '? blue sky and nice crisp air '? so the hike was great.

Abbey seemed to be her old self again running all over and pulling on the leash. She had been real hesitant the last several days so I was glad to see that she was better, at least for the time being. The trail was mostly in a valley along a creek, but every now and then I got nice views of the surrounding jagged peaks and pockets of trees that had turned their fall colors. The campground was practically deserted which was a switch from Yellowstone and Billings. There also weren't any services except for a pit toilet. I guess I was getting soft from all those nights of hookups, but I realized that I could get by without them just like had before. If you can find campgrounds that are still open this is a great time of the year to camp. It is getting colder, and there is already snow in the higher elevations but the heat, bugs and crowds are gone.

Tuesday Abbey and I did another hike in the national forest. She was raring to go again most of the hike. We climbed up to a couple of small lakes.

It was overcast all day, but it didn't rain and we had the trail to ourselves so we couldn't complain. There was supposed to be another open campground right near the trailhead, but I guess the woman at the ranger station was wrong. When I got there the gates were closed. I was going to head back to our campsite from the previous night, but I saw a dirt road across from the trailhead parking lot and decided to check it out. I didn't go too far before I found a nice spot off the road and next to a creek. Boondocking again. It's been a while so I had to remind myself that I've done this before and it's no big deal. I've got all I need in the RV and I can use the toilet at the trailhead in the morning!

Wednesday turned out to be another gorgeous day. It was pretty chilly in the morning, but the sun was up and it eventually warmed up. Another five miles down the road from where we camped was the beginning of the West Fork Trail.

This trail hooks up with the Lake Fork Trail which we did on Monday. We followed it up for about 4 miles before we turned off to go to Lake Mary another mile or so up a steep climb.

The rain we got at the campsite last night was snow up here. There wasn't a lot of it, but there was still some on the ground where the sun hadn't hit yet and the ground was still frozen. The view from the lake was beautiful and it felt great to sit in the sun while we ate lunch. All told we hiked about 10 miles and it was pretty much the perfect hike on a perfect day. We only saw 1 couple with 2 dogs the whole trip. Tonight I'm staying back at the first campground, and this time we have it all to ourselves. Tomorrow we leave Montana for my new home state of South Dakota. Can't wait to see what my new hometown '?Rapid City - looks like.

Posted by Ed at 12:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Saturday turned out to be our worst weather day with rain most of the day and we even hit some snow going through the mountains on our way back to Billings. We decided to check out what Billings has to offer though we weren't tempted by the Montana Women's Prison. Billings is reportedly the largest city in Montana which is hard to imagine until you start trying to think of what other cities there are in Montana. The downtown area isn't bad actually, though the rain seemed to have kept everyone inside. We decided to follow suit and got some great buffalo burgers at a brew pub. The menu seemed out of place though. We were expecting it to be full of big steaks and other carnivorous fare, but the burgers were good enough especially when washed down with the brewpubs own ale. There was a sports bar right next door and the ND game just happened to be on. As a bonus they had free wireless access so we got to check our email for the first time this week. What more could we ask for.

It was quite remarkable, but Chris and I managed to spend the whole week together without killing each other, or even coming close. Well, if he was close to killing me he hid it well. Sunday morning Abbey and I dropped him off at the airport and spent the rest of the day catching up on things like laundry, email and changing the oil in the RV. Not exciting, but we got some rest after the week.
RV Humor

Posted by Ed at 12:43 PM | Permalink

I was trying to get Abbey out on a hike every other day so we drove outside of the park a little ways into the national forest. After stopping at the ranger station and getting very little help from 2 women who looked like they had never been on a trail before, we decided on a trail to try. Unfortunately, it had rained a lot the night before and the trail we picked turned out to be somewhat of a horse trail. We slopped through mud for about a ' mile before we saw some people on horseback coming the other way. When they said that this was the good part of the trail we hoofed it back to the RV and went searching for a new trail. The parking lot at the next place we went looked like there was a horse show going on '? horse trailers everywhere. But the trail looked a little drier so we decided to give it a shot. We got a bit further this time but we gave up again when we hit a real narrow and muddy spot a mile or so down the trail. At least we tried to get Abbey out and she didn't seem to mind the mud at all. Our obligation to Abbey out of the way and it being still early Chris and I took a chance on a trail back inside the park. The trail turned out real nice with some nice views of some lakes and the Tetons. The aspen were really looking golden yellow now too.

We both thought that there was a dramatic change in just the 2 short days since we first entered the park. We drove to the north end of the park and finally stopped for the night at Flagg Ranch. I was shocked when I found out it was $47.50 for a site with full hookups and that is the only kind of site they have. Unfortunately, there were no off-season rates so full hookups it was '? my first ever. To make sure we got our money's worth we dumped the tanks and took long hot showers not only in the evening but the next morning too.

In the morning we headed back up through Yellowstone but on the east side of the park. We had planned to stop about halfway or more through the park but there didn't seem to be as much to see and it was rainy again. The scenery was beautiful but there wasn't a lot to really stop for. There were a couple of impressive waterfalls that we managed to see. We could've made it out of the park that night, but we decided to camp at Pebble Creek which is the last campground before you hit the northeast entrance. We wanted to go to the Lamar Valley, a prime wildlife spot, at dusk. After picking out a campsite and eating dinner we headed back to the valley and stopped at the first turnout where there were a bunch of people already. Someone had spotted a wolf way off in the distance. I managed to spot the top of its back through my binoculars before it went out of sight again, but Chris never saw it. We tried our luck at a few other spots to no avail, so before it got too dark we headed back to the original spot. Everyone else had left but we decided to give it one last shot. We had to wait for a few bison to make room to park the RV, and I was a little leery getting out with them staring at me but our effort paid off. In the same spot I saw the wolf before I saw another one walking across a grassy field. Then Chris picked out 1 or 2 more. We watched them through the binoculars until it got too dark to see. They were so far away that it was pretty hard to make them out, but we were positive they were wolves and there were at least 3. The only big animal we didn't see was a bear, so the trip was pretty successful from a wildlife standpoint. All in all I'd say that Yellowstone is a beautiful place with a wide variety of things to do and see. The scenery and wildlife really are spectacular and the geysers and hot springs really are like no other place I've been.
Lower Falls

Upper Falls
Tower Falls
Bison Jam

Posted by Ed at 12:20 PM | Permalink

On Tuesday morning we started off at the West Thumb Geyser Basin, real close to our campground. When we got to the parking lot we saw a huge bull elk and his cow not far from the cars. As usual, there were the typical idiots getting way too close in order to get the best picture. We stuck around to see if there would be any excitement, but luckily the people finally got wise and moved away.

I forgot to mention in my earlier post that the first night we could hear the elk bugling most of the night. It's their mating call. It's a very unique sound and one that is very hard to describe. It almost sounds like one of those toy plastic horns that we used to blow through when we were kids. The first time we heard it was a bit puzzling until I finally remembered it was mating season for the elk. After the West Thumb Geyser Basin, we made our way fairly quickly through the southern end of the park and into Grand Teton NP. The mountains in Grand Teton are much higher and more rugged than anything in Yellowstone.

The other thing we noticed was that the aspens were starting to turn a brilliant yellow.

Since Abbey had been relegated to taking short walks around the campground and on the roadways the last few days, we decided to take a hike just outside the NP in the national forest. The views of the mountains in the background weren't exactly blog material, but they were pretty scenic nonetheless. At least Abbey got out for a while and it was our first real hike. For the most part in Yellowstone we were just walking on the boardwalks and pathways, though it was still a lot of walking. Anyways, before calling it a day we stopped at a well-known moose hangout called Willow Flats. Some people there thought they saw a moose through their binoculars way out across the meadows by the lake, but we couldn't really see it. So Chris and I decided to set out across the meadow to get a closer look. We didn't make it very far before being turned back by too much brush and too many creeks. We found a nice campground at Signal Mountain to spend the night. While paying I saw a beautiful snowshoe rabbit. It was mostly grey but with big white feet, which I'm sure is where the name comes from. Abbey saw it too, but luckily I had her on a short leash at the time.

The next morning we woke up to rain and clouds so we decided to give Willow Flats another shot. Before we even got to the parking area we saw the paparazzi lining the roadway. We stopped and saw a cow moose about 30 feet from the road seemingly oblivious to the crowds of photographers trying to get the best shots.

On the other side of the road we saw another cow moose lying down in the brush. To top it off we finally saw the bull moose at Willow Flats, though not until after we had already gotten back in the RV and were about to pull away. I noticed someone had spotted something so we got out for another look. Despite the off-and-on rain we decided to take a hike up Cascade Canyon which starts with a cold, wet boat ride across Jenny Lake. The 5 minute ride to save 2 miles walking was well worth the price especially with the rain. The first mile was pretty steep but after that it flattened out quite a bit. Surprisingly, even with the weather there were a lot of people on the trail. After a short time we passed a couple going the other way who told us there was a moose family a little further up the canyon. We then ran into a young German couple who told us they saw a bear and turned back. We later figured out, along with some other people, that they mistook one of the moose for a bear (it was probably partly hidden in the brush). I felt bad for them because it was just amazing to see the family of 3 moose including a young baby only a few dozen yards away from us on the trail. We stood and watched for a long time before they noticed us. We debated a few times about moving further back but they didn't seem too bothered by us. They finally gave us some room to pass by on the trail. We ran into several other people who saw them so the family must have been there for a good part of the day. It was pretty spectacular, though my pictures just don't do it justice. That's when I really wished I had one of those mega-zoom lenses that most everyone else seemed to have. We hiked further up the trail, but we weren't done yet with moose.

In the middle of the stream we saw a cow moose all by herself. We were going to get out our cameras when she started moving towards us. When she saw no signs of stopping we decided it was time to move on. She came all the way up to the trail right where we were standing. She was either mad or very curious. Then again, it is mating season. Maybe she was lonely. It started raining again on the way back and we got pretty wet the last mile, but we didn't really care. All told we saw 7 moose for the day '? nearly twice as many as I had seen in my whole life. And they were the first moose that Chris had ever seen so it was a great hike.

We celebrated by heading to the town of Jackson, WY at the southern end of the park for a nice dinner. After Chris got some obligatory souvenir shopping done, we found a nice out-of-the-way local restaurant with real good Buffalo sirloin (sorry, Rachel!) and Moose Drool beer. It seemed the fitting end to a great day.
Cloudy Grand Tetons

Hidden Falls

Posted by Ed at 7:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Both of us had heard a lot about Yellowstone, but neither of us had been there before. We were anxious to see it for ourselves and to see if it lived up to all the hype. I have heard a few negative things about Yellowstone before, but I think it must have been from people who had been there in the summer when it is so crowded. I would definitely recommend September as a good time to go because the weather is still good, but the crowds are not bad at all.

Yellowstone is chalk full of various hydrothermal features including geysers, hot springs, mudpots, fumaroles, and more. I think we saw more than half of them on our first full day. I couldn't begin to describe them all (lucky for you). I'll just say that the geyser basins and other hydrothermal areas are truly amazing. You feel like you're on another planet sometimes as the landscape is so strange and steam seems to be rising from virtually everywhere. The colors of the water and the microorganisms living in the water were just spectacular. We hit several geyser basins and, surprisingly, they all seemed different from the previous ones. We did get a little a bit saturated though and towards the end of the day we started to get what I call the 'Oh, it's another cathedral in Europe' syndrome. We were starting to become geyser and hot spring snobs. If it didn't erupt, or look somewhat spectacular we blew on by. Despite that, we spent most of the day in awe. I must say that we both thought that we were going to be let down by Old Faithful. That it wouldn't hold up to the hype. But we weren't. Not only that, we were blown away by a number of other geysers that we were lucky enough to be around when they erupted. One of the other cool things we saw was the 'Artist Paintpots'. They were mudpots that shot mud into the air every few seconds sometimes going 10 or more feet. For some reason it reminded me of Jaba the Hut from Star Wars fame.

As if all that isn't enough, the wildlife in the park is pretty amazing as well. It is easy to spot. You just look for cars pulled off the road and the wildlife paparazzi with their mega-zoom lenses pointed off into the fields. Right off the bat we saw a bunch of elk and had to wait for a herd of bison to cross the road before we could drive on. One of the bison particularly unnerved Chris as he was about 10 ft. away from our stopped RV '? on his side of course. At least he got a great close-up (see below). By the end of the day we were exhausted but found a real nice campground with great hot showers I might add. Joyce, the person who waited on us at check-in, was particularly friendly and not just because I told her that that was also my mother's name. It seems like almost everyone who works in this park is very friendly and outgoing. I guess it comes from being in such beautiful surroundings.

Since I can't possibly post all of the pictures I took (over 70 this day alone!) I'll try to include as many different types of things we saw. And I'll try my best to remember the names of everything, but I'm sure I'll miss a lot.

Artist Paintpots
Bison Herd
A little too close!
Boiling Springs
Cool-looking Pool
Great Prismatic Spring
Grotto Geyser
Mammoth Hot Springs
Morning Glory Pool
Norris Geyser Basin
Old Faithfuls
Riverside Geyser
Steamboat Geyser
Travertine Terrace

Posted by Ed at 9:04 PM | Permalink

After taking a day to restock the RV in Loveland, Dan and I took the dogs, Abbey and their dog Lydia, for a hike to a place called Grey Rocks Peak (or something like that). Well, it felt like I hadn't been hiking in months. Abbey must have felt the same because she was sluggish all day, though I think part of it was from the sun and somewhat warm weather. It actually was a gorgeous day for hiking, but there wasn't much shade and her black coat gets real hot in the sun. Towards the top of the peak we had to scramble up a bunch of boulder fields. Poor Abbey was really showing her age and the fact that she was tired. I even had to carry her up a few hairy spots but we finally made it and the dogs were rewarded with a shallow lake to splash around in at the top. Lydia still had tons of energy being a puppy and she wouldn't stop climbing up the rocks and running around. The rest of us ate lunch and rested. On the way down my knees got really tight, but I think it was from the rafting trip. To keep from falling out of the boat I had jammed my feet so far under the cross tubes that my knees ached quite a bit by the end of the trip. They still hadn't quite recovered and now they were aching again. Guess I'm getting old.

Saturday morning Abbey and I finally headed out for Montana. The drive was pretty uneventful since most of it was through the middle of Wyoming. Other than the strong winds that nearly blew me off the road a number of times it was pretty dull. We arrived in Billings, MT in the evening and found a pretty nice RV park, as far as RV parks go. It was only the second one that I had been to up 'til now. I justified the extra expense and the stigma that goes along with it by taking a nice hot shower, dumping my tanks, filling up with water and doing my laundry there as well. I drove around Billings a little bit to get my bearings. From the highway it is pretty ugly '? very industrial with a few refineries on the outskirts. The Montana Women's Prison is even on one of the main thoroughfares going into town. Once you get downtown though it isn't too bad. Sunday afternoon I picked up Chris Sereduke at the airport and we headed straight to Yellowstone, about 3 hours away. I hadn't seen him in a while so we talked the whole way. We were joking later that we weren't sure how the week would go since we had never spent more than a few days together before and not in more than 20 years. Anyways, we found a decent campground at Mammoth Hot Springs and settled in for the night pretty early. We were both pretty tired.

Posted by Ed at 8:55 PM | Permalink

I just got back from my trip to West Virginia and Chicago. I spent Labor Day weekend and part of last week at my brother Michael's near Chicago. I had a nice time visiting with his family and hanging out with the kids. The girls were excited to have Abbey come for the week. Abbey and their cat managed to come to a mutual detente and not attack each other. There was some hissing and barking, but no biting. On Thursday, Michael and I drove to my brother John's in Charleston, WV. That night, 2 of our cousins, Pat and Tommy Dailey, and my brother-in-law Joe also arrived. On Friday, all of us played golf. It was my first round of golf since we all got together last year. I didn't fare as well last year and I blame it on the fact that it had only been a year since I last played. Before last year it had been about 6 years and I did pretty well. Apparently I need somewhere between 1 and 6 years to forget my bad habits.

On Saturday, we got up early and headed to Fayetteville, WV to go white water rafting on the Upper Gauley. For those of you who haven't heard of it, it is actually the toughest whitewater in the East and one of the toughest in the country. Its reputation is so big that one of my brothers decided it was not for him, though I won't mention any names. (Hint, check the picture).

We had the same guide we had last year which made us feel pretty good, because he really seems to know what he's doing. 3 of the other boats with us flipped, but not us. The ride was great, though not as hair-raising as I thought it might be. Nonetheless, it was a lot of fun. I would highly recommend it. 4 of us played golf again on Sunday. There was a lot of grunting and groaning on the first tee while we tried to stretch and work out all the sore muscles from the day before. I somehow managed to shoot a respectable round of golf.

On Monday, Michael and I drove back to Chicago, and on Tuesday I started the long drive back to Colorado through the wildly exciting states of Iowa and Nebraska. Later this week Abbey and I are heading up to Billings, MT to pick up my old friend, Chris Sereduke, at the airport before heading to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons for a week. Hopefully, I'll have some more stories and good pictures to share.

Posted by Ed at 10:49 PM | Permalink