Yellowstone/Grand Teton

by Jeff · August 26, 2020

Well friends, we have been to Yellowstone National Park in the past, E and I travelled here on our motorcycles and did a two-day tour through the park and got some great photographs at that time. We stayed in Island Park Idaho in a cabin and had a great time during the July 4^th weekend (the owners bought about 10 grand in fireworks for us to enjoy) even though we had to bundle up to keep from freezing in the mornings. We did not explore Grand Teton the last time we were here so we decided to stay there for four days.

This time we hauled Piper across the park from Cody and pulled through to the Grand Teton Park where we had reservations at the Headwaters RV park at Flagg Ranch. The headwaters designator refers to the origin of the Snake River here. Yes, it is the same Snake that winds its way to the mighty Columbia river. Here this river begins and is simply a gorgeous setting for casting a fishing line out and catching fabled Native Snake River cutthroat trout in the same waters that Teddy Roosevelt fished (yes, that Roosevelt). A little about Flagg Ranch RV park; it is located in a beautiful scenic part of Teton and you can walk to the Snake river from here. The biggest drawback (if you see it as one) is that there is absolutely NO cell signal and the only Wi-Fi you will find on site is within about ten feet of the lodge and that might be enough to check your Twitter account, maybe… more about this place in my campground review section.

We had arranged prior to our arrival to meet friends and hang out a bit. They had been on the road a week longer than us and had taken their Harley to the Big Sturgis Do and were now seeing some areas they had never been to. They arrived a little late to our rig and we headed out in convoy to (if a bike and a pickup can be a convoy?) the south gate of Yellowstone and then on to Grant Village and did some souvenir shopping and updating each other on our trips. All too soon, our time together came to an end. They were headed in the other direction from our evening destination (we did invite them along) and so we made a date for after we all return to the Pacific Northwest to get together and compare notes and photos.

E and I continued up to West Thumb geyser basin and found a parking spot. This is a great short little hike on a boardwalk around some bubbling springs and a couple of small geysers. They even have a couple in the lake water at the beach. No swimming here though, the temperature at the vent is over 200 degrees! There are admonitions all over the park about staying on the marked paths or boardwalks in these active areas and every year people get seriously injured by ignoring those signs. The same for people who ignore the warnings about the animals (more about in a different rant).

We had seen some advertisement for the Slippery Otter Pub in West Yellowstone. Well, since the Flynn and Ollie are with us, we absolutely had to go! E decided to go Mediterranean with a Greek salad (absolutely yummy!) and some home-made fresh French Onion soup (also yummy!). I had been wanting a Rueben but was foiled as they didn’t have one on the menu…but, we are in Yellowstone…Elk Burger! Along with a side of sweet potato fries and a Belgian white beer made in Montana…equals a happy tummy for this guy.

As evening was gathering, E offered to drive back across the park in case we had animal sightings. So, armed with my trusty camera and seated in the passenger side, we headed back south. I was able to get a lot of landscape photos but no critters. We have been in the park for two days and have seen a grand total of one lonely Bison, a few elk in the woods, some ground squirrels, ducks and some geese. Our friends texted us while in West Yellowstone and said they saw half a dozen bears on their way back to their camp in Dubois (grumble, grumble). I realize it is 80 degrees in the afternoon but gee, there ought to be some larger critters out and about.

Anyway, back to Piper for the night with full bellies, happy hearts and visions of fishing on the morrow. We bought one day licenses and can’t wait for morning to come so we can trek to the river and see what happens.

Morning broke here in the high country and for the first time since we got into vacation rhythm we were out of bed before 8 am. Coffee boiled, breakfast eaten and lunches packed; reminds me of when I was younger on similar mornings in high country except that now I have an actual bed. Out of Piper into the early morning chill (long pants, long sleeve shirt and a down vest!!!) and out to the river for some fishing. Visions of Snake River Cutthroat dancing in our heads, we arrive and find a trio of river otters sharing our stretch of river, turning over stones and hunting those critters that otters eat in rivers. They piped and whistled at us as they moved on downstream and out of sight.

We truly had many visions of trout dancing on our lines, as we saw them breaking the surface of the river! E starts in pitching spinners at them and I do my best to whip the surface of the water to a frenzy with my fly rig. A couple of unwise fish follow my flies and one actually gulped it in his mouth only to spit it out before being hooked. I guess the trout are pretty educated in the ways of fishermen around these parts. We spent three hours hitting the river before giving up and heading out to try different places. We wound up on a bank below Jackson lake on the Snake and got the same reception from these (obviously graduate student level at recognizing hooks) fish.

Thoroughly skunked, we head down to the town of Moose and hit the Grand Teton visitor center for the stamp in our National Parks passport book and pick up our requisite pins and stickers along with perusing for Christmas gifts for our family and friends. We finally saw a large herd of Buffalo off in the distance. At the visitor center they have a life size bronze sculpture of a moose out front and we stopped to get a picture as I commented to one of the passers by that it was the only moose we have ever seen in this area. She smiled deviously and, I am perfectly positive that she bold faced lied about having seen four that very morning, oh curses upon her for lying to an old man.

Well folks, it’s been an uncommonly tiring day for this guy and having consumed a barley-based libation or two, it’s time for the computer to go to sleep and us to follow.

Thanks for following along on our adventure and I sure hope you hear about our travels.

Remember folks, just Get Outside!