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An update....
Aug. 6th, 2013 04:26 pmI don't think I've done a very good job at updating lately. You hear about my garden more than about me! So...some information about my last month.
On July 13th, I caught a plane to West Yellowstone where I was met by my parents with the travel trailer. We spent the next few days together in Yellowstone. Then on the 18th were joined by my brother and SIL and on the 20th my sister, BIL and the kids joined us. Yellowstone is beautiful and the wildlife abundant although less so than 21 years ago, I think, or at least less obvious. We saw more bears than we did deer. (I think it was 5 to 4). We had a couple of marmot sightings which was a bit different. We saw several coyotes, pronghorn antelope, an abundance of bison and elk, and several birds of prey., My brother and SIL also saw a wolf or at least the ears of one. I never did get my eyes on it. We did not see any moose, mountain goats, or bighorn sheep, much to my disappointment. We ended up spending a majority of our time in the North end of the park, often in the Lamar valley, which is called the Serengeti of America.
I could tell you blow by blow but that's what my scrapbook is for- I have 5.5 GB of pictures. So, instead, a few highlights or low-lights:
We went fishing in the Lamar river, keeping our eyes on the bison laying on the bank and the pronghorn scoping out the dry river bed. We had to cross Soda Butte river to get to the Lamar and it was swift and thigh deep. I was glad to have my brother's help making that crossing. The water just wanted to sweep the rocks out from under my feet. While I was fishing and minding my own business a bee landed on my nose and stung the very tip. That HURT! It also ended the fishing trip for the day. Dad wanted to be sure I was not on the wrong side of the river if I had a reaction to the sting (I never have, but it's been probably 30 years since I've been stung). There is something a little ignominious about sticking your nose in a film canister full of cold river water but it did help stop the swelling. It didn't take away from the awe of having the wildlife so close to us, though.
We did see bears: three black bears and two grizzlies. One of the grizzlies was right next to the road but across from the passenger seat where I was, so I had difficulty getting a good picture. One of the black bears came right towards us and was just across the road from us- we did get decent pictures of it.
We saw a lot of elk up close and personal since they tend to use the lawn at Fort Yellowstone as their own personal playground. I've got some wonderful pictures of calves nursing and one of a cow laying against someone's front door. We heard bugling one night while we were fishing but it's really early in the year for that.
The bison got rather too close sometimes while we were in the vehicles. One lashed out and tried to kick our car when we went by. He missed but he was rather more focused on stripping the bark of the trees to eat. I have some really good pictures of them; One sparring picture, a whole series of wallowing pictures, and I think even a nursing calf.
I have lots of flower pictures and panoramic pictures. The micro and the panorama functions were wonderful to capture the beauty of the park.
We took a little time the last day to soak in the confluence of the Gardiner and Burning rivers which is one of only two locations where you can safely and legally soak in the hot springs in Yellowstone.
We had some hiking adventures. Knowing my limitations, we scoped out the hikes in our Expedition guidebooks before taking them on. Mom, my brother, and my SIL, decided to take a Moderate hike early one morning. It was listed as 4-6 miles and, not being certain of what "Moderate" really meant, I opted out and spent the day helping my dad make trailer repairs and doing grocery and parts shopping in West Yellowstone. They came back all excited and telling me that I could make the moderate hikes since it was completely flat but just a long hike. I do ok with endurance but not so much with the up and down terrain. We didn't have time for another hike until the 25th, which was my last day in the park. They decided to hike the Hellroaring creek trail early that morning and since it was only supposed to be four miles round trip and the topography map looked ok, I decided to go with them. I won't say it was a mistake but it was more than I bargained for. The hike started down a gentle decline to a descent of more than 100 yards straight down, through a series of switchbacks on the side of a hill. By the time I got to it, I was committed to the hike; however, I dreaded the trip back. Down it went for a full mile through vicious mosquito and biting fly terrain. Then we reached the suspension bridge over the Yellowstone river and started on the mile out through the scrub brush to the creek. It was a fairly easy hike but the flies were AWFUL! I said I must have burned almost as many calories swatting at the biting flies as I did walking the trail. We waded in the creek for a bit to refresh our feet- It was cold water, glacier fed and not anything like the hot spring fed rivers we'd been fishing in. Then came the part I dreaded, going back, uphill all the way. I'd grabbed a broken tree branch to use as a walking stick on the way down and I leaned heavily on it all the way back. The rest of our party tootled on up the hill but I had to stop and rest frequently and took much longer. Mom stuck with me and we had walky-talkies on almost everyone. I made it all the way to the top of the hill with my full pack. Then I checked in with my brother and told him we'd made it through the hardest part. He came bounding down the trail just bursting with pride that I'd made it (but really what option did I have?). He took my pack and brought me a cold bottle of water and we walked together the last 100 feet to the car. I have to admit, I was a little proud of myself too. It was hard work but I did it! (I told myself I was going to work hard to lose some weight and get into shape but inertia caught hold of me as soon as I got back home. I've only managed to be more careful about my diet but I'm not getting any exercise.)
We frequently spent the day in the car looking for wildlife or heading to a particular point of interest. We had picnic lunches along the way and once brought the grill and made hamburgers for dinner. We saw the hot spots (literally)- the Old Faithful geyser basin, Mammoth hot springs, Norris geyser basin, Upper and middle geyser basins and a few other spots here and there.
The constant togetherness got on our nerves, or at least mine, once in a while. I admit that I was grumpy quite a lot- it was hot, I was totally dependent upon other people who weren't always interested in what I wanted to see or do, my dad was treating me like a teenager again with no freedom to do anything independently (where are you going, who is with you, when will you be back, no you can't go by yourself....), my bed (couch) was extremely uncomfortable, and getting people moving once my sister and her family arrived was like herding cats! One day we set breakfast for 7:00 and hoped to be on the road by 8:00 to see some wildlife but didn't leave camp until 2:00. It felt like my vacation was being wasted by other people.
We also had one little disaster after another- the sink in the bathroom broke and of course it was full of water at the time so it flooded everything underneath it. The pancake syrup fell out of the cupboard while we were traveling and broke on the floor making a really sticky mess to clean up. The slide-out didn't want to retract when we went to move campsites. The battery would not run dad's CPap all night and the trailer battery wouldn't stay charged. We ended up replacing one battery and buying a second as a spare. The cable that hooks to the truck drug or got pinched during a move, severing several electrical wires and the whole thing had to be spliced- which meant, in this trailer, that there was no elecricity to the trailer until that was done, in spite of the generator running. We ran out of propane and then the propane regulator quit and had to be replaced. It was one little thing after another. It's a little laughable now, but just barely. Added to this was concern about my dad. His blood sugars were all over the place- from 400 to 32. His balance is negligible and his knee needs to be replaced so he stayed behind anytime there was walking to do. His reaction time is slower than it used to be and that means that his driving is getting a little scary- but heaven forbid that anyone mention it or there is a flood of vitriol. He got really mad at my brother because he insisted on doing the driving and he's still being a little passive aggressive about it. It sucks to get old! I get that! But I want to live long enough to try it, and his driving is not helping that cause.
I was trying to keep up with my digital scrapbook as I went but I finally gave up because I just didn't have time. I hope I remember what we did when I get back to it. I'm hoping to get pictures from my brother, SIL, and parents to supplement my own but that might prove a little difficult. Dropbox has a limit of 2 GB and I'm sure we all exceeded that.
I got into a little spat with my brother and then my dad got mad at me. I'm thankful that my brother spoke up and told him that he'd played a part too. But it didn't help me- I finally just left the group for a while, keeping them in sight as much as possible. That infuriated my parents so I had to deal with that mess when I got back. The drama, was not much fun and too abundant on this trip. I'm not sure what to do about the next one (2015). I can't really afford to go on vacations on my own, nor do I really want to be alone all the time. I don't have a lot of fun on family trips but it's family and they should be a priority. Also, the next trip is the year my nephew graduates from high school and we've offered to let him pick the location. Some of the ideas were: Alaska, Hawaii, or a more local camping trip. I don't think I'll go if he chooses Hawaii. I won't be able to afford it and I am not fond of the heat- besides what do you do but bake in the sun in Hawaii? I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get there. By that time I'll have forgotten about the drama enough to maybe do it again. I need to figure out how to keep myself happy on these trips so I'm not such a grouch. Maybe knitting...there was a decided lack of time for that.
On July 13th, I caught a plane to West Yellowstone where I was met by my parents with the travel trailer. We spent the next few days together in Yellowstone. Then on the 18th were joined by my brother and SIL and on the 20th my sister, BIL and the kids joined us. Yellowstone is beautiful and the wildlife abundant although less so than 21 years ago, I think, or at least less obvious. We saw more bears than we did deer. (I think it was 5 to 4). We had a couple of marmot sightings which was a bit different. We saw several coyotes, pronghorn antelope, an abundance of bison and elk, and several birds of prey., My brother and SIL also saw a wolf or at least the ears of one. I never did get my eyes on it. We did not see any moose, mountain goats, or bighorn sheep, much to my disappointment. We ended up spending a majority of our time in the North end of the park, often in the Lamar valley, which is called the Serengeti of America.
I could tell you blow by blow but that's what my scrapbook is for- I have 5.5 GB of pictures. So, instead, a few highlights or low-lights:
We went fishing in the Lamar river, keeping our eyes on the bison laying on the bank and the pronghorn scoping out the dry river bed. We had to cross Soda Butte river to get to the Lamar and it was swift and thigh deep. I was glad to have my brother's help making that crossing. The water just wanted to sweep the rocks out from under my feet. While I was fishing and minding my own business a bee landed on my nose and stung the very tip. That HURT! It also ended the fishing trip for the day. Dad wanted to be sure I was not on the wrong side of the river if I had a reaction to the sting (I never have, but it's been probably 30 years since I've been stung). There is something a little ignominious about sticking your nose in a film canister full of cold river water but it did help stop the swelling. It didn't take away from the awe of having the wildlife so close to us, though.
We did see bears: three black bears and two grizzlies. One of the grizzlies was right next to the road but across from the passenger seat where I was, so I had difficulty getting a good picture. One of the black bears came right towards us and was just across the road from us- we did get decent pictures of it.
We saw a lot of elk up close and personal since they tend to use the lawn at Fort Yellowstone as their own personal playground. I've got some wonderful pictures of calves nursing and one of a cow laying against someone's front door. We heard bugling one night while we were fishing but it's really early in the year for that.
The bison got rather too close sometimes while we were in the vehicles. One lashed out and tried to kick our car when we went by. He missed but he was rather more focused on stripping the bark of the trees to eat. I have some really good pictures of them; One sparring picture, a whole series of wallowing pictures, and I think even a nursing calf.
I have lots of flower pictures and panoramic pictures. The micro and the panorama functions were wonderful to capture the beauty of the park.
We took a little time the last day to soak in the confluence of the Gardiner and Burning rivers which is one of only two locations where you can safely and legally soak in the hot springs in Yellowstone.
We had some hiking adventures. Knowing my limitations, we scoped out the hikes in our Expedition guidebooks before taking them on. Mom, my brother, and my SIL, decided to take a Moderate hike early one morning. It was listed as 4-6 miles and, not being certain of what "Moderate" really meant, I opted out and spent the day helping my dad make trailer repairs and doing grocery and parts shopping in West Yellowstone. They came back all excited and telling me that I could make the moderate hikes since it was completely flat but just a long hike. I do ok with endurance but not so much with the up and down terrain. We didn't have time for another hike until the 25th, which was my last day in the park. They decided to hike the Hellroaring creek trail early that morning and since it was only supposed to be four miles round trip and the topography map looked ok, I decided to go with them. I won't say it was a mistake but it was more than I bargained for. The hike started down a gentle decline to a descent of more than 100 yards straight down, through a series of switchbacks on the side of a hill. By the time I got to it, I was committed to the hike; however, I dreaded the trip back. Down it went for a full mile through vicious mosquito and biting fly terrain. Then we reached the suspension bridge over the Yellowstone river and started on the mile out through the scrub brush to the creek. It was a fairly easy hike but the flies were AWFUL! I said I must have burned almost as many calories swatting at the biting flies as I did walking the trail. We waded in the creek for a bit to refresh our feet- It was cold water, glacier fed and not anything like the hot spring fed rivers we'd been fishing in. Then came the part I dreaded, going back, uphill all the way. I'd grabbed a broken tree branch to use as a walking stick on the way down and I leaned heavily on it all the way back. The rest of our party tootled on up the hill but I had to stop and rest frequently and took much longer. Mom stuck with me and we had walky-talkies on almost everyone. I made it all the way to the top of the hill with my full pack. Then I checked in with my brother and told him we'd made it through the hardest part. He came bounding down the trail just bursting with pride that I'd made it (but really what option did I have?). He took my pack and brought me a cold bottle of water and we walked together the last 100 feet to the car. I have to admit, I was a little proud of myself too. It was hard work but I did it! (I told myself I was going to work hard to lose some weight and get into shape but inertia caught hold of me as soon as I got back home. I've only managed to be more careful about my diet but I'm not getting any exercise.)
We frequently spent the day in the car looking for wildlife or heading to a particular point of interest. We had picnic lunches along the way and once brought the grill and made hamburgers for dinner. We saw the hot spots (literally)- the Old Faithful geyser basin, Mammoth hot springs, Norris geyser basin, Upper and middle geyser basins and a few other spots here and there.
The constant togetherness got on our nerves, or at least mine, once in a while. I admit that I was grumpy quite a lot- it was hot, I was totally dependent upon other people who weren't always interested in what I wanted to see or do, my dad was treating me like a teenager again with no freedom to do anything independently (where are you going, who is with you, when will you be back, no you can't go by yourself....), my bed (couch) was extremely uncomfortable, and getting people moving once my sister and her family arrived was like herding cats! One day we set breakfast for 7:00 and hoped to be on the road by 8:00 to see some wildlife but didn't leave camp until 2:00. It felt like my vacation was being wasted by other people.
We also had one little disaster after another- the sink in the bathroom broke and of course it was full of water at the time so it flooded everything underneath it. The pancake syrup fell out of the cupboard while we were traveling and broke on the floor making a really sticky mess to clean up. The slide-out didn't want to retract when we went to move campsites. The battery would not run dad's CPap all night and the trailer battery wouldn't stay charged. We ended up replacing one battery and buying a second as a spare. The cable that hooks to the truck drug or got pinched during a move, severing several electrical wires and the whole thing had to be spliced- which meant, in this trailer, that there was no elecricity to the trailer until that was done, in spite of the generator running. We ran out of propane and then the propane regulator quit and had to be replaced. It was one little thing after another. It's a little laughable now, but just barely. Added to this was concern about my dad. His blood sugars were all over the place- from 400 to 32. His balance is negligible and his knee needs to be replaced so he stayed behind anytime there was walking to do. His reaction time is slower than it used to be and that means that his driving is getting a little scary- but heaven forbid that anyone mention it or there is a flood of vitriol. He got really mad at my brother because he insisted on doing the driving and he's still being a little passive aggressive about it. It sucks to get old! I get that! But I want to live long enough to try it, and his driving is not helping that cause.
I was trying to keep up with my digital scrapbook as I went but I finally gave up because I just didn't have time. I hope I remember what we did when I get back to it. I'm hoping to get pictures from my brother, SIL, and parents to supplement my own but that might prove a little difficult. Dropbox has a limit of 2 GB and I'm sure we all exceeded that.
I got into a little spat with my brother and then my dad got mad at me. I'm thankful that my brother spoke up and told him that he'd played a part too. But it didn't help me- I finally just left the group for a while, keeping them in sight as much as possible. That infuriated my parents so I had to deal with that mess when I got back. The drama, was not much fun and too abundant on this trip. I'm not sure what to do about the next one (2015). I can't really afford to go on vacations on my own, nor do I really want to be alone all the time. I don't have a lot of fun on family trips but it's family and they should be a priority. Also, the next trip is the year my nephew graduates from high school and we've offered to let him pick the location. Some of the ideas were: Alaska, Hawaii, or a more local camping trip. I don't think I'll go if he chooses Hawaii. I won't be able to afford it and I am not fond of the heat- besides what do you do but bake in the sun in Hawaii? I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get there. By that time I'll have forgotten about the drama enough to maybe do it again. I need to figure out how to keep myself happy on these trips so I'm not such a grouch. Maybe knitting...there was a decided lack of time for that.
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