Westward Ho 3: Yellowstone

I headed up to Island Park, Idaho just outside of West Yellowstone and camped a couple of days. It was a very pretty spot but wet from the rain and I was a little nervous about driving off road but it was fine.

View from my campsite, Island Park, ID

I drove into Yellowstone at the crack of dawn only to realize I wasn't alone.


Buffalo and people early morning Yellowstone NP

It turned out to be a beautiful but cold, windy day.

What can I say, it's a fabulous place, and a must see, but I just couldn't wrap my head around all the people. I did a couple of short early morning cold hikes and gave up. If I'd been braver I'd have gone into the back country but the weather and warning from the visitor center about bear activity spooked me and I headed into Montana.

Comments

Westward Ho 5: Oregon and Northern CA Redwoods

Driving down the Oregon coast is just jaw dropping! It also had some of the steepest inclines I'd traveled so far. I got an early start as usual heading down Hwy 101. First stop was to be Cape Meares NWR. Unfortunately, about a mile from the entrance there was a newly fallen tree. I was only the third person to reach it and the first one was calling it in. The car in front of me turned around and I, not knowing how long it would take to remove it did the same. What a disappointment, there was old growth forest up there! So, I continued down the coast looking for the next refuge or spot of interest. The amazing thing about Oregon is that all the beaches are public, mostly in the form of state parks or recreation sites. I was stumped by this at first, thinking like Texas they all had a fee charged. Mostly they rely on a state pass, but I found that was mostly needed for camping, not day use. There were also lots of free camping pull offs right on the beach. After making my way to Ne...

The Van Build

On September 27th, 2016 I started the process. I'd never even built a birdhouse. My gracious ex-boyfriend, now friend, gave advice and tools and did most of the wiring and solar. I did all the construction, insulation, flooring, paneling and cabinetry. I had a trip to Florida planned in November and I finished up (mostly) the day before I left. Nasty! Carpet removed, lots of work to do! Much better! Two Fantastic fans installed, and two layers of insulation on the floor Followed by plywood Wall insulation Paneling going up t This part nearly killed me! Had to be perfectly straight going in or it bucked and almost took off my arm! Bed goes in next Battery box/clothes closet Batteries and wiring, almost done Solar panels done! I finished everything but the cabinets, so once again, plastic bins to the rescue. After returning from a month in Florida I completed the cabinets. Ikea copycat, ...

Heading back to Texas: Idaho and Wyoming

I was now officially on the way back to Texas, heading east into Idaho to see the Sawtooths. I reached Boise, restocked groceries and got the oil changed, spent the night and arrived in Ketchum midday of the following day. I stopped at the Sawtooth NRA visitor center and got info on free camping just down the road. I spent a week here as it was close to hiking trails, and right on the water. It even had a dump station, fresh water and garbage bins. I even bought a pr of solar eclipse glasses at the visitor center. It was nice to stay in one place for that long, but eventually, as always, I get restless to see more, so finally I headed north to see more new vistas. There is no shortage of free camping in the Sawtooths and I spent a few nights here and there, most nights somewhere on the Salmon River. The hiking was off the charts here, and I hiked almost a dozen trails while in the area and had made up my mind I'd stay for the eclipse. I met great people on the trails, always on my ...

Paddle Hike Explore

Search This Blog