Today we made a reservation at the local Economy Suites, so we have a restful night sleep before our drive home tomorrow. We stopped for coffee at a local cafe (which has wireless), updated our blog, and now we'll head out for the day.
Our plan is to drive northeast to the Bitterroot and the Blackfoot for some more fly fishing. Tomorrow is the 8 hour drive home. We're excited to see Jelly and get to our own bed! Will fill in the blog with pictures on Sunday...
Wish us luck on the river today!
Friday, August 15, 2008
Thurs. 8/14 - Day 9
The plan was to start with an early morning of fishing...but that didn't happen, so we stopped for a Montana style breakfast (which wasn't such a nice breakfast, when we both suffered from the sausage) before heading to another fly shop for some local flies and fish-talk. We headed to mile marker 27 (I know, I know...sounds a little sketchy...like some sort of weird horror movie, but that's how they do things in Montana) and got to fishing! I learned how to tie the fly to my line - which is something I practiced a lot this day...Trav says my cast is too strong, that the flies tear off my line and I need to pay more attention to the feel of my cast - I blame it on the bushes :)
We waded across the Yellowstone, out to a small series of islands. We were there for about an hour before Travis got his first bite. It was about 3 hours before he caught his first fish. He reeled in a 10+ inch, fat, Rainbow Trout! Of course, we don't have pictures. And, of course, the fish took off with 2 flies and the leader (about $10 worth of fishing supplies, but clearly a winning set-up). It was a combination of a yellow stimulator with a Prince Nymph dropper.
The second fish of the day, of course, went to Travis. Did I mention I didn't catch any fish this day? Another moment where we don't have a picture - we're in the market for a net now...so we can start getting pictures of the big catch.
On our way out of the river we ran into a snake...eeeeeewwwwwwwwww! Luckily, Travis threw a giant rock at it and it slithered away! We ran up the hill and back to the truck!
We stopped in Bozeman for a walk around the city and a quick stop at the grocery store, before the 2.5 hour trip up to Missoula. We rolled in around 8:30pm, had dinner, and camped at a KOA. It's the weirdest KOA ever...in the middle of a trailer park between the airport and the train tracks. It's a good thing it was cheap!
We waded across the Yellowstone, out to a small series of islands. We were there for about an hour before Travis got his first bite. It was about 3 hours before he caught his first fish. He reeled in a 10+ inch, fat, Rainbow Trout! Of course, we don't have pictures. And, of course, the fish took off with 2 flies and the leader (about $10 worth of fishing supplies, but clearly a winning set-up). It was a combination of a yellow stimulator with a Prince Nymph dropper.
The second fish of the day, of course, went to Travis. Did I mention I didn't catch any fish this day? Another moment where we don't have a picture - we're in the market for a net now...so we can start getting pictures of the big catch.
On our way out of the river we ran into a snake...eeeeeewwwwwwwwww! Luckily, Travis threw a giant rock at it and it slithered away! We ran up the hill and back to the truck!
We stopped in Bozeman for a walk around the city and a quick stop at the grocery store, before the 2.5 hour trip up to Missoula. We rolled in around 8:30pm, had dinner, and camped at a KOA. It's the weirdest KOA ever...in the middle of a trailer park between the airport and the train tracks. It's a good thing it was cheap!
Wed. 8/13 - Day 8
We decided to leave the park on Wednesday and head for Montana to get in some much needed fishing time. Packing up the campsite early that morning, we headed north toward Canyon Village, only to be stopped by HUNDREDS OF BISON! This was the height of the trip for me. There were hundreds of them - big ones, small ones, cows and bulls, really old bulls charging cars in the road, young bulls locking horns, and they love to roll on the dirt, so my allergy medicine got a work-out. We saw a huge bill swimming across a lake - which is unlike anything you'd ever expect of these giant beasts! The Canyon area is remniscient of the Grand Canyon, only Yellowstone River runs through this canyon, and has a series of upper and lower falls that makes this quite a different picture. We walked along Artist Point to get some great shots of the falls and the dramatic cliff structures. On the road again - this time we were stopped by a BEAR! A medium sized black bear was in a field near a lake (pictures to follow). Then a few miles down the road there was a coyote! He wasn't nearly as exciting...but still, a great wildlife show in the park this day! We stopped in Mammoth Springs for a nice walk and some souvenier shopping, then hit the most northern entrance/exit of the park (pictures to follow).
Out of the park we went and hit a fly shop in Gardiner to get our fishing licenses in Montana! It's sort of a rip-off...you can only get a 2-day or a 10-day pass, so we opted for the 2-day and found a nice RV park to camp in for the afternoon. We saw more bison, took a weird road that led us to a crazy religious temple (and I use the word religious loosley), and used the rest of the evening to relax and read about Montana's fishing regulations.
Out of the park we went and hit a fly shop in Gardiner to get our fishing licenses in Montana! It's sort of a rip-off...you can only get a 2-day or a 10-day pass, so we opted for the 2-day and found a nice RV park to camp in for the afternoon. We saw more bison, took a weird road that led us to a crazy religious temple (and I use the word religious loosley), and used the rest of the evening to relax and read about Montana's fishing regulations.
Tues. 8/12 - Day 7
We were late risers on Tuesday morning. Travis made pancakes and I cleaned...a challenge in bear country. Having to haul all the dishes to an approved washing station, then back to the camp - I guess I can deal, considering there was a moose carcus in the camp next to us (scary). Off for a 3 mile morning hike up to Natural Bridge. The trail starts at the marina (Yellowstone lake is the largest lake above 7000 feet - it's really very big) then out along a meadow and woods to a steep switchback leading up to the natural rock formation (pictures to follow). My new Keen's held up great - no blisters! Trav wants a pair now, his hiking boots were too heavy for such a hot day. After our return trip from the bridge we rested a bit at the marina then back in the truck for a ride out to Old Faithful and the Fountain Paint Pots. Before our ride out to the geyser, we stopped at West Thumb basin for some GEOTHERMAL activity! This is a series of (large & small) springs/pools of (warm & boiling) water. All are naturally fed from deep below the earth and make their way back to Yellowstone lake. As the steam rises above the pools the wind blows and you get a steam shower (much needed for us, as we're now 4 days without a shower). The drive out to Old Faithful took a while - we crossed the Great Divide 4 times along the trip to and from (pictures to follow). Old Faithful was pretty great. You wouldn't think a bunch of water shooting in the air could be so cool - but it is. We walked a 3 mile loop to see additional geysers, boiling pools of water and mud. Also stopped to see the Old Faithful Inn, which is the oldest log structure in the park. Back on the road, we headed out to the Painted Pots. This park is like another planet - large crusted areas of land with boiling mud pools and brightly colored water pools. Everything was steaming or boiling in this park, including Jelly Geyser (pictures to follow). After a long day of sight seeing we decided to head to the showers. Along the way I made the claim that there were no wild animals in the park. At this point, our wildlife sightings included Yellowbelly Marmots, an impression of a bear paw in one of the mud geysers and a squished gummy bear. So, as we made our way up to a campground with showers, it was a great surprise to see a heard of wild BISON along the side of the road...and in the road...and even a baby bison nursing on a mommy bison! (Pictures to follow). It was amazing to be driving down the road and hit a line of stopped cars, only to discover these giant animals grazing - WOW, what a sight! The bison sighting made our showers even more rewarding - and we both claimed they were the best showers we've ever taken (Trav's longest stretch w/out a shower is 8 days, mine is 5 - needless to say, we enjoyed this shower). Back to camp for a late dinner and early to bed...saw a huge deer (5 points) in our campground (fuzzy picture to follow). Tomorrow's plan: out to the east side of the park.
Hello Yellowstone! (Mon, 8/11, Day 6)
We started out early on Monday - dumping the final muddy memories in the trash (my jeans were just not coming clean). We climbed the beautiful Teton Pass, through a little town (Wilson, Pop 200, Elev 7770 feet), that led us out to Jackson Hole, WY. What a great ski village! After a quick tour we were off to Jackson, WY for some sightseeing and shopping. Our afternoon included a picture in front of a huge antler arch (that's right, an arch made of antlers...they are a very popular form of art in this town); and a beer at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar...picture us sitting in saddles at the bar with a bunch of bikers! We did laundry at the local suds shop and hit the grocery and local bookstore. Our plan was to camp somewhere in the Jackson area that night, but adventure got the best of us and we headed straight for the park that afternoon. Some of the most visually amazing sights happened along our drive up to the park. More spectacular views of the Teton range, we had an early dinner at the Jackson Lake Lodge - a sunny afternoon on the patio with a front row view of the mountains (including Moose Drool & Montana Beef). Then off to find a place to stay for the night. We entered the park around 6pm and got one of the last remaining campsites (out of 2,000+) in the park. Talk about pushing our luck! Still no wildlife sightings at this point - we were just happy to be on our way to bed!
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Days 3 thru 6 (8/7-8/10)
Woah...where to begin. Jessica and I left Missoula shortly after our last post and drove an additional 6 hours to Driggs, Idaho (for those counting at home it was from Washington to Idaho to Montana back into Idaho). We saw a heard of buffalo and antelope along the way. We love our truck...but it doesn't have AC. Many times throughout the day, we saw reader boards listing the temp as 90 degrees and higher. So when we hit a bit of rain, the drips through the windows was a relief!
Driggs is the closest town to the festival and is also a great stopping off point for last minute supplies and grocery shopping. The town hosts "Music on Main", which is a Thursday tradition where musicians perform on a stage in the middle of town (pop. less than 3000). This particular Thursday was special. Part of the Grand Targhee Bluegrass Festival, is a camp that goes on the week before the 3 day festival. The band performing in Driggs that night was a group of the camp instructors (including Tony Triscka). The show started out great, then the wind picked up, the clouds rolled in and wham! The first crack of thunder drove the band from the stage and a majority of the attendees under the (thankfully) large awning of a nearby building. Thus began a "western monsoon" that would become a theme for the rest of the weekend.
After the show closed due to severe weather warnings, we squeaked (wet keen's on linoleum...very queaky!) our way around the local grocery store. Our original plan was to camp in Driggs that night, but after checking out local accomodations (we should say, the local parking lot of a park and the grocery store parking lot) we decided to make the last 30 minute drive up to the resort. Once we got to the resort we were both tired and decided to sleep in the back of the truck in the parking lot (Moms...don't be mad, we were safe).
It poured...and we slept a bit...but mostly it rained.
Friday morning was an early start and we were the 2nd vehicle to set-up camp in "the meadow." The meadow is the in-between place where families and quiet campers stay - it's a large grass field, next to a wetland area. (Foreshadow???)
We got 3 compliments on our camping set-up. After 8 years of road-tripping together, Trav & I have nearly perfected the process of setting up & tearing down. Thanks to my superb (or anal) packing skills and Trav's "McGuiver" abilities, we have a perfectly nice, tarp enclosed shelter, that is virtually waterproof. (Foreshadow???)
The music started at 4pm. The hippies arrived early - the hula-hooping was in full swing, and the wind only picked up a few times throughout the mostly overcast day. We rocked out to Spring Creek...and our new fav's The Infamous Stringdusters. We saw TIS's at a festival in Wenatchee, and decided this was definitely the better of the 2 shows we've seen. After, we went and met up with the band, thanked them for the great show, and ironically, they remembered us from the Wenatchee festival! It's a great feeling to know that the musicians we see, actually see us enjoying their music from the stage!
Tim O'Brien was going to close the day with a down & dirty bluegrass session...and then the FLASH FLOOD took over. Out of all the places in the world and all the nights in the year, the lightning & thunder & rain hammered us, sending us sprinting through muddy water to the meadow. By the time we got to the tent, we were soaked, and our camp was submerged in 6 inches of water. KRIKEY! We stripped down to nakedness and jumped into the truck. Our shoes are still drying and it's been 3 days now...
Saturday was a long, great day of music. We tried to dry out all of our wet things, but some are just ruined. The music helped lift our spirits...and the sprits helped lift them too. Travis got an awesome new beer mug and we created a new "whiskey-iced tea-lemonade" drink (We're sure it has a name, but we like to think it's our original idea). Drew Emmit, Bill Nershi, Tim O'Brien, and Sam Bush jamming with everyone. Then the closer with The Sam Bush Band and 16 other musicians on the stage...truely amazing...even for those non-bluegrass lovers. We had some rain that day as well, but nothing compared to Friday night. We closed our evening in the Bradley tradition of star gazing from the chairlift.
And now it's Sunday night. We rode the chairlift to the top of the mountain, took some awesome photos of the Teton's and a long moutain walk along the top of a ridge to see some unparalleld views of the Rocky Mountain range. The music - was again - a toe tapping good time, including Jeff Austin and Friends (we're trying not to be Jeff Austin stalkers, but he's such a nice guy!) There was a freak hailstorm in the middle of Jeff's set that sent Travis down to dance, and me to the trees. We tore down our (still muddy) camp in the evening and now plan to sleep in the parking lot again before we head to Jackson, WY tomorrow.
We hope to hit a laundry mat to see if we can salvage some of the muddy clothes from Friday night. And an internet cafe, so we can upload pics from the weekend.
Right now we're "borrowing" the wireless internet from the resort - pretending we're staying in the hotel, lounging on the comfy couches, wishing we were sleeping in a nice hotel bed tonight. Travis is sleeping next to me, so I'm going to say good night for this post and hope it doesn't rain again!
Driggs is the closest town to the festival and is also a great stopping off point for last minute supplies and grocery shopping. The town hosts "Music on Main", which is a Thursday tradition where musicians perform on a stage in the middle of town (pop. less than 3000). This particular Thursday was special. Part of the Grand Targhee Bluegrass Festival, is a camp that goes on the week before the 3 day festival. The band performing in Driggs that night was a group of the camp instructors (including Tony Triscka). The show started out great, then the wind picked up, the clouds rolled in and wham! The first crack of thunder drove the band from the stage and a majority of the attendees under the (thankfully) large awning of a nearby building. Thus began a "western monsoon" that would become a theme for the rest of the weekend.
After the show closed due to severe weather warnings, we squeaked (wet keen's on linoleum...very queaky!) our way around the local grocery store. Our original plan was to camp in Driggs that night, but after checking out local accomodations (we should say, the local parking lot of a park and the grocery store parking lot) we decided to make the last 30 minute drive up to the resort. Once we got to the resort we were both tired and decided to sleep in the back of the truck in the parking lot (Moms...don't be mad, we were safe).
It poured...and we slept a bit...but mostly it rained.
Friday morning was an early start and we were the 2nd vehicle to set-up camp in "the meadow." The meadow is the in-between place where families and quiet campers stay - it's a large grass field, next to a wetland area. (Foreshadow???)
We got 3 compliments on our camping set-up. After 8 years of road-tripping together, Trav & I have nearly perfected the process of setting up & tearing down. Thanks to my superb (or anal) packing skills and Trav's "McGuiver" abilities, we have a perfectly nice, tarp enclosed shelter, that is virtually waterproof. (Foreshadow???)
The music started at 4pm. The hippies arrived early - the hula-hooping was in full swing, and the wind only picked up a few times throughout the mostly overcast day. We rocked out to Spring Creek...and our new fav's The Infamous Stringdusters. We saw TIS's at a festival in Wenatchee, and decided this was definitely the better of the 2 shows we've seen. After, we went and met up with the band, thanked them for the great show, and ironically, they remembered us from the Wenatchee festival! It's a great feeling to know that the musicians we see, actually see us enjoying their music from the stage!
Tim O'Brien was going to close the day with a down & dirty bluegrass session...and then the FLASH FLOOD took over. Out of all the places in the world and all the nights in the year, the lightning & thunder & rain hammered us, sending us sprinting through muddy water to the meadow. By the time we got to the tent, we were soaked, and our camp was submerged in 6 inches of water. KRIKEY! We stripped down to nakedness and jumped into the truck. Our shoes are still drying and it's been 3 days now...
Saturday was a long, great day of music. We tried to dry out all of our wet things, but some are just ruined. The music helped lift our spirits...and the sprits helped lift them too. Travis got an awesome new beer mug and we created a new "whiskey-iced tea-lemonade" drink (We're sure it has a name, but we like to think it's our original idea). Drew Emmit, Bill Nershi, Tim O'Brien, and Sam Bush jamming with everyone. Then the closer with The Sam Bush Band and 16 other musicians on the stage...truely amazing...even for those non-bluegrass lovers. We had some rain that day as well, but nothing compared to Friday night. We closed our evening in the Bradley tradition of star gazing from the chairlift.
And now it's Sunday night. We rode the chairlift to the top of the mountain, took some awesome photos of the Teton's and a long moutain walk along the top of a ridge to see some unparalleld views of the Rocky Mountain range. The music - was again - a toe tapping good time, including Jeff Austin and Friends (we're trying not to be Jeff Austin stalkers, but he's such a nice guy!) There was a freak hailstorm in the middle of Jeff's set that sent Travis down to dance, and me to the trees. We tore down our (still muddy) camp in the evening and now plan to sleep in the parking lot again before we head to Jackson, WY tomorrow.
We hope to hit a laundry mat to see if we can salvage some of the muddy clothes from Friday night. And an internet cafe, so we can upload pics from the weekend.
Right now we're "borrowing" the wireless internet from the resort - pretending we're staying in the hotel, lounging on the comfy couches, wishing we were sleeping in a nice hotel bed tonight. Travis is sleeping next to me, so I'm going to say good night for this post and hope it doesn't rain again!
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Day 1>Day 2 (8/6-8/7)
The transition from day 1 to day 2 happened somewhere in western Montana as Jessica and I made the late night push to Missoula. We had a beautiful drive across eastern Washington and rolled into Spokane around sunset. After some gas and a bite to eat we were back on the road. The lights of Missoula were a sight for tired eyes...Once again, we made it.
Today we will hit the road after some coffee and head to Driggs, Idaho. The route we take is one of the most scenic drives along our trip. My fishing pole is itching to make it's first appearance - we will cross over classic western trout streams like the Clark Fork, the Beaverhead and the Madison. The big Montana browns and rainbows can rest and take it easy for now, as we have bluegrass on the mind and only a short drive to get there.
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