Craters of the Moon was totally unexpected. Fifty miles of all kinds of lava and all sorts of caves and lava flows. The last eruption was about the time of Christ and they have happened about every 2,000 years. The hotspot that was under Craters has shifted and they now believe it to be under Yellowstone. Scary stuff!!!
On Saturday evening there was a star gazing party and the Milky Way and distant constellations were absolutely fantastic. One gentleman pointed out constellation after constellation with the mythology that went with it. I even took a few pictures - surprised?
Pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/tbettes
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Friday, September 3, 2010
Glacier and Sperry Chalet and Sperry Glacier
We headed off to Glacier and as we were packing up at Yellowstone I managed to break the line that controlled the black tank valve. We wound up stopping in Missoula and Bretz RV did a quick fix for us on Friday morning. We were able to get into the SanSuzEd RV park in West Glacier by early afternoon. Judy bought fresh cherries on the way as we drove past the beautiful Flathead lake. We decided this is a good place to spend the summer away from the Texas heat. Kalispell is a pretty little city with access to Glacier and the National Forest around Flathead Lake and River.
Four of the couples gathered at this park. On Saturday we all went our separate ways and got ready for the Sunday hike up to Sperry. Judy and I drove up to Polebridge on the east side of the park. Not a recommended trip on the park road - 27 miles of gravel road - very narrow and rough. The road just west of the park is not so bad. Great bakery at the Polebridge general store. We are still eating their beer batter and applesauce bread.
Sperry Chalet - The Chalet is a hike 6.7 miles and a climb of over 3200 feet. On top of that when you get there, after paying your $140 per night per person, there is no electricity anywhere, heat in only the kitchen/dining room, no hot water but the pit toilets are nice. Light in the dining room is provided by propane lights. The food is included and good. The staff is wonderful and friendly. By the time you leave, the $140 sounds like a bargain.
We have had great weather on this trip up until the day we started up to the Chalet. It rained lightly on us most of the way on our five hour hike up. There is about 100 yards of downhill on the hike so we can't say all 35000 feet of the hike is up hill. Our views were restricted by clouds so few pictures on the way up. When we arrived the dining room had lemonade and hot chocolate ready for everyone. We all warmed up, listened to the rules, unpacked. Dinner was turkey and dressing with all of the fixin's. After dinner, the clouds broke and we took many pictures of the sunset and Lake McDonald below us.
After freezing our bottom off all night, we got up to a great breakfast and a beautiful sunrise. The clouds were laying in the valley below us with the nearby mountain ranges poking through. The only other time I experienced this was on the volcano Haleakala in Maui. The 10 of us headed off to Sperry Glacier with our fresh packed lunches and bear spray. The hike was (surprise??) uphill all the way and about 3.7 miles of climbing. The trail and the mountains were majestic and gorgeous. It was one of the prettiest hikes ever. Glacier pools stair stepped up the mountain and we crossed the top of the pass by holding on to a cable and shuffling across rocks that sloped down the steep hill and then climbed through a slot to be greeted by freshly fallen snow, mountain goats and Sperry Glacier. Please check out our pictures for this part of the trip. They do not do justice to the beauty of God's creation. The hike back down was great and we were again welcomed with lemonade and hot chocolate.
There is a supposedly beautiful hike out of Sperry over Gunsight Pass but it is 13 miles out. When we got up Tuesday, it was raining again and we all opted for the shorter hike out the way we came. The hike down was easier but we hurt more due to the severe down steps we had to take. Everyone had either sore toes or knees by the bottom.
On Wednesday, we drove the Road to the Sun even though it was still cloudy and rainy/snowy. It is a magnificent and scary road. The mountains are spectacular due to the patient results of ten's of thousands of years of glaciers.
Thursday and Friday we drove down Hwy 93 to Arco Idaho. This is one of the most beautiful rides we have ever made. Much of it is what Lewis and Clark saw as they started dwon the west side of the continental divide. We followed the Salmon River much of the way. Deer and game were along the road and unfortunately we hit a young deer. He darted right in front of us trying to follow his mother. No damage was done to our vehicle but we did feel bad for the poor deer.
Tomorrow we see the Craters of the Moon National Monument.
Four of the couples gathered at this park. On Saturday we all went our separate ways and got ready for the Sunday hike up to Sperry. Judy and I drove up to Polebridge on the east side of the park. Not a recommended trip on the park road - 27 miles of gravel road - very narrow and rough. The road just west of the park is not so bad. Great bakery at the Polebridge general store. We are still eating their beer batter and applesauce bread.
Sperry Chalet - The Chalet is a hike 6.7 miles and a climb of over 3200 feet. On top of that when you get there, after paying your $140 per night per person, there is no electricity anywhere, heat in only the kitchen/dining room, no hot water but the pit toilets are nice. Light in the dining room is provided by propane lights. The food is included and good. The staff is wonderful and friendly. By the time you leave, the $140 sounds like a bargain.
We have had great weather on this trip up until the day we started up to the Chalet. It rained lightly on us most of the way on our five hour hike up. There is about 100 yards of downhill on the hike so we can't say all 35000 feet of the hike is up hill. Our views were restricted by clouds so few pictures on the way up. When we arrived the dining room had lemonade and hot chocolate ready for everyone. We all warmed up, listened to the rules, unpacked. Dinner was turkey and dressing with all of the fixin's. After dinner, the clouds broke and we took many pictures of the sunset and Lake McDonald below us.
After freezing our bottom off all night, we got up to a great breakfast and a beautiful sunrise. The clouds were laying in the valley below us with the nearby mountain ranges poking through. The only other time I experienced this was on the volcano Haleakala in Maui. The 10 of us headed off to Sperry Glacier with our fresh packed lunches and bear spray. The hike was (surprise??) uphill all the way and about 3.7 miles of climbing. The trail and the mountains were majestic and gorgeous. It was one of the prettiest hikes ever. Glacier pools stair stepped up the mountain and we crossed the top of the pass by holding on to a cable and shuffling across rocks that sloped down the steep hill and then climbed through a slot to be greeted by freshly fallen snow, mountain goats and Sperry Glacier. Please check out our pictures for this part of the trip. They do not do justice to the beauty of God's creation. The hike back down was great and we were again welcomed with lemonade and hot chocolate.
There is a supposedly beautiful hike out of Sperry over Gunsight Pass but it is 13 miles out. When we got up Tuesday, it was raining again and we all opted for the shorter hike out the way we came. The hike down was easier but we hurt more due to the severe down steps we had to take. Everyone had either sore toes or knees by the bottom.
On Wednesday, we drove the Road to the Sun even though it was still cloudy and rainy/snowy. It is a magnificent and scary road. The mountains are spectacular due to the patient results of ten's of thousands of years of glaciers.
Thursday and Friday we drove down Hwy 93 to Arco Idaho. This is one of the most beautiful rides we have ever made. Much of it is what Lewis and Clark saw as they started dwon the west side of the continental divide. We followed the Salmon River much of the way. Deer and game were along the road and unfortunately we hit a young deer. He darted right in front of us trying to follow his mother. No damage was done to our vehicle but we did feel bad for the poor deer.
Tomorrow we see the Craters of the Moon National Monument.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Yellowstone
On Sunday the 22nd we drove the short distance to Yellowstone and arrived at Fishing Bridge Camp. We saw buffalo and otter at the river as we crossed into the camp. Fishing Bridge is re-doing their electric so we had water and sewer but no electricity for the five days we were there. The Airstream performed perfectly and we always had enough battery to keep the refrigerator and hot water and lights on. The first afternoon we took a pretty strenuous hike up the Elephant Trail overlooking Yellowstone Lake. On a clear day we could have seen the Tetons but it wasn't so we just enjoyed the view of the lake.
The next day we had breakfast tacos at Don and Kathy's before heading up to Canyon to the falls and then on up to Tower Falls. At Canyon Falls you walk down 328 steel steps into the canyon to get views of the falls. You can see the steps and the beautiful falls in the pictures. The canyon is gorgeous and many of the pics were taken that morning of the canyon and falls trying to capture the magnificent beauty. You have to see it in person to really appreciate it.
From there we went on to Mammoth Hot Springs to view the many bubbling pools and unstable earth. If you read enough about what is happening under Yellowstone you start to get nervous enough to want to leave.
The buffalo were thick and loved to get on the road and stand stopping traffic. As you can see in the pics we also saw elk and coyote. The elk were really pretty and majestic.
Everyone wants to see a bear but not too close. That afternoon heading back to fishing bridge driving along the Yellowstone River, I saw a grizzly bear on the left side of the road, I couldn't hardly get the words out to Judy to take a look but I finally did and managed to grab my camera as he crossed the road right in front of the pickup and then continued on down the side right by Judy. I got out and continued to take pictures as he headed into the woods. The next morning in the same area Judy saw a bear swimming the river and grabbed the camera and jumped out and took a number of shots. The bears never paid us any attention, but we were always ready with our bear spray.
After the bear we went on to Old Faithful and many of the geysers and pots. The next day we climbed Mt. Washburn to 10,243 feet (see the pictures). This day was clear and we could see the Tetons. Later that evening we joined our group and had dinner at the Old Faithful Inn.
Part of the reason to come to Yellowstone was so Judy could have her picture taken in front of the cabins she used to clean when she worked there the first summer out of high school.
The next day we had breakfast tacos at Don and Kathy's before heading up to Canyon to the falls and then on up to Tower Falls. At Canyon Falls you walk down 328 steel steps into the canyon to get views of the falls. You can see the steps and the beautiful falls in the pictures. The canyon is gorgeous and many of the pics were taken that morning of the canyon and falls trying to capture the magnificent beauty. You have to see it in person to really appreciate it.
From there we went on to Mammoth Hot Springs to view the many bubbling pools and unstable earth. If you read enough about what is happening under Yellowstone you start to get nervous enough to want to leave.
The buffalo were thick and loved to get on the road and stand stopping traffic. As you can see in the pics we also saw elk and coyote. The elk were really pretty and majestic.
Everyone wants to see a bear but not too close. That afternoon heading back to fishing bridge driving along the Yellowstone River, I saw a grizzly bear on the left side of the road, I couldn't hardly get the words out to Judy to take a look but I finally did and managed to grab my camera as he crossed the road right in front of the pickup and then continued on down the side right by Judy. I got out and continued to take pictures as he headed into the woods. The next morning in the same area Judy saw a bear swimming the river and grabbed the camera and jumped out and took a number of shots. The bears never paid us any attention, but we were always ready with our bear spray.
After the bear we went on to Old Faithful and many of the geysers and pots. The next day we climbed Mt. Washburn to 10,243 feet (see the pictures). This day was clear and we could see the Tetons. Later that evening we joined our group and had dinner at the Old Faithful Inn.
Part of the reason to come to Yellowstone was so Judy could have her picture taken in front of the cabins she used to clean when she worked there the first summer out of high school.
Tetons
From Lander we drove over a 9300 foot pass that made me a nervous wreck, but we made it and arrived at Colter Campground in the Tetons a day early. We hiked a little and then went to Jackson Lodge to meet two of the other four couples traveling to Glacier. We had drinks, looked for wildlife, and then returned. We moved into Colter campground with full hookups the next morning and later Jill and John arrived. We hiked with them and shared dinner.
The next day (8/20) we traveled to Jenny Lake, took the boat across the lake where many people take the trail up to inspiration point and Hidden Falls. We were part of this group but we continued on into Cascade Canyon between two of the very tall peaks of the Tetons. Most of the pics you see in the blog of the Tetons were on this hike. The valley we hiked into reminded us of the alps in Europe. The wildlife was all around including the two snakes that settled in beside Judy during our lunch (see pics) and the moose calf we saw coming out.
John, Jill, Judy and I got up on Saturday (8/21) and hiked around Jenny Lake up to Leigh Lake and String Lake. It was a long hike but the lakes and trails were beautiful. We were up early before the hikes watching the sunrise (notice the pictures of the peaks being lighted by the Sun and Judy and Jill freezing in their chairs), and we ended the day watching the sun set over Jackson Lake.
The next day (8/20) we traveled to Jenny Lake, took the boat across the lake where many people take the trail up to inspiration point and Hidden Falls. We were part of this group but we continued on into Cascade Canyon between two of the very tall peaks of the Tetons. Most of the pics you see in the blog of the Tetons were on this hike. The valley we hiked into reminded us of the alps in Europe. The wildlife was all around including the two snakes that settled in beside Judy during our lunch (see pics) and the moose calf we saw coming out.
John, Jill, Judy and I got up on Saturday (8/21) and hiked around Jenny Lake up to Leigh Lake and String Lake. It was a long hike but the lakes and trails were beautiful. We were up early before the hikes watching the sunrise (notice the pictures of the peaks being lighted by the Sun and Judy and Jill freezing in their chairs), and we ended the day watching the sun set over Jackson Lake.
Vrain State Park to Sink Canyon State Park
In the pictures you will see a lot of birds and a beautiful lake, all part of Vrain State Park. A wonderful place to spend the night. We backed in to an isolated spot and took great hikes and pictures in the evening and the next morning before leaving. The park is north of Denver about 25 miles close to I-25. We highly recommend it.....
We headed north on US287 and wound up in Lander, Wyoming. Judy wanted to stay in a nearby state park, Sink Canyon, so we rode up a big hill into a gorgeous canyon. They don't have sites for larger trailers - oops! Turned around in a place where there isn't much room and stayed on a cliff side RV park overlooking Lander. It was nice and we met a great gentleman who told us about a hike in the canyon we were just in. We got up early the next morning and drove there where we arrived about the same time as he and his wife. We hiked to a beautiful falls upa cascading stream with Richard and Betty. They were great coaches to start our hiking in the mountains.
We headed north on US287 and wound up in Lander, Wyoming. Judy wanted to stay in a nearby state park, Sink Canyon, so we rode up a big hill into a gorgeous canyon. They don't have sites for larger trailers - oops! Turned around in a place where there isn't much room and stayed on a cliff side RV park overlooking Lander. It was nice and we met a great gentleman who told us about a hike in the canyon we were just in. We got up early the next morning and drove there where we arrived about the same time as he and his wife. We hiked to a beautiful falls upa cascading stream with Richard and Betty. They were great coaches to start our hiking in the mountains.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Pictures are at http://picasaweb.google.com/tbettes
For a guy who sold software the largest part of his career, I give up on loading pictures to the blog, so they will be at
http://picasaweb.google.com/tbettes
This will just be boring text.
This will just be boring text.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
The Grand Canyon of Texas
Friday, August 13, we pulled out from home and made 300 miles by 5 PM. We stopped in Sweetwater and stayed at the Sweetwater RV Park. Classic and quaint but they had shade, water and electricity. Whose idea was it to travel in 100 degree heat?
On Saturday we arrived in Palo Duro Canyon. What fun to drive down a 2 mile 10+% grade with switch backs for the first time. Judy almost pushed a hole through her side of the pick up floor working her imaginary brakes. Palo Duro is called the Grand Canyon of Texas. We loved the strata of various layers. One of the last great Indian Battles took place here. Kind of sad as a Comanche tribe was living here peacably and the Calvary came in and destroyed/took 1,000 of their 1400 head of horses and put them on a reservation.
I have attached a number of pictures from hikes we took. The pole like rock formations are called "Hoodoo's". I would love to know the origin of that!
P.S. - Notice there are no pictures. I forgot the usb cable. We are in the Denver area now so I will stop and buy one. Pic to follow.
On Saturday we arrived in Palo Duro Canyon. What fun to drive down a 2 mile 10+% grade with switch backs for the first time. Judy almost pushed a hole through her side of the pick up floor working her imaginary brakes. Palo Duro is called the Grand Canyon of Texas. We loved the strata of various layers. One of the last great Indian Battles took place here. Kind of sad as a Comanche tribe was living here peacably and the Calvary came in and destroyed/took 1,000 of their 1400 head of horses and put them on a reservation.
I have attached a number of pictures from hikes we took. The pole like rock formations are called "Hoodoo's". I would love to know the origin of that!
P.S. - Notice there are no pictures. I forgot the usb cable. We are in the Denver area now so I will stop and buy one. Pic to follow.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)