Glenn and I took off for another trip to one of our favorite spots, Yellowstone, on September 2 and returned September 8. We camped for six nights in the Slough (pronounced "sloo") Creek campground. This rustic campground contains about 20 sites, is operated by the National Park Service and is located in the Lamar Valley, in the northeast quadrant of the park.
We'd expected the first week of September to be quiet in the park, and compared to the overflows we experienced in late June, it was peaceful. Yet, our campground filled to capacity each night. A big lure in that area is the fly fishing. Lots of fly fishermen (not so many women) came and went throughout our time there.
An overview. . .
*We spent a good portion of each day fly fishing. I'm getting better with the casting and can tie on my own fly (as long as I have my glasses on!). Next goal is to tie my own tippets.
*We caught fish, Glenn more than I. Beautiful cutthroat trout, primarily. Probably the biggest was Glenn's 20" beauty.
*Glenn also caught a rainbow trout of about 16-18". Unfortunately, in my haphazard attempt to net it for him, I lost it. I say unfortunately since rainbows are non-native species so we could've kept this fish and eaten it. Sigh.
*In the serendipity department, we'd found a really nice fishing hole along the Soda Butte Creek which we fished twice with great success. Our third trip back to the area found the spot taken by another fly fisherman. So we drove up to Pebble Creek, and walked away off the road where we found an even better pool with trout -- which entertained us nicely for several hours!
*We did not seek out wildlife, but we succeeded in some neat sightings anyway. We stopped in one drive near Tower to allow three mountain goats to wander through. One evening, a mule deer buck in velvet trotted through our campsite while we were cooking porkchops over the fire; a bit later a coyote meandered through. Our last morning we awoke to the sounds of grunts and snorts (not the neighbors in the next tent!) but a herd of bison sauntering through our campground. Since it was only 23 degrees that morning, they all wore coats of frost.
*Weather wasn't spectacular, hovering in the low to mid 50's most times with occasional sprinkles. But, it wasn't too hot for hiking nor did it force us to change any plans.
*We hiked to the second meadow of Slough Creek again; it's five miles one-way. Ten miles round-trip with six hours of fly-fishing in between. We made it. Not bad for us "old guys."
*The last morning, 23 degrees meant the glass of water kept near our bed was frozen about 1/4" thick. Glad for my winter coat then!
We just love Yellowstone and the more we visit, the more opportunities we have to seek out areas not seen in past trips. We also are now staying away from the "highpoints" (Old Faithful, etc) in exchange for hiking to out-of-the-way places. This time, we saw parts of the Lamar River we'd never visited before. On one hike, we didn't catch any fish. . .but neither did we encounter another single human being!
Back "home" to the Jurgens' on Monday and to little Mr. Miles. We missed that grandbaby a great deal during the camping trip. Grandpa Glenn mused that next year Miles will be old enough to go along! We'll see just what his mom and dad think about that!
The house continues to progress. The sheetrock/drywall is nearly complete. Later this week they will begin taping and mudding it. Then, texture will be applied. Our builder tells us the next big decision for us will be interior paint colors. So, we intend to spend some time tomorrow at the Sherwin-Williams website looking at possibilities. Yikes.
We are now narrowing down our plans to return to the midwest. It looks like we'll be leaving here October 8 and stopping in Illinois to visit my mom and my sister's family. Then, off to Michigan and our cabin in Iosco County. I have an Altrusa commitment October 17-19 in Pt. Clinton, Ohio. Glenn and I will take in the UM vs MSU football game in Ann Arbor on October 25. I will return sometime later that week by air (if the DDR doesn't sell, Glenn will stay behind to hunt). If our property does sell, we'll drive back together, probably stopping in Illinois for a night or two en route.
Although Meghan's plan is to return to work on Monday, October 27, her mother-in-law will be here that week . . . and will have the opportunity for some one-on-one time with Miles.
It's amazing how hectic life can be!
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