Yellowstone in August

     We fulfilled our goal of annually camping and fishing the northeast corner of Yellowstone National Park in August.  Meg's in-laws drove in for a visit and we used the opportunity of Josh's week off work to hitch up the camper and head to one of our favorite spots on the planet.

     Our mission for this trip is to grab a campsite in the Slough Creek or Pebble Creek camps.  These are rustic campgrounds (no running water, electricity, etc) near the Cooke City, MT park entrance.  Last year, we woke in the wee hours of the morning to make the long drive and get a site (these camps do not take reservations).  This time, I convinced Glenn to make a one-night reservation at Bridge Bay CG on Saturday, August 13.  We left here about 11:00 a.m., stopping in Idaho Falls for lunch.  By about 4:00 p.m. we were safely ensconced in BB, camper set up, snacks on the table and wine 'round the campfire.

      Although we LOVE YNP, we decidedly were happy not to be staying in Bridge Bay.  The park service has changed its policy; no electricity is available here, but generators are allowed until 8:00 p.m.  Nothing beats the gentle hum of what seems a zillion generators near dinnertime!!  Fortunately, the rustic campgrounds inside the park allow NO generators at ANY time.

     Sunday, August 14 we climbed out of the sleeping bags about 6:00 a.m.  The camper was down, folded and hitched again by 6:30 a.m.  Glenn allowed me one stop near Canyon for a cup of take-out coffee (serendipitiously, the college gal who waited on me is from near Lansing, MI so we chatted about our common roots a bit) then it was off to Slough Creek.  Arriving before 8:00 a.m. we will always be grateful to the Oregon couple we never met who left the PRIMO site before we got there.  One campsite in this area has always been our 'prize' . . . we've talked about how nice it would be to someday have that spot.  Bingo!!  This time it was ours for seven blissful nights!

(08/18/2011)  Glenn pauses on the trip back from Upper Pebble Creek meadows.  This particular hike required a 1,100 foot ascent on a narrow, sometimes treacherous, trail.  We were proud of ourselves for just having made it there and back!  Probably not one we'll do again, but worth the effort.  At the higher elevations of the meadow, wildflowers were still in full bloom; in fact, later that evening I used my YNP Wildflower guide to identify 15 different varieties we'd seen.

      Just as we began the trek back, we met a couple from Milan, Italy who spoke little English.  They wondered if, when they got back to the road, they could "catch a bus to their car."  Um, no.  So we gave them a ride -- and they were grateful!  Their hike of the entire loop was 12 miles long; it was another 8 back to their car from the parking lot where our truck waited!

     Of course, we spent many, many hours fly fishing in some of our favorite spots.  We once again feasted on Yellowstone trout for one meal . . . and for you 'catch and release' folks out there. . . rainbow trout in many areas of Yellowstone are NON NATIVE.  The park service is trying to eradicate them to make better habitat for the native cutthroats.  So, fishers are encouraged to keep rainbows they land.

     We managed to complete three hikes during our stay as well.  We hiked to Cache Creek (about 8 miles round trip); the Upper Pebble Creek meadow (see photo above) about 6 miles round trip and part of the Garnet Hill trail, probably five miles, total.
     The better parts of every day were spent on the water with better success for both of us than previous years.  I think we're both starting to get the hang of fly fishing!  In the nine days and eight nights in the park, we never left its boundaries once.

(08/20/2011)  Not old yet.  One of my personal standards for knowing when I'm truly old is when I no longer will bathe outdoors.  Since we didn't make it back to MI this past summer, I sorely missed my Great Lakes 'spas', but I did tiptoe into Slough Creek twice, soap in hand.  It  reminded me of the beer commercials touting "cold mountain waters"  -- Yikes!!

     This particular foray into Yellowstone was unusual in another regard -- no weird wildlife encounters.  Sure, a fox meandered through our campsite a couple of times and we did see a bear from our car.  Warning signs posted around our campground of recent bear sightings didn't materialize into any ursus visits while we were there.  We did see hundreds of bison; they remain my favorite, especially when we are close enough to hear them chewing and grunting.
     The trip ended on Sunday, August 21.  We returned to Inkom one day in advance of Meghan returning to work, spending the day on laundry, the mail and a myriad number of other tasks that went undone during our trip.
      Since then we've pretty much kept busy with our 'babies.'  Miles is growing fast and furious and talking up a storm.  His vocabulary continues to amaze and astonish us.  And his voice!!  Two days ago he and I were in TJ Maxx looking at toys when a stranger stepped over from a nearby aisle to say "Your grandson has the most amazing voice!"
     Meanwhile, Mae Elizabeth is becoming a "chub" as her mom says.  A four-month checkup is schedule in two days.  She's eating better than 20 oz. of mom's milk during the hours she's with us; now reaching for toys and objects and trying to hold her own bottle.
     This coming weekend, we'll pull the camper out for probably the last time this season.  We'll be spending the weekend in Warm River, ID with our new friends, The Smiths'.
     At this point, I'm scheduled to fly back to the mid-west in November.  Since Glenn plans to return for deer hunting, I'll meet up with him in Detroit.  A whirlwind visit to be sure -- we'll sandwich a visit with Rita and my cousin Rose with Thanksgiving in Illinois with the Hilleslands -- all this between hitting Ann Arbor on November 19 for the historic UM vs Nebraska game and again on November 26 for the class UM vs Ohio State.  I'm not sure where my summer has flown; shortly I'll be thinking the same about my autumn!