The Grand Tetons
were named by French trappers, “Les Trois Tetons”, and put nicely
means The Three Breasts. I'm still not sure which three they were so
impressed by because there are definitely more than three peaks. But they are truly beautiful. And yet, we were unable to see them in
their full splendor. The day we arrived a fire that had been burning
over a month began to spread. The campgrounds to the north of us
were evacuated and the road to Yellowstone was shut down.
Fortunately, we were able to stay but some mornings the haze and
smoke were so bad that we just stayed indoors.
This picture is a
perfect example. The same enormous mountain range you see in the
above picture is totally obscured by smoke in this one.
In the afternoons
though we were able to get out and as the week progressed, the views
became better.
We stayed at Colter
Bay RV Park which is located in Colter Bay Village and on Jackson
Lake. We didn't have a full view of the lake but it was a short walk
to get there. Greg loved watching the sunsets and I think Jacob and
Jordan can find endless fun with driftwood.
One evening, we were
even able to see the fire that had come over the ridge.
Here are some
general pictures:
Willow Flats
Overlook
Jackson Lake
Overlook
Signal Mountain
Overlook
Our hikes included:
String Lake
Inspiration Point
(not as inspiring as I hoped but still nice)
Taggart and Bradley Lake trail
(Bradley Lake)
(Taggart Lake)
(Taggart Lake)
We also
went in to Jackson one day for lunch, went to a couple of the
visitor's centers, checked out the Jackson Lake Dam and learned
about the engine used to open the gates and how to read the gauges,
celebrated
the National Parks Service's 100th Birthday with rangers
and had some cake,
and
attended a few ranger programs. My favorite program was actually
done by author Kenneth Thomasma who wrote TheTruth About Sacajawea. He retold the story of the
Lewis and Clark Expedition focusing more on Sacajawea and her
extraordinary skills at such a young age resulting in some very
significant contributions to the Discovery Group which certainly
improved their chances for success. I love hearing this story over
and over again. Each person, book, or video presents it slightly
different and adds a few extra details I haven't heard before.
Mr Thomasma also had a key role in recommending Sacajawea for the
dollar
coin
to
replace the Susan B. Anthony one
and then tirelessly working for that to come to fruition. We bought a couple of his books (some additional historical fiction ones) for the kids and he signed them and gave us Sacajawea coins.
And Jordan was able to assist in the flag ceremony
Our stay was nice. We need to come back in the future for a better
look. We've heard September is great when the elks are moving and
bugling and the fall foliage begins to show.
We have yet to see a grizzly! Maybe that will happen this week as we
move to Yellowstone!
We didn't do a whole
lot this week but there were a few interesting sites and some
unwanted excitement. I'll get to that part shortly.
On our way from
Boise, we stopped at Three Island Crossing State Park and Oregon
Trail Interpretive Center. Here is where the wagon trains crossed
the Snake River. At some point they built a ferry but prior to that,
they would ford the river via two of the islands. Many lost
livestock and even their wagons. They would cross about this time of
year, in August. And being here in the High Desert in August just
added to the experience. It was miserably HOT with the sun just
blazing down! Those people had some amazing will.
Inside the
interpretive center, the kids tried loading their wagons with
supplies,
learning what amount
of supplies $500, $1000, and $1500 would get you (and just for
reference, $1000 back then is $20,000 today Sheesh!),
basket weaving and
other things.
From there, we
traveled to City of Rocks National Reserve. The wagon trains passed through here and many of the emigrants
signed their names on the rocks using axle grease.
We stopped and
checked out some of the rocks and then nearing the end of the road
through the park, we got back into the truck and it would not
start!!! So there we were in the middle of NOWHERE with NO cell phone
signal and it is now 6:45 pm. Fortunately, we had our "covered wagon" with us! Haha
I should add that on
the way to the park, the truck engine light came on. We connected
the computer to the system and read the error code. It indicated
that there was low rail pressure and that the truck could go into limp mode. But the truck was running fine and even limp mode would at least get us somewhere so we cleared the code and continued on (knowing that we would need to address it later).
So Greg got to work.
He climbed up to the top of the RV to attach our cell phone booster
and was able to get a signal to call our insurance for roadside
assistance. That too was no easy task. Because our RV and our truck
are covered by two different companies, we would be out of pocket for
towing one of them ($$$). And where would we even go? We were really not
near any big towns.
The good news was that we were safe, in a
parking lot in the park, with toilets and running water. So that was
awesome. BUT Greg had to work the next day and without internet we
were in a bit of trouble. After two hours on the phone and no real
plan for getting out of there, Greg was able to get an internet
signal and after a short search, had a revelation. He primed the
fuel pump and the truck started right up! WooHoo! We stashed
everything as fast as we could and boogied on down the road. The truck
ran fine and we were pulling into the next campground at 10:03 pm. We
said another Hallelujah when we saw that there was no gate locking
the park at 10:00 pm like many of them do.
So the truck is
running fine. Greg has researched and spoken with some people about
it and has a part on the way. In the meantime though, I have been a
little leary of going off by myself with the kids.
It's interesting
coming into a park at night and then waking up to see where exactly you are. We really had no idea what was around us but it was so
pretty. Looking out over the snake river....
It's a small
park and quite remote but it would be our home for the next week.
And the week started out very hot, like almost Texas hot. Our RV
only has one a/c and generally that is enough but there was no shade
and it was 95 degrees out. And being so remote and with a
questionable vehicle, there wasn't really any place to go.
So we just dealt
with it. We did check out some of the trails in the park. This park
is also on the Oregon Trail and had a small visitor's center with
some information. The name Massacre Rocks comes from an Indian skirmish with two
wagon trains in 1862 during which 5 pioneers died. The early travelers called it "Devil's Pass" or "Gates of Death" since the boulders where tall and steep and had only narrow passages for the wagons to travel through, making it an ideal place for attack. The park has a
memorial stone that has been moved here after the highway was blasted and built through.
Nearby, is another
location named Register Rock where again the pioneers left their
names.
(The Indian head was carved in 1866 by a 7-year-old boy who was traveling with his parents on the Oregon
Trail. He later became a sculptor and dated the carving again when he returned in 1908)
We also checked out
the parks frisbee golf course.
And one evening, we
drove to Pocatello and had a very nice visit with one of Greg's former coworkers, Randy and
his family. They moved to Idaho a couple of years ago.
(They had their reason for posing this way. Ha ha)
We had an amazing
time in Bend! We stayed at Sunriver-Bend RV Resort and Campground
just outside of Sunriver and about 25 minutes outside of Bend. This
is another Thousand Trails campground where we have a membership. So
far, this has been the prettiest one we have stayed at due to its
location and being able to see the snow-capped mountains.
(One thing you can't see though is that apparently frogs are attracted to this water
and there are literally at least a hundred quarter-sized frogs in this pool!)
And they had a cute little old town with some fun things to look at and it is also where the game lounge, TV room and country store are. We watched movies in the grassy area and fed all the little bunnies that like to hang out there.
We found a pretty
good campsite close to the bath and shower house. Important since
this campground has NO sewer hookups anywhere! That would be my one
complaint. But fortunately, the showers were warm (most days) and
believe it or not, we made it 3 WEEKS without filling up our black
tanks and having to have it pumped out!
Before I get to
our awesome outdoor adventures, I will start with a couple of other
updates/things.
Our drive to Bend
from Washington was pretty spectacular. Just when I thought I would
be saying good-bye to Lewis and Clark, there they were again! We
traveled through the Columbia River Gorge. It was absolutely
gorgeous and we have to go back to check it out again someday.
We had
hoped to stop at the 611-foot Multnomah Falls but the lots were full and no way
were we going to find a spot for the truck AND fifth wheel so here is
what we saw as we passed. Hahaha
The landscape changed so much from the gorge, through Mt. Hood
National Forest and on into Sunriver and it was all so beautiful!
(Crooked River Gorge)
Jordan went to
gymnastics camp during our second week and had so much fun. At this
camp, they were able to choose three different activities to focus on
for the week. Her activities were snowboarding, gymnastics and
cheer. Her favorite was “EVERYTHING!” At the end of the week, I
got to go watch their performance in cheer and gymnastics.
(Her new friend, Cora, is sitting to her right)
Towards the end of
our second week, a family that we previously met when we were home in
Austin came to the park. Jacob and the son, Julian are the same age
and had a great time together playing Chess and visiting the area
they call "the Dip" on their bikes. They have dreams of returning next
summer together to go again.
(hard to tell from the picture but it is actually a pretty large hole in the ground)
The daughter, Audrey, is 12 and is very sweet. She was quite entertaining for Jordan. We
all had a great time together. And since I did not get any pictures
of them this time, I'll just put in these pics from when we met for
ice skating at Whole Foods in Austin.
A couple of the
other outings the kids and I did were:
A factory tour at
Goody's Chocolate Factory,
the Sunriver Nature
Center and Observatory,
and the High Desert
Museum.
The kids really enjoyed this museum. They had various indoor and outdoor exhibits including a 1904 ranch, which was right up Jordan's alley.
And one more update.
My plants were growing great! We enjoyed our first two tomatoes
from our tomato plant. Aren't they pretty? They were good!
The romaine lettuce
was getting big and more than 20 strawberries were growing on my
strawberry plant.
But notice how I said “was” and “were”. It's not because I am writing this about the past. In a matter of minutes, a doe came and ate the majority of my plants.
I was so sad. I had known she was around and had been trying to find
some netting at the stores but they were sold out or
ridiculously priced for what I needed. WAAAAAAAA! :(
The tomatoes are
okay and we have over 50 tomatoes now but the doe did take a couple
of red ones. The strawberry plant is recovering. Thank goodness
the deer left a couple of leaves! And the romaine is regrowing.
It's been quite the learning experience and despite the setbacks, I
get so excited each day when I look at my plants. Just hoping I get
a few strawberries before the season ends. Here's my attempt at protecting them: I took a pop-up hamper that we had and cut out the bottom then covered it with plant netting so that bees can still visit. We'll see how it goes...
So now onto the
outdoor beauty of this area. There was sooooo much to do and we
loved everything that we found. It's a long list, so get ready!
Kayaking the
Little Deschutes River-we
were able to access the river from the campground. I dropped them off and planned to meet up with them at a bridge further down the river. BUT forty-five minutes later when I was making my way to get them, I discovered that the only road to the bridge was in a gated community. I could not get to them! Thank goodness we were able to communicate with cell phones. In the end, with no other possible place to get out without floating another couple of hours down the river, in the dark, they had to just get out and carry the kayak to the highway. I asked them if they felt like Lewis & Clark making
their portage?! Haha. No seriously, we know now to better plan our
river exits!
Tubing the
Deschutes River with Jordan's new friend Cora from gymnastics
camp
NEWBERRY MOUNTAIN
Newberry Mountain is a 1200-square mile active volcano (the size of Rhode Island)! It last erupted 1300 years ago. In the past, it
has erupted about every 1,000 years so it is overdue but at this
point there is no evidence of an eruption in the near future. The caldera is 17 square miles and contains two lakes, Paulina and East lakes. In the area, there are many cinder cones, vents, basalt flows and obsidian. We
visited:
Trail of Molten Lava
Lava Butte-See the cinder cone behind Jordan in the above picture. We took a bus that drove us to the top. The picture below is looking down into it.
Benham Falls-while it was a very awesome 4-mile ride DOWN to the the falls, it was a non-stop gradual climb on the way back!
Paulina Peak-behind us you can see Paulina Lake on the left and East Lake in the distance. The light gray on the ground behind us is the Big Obsidian Flow.
(Jojo at the very top of Paulina Peak, 7985 ft)
Paulina Falls
Big Obsidian Flow-this area is composed of various types of volcanic rock with a very large amount of obsidian (volcanic glass). Watch your step and do not fall on this trail!
(Jacob is looking strong while holding a large piece of pumice. haha)
(Interestingly, this tree is between 150 and 250 years old!! The terrain
with very little soil make for very tough growing conditions)
(This is a piece of obsidian but there were many pieces much bigger than us)
Newberry Caldera with East Lake and Paulina Lake
(That speck in the middle is Greg and the kids in the kayak in Paulina Lake)
We were told about some hot springs at the lake and so we planned on checking them out while kayaking there. So while they were off in the kayak, I set out to find them. This is what I found at first. It was not even as big as a bathtub and smelled just wretched! And there was no way on earth I was going to get in there.
In a little bit, a couple of guys came by and let us know that there was another "nicer", cleaner one just around the corner and that it is the one people get in. Well apparently our definitions of nice and clean are quite different. Again this thing is not large enough for even a person and while there isn't a bunch of sludge growing on top like the first one, it is still just a tiny pool of HOT STINK! We did put a few toes in to feel the warmth but that was enough rotten eggs smell for us! But you could also walk out a little into the lake and find some of the springs bubbling up there as well.
CRATER LAKE at Mount Mazama-This is one of our favorites! The trail to the water was a tough downhill trail with an even tougher
uphill return but it was so pretty, clear and BLUE!
Everyone put their feet in the cold water and Greg even decided to take the plunge and jump in.
Wizard Island is a cinder cone in the lake that appeared about 7300 years ago
This is called the Phantom Ship because it looks like a small sailboat but it is actually 16-stories high.
A little hard to see but this is the Pumice Castle. It orange pumice that has eroded to look like a castle.
And these are the Pinnacles. They are "fossil fumaroles" where volcanic gases rose through ash and cemented the ash into rock. Erosion then removed the softer ash and pumice leaving these formations. So awesome!
We had a fun dinner and explored the Pinnacles with Greg's friend Allen. They met in college while working at Casa Ole. He moved to Oregon about a year ago.
WILLAMETTE
NATIONAL FOREST
Proxy Falls
(upper falls)
(lower falls)
Benson Lake-this was about a 2-mile hike in which isn't bad but the mosquitoes were plentiful!
Willamette National Forest-Dee Wright Observatory-you can't really see them in the first picture but in the second it shows the little windows inside the observatory. Each one was labeled so that you knew which mountain peak you were viewing when you looked out. There were more than eight windows. We were surrounded by mountains!
This one of the many peaks we could see.
SMITH ROCK STATE
PARK-As you will see, this place was gorgeous! BUT it was tough! It was so hot on this day. We hiked the 3.7-mile Misery Ridge Trail which took four hours. The first 30 minutes was a grueling, unshaded, 600-ft elevation gain climb to the summit at 3,360 ft.
(view from the summit)
(This is called Monkey Face for obvious reasons. You can see Greg in a Navy shirt on the rock to the left. I
had to make this picture extra large so hopefully you can see the two climbers on the neck of Monkey Face. Look on the left side just above the color change. Scary, huh?!
(These little holes or hollows are called huecos, pronounced Wacos. Most
of you will recognize this! The name of this Texas city originates from "the
many water-holding depressions in the boulders and rock faces throughout the
region" (according to the ranger and Wikipedia).
CASCADE LAKES
HIGHWAY-All of these lakes are just beautiful. The pictures really do not do them justice.
Todd Lake
Devil's Lake
Elk Lake
As you can see it is such a gorgeous area. There is so much to do and nothing is all that far away. We are already planning our return, but for now we must move on to Boise! Oh boy!
