Arrived in driggs, Idaho yesterday afternoon, welcomed to our friend’s house for a long weekend. Another serendipitus meet-up that worked out between our schedules. A great joy in our travels have been these unplanned get-together’s with friends or family.
Some great sunsets on the Teton mountains from this side
Pulled into a city park just outside of Rexburg, ID on Monday afternoon. Only $5 a night for a site, which isn’t bad considering it’s only a few miles into town.
Had scheduled our tire replacement that afternoon, which went great. Based on a friend’s recommendation, bought the tires on TireBuyer.com, then they can ship them directly to an installer in your area. Worked out as expected and saved some cash too.
Cindy and I spent those couple hours walking around the downtown/campus area. The BYU-Idaho campus is located here. She also took the opportunity to get a pedicure, which was thoroughly enjoyed. A big farming area here, so we have been sampling their great ice cream and frozen custards.
Not allowed to post both the before and after pictures
Picked up the truck and drove back to our campsite, anticipating a quiet drive on new tires. The same noise returned, so it was quickly determined that tires were not the issue. The wheel bearing issue had returned. Had a bunch of service done on the truck about a year ago before we left on our first road trip. This included replacing both front wheel bearings, which appears to be a common issue at higher mileages on Tacoma trucks.
Luckily a Toyota dealer is in town, so I called them up to explain the issue. He explained that all toyota replacement parts are warrantied for a year. As usual with warranties, this issue started again just over a year after the replacement. So we scheduled a visit for Tuesday afternoon to check out the issue. Woke up tuesday to clear skies and a fresh breeze, so we decided to take the opportunity to empty out the trailer and do a full cleaning. Also did laundry and filled our propane, so we are ready to head back on the road!
Found out later in the day that it is the bearing again but covered under warranty, so waiting on a part to be shipped and planning to get it fixed on Wednesday at 10am. We relaxed the rest of the day back at the trailer, watching a few movies with our 4g cell coverage here.
After some delicious egg and cheese burritos, we collected firewood for the evening campfire. Drove a bit further south to spend the day exploring the area around Island Park, Idaho. Saw some history at a preserved cabin near Big Springs, then explored a few areas of the Henry’s Fork portion of the Snake River, which is another renowned trout fishing river, but I was only able to catch a couple baby trout.
A sunny afternoon hanging out along the Henry’s Fork of the Snake River
Another mini trout for the record books
Further down the river in an area called Box Canyon. Traded another $5 lure for a mini trout
Jalapeno in her all-time favorite spot on Cindy’s lap with a warm fire
Super-moon rocky mountain style
Interesting coat hangers made from hooves
John Sack, the builder of this cabin, was only 4′ 11″ so everything is tiny
Amazing craftsmanship throughout the cabin
Enjoyed a delicious dinner at a place called Boondock’s. Once again, Yelp was spot on with reviews and recommendations to find a good place to eat. Cindy had the fish and chips and I had to try the local rainbow trout w/ shrimp. Both were great, plus a to-go item for the morning.
Continuing south today to Rexburg. Scheduled to get some new tires on the truck. Normally not that that exciting, but when you rely on the truck and trailer for a place to live and travel, maintenance items like that seem much more important. Plus the road noise is getting quite annoying, so hopefully old tires are the cause..
Cindy plans on some lady maintenance while in town too, a long overdue pedicure!
Finally able to get some decent cell coverage, so some fresh videos have been uploaded for your viewing enjoyment!
BVI Sailing Trip back in February
Hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park
Hiking to the top of Jackson Hole
Yellowstone Footage!
Found a free campsite just north of island park. Comfy spot with a bit of road noise but a nice mountain view out our back window. Had a quick downpour while finding the spot, so the trailer got its first mud bath. Supposedly some great fishing near here in an area called Henry’s Fork.
Setting up for the night
Nice campfire to keep us warm, summer still hasn't arrived yet
Bright and sunny Sunday morning
Wednesday, June 19th
After our loooong hike yesterday, decided to sleep in a bit and take a day to be lazy tourists. Drove over by the Canyon area, first stop was some laundry and a shower for Cindy. I seem to go longer in between real showers.. We spent the rest of the day driving around the area checking out the sights. Met our goal of being lazy tourists, joining the crowds who minimize any sort of walking or physical exercise and drive to every site, fighting for the closest parking spots like it’s a shopping mall.
Thursday, June 20th
Chilly conditions returned overnight, but back in action today for some more hiking. Drove north from our campground up to the Mammoth Spring area of the park. It’s a nice area with some hot springs, quite a bit of wildlife in close contact and some good views while hiking. Enjoyed our first “fast food” meal in awhile at the cafeteria, consisting of a black bean burger and fries. Surprising to see quite a selection of non-meat and healthy eating options even at a cafeteria. Took a walking ranger tour later in the day to see the historic army fort, which was the original buildings in the park while the army managed the place prior to the park service being created.
Drove a bit further north to check out the boiling river attraction, but it was closed still due to high water from the spring melt. A warm soak would have been awesome with this colder weather!
Friday, June 21st
Decided this would be our last full day in the park, before heading onwards. Took a further drive out to the northeastern side of the park towards the Lamar Valley. Supposedly more wildlife sightings happen in that area due to less tourist traffic with fewer major attractions nearby. Hiked the Slough Creek area to start the day with overcast conditions. A nice hike, but didn’t see much wildlife other than some birds and a few bison. Stopped to talk with a couple from Wisconsin who were fishing the creek and having some good luck. Water seemed cloudy to me, so I didn’t give the area a try. River was too high to try fording over it for a loop trail return, so we backtracked the same way to the trailhead (We both dislike backtracking, but learned a lesson earlier in the week during that road hiking session. Sometimes backtracking is the best way home..)
Heard from other hikers about a bear nearby, but did not see it on the way back. So.. no bear sightings for us other than a drive-by sighting. Don’t count that as a real one though. Second stop was a short hike up to Trout lake, turned out to be great scenery with an impressive sight of wild spawning trout. Finished the day a bit earlier than usual to get back for dinner and a final campfire. Folks continue to be interested in our Rpod trailer and impressed by our lengthy road trip.
All in all, we liked the park. Luckily there is enough remote area and trails to get away from the crowds. Think we mixed it up well with offbeat hikes and major attractions. I do frown upon the hordes of people who pull over on the shoulder, stop in the road and generally act like morons to get the best view of an animal hanging out near the road. I’ll likely refer to this place as the disney world for nature, due to the lack of effort needed to actually have rare sightings of animals without having to leave your vehicle. Think you should actually have to leave your car and at least walk a bit to get the benefit of seeing them up close.
Our journey continues as we head further west with a quick stint in Montana for groceries then into Idaho. Spending a few days on our own then down to Driggs, ID to meet up with some friends for a few days.
Cell coverage is very limited here, so just uploading some text for now. Will upload photos and videos when we get into a better connected area..
Sunday, June 16th
Packed up the trailer and truck and departed Colter bay campground around 11am. A very scenic drive along the northern end of Teton park. Not a very long drive til we arrived at the south entrance to Yellowstone. This park is enormous! We decided to try finding a first come first serve site at the Norris campground, figuring that early afternoon would be a good time to find an opening. A couple weeks ago, I had made a reservation for a few nights, but cancelled it since we ended up staying additional nights around the Tetons. Plus, making advance reservations hasn’t been a part of this trip anyways.
Pulled into Norris around 1pm, finding that most sites were already taken. But we were successful in finding a site in loop C. Not the greatest site, nor a nice creek view like loop A. But a site nonetheless. Peak season starts here on July 4th, but place is already quite jammed.
Spent the afternoon with a drive up to the canyon lodge area. We didn’t bring enough groceries into the park, as there aren’t many services available between Jackson and yellowstone, other than tiny, overpriced grocery stores in both parks. Stocked up on a few important items at the canyon store, hopefully enough to get us thru the week. Plus, cell coverage is virtually nonexistent in the park, other than a couple lodge locations like canyon and old faithful. Tried getting some calls through to our dad’s..
When we returned, tried my luck at some fishing in the creek surrounding the campground. They were quite small cutthroat trout, but finally some success using a fly on a spin rod!
Monday, June 17th
Woke up early to check out a possible campsite move down towards the creek, but to no avail. Read the night before about a ranger guided tour at Norris geyser basin, so we dressed and drove down to meet the group at 930am. Enjoyed an entertaining 90 minute walking tour of the area, seeing all types of thermal features, including geysers, fumarols, hot springs and mud pots. Quite amazing to consider the size and explosiveness of this volcano when it last erupted, and now we are walking around on the edge of the caldera which is mostly forested.
In reading about the park, it’s recommended to hit the highlights early in the morning (before 10am) to avoid the big crowds. They were right, cause when we walked back to the parking lot, it was all jammed up like a mall parking lot during the holidays. Between the folks stopping in the highway to take photos, jammed parking lots and the packaged wilderness feel, I am starting to think that Yellowstone is the Disney World of national parks.
Hoping to get out in the back country a bit after seeing the major highlights.
Stopped for lunch at a roadside picnic table near gibbon falls. Continued further south to check out a gravel road designated as a bike trail. Parked in a pullout and setup the bikes, then ventured out carrying our backpack and fishing rod. Made a couple stops along the way to continue my streak of fishing luck, but it appears my luck had run out.
Continued down the path before parking the bikes at the fairy falls trailhead. Hiked about 3.5 miles roundtrip to check out the impressive falls. Afterwards we hiked a bit further to see the prismatic hot spring. Noticed some unofficial trails up a hillside, figured that would be a better viewpoint. It was spectacular!
Rode our bikes back up to the truck, packing them up and driving further south to old faithful. Pulled into the lot, which was surprisingly not full. But it was getting to be about 5pm by this point. Enjoyed some delicious ice cream for a snack, then back to the truck to try getting online. The front truck tires have been making an increasing amount of road noise. Noticed they had been getting quite worn down, but my procrastination delayed the purchase and install of new tires as of yet. Ended up ordering some tires online, which we will have installed later this week when heading towards Driggs, Idaho.
Got our chance to experience old faithful around 645pm! Amazing how they can predict each one within about 10 minutes accuracy. Conspiracy theorists may propose that it’s somehow rigged to go off on a schedule, seeing how much infrastructure they have built around a single geyser.. a couple of the geysers at Norris basin no longer function, due to the constantly changing underground conditions. Took a walk thru the old faithful lodge, before driving back up to our campsite.
Quite an eventful day and we are totally wiped out!
Tuesday, June 18th
Started the morning with plans for an simple mid-day hike with some fishing near our campground. Once again, Chris’ unplanned short day hiking turned into a full length trek. A few mile upstream hike turned into a 15 miler, packed with mostly unscenic views, 8 miles of roadside shoulder walking dodging vehicles, grizzly bear tracks, a buffalo traffic jam, and a finale of sore feet and blisters. Wearing water shoes with no socks is a bad idea for that mileage amount. I have a dislike for round trips on the same trail, so always seem to find an alternate return path, regardless of the appropriateness of that option. Cindy will take over the hike planning the rest of this week, once our bodies recover…
Returned to the camper around 7pm, enjoying a celebratory shot and beer. Walked over to listen to the nightly ranger campfire talk. Interesting stuff about tracking elusive park animals such as bear, wolves and mountain lion. Zonked out early again after our meal of home-made tuna helper.
After our delicious breakfast of eggs and local bacon from a farm/meat market in Utah that we cooked over the fire, we headed off on our bikes to the Jackson Lake dam to do some fishing along the Snake River. Turned out to be a beautiful clear sunny day! Chris caught a few trout as we hiked about 3 miles along the river. We stopped at the Jackson Lake Lodge on our bike ride back to the campsite. We looked around a bit but no happy hour specials so we kept going. Ended up with about a 16 mile round trip bike ride. Once back at the campsite, we got the bonfire going and cooked up some hamburgers (purchased from the same meat market) over the fire. We’ve definitely been eating more meat out west due to the availability of more local, grassfed meat. Tasty!!
Chilly this morning, but clear blue skies and light winds..
A hearty campfire breakfast today of eggs and bacon
Chris, Cindy, Charlie and Cecily’s Adventure Blog 