Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Last Day in the Tetons

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Today was our last full day here in the Tetons.  Mom really enjoyed our visit here - she took lots of pictures and she and Dad took some roads they had never been on before.  We took a drive this afternoon across Antelope Flats and found more buffalo and the famous barn.  Then we took a road that was outside the park up where the resorts and horse ranches were.  There were a lot of wildflowers up in the high country.  Tomorrow we are headed to Pocatello, ID - another state for my map - to visit Mom's good friend.

Buffalo roaming


The Barn and the Tetons


Tetons waiting for their afternoon shower


Indian Paint Brushes in the high country


Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Back to Yellowstone...

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Today we went back to Yellowstone so Mom could take the pictures she didn't get when it started to rain the other day.  We didn't do too good in the critter department - only saw cow and calf elk a couple of times and they were too far away for pictures. 

We went to Old Faithful first, but it had just don it's thing, so Dad drove to West Yellowstone, which is in Montana.  Now I get another state for my map!  Mom and Dad had lunch there and of course I got some of the leftovers.

We came back and retraced our ride from the other day.  Mom did a lot of waking while Dad and I stayed in the truck or sat and waited for her on benches. When we sit on a bench or something, I sure do draw a lot of attention - everybody wants to pet me and they tell Dad what a nice or pretty girl I am (oh, if they only knew).


We have had thunderstorms almost every afternoon, and today was no exception.  It was late after we watched Old Faithful go off, so Dad took Mom to dinner (Mom had prime rib just so I could have some leftovers - thanks Mom), and while they were eating there was a storm that blew through.  When Dad went to get into the truck, his seat was full of pine needles!
 
Here are some of the pictures Mom took - she was a little disappointed, because the clouds came back in, so the pools weren't quite as bright without the sunlight...
Tree done in by the geysers!


What a pretty shade of blue

Boiling mud!  OUCH!


Here come those thunder storms again!


I think this is a little too hot for a bath!


This is how Mom found us - Dad is second from the right.
Do you see his (bald) head?

Too bad the sun wasn't shining bright on this one -
lots of cloud reflection!


OK, this one is definitely too hot for a bath!


Some of the stuff that grows
around the springs - looks like
a sponge


Here's some more...









Old Faithful - lighting is all wrong -
darn clouds anyway!

 
 
 
 
Tomorrow is our last day here, and then we will head farther West.  Mom said we are going to go see a long time friend of hers in Idaho - "Grandma Gog" has been leaving comments once in a while to my blog, so now I get to meet her.  I have a feeling she may spoil me just a little.  We didn't post on her birthday, so here is a Belated Happy Birthday to Grandma Gog.  She and Mom are the same age, only two weeks apart - but Mom is the older one!

Sunday, August 7, 2011

We ain't done nothin' today

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Today we just sat around and did nothin'. Mom was the only one who did anything, and she didn't do much. She worked on the Blog for me and was having a heck of a time getting pictures to post, but it looks like she found a way to make things easier for us. These are the pictures she was trying to post yesterday from our adventures on Friday...

Lower Falls in the "Grand Canyon"
of Yellowstone National Park


Looking farther down the canyon

This looks like a shore bird we would see at the ocean

Mammoth Springs


The top of the springs


And, another view with the "thumb" in the foreground


Crystal blue spring




















Well, after 10 months on the road, posting to the blog, Mom finally figured out how to post pictures all at once instead of one at a time - some people are a little slower than others, but I guess it's better not to complain since she is doing all the work on this! Great job Mom!

And just to make sure Mom has this figured out....

A window to ___________ (you fill in the blank)

Tomorrow Dad said we will go to Jackson Hole to do some shopping - YIPPEE!

Friday, August 5, 2011

Two days, Two Parks, Two REAL Bears!!

Friday, August 5, 201

Well, as you can imagine, we have been busy taking Mom around to take pictures, and it has seemed to pay off.  Within the last tow days, we have seen two REAL Black Bears.

Yesterday started off kinda slow for Dad and I - we slept in until 10:00 am!  It was kinda cool in the morning (43 degrees outside - and 53 degrees inside) so it felt real good to stay in bed and snuggle with Dad.  Of course, Mom was up and busy with a bunch of different things, but the best thing was the cinnamon coffee cake she made to "warm up the trailer".  The oven did a good job of warming things up, and the aroma wasn't too bad either!

Anyway, Dad and I got up and had our breakfast and then made it all the way outside to rest out there for a couple of hours.  In the afternoon, we went for a little drive and that is when we saw our first black bear.  Everybody was parked all over the road (they call that a critter jam here), and she/he (we didn't get close enough to check that part out) was coming down the hillside.  A park employee was there making sure the bear was kept safe - geezzz people sometimes do stupid things- and kept the people out of her/his way as she/he lumbered down the hill!  Mom made sure to keep a safe distance and the truck was between her and the bear.  She even admitted to Dad that she gets a little scared and wants to give the wild animals a lot of room and respect.  Mom said she will even give up a good shot to stay safe.  She said, "You never know what a stupid person might do, and the animal might turn on you."

Coming through the trees - looking for food!


Made the turn to come down the hill.....


...OK, time to give this bear some room -
maybe it's time to leave!






At this point the bear was less than 100 yards from us and the park employee was going nuts trying to get people back in their cars.  I don't think the bear was interested in any of the people, but you never know about a wild animal.

We continued on up the road and ended up on top of Signal Mountain where Mom got some good shots of the Tetons...and other stuff.


A view of the Tetons from Signal Mountain

A view of Moran Mountain from
Signal Mountain
Looks like a storm is brewing...
A storm moved in later in the evening and boy did it ever thunder and rain - the light show wasn't too bad either.  We could see lightening most of the night to the south and west of camp.  That made for a great photo opp for Mom this morning...
What a way to start the day!!
After Mom got Dad and me up and moving, we headed out towards Yellowstone National Park.  We went all the way to the North end of the park and worked our way back to camp.  It made for a long day, but as you can see, Mom's trigger finger never got tired. We saw all kinds of animals; buffalo, osprey, bear (number two), deer, elk and all kinds of birds.  There is plenty of water flowing, so that makes for great waterfalls.  Here is a sample of some of the pictures Mom took...

Buffalo...

...osprey...


...black bear (number two)...


...deer (in full velvet)...













...elk (cows and calves)


Mom wanted to add some more pictures, but it is taking forever, so she will try and post some more later - we will let you know when they are posted...



Lower falls in the "Grand Canyon"
of Yellowstone









Wednesday, August 3, 2011

The GRAND Tetons!

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

We had a short day today because we had a long day yesterday.  We are now camped in our 99th camp site at the Grand Tetons.  We can see the mountains from our camp site if we stretch our necks and stand on our tippy toes.  Mom said she is going to  prune the willows in camp so she can see better.  We have a good spot and it's not too crowded here.  There are prairie dogs around, so that will keep me busy protecting Mom and Dad from them.  We have full hook-ups, but no TV at all and poor radio reception, so Mom said she will be listening to the radio on the computer. 

Mom said this is her most favorite place in the world!  We came in on the South East side of the park and Mom and Dad said it was really different country coming in that way.  It looked more like Arizona or Utah with the red rock..

Red rocks on the South East side of the
Teton National Park


Red cliffs too


Here I am at the East side of the Grand Teton
National Park (the Tetons are behind me below those clouds)


Way up high, the wild flowers are in bloom -
Mom had a field day here!



We are going to stay here for 8 days because Dad looked at the calendar wrong, so we got here a day early!  The weather has been great so far - big puffy white clouds (Mom says that makes for better pictures) and the temperature is in the mid to high 70's - the lows are supposed to be in the mid 40's in the mornings (maybe Mom will bake something in the morning to warm up the trailer).

We went for a little ride before dinner and of course Mom was clicking away...we have no idea what we are going to do with all the pictures Mom has taken on this trip!

Grand Tetons with Jackson Lake in the foreground



Grand Tetons with Willow Flat in the foreground


Monday, August 1, 2011

Oh give me a home, where the buffalo roam.......

Monday, August 1, 2011

Mom and Dad had a very busy day, while I went to doggie day care - well, it wasn't really doggie day care, but I was with other dogs in the same boat I was in - our parents went to play, and we were put in kennels!

Mom and Dad went to the Crazy Horse Memorial first - they were really impressed with what they are doing there and when it is finished, it will be spectacular...

This is where they are today



This is what the complex will look like when it is finished


They still have a long way to go, but the family has committed to make sure it gets finished.  The artist knew that he would never see it finished, so he left drawings and specs for it's completion.  He and his wife had 10 kids, and 7 of them are working on the monument.  Mom also got a picture of his wife.

This is what the mountain will look like finished
 
This is a close up of Crazy Horse's
head




















After Crazy Horse, Mom and Dad went to Mount Rushmore...


Here they are - a different angle than most are used to...














Then it was off to Black Hills, Custer State Park to find the critters.  Mom and Dad did pretty good today - they found all kinds of big animals....

Oh, give me a home....
where the buffalo roam,



and the deer...


and the antelope play...


oh, ya, so do the donkeys....















Mom took a ton of pictures, but we sure don't have room for them here.

Tomorrow we are off again - Casper, WY is our target, so I'll get another state sticker to add to my map!