Life on the High Plains

Irv and I have been wanting to hike to Inspiration Point in the Tetons for a couple years.  Last week when he was here we finally did it. You can park at the Jenny Lake Visitor's Center and hike the 3 miles to the trail head or you can cheat and take the boat across the lake.  We cheated.   Jenny Lake is a glacier lake and it is cold and clear.   The trail was nicely maintained and it is well traveled.  This is one of the more popular hikes in the Tetons.     There's Irv with is hiking stick and bear spray--we both carry bear spray on these hikes. Of course I can't do a blog without including a shot of wildflowers.   Here's my attempt at an artistic shot of this very long downed tree.   A glimpse of the Grand Teton along the way.   We got to the turnoff for Inspiration Point but decided to hike to Cascade Canyon and then come back to Inspiration Point.    ...

After exploring Lamar Valley the other day we exited Yellowstone's northeast gate and went to Cooke City, Montana for lunch.  Afterwards we decided to go drive up Beartooth Pass to see what was up there.   We passed this sign for the Clay Butte Lookout Tower and there was a big sign that said "Visitors Welcome".  You don't have to ask me twice to go see an actual fire lookout tower so we made the 2.5 mile drive up the mountain.     Here it is perched on top of the mountain.     The Stars and Stripes are proudly displayed above the U.S. Forest Service flag.     The 360 degree views were quite amazing from the tower.     The tower is no longer an active lookout tower, it's now a visitor center.  I know there must be more advanced ways to watch for fires these days, but I think it's great they have maintained this piece of history.  My dad was in the Forest Service and although he didn't...

Irv and I were out exploring the Tetons and Yellowstone the last few days.  I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite shots.  I take hundreds of pictures and if I'm lucky a handful will turn out okay. In no particular order, here are some of my favorite shots from the past week.   The wildflowers in this area are breathtaking!  This was on the Cascade Canyon Trail near Jenny Lake in the Tetons.   The majestic Tetons!   To go along with all the wildflowers are butterflies in every color you can imagine.  The hard part is having the patience to capture one of them when they land.   Here's my guy at the upper falls of the Yellowstone River.   We spotted this big guy relaxing outside the campground at Bridge Bay Marina.   The bison always look so sad to me.  I guess I'd be sad too if I had to carry that enormous head around.     In Lamar Valley we saw herds of bi...

My hubbie and I headed up to the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone this week.  It was the first time we had explored the northeastern area of the park and we were in for a treat.   We stopped and hiked the Trout Creek Trail to this little lake.  It was spectacular!  I love the reflection in the water.   There's me with my bear spray...I don't go anywhere in Yellowstone without it.   The wildflowers in the Park are amazing!  The hills are painted with color!   Happy Skywatch Friday from Yellowstone!

I don't know what happened to the post I made about DeLacy Creek last week.  I got it all ready and scheduled it to publish, but Blogger decided to post my Natural Bridge blog twice and delete my DeLacy Creek blog.  Here it goes again...   DeLacy Creek is in a bear management area and just recently opened for hikers.  I knew better than to do this one alone so Elizabeth and Diane joined me.     As the name implies, the trail follows DeLacy Creek to Shoshone Lake.   There were a few water crossing along the way, the one above happened to have a foot bridge.  The others were logs and of course my trekking poles were back in the car.  Luckily, I made it across without falling in.   It was spectacularly beautiful just like almost everywhere in Yellowstone.   There were also large meadows that had to be crossed.  That's Diane and Elizabeth.  My usual position is bringing up the rear. ...