Life on the High Plains

Today was another cold and rainy day in Yellowstone so instead of hitting a trail I loaded into the truck and went exploring.  The destination--Earthquake Lake which is about 27 miles northwest of West Yellowstone, Montana. An earthquake hit this area of the Madison River on the night of August 17, 1959.  It was a 7.5 quake which at that time was the second largest quake recorded in the lower 48.  (Can you see the tree tops that are sticking out of the water?) It triggered the massive landslide that you can see above.  The massive slide blocked the Madison River and created Earthquake lake.  At the site of the slide 250 people were camping at the site of the slide.   28 people lost their lives that night including 19 who were buried by the landslide. The Forest Service built a visitor center at the site of slide and there is a memorial to the victims a short walk from the visitor center. The names are listed on the memorial....

After working three days I am now in the midst of my three days off.  Yesterday it rained all day so I chose to stay in and get my laundry done, clean house, and do a little painting. This morning the weather looked a little more promising so I decided to head over to Steamboat Geyser to see if it would erupt for me. Almost immediately I encountered a bison jam and it took me about an hour to go the first 14 miles.  It was okay though because I got to see these bison mamas and their little red dogs (taken from the safety of my truck). I stopped along the way at these geyser pools and witnessed this loving father hold his young son while he petted the bison.  Some people are born without brains. Fortunately the bison had the good sense to move away (taken from a distance with a zoom lens.) Then I stopped at Gibbon Falls.  I like to take pictures at the beginning of the summer and compare them to end of season pictures. There is so much wate...

Yesterday I dropped Irv off at the airport in Idaho Falls and then headed back "home" solo.  I miss that man already and it has only been a day. I spent the day getting things organized around the house and in my "yard".  I thought I'd give you a tour of my new village. The NPS campground is hidden away and there's a lot going on around here.  Lots of garages and ranger vehicles. My campsite actually has its own address--256 Sky Rim Loop.  I don't know if that means the post office or UPS delivers right to my doorstep.   The West District Ranger Office is right around the corner. There's all kind of machinery hanging around. There's also NPS housing.  Some of them look quite nice and you can tell families live here year-round.  Reminds me of the Forest Service housing that my parents and brothers lived in mostly prior to my birth. There are also snow mobiles parked everywhere. There's a dorm for...

The past two weeks have been a whirlwind.  A lot has been going on with the Disney trip, packing for Yellowstone, then making our way to Yellowstone. On Tuesday morning we got up early and headed out.  We planned a couple days to get to West Yellowstone so we wouldn't have to push it too hard out on the road. Our first night we stopped at a family-owned campground in Pinedale, Wyoming.  This mountain range is to the east and it is beautiful! The campground is on the windswept Wyoming plains so there aren't many trees. Here's Irv eating the chicken enchiladas I made to eat along the way. One thing I love about Wyoming are the wildlife crossings they built to protect the critters from road traffic. We had to stop in Jackson Hole and take a picture of my swans.  I can't wait to go back in a couple months and see their babies. The Tetons are especially beautiful with all the snow on them. An extra special treat was this guy.  ...