Craters of the Moon National Monument was other-worldly, but beautiful. The lava flows, boulders and cones were fascinating. But the really amazing thing was the wildflowers growing out of that dead-looking black ground. There are 750,000 acres of lava, that in some places looks as if it was just spewed out of the ground and tilled up in rows. We drove the Sawtooth Scenic byway through Sun Valley to Galena Peak Summit. It was a beautiful drive, but the towns of Ketchum and Hailey had a kind of phony frontier facade feel (how's that for alliteration.) Galena Peak Summit looks [View Full Entry]

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We feel saddened to be leaving Yellowstone. It is truly a treasure. We head west to Madison and then to West Yellowstone. We saw an eagle in its nest near the Madison River and another atop a tree. Magnificent creatures they are. Idaho is pretty, very green with fields of wildflowers. West of Idaho Falls it becomes sage prairie and then grasslands further west. We stopped for the night in Arco, ID. Tomorrow we go to Craters of the Moon. [View Full Entry]

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Kerry forgot to set the refrigerator on low last night, so this morning his lemons were frozen and the milk for our cereal came out in chunks. Within 1/4 mile of the main intersection from Canyon Village, we saw another gray wolf. Down the road near Virginia Cascades Road, a bison was calmly grazing along the side of the road. We saw more bison along Virginia Cascades Road. As we neared Mammoth Hot Springs, there were cars pulled off the road and some stopped in the road. There was a black bear just ambling along the hillside. Not as close [View Full Entry]

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We stopped at the West Thumb Geyser basin to admire the view of the lake. We spoke with a ranger who said there were grizzlies in the area, but most likely had headed away from the crowds. As we were leaving the parking area, Kerry spotted a grizzly mom with her yearling cub. We got to see them really close (as close as I want to get to them, anyway.) What a thrill! The drive along West Thumb and then Yellowstone Lake was breathtaking with the blue water, clear skies and snowy mountains in the distance. At Sulphur Caldron we [View Full Entry]

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Grand Teton NP was so beautiful that we hated to leave, but Yellowstone was calling. The traffic going into Yellowstone surprised us. We stopped at Grant Village to make reservations to camp at Canyon Village. Canyon was already full for the night so we got a spot at Grant and reserved Saturday and Sunday nights at Canyon. We dropped the camper at our site and headed out towards Old Faithful. We're seeing patches of snow still left in the wooded areas. After arriving at the Old Faithful geyser basin, we walked some of the path that circles the area until [View Full Entry]

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We got out early in hopes of seeing some wildlife here in the park. We stopped first at the Willow Flats Overlook, hoping to see moose or bears. Unfortunately all the trails were closed due to "bear activity," but we saw no sign of them. We took the Teton Park Road over the Jackson Lake Dam where the Snake River and Jackson Lake both had a beautiful green color. The North Jenny Lake Road was beautiful, too, runny along Jenny Lake, apparently the most popular site in the park. We made a full loop, going all the way down to Moose [View Full Entry]

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Wed, 25 June, 2008- Along both sides of Hwy 191 north from Rock Springs is all wide open sage prairie; a vast open area ranging from flat to gently rolling. Here and there are ranches or farms with long sprinkler arms watering great green circular hay fields. About 40 miles north of Rock Springs we started to see snowy mountains far to the NE. After the town of Pinedale, we began to see greener valleys chock full of wildflowers. Their sweet scent filled the air. In Bridger-Teton National Forest the wildflowers covered the sides of the mountains, mostly yellow, but pink, [View Full Entry]

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Leaving Vernal heading north the rock formations were beautiful and many had signs saying which period they dated back to. Utah continues to be the "unexpected" state to us; around every turn there is a new surprise. The first was Steinaker Reservoir just north of Vernal. Then the Ashley Valley came into sight with gorgeous colors. The drive up the north side of the valley was steep and full of switchbacks. Ashley NF with stands of Aspen and carpets of wildflowers was a treat. We saw a mule deer grazing and managed to get a picture. The first sight of [View Full Entry]

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Highway 40 from Kremmling, CO to Vernal, UT was a great road, with beautiful scenery and not a lot of traffic. Once we crossed the Continental Divide at Rabbit Ears Pass, then Rabbit Ears west summit, it was a steep descent into a beautiful valley with lakes, pastures and the Yampa River. Steamboat Springs was pretty, clean and had a back-to-nature look due to lots of trees. It had a definite touristy/resort feel. West of Steamboat were beautiful ranches in wide valleys, with lots of horses and cattle. The land became more hilly and less mountainous. We saw lots of [View Full Entry]

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Saturday, 21 June, 2008: Kansas is beautiful with golden wheat fields, rolling hills, and wide blue skies. But the further west you travel, the less populated it is. The land flattens out some and is drier, but the vistas are grand. By the time you reach Colorado, you've had enough of Kansas, but eastern Colorado is just like western Kansas. At Limon, CO we headed southwest on Hwy 24 to Falcon, then to Black Forest to Kerry's cousins', Jeannie and Larry. What a great time we had with Jeannie and Larry, their daughter, Debbie, and cousins, Judy and Christy. Lots of [View Full Entry]

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