2004 Trip to Tetons and Yellowstone Part 4

---

Here it is; the report of the Oly Trio’s September 2004 Vacation and Photography trip to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Park. The report is divided into four parts. This is Part 4. Some images of this photo safari are available for view and purchase at my online gallery NW Exposures.

Wed 9/22

Wednesday, we drove to Lewis and Clark Caverns. Lewis and Clark Caverns.
This was a must see stopover for Nancy. Shaddow and I entertained ourselves while Nan took the two hour tour of the caverns. She enjoyed the caverns and has some colorful photos from her tour.

We decided to head west to imagined warmer climes, and set course for a long day’s drive to St. Regis, Montana, where we stayed at the Gold Nugget Campground, a former KOA. http://www.nuggetcamp.com. Arriving at our campsite, we were greeted by a bundle of bunnies. Bunnies everywhere, grazing there and here. It was a nice campground, but a little close to Interstate 90 for our ears.

Thurs 9/23

Thursday morning we continued our sprint westward; dashed through Idaho and headed toward Steamboat Rock State Park on beautiful Banks Lake in eastern Washington. Steamboat Rock SP.
It is an irrigated oasis in a desert setting. As we entered the park and saw the well maintained grassy common areas on undulating grounds, I thought what a great place to play free lawn bocce.

The sun was out, the temperature was in the high 70s, with a pleasant breeze. This is just what we had in mind; we set up the awning for shade and stayed three nights. Shaddy and I unpacked our inflatable kayak, pumped it up and took Nanny for a water tour of the shoreline. She likes to sit up front in the princess’ seat.

We met a nice couple next to us who were vacationing from Canada; Norma and Doug, along with their dog Darby. Doug and I exchanged short pleasantries over the course of two days. He and Norma were surprised but seemed pleased to meet someone with Texas roots who wanted to plant a Bush back in Texas. Doug is a nine year survivor of esophageal cancer, and recently retired as fire chief from his home town in British Columbia.

Near the end of our second day, as we were relaxing during toddy time, Doug asked me if I had ever heard of the game of bocce. I explained that I had a passing familiarity with the game, limited to lawn play, but that I have never played on an official court. He admitted to the same experience. When he mentioned that he had a set of bocce balls in his 5th wheel camper, I mentioned that it would be nice to see them. Soon, at dusk we were engaged in our first game of bocce on a nearby grassy slope of lawn.

“I don’t think I’ve ever given up four points in a roll before,” one of us mumbled as the other tallied the score. What fun we had. At one point Shaddy bounded onto the playing area, following the sounds of our whoops and exclamations for well rolled balls. We finished up each winning a game as the dinner bells rang out from our sites. We played the rubber match in the morning and agreed that we wasted almost two days of bocce playing time before discovering our mutual enthusiasm for the game.

We broke camp late Sunday morning and drove along the Lower Grand Coulee canyon area. We hope to return to this area on a future trip. We spent the night at a motel in Ellensburg and treated ourselves to dinner at a Mexican restaurant for our last night on the trail. The next morning, we completed our trip upon returning to Olympia in the early afternoon.

---

Photos

Banks Lake 01
Banks Lake in Eastern Washington; Steamboat Rock

Banks Lake 02
Fall Colors on Banks Lake in Eastern Washington

Banks Lake 03
Moon rise at Banks Lake State Park in Eastern Washington