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Friday September 18, 2018    Day 52    Home,  Grand Haven, MI     547 miles towing

The destination for the day was Johnson-Sauk Trail State Park off of exit 27 on I-80 in Illinois.  We left Clear Lake State Park at 08:00 and the GPS showed us arriving at Johnson-Sauk at 12:30.  We were contemplating continuing on further to make tomorrow’s drive shorter.

We continued on US-18 to US-218, which took us south to Cedar Falls.  Here we picked up I-380 through Cedar Rapids to Iowa City.  All this was to get to I-80 east.  Followed it to exit 27 to get some gas.  This happened to be the exit for Johnson-Sauk Trail State Park.  As we were gassing up, a man approached us and was all excited to see our Oliver.  He had never seen one.  He had an Escape and was camping at the state park.  As I mentioned before, fiberglass RV people are like a cult.  We couldn’t do much to show it off as we were in a congested gas station and we had to get going.

We changed the destination to see how far home was and it said we would arrive at 17:30.  We already had 4.5 hours of driving that day, but decided to go for it. 

The rest of the trip was I-80 across Illinois, then I-94 into Michigan to US-31 to home.  The worse part of the entire trip is around the Chicago area. 

We got home at 18:30 after 52 days on the road.  Total trip milage was 7,597 miles, of which 4,901 was towing.

I will follow up with one more post for this trip with a summary and comments for the whole trip.

Clear Lake State Park, Iowa

Thursday Sept. 17, 2015 day 51               Clear Lake State Park, site 154, Clear Lake, IA    

309 miles towing

 We left Snake Creek Campground a little later than we normally do when we are trying to make distance.  It was a nice place and we took time with our coffee outside.  We planned our destination for the day by studying our atlas and using Microsoft Streets & Trips software.  We were going to spend one more night on the road and then go home.  But after the long 500 mile day, we decided to break the remaining trip into two nights.  Our destination for tonight would be Clear Lake State Park about ½ way across Iowa, at the intersection of I-35 and US-18.  Our next night would be halfwaypart way across Illinois on I-80 at Johnson-Sauk Trail State Park, then home the next day.

 We took advantage of the public showers in the bathhouse before we left.  We can use all the water we want.  We have to conserve in the Oliver so we just get wet, soap up, and rinse. 

We left the campsite at 08:50, but had to go to the dump station across the street.  We hadn’t dumped in 6 days since leaving Madison campground and we were nearly out of water. 

Took SD-44 all the way east to I-29.  Went south on I-29 about 1 mile and picked up US-18 east into Iowa.  Took US-18 across half the state to the campground.  Arrived at 15:00 after about 6 hours of driving.  It was 88^o and humid with lots of no-see-ums biting us.  Overcast and on and off sprinkles.  We sat under the awning with Journey’s Greatest Hits playing in the Oliver while we did the cheese and cracker and beer thing after arrival.

 

Clear Lake State Park, site 154,  Clear Lake, Iowa

Our site was self-registration and was only $16 for an electric site.  No daily fee like most state parks.  That’s the lowest price I’ve ever paid for an electric site in any state park.  The sites were all pull-through on a grassy surface, fairly level, but not much trees or privacy between sites.  It was just a place to spend the night.

 Made a salad and grilled some pork for dinner and climbed into air-conditioned comfort for the night.  Didn’t unhitch today either.  We’ve not unhitched in three days.

Snake Creek State Rec. Area, Platte, South Dakota

Wednesday Sept. 16, 2015, Day 41      Snake Creek State Recreation Area, site 17E, South Dakota

502 miles towing

 On this part of the trip we are just trying to make it home.  Once we leave the west, the options for campgrounds is private or state parks.  The national forests are non existant in states like South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, etc.   South Dakota has the Black Hills National Forest, but we wanted to at least get halfway across the state before stopping for the night.  There are several S.R.A.s along the Missouri River in the middle of the state and we picked the Snake Creek S.R.A. as our destination.  Marsha always checks the reviews on her campground apps and it was well reviewed.

Left Sitting Bull campground at 07:00 but not before taking a picture of the beautiful sunrise across the meadow.

Early morning sunrise at Sitting Bull N.F.C.G.

After leaving we continued on US-16 through the Bighorn Mountains.  Very scenic drive all the way to Buffalo WY where we picked up I-90.   On the way, we passed over Powder River Pass, the highest point we drove over on the whole trip.



This is the tip of the mountain at Powder River Pass as seen from the turnout.

Then it got boring until we arrived at the Black Hills in southeast South Dakota.  We continued on through the Black Hills on I-90, past the Badlands National Park area, then onto open prairie for the rest of the day.  At exit 251 we took SD-47 south to SD-44 east to our destination.  These back roads were very interesting and much nicer than the interstate.  Rolling prairie.  Up and down hills. 

The state park (or state recreation area as it is called in South Dakota and in some other states) is right on the banks of the Missouri River.  But it is really a lake because it is dammed.  It was a very beautiful place and was completely empty when we got there.  We had our pick of all the premium sites.  There was no one at the booth when we got there.  We had to self register for a $6.00 day pass and call from a courtesy phone to register the site, which was $20.50.  Our famous senior discount card is only for federal campgrounds, not state.  We arrived at 17:30 and weren’t set up until 18:30.  We did not unhitch.

 

 

Snake Creek S.R.A. site 17E,  Platte, SD

This was the night of the 2^nd Republican debates on CNN and we wanted badly to watch it.  We had ½ hour to get dinner and get it up and running.  We have no cable TV available or satellite in the Oliver.  So we used our phone hot spot for internet and watch the 3-hour debate by streaming it on CNN.com on our computer, sitting at the picnic table.  But we were back where there is flies and other bugs and it drove us indoor.  We are also back to high humidity and high temperatures.  It was 90^o when we got here.  So we had to run the A.C.  The fan on our A.C. is so loud we couldn’t hear the debate.  So I moved to the truck, ran the engine and A.C. and we did that for a while, waiting for the Oliver to cool down enough to turn off the A.C. and sit comfortably.  It had been a while since we had to deal with insects, heat, and humidity, and we were out of practice.  It’s a good thing we were in Central Time or we couldn’t have stayed up so late.

 We made nachos for supper that was excellent and fast.  The flies liked it too.

 

 

 

 

Sitting Bull Campground, Bighorn Mountains

Tuesday September 15, 2015   day 49   Bighorn National Forest, Sitting Bull Campground, site 11

266 towing miles

 Left Baker’s Hole in the rain at 07:30.  We cut through Yellowstone Park from the West Entrance to the East Entrance.  That meant going to Madison Junction, then left to Norris Junction, then right to Canyon Junction, then right through the Hayden Valley to Fishing Bridge, then left along the East Entrance Road 26 miles along the southern edge of Yellowstone Lake to the East Entrance.  I had not been on the East Entrance Road since 1978 when I passed through on my way to Michigan from San Francisco.  It was a very beautiful ride.  We passed through a lot of the burned area we saw from across Yellowstone Lake in 2011.  We could see the flames from Lake Lodge.   At the park boundary, you enter the Shoshone National Forest and the highway becomes US-16.  It is a Wyoming scenic highway all the way to Sheridan.  It crosses the Bighorn Mountains.

 

 

Yellowstone Lake on a gloomy day.

 

Burned trees along Yellowstone Lake.

 

More burned trees from 2011 fire.

US-16 follows the North Fork of the Shoshone River all the way to Cody, WY.  Along the way, are about six national forest campgrounds that we checked out on the way.  They were all on the river.  Some were very nice and some not so nice and some were closed for the season.  Marsha made notes in her notebook as she always does.

 

Shoshone River from one of the campgrounds along US-16.

From Cody we headed to Greybull.  This was a boring drive over rolling, flat, dry rangeland.  From Greybull we worked our way towards the town of Ten Sleep (yes, that’s its name).  This part was very scenic because we were now entering the Bighorns.  At Ten Sleep, we climbed and climbed all the way to our campground.  Sitting Bull campground was at 8,600 ft., the highest elevation campground we stayed at the whole trip.  A close second was Hahn’s Peak in Colorado at 8,400 ft.

 

Lots of rock formations along here.

 

More Rocks.

 

Rocks and the Shoshone River.

 

Rocks and Shoshone River.

 

Truck and trailer at scenic pull off.

 

Tunnel next to Shoshone Reservoir.

 

Passing through small town, mule deer eating bushes.

Sitting Bull Campground was very well kept.  Many of the sites bordered on a meadow where wildlife viewing would be easy.  It was a very nice campground and I would consider it in the future. 

 

Sitting Bull Campground, site 11.

 

The sign is self explanatory.

 

 

 

 

I made a fire for our cocktail hour but it kept raining off and on.  I put the awning out and we kept going back and forth from sitting at the fire, then moving them under the awning, then back to the fire, etc.  Cooked baked potato and some sizzlers on the grill in between rain drops. 

 Another fiberglass trailer is called the Escape, made in Chilliwack, B.C.  These are considered upscale in the fiberglass trailer industry.  There was one a few sites down from us and they came over our trailer to see what an Oliver looked like.  We did the same because we had not seen an Escape before.  The Escape was 19 ft. vs our 23.5 ft.  But was bigger than the 17 ft. Casita we had.  However, the Escape looked smaller and more crowded than our Casita did. 

 The Escape people told us that there was a moose and calf across the meadow earlier, but we didn’t see it.  I wish they had told us.

 At sunset, we took some great pictures of the mountains across the meadow.

 

We stayed connected but put the hitch jack and stabilizers down.  It makes it easier for an early getaway.  We have about 500 miles to go tomorrow.

 

Last Day at Baker's Hole, Phase III, Last Day at Yellowstone

Monday September 14, 2015    Day 48    Gallatin N.F.  Baker’s Hole Campground, site 31, 4^th day

This is our last day at Baker’s Hole, and the last day in the Yellowstone area.  We will start making our way home tomorrow. 

Low 30’s this morning.  Had coffee and breakfast in the electrically heated Oliver.  After killing some time with a leisurely morning, we headed to the West Yellowstone Town Park again to work on our blogs and try to catch up.  Went back to the trailer after a chilling hour at the park’s picnic table (ever try typing with gloves on?) 

Marsha made some hot chili to warm us up.  After lunch, I had to go fishing because it was my last day to do so.  I didn’t feel like taking the 45 minute drive to my Madison spot and then walk for 30 minutes, so I decided to stay closer.  I didn’t have a park license so that was out and I had to fish in Montana because I had one day left.  So I chose to go north on US-191 towards Bozeman and Big Sky and try the Gallatin River.  191 follows the Gallatin River almost all the way to Bozeman.  191 also enters a corner of the park and then comes out when it crosses back into the Gallatin National Forrest.  So I had to drive beyond the Yellowstone Park boundary to legally fish.

Not long after leaving the Park, you come to Taylor Fork Road.  It follows Taylor Fork, a major tributary creek to the Gallatin River.  Years ago, maybe 15, I have fished it (successfully for small cutthroats) on two occasions and had a great time.  So I drove up this unimproved bumpy mountain road for a few miles and found a spot that looked good.  I got nothing.  Here’s some excuses:  it was very windy, very cold, overcast, sprinkling rain, etc.  It wasn’t enjoyable.  I killed about one hour there.

Taylor Fork upstream.

Taylor Fork downstream.

Drove back down the bumpy road to 191 and pulled off at a two-track leading to the Gallatin.  I figured it must come to the confluence of the Taylor Fork and the Gallatin and it did.  The Gallatin was flowing along the base of a rock cliff in a high gradient resulting in rapids (I don’t know what class, I don’t kayak).  I tried nymphing along that section with no luck.  I killed about an hour here, too.  Was not enjoying myself on this gloomy day.

Gallatin looking upstream.

Gallatin looking downstream.

I had redeemed myself on the Madison yesterday and it really wasn’t necessary that I keep trying.  So I drove the half hour back to the campsite.  After a two hot dog dinner, an older couple stopped by our trailer to look at it.  They were tent campers and admitted they couldn’t afford our trailer, but wanted to see it.  They are considering a smaller Casita or Scamp.  So they didn’t talk long about the trailer, but got into fly fishing talk big time.  Him and his wife, George and Judy.  But she changed over to talking to Marsha about quilting. 

George grabbed me and we walked backed to his campsite and he handed me a 9 ft. 5 wt. Scott rod.  It is a premium rod made in Colorado where they were from.  I never casted a Scott.  It was awesome.  I casted it better than George did.  He walked me down to the river to show me how he successfully landed 20” fish at the river right outside his campsite.  He used soft hackle flies quartered and drifted down.  Some of the fly shops mentioned the use of soft hackles, but I have never used them with any success.  He showed me how to do it and handed the rod to me, coaching me every step of the way like a guide.  I had three hookups in about ½ hour, but didn’t have them on for more than a few seconds.  I jerked the rod when I felt the strike out of instinct and this pulls the fly right out of their mouth.  You have to let them take it and then run.  But the bottom line is, I learned a new technique, a successful technique for these big fish, and something to look forward to for next year.  It was getting dark and we left the water.

Since it was our last night, I will have to wait until next year to try what George taught me.

Packed up and got ready to leave early in the morning.

 

Marsha making that scarf while I fish.

 

Another Nice Day on the Madison River at My Favorite Spot

Sunday September 13, 2015   day 47    Gallatin N.F.  Baker’s Hole Campground, site 31, 3^rd day

The fourth laundry day of the trip.  Went into West Yellowstone to a laundromat across from Blue Ribbon Flies on the main drag, Canyon Street (US-191). 

Laundromat in West Yellowstone.  Pretty exciting, huh?

But before we did that we had breakfast at the Timberline Restaurant because we had a nice one there a few days ago.  But not this time.  It was very crowded and very busy.  They sat us at a table in the middle because no booths were available.  We waited and waited for our food.  Other people who came after us were already finished eating and we had yet to get our food.  Called the waiter over and he told us the kitchen never received the order!  The restaurant had a POS system.  I thought that prevents this type of thing from happening.  When we got our food it wasn’t correct.  I got a side of sausage instead a side of sausage gravy for my biscuit.   No more Timberline Restaurant.

While waiting for laundry to dry, I bought two more days on my MT fishing license at Blue Ribbon Flies. 

Blue Ribbon Flies

Today I went fishing at my favorite spot on the Madison.  And I caught fish.  It’s the place where I park on the bluff and walk across the meadow to the place across from the cliff.  I always savor the view from up there and the view as I walk across the flat.  Ospreys flying around, their young ones in the nest peeping for food.  The whole experience is beautiful.  The river is quite powerful here, too.  It can be dangerous if one is not careful.  The river has rocks about the size of bowling balls that are slippery and difficult to get a footing.  These areas require a wading staff to get across.  It’s basically an expensive stick that is tied to your belt with a lanyard or retractor so you don’t lose it.  (Read September 6 blog about losing wading staff).  I bought a new one made by Simms.  It is a much better design than the one I lost.

Here are some photos I took of Hebgen Lake on the way there.

 

Had a very good fishing day today.  Caught a nice size brown trout on a Prince nymph.  I wanted to photograph it and measure it, but he got out of the net after I got the hook out and swam away unharmed.  I then got a rainbow trout, not as large, but nice, on the same nymph.  After those two fish, not much action for the next hour. 

Prince nymph I caught the two fish with.

I then switched to a dry fly called Purple Haze, designed by Jimi Hendrix.  Just kidding.  I don’t think Jimi Hendrix fly fished.  It looks like the Adams parachute I photographed, but has a purple body instead of gray.  Fish love it.  I was our here about eight years ago when a fly shop told us about this new killer pattern.  Now it is very popular out here.  Sometimes fish will go after something that is not really anything.  These kinds of flies are called attractors because they will attract a fish’s attention, but they don’t suggest any particular insect.  I caught three rainbows with this fly and had quite a few hits from ones I didn’t catch.  It was really a fun day.

For your enjoyment, I took some pictures of Quake Lake on the way home so you can see that not only do I fish in a great place, but the ride to and from there is also great.

 

It’s our second to the last day in Yellowstone before we leave for home.  We treated ourselves to a pizza at the Wild West Saloon & Pizzeria.  It was just as good as before.  It must be owned by someone from Pittsburgh because the whole lounge area is decorated with Pittsburgh Steelers paraphernalia.  Montana doesn’t have an NFL team, so I don’t know who they root for, but I wouldn’t think it would be Pittsburgh.  Closest NFL team is probably the Broncos or the Seahawks.

Bullwinkles, another restaurant in town, has Green Bay Packer stuff.  But you see that all over the U.S.  You don’t have to be from Wisconsin or the U.P. to be a Green Bay fan.

Madison River Fish at Baker's Hole

Note:  This post is out of sequence.   The post for Friday, September 11 will be after this one because I didn't complete the draft yet, but to keep moving, I decided to go ahead and post this one. 

Saturday September 12, 2015  day 46    Gallatin N.F., Baker’s Hole Campground, site 31, 2^nd day

After breakfast and coffee inside the warm Oliver, fished the Madison River at Baker’s Hole.  Followed the river upstream past several bends.  It is a meandering river as it winds through stands of willow bushes, thistles, and grass, with the occasional abandoned beaver dwelling.  The water is very clear throughout the whole river, in and out of the park.  Here's some pictures of the section of the Madison River in the Baker's Hole area:

 

Tried to show the mountains in the background.  The Gallatin Range.

Same photo as above, but showing the whole run.

At the end of the big bank on the left is where I caught my fish.

A side changed coming into the main stream.

 

I started out nymphing (now that you know what that means) but with no success.  I met some others on the river that were also nymphing, with no success.  I switched to streamers, hoping to get a big brown.  No luck.  The big browns are just starting to come up the river.  It's not like salmon spawning.  At least not until October, so I'm not surprised I didn't get one.

Then my luck changed.  In a back eddy, I saw trout feeding on the surface, quite regularly.  No bugs were visible on the water or in the air.  I decided that they may be taking midges, or midge larva.  These are tiny bugs, of the same order as mosquitos, but they don’t bite and suck blood out of you. 

There is a fly pattern invented by George Griffin of Grayling, MI, called a Griffin’s Gnat.  It imitates a pile of midges on the water.  It is extremely easy to tie, peacock herl wrapped with grizzly rooster hackle.  (Peacock herl is those green iridescent filaments from a peacock tail feather) I tied a Griffins Gnat on my leader and had immediate success at catching 10-12” rainbows.  Landed 4, but missed many.  It was a blast and lasted about an hour.  It was somewhat challenging because they were on the other side of the river with weird cross currents between me and them.  I couldn’t get too close because the water was too deep and fast to wade across, so I had to throw a long cast.  But I pulled it off.  It was the best time I’ve had so far fishing at Baker’s Hole.  I forgot to mention the one that got away.  The first fish I caught was quite large.  I had it on for over a minute and then he broke free, but I got a good look at it and it was a large brown trout.  The river has resident fish, which are the smaller fish, and the large brown trout coming in from Hebgen Lake to spawn.  They are followed by large rainbow trout from Hebgen Lake who follow the browns to eat their eggs.  The rainbows I caught were resident trout.

George Griffin, by the way, is the founder of Trout Unlimited, a national organization for the preservation of cold water fisheries.  It was founded in Grayling, MI on the Au Sable River.

Today my 2^nd 7-day park license expires, so I won’t be fishing Baker’s Hole for the last two days I’ll be here.  I’m going to get another 2-day non-resident Montana license so I can fish my favorite section of the Madison River near West Fork access.

Was 80^o here today.  Was 34^o in the morning.  I’ve been coming here after Labor Day since 1993 and it’s always been like this.  Warm in the day, cold in the morning.  I’m somewhat surprised we haven’t seen snow yet, especially on the mountain tops.

Back to Baker's Hole for the 3rd Time

Friday September 11, 2015   day 45    Gallatin N.F., Baker’s Hole Campground, site 31  day 1

18 miles towing

Left Madison campground and traveled the 18 miles back to Baker’s Hole Campground again.  This time we ended up on site 31, the last one available when we arrived at 10:00.  Our campground karma is still working. 

 Before we left at 09:30, another Airstream owner stopped by to check out our trailer.  He was from the Chattanooga area of Tennessee.  He was surprised to find out the Oliver was made in Tennessee.  He wrote down the website address for Oliver.  He also handed us a card with his name and address and offered his farm for us to camp if we are passing through Tennessee.  He is the second person from Tennessee to offer camping on their property if we are in the area.

After setting up we went to West Yellowstone for some lunch and some errands.  Had the salad bar at Timberline Restaurant.  Was small and pricey, but what was on it was good and fresh. 

 Marsha went to the quilt shop to by some yarn to make a scarf.  While she did that, I bought some odds and ends at Bud Lillie’s Fly Shop. 

 Then we went to the West Yellowstone Town Park.  They have the usual playground, ball field, and picnic tables.  We grabbed a picnic table to set up our computers and get some more blogs posted.  There is a weak 3G signal at the campground, but a strong LTE signal at the park.  It was late afternoon by the time we got back to the campground.  After “lunch” I went fishing on the Madison River near the campground.  Actually in Yellowstone Park as Baker’s Hole campground borders on the park boundary.

 Tried streamers, hoping to get one of the Hebgen Lake fish.  Had no strikes.  Lost two streamers to snags.  Saw some smaller fish occasionally rising to caddis flying around.  Came back to campsite after two hours.

 Three people from Utah stopped by for a tour of our trailer in the evening. 

 

 

Great Time on Firehole River

Thursday September 10, 2015    Day 44      Yellowstone National Park, Madison Campground, site B44, day 3

 Another morning in the mid 30’s.  Coffee inside where the furnace allowed us to finally emerge from the coziness of 3 wool blankets.  By the time we drank our two gallons of coffee, it was warm enough to cook a big breakfast outside on the propane stove, while we sat in front of a morning campfire. 

 

After a leisurely morning in front of the campfire, I left to go fishing in the Firehole River at 11:00.  I was frustrated with it when I fished it on Tuesday.  The Firehole is such a unique river.  It receives a lot of spillover of boiling hot water from Lower, Middle, and Biscuit Geyser Basins, and Black Sand Basin.  It is also surrounded by hundreds of people every day.  The Madison-Old Faithful Road parallels it for most of its length.  So to find a nice solitude experience in pristine wilderness along the Firehole River is not easy.  But that’s what I found today.

 A section of the river turns off from the road, or better said, the road turns off from the river since the river was here first.  Most of the river access is parking turnoffs along the road, next to the river.  I found a parking turnoff in an area where the river is away from the road about a quarter mile.  I pulled over and saw a trail leading west towards the river.  When I got to the river, I was in one of the most beautiful stretches of the Firehole that I had seen.  And it was all mine.  Upstream it opened out of the forest into a big meadow with meanders and runs.  There was excellent fish holding water.  It was one of the nicest days I have ever had fishing in Yellowstone Park. 

Where the path from the road intersected the river.

Looking downstream.

Looking upstream.  Note the clarity of the water.

On the edge of the meadow section looking downstream.

 

Now here’s the part that will shock you.   I caught no fish!  But that didn’t ruin my day.  There is a good reason why.  The water was too warm and the fish were hunkered down in the deep pools, trying to breathe.  I measured the stream temperature when I arrived and it was 68^o F. (or 528^o for those of you who use the Rankine scale).  I saw a few fish rises during the next few hours, but not consistent.  And the fish were small.  I had two strikes during the day on an ant pattern.  Nothing else the whole day. 

 I spent some time sitting on the banks and observing my surroundings as to insects, rising fish, and observing some feeding rainbows eating nymphs.  I passed several flies over them and they ignored them.  I was content that I couldn’t catch them and enjoyed watching them for about ½ hour.

 When I left, at 3:00, I measured the water temperature and found it at 74^o.  That is very warm for trout.  A trout caught and fought to exhaustion, unhooked, and release has little chance of survival in that temperature.  Insufficient oxygen to revive him (or her).  So not catching a fish under those conditions, knowing they were stressed, but having the chance for solitude in a pristine environment made for one of my best fishing days ever.

 Back at the truck, a father and son was parked behind me and preparing to go fishing.  They were from Oregon and he has fished the Firehole at that location for the last six years.  He was surprised to find me parked there and had never seen anyone else there before.  He asked me how I ended up there.  I explained that I like to fish away from the road and people.  He told me that he chose that spot for the exact same reason and was always his go to spot for the Firehole.  We chatted fly fishing in the different Yellowstone Rivers for about ½ hour then I returned to the campground at about 4:00. 

Marsha made homemade English Muffins while I was gone and we used two of them for hamburger buns for dinner with Bush’s Grilling Beans.  But not until we had our pre-dinner chips and salsa. 

 Later an Airstream guy (which the campground is full of due to the Airstream convoy here), came over to Admire our trailer, having never heard of one or seen one like it.  He told us that he thinks this may be the only competition that Airstream has.  He liked it a lot and was considering downsizing.  So he's going to seriously consider an Oliver.

 Back when we had the Casita, we would get the same attention, too, so we’re used to it.  We have seen a lot of Casitas on this trip, as we did last year.  A lot of Scamps, also.

 Tomorrow, we go back to Bakers Hole for four nights, then we will head home.  I want to fish the Madison one more time before we leave for home.

 

Norris Geyser Basin, Lewis Lake

Wednesday September 9, 2015    Day 43    Yellowstone N.P.   Madison Campground, site B44, day 2

Had our coffee and breakfast inside.  Another cold morning in the 30’s.  Oatmeal to warm us up.

I was discouraged at my fishing experiences of recent.  I felt like I don't know how to fish anymore.   So I’m going to take the day off.  We all need a break from the day to day grind of trying to catch fish.  But wait!  A bad day fishing is still better than a good day at work.

One place we haven’t seen in the park is the Norris Geyser Basin, even though we pass by it on the way to Mammoth when we come in from West Yellowstone.  We went to check it out last year and the parking lot was completely full and all jammed up.  We decided to do it another time.  Today was that other time.  We got there at mid-morning and it was already full.  But someone was leaving and we got their spot. 

There are two trails you can take, Porcelain Basin (0.6 mile) and Back Basin (1.6 miles).  We took them both.  Took lots of pictures of pools, mud pots, fumaroles, geysers, thermophiles, and lots of steam and hot water gurgling out of the ground.  Just look at these pictures!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A mile away is Norris Campground and along the entrance road to the campground is an old log cabin that houses the Park Ranger Museum.  We went inside and looked at the exhibits and saw a 30-minute movie of the establishment of the national parks and the National Park Service.

Back at the campground we ate lunch we both took showers. 

Then on to more exploring.  I’ve always wanted to see the campground at Lewis Lake near the south entrance to the park, so we went to check it out.  It’s about 30 miles from Madison, maybe a little more.  But that’s 30 miles riding through Yellowstone National Park.  We followed the road to Old Faithful area and kept on going.  We stopped at the Grant Village area to check that out.  It’s near the junction of the Loop Road and the South Entrance Road.  Grant Village has a lodge, campground, store, gas station, dump station, laundry, info center . . . It’s the largest campground in the park with over 300 sites.  We saw a few loops that were nice, but we see no reason to stay in this part of the park. 

On the way we went over the continental divide three times.

The Lewis Lake campground is much smaller and the sites are small and uneven.  It is a tent campground for the most part.  Only small trailers, like the Casita, would work here.  It was a pretty campground but none of the sites are on the Lake.  Lewis Lake is a very large and beautiful lake.  Well, now I’ve seen it.

We have seen every campground in Yellowstone now.  Mammoth is our favorite.  Madison is OK and has sites big enough for our trailer and larger.  The only other one that can accommodate us is Fishing Bridge, which is basically like a private RV resort and is $50 per night.  But it has full hookups, laundry, showers, store, etc.  Closest town to Madison is West Yellowstone, 14 miles away.  At Mammoth, Gardiner is only 5 miles and is a smaller, less crowded town. 

Part of our plan on the way back was to stop at Old Faithful Lodge and have some food and beverages in the lounge.  The main dining room requires reservations unless you want to wait for an hour or two.  We were looking so forward to a nice leisurely meal (bison burger or something like that, with a Moose Drool).  The sign at the entrance said “No Food Served After 5:00”.  It was 6:00.  We were so disappointed.  We checked in with the restaurant and they said there was a 90 minute wait.  So we left and went back to the campsite.

Old Faithful Lodge.

We are getting low on food and we had cheese and crackers, and hot dogs for dinner.  But we had a nice campfire while we were eating this delicious dinner.  We sat out until about 8:30.  It was getting chilly.