Saturday, July 11, 2026. Tetons, Yellowstone and into Montana.

 Saturday, July 11

The temperature has fallen to 50 degrees by 6AM this morning.  We've decided to get an early start to make the drive through the Tetons and some of Yellowstone before it gets too crowded.  This is one of the few north/south routes in western Wyoming and is always worthwhile as long as you avoid 10-4 hours.

No line at all at the Tetons at 6:15!  A few stops to admire the scenery.  Noisy ravens have an unknown commentary.

We see several elk and deer along the way, very little traffic and beautiful scenery!  

Then into Yellowstone, where there are two cars ahead of us. 

 This elk was munching away right beside the road - oblivious. Man, they are big!

 The early morning mist was still floating near the ground.  And some of hot water features were extra steamy.

This young bear was traveling alongside the road and crossed over after we passed.

Here is lovely Lewis waterfalls.

Hot water features abound, and we follow beside Yellowstone Lake for a while. Fishing is allowed in some areas.

This bison was so close I could have put the window down and patted him (if I was nuts).

The bison are up and moving, causing a bit of a jam when they decide to cross the road.  Quite a few young ones in the herd.

This guy was off by himself - thought he was white at first, but only part of his hide was white and grizzled.  I think he was just an old bull.

Gibbons Falls, and more pretty wildflowers as we turn west.

We avoided the left side (Old Faithful) of the park and instead looped up and around and along the Madison River to reach the west entrance and the town of West Yellowstone, where we stopped for lunch.  The Madison River doesn't freeze in winter because of all the thermal activity around it.  We recognized some of the places from a winter stay here a few years ago. 

Then north into Montana - Big Sky Country!

 

We stopped at 5-mile-long Earthquake Lake, where an earthquake in 1959 created havoc, killing 29 people and creating a huge lake when a collapsed mountain dammed the Madison river.

Next stop: Virginia City.  Remnants of an old mining town which once flourished.  Today it is a mix of old buildings and a few new businesses in refurbished buildings.  (It isn't the Virginia City from Bonanza - that one's in Nevada.)

 It was pretty busy today because of two shows in town - a car show which has been held annually for 25 years, and a beautiful quilt show.

We tried Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park for a place to stay, but it is miserably hot (over 100 degrees) and the only sites available were without electric.  That might have been ok, but those sites also had not a stitch of shade.  A kind ranger there mentioned a private campground 15 minutes away called Caldwell's.  It was pricey, but did have the winning trifecta - shade, electric and showers - worth every penny today!

Met a young camper from Switzerland.  She was in awe of the wide open spaces here!

Friday, July 10, 2026 Across Wyoming, Wind River, Sacajawea, Big Horn Sheep Info

 Friday, July 10

41 degrees this morning, brrrr.  Had to dig out an extra blanket last night!

We drive over to Sand Lake and have breakfast there.  Coffeemaker won't work (forgot that it doesn't like high altitudes).  Egg sandwiches and oranges.

 

The water level is pretty low and very still.  We are surprised that there are no fishermen since we thought that was the draw here.   Lots of birds including some little sandpipers.  Interesting to see shore birds in this part of the country in the Summer, but it happens often.

We continue north on more gravel roads.  We see a couple of deer, but mostly trees, trees and more trees, including lots of aspen for the first few miles. The air sure does smell good!  A family of antelope resting on the road scatters at our approach.  The cattle does more of a "mosey" out of the way. 

 We descend to more rolling hills and ranch land and turn west on highway 80 briefly, to 287 which goes toward Lander and the Tetons. 

Wind River Wild Horse Sanctuary in Lander is a quick stop.  It is managed by the Oldham family and Doube D Ranch.  Lots of signage regarding the history and importance of the introduction of horses to America and to the American Indians. Also discusses the different types and coloring of horses and how they are cared for.  There are pockets of wild horses throughout the west and they need to be managed for health and safety reasons.  

This is a wagon - early RV? - that the herders used when following and working with wild horse herds....we saw similar sheep wagons in other parts of the west. Cozy?

Next is a short detour to Sacajawea Cemetery, where she is buried along with her son.  Colorful decorations on graves ranging from very old to more recent.  There is one grave marker which just says 2 white women killed.........  A statue and small writeup about Sacajawea, who traveled as a guide with Lewis and Clark.

A nice Red Rock area around the Wind River.

Next is the National Bighorn Sheep Center.  Very informative about types of bighorns and their ranges, their body language, courtship rituals (butting heads) and a group of Shoshone Indians called The Sheep Eaters who followed the sheep and co-existed with them from 1200-1800AD.  Their horns grow more in summer than winter, creating kind of rings which can be used to determine age.  Unlike antlers of deer and elk, they do not shed their horns.

We decide  to go a little further into more wooded areas again as we are approaching the Tetons.

wild rose

We settle at small, 8-site, Hatch Campground, a good jumping off point for tomorrow's travels through the Tetons and Yellowstone. Glad to get a spot, as by 5:00 it is filled.  We've come down in altitude and the temperature has risen.   The host and his wife are from Idaho and have been campground hosts for 11 years at various locations. He comments on the heat wave (Yellowstone has had a heat advisory the past few days) and we pull out our small portable fans until things cool down.  It is a manageable 73 by 9:00 with the overhead fantastic fan running creating some nice air movement. More mosquitoes here as the sun goes down.  We spray all the window screens on the outside and only have a few visitors who come in through the door when we are in and out.

We enjoy chips and hummus,  sandwiches and carrots.  Beth has the upper hand at Cribbage tonight.