Monday morning we had an early start.  Here we are ready to leave:

We dumped our tanks at a gas station in Jackson, which was….. interesting.  We then drove South to Hoback Junction for our horseback ride:

We started off together, then M and Trish split off to complete the two hour ride while B and I completed the one hour ride.

B’s horse was a 27 year-old fellow named Spud.  Spud is moved along by slapping him with a length of rope, known as “the Spud Whacker”.  B did a great job keeping Spud going, and pulling up on his reins when he tried to eat.

Trish and M are up front:

B and I with the guide:

Meanwhile, Trish and M headed off on their two-hour ride, which took them off the road onto the ridge above:

While B and I were waiting for M and Trish to return, B spotted me while I crawled under the RV, stripped the brake wires, and replaced the wire nut so that both RV wheels now brake, meaning that the RV will no longer heave to one side when we brake.

We left the stables and continued South along the Snake river to the West Table river access, where we waited for the folks from Teton Whitewater to show up.  Our guide was Ammon, and he was great.  He asked the other boats not to splash us because there was a “princess” on board.  The four of us were in the back row.  Here we are entering the class-3 Big Kahuna rapids:

Everyone had a great time.  Thanks Ammon!

From there we headed South, for a dozen or so miles even being 100 yards over the border into Idaho, then sadly turned to the East.  We had reached the Westernmost extent of our trip.  It was time to head for home.

I had chosen a dispersed campsite on BLM land just East of Fossil Butte National Monument, but there was intervening private land, so we continued on.  We eventually found a place to get off the road just a few hundred yards from the road to the National Monument.  The sunset was beautiful.  Fossil Butte is in the background:

While we set up the RV, the kids collected bones they found lying about, probably from a cow.  Did I mention that I love dispersed camping?

We drove 172 miles today.  The white circles indicate the location of the horse corral and the river access.

Shabbos was wonderful on Shadow Mountain.  We went for a walk, and got very, very wet on the way back.  By the time we got back to the RV, our shoes were weighed down with several pounds of mud.  There was a good bit of windy weather too.  Being all alone out there was great.

Unfortunately, it was too cloudy to get a photograph of the night sky.  I went to bed early in order to photograph the sunrise.

As planned, I got up early to capture the sunrise as seen from our “campsite”.  Even before dawn it was beautiful:

And then the sun came up.  I was standing there in complete awe of the scene, overwhelmed by the experience of it.

Looking Southwest at Blacktail Butte:

Best campsite in Wyoming:

I rode my bike from the RV to the top of Shadow Mountain, where the kids took their bikes off the SUV.  The three of us rode to the base of Shadow Mountain together:

B and M accompanied me from the top to mile 4.  B had had enough, so we put her bike on the SUV, and M and I rode together to mile 6.  I continued on towards Cunningham Cabin, but we weren’t sure if we were going the right way (turns out we were), so I packed it in at mile 7.5.

We drove on to Cunningham Cabin:

From there, we visited the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center, then hiked the String Lake Trail:

Fox in the bushes:

There were lots of “wow, I can’t believe we’re here!” moments on the hike:

From there, we went into Jackson, where we visited the Jackson Hole and Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center, rode the Alpine Slide, and picked up some groceries.

The sun was setting on the way back:

We stopped at Mormon Row:

At home, we own a print of Ansel Adam’s The Tetons and the Snake River.  Looking at a map, I found a likely location from which the photograph was captured.  We drove out there and it was indeed the spot!  Here’s Adams’ photograph from 1942:

The trees are a good bit taller 68 years later, but it’s definitely the same spot.  This was one of the highlights of the trip for me.  Here’s my photograph:

What a great day!

Team Bubbie was headed back to Minneapolis this morning, so we got a shot of the kids:

We went back to the Fishing Bridge area, where Trish did laundry while I replaced the bearings in one of the RV wheels.  Greasy fun!

On the way out of Yellowstone, we stopped at the West Thumb Geyser Basin.  Some of the pools here were very deep.  The color of the pool is determined by the temperature, which determines which species of bacteria grow in the water:

Really deep:

Really, really deep:

Yellowstone Lake:

M tries on an antler at the visitor center:

We headed out of Yellowstone and headed South to Grand Teton National Park:

Yes, more bison:

We found a great dispersed camping location on Shadow Mountain, across the valley from the Tetons.  The kids took a couple photographs while we set up for Shabbos:

About 90 miles today:

Cody’s Walmart was the most popular RV Walmart we’ve encountered so far:

Heading West from Cody, we stopped at the Buffalo Bill Dam.  In 1910, when it was finished, it was the tallest dam in the world (325 feet).  It’s a long way down:

The reservoir is on the upstream side, obviously:

The logs that float downstream are pulled out periodically:

From there, we headed West into Yellowstone.  There were Bison aplenty:

We stopped at the Fishing Bridge visitor center, went to the campground and unhitched the RV, then went to Yellowstone falls:

Canyon visitor center:

Next we went to the Norris Geyser Basin.  Lots of bubbling and steaming pools, from the heat generated by the Yellowstone Supervolcano:

Next we hiked the Artists Paintpots hike:

Mud bubble in the paintpot:

Mud is violently thrown out of the hole:

M leads the way:

Waiting for Old Faithful:

A little steam at first:

Waiting:

The eruption:

It was a shame that we only had a day in Yellowstone.  Hopefully someday we will come back for a longer visit.

187 miles today.  The white circle is the location of the dam:

We got up early again today to be at Devil’s Tower National Monument by 8am, when the visitor center opens.  Leaving the campground:

Approaching the tower:

There’s a prairie dog colony along the road to Devil’s Tower:

At the prairie dog colony:

We took a hike around the tower.  M is on the left:

After getting our Junior Ranger badges in the visitor center, B took a peek through the scope:

Saw this rig in the parking lot.  It’s built on a 4’x8’ cargo trailer.  Personally, I’d rather stay in a 10’x15’ tent.

Leaving the tower, we headed west.  We arrived Fort Phil Kearney National Historic Landmark.  The visitor center was interesting, and one wall of the massive stockade had been rebuilt.  I think it was a little abstract for the kids.

M has had enough at this point:

The rest of the stockade is marked with paths and ground markers.  It was quite large!

M in the corner guard post:

After visiting the fort site, we drove a couple miles north to the site of the Fetterman Massacre. The interpretive trail was long, but it gave a good feeling for how the battle progressed.

We had originally planned to go on to Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, the site of Custer’s last stand, but that would cause us to miss the rodeo in Cody.  Since the kids didn’t get much out of Fort Kearney, we decided to skip it.

We headed north on I-90, then took highway 14 and 14a across the Bighorn Mountains.  The grade was 10%+ in some places.  On top, it was all wildflowers and short plants.  There was still snow in places:

After coming down off the Bighorns, we approached Heart Mountain:

Near Heart Mountain is the Heart Mountain Relocation Center, where nearly 11,000 Americans were imprisoned during World War II for being of Japanese descent.  Norman Mineta was a prisoner here:

There’s not much there, just a paved walk and some interpretive signs.  The site is a sobering reminder of how thin the veneer of personal freedom is in the US:

Of the 500 buildings (the camp was at the time the third largest city in Wyoming), only the hospital and a few ancillary buildings remain.  The area was listed as a National Historic Site in 2007, and a visitor center is being built:

After leaving the relocation center, we headed west to Cody, where we experienced the rodeo.  Trish enjoyed it much more than I did.  The highlight of the evening was when they had all the children in the audience come down to the ring.  They then released 3 calves with ribbons on their tails.  They told the kids that whoever got the ribbons would get a prize.  General mayhem ensued.  Unfortunately, M and B didn’t participate.

We drove about 350 miles today:

Tomorrow, Yellowstone!