8/6/2013–ATV Ride to the Snake River

Some photos of our ATV ride to the Snake River while we were camped in Grangeville, Idaho with Lee and Barb.

A stop at a virtual geocache where a photo was a requirement for the find.

Lee and Barb walking down to the Snake River.

Ken is standing on the boat ramp at the Snake River.

It was another hot day on the trail and we saw several deer along the way.  Most of them were taking refuge in the shade.

Looking down at the trail we took to and from the river.

A fire lookout stand.

A hawk in the tree where we looked out at the view.

07/15/2013–Cody, WY to Teton National Park

We had a short distance to go today, but it would be slow winding roads all the way, so we were on the road early.

Ken spotted this unusual building on the hill as we headed west.

After an hour or so, we approached the east gate to Yellowstone National Park.

After going over Sylvan Pass, we went by Sylvan Lake.

As we got close to one of many construction areas, we had a view of Yellowstone Lake through the trees.

Our next obstacle was a couple of bison in the road daring cars to pass them.  There was another one off to the side of the road.

There were several pelicans resting in this pond we drove past.

Traffic slowed down quite a bit to take a look at these antique cars in a pullout.

The Tetons range.

After we got parked and had lunch at Colter Bay Campground in Teton National Park, we went out for a drive.

At our first stop, we were just sure this was a moose near the water.  We could swear we even saw it move…however, when we stopped again on our way back to the RV, we saw that we were wrong.

Our next side trip was up a road to Signal Mountain.  I’m thinking it’s called that because there was a cell phone tower at the top.

Here’s a view from the top of that road.

Another view of the Tetons.

Next we took a one way road marked Jenny Lake.  This doe and her fawn crossed the road in front of us.

At the Jenny Lake Overlook, we could see across to a tour boat stop.

This next view is of the waterflow coming out of Jackson Dam.

Then it was back to the RV for dinner and an evening of rest…no cell phone signal, no internet (this will be posted later)…only quiet time for us.  Tomorrow the plan is to head back north into Yellowstone and see what it looks like for getting into the park later in the week.

7/12/2013–Thermopolis, WY–The Wyoming Dinosaur Center

When we left the RV this morning we first headed over to the Visitor’s Center to pick up any literature we may have missed at other locations.  Once done there, we drove to The Wyoming Dinosaur Center in Thermopolis, Wyoming.

The following photos are just a small sampling of what is there.  They have some very large displays, but we found the lighting in the exhibit very difficult to work around to get any decent photos.

There were several pieces similar to this one with many of the same types of fossils in one clump.

This one looked like a predecessor to an alligator.

This looked like a sea turtle.

This is the only known Albertaceratops on display in the world.

After visiting the museum, we decided to drive back out to look at the bison range and look for another possible range area in town.  We couldn’t find the other area, but the same bulls were hanging out close to where we found them yesterday.

We drove north of town and stopped at an overlook looking down at the World’s Largest Mineral Hot Spring.

We continued a little further north to a historical marker for the Bridger Trail – Bighorn River Crossing.

We turned back toward town and stopped to get a photo of this deer with some pretty impressive antlers.

We stopped in town for an ice cream treat before heading back to the RV.  Tomorrow we will be driving about 100 miles to Cody, Wyoming for a couple of nights.

7/8/2013–Kaycee, WY–Old Fort Reno and The Bozeman Trail

After lunch, we decided to head out on a road trip to see Old Fort Reno and The Bozeman Trail.  We drove approximately 20 miles east of Kaycee then took Lower Sussex Road about 8.5 miles north.  There’s basically nothing left of the fort, but there are informational signs and a monument at the former location of the fort.

Front of the monument.

And for easier reading…a close up photo.

The backside of the monument.

Informational sign about The Bozeman Trail.

We saw a few deer along the way.

and several antelope…this one was resting.

This one was trying to hide.

A doe leading her fawns away from us.

Three antelope enjoying what little shade they could find.

This big bull was trying to get away from the paparazzi.

A young antelope resting at the side of the road.

The Powder River.

And we saw these sand hill cranes in a field as we neared town on our way back to the RV.

We still have a couple of sightseeing trips planned for this area before we continue toward Yellowstone National Park.