Fall Colors, Lakes and Fresh Snow

Today, we took a drive from West Yellowstone past Hebgen and Quake Lakes. Then we traversed dirt roads to Wade and Cliff Lakes and ended up in Idaho by Henry's Lake. We shared this wonderful, cool, fall day with friends Terry and Doug (and Chico too). The fall colors were more impressive than we thought they would be, blue sky, gray mountains, green pines, yellow aspens (some were orange), and the ground cover in the forest was multi colored. There was also a fresh blanket of snow on the mountains which added to the awesome scene. Truly a spectacular day.

Beauty around every turn.

Color was everywhere.

Clouds rolling over the mountains.

Female Pronghorn running away from us.

An old homestead within Three Dollar Ranch.

Wade Lake

Colorful carpet of undergrowth.

A black bear we surprised near a campground at Wade Lake.

Picnic lunch stop at Wade Lake.

The colors of the water in Cliff Lake were amazing. The water was so clear you could see the bottom.

On our way back to the paved road from Cliff Lake. A sample of the 360 degree view.

Wow, what a place to live.

A perfect fall day in the mountains.

A few of our favorite websites

Today, we added links to a couple of our favorite sites. We will add to this list periodically, so come back to see what's changed.

Ignafire is a unique chocolate company. If you love chocolate or know anyone who does, check it out. If you are interested in 'green' (earth-friendly) companies, check it out. If you just want a free sample of their unprocessed chocolate, check it out.

The Escapees RV Club is the best support network for people who chose this wonderful lifestyle we have adopted. They are truly our second family.

South Loop Yellowstone NP

This weekend we decided to drive the south loop of Yellowstone. It had rained overnight and it was pretty cold, but we packed breakfast and headed out. The park is still pretty busy, even though schools are back in session. Guess everyone has heard that fall is a great time to visit the park. The animals are active and in their best form and the aspens and grasses are changing color.

Raindrops hanging from each pine needle like crystals from a chandelier.

Another male elk. Fall is a wonderful time to see the elk and hear them bugling as they gather their harem.

A pair of trumpeter swans on the Yellowstone River.

The swans are so large, yet graceful.

The quaking aspens in their fall splendor make a colorful contrast to the dark green pines.

A bison herd in Hayden Valley.

A young bison, born this spring.

Have you heard the one about.....

One of the largest males of this herd.

This herd was between the road and the fence at Fishing Bridge.

One of the many ravens in this area.

Norris Geyser Basin & Elk

Today we drove around the northern loop in Yellowstone. We were able to go on the Blacktail Plateau Rd, which up until now had been closed every time we went by it. We walked the trails in the Norris Geyser Basin, in the perfect 70 degree sunny weather. On our way home, we spotted a group of elk by the Madison River. All in all another great day.

View from a stop along the Plateau Rd. Very quiet and we could see forever.

Another view from Plateau Road.

One of the many geysers in the Norris Geyser Basin.

Steam vents (fumaroles) at Norris.

Hot spring at Norris. This walk really works the nose with a variety of smells.

More fumaroles

A very noisy hot spring. You could hear the water gurgling to the surface.

Looking down on the Norris Geyser Basin.

A male elk. Must be difficult to walk through the woods with that large rack.

The bull elk after one of the females in his 'harem'. September is breeding season.

Guess they spotted us across the river.

A bugling elk. Looks like he's scratching his back.

The Madison River where we spotted the elk pictured above.

These fly fishermen are right across the river from the elk.

Our Lady of the Pines Church

This is the Catholic Church we attend here in West Yellowstone. Having a church in this small town was a dream of a resident. She made this dream a reality and the building was completed in 1950. As you can see, it's a real A-frame building, inside and out.
This area is surrounded by forests. To coincide with the 50 year celebration, the windows were changed in 1998. The stained glass windows were designed to reflect the environment, depict the changing colors of the sky, snow and foliage and reflect the beauty of yearly weather patterns in these mountain woodlands. The liturgical colors of green, white, red and shades of purple and gold were integrated into the design giving definition to this space as a place of worship. The windows were designed locally. The glass used are a complex of glasses: some mouth blown, some hand rolled, and others machine made, some from Germany, some from France, and others from the U.S. (Some of this information is from a brochure we picked up at the church.)
The building is beautiful, but it's the people that make a church. Sister Pat is the Pastoral Administrator and lives here in town. She is the first smiling face we see as she cheerfully greets us all when we enter. Father Joe, the priest who presides over weekend masses, commutes from Bozeman, 90 miles each way, each weekend. He has been retired since 1991, and does this as a volunteer. We are very fortunate to have him. He does a wonderful job of creating community out of a mixture of a few yearly residents, summer residents (like us), and visitors who are here for only one weekend. We are usually an international group.


Hospitality time after Sunday Mass is a time to talk to the visitors and have homemade cookies with coffee or lemonade.

The rustic, yet beautiful interior and pews.

Spring

Summer

Autumn

Winter

Exploring Grassy Lake Road

A couple of weekends ago we ventured into Yellowstone again, now that the major crowds are gone. We entered the park through the west entrance and out the south entrance. Between Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, at the turn for Flagg Ranch, we headed west on Grassy Lake Rd. It took us to route 20 in Ashton, Idaho on mostly (33 miles) dirt road. Exploring the back roads is something we both enjoy and find very relaxing. Of course our truck gets very dirty, inside and out.

A bison in Yellowstone, fattening up for winter.

View from a primitive campsite on the John D. Rockefeller, Jr Memorial Parkway which is the eastern part of Grassy Lake Road. Each site had a bear proof trash receptacle, bear proof food box, modern out house, picnic table, metal fire ring and all the quiet you could want. There is no fee and a 14 day limit. The sites are small, mostly for tents, and truck campers. They ranged from 1 campsite to 4 campsites per area.

A Steller's Jay was the only resident we saw at this camp site.

Some fall berries.

Further along we came to Grassy Lake Reservoir where we saw this large black bear. We were behind some trees, so he never saw us. It was amazing watching him searching for delicious morsels in the moist soil on the shore.

Grassy Lake Reservoir is very large and in the middle of nowhere. Not sure what area this water supplies.

One of the many creeks along our route.

A nice meadow towards the western end of our trek on the dirt road. We encountered only a handful of vehicles and most were dirt motorcycles.

Indian Lake, which is mostly covered in lilly pads. Looks like a great habitat for moose, but we didn't spot any.

On our way home, after a day of exploring and some shopping, we were fortunate to see the rising of the full moon.