Day 24

This was a great day to be in the Tetons. We went our separate ways today – Suz and Graham stayed at the motel and eased into the day. Later they went back to the pass so Graham could do some more mountain bike riding the down the trails. The bike rental company gave him two day, $45 rental for a bike that cost $5,000. He certainly got his money’s worth!!!! Graham buddied up with a couple of riders from Utah that race downhill competitively and he took some great photographs of them jumping and hopes to send some to them. Suz was the support crew and transport vehicle for the bikers to get back up the pass (Collin allowed her to use his pickup). They made 3 runs. Here is a sample of some of the action they had.





Kent, Brenda, Collin, Amy, Bill, Bridget, Carla and me loaded up cruising kayaks and headed into Teton National Park for some high mountain lake kayaking. We put in at Jenny Lake then portaged over to Leigh Lake. The scenery was spectacular with the Tetons as our backdrop and the weather was just as good. We packed a lunch and ate on a small island. We were hoping to see lots of wildlife – but not today. It was a great relaxing day on the water. The kayak rental company allowed us to use their trailer to haul our kayaks. On the return trip out of the park, the trailer started making screeching noises. In a matter of a couple of miles it was obvious the wheel bearings on one side were spent. We limped to a pull off and unhooked the trailer and called the company to come and get it. We were glad it was their trailer and not ours.





The kayaking crew met Suz, Graham, Joe (Carla’s) at the Village for a tram ride to the top of the ski area. It was really windy and cold, but a great view of the valley and the surrounding countryside.



The Village is where Bill’s family is staying. We all – first time the whole crew (15) of us went over the pass to Victor, ID for dinner at the Knotty Pine - great food and atmosphere at this popular local hangout. This is a group picture at the Knotty Pine.

Day 23

It was a quiet day for Suz and I. We strolled downtown and did some shopping. I didn’t last long and left her to do some running around on my own. Kent, Collin and Graham rented downhill bikes and went to Teton Pass and had an amazing time – making 3 runs. It was probably a good thing I didn’t go along because it was very technical riding and real dangerous. Just a couple of days ago on the same runs, a local was airlifted to Idaho with severe head injuries.

Kent, Brenda, Amy, Collin, Suz, Graham and I, went to a local favorite – Bubba’s for some Bar-b-que. Good meal! We joined Carla and Joe for the weekly Wed. night Jackson Hole Rodeo. It is just a small rodeo but a lot of fun. We were glad that it didn’t last too long – it really got cold. The low is supposed to be 35 degrees overnight. Afterwards, several of us walked down to the one of the local favorites – The Cowboy Bar to listen to the music and for a nightcap.

Most of you that follow this are aware that our daughter, Tara, son-in-law, Jess and grandson Jackson, live near St. Louis. Today, July 30, is Jack’s 1st birthday. Although we are disappointed that we won’t be there to celebrate on his birthday, we will make up for it when we pass through St. Louis on our way home. Jack – this is our birthday card to you – Happy 1st Birthday!

Day 22

Suz and I were up early and went to the grocery store to get provisions for the week – snacks, lunch and breakfast items. This was our rafting day. This is a regular event for the Brocksmith party so they know the river really well. It started out very cool – 55 degrees, but ended up being a great day.

Our crew – Kent, Brenda, Collin, Amy, Suz, Graham and I – met Bill, Bridget and Barron Brocksmith, Shelby Stevens (Barron’s friend) and Joe and Carla for the day of rafting. We rented our raft and equipment, just west of Jackson. We did two 8 mile trips down the Snake River. Suz, Carla and Brenda were our support and photography crew. We all had a really good time. Kent was our guide and Bridget was our vocal inspiration. There were some challenging rapids and some relaxing float time. There were 3 sightings of bald eagles. One was flying up the canyon with a fish flopping in its talons. The other two were perched in trees on the side of the river.

Collin, Shelby and I took a swim – unplanned. Graham, Collin and Bill did some rock jumping from the bank into the Snake. The water was cold, unofficially around 54 degrees but for most of the day we had plenty of sunshine. All in all, it was a great time. Here are some of the rafting pictures, compliments of Suz.







This is a picture of Graham on one of his jumps:



When we returned from rafting, Graham and I made a deal. I would clean the bikes, he would do the laundry. Fortunately, the motel owners let me use an outside hydrant and garden hose. I think – no I know – I got the best end of the deal because Kent and Collin helped me wash and wipe off the bikes. I couldn’t believe how dirty they were. We came through some chip and seal roads and have some tar on the bikes – that will have to wait until we get home.

Kent and I enjoyed an “adult beverage” on the balcony while Graham did laundry and Suz and Brenda walked downtown for some shopping and checking out the many shops and stores. We (Collin, Amy, Brenda, Kent, Suz, Graham and I) all met at the Brew Pub for dinner and ate outside on the patio. We sampled the local flavor and had a great meal.

The reason I have been delayed in posting to the blog – our WiFi is not working, so I’m at the grocery’s deli section making the last two day’s entries. Not sure what is on the agenda today – will have to wait and see what Kent and Brenda (our tour guides) have planned for us.

Day 21

We started out at 7 a.m. this morning, hoping that we would be able to meet Suz early afternoon – wrong. We couldn’t have anticipated all the construction and crowds before, in and after Yellowstone. Probably the most beautiful pass we have crossed was Beartooth between Red Lodge and the east entrance of Yellowstone – unfortunately – we didn’t get to see much of it. The low clouds and fog really limited the visibility. It was also the coldest we had been on the trip. We had plenty of clothes but don’t have winter gloves – our hands got really cold. We had a total of 5 construction delays on this day that must have totaled close to 2 hours. The signs at the construction areas say this is our “recovery money” at work. I suppose I’m happy the National Parks are getting some of my tax money, but I sure wish they would have waited until we got through with our trip! This isn’t a very exciting picture but it was typical of the day.



We did see some wildlife – Bison (up close and personal), elk off in the distant hillside and some deer. We stopped at the hot pool basins and Old Faithful. We had quite a variety of weather – sun, hail, rain, and wind. I had been to Yellowstone twice before – once when I was 15 and the other time during the winter 15 years ago when I came to Jackson Hole to ski with the Brocksmith Boys and crew. This was Graham’s first time and I hope the traffic and construction delays didn’t sour him. While we were waiting on Old Faithful, we went to the lodge to admire the old lady. We wondered around the lodge and took several pictures.







We entered the park around 10 a.m. and didn’t get to the motel in Jackson until 6 p.m. Suz had arrived around noon and Kent and Brenda Brocksmith picked her and Carla and Joe (Carla is Kent’s cousin, who just happened to be on the same flight) from the airport and gave them a tour around the valley. After cleaning up we joined Kent, Brenda, Collin Tiek, and Amy Neal for dinner for a Mexican meal. Collin, son of Dale and Jane Tiek and nephew of Kent, has been in Jackson for month, interning with a real estate firm. Amy, Collin’s girlfriend, rode out with Kent and Brenda and will be returning back to Indiana with Collin at the end of the week.

The motorcycles are the dirtiest they have ever been. We didn’t feel like tackling this cleaning job tonight – they will just have to be dirty until tomorrow

Day 20

We went to bed early, as as soon as we did a thunderstorm rolled in and it rained for about 30 min. We stayed dry in our tent. I haven't said much about our camping equipment but this may be the time. We have come prepared. Our tent, tarp, bags, pads, stove, pots, pans, dishes, etc. have served us well.

We woke up early and packed the tent and gear and were off by 6:30 a.m. It sprinkled/light rain on us until we got out of the east end of the park. Soon after leaving the park we out ran another storm. The ride southeast through the Flathead Range foothills, into Great Falls and down to Billings was scenic and fast. The speed limit is 70 mph and for the most part, we could run at that speed. At a little town called Harlowton, MT we stopped for gas and met another biker from Martinsville, IN. He had trailered his bike to Sturgis and was doing some riding around Montana until the rally begins in a little over a week. Just west of Harlowton we rode through an area where there was a grasshopper plague. Our bikes, boots, pants and helmets took a beating. It must have been a biblical plague of some kind - probably punishing us for not going to church this morning!

I called home to see how Jack's birthday party was going. Suz said there was a good crowd and that the weather was great. Suz, Jess, Tara and Jack will be headed to St. Louis later this afternoon. Suz will fly out very early tomorrow.

We arrived in Billings around 3 p.m. and got a motel room at a small local motel - nothing special - but it does have two clean beds, shower and Wi-Fi - which permitted me to catch up on my postings. We had no internet service in Glacier and had to drive to the entrance to even have phone service. So.....that is why there are three postings today (Sun.). Sorry, no pictures this day. We will head out early tomorrow morning to Yellowstone and on to Jackson to meet Suz and the Brocksmith Party.

Day 19

We weren’t in a big hurry to get going this morning and Graham knew that – so he waited until the last minute to get up and get ready. Our helicopter trip began at 9:30 but they wanted us there a ½ hour early. It is about 17 miles to the park entrance and Glacier Heli Tours is just a mile from West Glacier. We were really impressed with the professionalism – everything top notch. I have to admit it was pricey but worth it, we had a great time. Graham got to sit next to the pilot in the front and I sat with a family of four – two little girls and their mom and dad. We flew east, circled the center of the park, saw numerous glaciers and lakes, and crossed the Continental Divide. I took lots of pictures, here are but a few.














Upon returning to camp and eating a bite, Graham decided it was time for a nap. I can remember when I was his age I slept a lot too – Craig Scott, my roommate at Purdue and a good friend always told me that I was “sleeping my life away”. Graham decided to “sleep his life away” while I took a hike. I drove up to Logan Pass at the Continental Divide and hiked the Hidden Lake Trail. The park is really crowded; there were lots of vehicles on the road and lots of hikers on the trail. The hike was great, about 5 miles total – some spectacular vistas of the park and wildlife. I took these pictures of a marmot and mountain goats and some of the scenery along the way.











I also took a couple of pictures of a wildflower meadow. Susie, my wife, loves the mountain wildflowers. So these pictures are for her.





I haven’t mentioned much about Susie except that she will be meeting Graham and I at Jackson, WY on Monday – can’t wait. She is home holding things together. Tomorrow (Sunday) they will be celebrating Jack’s (grandson) first birthday. Actually, it is not for another week, but with Tara, Jess and Jack home for a wedding this weekend and us being gone, it was the only time to get both families together. It takes a special relationship between a husband and wife that will allow a partner to be gone for 31 days. Thanks Suz for letting Graham and I take this amazing trip.

When I returned to camp, Graham grabbed the camera and took a picture of this buck behind our camp that he had been watching for almost an hour.



Now, it was my time for a power nap. Graham made the trip to phone reception territory while I cleaned up and prepared for dinner. On the menu tonight are hamburgers and assorted veggies. We intend to get an early start tomorrow get within 3 hours or so of Yellowstone. Total mileage to Jackson, WY is 700 miles. Also, a big thanks to Kent and Brenda Brocksmith of Freelandville for volunteering to pick up Suz at the Jackson Hole Airport.

Day 18

We really enjoyed the Eagle’s nest motel. It was the nicest so far and the least expensive. If you are ever passing through Priest River, ID be sure to stop. Talking with the managers, we learned that they were originally from Frankfort, IN. There have been many times that people stop us and ask what part of Indiana we are from. Most of the time they are from the northern part of the state. We left Priest River at 7:30 in an effort to get to Glacier early enough to get a campsite. I viewed Glacier’s website last night and saw where all of the campsites were filling up by mid afternoon. Since this was Friday, I suspected that the weekend campers would cause the sites to fill up sooner. I soon realized that when we entered Montana, we lost an hour. That, coupled with a 45 min. construction delay was cause for concern.

The ride through the panhandle of Idaho and through the northwest of Montana was great. Except for the construction delays, we didn’t encounter much traffic. The major cities we passed through were Sandpoint, ID, Libby and Kalispell, MT. At Kalispell we purchased groceries sufficient to get us through the two nights at Glacier.




We pulled into Glacier at 2 p.m. and discovered that the first 3 of the 4 campgrounds on the west side of the park were full. We were told that if we made straight for Avalanche Campground that we shouldn’t have any problem getting a site. It was a 20 mile ride from the west park entrance on the Going To The Sun Road to the campground. We found several open sites and selected one on the edge of the campground bordering a dense cedar-hemlock forest (sounds like I know a lot about the park ecology, when in fact I found this info in our park guide). Anyway, it is a nice site and will be our home for the next two nights.

After setting up the tent and the awning, we made the trip back down to the west entrance to make phone calls – no reception at our campsite. I also made reservation for the two of us to take a ½ hour helicopter ride tomorrow morning. Since we’re here for only a day and one-half, I thought it would be a great way to see most of the central and southern part of the park that we would never get to see otherwise. Brooks’ friend, Phillip De Larosa, mentioned that he did the 1 hour trip and it was spectacular. I figured that with me being susceptible to motion sickness – the ½ hour would be enough.

Dinner tonight will be our staples of baked beans, corn and I’ll grill chicken breast over the open fire. We may take a short hike later. Lots of pictures for tomorrow.