Yellowstone National Park

 

 

We drove in and out several times.  Spent one night north of the park in

Gardiner.

 

2024 Fall Trip Map

 

What can one say about Yellowstone.  Sensory overload.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Devils Tower

 

 

2024 Fall Trip Map

 

Dramatic from a distance.

 

Dramatic from up close.

 

Judy got the calendar shot at sunset.

 

We took the loop trail around the base.  It’s a charming path, never losing touch with the tower, and with great views.

 

 

We marveled at the climbers working their way up the fissures.  We wondered aloud if many people spent the night on the face or did they all tend to work their way down by dark.

 

The park we are at has a little outdoor theater and presents a screening of Close Encounters of the Third Kind every night at seven.  We watched it, again, until we got too cold and retreated to our rig.  While we were watching, with the tower as a backdrop, we got our question about overnight stays answered.  There were several groups of lights on various parts of the rock.  The tower was populated at night.  It was disconcerting though when suddenly one of the headlamps we were watching tumbled from high on the mountain.  It's almost a thousand-foot climb to the top, and that light was most of the way there.  We had to hope it was only that someone dropped their headlamp and that it was not attached to anybody.  The next morning, we got the bad news that it was indeed a climber who had been moving around at night and made a fatal mistake.  With thousands of climbers scaling Devils Tower each year, there are very few falls and fatalities, but we happened to be distant witnesses to one of them.  We’ve spent some time today talking our way through it.  It’s going to take a while.

 

More Custer State Park

 

 

In the Black Hills.

 

 

 

 

 

 

But now we’re in the Badlands.

 

Fall Trip Map

 

 

Custer State Park

 

 

Not much for internet, but it’s got everything else.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now we’re in South Dakota

 

 

 

Fall Colors Trip Map

 

We drove a lot of highway to get here.

 

Grazing bighorn sheep.  Females and youngsters, so their horns aren’t so big.

 

Custer State Park.

 

Now we’re in Wyoming

 

 

No.  Wait.  Now we’re in Nebraska.

 

Fall Color Trip Map

 

 

We’re getting a little weather.

 

Our work of art

 

 

 

Packed up and ready to go.

 

We went in search of high-country color.

 

Fall Color Trip Map

 

 

We’re a little early.  The aspen trees aren’t turning much; no colorful hillsides of aspen yet.  Grasses and bushes are doing their thing and looking fine though.

 

We’re enjoying our camp spots.

 

 

The beautiful beast is back

 

 

 

Shock absorption fully restored.

 

Ready to pack up for our next adventure.

  Our blank canvas.

 

 

We plan to leave tomorrow and head up into the high country to see about fall colors.  We’ll report back as connectivity permits.

 

One of these things is not like the others

 

 

 

The right rear shock absorber is not supposed to look like that.  It took a hit from a piece of road debris.  After that it was flexing in a way it wasn’t supposed to until it failed from metal fatigue.  We should have the van back tomorrow with all the shock absorbers fully functioning.

 

There’s something happening here

 

 

What it is ain’t exactly clear.

 

Okay, so maybe we do know what’s going on at the top of this tree, as we enjoy the early indicator of the approaching fall.

 

Home alone

 

 

Judy and me.  Just the two of us.

 

Except we got Conner and Anna over for Taco Tuesday tonight.

 

Conner is a junior at CU.  Anna is a sophomore.  They each live away from home, but not so far they can’t come by for a meal and a visit.

 

Campground reviews

 

 

We use campground reviews to help us decide where to go.  Positive reviews are great, but sometimes negative reviews can provide an unintended perspective.  This review, for example:

 

            Just Wanted to Have Fun!

The park rangers totally sucked the fun out of this camping trip.  Their visits were way too excessive.  They complained about our kids driving RC cars, about the kids riding bikes, about the kids riding their hoverboards, about the kids being too loud.  Apparently they do not want children to have any fun whatsoever.  Over all, a horrible experience, we will never go back!

 

We enjoy a quiet considerate campground (Campground Etiquette).  As long as we’re sure the people who wrote this review are really gone, this could be a nice campground.

 

Teigan and Elise moved away today

 

 

They’re going to join Tony in the Pacific Northwest.  It’s all part of the masterplan.  Tony rented a two-bedroom apartment so there would be room for everyone.  The three of them get along well. 

 

We waved the two of them off, and they drove away in the Honda.  Within a couple minutes, they were back.

 

Teigan needed another look back at the house.

 

She has lived there her whole life.  She has never moved before.  In fact, she never even changed rooms, she was still in the room she has always had.

 

The house.

 

And for now, the garage is even empty.

 

The garage is empty because Becky and Brian took the Tesla and drove along with them to make sure the move goes well, and everyone is settled in.  Our van is left out front.  There is a pickup truck in the driveway because Brian’s dad loaned it to us so we would have something to drive while the van was in for service for a day next week.  That’s a big house and yard to have all to ourselves.