Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Highs & Lows Today

Hi All,

Today was the Grand Teton volunteer appreciation luncheon. In addition to good food and camaraderie , several of the 100 park volunteers were surprised with their President's Volunteer Service Awards.

We were among those who got these neat pins

and this letter from President Obama.

Here are the award winners with the park Superintendent on the left.

After lunch we patrolled String Lake and met a couple who spotted a black bear mom and photographed her cub about a half mile north.
Unfortunately, we later learned that her mom stole food from a back country campsite. 

Later as we drove south we found this bull elk along the road 

What a day!

Love,

Sandy & Carl 
Living & Traveling in our Motorhome
Volunteering across America
617-435-8502
Posted by at No comments:

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Catching Up

Hi All,

It has been an unusual week that began with a trip in the motorhome to Idaho Falls for replacement of our refrigerator cooling unit. It was 2 1/2 hours each way over a mountain pass with ten percent grades and the install took 5 1/2 hours!. No fun but neither was living out of coolers and dealing with ice. At least we got to spend some "quality time" at Walmart. This one is the closest to Grand Teton.

Yes, there is a waterfall in Idaho Falls


The National Park  has been very busy for the past few weeks. All of the 1,200 campsites have been full nearly every night.

We had a black bear in our campground last week and another wildlife bigader spotted this guy along a hiking trail.

Today was our "back country" day and we hiked along Leigh Lake. This was the view from where we had lunch.
Life is good though fast. It is hard to believe the season is more than half over.

Love,

Sandy & Carl 
Living & Traveling in our Motorhome
Volunteering across America
617-435-8502
Posted by at No comments:

Sunday, July 26, 2015

Schwabacher's Landing

Hi All,

After supper we drove up to Schwabacher's Landing to watch the sunset and beavers.

We arrived just as the sun set behind The Grand.


Looking upstream, the water was so calm that the photo looked the same upside down.

We saw six or seven beavers including one that carried mud and sticks to the roof of the lodge for repairs. This one swam so close Carl got a decent low light shot with his iPhone.

Back in the parking lot the mountains demanded one more photo.

Driving home along Mormon Row, some of the bison herd was close to the road. 
We also saw pairs of adolescent males practice ""jousting" as they pushed each other around.

Love,

Sandy & Carl 
Living & Traveling in our Motorhome
Volunteering across America
617-435-8502

Photographed and sent from Carl's iPhone
Posted by at No comments:

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Motivation to Fulltime

Hi All,

Over the years, we have encountered many full time RVers, each with their own motivation to pursue this lifestyle.

Last week we met a couple with an extraordinary story. Recall the news stories of huge Florida sinkholes swallowing homes and even people? This couple lost their home and nearly everything they owned to a sinkhole. After a painful year of "what to do next" they decided to sell their remaining possessions, buy a motorhome and go "full time". 

They are touring the country, visiting National Parks and loving the lifestyle.

Sandy & Carl 
Living & Traveling in our Motorhome
Volunteering across America
617-435-8502
Posted by at No comments:

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Another Back Country Day

Hi All,

We first met Sue & Bob Schmidt when they were Tail Gunners on our 2005 Mexico Belize Birding Caravan. We occasionally cross paths at RV shows since then. We were delighted when they arrived at Grand Teton and spent our Back Country Day hiking and touring with them.


We hiked around String Lake. It's a lot quieter on the west side, far away from the usual chaos of the picnic area.

That's not to say we were alone on the west side. This yellow bellied marmot peeked out at us.

Back on Moose Wilson Road we looked for moose but did not find this female we saw yesterday. Actually, we spent three hours with her trying to keep the traffic moving.

Next stop was the Rockefeller Preserve where Lake Creek tumbles over the rocks.

Love,

Sandy & Carl 
Living & Traveling in our Motorhome
Volunteering across America
617-435-8502

Photographed and sent from Carl's iPhone
Posted by at No comments:

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

The Last Few Days

Hi All,

Saturday we rode the gondola to the "Deck" above Teton Village. Good beer and great fries and tempura veggies. Oh, the view is not too shabby either.

On Sunday, as we patrolled Jenny Lake  campground we spotted this mule deer.

Monday we spent three hours keeping visitors from getting too close to this bull moose who was very close to a busy trail.

While "babysitting" the moose we watched the historic Menors Ferry maneuver across the Snake River.

Today we drove to Kelly "Warm Springs" where people have been dumping unwanted tropical fish for years. We spotted goldfish, swordtails and several African cichlids. When we looked up from the spring, we were greeted by this awesome mountain vista.
Life is Good.

Love,

Sandy & Carl 
Living & Traveling in our Motorhome
Volunteering across America
617-435-8502
Posted by at No comments:

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

More Animals

Hi All,

On our back country hike yesterday, nearly every hiker group we passed reported seeing a small black bear. Sure enough, when we got to Taggart Lake we found this guy digging grubs and doing other bear stuff.


After the hike we responded to a report of a " moose jam" at the Snake River bridge. When we got on scene we found this guy and over 100 people watching him.
This morning we saw a bull moose closer to home-about 40 yards behind our coach. Our neighbor said, "it's as if we live in a National Park!"

Love,

Sandy & Carl 
Living & Traveling in our Motorhome
Volunteering across America
617-435-8502

Photographed and sent from Carl's iPhone
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)