Friday, September 30, 2016

Finishing Up in Tetons

Hi All,

Cold nights and pleasant days mark the start of fall in the Tetons. Willows, aspens and cottonwoods are shedding their leaves, mostly on our Wildlife Brigade hybrid. We explained that it is camouflage so we can get closer to the wildlife.


Still lots of golden leaves on the trees.

Here Grand Teton and South Teton peeks above the trees.

A few rainy days in the valley left a fresh dusting of snow in the mountains.

Wednesday was our last "work" day, a back country hike to Phelps Lake Overlook. Still lots of visitors on the trail with lots of questions.

Friends Walt and Betty left today but not before taking this beautiful sunrise photo of the Teton range.
We will stay in the area until next Thursday. We will celebrate Rosh Hashanah here with the Jackson Hole Jewish Community then head east with wildlife refuge stops, Yom Kippur in Omaha, NE, music in Nashville and coach repairs in Red Bay, AL. 

We are scheduled to arrive at our winter gig at Barberville Pioneer Settlement by Nov 1.

Love,

Sandy & Carl 
Living & Traveling in our Motorhome
Volunteering across America
617-435-8502
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Wednesday, September 21, 2016

More Friends & Animals

Hi All,


Some mornings it pays to get up early to take out the trash!


 Betty got this shot of our rain soaked bear still eating berries,

Our new friends Ed & Di who did a phenomenal job managing Jenny Lake Campground this year, got this neat old west photo taken

Yesterday morning was brisk and this cow moose was breathing hard (right next to our coach).

Some Brigaders will start departing tomorrow so we had a hike this afternoon instead of a staff meeting.
We have only three patrol days left. Where has the summer gone?

Love,

Sandy & Carl 
Living & Traveling in our Motorhome
Volunteering across America
617-435-8502
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Monday, September 19, 2016

Two Busy Days

Hi All,

Multiple simultaneous moose and bear jams have kept us busy for a couple of days.

Today, we were joined by friends Betty & Don who experienced an exciting ride-a-long.

The sign points to the town of Moose but some visitors may think we have mislabeled the animals.

This young bull moose was visible from the road for several hours.

This young black bear was wolfing down the berries.
Another awesome day.🐻🐻🐻🐻

Love,

Sandy & Carl 
Living & Traveling in our Motorhome
Volunteering across America
617-435-8502
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Friday, September 16, 2016

Critters Small and Large

Hi All,

During our hike Wednesday we didn't see big animals but we did see this American House Spider


and this paper wasp nest 

We need not go far for big animals though. This cow moose was 50 feet behind our coach this morning.

Our friend Mike Grady has an interesting volunteer gig. He rides the train from Grand Junction to Denver, CO providing commentary to passengers through the Rockies .
Thanks Mike.

Love,

Sandy & Carl 
Living & Traveling in our Motorhome
Volunteering across America
617-435-8502
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Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Heat, Hoots & Bears

Hi All,

When the Berry fire blew up Sunday, one of the fire guys got this photo as the fire reached the road.

The fire ran for six miles in the windy conditions. Rain Tuesday quieted the fire down and no structures were damaged. The road to Yellowstone was reopened at 1:30 this afternoon.

Monday we attended the Jackson Hootenanny. Great performances by many local talents.

Today we had a five hour bear jam while this guy munched all the berries close to the road.

Carl got up close for this photo.
Within minutes our radios came alive with reports of someone attacked by a bear. Not within the Park, no serious blood loss but Carl decided to back off and let this guy eat all the berries he wants.

The day flew by.

Love,

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

Photographed and sent from Carl's iPhone
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Sunday, September 11, 2016

What a Difference a Day Makes

Hi All,

Yesterday afternoon we drove through the burn area in north Grand Teton.

Today the winds whipped up to 30 mph and the smoldering fire exploded once again.

This is the view from near Moose over 50 miles away!
The road to Yellowstone is closed again. Just prior to the closure a car was hit by a falling, fire damaged tree. The store at Flagg Ranch was evacuated as well as the South Gate of Yellowstone.

Scary stuff. Much needed rain forecast for tomorrow.

Love,

Sandy & Carl 
Living & Traveling in our Motorhome
Volunteering across America
617-435-8502
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Saturday, September 10, 2016

Beartooth Highway

Hi All,

Friday we drove the Beartooth Highway from Cooke City to Red Lodge, MT and back. (64 miles and 82 switchbacks each way).

We think the is the "Bear Tooth". If it isn't, it should be!

Nearing the top, the horizon is lined with snow capped mountains.

Beartooth Lake was a tranquil spot.

Above 9,000 feet there were frequent patches of snow that someone had used to build a small snowman. Check out the switchbacks coming up the hill.

Near the summit we spotted this ancient pine tree.

Canyons and small glacial lakes off to the horizon.

Here's the pass at 10,947 feet. One of the highest roads in the lower 48.

Today we drove home through Yellowstone. Along the way we saw grizzly bears, black bears, big horn sheep, elk, deer, coyote and hundreds of bison.

Tomorrow we are back to "work".

Love,

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

Hi All,

We took off for our weekend (Thur-Sat) to visit Yellowstone and the Beartooth Highway northeast of Yellowstone.

This was the sky the night before we left. Red sky at night, RVers delight. We did have a great weather weekend.


First stop was Old Faithful where we arrived in time for a ranger program about the geyser's heat source and plumbing.

By mid-September we expected the crowds to have thinned out--NOT!

Old Faithful never disappoints.

Next we drive to Mammoth Hot Springs, not so much for the springs but the elk. The females dissed us, always facing away as they browsed.

But this guy sat serenely with nine cows in his harem.
From there we drove through Lamar Valley to Cooke City.

A wonderful day with more to come.

Love,

Sandy & Carl 
Living & Traveling in our Motorhome
Volunteering across America
617-435-8502
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Tuesday, September 6, 2016

A Glorious Day

Hi All,

It is not often that a day that starts at 27 degrees is called glorious but today was that and more.

We saw moose, black bear, grizzly bear, bison, mule deer and this beautiful red fox.


When we went north to elk ranch flats for a bison jam we saw the horses from a nearby dude ranch grazing in front of the Tetons,

Further north we found the bison but they were no longer close to the highway.

Back in Moose, our favorite Sow with two Cubs was back in the housing area.

We hazed her for a while until she and the cubs settled down for a nap.  We took that opportunity to eat lunch while watching them. Here Alex and Sandy watch the bears in the woods to the right.
Just about when we finished lunch the bears were up and moving. We finally got them to the road, got traffic stopped and mom plus one crossed the road. After several minutes the second cub came to the road but mom was 200 yards away. The cub moaned and cried until mom came running back to escort the wayward cub across the road. The park should definitely make us pay them for these experiences!

Love,

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

Photographed and sent from Carl's iPhone
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Sunday, September 4, 2016

Proud to be part of the Grand Teton Team

Hi All,

The park foundation threw a big birthday party for all employees, volunteers and foundation supporters. Great food, open bar and a seemingly endless list of raffle prizes.

Superintendent, David Vela  gave a brief speech about the significance of the Park Service's 100th birthday

then we went back to eating and drinking. 

Back on duty today we rejoined our black bear mom with two cubs. They spent another five hours munching berries in the Moose housing area.

One of the cubs is wrestling with a choke cherry branch.

Mom reaches for the higher branches.

and takes a moment to check us out.
She's pretty mellow which is a good thing.

The big Berry fire is still burning but the Yellowstone road is open and the smoke is clearing.

Conditions are still critically dry. A front came through today and sporadic lightning started four fires. Multiple helicopters and ground crews knocked them down before the got out of hand.

There is also a massive Search and Rescue operation ongoing. A lodge employee went for a hike on Wednesday and has not reported for work since. Lots of people,dogs and helicopters scouring the mountain trails but the longer it goes on, prospects for a good outcome diminish.

The commitment and teamwork of the Grand Teton NP staff is amazing.

Love,

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