Packing, Winterizing, and Heading North?

The temperatures were supposed to drop to the low twenties, so it was time to wrap everything up. We loaded the car and Thule, contacted the businrss owner, Josh, who winterizes our park model. This involves blowing all the water out of our park model lines and making sure everything will withstand the bitter cold, (we also have another business shovel the snow off of our Park Model and small pickup camper).

Our goal was to make a quick trip to Hamilton, Montana to visit our daughter Jen and her Husband Eric. The first stretch of Highway was a drive to Idaho Falls, spending the night and then drive the long desolate drive North. This involved among other things, driving through the Idaho National Laboratory and other public lands before reaching Salmon, Idaho. It offered us some great wildlife viewing and we did spot a herd of elk, antelope, deer, and even a moose! The last leg was over Lost Trail Pass, discovered by Lewis and Clark. It’s a good road but we ran into some ice near the top, where the road was in the shade. The car made it fine as we slowed down.

Reaching Jen and Erics’ house we were greeted with the hugs we had come for. Eric and Jen had cooked corn beef and cabbage, a huge pot, and we ate it for three meals, (I love it). After resting from the drive Eric and Jen took us up the Lost Horse Road, finally reaching Bear Creek Trailhead. It was the end of the road and there were vehicles parked all along it as it’s bow hunting season for deer. We both enjoyed the drive on the road, thank goodness Eric’s truck is a four-wheel drive. It’s not a bad road, as far as forest service roads go, and we didn’t have to do any rock crawling.

Another day we walked the trail in Hamilton, along the Bitterroot River. At one point we encountered a bull moose who stood up and watched us pass by, (we were a safe distance). That evening we went out to eat and as we ate, we saw a different bull moose walk into a small alcove where it fed on the plants (provided unintentionally by the restaurant). As we had just finished our dinner we, along with quite a few others, went out to watch the moose.

It was over twenty-five yards away, minimum distance for safety, and while the moose turned and looked at us it didn’t feel threatened and continued to browse, (moose are extremely dangerous, killing more people than bears, especially a cow with a calf). Back at their house we tallied all the wildlife we had seen and the next day, after more hugs, returned to Thayne, Wyoming for more doctors’ appointments. Thanks, Jen and Eric we had a great time!

North American River Otters at Grand Teton National Park

We traveled to Grand Teton National Park, hoping to hike the Grand View Trail. On the way we stopped at the Oxbow turnoff, as it was crowded with people. It was a shock to see the low water level.

The water is now a few shallow braided streams, filled with feeding birds. Renita suggested we should drive to Cattlemen’s Bridge, (no longer there). Taking the short gravel road, we neared the Snake River and saw three photographers with huge lens. They were concentrating on the south shore, and we quickly spotted a family group of four River Otters! They were the nearest we have ever been to the otters, (and by they way they are viscous animals and have been known to severely bite people, (taking off extra fingers and attacking the faces of idiots who want to pet them, (they also can carry rabies).

The otters were swimming upstream, and the female was leading the way for the three young ones. She was breaking the current for them, heading upstream looking for water that was deep enough to hold prey. They find prey as the fish touch their thick whiskers and then quickly catch the fish with their sharp teeth, (I haven’t heard if they eat the fingers they remove). They also catch and eat small mammals, shellfish, and birds.

If you ever visit GTNP be sure to stop at the Oxbow Area, and if you are really adventurist, rent a kayak and paddle the area, (only do this when the water in the Snake is higher than in this picture). Clear skies

Hiking the Grand View Trail, Fall 2026

Each year we make the hike up the Grand View Trail. It’s a round trip of about three and a half miles. The Point itself is at seven thousand two hundred feet and often trail runners pass us…. At seventy-five years old we didn’t know if we could make the hike, but we wanted to try. Its our yearly goal! Arming ourselves with bear spray. We started the hike and at the first mud puddles we stopped to admire the Grizzly bear tracks.

A man returned from the hike and told us he had heard a bear growling at the summit but didn’t look over the edge, (he had his bear spray out and ready! The tracks at the start were of a full-grown bear and a much smaller cub.

Continuing, we reached the trees and noticed a spot where a bear had marked a tree with its claws. Interesting!

Two flocks of Ruffed Grouse retreated from us and used their camouflage to hide in the brush. I missed them with the camera on my phone. Further up we reached the halfway point and paused for a short rest. We drank some water and continued to climb. I was impressed with Renita as I let her set the pace. She cranked up the trail, and we both stopped several times to catch our breath. Passing a huge rock ledge, we knew we were nearing the summit and before long another rock outcrop marked the spot, we picnic at. The summit was just above us and we finally reached the sign. Another couple was near us and we took turns taking pictures. They were from the California Coast and remarked about the effects on altitude.

As we talked another couple stopped and we learned they were from South Carolina. No one had seen any bears, but the second couple told us that the road to Two Ocean Lake was closed due to bear activity, You can see two lakes from the summit, Two Ocean Lake and Emma Martilda, (the smaller of the two).

Stopping at the picnic site, (not tables just volcanic rock), we took a selfie, ate our lunch and headed back down. There were lots of loose rocks and so we used our trek poles to keep our balance. it’s a lot harder to go downhill and I almost fell at several places. I was definitely not in my best physical shape and so I had to stop at places as my legs were acting like a sewing machine. Normally we also hike the Treager Lake Trail and the Lake Phelps Trail but not this year. Between Doctors visits, Physical therapy for my back, and making cabochons, the summer has passed and now we are starting to pack for our trip to Montana and then South Texas. If you plan on hiking any trails in Grand Teton National Park always carry bear spray! Clear skies