Jul 20, 2018 - Flowers on the Rim trail

Date: July 20, 2018 Weather: sunny Temperature: start 52º High 88º Wildlife count: Golden-mantle Ground Squirrel Year List: 344 Birds: Stellar Jay Our first task of the morning was to boil potatoes for the potato salad, then boiled eggs. We took out the eggs for soft-boiled breakfast, leaving the others in for hard boiled. After breakfast, we headed for the pass, where we hiked the Rim trail, birding all the way. It was beautiful up there – the wild flowers were at their peak in many different hues. See pictures. Because it was easy, we...

Jul 19, 2018 - Chores then AMK

Date: July 19, 2018 Weather: sunny Temperature: start 44º High 91º Wildlife count: Mule Deer, Elk Year List: 343 Birds: Very relaxing morning and completed laundry. Grocery shopped then opened John Ewan’s Barber Shop. We enjoyed a run up to Leek’s and AMK. The weather was perfect to sit outdoors for a grilled burger. We sat with Walt & Betty, Carl & Sandy, and Gaylia brought her boss from LSR, Larrie, who shared a lot about the Preserve. The discussion was about climate change and its effects on Sage Thrashers and Pikas – it was quite...

Jul 18, 2018 - Hiking the butte

Date: July 18, 2018 Weather: mostly sunny Temperature: start 44º High 91º Wildlife count: Year List: 343 Birds: The remit came out well, then we began chores. Kathy and I cleaned out the storage room in the pond room, finishing by noon. It was actually easier than we thought, and we ended with a box of materials for Natalie to sort under the breakroom table. After lunch at Wendy’s, we ran errands arriving home around 4. After a quick dinner of brats and mac-cheese, we joined Julie for a hike up Miller Butte – this area is not open to the...

Jul 17, 2018 - South Dakota.

Writing to you from Gillette, Wyoming tonight. We've been here a day. It's the beginning of the FMCA Rally. FMCA, Family Motor Coach Association. Yes this is legit. Headquartered in Ohio. This is their 98th Rally. Here we take courses on a variety of subjects pertinent to RV living. Also get to see all the gadgets and brand new RV's. Similar to the Annual Midwifery Conference except the subject is RV. So if there is a two week span between entries you will know why. Email me if you have a burning desire to now more about 10 Maintenance Tips...

Jul 17, 2018 - Professional Bull Riding

Date: July 17, 2018 Weather: storms, sun Temperature: start 49º High 88 Wildlife count: Year List: 343 Birds: The VC was rather quiet yesterday, except for Talon Tuesday – 284 folks attended, and loved the program. At the end of our shift, we got supper from Creekside and quickly ate, then changed into ‘western’ dress. We arrived at the rodeo grounds at 4:30 for instructions. Walt & Betty and John & I and Nancy & Dave were the only ones from NER volunteering for the history museum, who received proceeds from the rodeo. The history museum...

Jul 16, 2018 - Fall Creek Road

Date: July 16, 2018 Weather: on and off showers, some sun Temperature: start 41º High 81º Wildlife count: Mule Deer, Uinta Ground Squirrel Year List: 343 Birds: Western Wood Pewee After a relaxing breakfast at McD’s, where we have not eaten for a long time, we drove south to Hoback Junction, then picked up Fall Creek Road heading north. Just as Tim had predicted, there were lots of birds in the riparian areas, and many places to pull off to observe – listening first and then hoping to find. The most fun bird was a Warbling Vireo – we kept...

Jul 15, 2018 - Wooden boat birding

Date: July 15, 2018 Weather: sunny Temperature: start 50º High 94º Wildlife count: Marmots, Year List: 342 Birds: We left at 6:30 this morning after a very short night, arriving at the launch before 7. Just John & Charma, Johnny & I, and Tim G, with the two boat drivers were in the beautiful hand-made wooden boat, floating 7 miles down and river and counting birds. Compared to the two other times we have gone in September, this was much more pleasant. It was a delightful ride! We had a great breakfast afterward at Bubbas, then napped in...

Jul 14, 2018 - BIG Star Party

Date: July 14, 2018 Weather: clouds, mostly sunny Temperature: start 42º High 88º Wildlife count: Year List: 342 Birds: We slept in late, then went to the Farmer’s Market – didn’t find any local honey. A trip to the PO netted us our mail. We quickly cleaned the RV, then relaxed most of the rest of the day. Dinner was left overs from The Den. The evening was the Star Gazing party, with 47 participants, a far cry from the 2 we had the first night. It was lots of fun and folks had a good time.

Jul 13, 2018 - Mountain Man Rendezvous

Date: July 13, 2018 Weather: sunny Temperature: start 40º High 86º Wildlife count: Mule Deer, Pronghorn Year List: 342 Birds: We left with John and Charma around 7:15, stopping at Creekside for breakfast sandwiches and a cinnamon roll to eat on the way. We arrived at the Mountain Man Rendezvous in time for the discussion on bull boats and dugout canoes. Bad Hand presented for 2 hours and it was fascinating, and then again after lunch. I don’t think he repeated anything we had heard last year. His discussion seemed to share a lot about God...

Jul 13, 2018 - Once Around the Tower

This is another place my sister visited earlier this summer. It is also one of the places we visited as a family 55 years ago, so fun to see again. There are 3 main theories about how this was formed, the most recent being that it is an igneous intrusion. Don and I both think this is the most logical explanation. The tower rises 867 feet from its base and stands 1267 feet above sea level. The area at its top is 1.5 acres. The diameter of the base is 1000 feet. There is a 1.3 mile walking path around the base. Climbing the tower is...

Jul 12, 2018 - Busy chores day

Date: July 12, 2018 Weather: rain early, sunny rest of day. Temperature: start 43º High 86º Wildlife count: Unita Ground Squirrels Year List: 342 Birds: It was a chores day. Deb cut my hair at the Teton Barber Shop at 8, then we went to Bubbas for breakfast – I had the steel-cut oatmeal/w fruit, and John enjoyed biscuits and gravy – excellent. Once home, we washed the truck, as it had not been washed since we went to the Black Hills and was covered with bugs and road dust. Next came laundry, then I washed most of the RV windows that were...

Jul 12, 2018 - A Beautiful Drive

Our next stop was Devil’s Tower. Again we planned to leave early, and again kitty let us sleep in. Nice kitty! At any rate, we were not far away so were able to get to the park by 1:30. The canyon on 16 between Greybull and Ten Sleep was just gorgeous! Beautiful rock formations on all sides of us. And the best part is that there were signs, saying what kind of rocks and from which time in history they were formed. Don says he want to live in Ten Sleep now. There were still plenty of spots available in the RV park, which had been my concern...