Nancy, Where Are You?

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Monday, April 23, 2012

Last day in Jackson

4-22 (Sun)

Everyone keeps asking why I didn't take pictures of the "old goats" at the saloon. I am asking myself the same question. I didn't take my camera inside and if I had gone back they might have made me put money in the box for using the bathroom.

   Before we left Jackson Hole we decided to try ONE MORE TIME to find the grizzly and her two cubs. We drove out to past Jackson Lake Lodge and sure enough there she was. Of course about 20 other cars were also out there looking and taking pictures.
   We were standing next to a blond girl with a nice camera. She asked where we were from and I told her Florida. She said she was originally from Orlando.    I asked her if she was Vicky and she said “yes” I told her I was Robin Sheldon’s friend and I had heard about her for years. She was stunned. We called Robin. Isn’t it a small world?

Who said that??

Wait for me mom

Isn't this a lovely spring day?


Time out for some fun

Neat barn

Eagle

Robin's friend, Vicky

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Yellowstone/Jackson Hole/Lander

4-19 (Thurs)
The EDR (employees dinning room) almost tipped over this morning because everyone ran to the windows and was looking outside. We ran too. We thought it was probably a bear but didn’t see anything so we went outside and it was a pack of wolves. It was the Canyon Pack which has been hanging around Mammoth all winter. They were hunting elk. It was really thrilling and so neat to see them silhouetted as they crossed the top of the ridge. ND and I headed for Jackson Hole It took us 5 hours to get there.

We left Jackson Hole on Friday going to Lander. We stopped in several places and took pictures. We saw what I think was a horned owl sitting on top of a telephone pole. We also stopped when we saw a pasture full of horses and mules.

In Dubois we stopped at a service station to see the world’s biggest Jackalope. It weighed 245 lbs. I got up on top of it to have my picture taken.
When we got to Lander we checked into a hotel and then went out to Sinks Canyon State Park. The park’s name comes from the Popo Agie River which “sinks” into a limestone cavern and reappears down 1/4 of a mile down the road.

This morning (Sat) we drove to South Pass a ghost town that used to be an old gold mining town.

    We had to go to the bathroom so bad but didn’t want to squat in the bushes because the wind was blowing 90 to nothing. The pee would have blown all over us! So we drove 5 miles on a dirt road to Atlantic City, population about 59. We thought there might be a service station or something but no. There was a building that said, “welcome hunters” so we went in to use the facilities. There were four old goats sitting at the bar and in unison they all turned around and looked at us as if we had just landed from Mars. ND told them we wanted to use the bathroom and she walked right to it. She went into the women’s and I into the men’s. I couldn’t find the light and neither could she. I came out of the men’s and even though ND never found the light she let me go into the women’s. I was laughing so hard I almost wet my pants. It was pitch black in the bathroom and I was feeling around for the toilet, I finally found it. I left the door open in hopes that some light would filter in. I could the the old codgers sitting at the bar. I finally found the toilet paper holder but it was empty so I was yelling for ND to get me some. She brought it over from the men’s room. Then I dropped my sunglasses on the floor and couldn’t find them because it was so dark. I was feeling all over the floor for them.
    When I finally came out of the bathroom I saw that ND had walked past the bar into another room and every head was following her. I went over to the bar and decided to interview the old goats. They said they all live there in Atlantic City and that there are only 27 people in town. I told them the sign says 59 and they said, “oh we just cross that out and change it all the time.” They told us to drop some money in a box by the door for using the bathroom. We said we would but we didn’t. I don’t know when I have laughed so hard.
    We drove back to Lander, bought lunch at a grocery store, ate it and then got on the road to Jackson Hole where we are spending the night before driving back to Yellowstone in the morning.

On our way to Dubois we saw this huge nest with a bird on top.

Barn outside of Jackson Hole

Stopping to pet horses and mules

This Jackalope weighed 429 lbs when he was alive

Owl sitting on a telephone pole

Sculpture in Dubois

Sinks Canyon

Sunday, April 15, 2012

4-15 (Sun) Mammoth
This morning we heard that an elk had fallen off a cliff last night and was dead in the road. I went over to the Visitor’s Center and asked the Range where it was. He told me and even though it was in a part of the park that is currently blocked off we went there anyway and hiked around the barricade. We found it in the road but the strange thing was not a single animal had started feasting on it at that time. A really good looking Ranger came by in his car and stopped to talk to us. He said he was going to move it to another location so that the predators would dispose of it. We asked him where he was going to put it but he wouldn’t tell us.
We have had the strangest weather at Yellowstone today. This morning when we were hiking it was nice, after lunch it snowed. Then it cleared up and we drove to Gardiner to buy some bear spray. The next thing you know we were in a white out. We couldn’t even see the mountain that is right across the river from us. Just before we went to dinner the wind started blowing so hard that our curtains were moving and the windows were closed!! This time it began snowing and hailing. We couldn’t see the Visitor’s Center across the street from our dorm. By the time we got to dinner we were completely covered in snow. We had to brush it off our clothes when we went inside. Now, once again it is nice.

Crazy, crazy weather here today. This was nothing compared to when we went to dinner.

Mt Bluebird with food in his mouth

Sandhill Crane

Two Sandhill Cranes

Who knows what kind of duck this is? Let me know.

Marmot

Another view, same animal

Friday, April 13, 2012

4-13 (Fri)

ND’s back was killing her this morning. She was hardly able to walk to breakfast. She did her exercises, took a pill and then we were off to hike Tubbs Hill which was a mountain to us. I was bundled up like I was going to the north pole. I had on my thermal underwear, a sweater, my fleece jacket, earmuffs, gloves and a winter hat. I was feeling so good until some girl came running by me in her shorts and short sleeve t-shirt. It was a beautiful hike with the wildflowers in bloom and the buds on the bushes beginning to open. We could look down onto the huge lake with the snow topped mountains in the background. We got about half way up the “mountain” when we spotted an osprey nest. We stood for a long time and watched them bringing sticks to make the nest larger. Then . . . we had a real treat, we observed sex on the mountain! They began mating. That didn’t last long!

   We went to some thrift stores and got some great deals. It was well after noon when we decided we needed to head on out to Sandpoint.   We were about to starve and realized it was already 2:30. After eating we stopped at Ross and then a Habitat store.   We finally made it to Sandpoint and checked into a Best Western which was right on the lake. We then took off for Coldwater Creek. This is where it all began but their bargains weren’t as good as what we can get in Orlando. However we did drop some money off with them. We walked around town until they rolled up the sidewalks at 6:00.
   We drove around in the car to see how they live. We really laughed when we went through one neighborhood and saw an old run down house with a fat, barefooted girl sitting on a cooler on the large front porch. What a sight that was, straight out of a movie. After we drove a little more I told ND we were going to go back and I wanted her to take the girl’s picture. We had trouble locating the street and when we did finally find it she had gone.
   Tonight we saw out on our balcony, drank wine and enjoyed the scenery. I would like to say it was totally peaceful but . . . even though we are in this lovely hotel we didn’t realize that the rail track is only about 50 yards away. About every 30-45 minutes a train passes by and our whole room shakes. Oh my gosh, how are we going to sleep?