This Land Is Our Land

A Day At Grand Teton NP

We were delayed two days in leaving Red Rock Lakes NWR due to unusually heavy rain for August. The roads once again became muddy. We spent Friday visiting a friend from North Carolina who spends summer in Jackson, WY. While neither the weather or wildlife were cooperative, we had a good time. We’ve never spent extended time in the area but plan to do so in the future.

The DreamChaser On Our Lot

By Saturday the roads were dry. We’d planned to leave for Ashton, Idaho via Red Rock Pass however the road had turned into a washboard. So we took the longer “smoother” route to I 15 and Rexburg, ID then north to Ashton. We pulled up onto our property at Twin Rivers Ranch without a problem. We’ll spend two nights here dry camping. Sitting outside enjoying the view of Snake River Butte makes us toy with the idea of building a cabin here.

After dinner we went for a walk down the road. Opal was free to roam as there is very seldom traffic here. We found a new wildflower I (Chari) have yet to identify. All of a sudden Opal took off into the woods. We didn’t think much of it until we heard her yelp. As she reappeared she was spitting out large amounts of frothy saliva and rubbing her face into the ground. I (Steve) knew what happened. She’d found a skunk. It didn’t take but a few seconds for our noses to confirm it. With just a small can of tomato juice on hand we did an emergency treatment. (Opal) How do you get away from the smell? I kept moving but it followed me. My folks never smelled that bad before. I wonder what they got into? Then they decided they should say inside and I should stay outside… in the dark no less! Well, I put my paw down and let them know THAT was totally unacceptable! Softies that they are, I was allowed in but not in the bedroom. Score: Opal 0, Skunk 2 for the summer of 2014.

Steve At Twin Rivers Ranch

We went up to the top of Snake River Butte to take some photos. In the following panorama you can see Henry’s Fork of the Snake River on the left, our trailer in the middle (white rectangle) and our nearest neighbor with the red roof on the right. Then we drove over to Upper and Lower Mesa Falls which are about 5 miles away. These are large waterfalls just upriver from our property. The subdivision is called Twin Rivers because it overlooks where the Warm River and Henry’s Fork merge. The National Forest Service has a Visitor Center and campground with electricity at Upper Mesa Falls. Here is my best shot of the day. Then we went to Warm Springs where we saw two river otters playing in the water. They were too far away for really good pics but so much fun to watch!

Looking Down On Twin Rivers Ranch From Snake Butte

Otters At Play

 

We ended the day and our stay with a campfire watching the sunset and a mule deer cross the property. It doesn’t get much better than this.

Lower Mesa Falls Panorama

Scenic Drive: Big Sheep Creek National Back Country Byway

A Panorama Of The Big Sheep Creek National Back Country Byway

Changing Plans On A Frontage Road Just Off I-15

What happens when you put three adventurous, self confessed photography buffs in a truck and send them off to Bannack State Park? They stop for gas near Lima, Montana and take a look at the map. Their eyes wander over to a car symbol indicating a scenic drive. They look at each other and take about ten seconds to change plans for the day. After all the Big Sheep Creek National Backcountry Byway is only two miles up the road.

 

Entering The Big Sheep Creek National Back Country Byway

This 55 mile scenic drive begins a mile and a half south of Dell, Montana. It swings west/southwest then heads north ending at Clark Canyon Reservoir with easy access to I-15. This is BLM land mixed with private ranches. There are several BLM campsites and hiking trails throughout the route. We checked two of the campgrounds and our trailer would fit some sites so we saved the location on the GPS. These are free campgrounds without facilities and are on a first-come-first serve basis.

As you will see in the photos the weather was sunny when we first started the drive. By the time we reached the end in the late afternoon it was overcast with threatening storms. That’s not unusual for Montana. The weather can change several times in a single day.

We drove along a valley with sage and tree covered hills on one side and a fast running Big Sheep Creek on the other. In one I used Steve to give you an idea of scale for the height of the hills (back East we’d call them mountains). The texture and colors were beautiful. We didn’t need the sign to tell us to go slow since we were stopping for photos every few minutes.

A Long And Winding Road

 

 

 

Our Truck On The BSCNBB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Big Sheep Creek Rushing Down The Canyon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steve Gives Scale To The Rocky Landscape

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Along the way we found wildflowers, what appeared to be an abandoned eagle nest and an unidentified structure built into the hills: An old mine shaft? A root cellar? A sod house? Then there was a talus field from what we think was an avalanche area.

Pear Cactus Were Blooming Profusely

Penstemon Growing Among The Rocks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What Type Of Structure Is This?

 

 

 

A Talus Field

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nature Is An Artist

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Winding Our Way Along The Byway

 

 

 

 

A Slower, Meandering Section Of Big Sheep Creek

 

 

 

 

 

As we drove further the canyon flattened out to a fertile valley full of cattle ranches with mountains in the distance. Before leaving the scenic drive we passed an elk ranch with some large bulls showing off new antlers.  The last leg of our trip brought us around Clark Canyon Reservoir where Lewis and Clark camped. This was where Sacajawea realized she was back in Shoshone country and was reunited with her brother. The park offers some historical information, a life-size model of a Corps of Discovery dugout canoe, fishing, boating and camping. If you ever are heading through Montana on I-15, take time to get off the interstate and enjoy this scenic drive.

Entering The Valley

A Handsome Bull Elk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clark canyon Reservoir

Prime Time Acadia

Steve has told you about the ‘Attack of the Tree Branch’ in his last Nuts and Bolts post.  This was our rough beginning in the Bar Harbor area. Then it rained or drizzled or was foggy or overcast for the next week. This reminded us of our trip to the north rim of the Grand Canyon when we expected to see the world’s best known abyss only to look six feet down and have the entire canyon socked in. We did see Acadia in a different way in the mist and fog.  The scenic drive along Sandy Beach, Thunder Hole and Otter Cliffs was beautiful whatever the weather. (Chari) Having seen and heard so much about Acadia National Park I wondered if it would live up to my expectations. This was my first visit and I was not disappointed.  Steve had been here before but only had time to do the scenic drive. This was his first lengthy visit.

We registered at the park and obtained our entry pass and thanks to our Senior Interagency Pass it was free. The fog hung like a wet blanket along the coast. Sandy Beach was our first stop. Unlike most beaches in Maine that are covered in cobbles this is a coarse, sandy beach.  I headed off to take pictures of some plants while Steve went to the shore. Next stop was Thunder Hole. This area is known for the water forced through the rocks near high tide. Our timing was good but the fog was so thick we couldn’t see much. Then down along Otter Cliffs that tower over one hundred feet straight out of the ocean. We’d come back for a hike along the Cliff Trail later.

There is much more to Acadia than the scenic loop.  As the weather cleared and temperatures reached the high 80s we drove to the top of Cadillac Mountain.  In North Carolina we’d call this a bald where the soil has eroded and rock outcroppings are the dominant feature. The end of June is bloom time for small wildflowers called sandworts. They cover the mountain. We enjoyed the view, took some panoramic shots and then stopped for lunch.  Our plan was to hike around the mountain but within half an hour the fog moved in and you couldn’t see anything more than ten feet away. We’d heard that this was a good place to come watch fireworks on the 4^th so we’d be back, or so we thought.  We planned to join a Ranger for a walk along the carriage roads and learn about Mr. Rockefeller’s Bridges that connect the twenty-three miles of carriage roads in the park. We didn’t go … it rained and rained and rained. We did hike along a lake and take a short bike ride on a carriage road later on in the week. We wanted to go kayaking on one of the lakes but again the weather was not cooperative.  Acadia is a much more pet friendly park than many of the National Parks. Opal was allowed to accompany us on the carriage roads and ride in the car.

(Steve) One morning at our campsite in Lamoine SP I spotted several cedar waxwings in a tree nearby eating the berries. I knew Chari had never seen one so I quietly walked to the trailer to get her. We spent the next twenty minutes watching and photographing them. We even observed a pair courting by feeding berries to each other.

There is a third section to Acadia National Park called the Schoodic Peninsula Scenic Drive. It, like Isle Au Haut, is visited by fewer people than sights at Mount Desert Island. It’s a great place to explore the rocky terrain, the woodlands or ride a bike. There is a newly expanded Visitors Center there. We didn’t visit as the dedication ceremony was taking place that day. The Schoodic Scenic Drive is a National Scenic Byway route. Don’t miss it. We’ve put together a 7 minute video of some photos we hope you will enjoy. For best results allow the movie to load before playing.

Acadia is a beautiful park and we look forward to returning to see it in the autumn and maybe Spring too. Being the July 4^th holiday it was a madhouse with lines at the Visitors Center just to buy the entry passes. If you plan to go try to avoid major holidays although nearby Bar Harbor does have a great fireworks display.  To celebrate the 4^th we drove to Bar Harbor and parked about a half mile away. Then we walked about a mile to the Lobster Fest being given by the local Kiwanis Club. The YMCA (or was it YWCA?) was having lobster races to raise money. We got there for the last two “races”.  Races is in quotes as this falls somewhere between watching grass grow and watching paint dry. On our way back through town we stopped for some ice cream and started talking with a family from the New York City area.  They were fascinated with our RV lifestyle and said they’d be reading the blog. So if you’re reading this… Hello!

Since the weather had turned warm and sunny we thought going on the harbor sunset cruise and watching fireworks from the boat would be fun. Luckily even though it was a last minute decision we were able to get tickets. The cruise was about an hour long and went around the harbor islands then came back to the pier. The fireworks were being launched from nearby so we had a front row view. (Steve) I thought this was one of the best firework displays I’d seen from a small town. Here’s another short video of the display.

 

It’s very hard to describe this type of beauty so we put together a short video of our still photos.  We hope you enjoy this armchair visit and get to see the park for yourself one day.