Well I suppose it is time to update this blog a little. We have been in Yellowstone for about 4 months so far this year. It was a late spring, short summer, and I can’t help but feel like the fall weather is upon us already. As you know, we are in the RV this summer, which entails living in an RV park. This season started off with grazing bison in the yard, herds of elk passing by, and summer families playing in the street. These days we are seeing less families, and the elk are starting to re-appear. Our garden has finally decided that it is time to produce vegetables, hopefully not too late. So far our harvest has consisted of two zucchini’s, which were quite delicious, and we now have 3 red tomatoes and several cayenne peppers.
This year has been different than the past, the ability and joy of being able to cook for one self has been one that we frequently enjoy. Tony has been grilling chicken outside, while I cook vegetables and side dishes on a real stove (not a camp stove!). The grocery store is close enough to walk to and simply on the way when driving home, much different that then previous years with a 45 minutes one way drive to the nearest place that sold lettuce. However all of these “modern conveniences” has led us to a decline in our hiking miles, not to mention the many complications with the dogs.
This summer it was discovered that Sam is allergic to mosquitoes, and with such a long winter, there is no shortage of these blood sucking pests. He turns into what Tony calls a “summer squash” with lumps popping up in seconds. Meanwhile Roxy got blisters on her paws, which in turn healed, then swelled, then hopefully healed. None the less we finally got into the summer hiking groove. After the several hikes post-holeing through snow, it slowly developed into flower strewn paths, which is one of the benefits of such a long winter and rainy spring. We finally were able to visit the Wind River mountain range, which is rugged and beautiful, but full of mosquitoes in July. Electric Peak has been on my list for a while, and is now checked off. The twenty mile, 3340 ft. incline took us 10 hours, but was worth the view from the top as well as the view from my kitchen window that I conquered. This past weekend we visited one of our favorite forest service cabins, Deer Creek. A five mile hike through a burned forest takes you to a quant 14×30 foot log cabin, which is as primitive as it sounds. The creek is full of fish and the area around the cabin is full of thistles, bees, and butterflies, a quiet delight if you ask me.
So all in all it is a great year in Yellowstone and we both enjoy Gardiner/Mammoth very much. The dogs are happy and so are we, onward to the weekend…maybe the Tetons???
