Swill - I need your help

MiamiSpartan wrote:Crazy scenes out of Yellowstone.  Saw some bridges are gone and roads that have completely collapsed and washed away.  

Roads might be the least of some residents' worries.

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There goes gomersbro’s bnb.

They said yesterday that while the Southern parts of the park will open sooner, the Northern part will be closed for MONTHS. That's where most of the wildlife is, I believe.

gomersbro wrote:Nordic, thanks for the heads up. We are heading that way and expected to be there around.the end of the month. Maybe that will help keep some crowds away when they open back up. Or, with my luck, they will funnel all the people to the same spot and it will be even more crowded.

That is what’s going to happen. I suspect they will be crazy busy in the areas you can get to. Remember there are tours from foreigners and other places in the US that will go regardless, and a lot of people will think “nobody will be there because if the flooding” so they’re jamming the same amount of (or slightly less) people into half the park. I’d strongly recommend putting it off until your return trip, if possible.

Go up into grand Teton instead. Just watch out for the bears.

Or better, go to green river lakes. Or make the trip to my mountains, the Big Horns. We’d host you for a few nights. DM me and I’ll give you my number.

MiamiSpartan wrote:They said yesterday that while the Southern parts of the park will open sooner, the Northern part will be closed for MONTHS.  That's where most of the wildlife is, I believe.

Correct. Lamar Valley is the best area for wildlife viewing. Which is close to the NE entrance. There is a wolf pack that lives in the area. They just had pups when we were there last summer. We got lucky as they had just brought them out to valley when we arrived. A few days before they were too young and still hidden away in their den. You do need a spotting scope to see them (which you can rent from shops o/s the park). Bear frequent the area too.

You can still see bison in Hayden Valley, which is SE. Tower Falls is also close by, which is a must see. This would be my recommendation if the NE is closed.

You can always do the gesyers (SW). Kinda boring IMO, but a must see if you've never been. Same with the colored pools (same area). But you won't see much wildlife on this route. Especially if it is warm. It takes a while to drive around so, plan accordingly.

Rocinante wrote:Go up into grand Teton instead. Just watch out for the bears.

Or better, go to green river lakes. Or make the trip to my mountains, the Big Horns. We’d host you for a few nights. DM me and I’ll give you my number.

The Tetons are a great option too. I would recommend Jenny Lake. There are some good areas for wildlife spotting. They have cabins and a campground. Probably need a reservation. And as Roc said, there are bears. You can get to the Grand Tetons and south entrance of Yellowstone from here. Great hiking in the area. Or take a gondala up to the top or do the mountain bike trail down.

Rocinante wrote:

Or better, go to green river lakes.

Great suggestion, the Winds are awesome.

Careful though, I read somewhere that they were shunting the Yellowstone to the Colorado to fix the drought in Cali so it could get Hairy around Cora.

Rocinante wrote:Go up into grand Teton instead. Just watch out for the bears.

Or better, go to green river lakes. Or make the trip to my mountains, the Big Horns. We’d host you for a few nights. DM me and I’ll give you my number.

Hanging out with Roc? Gomersbro, you’d be better off with the bears.

I would take a shower for the occasion greenway.

Rocinante wrote:I would take a shower for the occasion greenway.

Well, that might help. Some.

Update on Jellystone:

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna34421

We spent the day at Theodore Roosevelt National Park (northern part) and we must have seen about 100 bison. Amazing to think at one point there were only a few hundred animals left. It shows that conservation efforts can work.

gomersbro wrote:We spent the day at Theodore Roosevelt National Park (northern part) and we must have seen about 100 bison. Amazing to think at one point there were only a few hundred animals left. It shows that conservation efforts can work.

There is/was a place near Traverse City that raises them.

gomersbro wrote:We spent the day at Theodore Roosevelt National Park (northern part) and we must have seen about 100 bison. Amazing to think at one point there were only a few hundred animals left. It shows that conservation efforts can work.

Glad to hear you got your eyes on some bison. 🦬

gomersbro wrote:We spent the day at Theodore Roosevelt National Park (northern part) and we must have seen about 100 bison. Amazing to think at one point there were only a few hundred animals left. It shows that conservation efforts can work.

Glad you got to see Yellowstone. I was super hungover when we drove through that area. I remember a river, an arch, a cool looking condo town and the taste of tequila in my mouth from the night before.

Where you at now bro?

Wyoming is a great state! We did two nights in Yellowstone and saw the geysers, elk, more bison, etc.  if anyone comes this way Thermopolis is a cool little town with a nice brewery. We are heading north to Montana to Glacier NP and looking forward to some cooler weather. The last week has been 95+.

And thanks Roc for some good tips. The Mrs was impressed with my knowledge of WY.

gomersbro wrote:Wyoming is a great state! We did two nights in Yellowstone and saw the geysers, elk, more bison, etc.  if anyone comes this way Thermopolis is a cool little town with a nice brewery. We are heading north to Montana to Glacier NP and looking forward to some cooler weather. The last week has been 95+.

And thanks Roc for some good tips. The Mrs was impressed with my knowledge of WY.

Nice. I want to do Glacier. Send some pics.

Heads up, my review might be tainted by the fact that I just put in a 6 inch hole in the fiberglass of my camper. I likely can't get it fixed for a week. And a big stone put a nice divot on the windshield. Everything I see to do in Montana seems cursed.

Shit Gomersbro, good luck with that. Be careful.

gomersbro wrote:Heads up, my review might be tainted by the fact that I just put in a 6 inch hole in the fiberglass of my camper. I likely can't get it fixed for a week. And a big stone put a nice divot on the windshield. Everything I see to do in Montana seems cursed.

6" hole in the roof?

The Pantry wrote:

gomersbro wrote:Heads up, my review might be tainted by the fact that I just put in a 6 inch hole in the fiberglass of my camper. I likely can't get it fixed for a week. And a big stone put a nice divot on the windshield. Everything I see to do in Montana seems cursed.

6" hole in the roof?

Yep a 6 inch rip/crack in the fiberglass when I caught the corner of a roof. 1/2 a second of forgetting what vehicle I was in leads to a headache.

The Pantry wrote:

gomersbro wrote:Heads up, my review might be tainted by the fact that I just put in a 6 inch hole in the fiberglass of my camper. I likely can't get it fixed for a week. And a big stone put a nice divot on the windshield. Everything I see to do in Montana seems cursed.

6" hole in the roof?

Put some duct tape on it. Good to.go.

Nordic wrote:

Nice. I want to do Glacier. Send some pics.

Glacier is very nice. My two recommendations are:

1. Do not go this year or next. There is road construction in and around the park that just complicates things.

2. Go in September. Even at the end of July many trails were closed because of snow. August they may be open but there will be too many people there (like there was in July).

We saw some black bears, mountain goats, and big horn sheep. Even with the three year old we managed to get some good hikes in. She liked putting her feet in the cool lake water.

Great pics! What a beautiful area. Thanks for sharing.

GB- I just saw this headline in my Google news rundown. Didn’t read the article, but thought it might be of interest to you, even though you’re probably near the end of this Western swing.

https://www.outsideonline.com/adventure-travel/national-parks/best-western-national-parks-road-trip/

We finally made it to the Pacific. Anyone headed out here for the game next month and having an extra day or two should check out Mt. Rainier. It is an amazing place with good views of the glaciers when the clouds allow. Seattle was a pretty fun city too, but it was strange being around so many people after being on the road for 4 months now.

Wow I haven't updated this in a while. We are currently in Utah and enjoying the warm weather here. I see why a certain poster who gHosts us liked to come here.Arches, Canyonlands and Natural Bridges are all easy to get to from one another. Even with the road to Needles at Canyonlands being washed out from flooding in August. And Monument Valley on the AZ & UT border is amazing.

The little one has turned into quite the adventurer. She loves climbing ladders and such. And playing in the sand dunes at Great Sand Dunes NP was here favorite.

Great pics, gb. I really want to visit the Utah NPs. Was supposed to in ‘20, but then COVID.

tGreenWay wrote:Great pics, gb. I really want to visit the Utah NPs. Was supposed to in ‘20, but then COVID.

Yes they are amazing. We still need to hit Capital Reef NP. The wife and I did Zion and Bryce on the honeymoon, so I am not sure if we will go this time. And anyone going to Arches, don't forget to make a timed reservation before you come.

Damn. I've never seen those dunes before. Very cool.

You got better pics of Rainer than I did (was there for the Washington game). It was pretty cloudy/misty when we were there. What trail was that? Looks like the other side than we were on (Paradise Valley).

gomersbro wrote:

tGreenWay wrote:Great pics, gb. I really want to visit the Utah NPs. Was supposed to in ‘20, but then COVID.

Yes they are amazing. We still need to hit Capital Reef NP. The wife and I did Zion and Bryce on the honeymoon, so I am not sure if we will go this time. And anyone going to Arches, don't forget to make a timed reservation before you come.

Great reminder to anyone thinking of going. Those Instagram shots look super cool until somebody posts pics of the hordes of people behind all those cameras or waiting to get their own shot. It’s sort of disheartening in a way to be among some of earth’s greatest natural treasures, being one with the great outdoors, and you’re surrounded by a mass of humanity all vying for the perfect shot.

Nordic wrote:Damn. I've never seen those dunes before. Very cool.

You got better pics of Rainer than I did (was there for the Washington game). It was pretty cloudy/misty when we were there. What trail was that? Looks like the other side than we were on (Paradise Valley).

Yes Great Sand Dunes NP is quite cool. Thinking oh sand dunes and having been at sleeping bear so many times, i wasn't expecting much. But with the mountains in the back it was nice. And maybe I enjoyed it because the three year old climbed much of it herself and I wasn't carrying her everywhere.

I think the Rainier pictures are from Paradise Valley. That is where we got most of our best shots of the mountain from. The weather always makes it difficult. An hour between two shots makes it look like a completely different place.

Are these the dunes in Colorado? Cool spot.

Other Teams Pursuing That wrote:Are these the dunes in Colorado? Cool spot.

Yes a couple hours south and west from Denver. I though Garden of the Gods (Colorado springs) was cool too. We didn't get to hike it as the 3 year old lost the plot when they didn't have rental bikes that allowed us to take her for a ride.

Also funny that Dinosaur, CO has 3 dispensaries. A town of 250 people has THREE. Do you think that people come over to border to buy some?

Haven't updated this in a while. We are currently heading to Big Bend NP in Texas. Is there anything else to see in Texas. I have heard the Austin nightlife is good, but with a three year old that doesn't work out for this trip. Any advice would be appreciated

In the last month we did Arizona, New Mexico and Death Valley. Death Valley and Mojave both had significant flood damage and thus large parts or the park were closed. That seems to be our luck this year. It was the little ones first Halloween and we celebrated in Las Cruces which also has fantastic Día de los Muertos celebrations.

San Antonio river walk is pretty cool, and there's the Alamo, of course. The Alamo is smaller than you might think,though.

Thanks for the advice. We are heading to San Antonio tomorrow after being in Big Bend the last couple of days. We asked a ranger there for some kid friendly hikes, and she recommended Santa Elena Canyon. I am not sure how kid-friendly this part of it was (see pic below).