Sept. 5 and 6 - Colter Bay and Jackson with Bill and Barbara

We took a long walk today down to the lake and then from there to the marina, to the store, and back to the camper. It was a really nice day. Phil's back felt better today, although anything like bending or getting up from a sitting position can put him right into agony in a split second. We were talking about heading home Friday, but now he is thinking he might make it until Monday here and then on to Vernal. He is mixed because if he could get home and get help, we might still be able to go to the Outer Banks the middle of October for the month. The campground owners think they will be up and running by then, and we read where they are going to put a temporary bridge over the largest breech on Hwy. 12 to allow access to Hatteras Island. We had about given up that they would be able to open, but now it seems possible – barring another hurricane!

Walked to the lake from the campground - views!

storm clouds on the way back from Jackson

Our good friends Bill and Barbara

Sept. 6 – Our wonderful friends Bill and Barbara from Townsend and Carrabelle, FL, were camping about 18 miles from Jackson at a National Forest Service campground. They were in Jackson yesterday, and we were going today. They were supposed to leave Hoback today and start heading to Flaming Gorge. They decided to wait, and we met for lunch at the Cadillac Grille in Jackson. We spent three hours together comparing notes and catching up. We had hoped to join them at Flaming Gorge, but we doubt we will make it this trip. On our way back in the Grand Teton National Park, we saw four NPS cars parked with blue lights flashing, a NPS helicopter, a truck with a raft on it, and a NPS truck. There were a group of rangers huddled up. We have no idea what is/was going on. We will ask someone tomorrow. On the way back, the sky was dark, and we got into a rain storm. I got some neat photos. Also, on the way there and back, we saw a huge herd of elk and one buffalo.

Sept. 3 and 4 Colter Bay

We have been hanging around Colter Bay these last two days. I have learned to start the generator because bending over and starting the generator is painful for Phil. He has been taking a good bit of ibuprofen. We want to go to the Flaming Gorge area near Vernal, Utah, after we leave here, but it just depends on Phil's back and the weather back home. He said if it is real hot still, he can walk more comfortably here. I AMEN that!!! It looks like the weather may be moderating back home, which is good. I know they are tired of 90+ degree days and high humidity. We are sleeping with two quilts the last few nights. Our Big Buddy propane heater is really good and warms us up quickly(and is easy to start). We had purchased it as a backup for the condo, in case of an ice storm, but it is great for this camper, too.


We did go to Jackson Lodge two days ago. They were having a two-day sale on merchandise from the Grand Teton Lodge stores. I got a t-shirt for $8 and some other things. Then we sat in the great room looking at the gorgeous Tetons. I did not take my computer and wished I had. The internet at the cabin rental office is awfully slow this year. Well, it is time to walk. Have a great day!

Aug. 29 and 30 – Helena to West Yellowstone to Colter Bay, Grand Tetons

The ride from Helena to West Yellowstone was beautiful. We did not go on the interstate, but went most of the way on Montana Hwy 69 to 287, a very scenic and smooth ride. I took a couple of photos of Earthquake Lake which is above Hebgen Dam. It was formed from an earthquake and still has the dead trees that used to be on land before the lake was formed. We spent the night in West Yellowstone. Phil went to the Yellowstone Outlet and got a bargain t-shirt and a good rain jacket. There was ice on the truck bed cover, so we know it got down to freezing. It was quite nippy when we dragged ourselves out of bed at 7:00 a.m. Colter Bay Campground on Jackson Lake is first come, first served, so we wanted to be sure we got a good campsite.


Aug. 30 was another very scenic day as we drove through Yellowstone National Park to get to the Grand Tetons. It is always a treat, and you never get tired of seeing the marvelous features there. We will probably make a day trip or two while we are at Colter Bay. We got set up and can actually see the tip of one of the majestic mountains.

We love Colter Bay. It is one of our favorite places on earth. They told us when we entered that there have been nine grizzlies roaming around the campground this summer, more than ever before. I did not say anything, but at this time of year, they are usually high up the mountains. When we were at West Yellowstone, we heard on the news that a second hiker was killed by a grizzly. He was high up. Still, it would be a treat to see one. I am thinking more about hearing the bugling of the elk.

The only things I miss when we camp with no hookups are my microwave and my toaster oven. We might try to run them with the generator, but in the high altitude, Phil does not want to risk messing anything up. We do use it to make our coffee each morning and recharge the battery.

Phil did an awful lot of stuff yesterday, and I am thankful to say his back did not go out like it did a while back.
We did not have our bicycles last year on the trip. We have been afraid for Phil to take them off the ladder bike rack, but he did yesterday. Now I can ride my bike. I am a happy camper!

Quake Lake - formed by an earthquake - you can still see the old, dead trees in the lake.

took these as we traveled through Yellowstone

another view of Quake Lake

I e-mailed the campground in the Outer Banks where we go each Oct. 15 to Nov. 15. I do not know how long it will be before I hear from them, but we are thinking that trip will probably not happen this year because Hwy. 12 near there is gone. Our campground is in Waves which is in the Rodanthe, Mirlo Beach, Salvo area where the road suffered the worst. Oh well, we will be able to stay out here longer if Phil's back holds up.

Aug. 28 - travel day to Helena, MT

No photos today, but the entry back into the good ole USA was interesting. We found last year that this particular entry was the most critical. Phil had to open the locked truck bed cover, and they opened the doors to the truck and looked through things. This year they asked if I had any fruit or vegetables. I had a roma tomato and garlic (that I wisely had put inside the truck). I had to give the guard my tomato. That is the first time ever that I have been asked that. Then they asked for the camper keys, and a guard opened the camper and looked inside. We did not have to park and do the slides out, so it was not much of a look. They were very nice, but just more involved than usual (except when we came back from a day trip to Waterton last year).

We were going to stop at Great Falls, MT, but we decided to keep on riding and ended up in Helena for the night. We did grocery shopping, but we are going to save laundry until tomorrow at West Yellowstone. From there we will probably go straight to Colter Bay in the Tetons (one of our all time favorite places).

Aug. 27 - Bison Paddock, walk around town one last time, Prince of Wales Hotel

The last day at Waterton had three things on our agenda. It was very windy again and hot (well, hot for here – 82 degrees and low humidity – but hot in the sun). We did our walk this morning and got some last shoreline photos and got Phil's back loosened up. We rode to the Prince of Wales Hotel and took some nice shots of Waterton and the lake. The hotel sits up high and overlooks Waterton township and the upper Waterton Lake. The views on this sunny day from there were wonderful. The lake really showed its colors, too. We went into the hotel lobby and to their giftshop where I got the grands some fossils. I got the girls necklaces with a slice of a fossil, and the boys fossils. We got them t-shirts last year. Phil did not think they were overly excited about them, so I decided to try something different. I hope they like them.
Then we rode to the bison paddock where they keep a small herd of descendants of some of the original Great Plains herd. We saw seven.... It must be a very small herd! When we got back, we went to Pat's, the only gas station in town, and got about six gallons of gas at $1.25 a liter.

Took this on our last morning's shoreline walk

The view from the Prince of Wales Hotel bluff

The view from inside the lobby and even some restaurant/high tea tables

The entrance side of the Prince of Wales Hotel

View from bluff at Prince of Wales looking down on Waterton township

zoomed in on the marina and township

Phil was hungry for some pizza, so we walked around town and went to the pizza place. The pizza was very good. Then we went and got a saskatoon ice cream cone to share. THEN, we went to the chocolate shop and got a piece of saskatoon pie and a thing called a grizzly. It is a baked apple covered in crust and caramel and icing drizzled on it. We will share the piece of pie tonight and then share the grizzly tomorrow. I guess you could say we pretty much ate our way through town today.
We have enjoyed our week at Waterton. The only thing we did not do was go back to Cameron Lake and walk the Stinnet Lake trail. There was so much traffic in town today and it is a good ride to Cameron Lake. Phil said it would be nearly impossible to get a park. Then we agreed that we both are kind of pooped today. We have a lot to do to get ready to travel tomorrow morning to Great Falls, MT. There we will have to grocery shop AND do three weeks of laundry!!!!!! The frig is just about empty. Phil would like to get it all done tomorrow and only stay one night in Great Falls. We shall see....

August 26 - Goat Haunt Cruise

It was pretty calm day yesterday, and we were wishing we had gone on the cruise yesterday because the wind is normally really stiff here. Well, today we woke up and walked to Pearl's Cafe to have breakfast and access the internet. When we got back, it was still calm, so we jumped in the truck and got our tickets for the 1:00 cruise to Goat Haunt. If you go to the Glacier National Park web cams, there is one for Goat Haunt. There are no roads to Goat Haunt, and the easiest way to get there is by the Waterton Lake cruise that we took. The actual Upper Waterton Lake is partially in Canada(Waterton Lakes National Park) and partially in the United States (Glacier National Park). There is a United States Park Service Ranger station at Goat Haunt (Glacier National Park) and a border patrol office. For people wanting to hike from there, they must take their passports and return by 8:00 p.m. to get on the last cruise boat leaving Goat Haunt to return to Waterton township docks. We walked to the dock from the campground. Wouldn't you know the last ten minutes of the cruise and most of the walk home was in a light rain with thunder in the distance.

We learned that Waterton Lake was frozen this year until May 17, much later than usual. The cruises usually occur from April 1 until Oct. 3. We did not see any animals out of the ordinary, which was a disappointment. Still, it was a nice day, and we feel blessed.
Phil's back is always very stiff and crampy in the morning. Walking loosens it up, thankfully. Some chairs are tough, and he will have to stand up and walk around for a bit. It was a pretty good day for his back so far.

Boundary markers between USA and Canada

The boundary clearance must be maintained and is cleared every 15 years (WHAT A JOB!!!!).

Our cruise boat, The International



I never get tired of beautiful water!!!!



parked at Goat Haunt - more photos on FaceBook

We are thinking about all on the East Coast and hoping Irene will not be as bad as feared. We hope the campground in Waves, NC, in the Outer Banks where we hope to spend Oct. 15 – Nov. 15 survives!!!

August 25 - Cameron Falls, Cameron Lake

along the lakeshore (Waterton Lake) walk

Cameron Lake - about a 10 mile drive from the campground

Cameron Falls - an easy walk from the campground

We took a nice walk (about an hour) this morning to Cameron Falls and then along Waterton Lake. Then after a snack for lunch, we went to Cameron Lake and walked the 1.9 mile trail along the lake shore. With stops for photos, it took about an hour and a half. Cameron Falls is just on the other side of the campground. The campground has paved trails along the lake and to Cameron Lake.
The wildflowers were nice along the Cameron Lake trail. They are pretty spent elsewhere. Last year, we were here earlier, and the wildflowers were the most beautiful I have ever seen and so thick – EVERYWHERE! We did not see any cougars or grizzlies. There are signs posted about it being berry season, and the grizzlies are active in the area.
Phil's back was a little better today, which gives us hope. He hurt it when he was hooking up the sewer connection (in the middle of the site) earlier in the week. We are in hopes that that injury is healing. As I have said before, we take it one day at a time. If we need to leave for home, we will with no regrets. We feel so blessed to have been able to visit the beautiful places we have seen or revisited this year.
Our son is working in Charlottesville, VA, this week and is supposed to stay through the weekend because the hospital where he is installing patient monitoring systems is brand new, and the move is being made this weekend. This week's big earthquake's epicenter was 27 miles from him. Now it looks like he will have to be concerned about the hurricane and 100 mph winds this weekend. We are praying all our children (and my parents, sister, her husband, brothers and their families) will be safe. We will probably not have internet again until we leave here Sunday and get back into the U.S.A. To know the hurricane's path.

There is a cafe here that gives two hours of very slow internet with a purchase. We ate lunch there Wed. and are eating breakfast to post this. It took an hour and a half of the two hours to download the photos I put on FaceBook Wed. I won't make that mistake again! I barely got to check my mail and children's FaceBook entries and photos before my time was up! I will wait until we get to Great Falls, MT, on Sunday to download photos, probably!