Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks Photos (Still No Time to Write!)

Grand Tetons with mist rising from the Snake River

Cunningham Cabin, early rancher's home in the Snake River valley

Flowers by a small lake in Grand Teton National Park

Sherri and Peter by Lewis Falls in Yellowstone

Coyote in a meadow in Yellowstone

Elk in the forest

West Thumb spring by Yellowstone Lake

Firehole River and Castle Geyser

Old Faithful Geyser

Travertine layers at Mammoth Hot Springs

Solar Eclipse Photos Only, No Time to Write

Peter setting up the telescope

The beginning of the eclipse through the telescope

Peter looking at the eclipse

Sherri and people (and dogs) from a nearby campsite watching the eclipse

Weird scalloped shadows during the eclipse (The ground is not lumpy.)

Total eclipse thrugh the telescope

The last of the moon's shadow on the sun

Staying by the Snake

This morning, after breakfast at the hotel, we set off to find a place to camp for the weekend and through Monday in order to see the solar eclipse.  Since last night, I had been anxious about whether we would be able to find any where at all, spooked by comments made on Thursday.  One of the family members at Capriola's in Elko with whom we had a conversation wished us luck, indicating the expectations were for people standing shoulder to shoulder in Idaho.  At the visitor's center in Twin Lakes, when I mentioned that we had no reservations but planned to find a campsite in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest, the volunteer said, "Well, good luck with that!"

Well, we did have good luck.  There are dozens of undeveloped, primitive camping spots along the graded dirt roads running through the forest and few people scouting for them.  We checked out a few  (and talked to some friendly Canadians from Calgary) on Kelly Canyon Road.  Many were satisfactory, but since there did not seem to be a stampede of campers, we continued down the mountain to the Snake River where we found several nice spots right on the river bank.  After spending an hour or so driving along the river, we backtracked and staked our claim on one of the first spots we had found.  It is not big enough for an RV, and when we pull the car off the road into the entrance to the site, we block all other access, so we have a lovely, private place among some trees but still affording a view of the midday sky, so our view of the solar eclipse on Monday should be unobstructed (unless there are clouds!).  We set up our tent and put out our camp chairs, had a picnic lunch and then headed back into Idaho Falls (only a 45-minute drive into town along beautiful countryside) to recharge the Tesla, stop at the Ranger Station for hiking trail advice, and get a fishing license for Peter.

We had chatted with a few people who were riding ATV's along the forest roads.  They were all very friendly.  One of them was packing a very large sidearm; he probably puts in on in the morning when he's getting dressed for the day.  I mentioned this to the ranger when we stopped to get advice, and he said that outside the city limits in Idaho, and particularly in the forest, everyone is carrying "whatever the U.S. Constitution allows them to, which is pretty much anything."  Peter and I wondered to ourselves what the Mormon perspective is on the right to bear arms, since there is an LDS church in every community in southern Idaho, it seems, and a gleaming white temple in every city.

As the Tesla was charging, we walked along the city's greenbelt again and crossed over into the historic downtown area to find a fly fishing shop recommended to us.  Peter got a three day license, and we had a nice chat about fishing spots and British television (the store owner's favorite type of TV).  Then we stopped a local bakery shop where Peter had a scone and (iced) tea and I had a sparkling water and muffin.  The clerk, yet another friendly person, mused about how the area seems to be a little bit overboard about the eclipse.  On the counter were bags of coffee labeled "Eclipse Brew" with the date and place.  She wondered what they were going to do with all the merchandise after August 21.

Sculptures along the greenbelt, with the LDS temple in the background

It was a good thing we walked a little further than we had yestered along the greenbelt because we discovered that we actually hadn't seen the falls for which the city is named; all we had seen yesterday the last tiny section.  Idaho Falls does not run from one bank to the other along the Snake River; it actually runs perpendicular to the shore for some distance in about the middle of the river, so that on river left the water is smooth and flowing not only down but across toward the other bank, and along the right bank the water is frothing from the short but dramatic drop.

Idaho Falls on the Snake River

As we drove out of the city, we passed a parade of antique cars and trucks, the beginning of a three program of festivities in Idaho Falls.  We think we will drink into town tomorrow afternoon for the 27th Annual Great Duck Race on the Snake, a Rotary-sponsored fundraiser that sounds like a lot of fun.  Who knows?  Maybe we will even win the grand prize:  a brand new Ford F150.  It would provide good balance to the Tesla, maybe?

We ate dinner at our campsite and watched the color of the bluffs change from tan and brown to sienna and orange before heading back to Rexford to spend the night in the hotel (since we had already booked two nights and it was too late to cancel).  We have gotten ourselves organized (and clean from the Idaho dust) and are ready for more adventures and fun tomorrow.

I probably won't post for a few days, since there is not Internet in the forest!

Peter at our campsite on the Snake River

View from our campsite

Waiting for the Solar Elipse in Idaho

Peter and I left Gold River shortly after noon on Wednesday, August 15, to begin what was originally planned as a two week trip including a stay in Idaho to view the total solar eclipse on August 21 but has morphed into a three and half week road trip through Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Alberta, Vancouver, Washington and Oregon.  The first day was driving on Interstate 80.  We stopped in Truckee for lunch and to charge the Tesla, stopped again in Winnemucca, Nevada, for another charge and then ended up in Elko, where the Tesla Superchargers were located beside a nice-looking hotel, the Shilo Inn.  After we plugged in Titania (Peter's name for his car), we checked at the hotel.  The only room left was a family suite with a king bed, a queen bed and a full sofa bed, but it was reasonably priced (and it was getting late), so we booked it.  The room was spacious and comfortable, and I slept well.  (Peter prefers not to have the soft mattress toppers which are popular at most hotels now, so he didn't like the bed as much.)

The cost of accommodations included the value menu breakfast at Denny's, across the parking lot, or $4 off each meal.  We chose from the value menu; mine included two eggs, two pancakes and bacon (I gave it to Peter) and Peter ordered the sausage gravy and biscuits which came with two eggs and hash browns.  We couldn't finish these meals, so it's a good thing we didn't take on the regular menu items.

We spent this morning in downtown Elko, a tidy little city with wide, flat streets in the high desert.  First, we visited the historic tack shop, Capriola's.  In addition to the clothing, jewelry, boots and other gear on the first floor there is a second floor where saddles are made, displayed and sold along with rope, bits, spurs, harnesses and other cowboy and ranching stuff.  Also, there is a small museum with lots of well-preserved tack, including beautiful saddles.  The back half of the second floor is where the saddles and other leather goods are made.  We watched a man carefully stamping a design on leather. While we were there, Peter also made friends with the dog and we overhear some real horse trading being conducted by mobile phone.  We hadn't really looked at the prices of the new saddles, but we overheard a phone conversation where one with a rather simple design was quoted as costing $7000!

Used and new saddles at Capriola's

Ranching, we assume, must be profitable in northeastern Nevada, but we learned from the literature that the real basis of the economy has been and still is gold.  We did pass a few open pit mines along the interstate west of Elko.

Our next stop in town was close by, the Western Folklife Center, home of the famous National Cowboy Poetry Gathering held every January.  This little museum has wonderful displays of fancy saddles, ropework, silver spurs, and other items accompanied by informative descriptions.  We watched four short videos highlighting the work of craftsmen and cowboys still creating traditional items.  For me, there was a whole new set of vocabulary to learn just to start to understand the products and the processes!

After our morning of absorbing cowboy culture, we headed off to Idaho.  Our first stop was to charge the car in Twin Falls, Idaho.  In the past (including yesterday), all the superchargers we found and used were located in the parking lots of outlet or other outdoor malls or beside gas stations.  It was a pleasant surprise to find the Twin Falls superchargers directly across from the Twin Falls Visitor Center right above the Snake River canyon.  We were able to pick up some literature on southeastern Idaho, enjoy a picnic lunch overlooking the river and take a walk along the paved path at the rim of the canyon.  When we stopped in Idaho Falls later for another charge, we were delighted to find the superchargers once again near the Snake River.  After a nice dinner at a riverside pub, we walked along the landscaped park that borders the river.

Snake River, Twin Falls, looking downstream

Snake River, Twin Falls, looking upstream

At 10 p.m., we arrived at our hotel in Rexburg, ID.  The hotel is modern and wonderful but, like every place else within the path of the total eclipse, booked for the night before the eclipse (Sunday), so we will begin our search tomorrow in the National Forests or on Bureau of Land Management land in the area for a primitive campsite to establish ourselves for the next few days.  Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to be in the area.  (We were told in Idaho Falls that the city had requisitioned 1000 porta-potties to accommodate the crowds expected for this natural phenomenon!  Idaho Fall is really not that big. We saw a number of them on our short river front walk this evening.)