Return to the "Summer Home" and Old Trails

Traveling West to our Yellowstone Host Job- April 22- May 3

Since we will bring our Creekside trailer home with us in December, we stayed in motels on the trip west.  Even motels can be fun when you find one like the Sunset in Moriarty, NM.  It is a remodeled 1950's, Route 66 treasure.  We enjoyed 2 days there after a shady stay in Forrest City, OK and a nice Best Western in Weatherford, OK.  The time there was quite relaxing and helped us push on to Apache Junction, AZ where our summer home awaited us.  Gayle was there with the key since Art and Janette were visiting the new grandchildren in Beaverton, OR.  We missed them.

We planned our trip toward Yellowstone through some of our favorite places in the Southwest; north to Flagstaff, shopping at Cameron Trading Post and a first ever stay at Lee's Ferry on the Colorado River as it enters the Grand Canyon.  The Lee Family really did have the first ferry here to help Mormon settlers cross the river into AZ territory.  The National Recreation Area has a campground just above the river.

We could watch the sun setting over the river from our picnic table and the dinette inside the trailer.

Wildflowers and cacti were blooming everywhere.  Terry photographed this prickly pear cactus on our sunset walk.

The river foamed over rapids as it moved past our camp toward the Grand Canyon and it's soft rumble put us quickly to sleep at night.

The gorgeous sunrise awoke me before 6 to capture the morning light on the canyon walls.

The beauty of this first visit assured us that we will again travel the 30 extra miles off our 'beaten path' to spend more time here.  It was very hard to leave the cool early morning and the gurgling of the river to head on north to familiar places in Utah and a day for laundry and groceries.  Taking care of business is part of the journey too!

Tomorrow we will return to Great Basin National Park where we first hosted in the summer of 2011.  It will be wonderful to return to this place that will always be our western 'home away from home'.  We hope to arrive at Yellowstone NP on Sunday, May 3.

Living on the edge…….of the Yellowstone Caldera

In 16 days - April 22- we will set off for a summer season as hosts in Yellowstone NP.

The journey really began 4 years ago when we met Ranger Anthony at our first host job in Great Basin NP.    When we left Great Basin for Oregon 2 seasons later, Anthony went to Yellowstone as a Law Enforcement Ranger.  We visited him there in August of 2013 and he visited us in Oregon twice since.

Last Sept. he emailed us that 2 campground hosts were not returning and we needed to come fill their spot.  We were already planning to return to the Oregon Coast and work with our friends Art and Janette again so we refused the offer.  After about a week it registered that we could actually have the experience of living in Yellowstone NP for 4 months and the only thing to do was leave our Oregon 'comfort zone' and jump at the chance.  So we plan to arrive on May 5 and stay until after Labor Day.

We will be located at Madison Campground which is 14 miles from the West Yellowstone, Montana entrance.  The CG is perched right on the edge of the caldera ( or 30x45 mile hole left after the massive Yellowstone eruption).  Most of the hot spots like the Midway Geyser Basin shown above are within the caldera.  The Madison river flows just in front of the CG with a fisherman's trail that I hope to haunt.

The amazing Grand Prismatic Hot Spring is located in Midway Geyser Basin also --about 14 miles from our CG.  The bands of color are created by algae.  Old Faithful is 17 miles from Madison CG.  So if you have been thinking of a trip to Yellowstone, make it this summer and come visit us.  Just get your reservation soon!

We'll send photos of the Madison area once we settle in!