Tuesday, July 10
Now that I have a working air card, the crew and I go west across the prairie to Shoshone. There isn’t much to see for those 98 miles, except a few pronghorn grazing along the two-lane road. We come upon a small park in Shoshone so I pull in so we can eat our lunch. While walking Bridget and Spike around the park to release their pent-up energy, I strike up a conversation with two men at a picnic table.
It’s a fortuitous meeting.
One is from Idaho and the other is from Missouri. The Idahoan knows the Yellowstone and Grand Tetons area right down to the gravel roads.
“Take Highway 26 through Riverton and on up to Dubois. That road will take you up to where there are trees and it’s a lot cooler. It follows the Wind River. Not far past Dubois are three really nice National Forest parks. You should go that way.”
He shows me the way on his map.
“Whatever you do, once you get to Jackson, don’t take Highway south. It’s 15% grade. Go around through Wilson.”
I thank them both and take the crew back to the table by the PTV.
While we’re eating, a lady pulls up to walk her husky.
She looks wistfully at the BLT. “I like your trailer. I was going to get a trailer when I retired and travel around.”
“Maybe you could still do that,” I offer.
“No, no. I have a nice home in Santa Barbara. I could never leave it.” I don’t reply.
“I should have done it when I retired. Now I never will.”
Back on the road, we drive about three more hours.
When Wind River appears, I stop and take some photos. It’s a beautiful river. I continue on through Dubois, on a lookout for the three campgrounds.
I see the sign for Brooks Lake and turn onto the gravel road.
The sign says it’s five miles. We keep going up and up to at least 9,000 feet, probably more. Right before the campground entrance the lake comes into view. We cross a small bridge over a stream where several people are fishing.
The setting for this campground is gorgeous!
I find a campsite and get us settled for one night ($7.50). I’ve got my eye on one of three campsites that have a spectacular view of the lake. I mention this to camp hosts, Joe and Debbie from Kansas. Joe tells me that campsite #3 will be empty tomorrow morning around nine. “I think it’s the best campsite here. I’ll check with the people and let you know when it opens up. Be ready to move around nine in the morning.”
Around sundown I change into long pants and my fleece jacket.
I close up the windows at bedtime because I can tell it will be too cool for fresh air.
By nine-thirty the next morning the crew and I are happily camped in the most beautiful campsite imaginable. Take a look at this slideshow and see if you don’t agree. And we’re not very far from Yellowstone and the Tetons![slideshow]
This camp is so perfect the crew and I are going to stay for several days.
rvsue
P.S. Since I don’t have internet on the mountain, my blog posts are irregular. Thank you for your comments. I can’t respond right away, but I’m sure to read every one. The next post I’ll include the visit by a mama grizzly and her two cubs!
That piece of heaven is definitely worth 7.50 a night! Sooo glad you’re up in the cool and beautiful mountains. Relax and enjoy!
It’s wonderfully cool up here. I’m wearing long sleeves and long pants. We get a short thundershower every afternoon and one day it rained all day. I got a lot of reading done that day. Everything is lush and there’s so much green…. quite a contrast to those months we were in the Arizona desert.
Wow, Sue. Those pictures are amazing. I’m glad things are going so much better for you and the crew after the battery fiasco. What a fantastic campsite. Can’t wait to hear about those bears…be careful!
Kristine
Hi, Kristine! I’m glad you enjoyed the photos. It’s such a beautiful place. The battery fiasco was something we had to go through to get here, I guess!
You always manage to find “heaven”. There is a lot of that up that way. And, I know Spike will be in “heaven” with the water – again. Sure beats my 102º today. Blow real hard so we can feel some of that coolness south of you.
Spike took his usual dip in the water. He hasn’t been in a big hurry to go back in because it’s like ice water.
What a beautiful campground!!! I’m glad you took a few days to enoy it!!! NOW, onward to new adventures! Oh and as a ps…. Gaylen came by for a nice visit today!!!! Geri
I’m not in a big hurry to go onward to new adventures. This place is sooooo nice, grizzlies and all!
enoy = enjoy … sheeeeesh!
Ditto. Oh my!
Wow! What a campsite! I am glad you have a place to settle in for a little while. Boy, talk about a cliffhanger: grizzlies! Can’t wait.
Hi, Rick! If I had the power to create the perfect campsite, I wouldn’t have come up with anything close to this. It exceeds my highest expectations!
I subscribe to several blogs . Yours is the one I am always happy to receive and read first. How you find these great rates ! When I and my three hounds travel seems I am paying more and more with fed and state fee hikes.
I should keep a notebook for some of your campgrounds. Keep up your blogging! See you out there .
What a great compliment, Jan, to hear you read my blog first. Thank you!
The rates are great because I get a 50% discount with my Senior Pass. I like National Forest campgrounds (half-price) and BLM camping (free!).
WOW Sue, what a view! This was worth the wait to hear from you again. It’s gorgeous there and I’m glad to hear you’re staying a few days (I wouldn’t want to leave!). Enjoy the cool air, can’t wait to hear more of your travels 😀
I’ve spent a lot of time enjoying this view. There are always people fishing, so I watch them reel the trout in. The rock cliffs are always changing as the sunlight moves. It’s so cool here. I’m loving it, can’t you tell? Ha!
What a gorgeous spot!!!! Are you in site three with that view????
Yes, we’re in site #3 and the view is so pretty it looks like a postcard.
SOOO HAPPY FOR YOU—–ENJOY WYOMING!
Thanks WJ…. I am enjoying Wyoming very much!
Gorgeous photos…thanks for sharing. Stanley, Idaho is a wonderful spot as well…if you go past that way. There is a back highway from Montana to Idaho, and Troy, Idaho is a drop-dead gorgeous area too…so many in Idaho really. If you ever visit Northern Idaho, it may be very hard to leave (except for the sometimes horrendous winters there). And then there is Washington and Oregon and Northern California….
Such amazing scenery in your photographs – I’m definitely taking notes for my bucket list. I took a bus tour of the Pacific Northwest back in 2001 and went through both Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons, but I don’t remember seeing what you’re seeing. Guess that’s because you got off ‘that ribbon of a highway’ and off the beaten track, right? 🙂
Words fail me! What a magnificent campsite Sue! I can just imagine you gazing at & “drinking in” the fresh, cool air and all this natural beauty and magnificence. Wow…what food for the spirit! Enjoy…Enjoy!
I want to respond to all comments but I can’t right now. Bridget and Spike have been very patient waiting for me to get off this computer and take them back to camp. I bought some more sherbet and it’s going to melt. Thanks everyone for your sweet comments! I am having the time of my life!
Sue, your general location in Wyoming is my favorite place on the planet! Thanks for the great photos.
You’re welcome, Kathy.
I agree with everyone else, what a beautiful spot you found to camp in. The pictures are gorgeous.
You’ve certainly found God’s Country. How beautiful is that scenery? Enjoy your stay…stay as long as you can……what’s the hurry? Relax and enjoy it with the crew.
I think I’m going to leave and then I stay another day! I know there are wonders ahead of us, yet I don’t want to cut this stay short . . .
Sue
I bet you didn’t think when you started FT and writing a blog that it would be like going back in time to your teenage years , Mom and Dad worried sick about you if they dont know where you are every minute., sounds like your blog readers. LOL
I think it is very special that folks are concerned and truly care about you. You should feel blessed.
I love where you are camped now .
Ron
You’re funny, Ron . . . I do kinda’ feel like I was a kid and felt bad not letting my parents know what I was up to! (I was bad that way.) I wish I had internet up on the mountain… Oh well, maybe it’s better I don’t, right?
I am blessed to have people caring about me and to have found this lovely camp.
You should stay there for as long as you can. What a perfect place. We are in a forest service campground in southern Colorado, Lake View, for four nights. If you are in that area, it is worth the 23 mile drive from the paved road.
Sounds like you are in a good spot, too! Say hi to Dianne for me . . .
So glad you found such a wonderful spot. Aren’t you glad you were hungry and stopped to eat? Can’t wait to hear about the grizzly bears. They scare the heck out of me.
I don’t know if we would have ended up here or not, if it weren’t for the serendipity of meeting those two guys who sent me here.
Yeah, grizzlies are pretty intimidating. For good reason . . .
I agree with Cari, I am making notes for my bucket list too. Going to the library and printing maps of Arizona and Utah and Wyoming so I can find all the places you mention. Great fun for someone who doesn’t have a camper to go anywhere, but I got good dreams!!! Thank you Sue. Was wondering if you have read Sue Henry mysteries? Maxie McNabb and her dachshund Stretch in their motorhome? Good reading if you get a chance to put your feet up! Patti
No, I haven’t read Sue Henry. I like mysteries. I should look her up.
You remind me of my sister and her family…. They are tracking our travels on a map also. I’m glad my blog helps your dreams!
Sue, what a wonderful campground. Heaven!!! Enjoy! I am still in Salem, Mass visiting another grandaughter. Having a great trip. Next week I go to Woburn Mass to visit my best friend of 40 years. I need to add pictures to my blog but been so busy. I don’t know how you keep up.
Hi to the crew. Sharon from Florida
Hi Sharon!
I haven’t been doing a very good job lately of “keeping up” with my blog. I hate that I’m not answering comments right away and that my posts aren’t every day. Enjoy your visit with your best friend…. 40 years… That’s amazing!
That campsite is a beauty!
It’s the best campsite I’ve ever seen!
Once again, you’ve hit the jackpot!
Hi John! Yes, I can’t imagine what this view would cost if one had to buy land to see it!
Ah, long pants! Ah, fleece! OK Sue, now you are just showing off.
Can’t wait to hear about the grizzly encounter.
You got me, Kim! I AM showing off. I can’t believe my good fortune…. It is so cool here. There’s even some snow on the rock cliffs across the lake.
“Wild thing you make my heart sing” That’s what I would be singing if I were where you are! That is an absolutely beautiful place to camp. Enjoy the cool weather.
Thanks, Llanos. My heart is singing . . .
Fortuitous indeed. Always nice to get the inside scoop. And you scored with this scenic camp.
It makes the drive to a new camp more enjoyable when following some inside info, instead of forging ahead “in the dark” about where to camp that evening. I’m getting spoiled here.
you have a knack for finding the best of the best !! knocking on opportunity’s door has brought you some great rewards. Good luck, good luck, and keep on trucking, you are the best/etd. 14 ft. lilsnoozy, enroute next week from Phila, PA to Fairbanks, AK.
What a nice comment. Thank you for the good luck wishes! Safe travels for you . . .
no Internet, just bring out your paints and get busyI was gonna, whenI retired, but I had a stroke instead,it’s hard to believeI was ever stupid as to ignore hiBP!!
I’m so sorry, Carol, for your misfortune.
I’m not in a painting mood. I’ve been reading a lot and visiting with campers and wandering around taking in the beauty . . .
When you were near the Wind River, it’s too bad that you couldn’t have stopped to view Sacajaweja’s grave on the reservation. Very interesting.
I don’t think we traveled near the Wind River where it goes by Sacajaweja’s grave. I think that’s north of the road we took.
“Whatever you do, once you get to Jackson, don’t take Highway south. It’s 15% grade. Go around through Wilson.”
I don’t know what highway south is being referred to here but US191 from Rock Springs to Jackson does not have any 15% grades that I can remember. I rode that route on a bicycle and I can remember steep grades but do not remember any along that route.
A Google search did find a steep grade out of Rock Springs but it was not on US191. With that said, the Wilson route is probably the more scenic one especially if you then turn north toward Rexford and go along the backside of the Tetons.
The guy was talking about the short distance between Hobart (sp?) Junction and Jackson. In other words, coming into Jackson from the north. It’s good to hear there aren’t any 15% grades where you mentioned in your comment.
Ara and Spirit of Oasis of my Soul were also at Brooks Lake the last time he posted to his blog. Perhaps he is gone now but look for a motorcycle with a side car; Spirit is a pit bull that will be riding in the sidecar they are hard to miss!
Hi Ed,
Ara and Spirit left at least a week before we arrived. I read about Brooks Lake on his blog when I was over on the other side of Wyoming and then forgot all about the place. It wasn’t until I was all set up in our campsite that I remembered…. Hey. Ara was here!
Awww…what a beautiful spot…would make me wanna stay till snow. Great weather…better on the cool side!
Everyone has already said what I would have said so I’ll just say Wow, Enjoy!!!
Sue, I only have one question: If you had realized long ago that being there in person in places like this is no match for picture books, would you have done whatever you had to do to retire earlier and get out there sooner?
Hello, John,
I was not aware of the wonderful world of camping/boondocking until about 8 years before I retired. I couldn’t “get out there” any sooner than I did. I wasn’t financially able and I had a lot of family responsibilities up until I retired. I’m glad I didn’t waste any time once I was able!
Going from Wilson, WY to Victor, ID means going over Teton Pass, a really steep climb. There is often a “no trailers” restriction over Teton Pass. If you go south out of Jackson to Alpine and turn right on 26 towards Idaho, you can stay at the campground at the base of the Palisades Dam for $5 no hookups or $8 with electric. (Golden Age rates).
Gorgeous pics, and I’m so glad you found that campground.
Hi Sue- Someone commented your pictures seem sharper…may have been photog from Canada. I agree, although that happens everytime I clean the monitor. I have to change my screensaver- it’s a Koala Bear and Brownie likes to, well , you get the idea. But the new camera is GREAT!
Way back in 1987, our new Shasta Class C MH broke down in Shoshone. We did not have a fortuitous encounter and took the steep road WEST. Fairly sure we did not go thru Dubios, Wy.
Stay put and have fun- haven’t heard anything about the inflatable!? You’ve been plenty of places where you could float the thing…just curious! Cheers, br (K in ABQ with Mom, doing great!)
Hi Bill,
From Shoshoni we went south to Riverton and then turned west so your steep road wasn’t the one we were on.
The inflatable is proving to be difficult to use under my safety guidelines. I don’t want to take it out in wind as it will spin like a top and be hard for me to handle. I could have taken it out at Upper Kent Lake but I was entirely alone and didn’t think that was a good idea. I would take it out on Brooks Lake but it’s not a good idea which I can’t explain here.
Just noticed you have June 10 starting the post, SHB JULY…. Must be nice, it does not matter……
Wayne.
Wow!!! That campsite is a 10 !!! Are you in Jackson? Beautiful area. I would have a hard time leaving that site you have. Lets see ….$7.50 x 30 days is $225 a month. Not bad ! any amenities with it???
This campsite is a 10+ for sure! The campground has good spring water from a common use spigot and very clean vault toilets.
Wow! What a gorgeous place to be- I am so envious & can’t wait to start my own adventure.
Was it too cold for Spike to lay down in the water?
Spike has put his tummy in the water even though it is very cold. I stood in the water for about a minute … It’s melted snow, too cold for swimming!
Wind River….remInds of an audio booked I listened to while truck driving. It was a mystery but described the area of the Wind River. I thought the location was fictitious, so
Was very surprised when I drove thru the area that it really did exist! And was as beautiful as the book described!
Terry and I are heading to Glacier the end of August. Enjoy the coolness of the mountains and Wind River ….it’s really fabulous countryside 😀
Enjoy Glacier! The crew and I are enjoying very cool weather. It’s hard to believe it’s July!