Lessons of the Unexpected

(2019 Grand Teton Ep 13)

Despite our attempts to plan for and control everything, unexpected things happen. Familiar surroundings, familiar repair facilities and familiar hospitals and doctors at home help us deal with most unexpected events.

But when you are thousands of miles from home and the unexpected happens, it’s a different matter entirely.

We were enjoying Grand Teton National Park after 11 days on the road. We hiked three miles above Jenny Lake to Hidden Falls and our plans were to take a boat back to where we started. But the last boat of the day was at 4 pm and we knew we could not make it time to catch the boat.

We viewed the falls for a few minutes and then started back up the trail, not looking forward to the 90-minute hike to the parking lot. The trail led up a steep slope for about a half mile, followed by a long descent to the parking lot.

Then it happened. I caught my right foot on a rock and fell. Stumbling forward, I saw there was a drop off to the left side of the trail. With nothing to grab onto and not wanting to fall down the side, I tumbled to the ground trying to stop myself with my hands. My left hand jammed into a rock and my right cheek scraped along the ground.

Sprawled on the ground, I slowly tested various body parts to see if anything was hurt. Pat helped me up and I noticed the middle finger on my left hand was bulging at a peculiar angle. I touched my cheek and my fingers were covered with blood.

A hiker stopped and offered first aid tape to tape my throbbing fingers together. Pat dabbed the blood from my cheek with a wet handkerchief.

As we hiked the trail to the parking lot, Pat and I discussed my injuries. We decided I would have to visit a medical facility to have my finger and cheek looked at.

Back at our truck, we learned the clinic in the park closed at 5 pm. So Pat began the 15 mile drive to Jackson, the nearest town. We called our insurance provider and found out there was an urgent care facility in town, but it also closed at 5 pm. So we headed to the emergency room at St Johns Medical Center.

We arrived a bit past 6:30 pm and anticipating high ER charges, I asked the receptionist if there were any other urgent care clinics in town. There was one across town affiliated with the hospital, but it closed at 7 pm.

We made it to the clinic a little past 6:45 pm. An x-ray of my finger revealed it was dislocated. I was glad I did not need stitches for my cheek injury.

After trying twice to reset my finger, they splinted it, told me to keep it iced and made an appointment at Teton Orthopedic the next day for further treatment.

The next morning I was told the hand specialist at Teton Orthopedic had the day off. However, when she saw the x-ray, she made a special trip to the office. She was able to pop it in place to my immediate relief! I was then sent to get a more permanent splint. Shortly after noon we were finished!

Since retiring, this was our first significant unexpected medical issue. We had several unexpected issues with our camper however during our 2018 Alaska trip – major repairs of the slide in Texas, a medicine cabinet falling off the wall along the Alaska Highway and bad wheel bearings just outside Haines, Alaska.

We realized things could have been MUCH worse in each situation – I could have been seriously injured in Grand Teton, the slide could have fallen out along the road in a remote area, or the camper could have required a long and expensive tow.

We have learned and re-learned several important lessons from the situations above:

We are under the watchful eye of loving God. To us, unexpected things happen. To Him, nothing is unexpected. Any situation can be used to glorify Him. We don’t always know why such things happen, but we know He is in control over everything.
(Psalm 121:8 – The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore)
There are many, many people who help in unexpected situations: a man with first aid tape along a trail, a worker at an auto parts store in Haines, Alaska who gave us the name of a repairman who fixed our camper bearings at the campsite for a reasonable price, a manager at Camping World near San Antonio who gave our camper repairs high priority. The list of helpful people goes on and on.
Being anxious about a situation (or anticipated situation) doesn’t help. Pat and I pray, discuss. seek advice from others and then trust as God guides us. (Philippians 4:6-7: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God).

Unexpected things will continue to happen when we are at home and on the road. We are called to remember and often re-learn the lessons above. And, more often than not, we are taught new lessons as well.

Next week: so easy, even Ansel Adams could photograph it!

Grand Teton NP: Amazing First View!

(2019 Grand Teton Ep 12)

We headed west from Riverton (map point 8) anticipating our arrival at Grand Teton National Park. The road snaked upward between Absaroka mountain ranges and we approached Togwotee Pass at 9659 foot elevation. We crested the continental divide and pulled into a parking area.

Tetons - First View — Our first view of the Tetons.

It was our first view of the magnificent Tetons, some 30 miles to the west. Our travels had taken us more than 3000 miles over 11 days and the drive was worth it!

The Teton Range runs north-south for nearly 40 miles, with 10 peaks over 12000 feet. The tallest peak is Grand Teton at 13775 feet. What makes the range so spectacular is the view of the mountains from the relatively flat valley below – the range towers more than a mile above the valley in some areas!

Our plans were to camp three nights at Gros Ventre Campground in Grand Teton National Park (map point 9). From our campsite, we could see the tips of some of the Tetons.

Gros Ventre camping, tips of Tetons behind our campsite

As in Alaska and Yellowstone, the weather can vary considerably each day – our first afternoon was cloudy and pleasant. It rained the next morning and began to clear in the afternoon. The third day started out nearly freezing and crystal clear. Because we were dry camping, we ran our generator the third morning to warm our camper and to charge the battery.

We made a trip into Jackson, a tourist town 15 miles to the south, to get gas and have dinner. In the center of town there is a large park with massive elkhorn arches at each corner entrance. We presume the antlers were collected at the National Elk Refuge not far out of town.

We didn’t see elk herds in the refuge (wrong season), but did see various other animals in the park.

We dodged rain the next morning with stops at two visitor centers and a brief walk along the edge of Jenny Lake. After lunch in our truck as it drizzled, we drove a steep road to the top of Signal Mountain as the weather began to clear. We enjoyed the views of the Jackson Hole Valley, the Tetons and the large lakes at the foot of the Teton mountain range.

Snake River Overlook Cloudy Tetons, — Snake River Overlook on a cloudy day

The next morning was clear. We took photos of the Tetons from the Snake River Overlook and from Mormon Row with several iconic barns in the foreground.

Later we hiked to Hidden Falls, following a three mile trail above Jenny Lake to a nice 200 foot waterfall. Little did we know something unexpected would change our plans as we hiked back to our starting point. More on that in the next blog update.

View of Jenny Lake and distant mountains from trail

Wyoming Tea and a Century Old Scandal

(2019 Grand Teton Ep 11)

From Devil’s Tower we headed west, eagerly anticipating the Tetons after a night in Riverton, Wyoming (map point 8). As we drove, the Black Hills of eastern Wyoming smoothed to gently rolling golden grasslands, with occasional hills and canyons.

Teapot stop — Stopped to see Teapot Rock

We discovered we would be passing Teapot Rock (map point A), quite literally in the middle of nowhere – 27 miles north of Casper WY! The teapot rests atop Teapot Dome, location of the infamous bribery scandal involving the administration of United States President Warren G. Harding from 1921-1923.

As the US Navy transitioned from coal to fuel oil, several oil-producing areas, including the Teapot Dome oilfield in Wyoming, were designated as oil reserves so the Navy would always have enough fuel available. A member of Harding’s cabinet, Interior Secretary Albert Fall, leased the oil production rights at Teapot Dome to a subsidiary of Sinclair Oil Corporation. Fall was accused of accepting sizable loans and gifts to award the leases to the oil company.

The Teapot Dome scandal is regarded as the worst cabinet scandal in US history and has been compared with subsequent scandals like Watergate (and some say the Trump administration).

Teapot Rock no longer resembles a teapot – the handle and spout broke off some years ago. Perhaps it should be renamed Teapot Urn!

Next week’s blog – we arrive at the Tetons!

Devils Tower NM: A Close Encounter at Bear Lodge

(2019 Grand Teton Ep 10)

In northeastern Wyoming, an 867-foot stone formation rises up against the sky. Originally called Bear Lodge in a Kiowan Indian tribe legend, the formation became known as Devils Tower after an incorrect translation in 1875. The name stuck and Devils Tower was sensationalized by Hollywood in the 1977 movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

We camped close to the base of Devils Tower and after lunch, set out to encounter the tower via a 1.3 mile trail around the base.

We saw the tower from every angle except the top. That is reserved for hearty climbers who brave their way up (and back down). Every year around 5000 climbers from all over the world climb one of over 220 routes to the top. We were quite content to enjoy Devils Tower from below.

Soon we would be enjoying views of much taller mountains above a broad Wyoming river valley in Grand Teton National Park.

Mt Rushmore NM: Stone Faces and Obstructive Goats

(2019 Grand Teton Ep 9)

After enjoying the bison, burros, pronghorns and prairie dogs of Custer State Park, we decided to drive the Iron Mountain Road (US 16A) from Custer State Park to Mt. Rushmore National Monument the next morning. It took nearly an hour to drive the 20 mile road. Included were three single lane tunnels (e.g. very narrow and around 10 foot tall) and several pig tails, where the road makes a complete 360 degree loop under itself. Glad we weren’t towing our camper!

When we drove through the first tunnel we realized Mt Rushmore was visible through the tunnel. We turned around and drove through it a second time to get the full impact and to take photos. The third tunnel has a similar view of Mt. Rushmore. Tip: it is better to drive the Iron Mountain Road from south to north for the Mt. Rushmore views.

Although the previous day was overcast with occasional showers, we arrived at Mt Rushmore under crystal clear blue skies. The presidential views were awesome!

Rushmore Courtyard — Courtyard in front of Mt. Rushmore

A large parking garage has been built just outside the entrance because lots of people visit the memorial, so finding a parking place was easy. From the entrance, a wide stone courtyard extends up to an amphitheater below the stone faces. There was construction on the front part of the courtyard so we were unable to walk only about halfway to the amphitheater. The views were fantastic nonetheless.

We also walked the trail that goes immediately under the sculptures. We climbed more than 200 stairs to get a special nosehair view of the presidents. As we returned we stopped by a studio that had the original sculpture from which Mt Rushmore was modeled.

Rushmore Sculpture — Sculpture from which Mt. Rushmore was modeled

We left Mt Rushmore and reentered Custer State Park at the Sylvan Lake/Needles Highway Entrance. We hiked around Sylvan Lake, a tranquil lake at the top of the Black Hills, and then continued along the Needles Highway.

The highway makes its way through some stunning needle-like formations that culminate with a tricky drive through a very narrow (8.5 ft) tunnel. We had to fold in our truck side mirrors to avoid hitting the sides!

There were delays as cars drove through the tunnel – some more than 10 minutes. Our turn came and as we exited the other end of the tunnel we discovered the reason. There were two white mountain goats perched on a rock outside the end of the tunnel. During breaks in the traffic, the goats reentered the tunnel and began licking the minerals on the inside of the tunnel. Only after some assertive coaxing by drivers would they move and let cars pass!

We returned to our campsite and anticipated our drive the next day to the interesting formation made famous by the 1977 movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Bison, Antelope and Prairie Dogs, Oh My

(2019 Grand Teton Ep 8)

Custer State Park is located In the heart of the South Dakota Black Hills. The park is more than 71,000 acres and has an amazing variety of wildlife and natural features. We spent two full days exploring the park.

We started with the 18-mile wildlife loop. The loop traverses grass covered hills with tree covered taller hills in the distance. We saw dozens of pronghorn antelope and as we neared the southernmost part of the drive, we sighted a herd of about 50 bison slowly milling along as they dined on various grasses. At the Wildlife Visitor Center we learned the park can sustain 900-1100 bison during the winter. Each September, the herd is moved to the southern part of the park for a bison roundup. Several hundred bison in excess of the number above are sold and many become parts of bison herds elsewhere in the United States.

After viewing the bison for a while, we took a side trip on a dirt road that left Custer State Park and entered Wind Cave National Park. The views were amazing.

We noticed a number of small dirt mounds in some areas. On many of the mounds, one or more very active prairie dogs acted as sentries. The mounds mark the entrance to their underground burrows. There were lots of prairie dogs, and the noise they make really sounds like the bark of a small dog!

Custer Groundhog — A prairie dog guards his burrow

At the Wind Cave Visitor Center we learned cave tours were temporarily cancelled due to elevator problems. So we joined a ranger-led hike to the historic cave entrance to learn more about the cave.

A ranger demonstrates air being sucked into Wind Cave

The first documented discovery of the cave was in 1881, when the brothers Tom and Jesse Bingham heard wind rushing out from a hole in the ground. The ranger explained that during clear days with high pressure, air is sucked into the cave, and during stormy days with low pressure, air blows out of the cave. Using a small ribbon, he demonstrated a ribbon being sucked into the cave with a surprising amount of force. What a vacuum cleaner!

Although the historic opening is very small, about 10 inches by 14 inches, over 142 miles of cave passages have been mapped making Wind Cave is the third longest cave in the U.S. and the sixth longest cave in the world.

We returned to Custer State Park and the wildlife loop, and saw additional groups of antelope and bison. As we rounded a corner, we were stopped by a traffic jam in the middle of nowhere. Dozens of vehicles had stopped to see more than 500 bison – many on distant hills, others in a field close to the road and even a few walking down the middle of the road!

Not to be outdone for attention, there were about a dozen wild burros in the area as well, mooching carrots and such from passing vehicles. One burro approached our truck and tapped the side gently with its nose to see if we had anything.

It was a great day to see wildlife and the big sky views of the park.

As we returned to our campsite, we looked forward to the next day to see the natural rock formations of the Needles Highway and the manmade massive stone carvings of Mt. Rushmore National Memorial.

Badlands NP, Missiles and a Tourist Trap

(2019 Grand Teton Ep 7)

We left Omaha on Sunday, Sept. 8, and after a night on the road, arrived in Badlands National Park in South Dakota. The Badlands are known for unusual rock formations, fossils and wildlife.

We camped in Cedar Pass Campground, a very short distance from the base of the rugged Badlands rock formations. After a short drive we hiked the Window and Door trails. Each trail provided up close and personal views of the Badlands. The formations are kind of a cross between the Grand Canyon and the beach, although on a much smaller scale.

On the way back to camp, we hiked the Cliff Shelf Nature Trail. The trail was steep with several sets of stairs. We enjoyed early evening views of the formations and valley below.

We set out to drive the 60-mile Badlands Loop the next morning. The loop travels through the eastern part of the park, along I-90 to the town of Wall and then back through the park to our starting point.

We stopped to hike the Notch trail. After a short distance, the trail continued up a 100-foot ladder and then along a narrow ledge trail to the ‘Notch.’ From the Notch, we saw a phenomenal view of the formations extending into the valley below. It was like a scene out of the move Dances with Wolves.

As we returned to the start of the trail, we discovered a large boulder containing a bird skull fossil. We finished the trail with a nervous climb back down the 100-foot ladder!

We continued the loop out of the park and upon reaching I-90, we toured the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site. During the Cold War, Minuteman nuclear bomb-tipped missiles were spread in remote locations across South Dakota and other western states. Many of the sites were decommissioned in the 1990s based on arms reduction treaties between US and Russia.

The museum provides a sobering reminder of the potential destructive power of such weapons. It is worth a visit if you are traveling in the area.

We then headed to Wall. Wall is made famous by hundreds of signs along I-90 telling about the many things available in the town. Wall Drug, the most well known place in town, has about every tourist souvenir imaginable, plus a large café offering 5 cent coffee and free ice water.

Wall is a South Dakota icon and an interesting stop on the way going east or west.

We reentered the west side of park and again saw views of the Badlands. Among the formations was a herd of Big Horn sheep and numerous bison.

The Badlands wildlife was a preview of our next destination, Custer State Park.

Man of Steel?

(2019 Grand Teton Ep 6)

As we traveled north earlier in September, we passed by near Metropolis, the home of Superman. Pat took the picture below at a nearby Illinois rest stop.

Click here to see the amazing resemblance to a posting made to our Alaska blog last year.

Superman with a beard and gray hair? You be the judge…

A Visit to Omaha

(2019 Grand Teton Ep 5)

We decided our travels across Nebraska should include a visit to Omaha.

Omaha is a city of nearly a half million located on the western banks of the Missouri River. The city is the home of Warren Buffett, cake mix, butter brickle ice cream and TV dinners. It is clean and inviting for out-of-towners.

We camped a few miles away and after a 30-minute drive, we arrived in the city in the early evening.

We stopped at Pioneer Courage Park. The park has numerous bronze and stainless steel sculptures dedicated to the pioneers. Our visit was cut short when it started to rain and there were several too-close-for-comfort lightning flashes. We QUICKLY (!) returned to our truck.

We drove a few blocks to the Old Market, a historical part of the city that has been renovated to include restaurants and shops. Horse drawn carriages shared brick paved streets with cars and trucks, and street performers entertained curious bystanders and families. We enjoyed dinner at a nice Mexican restaurant.

Many people were wearing Nebraska Cornhusker t-shirts and despite the college football team’s overtime loss to the Colorado Buffaloes, everyone was in a good mood.

After dinner, we visited the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge. The 3000-foot suspension bridge crosses the Missouri River to Council Bluffs, Iowa. We enjoyed a sunset walk across the S-shaped bridge and marveled at the changing red and blue lights that illuminated the bridge towers as well as the Omaha skyline in the distance.

Sunset on the Bob Kerry Pedestrian Bridge

Because we were ‘catching up’ with our original trip itinerary, we had to cut our Omaha visit short and move on the next morning. Had we stayed longer, we would have visited the world class Henry Doorly Zoo and renowned Durham Museum. Might have even stopped by to visit Warren Buffet.

Perhaps next time…

Nebraska – Nifty Fifty

(2019 Grand Teton Ep 4)

Enroute to Grand Teton NP, Pat and I accomplished a milestone. Nebraska is the 50th state we have visited since we were married nearly 40 years ago.

Who knows what’s next!