Afton's Fresh Water Geyser

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday we went to Afton to see the fresh water geyser, in Bridger National Forest. This is one of the world's largest fresh water geysers. Last year we hiked back to see it but the water level was so high that it did not let the geyser operate like it should. Plus there was still a huge snow bank that covered some of the trails leading up to the geyser. Last year I was able to go under the ice bank and the roof of it was translucent and it let the sun shine through. It was really cool (figuratively and literally). Here is the story and pictures on last year's trip to the geyser, in case you missed it. http://lindaxtwo.blogspot.com/2011/07/periodic-spring-in-afton.html

This year the coast was clear to get up there but you needed to be part mountain goat. One area was a little scary....the ground was worn smooth and it was at a pretty steep incline. I made it all the way up to geyser and when you look down, wow....I was a long way up ! If you click on this picture and zoom in, Linda is that little dot down on the right hand side. She decided she didn't want to make the trek up there so she took Boomer and found a comfy rock to sit on.

There was thick green moss, on the rocks in the stream, in the canyon where the geyser was because the sun never gets to that area. It was really pretty. Turns out the geyser, which was supposed to squirt out every 12-18 minutes, wasn't getting enough water or something because it didn't do anything the whole time I was there. Last year too much water...this year too little.....sigh...perhaps next year it will be just right !

Boomer enjoyed taking a dip in the cool mountain water and the hike up to the geyser.

 

The geyser is supposed to come out that "belly button" looking hole on the side of the canyon wall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the way out, an older gentleman stopped and showed us what he had found on the ground. They are shells from when the water levels have gotten really high and then once they recede, they leave the shell on the rocks. Can't imagine what it looks like in the canyon when the water is THAT high...cause it was on the side of the mountain where we found these. It was fun looking for them as we hiked back out to the parking lot.

Had a great day...always fun to go exploring in the areas where we're working. At the start of the hiking trail, they have these signs posted.

 

Seems that there are some species of plants that are really invasive and have somehow found their way into the area. The musk thistle (Hmmm, could this be one that I photographed yesterday....oops. Purely for educational purposes...) has 120,000 seeds per plant and the seeds can survive in the ground for 10 years. Nasty stuff !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fast forward to today....We were in Afton working and I was walking back to the car. A woman was walking past me on my left and stubbed her toe on an uneven part of the sidewalk and fell to the ground...hitting her one knee really, really hard. I heard a loud smack when her knee hit the concrete. Her husband rushed over and tried to help her. From the language that I heard him speaking I knew he wasn't American but tried to lend some assistance. I had seen a large group of motorcyclists park along the street and the group dispersed to check out the shops in downtown Afton. A couple of their traveling companions came over and  we tried to assist the woman but when she didn't respond, I realized she had passed out. I ran up the street and hollered for Linda and she came over. Turns out the group was from Switzerland, here doing a bike tour and the injured woman was the one who spoke the best English. She was diabetic and her blood sugar had dropped causing her to pass out. Linda tended to her, in her usual great nursing manner and eventually several of the guys helped her to her feet so she could sit in a chair. We told them there was a hospital just down the street (only about a 1/2 mile away) and from the sound her knee made when she hit the ground, I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't break her knee cap. We saw when they all got on their bikes to leave that the woman had been put in the truck that was following the group. We hope that she is ok.....her memories of Afton might not be too fond.

Cuter Than Opie and Andy

http://www.televisiontunes.com/Andy_Griffith_Show.html

Our last day in Jackson…

Yesterday we took Boomer to doggie daycare at DogJax so that Linda and I could work on breaking down the job plus it gave him a whole day to play with other dogs. Got the job finished up, then dropped it in the Fed Ex box on the way to pick up Boomer.

Today we went downtown to walk around and check out the stores. An interesting blend of really expensive shops (furs, jewelry,artwork) and novelty t-shirt shops. There are a couple of stores that have really unique home furnishings. The kind that you’ve love to go crazy in if you ever won the lottery. Dining room tables that are works of art and just really cool stuff.

We also took a couple more shots in Grand Teton park. We got to see a baby moose with her mom….so cute !

 

 

We pull out in the morning and will stop in Etna to get the oil changed in the motorhome. That way it will be changed and ready for the trek to Nebraska, once we leave Thayne in early August. We’ve really enjoyed our time in Jackson….it’s one of our favorite places.

Our Day at Yellowstone…

We had planned on getting up super early to spend our last weekend day in Yellowstone but after working at the Habitat build on Saturday for seven hours, getting up at 4:45 a.m. was a little rough. We wanted to get to the park as the sun came up…scheduled for 6:03. Got to the entrance to Grand Teton park about ten before six and just inside the park we saw a humongous elk standing along the road. It was still too dim to get a good picture and when we tried to get the car closer to him, he ran into the woods. Man, did he have a huge rack !

Then a little after six the magic happened…

 

 

 

 

 

It looked golden on the side of the Tetons in some areas; purplish and pinkish in other places. So awesome…the line from the song, “purple mountains majesty” was going through my head as I watched them. Shortly after daybreak, we saw two more bull elk and a female crossing a field. Further into the park there was a large field and we counted close to twenty-six elk. Half of them were babies and the other half were mommy elks…..pair by pair they trotted across the field. It was so cute. We covered a lot of territory, leaving the west entrance about one and took the highway down through Montana and into Idaho. Idaho has really surprising topography…very flat like the mid-western states. We got home a little before five, which made it almost a twelve hour day. We were exhausted! Saw so many awesome things though…four waterfalls, lots of animals and beautiful scenery.

Moose Falls

Kepner Cascades

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had such a great day. We feel so lucky to live in such a beautiful country and to be doing the type of work that allows us to see things we might never have seen. We are blessed ! Hope everyone had a great weekend doing special things or just lounging around the house relaxing. We leave here on Saturday to move to Thayne, an hour south of here.

Habitat Build

Today Linda and I volunteered for a build that is taking place in Teton Village, just a short distance from Jackson. Since being on the road, we’ve wanted to be part of a build but have never been in the right place at the right time. It worked out great this time so we got there for the start of work at 9. A group of young people, from an organization called Bike and Build, was also part of today’s build. Most were from Virginia but some from other parts of the Northeast. Neat bunch of young people. They left Virginia Beach end of May and have biked across the country, stopping to participate in builds along the way. They will reach their destination in Oregon in August. Depending on the terrain they are covering, they ride anywhere from 78 to 100+ miles a day. Several of the girls we spoke with had never done much biking prior to this trip. They have a super busy schedule, between riding and building…they’ve only had 3 days off since leaving at the end of May. Tomorrow they are going over Teton Pass to Idaho Falls…wow ! They are a super bunch of kids and we had such a great time working with them.

This is the house we worked on today. It’s a duplex and once the framing is done, it will look like this.

 

 

 

 

The things that Linda and I worked on were putting the water barrier on the foundation and then nailing the metal lathe above it that will hold the stucco type material in place. We  also built devices for radon abatement. Linda is holding one of them while the other girl wraps tape around the screen to hold it in place. Three of the legs (like they are taping up) are put into a three way “T” and two of the legs are buried and one is sticking out of the ground….like this although I think this one missed getting screen put on it. This device is supposed to pull any radon out of the air and put it back into the ground. The crawl space is also covered in plastic to seal the whole area tight to keep any radon from entering the house.

The setting for the four houses that are being built here is so beautiful. It’s at the base of the ski slope and all day long we watched parasails come off the mountain. The new homeowners will have some beautiful scenery, looking out the windows, for sure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking at the kids arms, we could see various injuries from their ride so far. They have to clip their feet onto their pedals and sometimes that has dumped them when they come to a stop (they forget they are locked in). One of the guys got hit by a car, as he rode into Jackson. A car was making a right hand turn and clipped him and never stopped. He fell off the bike and hit his head and broke his tailbone. One of the kids had a helmet camera and they are hoping they have clear footage of the accident so they can turn it into authorities. How crappy is that that the driver of that car never stopped ?

It was a lot of fun to help out today. It was also very hot….we kept drinking lots of water all day to stay hydrated and put on lots of sunscreen. One of the homeowners was there today. She (Lisa) needs to put in 500 hours of labor towards the build as her part of home ownership. She will certainly have a beautiful, well built house when it’s completed. We’re anxious to join in on a build in Florida, during December, when we take the month off. For more info on how you can be a part of something like this, go to http://www.habitat.org/ They are trying to build 600 homes this summer for families across the country. Give them a hand !

So Far in Jackson, Wyoming….

We arrived in Jackson on Tuesday and got the same site that we had last year. It’s on the end of a row, with a great view of the mountain behind us. We went into the park last night to have dinner and try to see some animals. Friends of ours, who had been at the RV Women conference were going to meet us for dinner but changed their plans. Earlier in the day, we learned from a restaurant at Moose Junction, that something had occurred earlier in the day that had knocked out all cell phones, credit card systems and internet. It was affecting everyone from Moose Junction down to Jackson….that must have had a huge affect on businesses. So anyway, our friends were not able to reach us nor us reach them. We waiting for 45 minutes and then decided to just go ahead and get something to eat at a little cafe at Colter Bay. Just as we arrived, at the cafe, it began to pour. Wow, did it ever. There was a waterfall coming off of the roof outside the cafe.

After dinner we drove around the park, driving to Jenny Lake and then back to Jackson. Jenny Lake is gorgeous and sits right at the base of the mountains, which makes for a dramatic setting. As we drove throughout the park, there were still storm clouds around and an occasional shower.

 

It wasn’t till we got towards the end of our drive that we saw any wildlife. We saw a deer munching on some grass along the road in a wooded area. Then we rounded a corner and saw a moose, about six feet off the road. Linda got really excited and said, “Holy Shit, give me the camera.” She snapped a picture just as we saw the ranger’s car coming up behind us. As we drove off, we saw him hang around to make sure that the moose wasn’t disturbed by the paparazzi…..you know how annoying they can be ! She seemed oblivious to us being there….just having a snack before bedtime.

It rained a lot through the night and has rained off and on throughout the day. Haven’t done much today…just relaxing. Calling for more rain tomorrow but we’re hoping to get the bike out and do some more exploring.