Buffalo, WY — May 29 and 30, 2019 by Sandy

A stop in this town was determined solely based on the name of the town. I mean, we’re in Wyoming. A town of this name must have something to live up to. It was a good stopping point from the Badlands National Park in South Dakota, but there were many other stopping points I could have chosen that would have been a midway point to the Grand Teton National Park, our next destination. Once researching the campground choices, photos of mountains further peaked my interest along with area info that wrote of a canyon named Crazy Woman. Right up my alley. A further plus to Buffalo was that it would give us some flexibility of choosing between 2 routes to the Tetons and in the spring, snow is still a possibility in the mountains (and it turned out that snow did occur near our next destination just a couple days before our arrival). 

The mountains did not disappoint and we had views right from our campsite. 

Our campsite

The view of the mountains just beyond the trees in front of our rig 

Buffalo is at the base of the Bighorn National Forest. We did not get to the Crazy Woman Canyon though as there had been heavy rains and flooding just before our arrival and even with a four wheel drive (which we don’t have) the locals were not recommending the trip, so we spent the day exploring the town. Besides the Occidental Hotel which Bill may have already written about, what I found in the town of almost 4,600 is that they are friendly and no one who visits is a stranger and they will stop whatever they are doing to chat. We got the scoop of town highlights from a local and had lunch at the downtown cafe in a gift shop and it was definitely a hot spot in town. Even the cafe cashier spotted me in the grocery store later in the day and waved at me. 

Note to self:  stock up on favorite foods before getting to a small town, as selections are seriously limited in tiny towns. 

6/7/2019 The 1st Atomic Power Plant in the World and Craters of the Moon National Monument

We are in Arco, Idaho today.

As we drove into town yesterday we past the entrance to a small, non-descript building in the distance with a sign “EBR Atomic Museum”.  After arriving at camp I saw a brochure for this museum in the office.  Who knew, this building contained the world’s first Nuclear Power Station, and it is now open to the public?

Well today we drove back to the Museum and spent 2 1/2 hours on a guided tour.  The only guest were Sandy, I, and a Professor of Mechanical Engineering from Boise State University.  The tour guide was exceptional.  She answered all of our questions.  All this for free.  Turns out that this small Yellowish Brick/Cement building used Atomic Energy to self power its building on Dec 21, 1951.  It is decommissioned now, but what a story.  AMAZING.  Pictures Below.

PS.  For my Square D friends.  The building contained old (1950 vintage) Square D Safety Switches, and Combo Starters.  It also contained GE and Westinghouse Gear.

We also did a number of small hikes at the Craters of the Moon National Monument.  Turns out the landscape was created years ago from a number of Lava Flows.  NASA Astronauts used this area in prepartation for the Moon Landing.  

I must admit I liked the EBR Atomic Museum much better than the Craters of the Moon.  I would say that Sandy enjoyed the Craters of the Moon more than the Museum.  It was a win for both of us today.

6/4/2019. Black Bear

Today is the last full day we have in the Grand Tetons.  After hiking the last couple of days we thought we would take it easy.  Do a simple 2 mile hike.  Then stop at Flagg Ranch for some of the Huckleberry Desert.  

Things didn’t quite go as planned.  Our simple hike ended up being a little over 4 miles.  As we entered the trail head, approximately 100 yards down the path was a Black Bear moseying towards us.  The Bear was not the least bit intimidate by us, and not in a real big hurry to catch us either which is good.  We slowly backed down the path past the trail head and let him go by.  In the mean time we warned all the other tourist to back away.  He slowly walked out into the parking lot and once he realized all the humans frozen in their steps watching him he decided to turn and high-tail out of there.

We walked back to the visitor center and advised the Rangers that had suggested that we take the trail about the bear.  At least I though that they would not want to send others hikers down the same trail today.   They didn’t seem the least bit concerned.  

“GEESH”.  I was concerned.

They did acknowledge that a Cinammon Bear does frequent the area but hasn’t bothered anyone so they leave it alone.

They advised us to wait 10 minutes and then go ahead on the hike which we did.  Luckily we did not see the bear again.

Funny thing is that I bought “Bear Spray” which is basically pepper spray that will shoot 30’ prior to arriving here in the Tetons.  Sandy was not convinced that the $45 investment was needed.  When we arrived here both the Grand Tetons & Yellowstone highly recommend that all hikers carry Bear Spray.  Well you guessed it, Sandy was right by my side during this hike.  Yes, I will be carrying Bear Spray with me on future hikes.

PS.  The Black Bear described above was the 2nd Bear we saw in the last two days.  Yesterday we saw a Grizzly Bear.  Thank Goodness from the protection of a car.  In the last week we have seen:

• 1 Black Bear
• 1 Grizzly Bear
• 3 Elk
• A lot of Bison’s (Buffalo)

In the last week we have been through the Bighorn, Black Hills, Bridger-Teton, Shoshone, and Targhee National Forests.

The Grand Tetons and Yellowstone butt up against each other.  I HIGHLY recommend them for a visit!!  One of my FAVORITES 

6/3/2019. Signal Mountain and Hidden Water Falls

Today we drove up to Signal Mountain.  It is one of the few locations in the Grand Tetons that has cell phone service.  It also has a cell phone tower with many cell phone antennas.  We made it to the top by 9:00 AM to beat the crowd.  From the top of the mountain you look out over a huge prairie that lies just under snow capped Mountains.  Gorgeous site and we recommend checking it out.  Pictures below.

After leaving Signal Mountain we drove over to Jenny Lake area where we stumbled on the trailhead for Hidden Water Falls.  The map said 2.2 miles.  We had our gear in the car and we had wanted to do a hike around Jenny Lake anyways so off we went.  Well 2.2 miles in and 2.2 miles out equals something like 6.5 country miles.  It was a great hike but we are exhausted.  The trail was rocky (glad we had our hiking boots).  The elevation is approximately 6800’ so it added to the challenge.  Of course I took a backpack which included (we are learning) :-)

• Extra water
• Lunch
• Snacks
• Medical kit
• Res-Q-Link (in case we have to call in help)
• Fleece
• Rain Jacket and hat
• Hiking Poles
• Bug Spray
• Oh and a first for us “Bear Spray”

Both the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone highly suggest, sell, rent that you carry Bear Spray and know how to use it.  Yup, makes me feel real comfortable :-)

Any how, I would do this hike again and will recommend you try it if you ever visit the Tetons.  My bear worry subsided when I realized how many other fools were also on this same trail.  I figured this evened out the odds that someone else would stumble onto a Bear before Sandy and I.  Pictures below.

6/1/2019. Happy Retirement Anniversary

I can’t believe it.  Sandy and I have been retired 1 year today.  WOW, has time flown by.  We have done a lot and enjoyed every minute of it.  Hard to believe.  We have traveled to many locations, visited many friends, and have had a number of friends visit us during our travels.

Again, WOW, pinch me, I still can’t believe that we are doing what we have done in the last year.  As I write this I am sitting in the COW in a campground in the middle of the TETONs.  WOW. WOW. WOW

I can’t wait to see what the second year of retirement brings.  :-)

6/2/2019. Yellowstone

It turns out that since we are camped on the North end of the Grand Tetons we are only about 5 miles from the Southern Entrance of Yellowstone.  Sandy and I decided to spend an entire day checking it out. 

I still feel that the Grand Tetons are much more scenic than Yellowstone, but Yellowstone gets all the attention.  It is interesting how the parks butt up against each other but are entirely different.  For example:

• The Grand Tetons were created by an Earthquake and shifting tectonic (spelling??) plates.  Yellowstone was created by Volcanic action.
• You will see (in my opinion) more animal life in Yellowstone than the Tetons.  In the Teton’s the animals are more spread out and harder to find.
• Both parks are run completely separate.  Administration is different. Pricing different.  The way the handle forest fires is different.  Their policies are different.
• The weather seems to be different.  My guess is that since there are so many different Mountain Ranges between both parks that they make different weather fronts.  Interesting was that Yellowstone still had more snow than the Tetons during this visit.

While in Yellowstone we visited:

- The upper and lower Yellowstone Canyon falls.  They are as impressive as Niagara Falls

- Norris Lake mud pots, steam vents, etc...

- Yellowstone Lake with its black sand

- Old Faithful

-  The old Lodge at Old Faithful.  Hint:  We ordered dinner carry out than enjoyed eating it on the 2nd floor outside patio while watching Old Faithful from our seats above the crowd.  I highly recommend enjoying dinner this way.  Credit goes entirely to Sandy for this idea.

Attached are some of our pictures for the day.

6/1/2019. New parts on the COW in the last 12 months

As many of you know Sandy and I have been running the COW through the ringer in the last 12 months.  Thank Goodness for a 3 year warranty.  I thought I would list all the new parts we have had installed on the COW under warranty.

• Two new Air Conditioner/Heat Pumps
• Two new kitchen sink faucets
• Many Many drawer latches
• New Stereo
• New GPS
• New Drivers Window
• New Awning on large slide out
• Many New door gaskets
• Two City Water Valves
• New Ice Maker
• 3 new tv remotes
• 1 new dash heat vent
• New Driver window day/night shade
• New 12 volt charger near drivers seat
• New step cover slide
• New large drawer slide
• New rear toilet
• New rear toilet wall controller
• New Cummins Generator computer controller
• New 50 Amp 35’ flexible Power Cord
• New front passenger side suspension air bag

Wow, lots of new stuff covered under warranty.  I have learned a few things during our travel.

1. Buy new.  I know people say buy use after someone else has fixed all the problems.  That will be true for whomever buys my unit when we decide to sell.  That said, anyone that buys a used unit that is out of warranty from someone else who may not have tested all items or is mechanically inclined is CRAZY.  These are to expensive to fix and have a lot that can go wrong.
2. Buy the unit with the longest factory warranty
3. Buy a unit from a company that is going to be around for a long time.
4. Buy from a dealer that has at least a decent service department.
5. It is imperative that you plan factory service visit within the first year of warranty for:
1. The Coach Builder.  In my case Winnebago in Forest River, Iowa
2. The Chassis Builder.  In my case Freightliner in Gaffney, SC
6. Don’t buy until you are ready to hit the road.  Buying it early and having it sit in your drive or storage while burning up your warranty time is foolish.  Buy it and take-off so that you can stress test the entire unit while under warranty.