Traveling to Wapiti

Yesterday was a travel day.

This was our view as we left the main entrance to the Longhorn RV Park outside Dubois (WY). The Absaroka Mountains were directly ahead of us.

To say that we were a bit ahead of the season for visiting Grand Teton NP would be an understatement. The advantage is that there are fewer people to "compete with" for the viewing spots. As you can see from this scene, we virtually had the campground to ourselves.

I say "virtually" because the wildlife made nightly visits to our rig. Here about 20 mule deer put in an appearance. They were curious, but after a few glances in our direction, they attended to more important matters.

As we left the camp one morning, we saw this family out for a "first swim" in the Wind River. The current was so fast that it was more a "first float" for the Canada geese goslings.

Rather than take the semi-circle drive west and then north through the northern part of the Tetons, into Yellowstone and east to our next campground, we took the other semi-circular route (east to Riverton, north to Cody, and west to Wapiti, WY).

This was a little bit longer, but since we were going to be visiting Yellowstone over the next couple of weeks, this route gave us the opportunity to see some other scenery.

The phrase "open spaces" certainly applies to much of the West, and this drive of over 200 miles took us through only two relatively small towns.

We commented often on the distance from some of the isolated homes to the nearest town for groceries. Even in good weather, the roundtrip must be significant.

In bad weather . . ., it seemed as though you were on your own. Signs along the road warned drivers to return to town if the lights were flashing; if drivers did not heed this directive, another sign indicated that fines would be severe.
On our way to Wapiti, the lighting on the hillside caught our attention. Moving a bit to one side brought the home and the row of mailboxes into the scene, filling out the story of life in the open spaces.

Located in the hills behind Yellowstone Valley RV Park in Wapiti were these beautiful homes. They looked as though they had been arranged around the different levels by a child in his sandbox.

The Shoshone River borders the campground, and the spring snow melt has swelled its banks. If it weren't in the 30's at night, we would have the windows open to listen to the water rushing around the park.

The campground also has some cottages and a small inn, all of which are done in a log cabin style.

This wagon added a touch of The Old West to the campground.