I left Elk Mountain before the little museum opened at 10:00, so I’ll never know what I missed. These are long travel days as I head towards Seattle. The route to the Tetons went through high desert and it was all stunning. For much of it I was on the Chief Washakie Trail, a trade route for the Shoshone. Fort Washakie was the only US army post (and a battleship in WW11) named after a Native American.
In Fort Washakie I went to Sacajawea Cemetery (Assuming you know, but just in case, she was the scout who traveled with the Lewis and Clarke expedition). Sacajawea had a statue and historical plaque, and I found her burial site along with her two children. The rest of the cemetery was full of dirt mounds, not necessarily fresh. Grass doesn’t grow easily in the high desert. Prairie dogs had taken advantage of the loose dirt and made burrows. Many plots had a simple wooden cross that had worn off any identification and had fallen apart. Others were just a worn-away rock. Some were professional tombstones. Everywhere there were colorful decorations, a stark contrast against the dirt and dust.
I stopped in the National Museum of Military Vehicles, but I didn’t want to spend the time or admission fee, as I wanted to get to my campsite in time to make dinner. I walked the outdoor Pavilion, though, and took pictures of tanks. Over the entrance to the exhibits was the inscription, “If You Want Peace, Prepare For War.” It could be said that mindset encompasses the whole history of the human race.
I thought I’d be seeing the Tetons on my left, based on my interpretation of Google Maps, but they were elusive and surprising, and incremental. I turned a corner and saw the first jagged peaks, but they weren’t the ones. I came way down into a valley, ears popping every minute (or not!) and then I saw strange, shadowy outlines way up in the sky. The hazy shapes towered on the horizon. OHHHHH!!
I drove along the Snake River with the Tetons on my right, and arrived at Gros Ventre Campground. I made a full dinner of rice with coconut curry sauce over sauteed onions, poblano peppers and tofu. I went to the ranger talk on bears and learned about Bear 399, a beloved grizzly who figured out she could protect her cubs from their daddy (who view cubs as a threat) by positioning herself near people.
I made a campfire and tended it until the wood was down to glowing embers, and thought about the “perfect fire” Sharon and I had experienced in the Olympic Forest before we were married. At one point the wood had made a spiral staircase. It’s true we were both stoned, but it was objectively memorable.
The next day I walked a bit around Jenny Lake, the main attraction at Grand Teton National Park, but I didn’t have energy for a hike and I had a long drive ahead. I drove all the way to the top of Yellowstone, with a momentary stop at Old Faithful. I didn’t want to wait the estimated hour before the next eruption, and in fact I didn’t stop for much of anything except a quick photo of waterfalls here and there. I arrived in Mammoth, skipped the hot springs, did another long but scenic drive today, and tomorrow plan to burn an eight hour drive to Seattle. This will get me to Sue and Dave a full few days before my flight to Juneau. Sharon traveled with Sue all through Europe the summer before she met me. We came out to Seattle for Sue and Dave’s wedding in 1985, which was when we backpacked the Olympics. More about that when I get there!
