September 28, 2008 – Sunday
Shoshone National Park, WY
After leaving Greybull, we started looking for campsites so that I could do some camping. We drove past a bunch of them here and there but I didn’t want to do any camping in towns, or anywhere completely boring. So, we made it into Shoshone National Park and drove into a campground that we found.
What luck, it had just closed for the season and we could camp there for free. We only got slightly anxious about the large post that said something to the extent of “Beware – Active Grizzly’s in the area.” There was no running water and just vault toilets, but I didn’t care! My mom, however, thought that since the sign said that it was a “dry campground” that we couldn’t have any alcohol… I quickly corrected her while opening a beer.
There were a few other people camping there but it was pretty much wide open. I found a campsite where I could, in fact, hang up and use my hammock! What a great feeling that was, though I was pretty nervous about hanging it up correctly and getting the knots right, it went more smoothly than it ever had before. I think I work well under pressure.
I made a fire, we ate some light dinner and I had a couple/few beers, then my parents called it a night. Just before that, I had taken out my computer and started to write about the last couple of days, before I forgot all about the exciting details. I wrote for a while and (sorry!) ended up writing more than I thought I would, but am satisfied that I have captured my adventures for all times, for your pleasure (I hope) and my treasure.
It was a beautiful campground, really; right in a valley with a river running behind us. That night, it did get cold. I’m not sure how cold, exactly, but pretty chilly. Overall, I was comfortable but my toes got cold and I couldn’t quite figure out the best breathing situation while in my sleeping bag. Tonight will be better, I believe. Even though it will also be colder since we’re more out in the open, at about 7300 feet I think. Cleanup and setup was quite simple since I finally figured out my knots. It is very quick to clean up in the morning while drinking a cup of coffee from my French press. Yes, I’m quite happy about bringing my French press.
At first, we had planned to stay at that campground for two nights since we were only about 22 miles from Yellowstone but after talking to a neighbor there, we realized that it would be a good idea to get into Yellowstone and camp instead. I’m glad we did, it was a longer drive in than I had anticipated and there is so much to see in the park. Tonight, we’re in Yellowstone at the Lewis Lake campground, site 49B. Again, there are trees for me to hang my hammock (see that, doubters!). We’ll be staying here for two nights so that we can do some biking around tomorrow; see old faithful, some hot springs, etc. We set up camp, did some biking and then came back for some dinner and fire making before it got too dark. It was nice to finally be able to use my new stove; it works really well, but it is quite loud as Daphne had mentioned at one point.
Oh well, I’ll have hot food and hot coffee. A lot of campgrounds in the area have been closed due to a ton of Grizzly’s roaming around. So, we’re careful not to leave anything around with any scent. I don’t think we’ll have a problem. In the morning, we’re hopefully going to have breakfast at some restaurant near Old Faithful and see if there are any showers or internet access available. It’s been about 3 or 4 days since I’ve showered now, so I probably smell like a lot of things, not that I care too much.
Anyway, tomorrow is another day and I’m going to burn some logs for a while and try to keep warm for a bit while I listen to my parents watch The Princess Bride on their computer.
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