We will be here in the Yellowstone area for the summer and rather than give a day by day description, we thought we'd write a quick overview of what we see and experience every week or two. It'll be kinda random, but we don't really know how else to tackle our summer here.

Two weeks ago we were able to drive into the park a few times. It was often quite chilly, but we had a wonderful time and were able to see some wonderful sights. 

Once we felt we could handle a longer trip after being sick for a couple of weeks, we decided to check out Grand Teton National Park. We didn't visit that park on either of our 2014 flybys, so we were looking forward to seeing the Grand Tetons for the first time.

We thought the worst of the spring rains had passed and we looked forward to some longer trips into Yellowtone. Except for our trip to the Tetons, most of our excursions were 3 - 5 hour trips to avoid morning or afternoon rains.

We went into to park a couple of half-days. We worked Saturday morning and drove in to the park after lunch. Sunday, we drove in after church (the church is 1/4 mile from the west entrance gate). The nice thing about living only 15 miles from the park entrance is that driving to the park does not need to be an all-day event.

On Thursday we drove to a Pop-up Photography Workshop near the north entrance. Jim Peaco, the NPS Yellowstone photographer, did a talk on "Arches and Angles" where he mostly talked about composition. It was very interesting and we heard some great reminders when framing shots of objects, scenery, and animals.

As we mentioned previously, our scooter tire was loosing tread quickly. We had the front two tires replaced in June and asked about the rear. We were told it should be fine. We had been watching it, checking at least weekly for wear and it seems the tire went bald overnight. The wear is very clear in this picture. We've ridden on gravel and some rough roads and know that this accelerated the wear.

While the we were replacing the scooter tire, we discovered that the park opened a new trail we had been anticipating. We had done the boardwalk by the Grand Prismatic Spring, but the new trail is elevated on a nearby hill and has viewing area. Our first excursion on our new tire would be to that trail. While we are grateful to have the truck to drive on occassions when the scooter is down for repairs or not the best alternative (inclimate weather), we love having our scooter back! 

With a couple of short trips under our belts after getting our scooter back, we decided we needed a long day. A drive on the Bear Tooth Highway to Red Lodge seemed just the ticket. We would pass multiple state boundaries: ID>WY>MT>WY>MT>WY>MT>WY>ID (I think we got them all in!) We prepared well and left early because this would be our longest scooter day yet!

We took a few short days to explore more of the park last week. We wanted to do a little more back country hiking, but weren't sure where to begin. So, we thought a ranger-led hike was a good place to start.

While smoke has been in the skies for about a month now, the past two weeks have been the worst. We have cleaned our air conditioner filters each week and they look like they have a month's worth of filth on them with each cleaning. We are thankful for that filtration of our indoor air. What the ac filters don't capture is captured by filters in our own respiratory systems (God's creation is amazing!)

Our adventures on the Ranger led hikes encouraged us to explore more of the back country ourselves. Armed with critter spray (both bear and bug) we set out for more adventures.

One smoky Sunday after church we decided to visit the Earthquake Lake Visitor's Center. Even though it was quite close to us, we had just recently been alerted to its presence (thanks, Chris!). It was interesting to learn about the 1959 earthquake that changed the landscape of this area.

Most of our errands had been to Rexburg or Idaho Falls in the South. This was an hour to hour and a half drive we take twice a month for groceries or other things we might need but can't find locally. We learned of a photography class in Bozeman, MT and decided to drive north for errands this time. The class covered the brand of cameras we have owned for the past ten years and we looked forward to learning more about the menu system and how the camera worked.

It has been a wonderful summer and we have cherished every moment we have spent here. We have made great progress in our work and have some amazing diversions when we took time off. Staying so close to Yellowstone National Park has been a blessing and something we'd like to repeat in the future. During our last few trips into the park the thought of leaving this placed loomed in our minds.