45th parallel

North of Mammoth Hot Springs is a road-side marker for the 45th parallel.

For whatever reason, the top board of the sign was loose, so we got to have some fun with it...

Norris Geyser Basin

While there weren't many really large active geysers at Norris Basin, we enjoyed the views of the hottest geyser basin at Yellowstone, and took our time strolling through the back basin.

Grand Geyser

Yellowstone's Grand Geyser is the tallest predictable geyser in the world at a height of over 180 feet. Grand has a period of about 8-10 hours, with a prediction has an accuracy of +/- 90 minutes. Unless you get very lucky, it takes some patience to see this. I ended up waiting almost 3 hours to see the show.
The physics of geysers are fascinating in how water, pressure, and heat interact with fissures in the earth to produce super-heated water, which eventually shoots to the surface.

West Thumb Geyser Basin

Among the many neat shots we took at West Thumb Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park, this one stands out. I love the clouds and the contrast of the forest with the colorful deposits around the drain of Black Pool.

Oxbow Bend

A very easy and nice place for wildlife watching in Grand Teton National Park is at the Oxbow Bend Turnout. It's conveniently located along the Snake River, plenty of parking and over the course of a few hours we saw deer, elk, pelicans, even a river otter ... and some light rain.
Since we came with the RV, we had dinner right there on the river to envious looks from other wildlife watchers.
 

We heard from others that evening that they saw a moose cow with calf at the nearby Willow Flats turnout. There's plenty going on and to see here. It takes a little bit patience, but you won't get bored.

Most of my wildlife photos are a bit blurry due to being taken at dusk. When going on a trip like this, remember to bring your tripod ...

Jenny Lake

Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park is one of these places that you rarely hear about until you are planning to go nearby. It is incredibly pretty and the photos don't do it justice.

There is boat service to hiking trails on the other side of the lake. However, due to construction, parking at South Jenny Lake was very limited, and we would have to be very lucky to find a reasonable parking spot with the RV, so we spent the afternoon on the East side of the lake, enjoyed the views, and had a great time.

Wolf Creek

Wolf Creek Campground is in the Snake River Canyon between Jackson Hole and Alpine. It's basic, with no hookups, but quiet and comes with nice scenery. We relaxed here after a rather adventurous whitewater rafting trip down the Snake River.

Alpine, WY

We have arrived at our stop for the night. Greys Cove RV Park in Alpine, right after the Wyoming state border. A neat little RV park on the banks of the Snake River.

Time for dinner!

I did not see THAT coming!

When you drive from downtown Twin Falls, ID to I-84 north of town, the road is lined with stores, shops, light industrial, more stores, coffee-to-go places, car dealerships, the Magic Valley Mall, really nothing special...

Suddenly the buildings give way, and you're on a bridge with the most spectacular view:

We're crossing the Snake River, flowing peacefully deep below us in a canyon. The bridge goes straight from one side of the canyon to the other. Once we recovered from the surprise, of course we stopped and walked back to admire more of the view.

East Humboldt Mountains

I woke up early today despite the long drive and alcoholic beverage ingestion yesterday. I went on a short walk through the neighborhood and enjoyed the view of the East Humboldt mountain range. We are at over 5,000 feet. The three snow covered peaks are over 10,000 feet with the Hole of the Mountain peak in the middle at 11,306 feet (3446m).

Wells, NV

We arrived at Angel Lake RV Park in Wells, Nevada. A very nice, neat and clean RV park near the freeway. We're going to stay the night and will leave Nevada behind us tomorrow.

California Trail

I-80 is roughly follow the California Trail taken by early settlers. While it takes us only a few hours to get from California through Nevada, the settlers mostly walked the same distance in about a month. I'm having trouble imagining what it was like, but it surely is more convenient today ...

Lovelock, NV

Lovelock, NV is a little rustic town along I-80 where we stopped for lunch in a small city park near the freeway. They have a nice downtown business district, and I particularly liked their the restored SP station building.

Nevada

The point of a road trip is to experience the vastness of the country. ... If only some stretches weren't this booooooring.

Gold Run

Before the climb to Donner Pass, we're stopping for breakfast at Gold Run.

"HEY LOOK! We found a dinosaur!"

Road trip

We are all set for our road trip. RV is loaded. The house is in good hands. Weather forecast is looking great.

First train servicing the Hallelujah paper mill

Engineer Jim Gifford and conductor Bob Stetson have arrived at Hallelujah Paper with train #380 delivering the first cut of cars to service the paper mill on the lower level at Silicon Valley Lines.

Wildlife on the commute

I barely missed this gopher snake while cycling home today. It was on Coyote Creek trail right under the Silver Creek Valley bridge. I convinced it to get off the trail, just in time before a Mountain Biker came barreling down the trail.

It's the President!

While President Obama was visiting Yosemite, we visited the President at Sequoia National Park.

Chillin' on a Saturday afternoon

Marble Fork Kaweah River, Lodgepole, Sequoia National Park