swalker
Very helpful member
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2014
- Messages
- 1,576
- Reason
- DX MND
- Diagnosis
- 07/2014
- Country
- US
- State
- CO
- City
- Vail
We are once again in Yellowstone. We made reservations for this trip back in October of 2015, knowing that we could postpone, shorten, or cancel the trip if necessary. As departure time approached, I seriously considered postponing or cancelling the trip, but persevered with the preparations and we eventually departed Vail on schedule with 2 cars, 1 trailer, and 2 wheelchairs.
This was our first real trip with the trailer. Our good friend Greg was instrumental in getting us packed and ready for departure. It is a blessing to have such a wonderful friend.
I was pretty tired when departure day arrived, so I slept late (which I am doing more and more). It was a good thing, as that gave the snow storm time to abate a bit. We left in falling snow with 6 inches on the ground. What an adventure!
The south entrance to Yellowstone was still closed for the season when we departed from home, so we deviated from our normal route and entered Yellowstone National Park from the west through West Yellowstone, Montana. We took 2 days to make the 13 hour drive, stopping overnight in Pinedale, Wyoming.
Once we arrived at the Madison campground, the real excitement began. My wife Lori and I had to visit the campground’s dump station to de-winterize the trailer and fill it with fresh water. That was a first for us, and we fumbled around quite a bit getting it all figured out.
We then towed the trailer to our designated campsite and set it up. That was another first, and took quite a bit of time and effort to accomplish. We got it done and are very happy with the campsite and the trailer setup.
Until this trip, we have been tent campers. Camping in a trailer is certainly different. We lose a bit of intimacy with the great outdoors, but it is sure nice to have a heater working away through the night when the temperatures are a bit below freezing (which is every night?).
The staff at the Madison campground as been wonderful. They have really gone above and beyond to help us out. Some remembered us from last year and greeted us warmly. We have met some new friends among them. They have been very accommodating of our needs, including clearing out a space for the van to park overnight next to a power outlet so we can charge the wheelchairs.
We have now been in Yellowstone for 2 weeks. In that time we have seem amazing geology and wonderful thermal features. We have spent a lot of time watching wildlife as well.
On the wildlife front, we have seen a grizzly bear from about 2 miles away, another from about ½ mile away, and I saw a third from about 150 yards away. We have also seen a black bear sow with a cub from this year as well as 3 other sightings of black bears.
We have seen numerous buffalo, elk, and deer along with coyote, a couple of wolves, some bighorn sheep and one mountain goat. We have also seen many wonderful birds, including bald eagles, osprey, great blue herons, mountain blue birds, ravens, trumpeter swans, and sandhill cranes.
One of my passions is wildlife photography and Yellowstone is a great place to pursue that passion. I find that it is quite a bit more challenging with my increasingly-limited mobility. I can still stand and walk short distances, but struggle quite a bit with uneven ground. I can place my big wildlife lens on my lap in my wheelchair and hang the tripod off the back of the wheelchair. This works reasonably well, but I did manage to drop the camera and lens as I was getting the tripod off the wheelchair. That was a major catastrophe, but fortunately all the gear is insured. The camera and lens will have to go in for repair when we return home, but I am able to work around the issues caused by the damage well enough get a few reasonable pictures.
One of the highlights for me (unfortunately, Lori missed it), was watching a grizzly and wolf feeding on the same carcass that the wolf pack had brought down the day before. They eventually got into a confrontation over the carcass, which made for some exciting viewing and photography.
So far we have toured the Upper (seeing Old Faithful erupt a half a dozen times), Black Sands, Biscuit, and Norris geyser basins. We have seen many geysers erupt and met new friends among the more serious geyser watchers.
The limitations imposed by the progression of the disease are more obvious in this setting. I can do less, my stamina is less, and riding in the wheelchair beats me up more than last year. But, this is such a wonderful adventure and I am enjoying it so much.
I will close out with a word of encouragement for those who are considering their own adventure. When it seems like an overwhelming challenge to plan and prepare for it, persevere. If you can go, go. I did, and it has made all the difference.
Steve
This was our first real trip with the trailer. Our good friend Greg was instrumental in getting us packed and ready for departure. It is a blessing to have such a wonderful friend.
I was pretty tired when departure day arrived, so I slept late (which I am doing more and more). It was a good thing, as that gave the snow storm time to abate a bit. We left in falling snow with 6 inches on the ground. What an adventure!
The south entrance to Yellowstone was still closed for the season when we departed from home, so we deviated from our normal route and entered Yellowstone National Park from the west through West Yellowstone, Montana. We took 2 days to make the 13 hour drive, stopping overnight in Pinedale, Wyoming.
Once we arrived at the Madison campground, the real excitement began. My wife Lori and I had to visit the campground’s dump station to de-winterize the trailer and fill it with fresh water. That was a first for us, and we fumbled around quite a bit getting it all figured out.
We then towed the trailer to our designated campsite and set it up. That was another first, and took quite a bit of time and effort to accomplish. We got it done and are very happy with the campsite and the trailer setup.
Until this trip, we have been tent campers. Camping in a trailer is certainly different. We lose a bit of intimacy with the great outdoors, but it is sure nice to have a heater working away through the night when the temperatures are a bit below freezing (which is every night?).
The staff at the Madison campground as been wonderful. They have really gone above and beyond to help us out. Some remembered us from last year and greeted us warmly. We have met some new friends among them. They have been very accommodating of our needs, including clearing out a space for the van to park overnight next to a power outlet so we can charge the wheelchairs.
We have now been in Yellowstone for 2 weeks. In that time we have seem amazing geology and wonderful thermal features. We have spent a lot of time watching wildlife as well.
On the wildlife front, we have seen a grizzly bear from about 2 miles away, another from about ½ mile away, and I saw a third from about 150 yards away. We have also seen a black bear sow with a cub from this year as well as 3 other sightings of black bears.
We have seen numerous buffalo, elk, and deer along with coyote, a couple of wolves, some bighorn sheep and one mountain goat. We have also seen many wonderful birds, including bald eagles, osprey, great blue herons, mountain blue birds, ravens, trumpeter swans, and sandhill cranes.
One of my passions is wildlife photography and Yellowstone is a great place to pursue that passion. I find that it is quite a bit more challenging with my increasingly-limited mobility. I can still stand and walk short distances, but struggle quite a bit with uneven ground. I can place my big wildlife lens on my lap in my wheelchair and hang the tripod off the back of the wheelchair. This works reasonably well, but I did manage to drop the camera and lens as I was getting the tripod off the wheelchair. That was a major catastrophe, but fortunately all the gear is insured. The camera and lens will have to go in for repair when we return home, but I am able to work around the issues caused by the damage well enough get a few reasonable pictures.
One of the highlights for me (unfortunately, Lori missed it), was watching a grizzly and wolf feeding on the same carcass that the wolf pack had brought down the day before. They eventually got into a confrontation over the carcass, which made for some exciting viewing and photography.
So far we have toured the Upper (seeing Old Faithful erupt a half a dozen times), Black Sands, Biscuit, and Norris geyser basins. We have seen many geysers erupt and met new friends among the more serious geyser watchers.
The limitations imposed by the progression of the disease are more obvious in this setting. I can do less, my stamina is less, and riding in the wheelchair beats me up more than last year. But, this is such a wonderful adventure and I am enjoying it so much.
I will close out with a word of encouragement for those who are considering their own adventure. When it seems like an overwhelming challenge to plan and prepare for it, persevere. If you can go, go. I did, and it has made all the difference.
Steve