Got Truck?

As a matter of fact, yes, we do!

Friday morning was a joyous occasion at our house -- We got our truck back! Because we weren't exactly sure when we might get it, we hadn't made any concrete plans for the weekend. All I knew was that I wanted to go play outside! So after a mad scramble to get ready and a much later start than I had hoped for, we were underway. Despite our tardiness, the camp spot we wanted was miraculously still unoccupied. As we sat in our camp chairs by the river eating lunch, I could feel the week's stress slipping away with the water's foam. 

With lunch out of the way, it was time to ride. As we approached the Benbow area, Dan asked if I wanted to ride the Jeep Trail. It is a rocky, challenging, but gorgeous ride through aspen groves and pine forests, with a stream crossing thrown in just for fun. Dan found some fairly fresh bear tracks, but we never caught up with the maker. (Leaving me equally relieved and disappointed.) We did run into the Partridge Family. Or the Grouses, or the sage hens... whatever. It was fun to hear the hen and chicks call back and forth to each other. 

Later in the evening, as we sat playing cribbage in the camper, a sudden gust of wind tried to rip away our awning. We rushed out into the wind, lightning, and spattering raindrops to put it up. Unfortunately, it was but an indication of things to come. The wind was still screaming when we went to bed... and at 3 am... and ALL. NIGHT. LONG! 

The bear was here!

When morning came, we were joined by friends with four wheelers. Let the games begin! We had hardly driven out of the camp site when Dan slammed on the brakes. BEAR! It quickly changed its mind about crossing the road and disappeared back into the brush. Oh well, the day was young. While we never did spot anymore wildlife, it was still a great day for four-wheeling. The wind had finally died down and the sun was shining. We rode about 40 miles, splashing through puddles and streams and bouncing over rocks. The whole time, I just kept thinking about how much I was enjoying just being out again. 

I only said that we did not get rained on.
I never said that we did not get wet! =)

After a group supper back at the camper, we packed up and started the caravan for home. We had driven barely five miles when something big and black crossed the road in front of us. Yep, bear. It climbed over the guard rail and down the bank to the river. I am jealous of the fisherman who had the perfect angle for pictures. I didn't get any pictures, but nonetheless, it's always fun to see them. Maybe next time...

Where there's smoke, there's fire.
I am not sure where the fire was,
but the smoke created a pretty sunset. 

Distracted by a Waterfall

I hate weekends with limited playtime, but with obligations both Friday morning and Saturday afternoon, we knew we didn't have many recreational options. With the truck still at the mechanic's, camping and four-wheeling were out anyway. So, we headed up the Beartooth Highway to hike. 

Earlier in the week, we had thumbed through our hiking book to find something on the Beartooth plateau. Dan found the perfect hike - the trail to Becker Lake - almost no elevation gain, not too long, ending at a lake. What's not to love about that? 

We weren't the only ones eating lunch!

After stopping for sandwiches in Red Lodge, we started up the mountain. We were determined to do things differently this time, not the same old, same old. Therefore, we ate our lunch in a pull-out overlooking a pond where we had never stopped before, then we made a bee-line for Island Lake Campground. Again, this was new territory, and it was the starting point for our hike. Island Lake was just the first of a string of lakes. We followed the shore line of Island Lake to the shore of Night Lake, then on past several more small lakes. Not all of these lakes, however, are labeled on the map in the hiking book or on the GPS. At this point, we were a bit confused: we were supposed to be looking for a "faint, overgrown trail" in "a wet meadow just after Flake Lake." Well, then... we have been walking in said conditions almost since we left the parking lot! And just which of these lakes is Flake Lake?

While we stood studying the book, the lake, and the GPS, we noticed a small waterfall on the other side. Dan asked if I wanted to climb to the top of it. Ummm, NO! So we continued on up the main trail. But I found myself constantly glancing back at the waterfall. Well, ok, forget Becker Lake. Let's go climb the waterfall.

The whole falls was just a series of little ones
like these. 

It really wasn't as steep as it first looked, and being late in the summer, the water flow was not torrential. It was actually a lot of fun to rock-hop back and forth across the falls and to work our way up the boulders beside them. In fact, the rocks were really quite well stair-stepped, although a few of those stairs had a pretty steep rise to them. We finally came to the top and found a tiny lake surrounded by yet-higher peaks. Of course, Dan was ready to climb them, too, but it was getting late, so we hopped from rock to rock across the lake and started back down the other side. 

The source

Walking along the lakes back to the parking lot, with no other sound except the lapping of the waves along the shore, I was not one bit disappointed that we didn't get to our original destination. There's always another day!

While we never did see any large mammals, the smaller
creatures were happy to entertain us.

Make sure that you click on this one to view it full-size.
  I just love the movement of the water coming off the rocks.