Two Nights Camping in Yosemite

On our way back to New Mexico from a Palo Alto wedding in July, we decided to stop off and see one of the most epic national parks in the states: Yosemite. Known the world over as a superb destination for climbers, the vast valley surrounded with mountains is home to the granite giants Half Dome and El Capitan, two of the most famous rock climbing challenges.

During the summer months, the campsites down in the valley are mostly reserved ahead of time, so we camped one night at Tamarack Flat, on the north side, and then one night at Bridalveil Creek, south of the valley. The first morning, at Tamarack Flat, we spotted two chipmunks kissing on a boulder just behind our tent.

We got moving pretty early so we could stake out our second campsite before spending the day down in the valley. We were happy to find a sprawling site equipped with boulders and much-needed shady trees, where we were even able to set up our camping hammock! Since we knew we had a campsite to come back to, we headed to the valley.

For us, a highlight of the valley was Yosemite Falls. We followed a path to a viewing area, then scrambled our way through the woods and over boulders, ending at the place where the tallest waterfall in North America pounds the boulders and creates a gorgeous (swimmable) pool.

While driving back to our campsite, somewhat dazed from the awesomeness of nature, a confident coyote trotted up right next to our car for a brief photo op! I grabbed my iPhone and Kristen grabbed the Canon 7D, but neither of us were quick enough to get a crisp shot.

The next morning, we packed up our campsite with the intention of getting to our next destination, Sequoia, as soon as possible. We'd only driven 15 minutes from our campsite before we couldn't resist the urge anymore and to stopped off at a serene and colorful meadow. We spent a half hour exploring the native insects and flowers, but easily could have stayed all day.

Next time, we're bringing our climbing gear!

Binoculartown, USA

From Bozeman, our next official stop was Colorado, and fortuitously our route took us through possibly the most awesome national park, Yellowstone. We’d both spent time here in this amazing place, but few things are as exciting as entering through the Roosevelt Arch and preparing for some inevitable wildlife encounters. Our plan was to enter through the north entrance, wind down the eastern route, and exit out the south gate, stopping along the way to gaze at animals and natural wonders. First stop was at Mammoth Springs visitor center to get the obligatory national park stamp in our dorky passport. As an added plus, the area around the visitors center was surrounded with elk grazing in the grass. The taxidermy wildlife exhibit there is fascinating, and another room held beautiful old black-and-white photos of early Yellowstone explorers. After the short visit, we moved on.

We anxiously peered out the car windows as we drove through the wilderness to our next big stop, Yellowstone Falls, seeing a few lone bison, but not much else. We parked and walked out to Artist Point, one of the best vistas to peep the tremendous waterfall, but it was getting late in the day, and the sun was lowering on the horizon just beyond the falls, obscuring the view in shadow. That was fine by us, because it made for a stunning photo anyway! Looking the opposite direction (with, rather than into, the sunlight) we marveled at the canyon walls’ dozens of layers of colorful sediments.

Yellowstone Falls

Back on the road, we saw a swarm of people with telescopic cameras and high-powered binoculars all looking in one direction. Our first thought: grizzly! We swung the car around and double-parked, eager to catch a glimpse. Loren asked a guy nearby, “What’s everybody looking at?” to which we learned, “Apparently there’s a wolf over there.” We took aim by lining up our telephoto lens and binoculars with somebody else’s equipment, and eventually identified a tiny black blob, laying in the grass just outside the forest, about 3/4 mile away. The usual wildlife-obsessed nerds were at full force, and we overheard one of them say, “Shh! I think it’s howling!”

“There’s a wolf out there?”

Just a few minutes further down the road, we noticed one or two cars pulling over to the shoulder, so we acted fast and followed suit. We jumped out and stood watching a beautiful, calm coyote walking slowly through the tall grass, no more than 50 yards away. Wildlife... can’t beat it.

Coyote

This Yellowstone drive didn’t include any bear sightings, but we managed to see several herds of buffalo, some very close up, before it was all over.

Bison / Buffalo

At this point, it was getting late, and we didn’t think we could get much further towards Colorado, so we decided to camp in Yellowstone for the night. We easily found a site at the southernmost campground, Lewis Lake, enjoyed an enchanting campfire, and turned in for what would be the coldest tent-camping night of the whole trip (bottoming out around 30 degrees Fahrenheit!).

Campfire at Yellowstone

The next morning, we made our way out of the park, winding through the southern stretches which were coated in thick fog. Like nowhere else.

Out of Glacier

We packed up our camp as quickly as possible, to minimize exposure in the 30-degree rainy cold weather. Leaving our campsite without even making breakfast, we made one last stop at the St. Mary’s visitor center, where we confirmed our suspicion that the weather across the park was equally dismal. So we cut our stay in Glacier a bit shorter than expected, and set out hungry, cold, and eager to land in a breakfast cafe.

We were out of luck. Passing through Browning, a small and rough-looking Reservation town, there was nothing. By the time we reached the next town, over an hour later, it was lunch time and we desperately needed something. So we stopped in Choteau and got a much needed but not great lunch - no photos necessary.

Montana Cows

Continuing south, we stopped in Augusta, MT, on a recommendation from Kristen’s aunt. Wishing we’d held out on lunch til here, we thoroughly enjoyed the Latigo and Lace store, with its cappuccino bar and wide variety of schwag for sale, including ceramics, furs (a bit depressing but still impressive), paintings, books, and more. We could’ve spent hours here, but hopped back onto the road toward Bozeman, where we had a fast-approaching dinner date with Kristen’s extended family.

Coyote pelt, with paws