Author: tepetravels

Posted in: Exploring Montana, National Parks

Yellowstone & Gardiner, Montana

Written by tepetravels

We stayed just outside of Gardiner, Montana. We were a mile from the North entrance of Yellowstone National Park.

The town of Gardiner isn’t very large, but it has most of the things you need. The town is split over the Yellowstone River, so it is set in a really pretty location. There is a gas station a few miles out of town, but there is also one right in the middle of town. There is a small bookstore/coffee shop, which has a decent selection of local touristy books, some fun reading books, a few kids books (mostly younger kids). For more book options, there were also a few Little Libraries/Free Library stands around town. Will found a new book to read! On the other side of the river, closer to the park, is another coffee shop/cafe. There are several souvenir type of stores, our favorite being the t-shirt shop.

The grocery store/market has a decent selection. The prices are a little higher than a chain store, but most of the time the difference wasn’t horrible. There are several restaurants and a couple of food trucks as well. You won’t go hungry!

They sell blocks of ice here! I don’t know why, but I got a kick out of this.

There is a small hardware store. The Chamber of Commerce in town offers free maps, guides, and a kid’s activity booklet.

There was also another coffee shop and a pharmacy, but they (with a couple of other shops) burned down 4 days before we arrived. The fire department still had sprinklers on the site when we first got into town.

Because it is in Montana, masks are required indoors. I loved this. It made me feel better about having to go into stores when everyone was wearing a mask.

Even when just in town, you can see some of the animals people come to the park for. We frequently had elk in our campground and in town. We even saw a bald eagle sitting on a tree by the river. It was a pretty location.
If you wanted a bigger store like Walmart, Home Depot, Costco, or Target, then you could drive into Bozeman. It was about 1 1/2 hours each way.

I felt that it was a good location for seeing Yellowstone too. No matter where you are in the park for your stay, you will be driving at least an hour to see some of the sights. By staying in town, I felt it was easier for us to get groceries and to do things ours of the park.

Posted in: Animal Sightings, Exploring Wyoming, Hiking, National Parks, Sightseeing

Impromptu Trip To Grand Tetons

Written by tepetravels 1 Comment on Impromptu Trip To Grand Tetons

Yesterday was a stay in the RV and do budget/bills/etc. kind of day. When Ben was finished with work, he came out and announced he wanted to go see the Grand Tetons.

Ok…great. It’s just a 3.5-4 hour road trip (each way). So, we buckled up and started driving. To get there, you basically drive through Yellowstone, which was packed. I haven’t seen so many people since we’ve been here. I’m glad we saw most of the sights last week! It’s been really helpful to get up early and see things before lunch time, which is when it seems more people come into the park.

It rained on us for part of the drive. We got to see the Continental Divide in two different elevations during our drive, which was a nice learning opportunity.

Once at the Grand Tetons park, we went to Signal Mountain and drove to the top to the overlook. Of course, it started raining again, with thunder and some lightening. We did get some views of the Tetons, but it was cloudy.

After carefully driving back down (strangely enough there were less people going up the mountain in the rain), we saw an adult male elk with large antlers. Around Yellowstone we had only seen young males with smaller antlers. It was pretty cool!

We stopped at the visitor center to try to get a better view of the mountains as it had cleared up a little bit. It was pretty late by this time, so we stopped at their restaurant/cafe for some food. It was all take out, with ordering and pick up outside. Word of advice: bring your own food! The food was ok (not great, not even on the better side of good, but just ok), but I think this was the most expensive meal we’ve had so far. $9 for a hot dog (did come with vegetable side). They were the only option we saw though, so if you don’t bring your own food, you don’t have a lot of options.

The Grand Tetons were pretty and they have some large lakes there as well which would probably be great for boating and fishing. However, I am glad we spent most of our time in Yellowstone. I loved seeing the geysers and hot springs, plus there are so many trails. We didn’t get to check out Tetons’ trails though because it started raining on us again and it was another 4 hour drive back home.

We read in our National Parks book a little about the Tetons. They got their name from French trappers/explorers and were named “trois tetons”, or the three nipples. The boys found this extremely funny.

Posted in: Food

Target Run and Tater Tot Dip for Dinner

Written by tepetravels 1 Comment on Target Run and Tater Tot Dip for Dinner

The boys and I drove the 1.5 hours into Bozeman to go to Target. Our mission? Blackout curtains. Yesterday the RV got super hot with the sun. It was in the upper 80’s and no clouds to block the sun. We are only on 30 amp service, so we can only run one air conditioner, and it was struggling to keep up in the sun and the heat. After doing some research, it seemed the blackout curtains would help. We did use them at the house, but mostly for light purposes, not necessarily heat blocking purposes.

The Target was huge, but strangely limited in shoes (Nick needs a new pair already) and matching blackout curtains. I finally found some cream colored ones for the living area/kitchen and liners for the kids room (I have special ones ordered that are cut to size and will form fit their windows).

Right now they are held up by binder clips and thumb tacks. I will have to tackle figuring out a long term solution later. (There are not a lot of studs in these walls to hang curtain rods.)

I used the heat gun to check the before and after temperatures and even the towel I had hung across the window before the curtains helped a lot.

Using the oven or stove really heats up the RV. Luckily we had brought our InstantPot* and air fryer. Unfortunately, the air fryer will trip the electric if I run it on 30 amps with the air on. Even with the microwave off, lights off, and coffee pot unplugged, it still tripped it. The InstantPot works great though! We were feeling like an unhealthy, snacks kind of dinner, so we ran to the store for supplies. I had no idea what I was making, so we kind of made it up on the fly.

I cooked the chicken in the InstantPot with some water and salsa. Once it was done, I shredded it. I then moved everything to the cast iron skillet (I didn’t bring a casserole dish with us). I rubbed butter over the skillet to help it not stick, layered the shredded chicken, then some salsa, red peppers, corn, and finally cheese and tater tots. I baked it until heated through. I sprinkled a little more cheese on top and served with corn/tortilla chips. I wished I would have remembered to buy sour cream to dollop on top! It still hit the spot though.

Chicken and Tater Tot Dip by Sarah Tepe

You will need:

  • 4 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
  • Large jar of mild salsa (we like the chunky kind)
  • 1 bag frozen tater tots
  • 1 bell pepper, diced
  • Shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 bag frozen corn
  • Tortilla/corn chips
  • Optional: sour cream
  • Misc.: InstantPot, oven safe skillet or casserole dish

Directions:

  • Add chicken with 1/2 cup water and 1/2 jar of the salsa to the InstantPot.
  • Cook on high pressure for 25 minutes.
  • Release steam.
  • Drain if needed and shred chicken (you want it to be bite sized pieces once shredded).
  • Layer the chicken on the bottom of a baking dish/casserole dish/large oven safe skillet.
  • Next layer corn, diced peppers, shredded cheese, and tater tots.
  • Using the oven, bake at 350 until heated through, about 20 minutes.
  • Top with more shredded cheese and sour cream, if desired.
  • Serve with tortilla chips.

*Affiliate Link

Posted in: Exploring Wyoming, Hiking, National Parks, Sightseeing

Upper Geyser Basin

Written by tepetravels

The boys and I headed up towards Old Faithful this morning. There was some traffic due to construction, so it took a little longer than the 1.5 hours I thought it would. We finally saw our first bear! I think it was an adolescent black bear. He’s been the only bear so far that we have seen.

We saw the Crested Pool, Sawmill Geyser, Old Tardy Geyser, Churn Geyser, Grand Geyser, and Castle Geyser. We didn’t know before we arrived, but Castle Geyser was due to erupt within the hour, so we sat and waited.

It was amazing. There were a few small bursts and puffs of steam before the large eruption. It can last up to 20 minutes and goes off about every 14 hours. We only saw about 10 minutes of it before Nick got too antsy after waiting for so long and sitting in the sun. As we were driving away to make sure we made it back in time for guitar lessons, it was still erupting!

I could have sat there the entire time watching. The Yellowstone National Park Service app has a geyser eruption time prediction (+/- 45 minutes) which would have been smart of me to check beforehand. It was an amazing thing to see and I liked it better than Old Faithful. There is one side that is smooth, while the other side is a little rougher and looks like it has steps. It changes the appearance of the water flow depending on which side you view it from.

If you are up by Old Faithful, I would definitely try to time it so you can see Castle Geyser erupt. If you are by the North Entrance heading into the park, go early in the morning. The steam from the hot springs and geysers is multiplied in the cooler air and is really neat to see.

Posted in: Animal Sightings, Exploring Montana, Exploring Wyoming, National Parks

July 26: Relaxing Day, Breakfast Picnic, Snake!

Written by tepetravels 2 Comments on July 26: Relaxing Day, Breakfast Picnic, Snake!

We were all in the mood for pancakes, so we picked up some breakfast items from a restaurant in town and headed into the park to have a breakfast picnic. We had pancakes, some breakfast sandwiches, and fried chicken with a biscuit. It was delicious!

The park was packed, but we managed to find a parking spot by Mammoth Hot Springs. Walking to the picnic table we saw our first snake! Will would have possibly stepped on it if he had continued on his trajectory. No rattles, so we were good. I tried to figure out what kind he was, maybe a gophersnake/bull snake, but I’m not really sure.

Once we were back at the RV, Ben had some work to do, so the boys and I worked on laundry. I was taking a walk around the laundry building to stretch my legs while we were waiting, and I saw a bald eagle sitting in a tree across the river! I loved seeing it. The only other time I can remember seeing one is on a boat ride in the Florida everglades.

Later that night I enjoyed a glass of huckleberry cider after dinner. Huckleberry is huge here. There are huckleberry candies, jelly beans, lotions, soaps, licorice, jam, ice cream, syrup, vodka…

It was a pretty relaxing day.

~Sarah

Posted in: Exploring Montana, Exploring Wyoming, Hiking, National Parks, Sightseeing

July 25: The Hike That Wouldn’t End

Written by tepetravels

Ben wanted to go on a fairly easy hike, mostly flat, under 5 miles.

I found one on AllTrails that looked like it could work. It was 5 miles and listed as moderate, which most of the ones around here were. The only easy listed trails nearby were ones we had already one near attractions in the park. The reviews made it seem like the hill in the beginning is what made it moderate, so I thought it would be fine if it evened out later. Nope! I should not be allowed to pick the trails we do in the parks. At home I did ok, but I clearly haven’t adjusted to here yet. 3 hours and 39 minutes later we make it back to overlook the parking lot.

It was a bit more strenuous than I had been expecting. There were several flat areas, some next to a large drop down. A few small bridges. No wildlife other than some feather remains and butterflies. At one of the ponds, we did see what may have been a dam, but no beavers. It was a bit of a let down in terms of hikes.

By the end, everyone was exhausted and a little cranky. The best part was that by pure circumstance, the trail dumped us pretty close to where we had parked the truck!

We were all so tired and sore when we got back to the truck. We stopped at the creek to dip our feet in and the numbing cold water felt amazing. Driving back into town, we stopped at Scoop! There It Is ice cream trailer and got some huckleberry ice cream.

Later that night we drove to the park and stopped to look at the stars! There were so many more than what we get to see at home!

Posted in: Costco, Exploring Montana

July 24: Shopping and Chilling

Written by tepetravels 1 Comment on July 24: Shopping and Chilling

Today we went into Bozeman, Montana. It was a shopping day!

We stopped at Costco so Ben could get his Costco fix on. It was a decent sized Costco and wandered around. We love finding what each Costco carries. Each state seems to carry different things: New Orleans had liquor and Ben found his favorite souvenir (a collapsible cooler box). Montana had a large wine selection and carried cider as well.

We drove around and stopped at Home Depot for a few supplies we had been needing. Ben found a new Montana whiskey, and it came with a free hand sanitizer! Winner! We also then Target so I could wander around and get my Target fix in. It was a very large Target! It also had a Starbucks, which I hadn’t had in a long time, so that was a nice treat.

We finished shopping at Walmart. We finished grocery shopping and headed on back to the campground. It was a pretty uneventful, but fun shopping, kind of day. We ended the day with doing the daily journals outside at the picnic table watching the river.

Posted in: Animal Sightings, Exploring Montana, Exploring Wyoming, Hiking, National Parks, Sightseeing

July 23: Mud Volcano and Bison

Written by tepetravels 2 Comments on July 23: Mud Volcano and Bison

The boys and I stuck around the RV this morning and afternoon. When Ben was done with work, we went exploring!

We first went to the Mud Volcano area, which was about 1.5-1.75 hours away from our campsite. This trail goes through several thermal areas, mostly on a boardwalk. There are a couple of bathrooms in the parking lot as well.

The first one we saw was the mud volcano. It’s not exactly volcano shaped anymore, but was roiling and steaming pretty well when we were there. It looked like boiling muddy water. We followed the path to the left (only option as for social distancing they made the path one way) and saw the Grizzly Fumarole, Sour Lake, Black Dragon’s Caldron. Next we saw the Churning Caldron, which was one of my favorites here. It was definitely churning away. It sounded like waves crashing on a beach. From there you walk past Sizzling Basin to the Cooking Hillside and on to my other favorite, Dragon’s Mouth Spring. This one looks like a cave on a creek. Steam billows forth and you can hear the water surging in the cave. Every once in awhile you see waves of water coming out. It was really cool looking.

On our way out of the park, there is another thermal area that we stopped at. There was a bison pretty standing back in the trees. He was just standing there chilling. After a little bit, he starts walking up the hill to cross the road. Everyone (well, mostly everyone) backs up to give him his space. He gets to the road, goes between two cars, sees the surveyor (who had been there the whole time), paws his front feet on the ground and mock charges the surveyor! He turned and didn’t really fully charge at him. But it was crazy to see.

We made our way back to the truck. There were several signs saying “Danger Thermal Area”. Of course, most people stayed out. But one lady just keeps on walking past the signs down the hill!

We briefly stopped at Norris Geyser Basin, but the parking was insane and most people were not wearing masks, so we kept on driving.

We went to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone to view the lower falls. It was amazing! It was rocky, had an osprey nest (empty when we saw it), and a huge waterfall.

We went back to Artists’ Paintpot Trail with Ben so he could see the mudpots. It had rained a little bit the night before, so the one mudpot was a little more liquidy than when we saw it. It was still worth walking through again!

We were a little hot at this point, so we stopped at a picnic area next to a creek and dipped our feet in the cold water. Nick tripped, lost a Croc and somehow cut the top of two of his toes and his shin. I found his shoe under a tree root downstream.

We got back to the campground before right before some rain clouds moved in. It got super windy, you could see dusty swirling around and our legs were being pelted with small pebbles from the gravel path.

Posted in: Animal Sightings, Exploring Montana, Exploring Wyoming, Hiking, National Parks, Sightseeing

July 22: The Three Explorers

Written by tepetravels

Ben has work pretty much all day, including a stint this evening, so it just the boys and I going out to the park today.

The boys and I began our morning by going into Yellowstone. We started with the Artists’ Paintpot. We saw several hot springs, a few small geysers, and the mud pots. Even if you couldn’t see the activity because the water or mud was too far down in the hole, you could hear it steaming and/or gurgling! It was pretty cool. The colors were once again great: a few reds and blues. The mud pots though…those I think were my favorite there. You could hear the burble…plop sounds as bubbles formed and erupted.

It was an easy hike in, about a mile I think, pretty flat and fine gravel/sand for the trail.

Next, we went to the Norris Basin Geyser area. This was amazing. Parts wandered through woods, other spots were super stark with dead trees. I wish we could have spent more time there. We may go back because we only got part of the trail done. We had really good timing today though, because big groups came in as we were leaving. Leaving the Norris parking lot, I think we must have passed a hundred cars waiting in line.

For the long meeting tonight, Ben was setting up in the living/kitchen area. The boys and I headed into town. We picked out t-shirts for both of them, I got a coffee (iced because walking around in 90 degree heat with hot coffee is a little much even for me!), and we tried huckleberry ice cream from a little stand. It was delicious!

Posted in: Exploring Montana, Exploring Wyoming, Hiking, National Parks, Sightseeing, YouTube Video Link

July 21, 2020: Exploring Town, Bison Burgers, Old Faithful & Grand Prismatic Spring

Written by tepetravels 5 Comments on July 21, 2020: Exploring Town, Bison Burgers, Old Faithful & Grand Prismatic Spring

The boys and I took it easy this morning and explored the town of Gardiner, MT a little bit.

We found an amazing T-shirt shop (OutWest T’s) that carried socks, t-shirts, pajamas, hoodies, hats… I bought a keychain and a small jar of Huckleberry jam. There is a T-Shirt there that I may go back and buy for Nick. They had so many funny designs. They were really nice and explained huckleberries to the boys. Huckleberries are similar in shape to blueberries, but a little smaller. They grow wild, cannot be cultivated, and do not last long once picked. Which is why you see more products with huckleberry in them, than fresh huckleberries for sale. We tried a hard candy and ice cream sandwiches for the boys. Both were a big success.

We mailed some postcards, stopped at a bookstore/coffee shop, and got some groceries before heading home. The bookstore looked like it had nice breakfast sandwiches and they had a frozen coffee (they call it blended). Not a lot of kid books for the boys though, mostly adult and some little kid books.

We grabbed bison burgers for dinner, which the kids enjoyed trying. After cleaning up dinner, we headed back into Yellowstone. Ben drove so I could get pictures out the window! Yay for awesome husbands! 🙂

We went to Old Faithful and it was the most congested with cars we had seen so far. There had also been a wreck and construction, which slowed down the drive to a snail’s pace at times. We rushed through the parking lot to get to the geyser and saw a few small spurts and a lot of steam. We waited maybe 10 minutes or so, until the big eruption. It was great! The wind was blowing towards us, so we did get a few misty drops on us.

Ben’s photo of the boys and I. He caught me taking video and photos. 🙂

Next stop was the Grand Prismatic Spring. This was what I had been looking forward to. It was amazing. The colors are just amazing to think that nature can produce such vibrant colors. We parked at Fairy Falls Trail and took the trail over to Prismatic Spring. There is a fork in the trail: straight goes to Fairy Falls Trail, left goes up a hill to Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook. Take the extra 1/4 mile and go up the hill. It gives you a greater vantage point to look down on the colorful spring. There were a lot less people up there too!

We stopped at a waterfall and a few more hot springs on the way back.

Video: Geysers and Hot Springs we’ve seen soon so far. Old Faithful is in it too!

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