Boondocking

Our time in the Tetons is almost over, so I'd better hurry up and tell you about our first wonderful week here.


We arrive here on the first day of summer, Friday, June 21. Saturday morning, we got a nice hike in--just two miles from where we were staying. The hike highlights included a great view of the mountain range, a small herd of elk cows and calves, a pink-sided junco, a Brewer's sparrow, and a hairy woodpecker.

First hike, Bridger-Teton National Forest

So it was a great Saturday morning, but in the afternoon we realized that the RV park where we were staying was not for us.
On Sunday, we were up at 5:45 a.m., and I realized that we did have a good view of the Tetons out our dining-room window, even if this pricey park was a dump. I started some dried tomato herb bread in the machine, but that would get interrupted soon. 

After breakfast we headed up Buffalo Valley Road for another morning hike, when we came upon an RV breaking camp--100 feet above the valley. I had to stop and ask how they got permission to camp in this amazing spot. They said you don’t need permission and it is free. When I looked at Colene, she could see the pleading look in my eye. You see, I spied this spot from the road the day before, and it looked like something I had seen in a magazine--but never dreamed I might be that camper that got to enjoy a spot like this.

Our boondocking spot

 Anyway she must love me a lot because she agreed to go pack up and move our TI out of a paid-for spot in the RV park and go boondocking, which is trailer camping without any water, electricity, or sewer hook-ups. The Forest Service calls it dispersed camping.  It is free, you can stay up to 16 days. Like hiking in the parks, you should leave to trace that you were there.

Our TI carries 50 gallons of potable water, and we can store up to 50 gallons of "gray" water plus 50 gallons of "black" water (sewage). And thanks to the four photovoltic panels I installed on the roof, plus four storage batteries, we have should have had enough electricity as long as the sun shines--but this would be the first real test of the system!

Two hours later we are set up in this new spot and the bread is restarted, thanks to solar power. Now we are on our way to hike Lava Creek Trail about a mile on up this road. It is 1.5 mile up a mountain, with good elevation gain.  Hike highlights were a pair of red-naped sapsuckers feeding their young, a solitary western wood-pewee, and a western tanager spotted by Colene.

After our hike we come back and settle in to our new location.

The view from our office window, boondocking in Bridger-Teton National Park.

On Monday it's another morning hike, then office and trailer work in the afternoon. 

On Tuesday morning while Colene is working, I roast 4 batches of Guatemalan coffee with our inverter using solar powered batteries. I will talk more of this hobby later. 

Coffee Roasting

At 9:30 am we load up the bikes and head to Jackson. I get supplies while Colene works at the Jackson library. The highlights of this day were seeing yellow-headed blackbirds and ring-necked and gadwells at the visitor center. We ride our bikes into the wind south from Jenny's Lake and back. The view along the range is pretty amazing. On our drive back to the TI we see many people out of their vehicles because they are getting a rare view of a grizzly bear. 

Tomorrow, I'll finish the story of our week of boondocking.