16-24 August 2020. Plan B (not Canada)

August 16.  Beartooth Highway.  We had originally planned to be on a five week trip to Canada – Had reservations in Banff and Jasper with our friends Jamie and Lisa – then we were going to just wander around British Columbia for a while.  COVID changed that – and because the border remained closed, we met Jamie and Lisa for the Plan B trip.  This started at the base of the Beartooth Highway in Montana. We had a great campsite near a small creek.

August 17.  Beartooth and on to Yellowstone.  This was the first time any of us had been on the Beartooth highway, we had heard many stories of its magnificent views, and it did not disappoint.  As we meandered up the switchbacks, there were breathtaking views all the way up and down the other side.

Going through Cooke City – couldn’t resist driving a little bit on the snowmobile trail -Daisy Pass.

Then a quick drive through Yellowstone – wasn’t any camping available (we knew that three weeks ago) – so on to Idaho and the Riverside Campground along the Henrys Fork River in Island Park.

August 18-20 Grand Tetons. The campsites at Grand Tetons are first come, first served; but during Covid, they made some changes and assigned your site at the gate of the campground. Still first come first served, but no picking. So we got up early and got assigned a good spot.  Then we drove to String Lake and unloaded our kayaks for a quick paddle to Leigh Lake.

The next day we did some exploring of the Grand Tetons Park, hiked near Jackson Lake and Radio Hill, and scoped out a kayaking adventure on the Snake River for the following day. 

Because we had two cars, we were able to paddle the Snake river for over ten miles, the stretch was supposed to be gorgeous.  Unfortunately, the smoke from the California fires hit overnight.  The run down the river was still lots of fun, but we could not see any Tetons along the way at all…

August 21 The Sinks, Wyoming. One of our favorite mid Wyoming places to visit is the Sinks Canyon State Park. The river actually flows underground here, rising back up in a pond about 1/4 mile away.  But the water takes a couple of hours to flow that 1/4 mile.  There is a great hike here, to a waterfall area that the locals love sliding down.  We did the hike, but did not slide down the falls (this time).

August 22-24 Black Hills, South Dakota. Our next stop was the Black Hills area of South Dakota.  Even though we had just been there two weeks earlier for Sturgis, it was a treat traveling those same roads in the camper instead of on the trike, and giving Jamie and Lisa a little feel for the area. 

I think we had a pretty good time for our “Plan B Trip”!