Travels with haRVy

Thanks to the AllStays app on my iPad, we easily found FREE places to camp three nights in a row! The first was at the 24-hour hot springs located in Saratoga, WY (not NY!). The free showers were a unexpected bonus. Unfortunately, we were there on a Saturday night so there a few late night groups disturbed our peace and quiet.

The main facility (no, that’s not me in the bikini). This pool was way too hot for me.

The hot mineral water is also pumped into the nearby stream for a more natural setting and cooler temperature.

Some of the neighbor’s yard “art”…

Our second FREE night of camping was in the charming and friendly town of Lander, Wyoming where anyone can camp in their beautiful City Park for up to three nights. We met several interesting folks here, including two from Maine who were not here together but discovered that they had attended the same private school. Everyone seemed to really appreciate the town’s generosity by treating the property respectfully.

Wouldn’t it be nice if more towns were this welcoming?

Free camping right next to the river with nice restrooms nearby. You can’t beat that!

The next day we drove into Sinks Canyon where an interesting natural phenomenon is the primary attraction.

The water from the river disappears underground through the cavern at left in photo above

and reappears a quarter mile down canyon in this pond where huge trout enjoy the good life protected from predators.

After exploring Sinks Canyon, we drove further up an amazing winding road to Frye Lake where we had lunch and spent the night at a FREE BLM (Bureau of Land Management) camp site in the Shoshone National Forest.

Only a few of the sharp hairpin turns show in this photo. A few more appear on the GPS screen below.

In addition to the curves, there were a few obstacles of the bovine variety.

We weren’t sure this bull was going to let us pass! He seemed to be protecting his harem.

Lunch spot on Frye Lake

Our FREE Frye Lake campsite

Our neighbor’s interesting rig. They set-up lounge chairs on the deck when they returned to camp

Sitting out the rain

Hopping stones on a hike around the area

Our last stop on this leg of our journey was at Falls Campground in the Wind River Range not far from the town of Dubois, WY. We managed a quick hike to the waterfall, for which the campground is named, before another thunderstorm struck. This campsite wasn’t free, but cost just $7.50 with our senior discount.

We had a beautiful open meadow next to our campsite.

As I write this blog, we are camped at Grand Teton National Park, where we have seen more wildlife in two days than we did during two weeks in Alaska a few years ago. Photos to follow soon.