Extremes in Temperature and Encounters with Wild Life
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We’re baaaaaaackk! Whew, we just got back yesterday from our whirlwind camping trip through South Dakota, Wyoming and Northern Colorado. Our experience was one of highs and lows and in the end it was all good. We experienced extremes in temperature, moods and encounters with wild life!
In South Dakota, it was HOT as hell, but well worth the trip. We ended up setting up camp the first night at Wind Cave National Park where we were but a handful of human souls. As city slickers, we were in awe of the wild life walking through our camp in the evening.
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Then we met the Demon Beaver after leaving South Dakota for Devil’s Tower. We camped at Cook Lake in the Black Hill portion of Wyoming on Thursday evening where we were only 1 of 2 camps set up at the campground. Sounds like paradise, doesn’t it?? It was until about 2 in the morning…when my husband reached over to see if I was in the tent or if that was me rattling around outside the tent. Sure enough I was inside, as was our dog and daughter. What could it be?? My heart rate started racing when I imagined bears and mountain lions outside our tent circling ever closer before they ripped open the tent to devour us. No one would know since they probably already ate the other campers at the lake.
My husband put on a brave face, took the lantern and went outside to confront the bear. That evening, we had returned our food stuffs to the Pathfinder, but overlooked the cooler which was still sitting out on the picnic table. What did he find? Not a bear or lion, but a beaver! The beaver, who despite being cute, witty and adorable in cartoons, was about as big as our 60 pound dog and quite ferocious upon being caught stealing from our cooler.
He (the beaver) took off into the night and my husband returned the cooler to the car and came back into the tent. Meanwhile I had to go pee, but I wasn’t about to tangle with a 60 pound beaver so I decided I could will the sensation away. I was just about to drift off to sleep when we heard a commotion at the trash cans – banging and gutteral growling that lasted for about 15 minutes and then silence. I was once more so scared with the vision of a mountain lion full of blood lust thrashing the beaver around just outside our tent. And, furthermore, I was beginning to think that maybe city people should never ever camp under any circumstances unless it was at a highly developed campground city.
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Needless to say, we survived the evening and sometime during the night I managed to drift into a fitful sleep full of dreams of beavers, lions and bears. In the light of day, we realized that the beaver got our chocolate bar for the S’mores that we had stashed in the cooler because of the heat. It dawned on me that the Beaver was probably on a chocolate, sugar, caffeine high after eating the contraband and we might very well be responsible for killing the Beaver with chocolate! Or maybe, he’s just suffering an incredible chocolate hangover…. We didn’t hang around long enough to verify his fate.
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We took off early in the morning because of impending rain and did a drive by of Devil’s Tower before heading across the state of Wyoming towards the Grand Tetons. Little did we know that rain covered the state, and by the time we reached Jackson, WY, we had decided to get a hotel room for the night instead of camping. We weren’t alone and there was not a room to be had within 150 miles of Jackson. We were all exhausted, pissed off and I was ready to divorce my husband for insisting that we drive 16 hours on a wild goose chase.
We eventually found a hotel room that would take us and our dog in Rawlins, WY. The proprietor of the Econo-Lodge gouged charged us $129.00 for the privelege of staying with our dog. My husband was about ready to keep driving – but by 12:30AM, I was willing to pay $500.00 to have a dry place to bed down for the evening. We woke up refreshed and found Penny’s Diner in Rawlins the next morning which was terrific. Nothing like a big pancake breakfast with hashbrowns, bacon, eggs and coffee to make it sound like a good idea to camp an extra night before heading home.
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We managed to pitch our tent at Chamber’s Lake in Roosevelt National Forest in Northern Colorado before it started raining again. It cleared up in the evening so that we could make dinner and enjoy a camp fire before hitting the sack. We made it back home to Denver yesterday afternoon and really enjoyed sleeping in our own beds, long luxurious showers and a dinner filled with vegetables – which were sorely lacking the past week.
Overall a good vacation! Meanwhile, I’ve been itching to get back into my studio this week…. 
13 Responses to “Extremes in Temperature and Encounters with Wild Life”
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Like you didn’t know there would be rattlesnakes there…. LOL.
Ohhh it sounds wonderful! I love deers! I can’t say that I know of many dogs that have seen deers. LOLOLOL Your dog is a lucky one. Anyway, wonderful pictures! I hope that you drank lots and lots of water! *HUGS*
You know, it sounds like it was fun, but also sounds like something one needs to do at least once in their lifetime!
I figured we would, Diana – but when the reality of it hit, I wasn’t interested in seeing one close up and in person. Turns out they stay near the prairie dog towns for their meals.
Just like us, our dog is a city slicker, Angela! She didn’t know what the hell it was…give her a city squirrel or cat any day.
In retrospect, I’m sure it will go down as one of those once in a life time trips, Janet. In the meantime, I’m still obsessed with the Beaver! Everyone needs to make the pilgrimage to the Black Hills at least once. Turns out I did visit the area when I was around 4, but don’t remember.
Cynthia you are truly brave and a very good wife if it is your husband who likes the camping. I love country but I have to sleep in my bed. Wonderful pictures, especially the one of the fire.
Welcome back! Sounds like a great trip;I’ll check out those links when time allows. Dolls!Dolls!Dolls
Welcome back Cynthia……sounds like a great trip
What an adventure! I would love to see that 60 pound beaver. Welcome back Cynthia! Glad you’re safe and sound.
what an adventure lol! I had fun reading about it and have decided to skip the notion of ever camping in this country. The worst I had to cope with in the northeast of england was getting flooded out in the middle of night or accidentally setting up a tent in a field full of sheep (okay so I was slightly sloshed and it was pitch dark). Love the pics.
Some times a Motel 6 just sounds awesome doesn’t it….*wink*…. Its funny (odd) but those are the vacation’s you never forget. The ones that everything is uneventful are forgotten. Welcome home… we missed you.
A 60 pound beaver?!
Thanks for the comments everyone – it’s good to be back!
We tried the Motel 6, Nancy – even they were full…
And Hank, I had to do some research, adult beavers can get up to 60 lbs in weight and 4′ long.
http://www.nhptv.org/Natureworks/beaver.htm
Your comment gave me pause, however, thinking maybe it was really a bear tooling about outside our tent.
Oh Cyn it sounds like you and your family had a fun and fantastic trip and I loved the pictures too! We went to Mt. Rushmore way back in about ’78 and I remember driving through a tunnel in a tree. Did you see that, heck it may be gone by now. I always wanted to see Devil’s Tower in WY but we never got up there. Thanks for sharing your trip with us and I bet you were glad to get back to your studio!