{"id":3079,"date":"2016-07-13T08:10:07","date_gmt":"2016-07-13T14:10:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=3079"},"modified":"2022-07-17T15:40:33","modified_gmt":"2022-07-17T21:40:33","slug":"to-the-clarks-fork-of-the-yellowstone-river-8-10-12","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=3079","title":{"rendered":"To the Clark’s Fork of the Yellowstone River (8-10-12)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Day 3 of Lupe’s 2012 Dingo Vacation to the West Coast.<\/em><\/p>\n

Lupe was somersaulting again against the door of her “tiny house”.\u00a0 She still hadn’t figured out that she couldn’t go through the tent\u00a0door when it was zipped shut, but it had only been her second night ever in a tent.\u00a0 A squirrel was chattering away in a tree outside.\u00a0 Lupe wanted to go bark at it, but it was very early.\u00a0 Lanis was still asleep in the Honda Element, after his gear got soaked in a\u00a0sudden downpour the previous evening.<\/p>\n

Lanis isn’t much of a morning person.\u00a0 SPHP figured\u00a0he would sleep for several more hours.\u00a0 This was an opportunity for Lupe to return to Bald Mountain<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0(10,042 ft.)<\/strong><\/span>.\u00a0 Lupe, Lanis and SPHP had climbed Bald Mountain the evening before, only to be almost immediately chased off of it by a brief intense rain shower.\u00a0 It wasn’t going to rain now, though.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP left the squirrel and the campground in peace, and climbed Bald Mountain again.<\/p>\n

After searching around on top of the mountain, SPHP had almost given up.\u00a0 Then, suddenly, there they were.\u00a0 Lupe had found the names that had been up there for a quarter century or more now.\u00a0 The names were just made out of loose rocks, but they were still easily recognizable.\u00a0 SPHP spent a little time repairing them.<\/p>\n

SPHP wanted to add Lupe’s name to the mountain, but so much time had been lost looking around, it was probably best to get back down to the campground before Lanis awoke to find himself alone.\u00a0 It would take too much time to search around for some rocks to use.\u00a0 So Lupe and SPHP went down Bald Mountain enjoying the panoramic views, sunshine and fresh air.<\/p>\n

(Just 11 months later, Lupe returned to spend a night on Bald Mountain<\/a><\/span><\/strong> and SPHP added her name then<\/em>.)<\/p>\n

SPHP needn’t have worried.\u00a0 Lanis was still sound asleep when Lupe returned.\u00a0 After having been responsible for getting Lanis’ gear wet the night before, SPHP wasn’t eager to further aggravate him by waking him up.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP stayed busy in camp.\u00a0 Lanis eventually came to on his own.\u00a0 He was in a better mood than when he’d gone to sleep in the Element.<\/p>\n

It was time for Lupe to leave the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming\u00a0and head farther W.\u00a0 The sun was much higher now.\u00a0 Lanis and SPHP dried things out while Lupe sniffed around.\u00a0 Pretty soon things were dry enough to pack them back in the Honda Element, and Lupe, Lanis and SPHP were underway.<\/p>\n

Lanis drove W out of the Bighorns on steep, windy Hwy 14A.\u00a0 The route continued through Lovell, Powell and Cody, WY.\u00a0 From Cody, Lupe went N on Hwy 120 to Hwy 296, the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway.\u00a0 The Chief Joseph Scenic Byway lived up to its name.\u00a0 The road wound high up over a\u00a0lofty pass.\u00a0 At a pullout on the W side of the pass, Lupe, Lanis and SPHP got out for a look.<\/p>\n

\"View<\/a>
View from the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway. Photo looks W from the pullout near the pass.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The view was most impressive, but there was a chilly wind.\u00a0 It looked rather stormy on the W side of the pass.\u00a0 Lupe hadn’t been at the pullout long when a cold rain began to fall.\u00a0 American Dingoes\u00a0do have the good sense to come in\u00a0out of the rain.\u00a0 Lanis and SPHP quickly\u00a0joined Lupe in the Honda Element.\u00a0 Lupe’s journey continued down the winding highway on the W side of the pass.<\/p>\n

The rain eventually stopped, but it was still pretty cloudy out.\u00a0 The St. Joseph Scenic Byway led to the Beartooth Hwy (No. 212).\u00a0 The Beartooth Highway goes NE over spectacular Beartooth Pass on its way to Red Lodge, MT, but Lupe wasn’t going that way yet.\u00a0\u00a0Instead Lupe, Lanis and SPHP headed W on the Beartooth Highway toward Cooke City, MT.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A side road off the St. Joseph Scenic Byway. The rain had stopped, but it was still pretty cloudy out.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lanis and SPHP were looking for a campsite along the way.\u00a0 There were some campgrounds,\u00a0but SPHP was picky and\u00a0found nothing that looked quite right before reaching\u00a0Cooke City, MT.\u00a0 Along the way, Montana\u00a0became the 3rd U.S. Lupe state!<\/p>\n

Cooke City, MT is basically a one street tourist town\u00a0strategically situated\u00a05 miles from the NE entrance to Yellowstone National Park.\u00a0 After looking around town just a little bit, it was time to get more serious about finding a campsite.\u00a0 Lupe, Lanis and SPHP headed back E on the Beartooth Hwy.\u00a0 This time Lanis was driving slower to allow for a more complete reconnaissance of the possibilities.<\/p>\n

Not long after\u00a0entering Wyoming again, Lanis and SPHP saw a\u00a0turn\u00a0to\u00a0a little parking lot\u00a0just N of the\u00a0highway.\u00a0 A pickup truck\u00a0with a camper was parked there close to a bend in a very beautiful river just 200 feet from the highway.\u00a0\u00a0 It looked like a great dispersed camping site.\u00a0 Lanis pulled in off the highway.\u00a0 Everyone piled out of the Element to check things out.<\/p>\n

\"This<\/a>
This bend in the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River, became home base for Lupe, Lanis & SPHP during Lupe’s stay in the Beartooths on her 2012 Dingo Vacation. Photo looks NW toward Pilot Peak (L) and Index Peak (R).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"This<\/a>
This small waterfall or rapid was just downstream of the bend in the river.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lanis<\/a>
Lanis is liking what he sees.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Unknown to Lupe, Lanis and SPHP at the time, the river was the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone.\u00a0 This gorgeous site would become home base for the entire time Lupe spent in the Beartooths on her 2012 Dingo Vacation.\u00a0 The bend in the river offered a\u00a0terrific view of the dramatic spire of Pilot Peak<\/a> (11,699 ft.) <\/span><\/span><\/strong>and its neighbor\u00a0Index Peak<\/span><\/strong><\/a> (11,240 ft.) <\/strong><\/span>to the NW.\u00a0 Just downstream of the bend, was a small waterfall or rapid with a nice pool of clear, cold water below it.<\/p>\n

The reconnaissance downstream quickly met with the approval of Lupe, Lanis and SPHP.\u00a0 A walk upstream through a wooded area to a field next to the river followed.\u00a0 After being cooped up in the Honda Element a good part of the day, Lupe was so stirred up by the wild river and glorious surroundings, she got a crazed look in her eye.\u00a0 She pranced and growled and demonstrated just how ferociously prepared\u00a0American Dingoes are for life in the wilderness.<\/p>\n

\"Lanis<\/a>
Lanis has an eye for detail and took this shot of some mossy lichens growing on a rotting log near the river.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Squirrels,<\/a>
Squirrels, schmirrels! Lupe feeling ready to take on elk, moose, grizzly bears and anything else the Beartooths can throw at her!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"And<\/a>
And then I’ll crack their bones like this!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Returning to the bend in the river, SPHP had a chat with the other campers there, who already occupied the best\u00a0site\u00a0right next to the river.\u00a0 They told SPHP about a waterfall worth seeing just a mile or two to the E.\u00a0 The falls were up a short trail on the N side of the Beartooth Hwy.\u00a0 Why not check that out, too?\u00a0 Lupe, Lanis and SPHP hopped back in the Element to go find the waterfall.<\/p>\n

As promised, a\u00a0short, but steep\u00a0hike up a\u00a0trail led to a roaring\u00a0torrent on Crazy Creek.\u00a0 The stream was\u00a0strewn with\u00a0logs.\u00a0 The falls were large, but this wasn’t really a classic straight down over an edge type of waterfall.\u00a0 It was too steep to be just rapids either.\u00a0 A better name is Crazy Creek Cascade.\u00a0 Lupe,\u00a0 Lanis and SPHP followed the trail all the way up to the top of the falls.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Crazy<\/a>
Crazy Creek Cascade. This waterfall was up a short, but steep climb N of the Beartooth Hwy.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe at Crazy Creek just above the big cascade.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lanis<\/a>
Lanis at Crazy Creek.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe, Lanis and SPHP played around on the rocks next to Crazy Creek just above the cascade until it started getting dark.\u00a0 Time to head back to the Element, and the great campsite on the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone.<\/p>\n

When Lupe returned, the sky was still overcast.\u00a0\u00a0In fact, the clouds were darker and denser than before.\u00a0 It looked like it would almost certainly rain overnight.\u00a0 It didn’t seem to make any sense to set up the tent, which would surely leak if it rained hard enough.\u00a0 Lanis was going to have company in the Element tonight.\u00a0 Outside the rain began.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Links:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Want more Lupe adventures?\u00a0\u00a0Choose\u00a0from\u00a0Lupe’s 2012 West Coast\u00a0Adventure Index<\/strong><\/span><\/a>,\u00a0Dingo Vacations Adventure Index<\/a><\/strong><\/span> or Master Adventure Index<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0Or subscribe free\u00a0to\u00a0new Lupe adventures<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Day 3 of Lupe’s 2012 Dingo Vacation to the West Coast. Lupe was somersaulting again against the door of her “tiny house”.\u00a0 She still hadn’t figured out that she couldn’t go through the tent\u00a0door when it was zipped shut, but it had only been her second night ever in a tent.\u00a0 A squirrel was chattering … Continue reading To the Clark’s Fork of the Yellowstone River (8-10-12)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3074,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[429],"tags":[105,149,182,190,26,461,104,460,275],"class_list":["post-3079","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2012-west-coast","tag-american-dingo","tag-bald-mountain","tag-beartooth-mountains","tag-clarks-fork-of-the-yellowstone","tag-dingo-vacations","tag-index-peak","tag-lupe","tag-pilot-peak","tag-wyoming"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/WP_0016721.jpg?fit=1651%2C1238&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3079","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3079"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3079\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41196,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3079\/revisions\/41196"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3074"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3079"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3079"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3079"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}