Summer Adrift Episode 13: Yellowstone National Park PT2
Welcome to episode 13 of A Summer Adrift!
In Yellowstone, we had a few specific areas and creeks that we wanted to fish. Chase and Aimee know this area well and had an itinerary already in place before we arrived. For our second day in the park, we loaded up with a day worth of gear and hiked into the mountains to spend the day on the water.
Loaded up with gear and headed out for a day of fishing
We knew that there was rain in the forecast, so we got an early start. The hike up was strenuous but had some incredible views of the valley below. We even saw a few trees that bears had used as scratching posts. They were lined with claw marks and the occasional tuft of bear fur that was caught on the scared tree bark.
Chase leading the way to the spot
Eventually, we reached our destination in this meadow where there was an abundance of wild flowers in bloom.
We decided to walk downstream and then systematically work our way upstream which would take us back to the trail we’d come in on.
Me working on catching my first fish
Even though I’d been learning to fly fish for a while leading up to Yellowstone, I had yet to catch a single fish. I came determined to change that and finally land a fish!
This little guy was MAK’s first catch
MAK is saving the big fish for later
At last! I caught my first fish on fly! Even though my fish was small, it was exciting to finally be on the board. I might be biased but I think this is a special place to be able to say I caught my first fish!
Our motto for the day was, everyone catches. We started a rotation that passed the rod to a new person after you caught a fish. It was fun to turn fishing into a group activity so we could all spend the day cheering each other on.
Chase with one of the beautiful catches from our day on the water
The water up here was SO COLD. All the water that runs through these streams is water that was frozen not all that long ago. We all were wearing Bedrocks because we were wet wading, but it got to the point that none of us could feel our feet.
Owen in the meadow near the creek
After we made it back to where our trail intersected the creak we made our way down out of the mountain and back towards camp.
If you go to Yellowstone, come to the Stop the Car Trading Post and get a milkshake
Enjoying said milshakes
A stop at the “Stop the Car Trading Post” was just as much apart of our itinerary as fishing was. The Griz shake (espresso) was highly anticipated and thus we stopped the first chance we got. It absolutely lived up to the hype and was gone faster than we wanted them to be!
Luna lounging during the rainy afternoon
We spent a few hours lounging around camp while getting a good soaking from a passing storm. It was nice to hang out with our sweet Luna before heading back out to fish again in the evening!
MAK and Aimee inspecting the creek after the rain
Owen fishing
When we got back into the park, we were not surprised to see that the streams were murky from the recent down pour. Not wanting to leave empty-handed we ventured further down the road to the river and found it to be running clear!
Owen reeling in his big fish
Through scattered showers, we hung out on the river bank for the rest of the evening taking turns fishing.
Aimee bringing in a big one
The highlight of the night was a fish that was never actually caught. Owen hooked into a big fish that he fought with for a while. Just seconds before Chase could help Owen get it into the net, the line broke.
MAK working on a fish
Aimee’s catch
Owen was pretty devastated. He talks of dreaming about that fish to this day. There is always the one that got away, and I think that was Owen’s. He took it in stride and we had a wonderful rest of our evening.
Luna surfing the center console, by Aimee
MAK sleeping in the camper with the top down
During our time around Yellowstone, we had to sleep with our top down due to bear activity. Apparently they had an incident in the area a few years back which caused them to implement the rule that you have to sleep in hard-sided campers. Technically we only qualify when our top is down, so we slept this way for the few nights we were in the area.
Owen making coffee
After Yellowstone, we relocated back to Jackson for a few days where Peter and Shruthi caught back up with us.
The ladies enjoying a beer and sunset
Shruthi and MAK bringing the cooler back to camp
It was nice to enjoy everyone’s company for a little while before Chase and Aimee had to turn around and leave again for a little while to work on installing a new Battle Born Battery system in their van.
Aimee and Levi
They’d tried to over-haul their power system once before but were sent a bad battery for another company that left them unable to power things like laptops and their fridge. For the last few days before they left, Owen and I had their fridge plugged into our camper through the window. Not that we weren’t ok with that, they just needed a system that could keep up with their needs. We’re excited to have them on team Battle Born with us now!
Movie night
During this time we ran into our friend Micah by total happenstance. He came fully equipped with all sorts of cool gear, including a projector. Excited to test it our we watched a few movies projected onto one of our awnings with the Tetons glowing behind us.
When I think back to this summer, these nights stand out to me as highlights. Everyone being together, and watching movies outside left like quintessential summer activities.
For those who I know will ask, this is the projector we used: Ankr Nebula Pocket Projector This little guy is tiny and had a powerful built-in speaker! We don’t have one yet, but boy do we want one!
Luna in all her fluffy glory
Luna and Owen watching the sunset
Luna the tiger
Camp days were always Luna’s favorite. She took full advantage of us being in a spot that she knew so well by spending a lot of time outside with us. She loved hanging out in the tall grass and stalking people at camp in between her strict nap schedule.
Our dear Micah and his trusty van Helga
Micah kept telling us about his quest to make the PERFECT steak from his van. He has done rigorous tests and keeps a spreadsheet of each steak he makes so he can keep notes on what he felt went well and how to improve. When he asked if we’d be interested in him making us dinner one night we were fast to accept. It may be the best steaks we’ve ever had! It’s safe to say that the hard work he has put into his process has paid off!
Thank you all for reading and watching! We will see you next week!
Love,
MAK
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
Our work life is powered by Battle Born! They make the best lithium batteries on the market and are a crucial part of our power and solar system that makes working from the road possible! It took an incredible amount of power to create Summer Adrift, and we have Battle Born to thank for making it possible.
We’ve now been living our of our flat-bed Four Wheel Camper for 2 years now. FWC builds comfortable and durable campers that can fit on any truck. We can confidently say that a FWC is the most comfortable and livable rig we’ve had in all of our years on the road!
Maps are your best friend when you’re on the road. On X makes it easy to find open routes and trails near you no matter where we are or the time of year. On X allows us to access saved maps to locate ourselves in the wild. The GPS works perfectly offline, even when service is nonexistent.
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Main Line Overland is the shop that built our incredible rig, Roxanne. They are incredibly knowledgable of everything overlanding. We chose to work with them because they build thoughtful, reliable and durable vehicles that can get you to anywhere you ant to be!
Tires can be some of the best insurance when you are out in remote places. We love and trust our Toyo ATIII’s to get us in and get us out safely no matter the terrain. They’re amazing in mud, moon dust, loose rocks, slick rock, you name it!
