Week 526 - Star Valley Ranch - 09-11-2016

Star Valley Ranch

With our path re-routed to Star Valley Ranch, Wyoming, we left the town of West Yellowstone.

Mandy proved to us she wasn't afraid of wild animals. So we left before sunrise to get into Yellowstone National Park to see more wildlife.

These photos are a little fuzzy. That's because they were taken before the sun provided us adequate light.

The elk were out grazing. At our first glimpse of this bison, we thought it was a large rock. But with our 30x optical zoom of our Sony DSC-HX200V we got this shot that proved otherwise.

The Firehole River is a tributary to the Madison River. The Madison River starts in Yellowstone Park and ends at Three Forks where we camped last week.

Old Faithful geyser is always worth a look. It's eruptions average about every 90 minutes. Checking the Geyser Times website we just missed the eruption. So being home in the MotherShip, we waited until the next predicted show. We got there a few minutes late but still saw it blow.

This is our 5th trip to Yellowstone National Park. This day it was just a drive to get us to Star Valley Ranch. Every trip we see something new. This time is was the Kepler Cascades on the Firehole River.

Heading south we stopped at Colter Bay RV Park in the Grand Tetons National Park. They said to check at 11:00am but they had no sites left. 1) We cruised by Jackson Lake which is dammed from the Snake River. 2) The Snake River continues past the awesome Grand Teton mountains.

The beauty of the Grand Tetons speak for itself.

We passed through the quaint town of Jackson. This is an incredibly expensive playground for the well-to-do. Since Colter Bay did not have a site for us, we called the Virginian RV Park in Jackson. They did have a site for us at $92.00 per night. Google reviewers gave it 3 of 5 stars.

We gave the Virginian the dust off our feet as we continued onto Star Valley Ranch RV Park. Star Valley Ranch is an incorporated town near Thayne, Wyoming. It began in 1970 when the owners moved to the 3,600 acres of the ranch. The RV park was created in 1983. Most of the 700 sites are occupied by those who bought the site. We are parked in one of the 24 pull-thru sites for guests and hopefully future owners. Ellen takes Mandy for a walk to the "Barn".

1) The Barn has a huge dining area, a library and is used for various activities and classes. 2) All of the other sites are surrounded by trees keeping you cool in the hotter months.

1) It is nice to see this display of USA patriotism. 2) The pool is nice, but there is no spa which we would use and enjoy.

1) We came for the Pickleball. We know a dozen or more PB players from Arizona and Southern California who own lots here. The play varies in level. There are many good players who challenge our skills. 2) Ellen is shown here defending from the net.

1) Pete, in the distance, is serving in his game. 2) We couldn't help notice Kim who brought back memories of our beloved Paula.

Star Valley Ranch RV park is very nice. Unimproved lots are available from $16,000; very reasonable compared to other ownership parks that we have visited. At such time that we might purchase an RV site, we would certainly consider Star Valley.

Next week we will head to St. George Utah for the Fall Brawl and Huntsman Senior Games Pickleball tournaments. See you then.

With love, Pete, Ellen and Mandy

Photos from Sep 2016