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| Like you wouldn't have stopped... |
Cringing, because I know better than to get into Yellowstone at noon, I passed by my preferred campground...and my backup campground...and then a campground I hadn't even considered...before I pulled into the Tower Ranger Station. Disregarding the "Ranger On Patrol" sign, I creaked the screen door and stepped in. He was there after all, with a kind smile tucked under the brim of his quintessential hat.
Smiling Ranger: Can I help you with something?
Me: I got here late, I know--before I drive to any more campgrounds, can you tell me which ones are full?
SR: Humm. It's not good--only Louis Lake is still open, and that's at least two hours more to drive.
Me: The Gallatin campgrounds were all closed when I came through, Shoshone had Beartooth Lake open, but--
SR: --Nah, that's too far back up the pass to go when you are already in Yellowstone.
Me: Well, I didn't come here for the Super 8 in Cooke City.
God bless this guy--he never flinched. He never asked me if I knew how to camp in bear country, if I felt safe traveling alone, why I wasn't scared of strangers, how did I plan to tell my husband where I was going to spend the night with zero cell service for 70 miles--none of that. His expression lit up, and he rolled forward with a solution to my problem.
SR: Did you see the sign for Lulu Pass?
Me: I did.
SR: That's where you want to go, your vehicle will handle the road just fine, so don't be put off by it. There might be hunting parties up there, but you can camp wherever you want because it's Forest Service land. Just pull off when you find a place you like.
Screen door creaks, and another guy comes in. "Are you telling her about Lulu? Yeah, it's beautiful up there. When you think you've driven far enough, go a little farther, and then enjoy the view."
So, I did just that.
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| View from my cookstove. |
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| At 8800', it was chilly. And blissfully silent. Twelve hours of silence, and moonglow, and everything good in this world. |
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| Lulu Pass as dawn approaches. I shared this one with six mule deer. |
I got the first open campsite in Pebble Creek early the next morning. In grizzly country, you do trade privacy (and $15) for security: a bear box, a safe place to pour out wash water, and a way to dispose of trash. Admittedly, I was a little sad to have scored that campsite in the park, because I realized what I was missing outside of it.
