I know that camping isn’t for everyone.  Some people like to stay in an RV, and some say ‘no way’ and prefer a hotel. We love to tent camp. We love the sounds of nature all around us, the hooting of an owl nearby at 2 a.m., a nice breeze blowing through our tent, frogs, and crickets singing us to sleep. But that being said, we do have our must haves. We have to have an air mattress and a warm, 20°, double sleeping bag because we we prefer cooler weather camping. It’s easier to bundle up in layers and snuggle to get warm than it is to cool off at night on a hot, humid, airless night. You can only remove so many clothes when you’re among strangers (more about that later). Which was why camping in July in the Tetons in Wyoming was perfect for us. The days are warm, but the nights are very cool,  like 35°, even in the middle of the summer. My main reason to go to Wyoming, though, was to see moose in the wild. I love moose! They are so big, gangly and beautiful, and I wanted to see them more than anything.

We have a large amount of camping equipment. A ridiculous amount. We could never hike in and camp somewhere; we’re more like Glampers than campers. We have so much stuff that when we did our trip to Wyoming, we had to rent a full-sized truck to get there, and it was packed full. We have everything from a six person tent to a potty tent with a bucket potty, all the way to a full camp kitchen that we set up under a popup with our Blackstone griddle and two burner propane stove.

From where we live, the Tetons is a 24-hour drive. And 11 of those hours are straight across Nebraska. I’m sure that Nebraska has some great sites, but all we got to see down I-80 were windmills, cows, and whatever they grow – which is what I think cows eat.  We left home at midnight on a Sunday because the Gros Ventre Campground, which was chosen for its frequent moose sightings,  does not take reservations. It is first come, first served, so we had to be in line as early as we could to get a spot on Monday morning. That was a tough drive, especially the last couple of hours where it seemed like the wild animals of all shapes and species were playing live-action Frogger with us. We counted 46 animals crossing the road as we drove only 35 miles an hour in the pitch dark, the last several miles. It was the scariest drive I’ve ever taken, hands down,  and I was the one white-knuckling it down the highway. Because of stopping to eat, getting gas, and stretching our legs, we arrived and were second in line at 2 a.m.. We promptly took a nap while we waited to check in at 7a.m.

The Gros Ventre Campground is on the Gros Ventre River, about 12 miles north of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and about two hours south of Yellowstone National Park. The views of the Tetons are some of the most beatififul views I have ever seen in my life. Between the views and the fact that moose wandered through this campground just about every day,  we had to stay there. Non-morning person me, woke up every single morning at 5:00 a.m., bundled up, made a cup of tea, and sat outside my tent and waited to see them wander by.  They never showed up, at least while I was watching.

We did find some moose droppings. Curtis very kindly (??) gave me a hands-on moose poo training. He shockingly had a lot of knowledge of different types of animal droppings. Every pile we came across, he could identify it,  then found tracks for the animal that left it. One of the best things about that trip was how many different types of animals we saw. Oh, and he did wash his hands thoroughly after the lesson. 

We saw mountain goats, elk, jack rabbits, bears (happily, very far away), prairie dogs, pronghorn antelope, and American bison. Not to mention all of the different birds and fish. It was amazing. And we did finally see moose on our second to last day and then again on the last day in the area. I cried. The first one we saw was just before a storm rolled in, and she was running along the highway right next to us. We pulled over to watch along with several other cars, and she crossed right in front of our truck. The other two males that we saw were eating across the river, and they were magnificent!

That evening, a huge storm rolled through over the mountains. Our tent was flat, it was so windy. It stopped raining at about 10 p.m., the campground was very dark and with the sites set a little further apart, it was really quiet. There were no showers,  and this was several days since our last real shower. We were able to wash up in the river,  but that was shockingly, breathtakingly cold, so those were quick baths.  It was more of a rinse. So, Curtis decided he was going to go outside the tent and take a camp shower with the portable shower I had brought with us. It was a three gallon bag with a hose and shower head on it. It gets filled with water, laid out on the sun to warm up, and then you release the water via the hose to bathe. So ok, it was dark out.  Pitch dark.  Curtis went out, set his flashlight down, and proceeded to very thoroughly wash himself. His whole body. All of it. Did i say very thoroughly? He got every nook and cranny. As he finished up, he looked up and saw that the flashlight made a giant Curtis shadow puppet show on the trees for all of the nearby campers to see. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard or so long in my life. Except for maybe the time the bird attacked his head at the park and he screamed. That was funny, too.

Wyoming was a gorgeous place to go. We did go to Jackson and Yellowstone, but this would be a book if I also added that trip in, so I will save it for a future post. I really hope you enjoyed this story. It was one of our most favorite camping trips, and we worked really hard on planning it. As I finish this post, we are currently on our was up to Lake Superior to be volunteer lighthouse keepers at Crisp Point Lighthouse. I can’t wait to tell you all about this trip. It’s been three years in the making! So if you liked this story, please let me know, comment, like, share, all that good stuff. If you want to know when my next posts get published, subscribe! It will come straight to your inbox.