We ended up taking a primitive site off Beaver Creek toward Idaho, just west of the Madison Earthquake Area. In August 1959 a 7.5 earthquake caused a major uplift of the canyon rock, destroyed several resorts along Hedgen Lake (only to bring more new ones in!) and the river dammed up t form a smaller, deeper lake. It's pretty area, with 9000'-tall peaks dividing the two states.
Fog settled over the valley as I woke up; cold, dense fog.
I was up at sunrise to drive further, planning a quick drive around Henry's Lake in Idaho, but then got carried away by the Wildlife Refuge in the Centennial Valley, a 100-mile refuge where one can hope to see moose, elk, deer and all sorts of birds. A dense fog settled over the largest lake to the east, casting an eerie haze along the road and creating rainbows. Elk wandered in and out of the mist, using the cover to get across the area to the lake.
The Hell Raising Creek in this refuge is the spring for the Missouri River, near Mount Jefferson that topples over 10,023' high.
But I never saw any moose.
We drove around the lake, stopped at various short trails to walk around, gazed over the Madison River, walked a bit along th poorly-marked Continental Divide, and drove into West Yellowstone where gas sold for $2.87 ($2.64 in Bozeman two days earlier)
The madness has begun. Fighting RVs, overweight Midwesterners, rude Easteners, demanding Californians, all conglomerate in this tourist town before and after driving around Yellowstone. There's no decent parking in town as all is taken by people more lucky than I. I dread entering the National Park as it's only going to get worse, but onward I must go.
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