Half Moon Lake
Trip Start
Nov 19, 2007
1
96
170
Trip End
Ongoing
Pinedale,
Wyoming,
United States
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Saddly leaving the Grand Tetons we head out for new adventures. Along the road we see this (see pic) amazing building up on the hill so....U turn and in we go.....a truly amazing and excellent museum with old and new art.
I could see on our good old Rand McNally map that there is a State Park with camping in Pinedale, Wyoming. We pull into the General Store and immediately realize we are in the heart of a hunting community. So...we pick up some buffalo meat and head out to the State Park.
After slowly driving over a barely paved road for miles and miles and miles we come to a lake but still no signs of camping or a park or anything! Ready to turn around we find a dirt road going almost straight down to Half Moon Lake Lodge and cabins. I see a Red Tailed Hawk and take his immediate flight down the hill as a sign we should follow him. Andy, not knowing where his navigator(me) is getting her guidance from, agrees to go on down. There is no turning back! We creep along for a few miles and see nothing when finally we come to an entrance of sorts that has no sign but, at least, is clearly going towards the lake shore
last goodbye to the Grand Tetons
. Another 1/2 mile or so into woods of aspen and lodgepole pine with understory of wild roses covered in rosehips, we arrive at a bulletin board of rules and regulations and a self check in for camping!!! $7.00/night bought us a wide, level, private site right on the lake with a sandy path to a sandy beach of our own. A picnic table and a fire ring for our convenience were clean and well used, by who we cannot say as we were the only people in the whole place. It does not surprise us to be alone after having not seen one sign of guidance...only a red tailed hawk to lead the way.
The air smelled of spice and pine and lake. I made a buffalo chile that was perfect for our sentiment. The half moon of the evening shone bright on Half Moon Lake for us, only us. Silence and solitude. We slept like babies.
Sun woke us and we heeded the call. Our bikes took us along the lake road and back again after some strong espresso and yogurt with nuts and seeds. Half Moon Lake is huge and gorgeous! There are a few homes and there is a State Park lodge that appears to be closed for the season. How do people find this place?
We decide to travel on even though our hearts wish to stay. Andy has a premenition of snow. I look up into a cloudless sky and agree to follow his suggestion on faith as he followed mine. As we were climbing the dirt road we noticed a sign that was hidden from our view when we drove down the hill..."All trespassers will be shot" would have been our experience if we had taken a right turn instead of going straight
Museum on the hill
. This along with all of the signs that have been blasted with shot gun pellets let us know we were in the wild west.On the road once out of the Park we notice the Mountain Men's Museum. We have to see this! Wonderful exhibits with actual artifacts of clothing, tools, firearms, cookware, etc... The Mountain Men came out to trap beaver and get rich. A few did, most lived hard lives and learned to live in the mountains staying alive against great odds. Then the fashion of beaver hats changed to silk. The Mountain Men were out and worms were in. I wonder if anyone in the cities ever knew how their fickle choices changed these mens lives? Saved a lot of beaver!
Now really trucking along and getting some miles behind us when we are able to pick up a local radio station that tells us that snow is expected in Pinedale! No where else, just Pinedale! Good job Andy Man! (we would not have gotten out of that park if there was any snow at all!)
