2024 Travel Plans

[audreyh1]

We’ve seen many moose over the years, including Grand Teton National Park. Oxbow Bend is a good place for moose, also anywhere along the Snake River. A float trip might be a good way. Wetlands, ponds and streams with willow along the banks. Lots of lookouts in GTNP look over water and seem likely, although binoculars may be required.

Moose are most heavily concentrated in Grand Teton Park. Look for them at Willow Flats, Christian Pond (near Willow Flats) and around Oxbow Bend.

https://www.yellowstonepark.com/things-to-do/wildlife/about-moose/#
I’d also check out Schwabacher Landing area which is famous for dawn Tetons Mountain photos. Lots of wildlife along the trail there.

 

[Lemonade]

We're going through the Tetons soon. I'll be looking for some moose to photograph.

If you haven't already been, or recently been, I've seen moose in RMNP. Specifically, at Sprague Lake early one morning, a few of us were lucky to watch and cow and bull eating in the lake. Out from the shadows swam Jr. It was a thrilling moment for me! Wish I was a better photographer with a great lens, but even my 'okay' pics are enough to spur my memory of that morning.

Enjoy your moose-hunting

 

[Ronstar]

If you haven't already been, or recently been, I've seen moose in RMNP. Specifically, at Sprague Lake early one morning, a few of us were lucky to watch and cow and bull eating in the lake. Out from the shadows swam Jr. It was a thrilling moment for me! Wish I was a better photographer with a great lens, but even my 'okay' pics are enough to spur my memory of that morning.

Enjoy your moose-hunting

Thanks - we only saw elk in RMNP - walking down the streets of Estes Park.

You had a great moose family sighting! It doesn't matter if you're a good photographer or what camera equipment you have - it's the thrill of the hunt that matters

 

[ABQ2015]

If you haven't already been, or recently been, I've seen moose in RMNP. Specifically, at Sprague Lake early one morning, a few of us were lucky to watch and cow and bull eating in the lake. Out from the shadows swam Jr. It was a thrilling moment for me! Wish I was a better photographer with a great lens, but even my 'okay' pics are enough to spur my memory of that morning.

Enjoy your moose-hunting

The Bear Lake area is beautiful anyway and to see moose there too is just incredible. The only moose I have seen besides one in Maine was also at RMNP. A single bull at Lily Lake along Hwy 7 but it was on the other side of the lake and mostly obscured by vegetation.

The second sighting that same trip was on the west side of RMNP (near Grand Lake) and there were several moose in a large field with a pond. A ranger was present and guided a group of us closer. The highlight was a young calf frolicking with his mom close by. This was in mid June and it had been a very wet spring. I went back that September for the elk bugling and the pond area had dried up and I never saw any more moose.

 

[audreyh1]

If you haven't already been, or recently been, I've seen moose in RMNP. Specifically, at Sprague Lake early one morning, a few of us were lucky to watch and cow and bull eating in the lake. Out from the shadows swam Jr. It was a thrilling moment for me! Wish I was a better photographer with a great lens, but even my 'okay' pics are enough to spur my memory of that morning.

Enjoy your moose-hunting

Thanks - we only saw elk in RMNP - walking down the streets of Estes Park.

You had a great moose family sighting! It doesn't matter if you're a good photographer or what camera equipment you have - it's the thrill of the hunt that matters

That was our most recent moose sighting in 2022. Nice bull. Ran into a wildlife jam on our way down from Trail Ridge Rd. On Fall River road not far from that entrance station. Fortunately found a decent place to park instead of blocking the road as many did (a ranger was directing traffic) and walked back a bit. The moose walked right towards us then across the wet area, we were above on a ridge. Sheep Lakes.

Sprague lake is stunning. Looked like a likely moose spot. Lots of willows. Extensive trails around the lake. Impressive mountain backdrop. Probably a great early morning stop to look for wildlife. Such a wonderful park but my god so many people!

 

[target2019]

Early May we'll vacation in Barcelona and Valencia for 10 days.

Oldest is getting the itch again, and wants to move to one or the other for warmer weather. So we'll meet up in Barcelona, train to Valencia, and reverse it all.

 

[simple girl]

We saw several moose (and a calve) in Alaska when we went to Denali and also on our road trip back to Anchorage.

 

[Badger]

Going to drive up to Bryson City, NC in a couple of months so my wife can go hiking in the mountains. Some issues limit my ability to walk far so I will do what I can. It may be the last time for visiting the mountains that I spent so much time in.
Then the following month we will drive to Md to see her son, the children and grandchildren. It is a long drive so next time we will send him a plane ticket to visit us.

 

[Ronstar]

We saw several moose (and a calve) in Alaska when we went to Denali and also on our road trip back to Anchorage.

Nice moose! We saw a few in Denali and several in Glacier. The Denali moose were bigger than the ones we saw at Glacier. We saw a big one from the Denali tundra tour bus, but I don’t think they would stop and let me out to get closer for pics.

Many many moose in Fishercap lake in Glacier. Lake is about 3’deep full of vegetation. Moose come there to feed every afternoon. Dozens of people line the banks of the lake watching the moose.

 

[audreyh1]

We once witnessed two moose bulls fighting in Denali.

Good to know about Glacier.

 

[braumeister]

My first moose encounter was the most memorable.
On a 2-lane road through the north woods in Maine, late on an autumn evening, so pitch dark, driving as fast as possible because I was dead tired and in need of a place to sleep.
Rounded a curve and saw the enormous moose calmly crossing the road in front of me. Slammed on the brakes, slewed partly off the road and stopped probably six feet short of the monster, who perhaps blinked an eye and continued ambling back into the woods.

 

[Ronstar]

^^ great story, but I had to google ‘slewed’

 

[braumeister]

^^ great story, but I had to google ‘slewed’

Sorry, it's a word I grew up with. Meaning skidded sort of sideways.

 

[ABQ2015]

Sorry, it's a word I grew up with. Meaning skidded sort of sideways.

That was similar to my Maine encounter with a moose. The guy in front of me was driving at least 10 miles below the speed limit on a dark, curvy road. When I finally found a spot to pass, I hit on the gas and then a moose appears. I hit the brakes and went back into the right lane and followed that guy the rest of the way into town.

 

[oldphd]

If you haven't already been, or recently been, I've seen moose in RMNP. Specifically, at Sprague Lake early one morning, a few of us were lucky to watch and cow and bull eating in the lake. Out from the shadows swam Jr. It was a thrilling moment for me! Wish I was a better photographer with a great lens, but even my 'okay' pics are enough to spur my memory of that morning.

Enjoy your moose-hunting

RMNP is our "neighborhood" park, we're about an hour away and visit regularly.

2-3 years ago in fall we saw 3 cows with 4 calves at Sprague! The ranger working to keep people from getting too close said they'd been seeing the twins off and on, and even those who saw them regularly were excited to have them all out in the lake at the same time, though each cow with her offspring was well separated from the others.

While I've seen quite a bit of wildlife, including moose, this was one of the best sightings, up there with herds of bighorn sheep.

 

[braumeister]

Sometimes we can forget that the wildlife have been living somewhere since long before humans started arriving.

An interesting event from a few years ago:
My wife was doing the half marathon in Anchorage, when the race suddenly had to be paused. A mama bear and her cub had wandered onto the course, so a detour had to be hastily arranged.

 

[explanade]

Just don't have the pull to see wildlife while traveling.

I just returned from a trip to Thailand and Singapore.

There are warnings about monkeys, like don't feed them, secure your belongings, etc.

But apparently some Western tourists have been bitten and have had to take painful and costly rabies shots in these SE Asian countries.

There were a couple of places where monkeys were eating things people were throwing at them. Some people were getting really close to them.

What were they going to do, pet them?

On another trip in Bali, there would be gangs of them and they'd walk in kind of strutting, seemingly daring people to mess with them.

 

[shortstop14]

Looks like we're going to be spending about half of our time in a small village in Provence, southern France. We were there three months last year for the birth of our grandson, our first (and unexpected) grandchild. This year we're planning for April and May, then again November, December, January. Summers are nice at home in the Pacific Northwest, and avoids the hot months in Provence.



Slightly different than our previous plans of camping the western US most of the year, but it's not an unwelcome change in our retirement - at least for the early years of our grandson's life. Learning French hurts my head, but I can adapt. Fortunately we have sort of a built-in social group there in the village, so it's a pleasant but slower moving place to be.

 

[explanade]

Looks like we're going to be spending about half of our time in a small village in Provence, southern France. We were there three months last year for the birth of our grandson, our first (and unexpected) grandchild. This year we're planning for April and May, then again November, December, January. Summers are nice at home in the Pacific Northwest, and avoids the hot months in Provence.



Slightly different than our previous plans of camping the western US most of the year, but it's not an unwelcome change in our retirement - at least for the early years of our grandson's life. Learning French hurts my head, but I can adapt. Fortunately we have sort of a built-in social group there in the village, so it's a pleasant but slower moving place to be.

Are you trying to maximize the 90-day stay so you don't have to get a visa for longer stays?

 

[shortstop14]

Are you trying to maximize the 90-day stay so you don't have to get a visa for longer stays?

Yeah, exactly. Getting proficient with the Schengen Visa calculator.
A longer stay visa isn't out of the question, but I'm not quite ready for the administrative hassle. And our intent is really to be half and half, at this point.

 

[folivier]

While traveling through the Yukon on our way to Alaska in our motorhome we were stopped by a herd of wood bison crossing the road. I have dash cam video somewhere of a couple young bisons head butting. Fun to watch from the safety of our motorhome.

 

[Lemonade]

Sprague Lake, 7/2020 Cow and bull moose; young one hiding out of sight on the left shore.

 

[CosmicDreamer]

I just discovered the Hawaii of Portugal, Madeira, which appears to be closer to Africa than Portugal itself.

Did a bit of research on it. Not sure I will visit this year but I guess you can make it a part of visit to Portugal or just append it to some other trip to Europe.

But the direct flights are limited and very long, at least 4 hours nonstop, whereas it's a 2-hour flight from Lisbon.

You’re right, @explanade, Madeira is a great find. Its unique blend of African and Portuguese influences creates a captivating experience for travelers. While direct flights may be limited and lengthy, the relatively short flight from Lisbon makes it a convenient addition to a Portugal travel itinerary. I’m considering adding Madeira to my travel plans for a memorable and diverse adventure next year. I’m also doing a bit of research, and I was drawn to this article https://gowithguide.com/blog/tourism-in-portugal-statistics-2023-the-ultimate-guide-5600 which contains Portugal’s top destinations, festivals, food, hidden gems, seasons, transportation and some dos and don'ts.

 

[tmitchell]

Thanks for the Portugal guide @CosmicDreamer--definitely on our list.

Just back from Banff. Beautiful place with great restaurants. Weather was oddly warm with lots of melting snow, so not the winter wonderland we had hoped for. I guess they got some snowfall after we left.

Adding Central Asia/Silk Road and Istanbul to late summer/Sept. Anyone been?

 

[1242Vintage]

Have to get serious and make plans for next Winter travels. I don’t do cold very well so we usually chase warm weather destination, departing after Thanksgiving, coming back early February.

Thinking Panama, Columbia and Brazil might hit the mark next winter.