Unexpected Trouble is the fourteenth installment of Finding My Way Home. To view the previous installment, click here. If you wish to start from the beginning, click here. This is the ongoing story of the six years I spent as a vagabond photographer.

Having spent more than a month hanging out back home and getting the motor home in top shape, I’m ready for more adventures. Feeling confident and refreshed, I set out for Dubois, Wyoming. I know anyone who has ever lived or traveled in Wyoming has experienced the wind. I’m not talking about normal wind. Normal wind is like a gentle breeze compared to Wyoming wind. On the day I leave, it’s blowing the opposite direction of the way I’m traveling. It’s slow going, driving a motor home into the wind, and I can almost see the fuel gauge visibly going down as I drive. According to my weather app, it’s blowing steady at forty miles per hour, with sixty mile per hour gusts. I’m thankful it’s a headwind because driving in a crosswind that heavy would be harrowing.

As I near my destination, I hear a loud “pop” and see something in the side view mirror. I have no idea what just happened, but I slow and pull over on the shoulder to investigate. When I exit the cab, I cannot believe what I see. The construction of the Itasca Sundancer is mostly plywood, covered with a thin shell of fiberglass. The fiberglass is about as thick as a piece of poster board. The wind has somehow separated the fiberglass layer from the plywood and is peeling it back about a foot over the side of the cab. The wind is strong enough it’s threatening to peel off the entire side of my RV. I cannot reach the separated piece, so I get a small ladder and a roll of duct tape from a storage compartment.

I only have about ten miles to go. I decide to make a temporary repair on the side of the road until I can get parked at the campground and determine what to do. I’m fighting the fiberglass piece and the duct tape in the wind while trying not to lose my balance on the stepladder. Ugh! I must appear quite the spectacle to the handful of vehicles that pass. Then again, maybe RVers taping their motor homes back together on the shoulder of the highway in the wind is a common sight in Wyoming.

I manage to tape it down and drive as slowly as I can get away with for the next ten miles, moving over to let others pass when needed. When I get to the park and check in, I ask the person in the office if anyone nearby does repairs on RV’s. She starts to recommend a local mechanic until I explain that it’s not that kind of repair. Once I explain what happened, she is at a loss. She tells me to ask at the local hardware store the next morning as they might know of someone who does handyman type work. I’m in a bit of panic mode, and feeling exasperated that she can’t help.

Once I am parked and settled in, I call home to let them know I made it to Dubois. I want to ask Les what he thinks I should do. He’s not really sure how to help without seeing it, but tries to reassure me. I pull out the ladder again and take a look at the damage. The wind has calmed a little, plus I’m in a more sheltered location, so I can take a closer look. It’s near dark and I don’t want to take off the duct tape in case the wind picks up again or it rains. I decide to just make dinner and deal with it tomorrow. My reservation is for four days, so I have time to deal with this unexpected trouble.

Have you ever had one of those experiences where it feels like a Huge Big Deal, but others don’t seem to think it is? That’s how I was feeling about my wind damage. A good night’s sleep helps to put it in perspective. I try the hardware store, as suggested, but have no luck. Now I realize that I’m going to have to fix it myself. And I do. I have caulking and Eternabond sealant tape, so I go to work. Several hours later, it’s done. The repair looks pretty good and I’m proud of my work.

Now I have a couple of days to get out and explore the Dubois area in the Wind River Mountains. It’s beautiful here and the leaves are just starting to change. As I drive around, I’m convinced the ranchers and other landowners like to prank photographers. I see more plastic owls in this area than I’ve ever seen before. At first, I slow down every time I see one. I’m not falling for it anymore. Now, I’m pretty sure every large perched bird I see is a plastic owl.

Although I’ve been to Yellowstone National Park before, I’ve never camped inside the park. Fishing Bridge Campground is an interesting place. Being the only full hookup RV park in Yellowstone, it’s a very large campground. It’s very crowded, even though summer is over. I only managed to reserve four nights here, so I have a lot of ground to cover in a short time. Yellowstone is a huge park.

Between waterfalls, wildlife and thermal features, there is so much to photograph. But, with all the traffic and distances between attractions, it feels like I’m spending more time driving than photographing. The abundance of wildlife is thrilling. It seems every time I go out, I see something amazing. There are bears, deer, elk, bison, swans and eagles. It’s starting to turn cold and leaves are changing, too. I end up wishing I had more time here, but must move on to Colter Bay Village in Grand Teton National Park.

This is the most expensive nightly rate I have paid so far on my journey, but worth every penny. The wildlife is even more abundant here than it was in Yellowstone. Plus, the park is smaller and doesn’t take all day to circumnavigate. When I arrive, there are signs announcing the Moose-Wilson road is closed. Dang. I must have just missed it before they closed it for the season.

Even so, I still manage to see several moose, elk, and bears. The elk rut is in progress, so they are very active. When I get up before dawn in hopes of photographing the Grand Tetons at sunrise, the whole Snake River Valley echos with the sound of bugling elk. That extraordinary experience is more than worth the early rise. It’s a good thing, too, because clouds are covering the mountains for most of the first two days I’m in the park.

After that first sunrise, I go driving around hoping to find some of the elk I heard when it was still dark. I find a dirt road off the main road and drive down it to the end. There are a half dozen or so vehicles parked in a small parking area. When I get out and walk toward the river, I notice the bank is full of photographers with tripods and huge lenses. Then I see why. There is a herd of elk crossing the Snake River in the mist. Before I can get my camera out and set up, they are gone. Then, remarkably, one lone female elk comes straggling along and crosses the river by herself. It turns out to be one of my favorite photos ever.

In conversation with a photographer on the bank of the Snake River, I learn that Moose-Wilson Road is not closed for the season. In fact, it’s open again now after being closed for a few days due to the abundance of bears and people on the road. The rangers closed it because the berries are ripe and the bears are foraging in large numbers. They didn’t want any incidents, so decided to give the bears free reign. Now that most of them have moved on, people are allowed to travel the road again. I decide to give it a go. Unfortunately for me, the bears really have moved on and I don’t see any. I do see two young cinnamon bears at the Murie Ranch Science School, which is a wonderful place to visit.

After the second day of getting out before dawn and no mountains visible, I’m a little concerned that I will have to leave Grand Teton National Park without a photo of the Grand Tetons. I inquire at the office about staying an extra day or two. They tell me they have no availability, but will let me know of any cancellations. More unexpected trouble. Finally, on the last day, the clouds clear and the mountains come out! The sight is so breathtaking, I hardly notice my freezing fingers. At least I can move on with no regrets about missing the park’s namesake peaks. Although it’s only been one week total in Yellowstone and Grand Teton, I seem to have taken at least a month’s worth of photos. While in Grand Teton, I celebrated one year of being on the road. Even with the unexpected trouble, it’s been a great year!