The Tetons and Yellowstone

Jackson Lake, Grand Tetons, Montana, May 25, 2010

Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone, May 30, 2010

On Saturday morning, May 22, we took off for Wyoming ..... the Tetons and Yellowstone. But first, Gary and I wanted to take a little hike right outside of Steamboat up to Fish Creek Falls. It was an easy 1/4 mile walk up a paved trail, once again in the mist and drizzle.

Liz was thrilled this morning to see all the blooms on her little cactus ... which she calls her "petting" cactus as the thorns are softer and you can touch it without yelping!

We headed out toward Craig where we turned north to Baggs, WY, (our 41st state) and on up to Interstate 80.

This is what we encountered: snowy slush. Fortunately, again, it didn't stick nor make the road surface slippery, but we continued to experience the extreme cloudy, rainy May seen in the west this year. The snow even accumulated on Buster's front as seen when we stopped for some fuel. Most of this occurred at about 7,000 feet when it hovered at 33 degrees as we crossed and recrossed the Continental Divide numerous times this day.

We turned west on Interstate 80 and continued to Rock Springs, just passing south of the Great Divide Basin. This is a relatively large area of internal drainage due to the fact that it is near the continental divide but because of its low rainfall, it just seeps in right there.

As we passed Rock Springs I read in the AAA tour book about Pilot Butte Wild Horse Scenic Drive! This obviously sounded very intriguing but we were put off about pursuing it a bit due to the foggy and rainy weather and the fact that we thought this would be a dirt road. It may in fact be WY439. We're marking it down for a return trip!

Next we passed Fossil Butte, which really did look like you could find a lot of fossils there. This definitely is dinosaur country and just a few miles away, in the northwest corner of Colorado, is Dinosaur National Monument, again something we put down for a return trip (we've accepted this long ago on this trip, that even if you have a year, you can't see everything!).

We turned off I80 just after Little America, and headed toward the northeast corner of Utah/southeast corner of Idaho, and found a camping space on the western shore of Bear Lake at Garden City. It was very peaceful and agricultural!

On Sunday, May 23rd, our target was to make it to Jackson, Wyoming. Gary had called Scott Stolte and his family who live there, and we wanted to connect by mid-late afternoon. Scott was a high school friend of Polly's and Gary had taken Polly, with Scott and others of their friends on a couple of back packing trips to the Rockies. Scott fell in love with the area, and I believe this early exposure influenced his decision to settle in this area.

Liz and I played a touch of mini-golf before we took off, and then we drove along the western shore of Bear Lake. Just after we passed into Idaho we came upon Paris with this beautiful tabernacle, designed by one of Brigham Young's sons, on the right side of the road. You can read the history of the devoted LDS pioneers who settled here, mistakenly believing they were living in the promised land of Utah, only to find after they were established that they were really in Idaho!

A little further down the road we came upon another interesting piece of history. In Montpelier, Idaho, Butch Cassidy had robbed the local bank of $16,500. He escaped, but one of his gang, Bob Meeks, was imprisoned for 16 years.

Also, in Montepelier we saw what looked to be a very interesting site, the California-Oregon Trail Museum, but because it was Sunday and the day of rest, it was closed.

We once again encountered US89 which led us through the beautiful Salt River Valley to Jackson.

We had made a reservation at the Virginia RV park, and they were ready for us. We had many magpies for neighbors.

Gary called Scott and we arranged they would come connect with us at the RV park and we would go to dinner from there. It was great fun to see Scott's wife, Tiff, again and meet their adorable 4 year old .... Jack. Tiffany remembered that years (probably 10) ago we had gone to Disneyland with them and Polly when Scott and Tiffany were visiting her sister in Southern California. She is a teacher, and devoted mom, and we had a super visit. They also have a embroidery and shirt business, and Scott works on the ski patrol and search and rescue. They suggested dinner Picas Taqueria, a great little Mexican bistro. Liz and Jack had such a great time together, and Gary and Scott caught up on many interval years. We really enjoyed our evening.

Unfortunately, that rainy, gloomy weather returned and side-lined our plans for the next day, Monday, May 24. In fact, the rain we felt down at the Virginian was snow up on the mountain above us.

Whenever we have a day like this, Liz shifts into DIY (do-it-yourself) mode .... on this day it was "Hair and Make-up Club." She set to work on my hair. After struggling for some time (I know I always do), she declared: "Classic isn't really working for you .... I'm going with wacky!" Voila!

It was a perfect day to do laundry, and we all watched a little "Little House on the Prairie." We called Scott and Tiff and volunteered to bring over some meatloaf and marinated vegetable salad if they could put up with us for another evening. Liz made her fruit plate, and Tiff produced absolutely scrumptious brownies (Ghiradelli) with vanilla ice cream. Once again, Liz and Jack got on famously with each other, this evening focusing on Legos.

We all hoped the weather would clear so we would get out of their hair the next day!

We had a beautiful day on Tuesday, May 25, for exploring the Grand Tetons. As they loomed in the distance, we couldn't fail to be impressed with their snow-capped spikiness.

Of course, the national Elk Reserve is in Jackson, though the elk were all dispersed now for the summer. We learned that they have really learned how protected they are in the winter. They act skiitish and nervous as they approach the huge fenced area, but as they enter it, they realize they are now protected from their predators ..... they relax and saunter around grazing! It was interesting seeing the map of their migration patterns.

Scott and Tiff Stolte had suggested lunch at Dornan's in Moose, so we took their advice. It was really good!

Gary had chicken gorgonzola pasta and I had the Mt. Moran pizza --- very, very good. Then we headed off to the Visitor Center in Moose, and then along the park up past Jenny Lake (which is

gorgeous!) We saw this moose along the side of the road. In the Jenny Lake ranger cabin we saw this series of antlers and horns of the local wildlife.

A nice gentleman took our picture at Jenny Lake.

The campground at Jenny Lake was still closed as was the one at Colter Lake.

We continued the drive up to Jackson Lake and Jackson Lake Lodge, enjoying the fabulous scenery and animals. We actually saw all the big animals you want to see here, and for which we could have taken an $85 wildlife safari to try to see: moose, elk, bear, pronghorn and a number of beautiful birds as well. We saw something brown running across the road, and by the time we got our camera out and figured out what it was, we just caught a speck!

The Bear!

Below we have a picture of Mt. Moran fairly close up, and then further back, with the view across the valley near Jackson Lake.

On the way back to Jackson, we passed this glacier peeking through the peaks, and then took the back road to Teton Village and saw the Jackson Hole ski mountain.

It was a beautiful day.

We ended the day with a nice dinner are Gun Barrel Steak and Game House .... it looked very rustic inside! I had prime rib and Gary had an elk chop. Liz stuck with French Onion soup. Fortunately (or maybe unfortunately) we had room for a delicious Four Berry Cobbler!

Wednesday, May 26, marked the day when we would finally arrive in Yellowstone; Fishing Bridge would be about a 100 mile drive. This a someplace we have been looking forward to our entire trip. We had made reservations at the campground at Fishing Bridge back in March. It turned out it was still pretty early in the season to visit, but we were happy we missed the crowds. We filled up with propane in Jackson as we knew we would be dry camping without electricity in Yellowstone ... and we wanted to be as warm as we wanted to be.

I was a little uncomfortable. The day before, Liz had wanted to be able to lie down in the third seat of the car, but her folding bicycle was there. So I tried to lift it out of the car at a somewhat awkward angle, and then had a major muscle spasm over my right flank. Anyway I moved, I would get a flash of pain. I really loaded up on the ice, massage and Advil, and was able to kick it in a couple of days. Another evidence that 60 year old soft tissues have to be handled gingerly!

We entered through the South Entrance and encountered quite a bit of snow. The elevation at the South Entrance is 6,886 feet. As you likely know (I have to admit, I didn't until this trip), Yellowstone is a celebration of volcanism. At least three major volcanic eruptions have occurred here. The latest, estimated at about 640,000 years ago, spewed out 240 cubic miles of debris. The park's present central portion collapsed, forming a 30 by 45 mile caldera, or basin. The heat powering those eruptions still powers the park's geysers, hot springs, fumaroles and mud pots. The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone gives a glimpse of Earth's interior: its waterfalls highlight the boundaries of the lava flows and thermal areas. Rugged mountains flank the park's volcanic plateau. Iconic North American wildlife including bison, elk, grizzly and black bears populate the park. Vegetation ranges from near-desert near the North Entrance to subalpine meadows and forests on Mount Washburn. Lodgepole pine covers 60 percent of the park, vulnerable to fire (see evidence of a recent fire, September, 2009, below).

Yellowstone was designated the world's first National Park in 1872. Thomas Moran's sketches and William Henry Jackson's photographs influenced Congress in this decision.

The Lewis River

Yellowstone Lake, still frozen

The main roads through Yellowstone are basically constructed in what appears to be a figure 8. We had driven from the bottom of the lower loop of the 8, to about 1 o'clock on the lower loop. On Thursday, May 27, we would travel a little south to the bottom of the lower loop to West Thumb, and then up to about 7 o'clock on the lower loop to where Old Faithful is. If we had enough time we would travel along both west sides of the upper and lower loops, across the top of the upper loop, and back to our original lower loop position at Fishing Bridge. It would be a long driving day.

We drove along Lake Yellowstone, and glimpsed a view of West Thumb Geyser Basin across the frozen lake.

We happened upon a mommy Elk with her baby, and, being very cautious and using a zoom, got a close up picture. Park rules stipulate that one should stay at least 25 yards away from elk and bison, and at least 100 yards away from bears and wolves. Seems obvious. Gary urged much more caution than what others seemed to be taking.

We turned north, up the west side of the lower loop of the 8, and in about 15 miles came upon Old Faithful. We saw people gathering and presumed, correctly, that Old Faithful was about to blow .... it is an amazing sight!

Next, after some lunch in the cafeteria of the Old Faithful Lodge, we walked over to the Inn, one of the beautiful hotels designed by the original planners of the National Parks, and made to fit in perfectly. You can see the gorgeous 6 open-story lobby design below and the beautiful rustic interiors.

They are constructing a new Visitor's Center at Old Faithful which should be ready this September; it should be fabulous. We looked at our books and maps and souvenirs in a temporary structure, and then headed north to Madison and Norris. It was fun as we made our way to the midway and lower geyser basins to see them billowing in the distance.

It was also fun to see how much the forest seems to have recovered since the 1988 fires. You could see the 12 years of growth, and it looked so green and healthy. I was here in 1993, and it really looked devastated, but you could see things budding even then ..... actually you could see things budding the very next year. The heat of the fire causes seeds from within pine cones to burst out, and they germinate in the scorched earth.

Liz and I really enjoyed our walk around Norris Geyser Basin, which is just at the bottom, about 6:30 o'clock, as we started to circle in the upper loop of the figure 8. Gary needed a nap!

Just up the road, near Twin Lakes, we got some great looks at a group of bison, including this darling calf.

And then, we saw folks stopped along the side of the road, and learned there was a mother bear with two of her cubs across the field. From her hump, I think she's a grizzly.

As we continued up the west side of the upper loop of the 8 we came to Mammoth Hot Springs. The Visitor Center and services are open year around, and the center is named after the first Park administrator, Horace Albright. He was great friends with John Muir, and they were the principal advocates to Congress when the Park was established. There is a lovely row of houses associated with Park Headquarters. The elk are so tame here they simply hang out on the front lawns.

The road to the north entrance and Gardner brings more rugged terrain.

And when you reach the North Entrance you encounter the magnificent stone arch erected when the park was dedicated in 1872, "for the people."

Driving back to Mammoth Hot Springs, we saw a little more of it before we turned east, along the top part of the top loop of the 8, to Tower.

This was a great place to see wildlife. While I was driving, Gary spotted and caught this coyote with the camera.

Next, we started to see very interesting things and realized we were coming upon the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. We would return to see more of this wonder tomorrow.

We travelled up the Dunraven Pass (8,859 feet) of Mt. Washburn, once again encountering snow. It wasn't to be the last time!

Friday, May 28, the beginning of Memorial Day week-end, was rainy and cold, and we spent most of it dodging rain showers as we visited Canyon, WY, the main attraction of which is the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. There is another Visitor Center at Canyon (we've mentioned before what a good job we think the National Park Service is doing), and then we took the drive to the upper and lower falls.

The Upper Falls, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

The Lower Falls, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

Our last "down" day had been the previous Monday in Jackson, WY, but we had another one on Saturday, May 29. Instead of burgers on the grill, or keeping our dinner reservation (25 miles away) at the Old Faithful Inn we settled for spaghetti and salad in Buster and trying to deal with the SNOW! All there was to do was what Liz was doing .... looking out at the rain and snow.

It was a little brighter, and warmer, and it was just drizzling on Sunday, May 30th, so we took our leave of Fishing Bridge. As we drove back to the Old Faithful area you can see the evidence of the previous day's precipitation. As I was in the car leading Gary out, I caught Buster's picture in my side mirror.

We decided to stop at Old Faithful Inn to sample the food since we missed our reserved dinner the night before.

It wasn't terrific (like the El Tovar at the Grand Canyon or the Ahwahnee in Yosemite had been when we were there in 2008). Gary had BBQ chicken and beans, and I had a patty melt. We were less sorry we had to miss dinner the night before!

We drove on to the Upper Geyser Basin and had a very moist experience with misting precipitation and the geyser's steaming as well. On the left is hot springs from the bank of the Little Firehole River.

The Excelsior Geyser is a huge one that only erupts sporadically, but when it does, it's a gusher!

Here are a few more pretty geyser pictures.

Leaving the park, we turned west at Madison and travelled along the Madison River until we got to West Yellowstone, Wyoming. We continued to see those beautiful elk in their protected environment.

It's a beautiful world, and we're so thankful there are folks devoted to keeping it as close to how it has always been for thousands and thousands of years. Yellowstone is amazing and exciting .... it feels like you're on the verge of something happening, maybe even exploding (you probably are). It was definitely someplace those who are on an adventure should have seen. And we were glad we did.

On to Idaho.

Julie, Gary and Liz