Yellowstone National Park

May 25, 2009

We traveled north from Grand Tetons to the south entrance of Yellowstone-dirt road and all. The lake region of Yellowstone was still frozen and just beautiful. We arrived at Old Faithful in time to see the geyser show off. It was grand! It starts with some belching, then short spurts, then a grand spray for several minutes ending with more sputtering.

We got settled west of the town of West Yellowstone, MT – Yea – wifi, TV and occasional phone reception. This KOA has an old-fashioned 2 person swing and plenty of space at each site – fabulous!

Yellowstone is so big that it is hard to see everything. Fortunately we arrived before school was out and avoided the massive traffic we experienced several years ago. We took several of the walking loops through the geysers seeing examples of all three types; hot springs, fumaroles, and mud pots. Each geyser had something unique about it and I wanted to see them all! Many of the hot springs was actually at a boil. Each was a different shade of blue, with bacteria growth of oranges, yellows and pinks. It is amazing to stand on the boardwalk and know that you are looking down into the mouth of a volcano, magma creating the heat in evidence at the surface. Fumaroles are noisy things, spewing dry steam from rocky surfaces. Mud pots could be called nothing else. It is like watching oatmeal simmer and boil in shades of brown and red.

We got a glimpse of Old Faithful Inn on our first day and wanted to see more. We ate a lovely dinner in the old dining room and got information about the daily tours. The lady hosting our tour group literally wrote the book on the lodge. The lodge, built in 1904, was the first of the national park lodges and set the tone for the rest. The goal was to create an atmosphere of living in the woods, complete with a tree house of sorts, four floors up in the lobby. The Inn, made of local materials, blends and enhances the natural setting and is comfortable. Much of the same furniture designed and built for the lodge is still in use, and still comfortably inviting. The original rooms are simple boxes with a shelf and dowel hooks to accommodate belongings, some had a sink, but communal bathrooms were the only option. This old style is still available but suites and private baths have been added as rooms were built on. The original cedar panels of the hallways are removed and steam cleaned periodically. We visited with one of the maintenance crew who added many interesting facts during our tour. He told us that the whole place shuts down in October for crews to completely clean and winterize. All first floor windows are boarded and water is drained from all pipes, in addition to other procedures. This gentleman has been spending his summers here since retiring several years before. We met many service people who had made the same retirement choice, including a lady who annually drives from South Carolina! She makes up dinners and freezes them for her husband who doesn’t want to leave home.

During the tour, the group is taken out to the front entrance for a sense of the view that greeted early visitors. While admiring the portico, one of the more erratic geysers, the Beehive, blew. The tour stopped for us to enjoy the rare spectacle. The hotel is situated so that visitors on the veranda, a deck on the entrance roof, may be treated to both this geyser and Old Faithful while sipping drinks and lounging in comfort. This is the kind of detail the architect considered in every aspect of design.

We also enjoyed the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. The Yellowstone River falls in a beautiful cascade into the gorge. The falls and canyons are on the east side of what is referred to as the Grand Loop of the park. Geysers dominate the north and west sides while the lake region dominates the south. We drove through the north and south, getting the flavor, but lacked time for exploring. The north entrance features Mammoth Hot Springs. The Lodge here is a Victorian spa set in bare rolling hills. The springs are sulfuric, white-cake-frosting type formations. They beckon you to relax and “take the waters.”

People who camped in the park were treated to a variety of wild life. We saw buffalo – lots of buffalo. There were crowds of people snapping one picture after another. They must not have been from Texas or the central plains states!

NEXT TIME: stay in the park at Mammoth Hot Springs

Jackson, Wyoming and Grand Teton National Park

May, 2009

We camped one night at the Moose-Wilson KOA near Jackson, WY. Our view from Teton Pass clearly explains why the valley is called Jackson Hole. The name comes from an old fur trapper who worked the area.

Downtown's park square is complete with deer and elk antler gates at each entrance. Saloons, T-shirt shops and river guides abound. We really enjoyed the National Park Service’s visitor center and game preserve. As usual, the NPS rangers were friendly and very well informed. The well-displayed exhibits were helpful and gave us a good preview of the Grand Tetons.

We took a walk near the campgrounds and discovered a baby eagle in a nest atop a telephone pole. There are 4 by 4 foot platforms on utility poles throughout the west, many with large nests. This is the only one we got close enough to see the baby, screaming and yelling either at our presence or a lack of food.

The Grand Tetons are so majestic! The vantage point is from the east, looking at these snowy peaks from across a lake or, at times, across a meadow. The string of finger lakes at the base of the range provide perfect reflection pools. In mid May, snow covered all but the lowest elevations.

This was our first stay inside a national park, the first that could accommodate a large rig. The advantage to staying in the park boundaries is that you are there – no time is wasted getting to the entrances, although we covered a lot of distance getting to the many areas we wanted to see inside the park. The downside is there is no TV, WiFi, or phone coverage except at the lodge. So we spent a lot of time at the lodge, which was a good thing.

Wildlife is everywhere! We saw bear, elk, moose, wolf and eagle. A group of us at the lodge watched two wolves stalk the elk herd. They managed to corner a member of the herd, but she used terrain and vegetation to escape and rejoin her friends. Russell was working inside and missed the event, but later he elevated it to a life and death struggle to the end when relating it to others .

Our experiences here led to a desire to improve our equipment. We bought a new digital camera and binoculars and dusted off the old Cannon 35mm camera.

NEXT TIME: more hikes, ride the Jenny Lake boat, stay longer.