Yellowstone in One Day-Not Recommended for the Slow Natured at Heart

How lucky can we humans be in this day and age to have the ability to visit acres and acres of gorgeous scenery in one day! Don’t get me wrong, I am not advocating it, as I would have liked to stay for days in order to fully learn and appreciate the environment. But with our cars and high speed cameras, we are able to sight see a lot in the span of twelve hours! 

At a fork in the visitor central trail system, there is a path through nearby woodlands that leads to a high viewpoint overlooking Old Faithful. This is Geyser Hill where we caught the one more eruption of Old Faithful from a high vantage point.  The new Old Faithful Visitor Center is directly behind the geyser, the lodge is to the right. 

Our visit was timed just about right considering we only had this day. There was a little snow storm coming and as such the Park Service had made the announcement that all roads would be closed as of November 8. This morning had started out stunningly blue, as the day wore on, the clouds closed in and by night fall we knew we had to get out of the park and find a place to hunker down. 

Our drive out the west entrance was just as exciting at the ride in from the east. More mountains, buffalo, and elk, and sumptuous creek beds all made for a nice exit. 

Sadly, we did not go to Mammoth on this trip. Just leaves a reason to stop in again on our way back to Kansas to retrieve more of our belongings. 

With the closing of the park to automobiles, the east and west entrances were ghost towns at this time of year. Amazingly, the entrances are not flanked by huge cities. They are very small communities keeping the park low key. As I mentioned before, some of my relatives spent a lot of time growing up in the western states. They were there from the 1800's through the 1960's. The picture below reminds me of looking at my grandfather's photo albums. His mother had a Kodak Brownie and that got him hooked on photography (and his work at Eastman) and he got me hooked. Grandpa narrated his photo albums to me whenever he had a chance. The photos were aged just so and full of history. When I view my photo in this style, I can imagine Yellowstone the way he would have seen it when he and his mother photographed and painted the west. (only after taking the photo, grandpa would have taken the elk for dinner! A necessity in the early part of the 20th century.)

The relatively low lack of development is a nice observation for an eco-conscience person, however, for a person looking for a place to sleep, its a challenge. Like with eastern Wyoming, even the RV parks are closing up for winter. As such, we kept driving to Idaho Falls. Another family memory is Uncle Andy saying he would have been traveling this area on foot with a bed roll on his back. Then he'd just plop down anywhere he wanted to rest!  We're such poofs!

Yellowstone-Its more than just one Geyser!

The scenery on the boardwalk at the Old Faithful visitor center was just as beautiful and inspiring as the main attraction itself. The trail goes past Castle Geyser, Beehive Geyser, Daisy Geyser, Grand Geyser, among others that erupt just as impressively as the big one although at many different intervals. 

Remember our stop just yesterday at Thermopolis? (really, a couple of posts ago) Does any of this hot pot, natural spring landscape look familiar? Similar underground activity at work here. 

There is a long boardwalk over delicate natural features.  Some of the surfaces cannot support the weight of people. Some are gooey, some are deep holes!

Imagine this: my great Uncle Andy worked here around the time of the depression at what he called a “dude ranch.” He and my grandfather and the whole family grew up in the west (Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, Arizona). They were very much cowboys. One summer Andy, who at the time was probably late teen or early twenty-something, got the job of bear wrangler. Back then everyone around, including the park service, would feed the bears in order to bring them in close for the ‘dudes’ and tourists. Can you imagine that being done now?

At that same time, early in the history of Yellowstone, visitors walked all over the hot spring and geyser areas. How many people burned themselves? Or drowned? Or how many uneducated ‘dudes’ drank the sulfur strong water? Can you imagine walking on these features today? Not really, although somewhere else on the earth someone probably has a feature like this on their property that they and the animals traverse without a second thought. I personally don’t think that would cause any damage on a private scale. However, reserving the broad landscape here considering the throngs that visit during the summer does make sense. 

Sadly, we did not go to Mammoth on this trip. Just leaves a reason to stop in again on our way back to Kansas to retrieve more of our belongings. 

Look closely at the main stream on this geyser, you can see the water swirl as it is ejected!

Old Faithful

What is the one destination everyone has to see when visiting Yellowstone Park? There could be a few answers out there, but in the top three would be Old Faithful. That would be our fist destination. After a leisurely morning drive in, we arrived at the brand new Old Faithful Visitor’s center at about 11:30 am. Right in the middle of the rotunda is the sign that posts the next estimated eruption time: 11:55! How perfect could that be. I made a beeline for the viewing area. The layout of the visitor center includes a huge picture window on an axis looking straight out to the geyser. No question of where to go. 

Ken and I walked briskly to the seating area. A long, wide boardwalk makes a semi-circle around the geyser. There were a few other visitors today, but not a crowd, again, think about a fall visit! There was plenty of seating if anyone required it, and plenty of shoulder space. As the boiling action started, everyone stood still and watched. Shutters clicking, oohs and ahhs, cheering as if the geyser could respond! It was really amazing to stand there and think, we are on top of a giant old volcano! There is still some tremendous activity underground. We humans should never forget that we cannot totally control nature. 

Old Faithful spews up water and steam up to a height of 184 feet.

Once this eruption died down, Ken and I refocused on our lack of coffee this morning. I felt for sure there would be a snack bar of some sort available. We had stopped at the old visitor center and snack bar, yet it was shuttered for the season. We inquired at the visitor center desk about refreshments and they directed us to a new catered facility across the parking lot. Now I know the parks need to make money however they can, and I know they contract out most hospitality products, but they really need to require these places to match the quality of product to price. We went in for lunch: a cold sandwich, cup of chili, two coffees, and hot dog with chili. It was over $25!!!! The food was barely cafeteria quality. As such, we filled our coffee cups twice. I complained because I had food in the car that would have been better-namely a peanut butter and black cherry jelly sandwich would have been better. So, just a tip for you future travelers. 

After lunch we went back to the trails that wind around Old Faithful, through the forest, and across many other smaller geysers, mud pots, mineral pools, and streams. There are a good many photos from this walk so move along to the next post. 

Cody to Yellowstone in a Hurry–Before they Close!

We woke before sunrise in order to make our one day super trip through Yellowstone. Before we left Texas, we were warned that the roads would close for the winter. There was not a set time, it was usually weather based. It was evident that the north road would close first being the highest elevation entryway. Our friend Christine and her boyfriend go to Yellowstone at least once a year to photograph, relax, and look for wolves. She maintains a great website on the natural wonders of Yellowstone, excellent writing and photos http://www.ylwstone.com/ . Christine had given us lots of tips on places to go and where and when. She also went to the park for a second time this year in October and we had hoped to meet her there. However, our timing did not work out that way.

By time we left Denver, we found out by observing the Yellowstone website that the paved roads would close on November 8. Here we are again, just making a destination in the nick-of-time! Ken and I were determined to make it to the park as neither of us had been there and dag-nabit, it was on the way to Alaska! I had been all around the park on various other trips, and Ken had been to Jackson Hole. The entire region up in the Wyoming, Montana, Idaho border area is full of a good many destinations. 

As expected, our ‘campsite’ host was open and we could go in and freshen up before we left. We were in too much of a hurry to get anything to eat, we just wanted to get on the road. And yet again, not utilizing our new camp stove or coffee pot. Yellowstone is close, but we had many a rubbernecking stops planned in the park. The sunrise was gorgeous when we left, much like the pink and blue we saw entering Denver.

Not only was the sunrise lovely, but the entire drive west into Yellowstone was as well to us flat landers. We still had not been on any tough mountain drives–not that we needed any more reason to go slow with our heavy load. The road west out of Cody follows the Shoshone River and it forms a little canyon leading to the Buffalo Bill Reservoir (top photo below). The morning sun on the hills and mountains was very painterly! 

A Night in Cody: Tips to Save Money on Camping and Internet

Another feature that seemed to have changed since my sister and I visited Thermopolis was the availability of camping. I could have sworn we camped in the park area outside the hot springs. There was ample open space and picnic tables, but there was also a small amphitheater so things may have changed. Or, my memory may need refreshing. At any rate, the only campsite we were told of nearby was an RV park on the edge of town so we decided to head on into Cody. (Our previous RV park experience in Casper having not been too exciting.) As we drove to Cody, we did pass a state park with tent camping sites along the Big Horn River. Which leads to another tip of road tripping: finding a place to sleep before it gets dark. Try as we might on this trip or my trip of 1999 (or numerous others in between) it is hard to stop driving when you still have daylight! We might have considered stopping in the state park on the river if we had known about it...but Cody also seemed like a good destination. 

I remember Cody being a good ol’ western town. There is the Buffalo Bill Museum, lots of tack and farm stores, many old buildings still in use from last turn of the century, and lots of open range and mountains. At night it kind of looks the same, with the addition of many more chain restaurants. Being dark and since its out of season, we were not going to spend time looking for a campground. When Ken and I departed for this trip, he asked that we sometimes stay in the parking lot of that big chain whose name shall not be spoken. The gianormous RVs do it so it should be ok. I agreed, only to save money and have a 24 hour toilet if we did not buy anything there. 

We drove trough town and found the spot, then went out to look for dining. We also wanted to contact our friends in Alaska to alert them of our status. I could have just called, but we wanted to Skype and check in on emails. Unfortunately, I had been talked out of a traveling internet service so we cruised the hotels for an open network. Some of the chain hotels did have available networks, but the range just wasn’t quite good enough. In the search we noticed a retail store network pop up. It was a business that was closed for the night so we did not feel bad parking right in front to gain connection. I won’t mention the name so they do not feel imposed upon, but I was glad to find a route to the internet superhighway. Hey, when you are on a fixed income moving you have to save money where ever possible. We talked to Jim and Lindsay for quite a while and found out the weather in Alaska was cold already. After the call it was back to the resting spot to bundle in for the night. The weather in Cody this night was cool, not quite cold, maybe 40s though they expected frost overnight. The elevation here is about 5,000 so the air is crystal clear. The town was fairly dark so we could see many stars. 

Preparing the trailer to sleep in was hard and easy. Easy in that the beds were already laid out. Hard in that we had packed a lot of stuff on top of the bed which had to be moved. We had a suitcase up there, the box of kitchen supplies (utensils and food), shoes, extra coats, and spare packing boxes. Most of the non-valuables we moved into the car, the valuables–computers, cameras and the like–we moved into the trailer with us. This would be our third night in the rig with the narrow sleeping space. Ken cracked open the rear fold-down door for ventilation and we closed the side door. He put the locks closed on the latches out side so no one could lock us in. It was a little uneasy getting to sleep thinking about this but we had no problems. 

With the two of us in the small space, we actually kept fairly warm. To liven the home-on-the-road up, Ken installed our battery operated LED twinkle lights. Those really made all the difference! Have to have fun on a trip like this! 

Thermopolis, World’s Largest Mineral Hot Springs, a Great Rest Stop on the Road

The scenic byway of the Wind River continues a little past Thermopolis, however, I was determined to stop for a soak in the mineral springs. There are three bath house opportunities for soaking, two are mini-theme parks garishly colored and filled with cooky rides and slides, the third middle house is the state park http://wyoparks.state.wy.us/Site/SiteInfo.asp?siteID=9 . I like to say its the one instance where the U.S. government kept its agreement with the Native Americans. The agreement with the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Indian tribes when the U.S. absconded with their land, was that the hot springs remain free to the people in perpetuity. And today it is. 

In a theme that has been and will be with us throughout this trip, we got there in the nick of time. The free park closed at 5:30 and we arrived at 4:30. There is a limit on soak time of 15 minutes and we were stymied by the outdoor pool being closed for cleaning but had the backup opportunity for the indoor pool. With such beautiful weather out, it would have been nice to soak it all up outside. Regardless, the healthful benefits of a mineral soak were not to be missed. 

The bath spring water is maintained at 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Minerals found in the water include sulfur, calcium sulfate, magnesium, sodium, hydrogen carbonate, and many more. Very considerate of nature to put these ingredients all in a blend that is habitable to humans! 

As mentioned, Ken and I arrived in time to relax and enjoy a soak in the bath house. The building has a wonderful picture window view of the nearby mountains seen from the pool. I cannot fault the park service for putting a limit on the spring soak, 15 minutes was just about right. There were a few other folks soaking in the time we were there and everyone was calm and happy! Thank you to the geothermal processes!

After our soak, we took a nice stroll on the boardwalk over the mineral pools to the historic suspension bridge that crosses the Rocky Mountain Big Horn River (the Wind River changes names when leaving the canyon). 

The dissolved and deposited limestone in the form of calcium gives the overflow edge along the river the big cascade effect. Just the right temperature and mineral combination also makes the water home to numerous algae which decorate parts of the surface pools with vibrant colors. For a DOE technical analysis of the geographical formation, see this pdf site http://www.osti.gov/bridge/purl.cover.jsp?purl=/6053845-rsRTid/native/ 

I am not a scientist, but I could not help thinking when looking at old photos, and even my own memory of 10 years ago, that there seemed to be less flow of spring water today than in the past. It could have just been the season, or day, or cycle. I hope these springs continue to flow for generations to enjoy. We did have a pleasant evening. 

Wind River Canyon Scenic Byway, Wyoming

It was kind of a good thing that the four-wheel drive folks wanted to get out of town. We could have hung out in their shop all day marveling at the AMC Eagles they had outfitted. Since we could not, it meant we were able to keep rolling along our trip to Alaska. We were leaving Casper early enough to drive through the Wind River Canyon in daylight, something I was really looking forward to. 

A stop at Thermopolis Hot Springs State Park had been planned early on in discussions of this long trip. One route to the hot springs was up Wyoming I-20 past the Boysen Reservoir and along the Wind River which has cut a spectacular canyon north between Shoshoni and Thermopolis http://www.wyomingtourism.org/overview/Wind-River-Canyon-Scenic-Byway/31254 . When my sister and I made this trip in 1999, we came upon the canyon at night. Even though it was dark, we could tell we were traveling through some place really spectacular. Only after our stop in Thermopolis did we learn about the Wind River Canyon. She and I had always hoped to see it again in daylight and now here I was. 

Over a billion years of geology can be seen by way of the layers of rock along the walls delineating the highway. The canyon rises up to 2,500 feet on either side in some spots. There are informative signs to tell the driver the age of the rock layer they are passing by, i.e. Precambrian 2.9 billion years. For geology buffs and rock climbers, this is sweet! Our drive today was enhanced once again by bright blue skies and light traffic enabling us to marvel slowly at nature.

At the north end of the canyon, you come upon some red sandstone, Triassic layers, due to ancient fault line movement and erosion of the above layers. It seems as if the canyon just vanishes. And once again we are in the Wyoming plains. Very interesting, this natural environment.

After my first drive through this magnificent formation, I purchased a book “Wind River Trails” by Finis Mitchell, originally published in 1975. This little book is a hiking and fishing guide to the many trails of the Wind River Range. Next time through, I will take a few side trips.

May you always camp where waters run clear

Within serene valleys of flowers and shade,

Where well trod trails of friendship meet

And your kindness and grace never fade.

-opening refrain from ‘Your Land and Mine’ by Finis Mitchell

Casper, Wyoming and the Metal Gas Can Enigma

Driving the Alaska Highway, its rumored that the traveler should be a self contained emergency rescue vehicle. The traveler should carry spare car parts: headlights, tires, gas cans, duct tape, etc. There should also be easily accessible: cold weather gear consisting of down coats or sleeping bags, extra boots, gloves, hats, etc. Food and water is a must in case you are really stranded. And of course real emergency gear: flares, flashlight, and tools. 

Thankfully, it is now the 21st century and automobiles are made to last longer, drive further on a tank of gas, and tires last longer. This is all well and good if one should be traveling in the summer. We, however, have pushed the limit of travel date and will be entering in the ‘off season’ for most stops. By towing a trailer, we had all the space we needed for spare and emergency gear. However, there was one item yet to purchase, a metal jerry can.

The are lodges and small towns spaced about 100 miles apart on the most remote parts of the Alaska highway and through the deep stretches of northern British Columbia and the Yukon. Usually the traveler can feel confident in finding gas when necessary. We did not plan on adequate openings and wanted to carry a metal jerry can with us just in case. As with trying to find an oil pan heater in Texas, finding a metal gas can seemed to be just as elusive. When looking for one in Kansas, people gave Ken that ‘I don’t know what you are talking about’ look. We determined that they just were not familiar with the term ‘jerry can.’ Odd, who isn’t? So, metal gas can it was. None-the-less, a metal can was proving hard to find until Casper. 

Ken and I were confounded. How, in this time of hyped-up, four-wheel drive Jeeps, Land Cruisers, trucks, Hemi’s, Range Rovers, etc. etc., could we not find a metal gas can with an external mount? That’s the key, with the mount. Ken wanted to mount the can externally on the trailer since we had been sleeping in it. Finding the mount for the can was a trick. Luck was on our side, as had been the weather. Having not found one thus far, we searched the internet for hardware stores and 4-wheel drive shops in the Casper area- and -eureka! We found both parts, but at different businesses. 

Ken talked to Mick at Evolution 4x4 in Casper http://www.evolution4x4.net/ Mick did know what Ken was looking for, but unfortunately, he was out of cans. He did, however, have the external can mount. Mick referred us to Murdoch’s Hardware for the can http://www.murdochs.com/ . Sure enough, they had one. And boy did they have everything else you could possibly need to outfit a rig or ranch! Murdoch’s was your local Ace or True Value on steroids. Most Americans living in big cities with capitalist, commercial, chain store options on every corner do not realize how limited a selection and generic the products are. Murdoch’s carried everything from chicken feed to clothing to car parts and many different brands than found at the larger stores. We are definitely tool-gear-outdoor nerdy and thusly had a fun time looking around the store. With our shiny new red jerry can-with the new regulation cap-in hand we were off to find Evolution 4 x 4.

And now back to our previous segment called, your GPS doesn’t know &*#%! We programmed in Evolution into the Magellan and it gave us an address which we promptly drove to. Nothing, just houses. A dreary street. We saw a couple of guys talking outside what looked like it could be a secret workshop and asked if they knew where our elusive business was. Neither were very sure, they thought it might have moved but did know know exactly where. So, we called Evolution again to get directions. Mick asked if we had used Mapsco or a GPS. He said his business had moved TWO YEARS ago and does not know why the old address is still found on mapping services. Our Magellan is barely one year old, hence our annoyance with it. 

Anyway, once we go to Evolution, we had a blast meeting Mick and the rest of the crew. All avid 4 x 4 guys and gals for real! These guys even weld and fabricate their own roll cages. (Take that you fake off-road clubs in Texas) Serious business these guys were, as much as they wanted to help us, they had a ride planned that afternoon and where hot to get out of town! Mick indeed had the mount for the metal jerry can which we gladly purchased, then contemplated where to attach, and then let the guys go have some fun! Thanks Evolution!

First and Only Attempt Sleeping in an RV Park

We arrived in Casper around dinner time after sunset making it difficult to find a campground or RV park. Sure they are listed on the map, but daylight really helps find them better. Many signs are not lighted, roads are harder to see, and campsites are not lighted. Ten years ago when my sister and I made this trip, it was May and we had an easier time finding campgrounds. We were tent camping then, at this time, Ken and I are trying to sleep in our trailer in order to save money. Searching for campgrounds on the GPS is difficult as RV parks tend to call themselves campgrounds. A misnomer if you ask me as the RVer has brought their whole home with them! RVing is NOT camping! Ken and I were prepared to sleep in the trailer or pitch a tent if we needed to. (Above, typical driving view in eastern Wyoming. Below, sunset approaching Casper)

Since Ken and I are now traveling in November, many of the RV parks/campgrounds are closed for the season. This is one thing the GPS cannot tell us. The GPS can in some cases provide a number. However, when I called at this time of evening, some places did not answer, or had answering machines. In those two cases, I could mark that location off the list. There was one place that answered the phone, a combination RV and tent camping site. There are a few that offer both spaces. 

And now another segment of, your GPS doesn’t know %$#&! With the address for the Casper East RV Park programmed in the Magellan, we sailed down the road. And sailed, and sailed. There was no obvious sign for the RV park yet the Magellan said we had arrived. We did not see the location so kept driving. Casper is not a big town, so soon we were way too far gone. We turned around heading back to Casper and again passed the location the GPS thought was our destination. No sign, no nothing. We took what we thought was the nearest exit and looped back on a side road. Sure enough, we finally saw a sign. It was on a road perpendicular to what might be considered a feeder to the freeway. Not very obvious. 

At this time of night, the office was closed and as such in a place like this, payment is self service. I filled out a form and tried to figure out their pricing for tent camping. I took advantage of Ken’s veteran status and dropped payment of $18.47 into the night box for a tent camping site. Though not a KOA (which was closed for the season believe it or not) it was very similar. There are many of these independent RV parks that accommodate RVs with and without hook ups, tent sites with or without electricity, and separate shower and toilet facilities for tenters. All-in-all, not too bad a deal for road trippers if the location is well maintained. 

Ken wasn’t too impressed. The first thing that turned him (and me) off was the location right by the railroad track. Cargo trains run at night folks. So any of you out there planning on the same money saving situation, be warned. And the memories all came back to me. On many a road trip in my past, in many different states, I have found the same thing. I guess people who operated RV/campgrounds find cheap land-located near utilities, railroad tracks and the like that no one else wants. The next morning we went to the showers to clean up as it had been a few days. They were so-so. Ken might have rather had a motel shower, but at this price, it would do. We cleaned up, packed up the trailer and headed into Casper to see if we could find a metal gas can. On the drive in, we enjoyed our delicious danishes we had purchased the day before at the Bread Basket Bakery, yum!