From the Beautiful to the Bizarre - Yellowstone Continued

Mammoth Hot Springs

The algae in the warm pools have tinted the travertine red, orange, green and brown.

The lower and upper travertine terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs are the product of dissolved subterranean limestone which is continuously deposited as the hot spring water cools when contacted with the air.  The colored runoff from the otherwise white terraces is due to the bacteria and algae that flourish in the warm waters. There are also many sulphur springs here to enjoy, but the smell is pretty offensive. Smells like rotten
eggs.

Friday, July 25th, 2014 - Day 56

 We did it!  We were out of the house ( it’s funny how I know consider it my “house” ) and at our destination of Mammoth Springs before 7:30 AM!  We had the place to ourselves!  We walked the many boardwalks, and climbed lots of stairs, enjoying the many thermal exhibits and had a picnic breakfast I had packed.

Empty parking lot!  What a feat to beat the thousands of people here!

We browsed the general stores, enjoyed the morning then went back and had much needed naps.  We then checked emails and took it easy since it was another brilliantly sunny but very hot day, and these early mornings are rather tough.

Saturday, July 26th, 2014 – Day 57

Boy, I wondered if the sky could possibly be bluer!  Once again, with breakfast packed, we headed out a little after 7:00 AM and drove about an hour south, to Norris Geyser Basin. When we arrived there were not more than a half dozen cars in the parking lot.  Nice!

Norris Geyser Basin is North America’s most volatile geo-thermal area.  Norris is also home to the majority of the world’s acidic geysers, fed by the basin’s abundant supply of foul smelling sulphur.  It is said that “in Norris the earth sighs, boils and rages like nowhere else on earth”.

The early morning sun filtering through the steam from the hot springs at Norris Geyser Basin. 

While the boiling waters, bubbling mud and spouting steam vents were particularly beautiful in the morning light, we soon got a little bored.  Luckily we happened upon a Ranger giving a tour and joined everyone as she explained each of the different areas, why they look as they do, and how they are constantly changing.  It certainly made the 3 mile walk very fascinating.  

About 11AM we got back to the entrance and found busloads of people, not a parking space to be had, and a line down the road waiting to get in!  It is pretty difficult to get up and out that early, but it really pays off if you want to avoid the crowds. 

The day was still young and very, very beautiful, so we decided to take the long way home and check out what they claim is the “Grand Canyon of Yellowstone”.  

Norm checking out a model of all the hiking spots. Hmmmm.... which ones to choose?

We stopped at nearly every observation point, marveling at the Grand Tetons in the distance, as we chatted with several couples that had the same plan. 

It was another 11 hour, very long, but wonderful day.

Sunday, July 28th 2014 – Day 58

This is our last day in the northern part of the park, and we feel we have seen most of it.  I had wished to take kayak white-water lessons on the nearby river, but the sun was so intense it might have been torture.  So we decided on a hike we heard a lot about – Beaver Pond Trail.

We finally arrived at the Beaver Pond.  But there was no evidence of any
beavers .  Oh well.

We started a little after 8AM up the mountain behind Mammoth Springs. 

We were greeted by a “severe bear warning” poster before we even hit the trail, so that made me quite nervous and wishing someone was around to join us. 

Gee, what's the fuss?  This grizzly is quite
friendly!

 The first 3 miles was in  lovely wooded, but very hilly terrain.  As Norm joined me making all kinds of noise, pretending we were a large group of people, we felt very foolish, but better foolish than dead, I say. ( Well, I never actually “said” that, but it applies).  We were very disappointed in the “Beaver Pond” because it appeared they had not been there in years. 

The route back took us out into the open.  We walked another 3 miles in the blazing sun hoping to see some wildlife without a mob of people.  No luck!  But we did see some pronghorn after we got back in the car and took a side road.  At least we were the only ones around, so that made it very nice.

Boy, the sun is sure intense!  Do I look like a cowboy/girl?  I don't know how
they did it!  It's hard to breathe under that hankie!

Norm still on the lookout for wild animal sightings.

Finally found some pronghorn after we got back into the car and drove 5 miles on an old carriage road. It was easy to imagine what it was like to be on a stagecoach riding through the area. 

In the afternoon, I did some more laundry.  Tomorrow we will move to the more southern area of the park to explore what is around there.

Monday, July 28th, 2014 - Day 59

Today we moved to Grant Campground inside the National Park.  This will be our first time with the RV without the wonderful comforts of modern living.  No electricity, water and the all important sewer connections, TV, nor internet.   We considered it “Walmart camping in the woods”. Or, a “Bear-proof tent”!  An adventure to see what we are still made of.  Just three years ago we loved to spend a week in a tent, so this can’t be so bad, can it?

One thing we were told, and we read, was that Yellowstone is BIG.  It is one thing to hear, another is to experience it!  It really is HUGE!  Everything takes at least an hour to get to.  If the bison are in the road?  It could take 3 hours more.  Distances are pretty long, and speed limits are slow.  Anywhere from 25MPH to a speedy 45MPH.  

The herd of bison in Hayden Valley often stops traffic for up to three hours.  We waited about 45 minutes.
Check out the crazy lady hanging out her car dangerously close to those wild beasts!

We had a great view of a huge bison herd just hanging out in Hayden Valley as we drove through.  The height of the motorhome was akin to Stadium Seating for an event.  We watched them stand, fight, and seemingly fall asleep in the middle of the road.  And their sounds!  They sound like tigers! If I closed my eyes, I would imagine I was on an African Safari! 

After about 40 minutes, a Park Ranger finally came and moved the herd like a cowboy on his trusty horse. (shouldn't he be driving a Mustang?).

Norm and I arrived at Grant Campground several hours later than we anticipated, set up, then set off to hit the Visitor’s Center, and return to really “ camp “.

Tuesday, July 29th – Day 60

The Yellowstone "must see" Old Faithful geyser.  We were not impressed.

Well, you can’t go to Yellowstone without visiting the famous geyser Old Faithful; the symbol of America’s first national park. 

 This geyser still erupts quite “faithfully” spouting water and steam in a range of 106-184 feet in the air about every 90 minutes, lasting about 5 minutes. 

Twenty minutes before the big event, busloads of people were dropped off, and a hush descended the crowd.  Sputtering began, then with a “whoosh” it erupted.  Is that it?  THAT is Old Faithful?  Hate to say it, but Norm and I were quite disappointed.  The lack of any response in the crowd tells me our opinion was shared.

Yellowstone Park has many gorgeous hot springs.  The white trunks on the trees in the background
are due to the silica in the springs.  

Norm and I waited over an hour for this lack-luster geyser.

We walked along the board walk looking at the more than 20 geysers and pools in the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone.  Some were constantly sputtering, some gurgling, some were spouting steam. 

 We overheard the Park Ranger say that Riverside geyser, her favorite, was scheduled to erupt in 10 minutes!  We practically ran about a ½ mile to get a seat and wait a few minutes.  And wait. And wait.

An hour later we were rewarded with spurting hot water and steam.  It lasted longer than our attention span.  We then both agreed, these mud pots and geysers are just not our thing.  There were a couple of beautifully colored pools that we enjoyed more.

Morning Glory Pool near Old Faithful geyser .  Really beautiful, and so very weird!

We had reservations at what was claimed to be the nicest restaurant in the park for Wednesday night.   White linens and all!  I did not want a repeat of our last dinner back in Banff, so I wanted to go check the menu, and I hate to admit it- the prices as well.  

Internet photo of Lake Yellowstone Hotel dining room where we
enjoyed a fabulous meal!

It was about 5PM when we arrived at Lake Yellowstone Hotel's dining room.  The menu looked great, and the prices were within reason.  What we did discover with this little excursion was that the drive from Grant Campground to Yellowstone Inn was longer than we would want to make the next night.  We looked around and were quite horrified at how people were dressed going to this lovely restaurant!  Haute Couture Hiking wear?  Sweaty is acceptable? What has this world come to?  

I hate to eat in a “special” place feeling and looking as though I have been though a war-zone, but the menu looked so wonderful, and we were there. If I had come the next night in the outfit I was planning on, I would have almost looked foolish. Like they say, " When you're in Rome......."

  They had a lovely table by the window available for us, so with a little “freshening up “ in our respective restrooms, we sat and had a delicious meal of bison tenderloin, although dressed as we were, with no make-up or even lipstick on, I felt it definitely took away from my ( not Norm’s ) experience. 

At this point, we have been very lucky to have spent 7 days in Yellowstone National Park, and we discovered the terrain in the lower portion is not our favorite.  We prefer the mountains to foul-smelling cauldrons of bubbling mud and steam . 

Horseback riding is one of the many ways to see the park.

 So with our remaining 2 days, we went back to the Canyon area and hiked around it, then took the time to get the Chevy HHR tow car serviced.  Oil change and new brakes were in order.  Having seen all we want to here, we decided to move on a day early.

During our stay here at Grant Campground, I have had the opportunity to learn something about myself. I learned that I actually prefer the luxury of full service motorhome camping, and would most likely be miserable back in a tent!  I thought I was born to tent-camp!  10 years of Girl Scouting taught me how to tame the wilds - build a shelter, cook eggs in a paper-bag, and pee in a self-dug hole, for heaven’s sake!  At 59 years old, should I admit that I no longer want to do that?  That I actually prefer running water?   Norm never really camped before he met me, but he has no problem admitting that a soft bed, and warm shower and a cold beer is the nicer way to “camp”.  Sissy.

I also must say we learned how to "zig" when the masses "zagged", therefore, we did not feel that Yellowstone was very crowded at all. Where are the millions of people?  I have read that if you get out onto the trails, you will encounter only 10% of the visitors.  We can vouch for that. 

  

Yellowstone-Lemar Valley and the Beartooth Hwy

Our route from the furthest point, Jasper AB, to the north entrance of Yellowstone National Park

Ahhh….Yellowstone.  This is a park that you dream of your whole life.  The largest and oldest of all our National Parks.  221,000 acres.  Where one sees an abundance of wildlife, spouting geysers, bubbling mud, colorful canyons, sparkling streams, lakes and waterfalls.

Wednesday, July 24th, 2014 – Day 54

As we approached the park from the north, I had the excitement of a Christmas morning.  I couldn't wait to get around each bend to see what natural “present” I was going to get.

Wow!  As we drove near the north entrance to Yellowstone, I could not believe how it looked like another world!

 What is so amazing about Yellowstone is that there are so many different landscapes - different climates. From Mammoth Hot Springs to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone from quiet solitude to throngs of people; Yellowstone should not be missed.

The Roosevelt Arch at the north entrance to Yellowstone

We came to Yellowstone through the north entrance, staying at Rocky Mountain RV Park; a very nice, meticulously maintained private park a couple of blocks from the entrance, in Gardiner, Montana.    This was our “base camp” for the next 5 days.

 We were shocked by the heat here in this part of Yellowstone.  The car’s thermometer registered 104 degree’s!  Over the past 2 months, we have been blessed with cool conditions, necessitating polar fleece. Now, for the first time, I have had to locate the “summer” clothes, smooth out the wrinkles, and hope they still fit.

 We headed to our usual first day activity, which was checking out the Visitor’s Center. As we drove up the mountain to Mammoth Hot Springs, the air was much cooler, but as we approached, we were horrified by the crowds!  The giant herd of elk with their calves certainly was a large contributor to the confusion in the area. People (myself included – hey, I am a tourist too) jumped out of their cars to capture these cuties before they disappeared.  (As the week passed, we found that they are actually there all the time, for some reason).

This is one of the many baby elk hanging around the Mammoth Springs Visitor Center.

 We quickly learned that in order to avoid these crowds, we had to get up and out very early.  7AM was going to have to be the goal. Ugh.

You would never know where these Elk will show up!
They must have come downtown for Happy Hour!

Armed with more brochures and maps, we went back to make a plan.  I did a mega load of laundry in preparation for a busy couple of weeks, and washed off the car’s caked-on mud at the local car wash.












Thursday, July 24th, 2014 – Day 55


Norm and I decided to make our first full day here a long one.  I had read so much about the Beartooth Highway, (east of Yellowstone NP toward Red Lodge ) that it became a “must do “.

We discovered these swallow nests on the backside of a rock formation

 We drove through Lamar Valley where they claim you see the most of the large animal life.  We did, in fact, see a herd of bison, an elk or two, and a small herd of pronghorn.

Peek-a-boo!  Swallow inside next

Note:  Here in Yellowstone, there is another phenomenon; the behavior of tourists in the event of a possible animal sighting.  Many of them have no regard for their own personal safety. Or that of others.
We have seen idiots who will get within 20 feet of a wild, potentially dangerous animal ( you’re supposed to be outside of 75 feet with elk, 300 feet with a bear or wolves ) and turn their back to them and take a “selfie”! Crazy!

All it takes is to pull your car over.  It doesn't matter if you just needed to consult your map, you can be assured that nearly every car following will pull in behind you.  If you get out of your car, look toward the woods with a camera or binoculars?  Mayhem. Tires will squeal, the road will be blocked, and within 10 seconds you will be in the midst a crowd. (Great way to meet people, actually.)  I must admit, there have been many times I have made Norm stop so I may join in for perhaps another photo op.

People seem to collect animal photographs like trophies.  Let’s see; pronghorn, black bear, elk, etc.  “Have you seen a grizzly yet?” someone will ask.  “Coyotes?”  We still need to find a bald eagle, moose and grizzly, hopefully from the safety of the car.  Norm wants to see a beaver.

Another awesome why to get to know Yellowstone is by horseback.
( We chose not to join this "herd" of people )

Bison are frequently seen in the Lamar Valley

We turned onto strange, unmarked roads just to see where they were, looking for some wildlife of our very own.  We found a road leading to a fire tower where there were volunteers manning it. They explained how they would determine the exact location of a fire with a very antique-looking device.  The elevation was about 10,000 feet and the wind was incredibly strong.  Brrrrr.  Very picturesque though.

We stopped for lunch and a little nap overlooking the "Bear tooth" in the background. ( the peak in the middle )

When we reached the top of the mountain at the Firetower, this beauty was a complete surprise!
Beartooth Butte is the remnant of this 500 million year old seabed.  It's sedimentary rocks are  rich with fossils.

Ho-humm.... just another breathtaking scene!

We drove on, stopping to take pictures of the breathtaking alpine lakes and snow-capped mountains.  The sprawling meadows of wildflowers were exploding with a variety of colors. Fifty photos later, we were back in the car.

This little lake was up at 11,000 feet!  Wind was about 90 mph! The wildflowers were just amazing!

The road twisted and turned with numerous tight switchbacks, finally topping out at 11,000 feet!  There was a trail at the top that we contemplated hiking, until we got out of the car.  Here, the air was thin, and the day was late, but the bigger problem was the wind.  While parked in the lot, the car rocked like a boat on the turbulent seas.  Stepping out, our clothes were nearly ripped off our bodies!  My tight headband earmuff got ripped off, and Norm’s Tilly hat with strings around his throat blew off his head and was practically strangling him!

Hard to imagine how much snow was here if by the end of July
there is this much left beside the highway!

Now this is serious snow moving equipment!

Because the wind was so brutal, I had to lie on my stomach just to take a picture.  We guess the wind had to be over 90 mph.  I have no idea how motorcycles were possibly staying on the road, nor how tall motorhomes where making it up these incredibly steep grades.

The Beartooth Hwy is an extremely steep road, loaded with switch-backs!

At this point, we turned around to head back. After 11 hours of exploration, we happily arrived home, and had the beef stew I had cooked the day before.  What a great day!

Alison, you don't need to make snow-angels!

Glacier National Park

Friday, July 18th and Saturday, July 19th, 2014 - Days 49 and 50

The smoke was really blocking the view on the "Going to the Sun" road
Glacier National Park

I am playing “catch up” on the blog, so most of the details are very blurry regarding the 5 days spent in Glacier National Park.

I do remember that the smoke from Washington, Oregon and Kelowna, BC (where Norm’s sister and her husband live) were really hazing out the mountains. Oh, such a disappointment!

We found our campground - Johnson’s of St. Mary Campground and RV Park, located up a steep hill, and proceeded to set up camp.

 This campground was VERY different from what we have been experiencing so far.  Our luck ran out, I guess.  The sites were extremely small and uneven.  When you stepped out the door, you had to be careful not to trip over your neighbor’s sewer line, and forget the use of the picnic table. There was really no place to put it.  Oh well, with the wind blowing so fiercely we probably wouldn't have used it anyway.

Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park is a
Civil Engineering Historic Landmark.  After seeing this, it's no wonder!

A tunnel in the mountain of Going to the Sun road, as seen from inside our 1920's Jammer tour bus.

Glacier has a main attraction.  The Going to the Sun Road.  This narrow, two lane highway which spans 53 miles across the park, is both a National Historic Landmark and a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.

 This road is one of the most difficult roads in North America to snowplow in the spring.  Up to 80 feet of snow can lie on top of the summit, Logan Pass!  The road takes about ten weeks to plow, even with machines that can move about 4000 tons of snow in an hour.  There are very few guardrails on the east side due to the repeated avalanches over the years.  With sheer cliffs and drop-offs, this makes driving it a little hair-raising!

Mountain Goat sighting near Logan's Pass

We booked a tour on one of the beautifully restored 1920 Red Buses called “Jammers”. In 2002 Ford Motor Company donated 6 million dollars to renovate 33 buses. These buses now run on cleaner burning propane fuel, with emissions 93 percent less than the older buses.  Yeah, Ford!

Looking down into a Red Jammer tour bus

  We decided on the 6 hour tour that took us over The Going to the Sun Road, past the famous Logan Pass, and down the other side of the mountain to McDonald’s Lodge for lunch.

  Unfortunately, the smog was particularly bad that day.  We could see the mountains that were directly around us, but the distant vistas were almost nil.   Regardless, it was a fun day, and gave us a taste of the road, and what it was like to take a 6 hour tour, which we had never done.

1920's Red Jammer renovated with a partnership with Ford Motor Corp.

Monday, July 20th 2014 - Day 51

We rose to another day of smoky haze, and the addition of threatening skies.  Oh, what to do.? Where to go? The choices seemed to be to either go back and drive the Going to the Sun Road and perhaps hike the trail at the summit of Logan Pass, or drive an hour to Many Glacier and take a hike there. It seemed to make sense to go the Visitor’s Center and ask their opinion, and to be ready for anything.

The skies were looking pretty ominous when we started out at
Many Glacier Hotel

 Well, we were glad we did.  The wind was still strong, and in fact, it was blowing 90 mph the day before up at Logan’s Pass right where we wanted to hike and it was predicted to be similar today.  Since it involved a narrow ledge with a huge drop, we thought it not a good option. We may be blown over the edge - not a good way to get to the bottom! So, Many Glacier Lake, it is!

Norm on a suspension bridge during a hike

The skies were looking really ominous when we arrived at the trail head at Many Glacier Hotel.
We donned our backpacks and made sure we had our raincoats.  There was an option to cut 3 miles off the hike by taking a boat across Many Glacier Lake, hiking ¼ mile, then another shuttle across Lake Josephine.  One would then hike a trail up toward a glacier. (The snow was still too deep to reach the glacier, so part of the trail was closed.)  Norm and I, feeling particularly ambitious, decided to hike the whole way, and leave the option for the boat ride back if we felt tired (and if there was space available).

A lovely lake along the trail in Many Glacier

Shuttle boat for hikers.  

It was a lovely hike along the lake, through the woods, and over a small suspension bridge to a third lake. It was not the prettiest lake, by any means.

 By this time, the dark grey swirling clouds were thickening over the mountain, and within a few minutes, a freezing cold rain was upon us.

 We walked as fast as we could for the few miles to the boat dock, hoping there would be room on board.  When we arrived, we were shocked to see dozens of people already there – completely filling the covered shed.  No one would move to make room for two more soaking hikers.

Luckily, we were able to get on board before the skies opened up with driving rain and sleet.

  Finally, after the two boat rides with a hike in between, we got back to the hotel and joined many others having their picnic lunches in the main lodge.  We all sat around, exchanging travel itineraries and stories while a professional pianist (also a guest) played “Stormy Weather”.

Tuesday, July 21st, 2014-Day 52

We woke to rain on the roof, for the first time in our trip.  Funny, but it a strange way, I was rather glad.  Time to relax, catch up on the blog and emails, and have a nice pancake breakfast.  I have been dying for pancakes for many months, and we just never took the time.

There are not too many hikes that could be as beautiful as this!  

A little after noon, we noticed the sun had come out!  The sky was clear, and the rain seemed to have cleared the air.  We both agreed that if we didn’t see the incredible views of Glacier National Park from the Going to the Sun Road, and hike that crazy trail, we would forever regret it.  So we quickly got ready for potentially a long day, and jumped into the car.  I drove.

Oh my Gosh!  What a difference a day makes!  It was like removing glasses that are all smudged up! Oh, THAT’S what those mountains and valleys look like!

What a difference a day makes!  Not quite the same angle, but same mountain range, different days.

We stopped at Logan Pass (on the Continental Divide) at a time we swore we would never go.  Oh well, after 20 minutes or so, we finally procured a parking spot, donned our hiking gear and headed for the cliffs.

The day was so glorious!  The sun, there at 6600 feet, felt really good, not cold, and the breeze was gentle.  The views along the hike were mesmerizing, but we only went a few miles so we could head further down the road where we remembered the truly awesome lookouts were.

Between Norm and I there were several hundred photos taken.  In fact, I have had such a hard time deciding which to post here.

We got back before dark with smiles on our faces as we prepared to leave Glacier National Park.

Alison hiking along Logan Pass