Day 21 - A Snowy June Day at Yellowstone

Sunday, June 8th, 2008

I had camped out for the night just west of the Park in West Yellowstone (and by ‘camped’ I mean ‘hide from the sub-zero temperatures in the comfort of room 221 at the Brandin’ Iron Inn). Before racing off to discover the secrets behind Yellowstone’s West Gate, I got caught up with the free Hot Breakfast that the motel offered. Brilliant start to the day! From the waffles, to the eggs, to the bagels, cereal, and danishes, I was all smiles (it wasn’t the MGM’s AM buffet, but it was enough to keep me interested for close to half an hour).











I flashed my American National Parks and Recreation Lands Annual Pass and just like that the 175 mile Grand Loop and all its surrounding wilderness was mine to explore. I could feel Old Faithful’s presence, but I wasn’t ready for the Big Show yet. My first few stops were at some of the smaller Basins just off the highway. Fields of steaming geysers poured hot gases into the sky creating an ominous atmosphere that mimicked images of Hell. It was way too cool of a scene to refer to as Geothermal Activity, but as I watched the Earth’s crust open up and launch tall towers of steaming water into the air, I couldn’t help but feel that I was learning about the planets make up.





It was snowing, heavily, the wind was howling, and nothing about the day seemed to promote outdoor fun, but the park was still packed. Those tourists love their Yellowstone. However, as I drove down the Park’s roadway I couldn’t help but realize that even with the crowds, Yellowstone seemed like the perfect piece of North American nature. And the wildlife agreed. Within minutes of entering the Park I had driven by three gatherings of Elk, and saw two groups of deer off in the distance. The true keepers of the land though were the Buffalo/Bison/ huge-Cow-Thingies-with-the-Lion’s-Mane. They were everywhere and they had people abandoning their running vehicles, kids locked in car-seats, dogs trapped in the third row, just to get a few snap shots. The Buffalo knew they were a big deal too. People talk about Old Faithful, but when it comes down to it, it’s the camera-friendly wildlife that pose for the perfect pic that attract all the attention. And I’ll admit, I was nearly standing amongst the heard wanting to join in on the Buffalo fun (actually it did cross my mind to try and ride one of the bigger guys, but like I said it was snowing and I wasn’t wearing any gloves, so it would have been tough to hang on… that or they’re Buffalo and they secretly like to eat people…).












And queue Old Faithful. Every day the Park (whoever that might be, some Rangers, or the Geysers Scientists, or the old woman at the gift shop who sold me a post








card, I think she may have been around when the geyser was simple called Faithful, either way) predicts the eruptions for the different geysers, and today Old Faithful was set to blow at 12:44, give or take 10 minutes. 12:44 she exploded. Just perfect. I don’t care if it makes sense, it’s just plan weird to see water blast out of the ground and soar into the air like a volcano, every 90 minutes, without fail. Reliable little tourist attraction they have there.

























It was still snowing. As I drove east, then north, then west, and finally east again, I covered over 200 km of Yellowstone’s wilderness. I stopped at a number of other basins including Norris which was more of the same, sweet explosions from under the Earth’s crust. I also saw the Yellowstone lake, the picturesque Haden Valley, the colourful Mammoth Hot Springs, and a dozen other wildlife hang-outs. At one point I drove passed an open valley that had a large heard of Buffalo, two groups of Elk, and a scattered bunch of deer, all co-existing in the same habitat without a worry. It reminded me of the scene in Jurassic Park when Dr. Grant sees all the herbivores roaming the island's open plains for the first time. It was just like that, only instead of the massive T-Rex lurking somewhere in the park, it was the elusive Yellowstone bears (Yogi and Booboo) hiding behind the scenes. Late in the afternoon I drove by a stretch of road that had people totally losing their minds, racing from their cars, and pointing frantically like they had seen the Lock Ness Monster. I could see binoculars glued to people’s faces, and the Hubble Telescope on the end of several different tripod mounted cameras. Turns out it was a bear sighting; a gazillion miles away, on the far side of the valley, a small black bear had poked it’s head out from the dense forest, only to turn back around after the paparazzi had violated it’s privacy, and disappear again. As a true Alberta boy, I have seen bears before, so I was more impressed with the behaviour of the humans, and how they completely took leave of their senses when pretend-Yogi showed up.











I left Yellowstone at four o’clock realizing that I had just barely scratched the surface of the amazing park’s potential. As for how long one should take to explore the Yellowstone National Park, I would recommend between two days and… forever. It’s an outstanding piece of nature that deserves a thorough visit.

It was back to Montana for me. I headed north about four hours and stopped for the night in Great Falls. I’m closing in on home, but have one last stop before My Great American Adventure comes to an end; Glacier awaits my visit.
















Day Twenty-One: I want a pet Buffalo… and a geyser in my backyard.

Day 20 - Exploring the Moon in Idaho

Saturday, June 7th, 2008

I woke up to a ‘fresh’ morning, which is my way of putting a positive spin on the down right cold weather that I had found in Idaho. Before leaving Twin Falls I pulled in for gas at the Flying J at the north end of town. This place was ridiculous; people racing around abandoning their huge RVs in search of food, restrooms, showers… it was total chaos and I spent close to 15 minutes trying to get close enough to a pump to fuel up so I could put as much distance between myself and the Flying J as possible. I guess there is a down side to a Truck Stop that ‘offers everything’.

I drove over a hundred miles of peaceful prairie swells before entering the dark rocky fields of the Craters of the Moon Monument and Preserve. Three separate lava flows covering nearly half a million acres of land is what was awaiting my arrival. Without fail the National Park lived up to its name, as the ancient lava rock that covered the ground created a surreal Moon-like atmosphere. I wasted no time before pulling out my camera and snapping away at the strange landscape.












My tour of the Park began at the Inferno Cone which reached high into the air and offered a great introductory overview of the area. The only down side to standing on top of the huge black cone was the wind. It was absolutely freezing today, and with the scattered showers and relentless gusting winds I enjoyed my Moon walk while wearing several layers and sporting a touque. The closest site to the Inferno hill was the Spatter and Snow Cones area, which was a gathering of smaller peaks that you could walk right to the edge of. I tried to imagine the hellish scene thousands of years ago when the Earth was pouring out lava and filling the sky with dark ash. With what remains today I could picture a melting land glowing red with molten lava where only Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kanobi would dare duel (tragic scene in Episode 3, tragic scene). Next to the cones was a massive crater that rose up like a mountain out of the blank sea of rocks. I was able to walk the rim of the crater and see what was left over. It was amazing to have so many cones and craters in such close proximity. I was starting to see why the Apollo 14 astronauts had been sent to the area to study the geological make up of the rocks prior to their mission; minus the whole atmosphere thing and the blue/rain-grey sky, it could have been the surface of the Moon.

















High peaks, scattered cones, and massive craters turned into oceans of solidified lava at my next stop. I wandered across the frozen lava flow like it was any other hike. There was a path that took me to a part of the Park they called the Cave Section. Here a number of Lava Tubes were accessible, provided you had a flash light and a desire to head below ground. I started with the Indian Tunnel which was a large diameter lava tube that stretched out for over 800 feet. It was a nice introduction into the world of caves as both entry points were quite wide and the entire length of the tunnel was easy to access. Dewdrop, Boy Scout, and Beauty were the real deal. It was dark, wet, cold, and quiet, not to mention tight. The entrance to the Boy Scout cave was so small that you needed to crawl and wiggle around to get into the tunnel. Why would one wish to do this? That is a good question, a question that I asked myself before, during, and after the tight squeeze. The answer was clear once I made it into the cave; I had entered a new world full of small caverns, hanging stalactites, and the traces of an angry volcanic magma that had created it all. The tunnel was almost completely frozen with several inches of ice built up on the rocks covering the floor of the cave. After scrambling around several obstacles and dodging small drop offs I found myself in complete darkness, alone, with nothing but the sound of water dripping off the ceiling. I killed both my mini lantern and the head lamp I was wearing and stood in the middle of nothingness. It was like I had escaped everything that had ever existed. I loved it. Then I started to think about the movie the Descent. It was a pretty quick return trip after that. The three caves and the large tunnel were an excellent way to experience the bizarre subterranean without needing to get too extreme (it was nice to not have to ‘shimmy’ at all, or require ropes and climbing gear, or find myself hundreds of feet away from daylight, oh and not partaking in the creation of the Descent 2 was also a bonus).















I had survived the cold, had the chance to get lost in my own little sci-fi adventure, and was ready to get back on the road. It was mid afternoon, and the plan was to head north. From the expansive lava beds I drove into the dense forests of the intersection of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. It was frustrating to have to drive through snow, in June no less, but I felt good about returning to a wilderness so similar to that of Alberta’s Rockies. I am getting closer and closer to home and in the last two days have said goodbye to both the Utah deserts and the Idaho farmlands. This is the beauty of the road trip, there are no constants.















I’m hiding from the cold in the Brandin’ Iron Inn in West Yellowstone, poised and ready to attack the country’s oldest national park in the morning. Before settling in for the night, I wandered down to the first floor room labeled Hot Tubs. About a week ago I caught fifteen minutes or so of the Seinfeld episode with Jean-Paul the marathon running, George’s theory on looking busy at work, and Kramer’s new hot tub. Ever since then I’ve longed for my own ‘Soak’, and tonight’s twenty minute session was exactly what the doctor ordered. I let the jets bring me back to life after the long day and didn’t even think about leaving the tub until my hands were nice and pruney.
















Day Twenty: Craters, Snow, Hot Tubs; not bad for a Saturday in Idaho.