Tag Archives: YNP

2013_07_27 (Sat) Where We Go From Here

We have had an intense but wonderful week in northwest Wyoming and the Green Creek Inn and RV Park has been just the right spot for us to base camp.  The RV park is away from the hustle and bustle of Cody, yet close enough to be convenient for shopping and entertainment, and is close enough to Yellowstone N. P. and Grand Teton N. P. to make them accessible as day trips.  And although it’s a small RV park with only nine sites, we had excellent full hookups, laundry facilities, a WiFi connection to the Internet, and free popcorn.  Our 50 Amp site allowed us to run all three house air-conditioners all day while we were away to keep our cats safe and comfortable.  We needed to do this because of daytime highs in the mid-80’s with bright sunshine and constant wind that prevented us from using our awnings to shade the passenger side of the coach.

Although $45 per night is more than we generally pay to stay in an RV park, it was a fair price given the location and facilities.  The WiFi/Internet bandwidth was limited, but we were glad to have what we had as there was no useable Verizon 4G/LTE signal here, and even 3G EVDO was marginal for making phone calls.  The WiFi connection was generally very strong thanks in part to or WiFi Ranger Mobile Titanium, which has been working very well for us since we bought it at the FMCA rally in Gillette, WY last month.  Interestingly, the only OTA television signal we could pick up was Wyoming PBS from the general direction of Cody.  (Smile)

This was a quieter day for us, but by no means an idle one, as we needed to prepare for our departure tomorrow morning.  We noticed this morning that it was overcast, the first time since we arrived here a week ago.  We did have clouds today, and a few drops of rain, but Jeff informed us that the haze we were seeing was from the various forest fires burning in the west.

Linda drove to Cody in the morning to do our shopping.  The main attraction was the local Farmers Market, located, conveniently enough, in the parking lot of the Whole Foods Trading Company.  She came back with quite a few bags of stuff!

While she was gone I drained the waste tanks, stowed the hose, and added our Pine Sol / water / Calgon solution to the tanks.  I also drained the little bit of fresh water that was still in the tank, flushed it with a bit more, and then refilled it.  I left the fresh water shore line connected so we could use if until we depart, conserving our onboard water for use on down the road.  I also worked on getting our blog postings up-to-date.

When Linda got back she did the laundry.  At our house in Michigan this is usually my chore, but for some reason she seems to take care of it on the road.  Although we are trying to learn not to over-plan, we are not full-timers, and we have a house and family to which we have to return from time-to-time.  We knew the route we wanted to take back to S. E. Michigan, but the timing and overnight waypoints were still undecided.  We want to see the Theodore Roosevelt N. P. in western North Dakota, but the campgrounds there do not have any hookups and do not appear to be big rig friendly.  Medora, ND is the closest town, but it is 410 miles driving distance from Wapiti.  That is more than we care to do in one day, especially given our planned stop at Interstate Power Systems in Billings, MT to visit with Cherie and Chris of Technomadia.  (http://www.technomadia.com).

Using the online Good Sam campground finder we located the Meadows RV Park in Miles City, MT, 280 miles away, and made a reservation for tomorrow night.  That should give us a 5.5 -6.0 hour drive, leaving plenty of time to stop and visit in Billings.

I continued to work on our blog while Linda paid our bills and continued to research overnight stops.  We decided we would try to stay two nights at an RV park in Medora if we could find an opening.  And we did!  We made a reservation at the Red Trail RV Park just off I-94.  It is walking distance to downtown Medora and convenient to the Theodore Roosevelt N. P., which we will now have a day-and-a-half to explore.

Linda took time out to make wheat berry risotto with mushroom /garlic/onion /asparagus.  She used some of the Argentinean Malbec wine we had on board, and served the rest with the meal.  This was a fragrant, earthy dish with great “chew” that somehow fit the wildness of this past week.  When she has the time to cook we eat very well indeed.

While the risotto was cooking we pulled the tray on the passenger side of the bus that houses the chassis battery disconnect switches and the Vanner equalizers (we have two as it turns out).  We located the circuit breakers, and pushed them in to (possibly) reset them.  (This refers back to the BAL light that came on while traveling from Sheridan to Wapiti on the 21st of this month.)

Beyond Medora we hope to stay at a winery in Buffalo, ND about 30 miles west of Fargo.  It was personally recommended to us by Harvest Host founders Don and Kim Greene.  If they can accommodate us on the 31st, it will be our first use of our Harvest Hosts membership.

Along the same lines, we hope to stay the next night at the Forest Edge Winery in Laporte, Minnesota.  Forest Edge is owned/operated by members of the FMCA Freethinkers Associate Chapter.  Being a kind of “virtual” chapter in FMCA’s International Area (INTO) our members are spread out all over the United States, Canada, and Mexico.  Rallies are difficult to organize and most of our interactions are by e-mail.  We even hold our annul business meeting electronically.  Thus any opportunity to meet in person is a treat.  The fact that Forest Edge is also a Harvest Host business makes it easier and that much more special.

From Laporte we plan to head to Hibbing, MN to visit the Greyhound Bus Museum.  Beyond that, we will make our way across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to St. Ignace.  From there we cross the Straits of Mackinaw (Mackinac) on the Mackinaw Bridge and head straight south on I-75 where we vector off on US-23 southbound to M-59, and home.  Depending on when we get there we will have been gone almost exactly two months.

 

2013_07_24 (Wed) YNP Day 2

We had a long day yesterday and decided to get an earlier start today.  We left at 7:08 AM and headed for the East Entrance to Yellowstone N. P.  We enjoyed the drive up to and into the Park as much as we had the day before.  As with yesterday’s post, I can’t possibly describe and illustrate a day in YNP, so I will outline our itinerary, comment on a couple of things, and include a few photos.

Coming in from the East Entrance we again passed through Fishing Bridge, making a brief stop there to top off the tank, clean the windshield (yes, YNP has bugs, though not that many), and use the facilities.  (Note: there are restrooms at every major feature in the Park with a parking lot.)  After crossing the bridge we headed north up the west side of the Yellowstone River towards the Yellowstone Falls and The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and Canyon Village beyond.

Bison crossing the Yellowstone River at Buffalo Ford.

Bison crossing the Yellowstone River at Buffalo Ford.

On the way up we encountered Bison crossing the Yellowstone River.  I had a nice chat with the fisherman they “chased” out of the river.  He was fishing for Cutthroat Trout (catch and release only) at spot known as “Buffalo Ford” so it did come as any surprise to him when Buffalo showed up and forded the river.

 

Bison are common, which makes them all the more dangerous.

Bison are common, which makes them all the more dangerous.

Bison are common in YNP.  They are usually slow moving and docile looking, but look into their eye(s) and you are looking into a wild animal.  Massive and prone to agitate for no apparent reason, they are much more dangerous than people seem to realize, and close encounters with people generally do not end well for the person.

 

There are pedestrian trails and boardwalks in this area.  Note the bison upper right.

There are pedestrian trails and boardwalks in this area. Note the bison upper right.

The area between Fishing Bridge and Tower-Roosevelt, along the Yellowstone River and into the massive upland wilderness to the east, is a prime spot in the park for large wildlife.  Ravens are everywhere in the park, and other birds, including pelicans, are often seen.  But this Yellowstone River area includes Trumpeter Swans, mule deer, blacktail deer, bison, elk, moose, coyotes, wolves, black bears, and the king of the wilderness, Grizzly bears.  Seeing bison is guaranteed, and probably deer as well.  Elk are a rarer sight, but catching even a glimpse of a wolf or bear is truly special.  Before reaching the Falls we stopped at Mud Volcano, where bison were roaming through the geothermal landscape.

The Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River from Artist Point on the south/east side of Yellowstone Canyon.

The Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River from Artist Point on the south/east side of Yellowstone Canyon.

The Yellowstone Falls and Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone are iconic features of the park, and worth taking time to see.  The falls face northeast, and the canyon runs that direction as well, so morning is the time to be there, and we were.  We drove into both the south/east rim (Artist Point) and north/west rim roads (brink hikes) and drove to Inspiration Point.  I will let the photographs do the talking.

 

Yellowstone Falls and Canyon from Artist Point.

Yellowstone Falls and Canyon from Artist Point.

Same view with Linda.

Same view with Linda.

White Motors Yellowstone Bus No. 404 at Artist Point.

White Motors Yellowstone Bus No. 404 at Artist Point.

Upper Falls of the Yellowstone River.

Upper Falls of the Yellowstone River.

At the brink of the Upper Falls.

At the brink of the Upper Falls.

The mists of time in the canyon below the falls.

The mists of time in the canyon below the falls.

This is the best view you get of Elk, if you get one at all.

This is the best view you get of Elk, if you get one at all.

The brink of the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River.

The brink of the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River.

Yellowstone Canyon below the Lower Falls.

Yellowstone Canyon below the Lower Falls.

The Canyon goes for 20 miles.

The Canyon goes for 20 miles.

From the Falls/Canyon it is a short drive north to Canyon Village.  The Canyon Village Visitor Information Center is Fabulous.  We had a light lunch of salad and mandarin oranges at the lodge cafeteria before continuing on our tour of the northern half of the Grand Loop.  We decided to do this loop clockwise, and headed over to Norris Geyser Basin.  This is a large geothermal area and requires a lot of hiking to see all of the features.  By this point it was getting hot and we were a bit tired, so we viewed what we could from platforms near the museum building.  When you only have a couple of days to spend in YNP, there will come a point when you realize you can’t begin to see everything, and resolve to come back, perhaps many times.  We reached that point at Norris.

Upper Terrace Drive, Mammoth Hot Springs.

Upper Terrace Drive, Mammoth Hot Springs.

As we left Norris and headed north towards Mammoth Hot Springs we paralleled the Gallatin Range to our west.  We skipped most of the features until we got near Mammoth Hot Springs, and took the Upper Terrace Drive.  This area is different from the other geothermal places in YNP, with travertine as the distinguishing visual element.  It is much less active than it was when I was here 50 years ago, a result of the constant earthquakes that alter the geothermal activity all over the park.

Travertine in the Upper Terraces area.  The travertine is white; the color comes from living organisms.

Travertine in the Upper Terraces area. The travertine is white; the color comes from living organisms.

Mammoth Hot Springs from Upper Terrace Drive.

Mammoth Hot Springs from Upper Terrace Drive.

Mammoth Hot Springs is five miles from the North Entrance at the Montana border and the famous Roosevelt Arch, but we did not drive up on this trip; so much park, so little time.  We drove through Mammoth Hot Springs and saw Old Fort Yellowstone from the car.  Every developed area in YNP has a different look and feel, and MHS is a place we will spend more time the next time we are here.

We continued our clockwise journey going east towards Tower-Roosevelt.  We took the Blacktail Plateau Drive, a 6-mile long, narrow, twisty dirt road with lots of steep up and down grade and significant elevation change, although 4-wheel drive is not required.  We saw a pair of Blacktail Deer with good size antlers lying in the shade of a distant tree.  And we did not see any other cars until we got near the end of the road.  Most tourists do not venture onto these little side roads so they give you a very different experience of the park from the Grand Loop.

We returned to the Grand Loop Road and headed trough Tower-Roosevelt for Canyon Village.  The Northeast Entrance road, which runs from Tower-Roosevelt to Silver Gate and Cooke City, is the longest and most remote in the park.  When the road leaves YNP it becomes the Beartooth Highway (US-212), one of the highest and most remote highways in the lower 48 states.  Our plans for tomorrow are to drive part of this highway in conjunction with the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway.

As soon as we left Tower-Roosevelt we got caught in a construction stoppage that lasted 30 minutes.  The road from Tower-Roosevelt back down to Canyon Village is a bit narrower and climbs past 10,243 ft Mount Washburn, the highest mountain in the Washburn Range, and over 8,859 ft. Dunraven pass.  We had a nice drive as afternoon turned to early evening until we got south of Canyon Village, where once again, we encountered a massive traffic jam in the area of the broad river plain where the bison hang out.  This time it wasn’t a bear sighting.  The bison were in the road and the Park Rangers were using their vehicles and PA systems to herd them off.  Some of them went reluctantly.  Once past the traffic jam, we made our way to Fishing Bridge and from there out of the park by way of the East Entrance and back to Wapiti.

 

2013_07_23 (Tue) Yellowstone N. P.

We were up a bit earlier today, anxious to be on our way to Yellowstone National Park (hereinafter YNP).  I had been to YNP twice before today; once with my parents and sister in 1965 when I was 13, and again in 1989 with our son when he was about to turn 11.  Today was my third visit, but what made it special was that it was Linda’s first.

US-14/16/20 on the way to the East Entrance of YNP.

US-14/16/20 on the way to the East Entrance of YNP.

Most of the 32 mile drive from Wapiti to the East Entrance of YNP is through the Shoshone National forest.  The road (US-14/16/20) follows the Shoshone River up through a deep, rugged valley of the Absaroka Range, climbing from 5,700 ft. ASL in Wapiti to 6,951 ft. ASL at the East Entrance.  The Shoshone N. F. begins just west of Wapitii and is designated the Buffalo Bill Scenic Byway.  It provides a spectacular scenic drive through the Absaroka Range.  The road was very good and was easily drivable at the 50 MPH posted speed limit.

Sylvan Lake on the East Entrance road into YNP

Sylvan Lake on the East Entrance road into YNP

After using Linda’s “Senior Access Pass” to gain entry to the park we continued on to the Fishing Bridge area 27 miles farther down the road, driving over 8,530 ft. ASL Sylvan Pass before the half way point.  The road descends down to the northeastern shore of Yellowstone Lake and then runs along the edge to Fishing Bridge on the north shore of the lake.

 

Yellowstone Lake looking NW towards Fishing Bridge.  ~7700’ ASL.

Yellowstone Lake looking NW towards Fishing Bridge. ~7700’ ASL.

Fishing Bridge is one of the four “developed” villages in YNP, and we stopped to check it out.  It has a Visitor Information Center, General Store, filling station with auto/RV service, and an RV campground.  Nearby is a long E-W bridge that crosses over the Yellowstone River as it flows north out of the lake.  In times past folks were allowed to fish from this bridge, hence the name of this area, but no more.  The waters in this area are a prime spawning ground for native Cutthroat Trout.  Bridge fishing was decimating their population, and was halted many years ago, along with a ban on fishing the first six miles of the Yellowstone River.

A vintage White Motors Yellowstone bus!

A vintage White Motors Yellowstone bus!

From Fishing Bridge we had access to the rest of the park.  The road system in YNP consists of a large figure-8 in the center of the park, known as “The Grand Loop”, with entrance roads coming into it from the north, northeast, east, south, and west.  For our first day in the park we decided to drive the lower half of the figure-8 in a clockwise direction.  It is not possible in a blog post to describe everything we did, or include photos of everything we saw, in a single day in YNP, so I will simply outline our itinerary and include a few photos.  Perhaps a Picasa web album will appear at some point in the future with a more compete visual record.

An MCI MC7(?) Yellowstone bus, one of six left in the fleet.

An MCI MC7(?) Yellowstone bus, one of six left in the fleet.

Traveling clockwise from Fishing Bridge we traveled southwest and then south along the west shore of the lake to the geothermal area just north of Grant Village.  While here we saw a Yellowstone MCI MC7(?) park bus in the parking lot.  The driver was a young lady and she told us that they had 30 of these buses at one time but only six are left and they are going to be sold next year.  She thought they would sell for about $1,700 and she was saving up to buy one to convert to an RV!  She thought they were going to replace them with MCI “D” models, but wasn’t sure if that meant 102D3s or something else.

An older Prevost H3-45 operated  by Le Bus.

An older Prevost H3-45 operated by Le Bus.

We saw a lot of 45′ tour buses in YNP.  The vast majority were Prevost H3-45s, both 4- and 2-windshield vintage, although the 4-windshield coaches were newer than ours and almost certainly had DD Series 60 engines.  We also saw a few Setra, VanHool, and MCI coaches.

 

 

A geyser at the edge of Yellowstone Lake in the West Thumb area.  Even the lake is geothermally active.

A geyser at the edge of Yellowstone Lake in the West Thumb area. Even the lake is geothermally active.

Crossing the Continental Divide.

Crossing the Continental Divide.

Continuing on from the Grant Village area we drove to the Old Faithful area, crossing the Continental Divide, which runs from the southeast corner of the park to the western boundary south of the West Entrance.  The Old Faithful geyser is the centerpiece and namesake of a geothermal basin that contains over 50% of the geysers in the world.  It is also the most developed place in YNP, and the most crowded.  I don’t know the actual figures, but it felt like most of the people in the park were there.

The cabins at the Old Faithful Lodge.  I stayed in one of these 50 years ago.

The cabins at the Old Faithful Lodge. I stayed in one of these 50 years ago.

We had lunch at the Old Faithful Lodge cafeteria.  The cabins I stayed in 50 years ago are still there, behind and to the left of the Lodge, and are still NPS brown.  We strolled around the area, finally selected a vantage point, and waited for the eruption of Old Faithful, and it was worth the wait.

 

 

The Old Faithful geyser in action.

The Old Faithful geyser in action.

Patience is more than a virtue in YNP, it is an absolute necessity.  We eventually extracted ourselves from the gridlock of people and vehicles at Old Faithful and continued on towards Madison.  Just before getting to Madison we took a small one-way side road through Firehole Canyon.  It was a “gorgeous” drive, in every sense of the word.  We did not realize that towards the end of this road was the Firehole River Swimming area.  Lots of people did, however, and it was mobbed with cars parked along the road such that it was barely passable.

Artists Paintpots from above.

Artists Paintpots from above.

We did not stop at Madison and continued on north towards Norris.  We stopped at Artists Paintpots and hiked up onto a high hill for a view down on the geothermal features.  Like the Old Faithful area, Norris is also an extensive geothermal area within YNP, but apparently lots of the folks who were not at Old Faithful were at Norris.  In other words, there was no place to park.  (This turns out to be a common problem throughout the park at this time of year and even though park regulations do not permit stopping/parking on the roads people park wherever they can and sometimes impede traffic as a result, especially if there is a wildlife sighting.)  One of the downsides to not staying in the park overnight is that it takes a certain amount of time to get to and from the place; in our case approximately 90 minutes from Wapiti to Fishing Bridge, our point of access to everything else.  Even if you leave early and return late, this limits your time in the park, and pretty much rules out being there at dawn or dusk, which are ideal times to see the park (good light) and wildlife (that’s when they are most active).  Although the park is open 24/7, and people are out driving on the roads at night, it is not a good idea, and this is when most accidents occur.

Lone Bison on a hill south of Canyon Village.

Lone Bison on a hill south of Canyon Village.

Twelve miles east from Norris is Canyon Village, and this leg of the Grand Loop is the crossover of the figure-8.  On the drive over we took the Virginia Cascade side road.  These side roads are usually narrow, twisty, and one-way.  They provide an opportunity to get off of the Grand Loop road, away from the traffic and crowds, and close to some special feature.  In this sense they are a more intimate experience, though not on a par with backcountry hiking.  Canyon Village is the developed area just north of the Yellowstone Falls and Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. These are major features of the park and require a significant amount of time to see.  They are also best seen in the morning, so we headed south towards Fishing Bridge.

The Bison go where they want, when they want; it’s their park, not ours.

The Bison go where they want, when they want; it’s their park, not ours.

The Grand Loop runs along the west side of the Yellowstone River through a prime wildlife area, and we finally encountered a sizable bison herd at a spot where there is a broad grassy area.  We also encountered a major traffic jam.  Bison are certainly something that people come to see, but it took us about 40 minutes to go a mile or so.  When we got to one of (overcrowded) pullouts we saw lots of people with spotting scopes and cameras with telephoto lenses, all mounted on tripods.  Glancing in their general direction we finally saw the focus of their attention; a Grizzly bear moving north along the high bank.  Although Bison are large, wild, unpredictable animals, and potentially very dangerous, it’s the Grizzly bear and the wolf that most capture the essence of Yellowstone as a wild place.  (BTW: YNP is a truly international destination.  We heard plenty of people speaking languages other than English, and Asian tourists were numerous, or at least more obvious based on appearance. We also talked to some of the young folks working food service, and except for the cashiers, most did not appear to be native English speakers.)

Eventually we got back to Fishing Bridge where we topped off our tank.  On the way back to the East Entrance we took a side road up to Lake Butte Lookout, which we missed driving in.  From this vantage point we were able to see the Tetons 80 miles to the south.  The drive back to Wapiti was in the gradually fading light of evening, and it was dusk by the time we got back to our coach around 8:15 PM.