Grand Tetons are really Grand

We drove through Yellowstone and headed south to Grand Tetons National Park. It was early when we left so we figured we'd see more wildlife than we had the previous trips. Wrong! The animals must have forgotten to set their alarm clocks. But the traffic was light and we reached the visitors center in good time. The ranger gave us a lot of tips about where to find moose, our target for this trip. So we dutifully checked off each site and no moose. However, the drive is beautiful so all was not lost. As we were driving through a big construction area, I did spot three bears running across the adjacent hills. One was reddish in color but since we now know (Grizzly and Wolf Center info) that black bear come in black, brown and red, I think they were black bear.


Grand Tetons has some fantastic views, even if the tops of the tallest peak were in the clouds. As we drove south through the park, the view changed considerably but they were still impressive. There is still a lot of snow on the mountains and the Snake River was anything but lazy.














We stopped at the Colter Bay Visitors Center and toured an Indian Arts Museum. The holdings in the museum are largely from one individual's collection and showcase mostly handcrafts - beaded, woven and carved items. They were beautiful but the most impressive thing was the way they were displayed. Many were suspended in glass cases so they just appeared to be hanging in mid-air. The lighting in the museum itself was rather dim but the cases were illuminated to feature each item. Check out the note in this case. We enjoyed this and it was very different than what we typically do during a day.






The ranger had recommended we drive the Signal Mountain Road if it was open. It was... so we did. It was narrow and windy and went up, up, up. But, when we reached the summit it was worth it. What a fantastic view of the Teton Valley. We could see for miles and everything was such a lush green. Unfortunately we never figured out how to do the panorama feature of this camera so we just took lots of pictures.







Jackson Lake is 15 miles long and 7 miles wide. It has a small dam at one end but the lake is actually natural. It is reported to have great fishing for native cutthroat trout. It does frame the Teton Range beautifully.













A suggested "usually a moose at this spot" stop did not yield any moose sighting but we did see a large beaver lodge and dam. Unfortunately, didn't see any beavers out working - maybe they're napping with the rest of the wildlife today.











Our return drive north followed the Snake River and we enjoyed several stops to check for those sleepy moose and watch the river. Then we came upon the Cunningham Cabin Historic Site. It was a short walk from the parking lot to an original sod house that was built in the late 1800s. The cabin has a history involving horse thieves, posse, gunfights and finally a fort. I just can't imagine living in this structure through the summer, let alone the winter months. But then, I'm in a 40 ft motorhome with 4 slides and all the comforts of home.







We had just about given up on our search for a moose. All of the "hotspots" had been checked out with no moose sightings to report. With our heads hung low, we were heading back to Yellowstone and not far from the northern end of Grand Tetons. Cars were stopped and we figured it was elk or bison. But no! A moose! Not only a moose but it was a cow with a very young calf. What a thrill. We headed back to West Yellowstone knowing we had seen bison, elk, black bear, grizzly bear, coyote, big horned sheep and now moose. Pretty good list of critters.







We left West Yellowstone today and headed to Billings MT, retracing our route along Rt 191 north to I-90. The Gallatin River seemed to be running fuller than when we saw it a week ago. We passed through areas of rain and clouds and finally stopped at a pull-off to take a short break. A rafter's bus pulled in behind us and we spoke to the driver for a while. He is the "safety guy". After dropping the rafters off at the start of their trip, he drives ahead to the rougher spots and has to rescue any who go overboard. We stayed long enough to see the rafts through this section and they all made it safely. As we continued north the rapids became more frequent and severe. He told us the river, at this volume, produced Class 5 at one point - and when we saw them, they certainly were impressive.


All day we were in and out of rain showers. But the Montana countryside did not disappoint us and continued to provide beautiful views.













The Beartooth Range was visible in the far distance. Maybe someday we can come back and get a closer look - but not on this trip.















As we got closer to Billings, the sky was looking rather ominous. I kept watching for those funny funnel-shaped clouds that have been appearing in the plains states. Luckily it was just rain here in Montana.














We got to our campground in Billings about 2:30. This KOA is the first KOA in the world and has received numerous awards. We can see why. It is very nice, has good, friendly staff and level sites AND GOOD WIFI. When we unhooked the van, we discovered it was filthy for driving through the rain and construction areas. So, after setting up the motorhome, off to the car wash we went. Then a trip to Wal-Mart for groceries and other necessities. Back at the campground, we dined at Pistol Pete's BBQ. The BBQ brisket on a bun with corn on the cob, baked beans, potato salad, and a drink was a really tasty and filling meal!

The local news in the campground newspaper listed a dog show in town! The YVKC shows are being held within a few miles of the campground and some of the exhibitors are camping here. There are several GSPs entered so we think we are going to make a quick stop at the show before heading down to Cody tomorrow. It will be interesting to see how the GSPs in this area compare to those at home.

Yellowstone Day 3 and 4

Day 3 was our second day of touring with the Yellowstone Tour Company and driver Jay. The itinerary included the lower loop - which was most of the same territory we had covered on our first day here and I thought was the "inner loop". But this time we both were free to watch and enjoy. The driven tour may not have stopped at all the places we would have or even stayed as long but it did hit some places we probably would have missed. It was a great investment and we had fun with the fellow passengers.
As we were driving by Firehole River, we spotted a cow elk (with radio collar) and her calf alongside the road. The calf still had it spots and seemed curious about this big yellow bus. Mom kept it away from the road and safe from traffic.



Firehole Falls is quite attractive, especially with the volume of water that is still flowing over it at this time of year. The Firehole River is one of the popular fly fishing spots and there were several human fisherman on the river. In addition, an osprey was "working the river" looking for fish. We were able to watch it for a while as it flew upriver alongside our bus and when we turned it also turned to go downriver. It was joined by a second bird but by the time we were back on the main road, it still had not found lunch. Ospreys catch fish by diving into the water and it would have been a sight to see but not today.

















We visited Fountain Paint Pot, which we had seen on our solo tour on Thursday. But this time our guide narrated the walk and we learned more. This mud hole was popping big bubbles, which we found interesting. The mud is pretty thick now but as summer progresses, it will thin and the giant bubbles will not be visible.













We lunched at Old Faithful Inn, which is, of course, at Old Faithful. The dining room had not opened and the posted menu looked quite expensive so we opted for the deli. Well that wasn't much better. Two dagwood sandwiches with chips, one soda and a container of melon to share and we exceeded $25. The service was horrible - we really don't like feeling that we are bothering the clerk! And there were not tables or chairs provided so we walked to the benches at Old Faithful and ate lunch. A much better lunch was enjoyed by several on the bus who went to the grill and had delicious pulled pork sandwiches. Live and learn. The Inn is an interesting structure that we had not seen on our previous visit so not all was lost.





We drove by Yellowstone Lake again and then onto the Lake Yellowstone Hotel. this is the first lodging that was offered in the park and the building is huge. If anyone wants a brochure to book a room for a trip, I have the information. Suites are available for $569 per night but the rooms are only $216. The hotels in the park, as well as the food services and old yellow buses are all run by Xanterra and all carry a premium price tag. The hotel does have very nice bathrooms!







A notebook for wildlife sightings at Lake Yellowstone Hotel had an entry indicating 3 grizzlies had been spotted near the hotel on the day we visited. Encouraging...we still had not seen grizzlies. Sure enough, a short drive from the hotel we encountered a "bear jam". Cars, motorhomes, buses, people had clogged the road. Somehow the driver managed to park the bus and we got off to walk across the road and see what was happening. Several rangers/park employees in orange vests were containing the crowd as they watched two grizzlies on the hillside above us. It looked like a mother and cub but we didn't get close enough to verify that. When the ambulance arrived and parked in the area, we thought that was enough gawking at grizzlies so we boarded the bus and left. People out here are fearless - or maybe just plain stupid - when it comes to viewing wildlife. They forget this is not a zoo and these are wild animals.


Our last scheduled stop was at Artists Point to view the Lower Falls. We had seen the falls the previous day from a different vantage point but this was better. The canyon view from this side was so colorful we understood the name Artists Point.





















At this last stop we also saw the definition of tenacity. These environs are tough for all - animals, plants, and people. But we enjoyed spending 3 days in this park. Being the weekend, the campground has filled with a lot of families with kids and dogs. The children ave not been a problem but it is unsettling to watch the dog owners let their animals loose to roam to neighbors campsites. We were warned that bears to go through the campground but I guess these people figure their dogs and outrun the bears.








Sunday is our day to catch up on some laundry, cleaning the motorhome and visit the and Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone. I'm not going into details about the first three things - you all know how they go. But the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center was very interesting. This place houses orphaned or problem bears and presently has 6 adult bears. The oldest bear is 27 yrs old and was an annoyance bear near Yellowstone. The others are all between 11 and 14 and there are several sets of twins that were orphaned after their mothers were killed. This is a zoo but stresses the educational part of wildlife. The bears are let out several times a day - 2 or 3 at a time. This gives them the opportunity to explore, look for food and interact with each other.







These two larger males were interacting quite a bit. The one bear manager said they have several that can not be together because they don't get along. But some that have been fine when younger are becoming more aggressive lately. It's hard to tell, but we think these two may have just been playing. When the hour is up, the manager rings a bell and the bears return to their individual enclosures. Of course, food is the key and they are like Pavlov's dog - ring a bell, food appears. After the bears return to their cages, the habitat managers enter the compound and hide food and items (bones, hides, etc).






While we were there they put two live rats in the enclosure, one in each pile of branches, stumps and logs. This "live" bait is intended to encourage the bears to hunt and use their senses like the did when in the wild. When the released the next two bears, they went to the log piles almost immediately. One hunted the rat a bit more seriously and at one point, we were sure it would catch it. The bear and rat were almost nose to nose! But the rat ran under the pile again and the bear continued to look for it. So much for the killer instinct.






The other part of the center is the wolf discovery center. They have two wolf packs on display now. One is composed of 4 gray wolves and the other only has two males (not much of a pack there). They came from a farm that raises wolves for use in movies and these were their overage. Rats are too small for wolves to hunt and elk are too large so the managers feed raw meat donated by hunters, butchers and cattlemen in area. Then they add scents (vanilla, cinnamon, peanut butter) to bones and pelts and hide them in the compound (when the wolves are inside being fed, of course). Today two of the four would not go in so they didn't add any "enhancements". After eating, the wolves came back out and stretched out to sleep again.

Clouds have not disappeared and we are enjoying clear skies and sunshine. We just returned from a fantastic dinner in town and will be turning in early. Tomorrow, we're heading down to the Tetons and that will be a long day.

Yellowstone Day 1 and 2

First of all, the place is magnificant. I am so sorry we did not visit here before. There is so much to see and we're only going to scratch the surface during our time here. On our first full day we did some driving to check things out. We entered the West Entrance, about 2 blocks from the campground, about 8:30 am and headed towards Old Faithful. There is so much to see and we made frequent stops to gawk. Our first wildlife encounter was with Rocky Mountain Elk - 4 cows and a young bull were a distance from the road but close enough to get us excited.

The Madison River runs along the road from the West Entrance and apparently it is a good fishing spot, as we saw numerous people with rod and reel. All fishing is catch and release in the park, by the way. It is swift moving with a lot of riffles and rocks. Water is still somewhat high from the snowmelt. There was a 4 inch snowfall in West Yellowstone two weeks ago and we hope that was the last until fall. But the temperatures are cool and we both appreciated sweatshirts and jackets BOTH!

A short distance up the road, we saw cars stopping so figured there was something to see. I was concentrating so much on the cars ahead, I failed to see the bison step out onto the road almost beside the car. Luckily it wasn't going very fast and gave us a good photo opp. This was part of a small group of bulls.


A little later up the road we saw a group of cows and calves. The young still have their reddish hair and are about the size of a holstein heiffer. The older bison are in the process of shedding their winter coat so they are quite mangy looking.











Our first major stop was at Fountain Paint Pots, an area of hot springs, fumeroles (Icelandic for vent) and mud pots - and hydrogen sulfide! The park has walkways that allow you to get closer to some of the areas to view (and smell) the interesting item. The wooden walkways are slowly being replaced with plastic boards (from recycled soda bottles). At one site, the walkways are a partnership with Unilever.









We observed this raven attempting to open a pack on the back of a pickup truck. Later someone showed us pictures of one that had opened a pack and stolen granola bars. These birds have learned where their next meal may be coming from.












The Firehole Lake Geyser area had what was called the Young Hopeful Geyser. Maybe in hundreds or thousands of years, this one will be impressive but right now it looks like a wannabee. There were mudpots and geysers at this area and also that distinct rotten egg smell. It is funny to watch some of the visitors when they first step out of their car and the smell hits them. And its is also a great area to pass gas - no one would ever be able to tell it wasn't a geyser!







Midway Geyser Basin had some beautiful pools. Such intense blue indicates the water temperature is around 190F. This one is called Opal Pool and it is beside the Torquoise Pool. It is interesting to see the hoof prints of the bison around these areas. During late winter, the warmth of the geyser areas attracts the bison and helps them make it through the harsh winters. I had heard a lot die when they get into the pools but was told later that is not true. So much for programming on the Travel Channel.







By the time we reached Old Faithful it was 12:30 pm. Parking is plentiful but it is a good idea to take the first spot you find. Otherwise, you will drive around the lot and try again. The geyser was not "performing" when we arrived but the size of the crowd lead us to believe that the time for eruption was soon. And sure enough, after several false starts, it erupted. It was so much better to see it in person that in books and on TV. Because of the cool temperatures, there was a tremendous amount of steam and the water was quickly concealed. Then it died back down and everyone headed to their cars to create a traffic jam. We shopped a bit and avoided the issue.
















On this day we thought the lower loop would be OK so after Old Faithful, we set out to drive the remainder of the loop. We crossed the Continental Divide 2 times when driving over Craig Pass (elev 8262 ft). We didn't intend to stop at many sites but since we didn't want to drive 45 mph, we pulled over numerous times to let people pass. Why is everyone in a hurry? Yellowstone Lake is the largest lake in the park and is quite impressive.










We saw more bison, more elk and finally a coyote. The cluster of cars warned us of something in the area and sure enough, on the hill above the road, this lone coyote was crossing the downed trees. Several people were sure it was a wolf but the long snout and fluffy tail, combined with the color and size, made us positive it was a coyote. Regardless it was a pleasant sighting.










There is one area close to the West Entrance that is clearly marked "No stopping, parking or standing" because of a Bald Eagle nest near the road. Of course, there were numerous cars stopped and people out to the cars taking pictures of the one adult in the nest. As we slowly made our way through the traffic jam, I was able to snap this picture. Oh, and as we got through the area we saw the ranger coming to break up the party. It was a long day and we drove about 140 miles. But it was worth it.







Day 2 at Yellowstone was set aside to take a tour on a bus. We actually bought tickets for two tours - upper and lower loops. We were picked up at the campground by this bright yellow bus driven by a great tour guide. We were heading to Canyon Village, then north to Tower-Roosevelt and then to Mammoth Hot Springs, near the north entrance. Of course, we saw bison (lots of bison), and elk, and the Bald Eagle nest. The traffic jam was bad again this morning and the driver actually told several people no stopping or standing. And they, of course, ignored him.








Bison, possibly the same herd we saw yesterday, were along the road and then we came upon a cow elk crossing the river. She had a young calf with her and was encouraging it to cross also. The cow has legs long enough to walk across the river but the little calf had to swim. They made it part way and we had to move on but it was an interesting event to observe.









The bus stopped at the upper falls of the Yellowstone River and after a short walk we were able to observe a most impressive gorge and water fall. The amount of water cascading over the falls was a bit more than normal but this falls is beautiful. Upper Falls is, however, the smaller of the falls - at only 109 ft. The Lower Falls, a short distance down the road, is a whopping 308 ft. - almost twice as high as Niagara. It has the largest volume of water in the Rockies. An osprey was sitting on a nest below the falls but blended in so well with the rocks that it was hard to photograph.


















The two falls are at the end of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. This is not a viewpoint for the faint of heart. This gorge is 900 ft deep and half a mile wide. Of course the sides of the canyon appear to go straight down. And at the bottom, the Yellowstone River continues on its course.










After a brief stop at the Canyon Village visitors center (and restrooms), we climbed to Dunraven Pass - elevation 8859 ft. The road had no guardrails! Just rocks that were, at the most, 2 ft high. and of course the mountain dropped off sharply a few feet from the edge of the road. The view was great (if you looked straight out). The original ranger station is located at Mount Washburn, just beyond the pass. With an elevation over 10,200 ft, it is perfect for spotting wildfires.








By this time we were starting to think of lunch so the stops were fewer and fewer. But, at one point we did see some mountain sheep on the far hillside. These are supposed to be the bighorn sheep but we couldn't see any big horns. Maybe they are young? There were several people on the hill very near the sheep and they certainly didn't appear to be nervous - the sheep that is!









And then, on what seemed to be a very narrow portion of the road, we came upon a traffic jam. BEAR! A small black bear was running across the hill below the road. Poor thing was probably scared to death. I managed to grab a quick shot as the bear headed between two trees but we moved on and we never did see much more of the bear. Interestingly enough, there were two park rangers at that spot. Were they there by coincidence or to protect the bear from the visitors?







Finally we reached Mammoth Hot Springs and lunch. Two cheesburgers, fries and sodas - $17! McDonalds it wasn't but it also wasn't cheap. There were elk on the lawn at the stop and the guild told us they are the "town elk". On our way out of the stop, we saw a man taking a picture of a mature bull bison from a distance of about 12 feet. Just goes to show you there are idiots everywhere. Our next stop, with an escorted walk, was the Mammoth Hot Springs Terrace. This was so different than the hot springs we had seen so far. They are referred to as travertine but certainly not made from marble. The substance in the water that creates the terraces is akin to Tums. The beautiful blue sky contrasted nicely with the white and orange discharge.





The guide offered to stop several times after this but didn't have many takers. Lunch and the 3/4 mi hike to the hot springs must have worn everyone out. We passed a large area of vents and geysers that is called Roaring Mountain. It was named this by early explorers because of the hissing and rumbling sound it makes. We cannot imagine being the first white man, or EuroAmerican as the guide called them, to see Yellowstone. It would be mind-boggling! Tomorrow's tour will retrace much of the area we saw yesterday but this time someone else will be doing the driving and narrating the tour. We're looking forward to it.

South to Yellowstone

On a sunny morning we left Eagle's Nest in Polson Montana to drive south to West Yellowstone, our headquarters for a week's visit to Yellowstone National Park. We had a great stay at Eagle's Nest and really like what we see of Montana. now it will be interesting to see if the rest of our stay in this state is as pleasing.










We were warned about construction on our route south but were not prepared to be driving on gravel. These highway departments only have a short season to repair and rebuild roads so they don't mess around. They had taken the road surface down to gravel and we bumped along for what seemed like miles (actually ~1 mile). We had alomst reached the end of the rough road when we heard an unidentified beep. It was the supplemental braking unit for our van. As soon as we could pull to the berm, Dennis checked the unit. It looked like it was malfunctioning and had possibly failed. So we limped along to the first fuel stop and he restarted the unit. The plug to the cigarette lighter had loosened causing the problem. He reinserted the plug, restarted the unit and we were on our way. Phew!!!




I-90 runs east and west between the two secondary roads we needed to use. It was a nice highway and we saw some more of the beautiful Montana countryside.












For those of you who may be curious, yes we still have stinkbugs. We have had them in decreasing quantities for the last week but then its been cold. Today, when the sun was shining on the coach, another appeared. We're pretty sure we have captured at least 200 that have been drowned in soapy water in a bottle or flushed into the black tank. We thought we would be stinkbug free by the time we reach PA again. Maybe not.










The Rocky Mountains appeared in the distance and gave us come nice scenery. We needed to cross them to get south to Yellowstone. The Mountain Directory indicated this mountain pass would be the steepest we had encountered so far on the trip. So we kept heading down the highway hoping for the best. Homesteader pass is also at the Continental Divide so we accomplished two crossings at the same time. The mountain was steep, of course, but not impossible.








Unlike all the other mountains we have crossed, this one had rocks - big rocks! It is easy to imagine how the Rocky Mountains were named. Huge boulders were piled one on another. It was beautiful.











The route from I-90 to Yellowstone is another secondary road and again we had construction with a road surface down to gravel. But this time we didn't have any issues with our braking system and actually could enjoy the drive. The Gallatin River runs alongside the road and we saw some rafters on the river. Seeing them made me think we might just consider taking the raft trip. I've always wanted to do it but it always seemed to be too rough for our arthritic bodies. But this looked pretty calm.








Then we turned the corner and wow! Rapids and swift water made us realize we were better off watching from the bank. These are not the most difficult rapids but they would jar us around a bit. But the people looked like they were having fun.

The Yellowstone Grizzley RV Park is great but their WiFi is the worst we've had so far. So I'll use it for the allotted 2 hrs per 12 hrs and then switch to my phone. We met a few of the neighbors- some from PA and MD and one shorthair. Tomorrow, we set out to see some of the park and hopefully some wildlife.