Tag: yellowstone national park

National Parks Tour: Yellowstone National Park (cont.)

Thursday, September 9, 2021 (cont.).

The next scheduled eruption for Old Faithful is estimated for 5:27. There are plenty of spots on the benches right in front of it but there is no shade. We decided we were going to wait instead of going back to the Lodge. We also chose to sit in a shady spot under a tree that is fairly close to the action. A large tree limb and a tree stump kept us from having to sit on the ground.

There are several geysers in this area including Castle Geyser and Grand Geyser. You could see their steam in the distance. The Park staff keep an outside sign updated with the names of the geysers and their estimated times for eruption – key word being “estimated.”

While we waited for Old Faithful to put on its show, one of the other geysers erupted and we could see some of the spout from where we were sitting. As the time got closer to 5:00, more people started showing up to occupy a space on one of the benches. A few, like us, chose the shade of trees a little farther back.

At 5:18, Old Faithful made its appearance. First you could see more steam, then you saw it start to bubble, and then it exploded. People clapped and cheered. Round of applause for Mother Nature.

Video of Old Faithful

According to Park literature, Old Faithful erupts between every 40 and 90 minutes with an average show of 4 minutes. The water temperature is around 200 degrees F. The height of the spout is determined by the water table. The spout is usually higher in the Spring when the water table is at its fullest. It was named in 1870 by Nathaniel P. Langford, a member of the 1870 Washburn Expedition-who named many of the thermal features of the Upper Geyser Basin. The geysers erupt because Yellowstone National Park is a volcano.

Even though Yellowstone National Park actually blowing up has little chance of occurring in my lifetime, the information in the Visitor Center was sobering – The volcanic eruption of Yellowstone could be expected to kill as many as 90,000 people immediately and spread a 10-foot (3-meter) layer of molten ash as far as 1,000 miles (1,609 kilometers) from the park. The volcanic ash would block off all points of ground entry, and the atmospheric ash and gases would stop most air travel. Sulfuric gases released from the volcano into the atmosphere would mix with the planet’s water vapor. The haze of gas would dim the sunlight and also would cool temperatures. Falling temperatures would decimate crops and throw the food chain into disarray. Shiver.

But, until catastrophe does happen, we will continue to clap and cheer as Old Faithful allows Yellowstone to let off some steam.

The show over, we head back to the Lodge restaurant to use our dinner coupons. I ordered the Wild game Bolognese and Chuck ordered the Bison short-ribs. Dinners came with salad and dessert. Everything was boxed up and bagged so again we took it all back to the room. The food was excellent but the portions were very large. I’m saving my dessert for tomorrow morning. In retrospect, we should have used one dinner ticket on Wednesday night and one dinner ticket on Thursday night and split the meals. Live and learn.

The room felt hotter than the night before. I hoped it would cool down as much as it did last night. I worked on getting my photos to download. Chuck read. If you like to watch television, you are out of luck in these rooms. No TV. Better have something downloaded to a device. As I mentioned, my Verizon network was okay but I heard others say they had no service with their provider. I never was able to connect to any WIFI.

Next Up – Jackson, Wyoming

Travel Trivia

Yellowstone National Park

It is the world’s first national park.

The park is located within 96% in Wyoming, 3% in Montana, and 1% in Idaho.

Yellowstone is larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined.

There are more than 300 active geysers in the park.

There are 92 trailheads that access approximately 1000 miles of trails.

Yellowstone hosts aroundfour million visits each year. More than half of these visits happen during June, July, and August.

More people are hurt by Bison in Yellowstone than are hurt by bears.

Wyoming – The Equality State

The Crow, Arapaho, Lakota, and Shoshone were some of the original inhabitants of this area. The land that is now southwestern Wyoming became a part of the Spanish Empire, and later Mexican territory, until it was ceded to the United States in 1848 at the end of the Mexican–American War. French-Canadian trappers from Québec and Montréal ventured into the area in the late 18th century. John Colter, a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, itself guided by French Canadian Toussaint Charbonneau and his young Shoshone wife, Sacagawea, first described the region in 1807.

The region’s population grew steadily after the Union Pacific Railroad reached the town of Cheyenne in 1867 and it soon became a territory. Wyoming became the 44th state on July 10, 1890.

Wyoming was the first territory that gave women the right to vote. On September 6, 1870, Louisa Ann Swain of Laramie, Wyoming became the first woman to cast a vote in a general election.

In 1902, James Cash Penney, the founder of the J.C. Penney Stores established his first store in Kemmerer, Wyoming.

The first female governor in American history was elected in Wyoming. Her name was Nellie Ross and she was the wife of Wyoming governor, William Bradford Ross. After her husband died in office, she was elected to finish his tenure.

In Wyoming, it is against the law to wear a hat that interferes with other people’s view in theaters or places of amusement.

Forty-eight percent of the state is owned by the US government. The federal owned holdings include an Air Force Base in the capital city, the National Grasslands and the famous national forests.

The Wyoming pronghorn is the fastest land animal in the western hemisphere. These animals can travel at speeds of 60-70 mph.

The horse on the Wyoming license plate was modeled after “Old Steamboat” – a bronco in the early 1900s that was said could not be ridden.

A person may not take a picture of a rabbit from January to April without an official permit.

Bigfoot has been allegedly sighted several times in Wyoming in the Wind River Mountains, Yellowstone, Teton Forest, and Snow King Mountain near Jackson. The only known monument in the United States built in honor of a prostitute is located south of Lusk, Wyoming. Called the Old Mother Feather Legs Shepard Monument, it was erected in 1964.

*Trivia provided by Wikipedia, Yellowstone National Park literature, and Globus

National Parks Tour: Yellowstone National Park

Thursday, September 9, 2021

Al was right. This morning the temperature was 39 degrees. First time I have had to wear my jacket. I slept well as the room was nice and cool.

First thing we noticed when we came outside was that one of the bear-proof garbage receptacles was open and garbage was all over the ground. Crows were having a good time picking through all the mess. A Lodge staff member was coming from another direction with a bag and yelling at the crows to go away. Guess someone didn’t lock the receptacle correctly or the bears have gotten smarter.

We walked across the parking lot and passed the Yurts to the Old Faithful Lodge. Some members of our group were outside eating their breakfast waiting to see Old Faithful erupt. I told Chuck I would rather eat inside. Well, that was not an option. Big signs – no eating indoors at all.

The line was cafeteria style. I ordered some oatmeal with brown sugar and a side order of bacon. They put the oatmeal in a round container and the bacon in another round container. Chuck ordered the scrambled egg breakfast with a biscuit. They put the eggs, sausage, and potatoes in one small cardboard box – no dividers – and put the biscuit on top. We got coffee out of the machine. We gave our breakfast tickets to the cashier and she gave us plastic to-go utensils and a bag.

We decided to walk back to the room with our breakfast. Even though we walked fast, our food still cooled off. Chuck’s food was all jumbled together in the box. It looked gross but he said it tasted okay. My oatmeal was the consistency of cement. Bacon, a trailmix bar, an apple and coffee for me today.

At 8:45, we were on our way to our first stop – the Fountain Paint Pot in the Lower Geyser Basin. Al had two warnings for us – (1) stay on the boardwalk – don’t step on the ground as it could collapse and you would be severely injured or killed by the scalding water and (2) protect your electronic gear from the sulfa steam. I brought my rain cover for my camera. Chuck wore his rain jacket instead of a heavier jacket.

The area had a desolate lunar look to it. The ground looked like a crust and steam was coming out of cracks.

As we were walking around the area on the boardwalk, a woman in our group tripped and fell. Luckily, she landed on the boardwalk and didn’t fall into the crust. But she had a hard time getting up and she was hurting. Al and her husband had to help her get back on her feet. Found out later that she had both knees replaced because of arthritis. I hate that she fell but I noticed that she was wearing open-back sandals. Why would you wear them? Al had told us to wear good walking shoes today as we would be on some uneven terrain. My definition of good walking shoes were my tennis shoes.

Then, just before we made it all around the boardwalk, she fell again. She went down hard and I was afraid she had busted her wrist trying to catch herself. Tripped with those sandals again. When Al and her husband got her back on the bus, another person had some Tylenol to give her. Al offered to get her to a doctor but she refused. I bet she will be bruised up but at least she didn’t sprain or break a bone.

On our way to our next stop, Al spotted two wolves in the Gibbon river. Luckily, we didn’t have any traffic behind us so Wade was able to go very slow while we snapped pictures. One ran away but the other one took his time getting out of the river and just looked at us. Magnificent. Last time we saw a wolf was on the Tundra Wilderness Tour in Alaska.

Our next stop was the overlook at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. We had wonderful view of the Falls and the Yellowstone River.

We stopped for lunch and restroom break at the Canyon Village Center. We decided to pick up sandwiches and chips at the grocery store side instead of going to the longer line at the grill. Glad we did because the members of the group we sat with got food at the grill and were disappointed in the taste. You would think someone couldn’t mess up a grilled chicken sandwich but she said it was rubbery. Our sandwiches were good but the prices are crazy – $20 for two sandwiches, chips, and a bottle of water. The group said their meals were even more. Jeez.

After lunch, we stopped for a photo opportunity at Hayden Valley. There were Trumpeter swans in the river.

Our next stop was the Yellowstone Lake Lodge. We walked down to the lake to admire the view. Al told us that Yellowstone Lake is the largest body of water in the Park. The lake is 7,732 feet above sea level and covers 136 square miles with 110 miles of shoreline. While the average depth of the lake is 139 ft, its greatest depth is at least 394 ft. Yellowstone Lake is the largest freshwater lake above 7,000 ft in North America.

Our last stop before heading back to the Lodge was the Artists Paintpots. Al warned us about the ground again and to stay on the boardwalk. This area did not have the same overpowering sulfer smell like this morning. I thought all the different pots were very interesting. Some were colorful, others muddy and bubbling, and others were holes of bubbling water – all shapes and sizes.

Before we got back to the Lodge, we saw a bison sleeping by the side of the road. Why was he sleeping there? I guess because he could. Who is going to tell him to move?

Once we arrived back at the Lodge, Al said that according to the schedule Old Faithful should be erupting about 4:15. We would have time to drop our stuff off and go to the viewing area. At 4:00 we were walking to the area and encountered a big crowd coming toward us. Old Faithful erupted at 3:53. We missed it. What to do? Go ahead and have an early dinner and see it later or just find a spot and wait until the next scheduled eruption?

National Parks Tour: Sheridan to Yellowstone National Park

Wednesday, September 8, 2021

Breakfast started at 6:30 for us. I say for us because there was another tour group at the same hotel and they were to start at 6:00. Of course, they weren’t quite finished when we got there. And, the kitchen couldn’t keep up with the demand so there were empty pans when we lined up. I gave up and got some coffee and fruit and found us a table. That example is why I keep trail mix bars in the backpack.

Chuck was not to be deterred and was able to get some hot items. He brought me some bacon and a pancake. The bacon was good. The pancake was tough. How do you make a tough pancake? Could have used it as a dog chew toy.

When we got back to the room to finish getting ready and grab our backpacks, I heard a room key being inserted. I thought it was housekeeping so I opened the door. I don’t know who was more startled – me or the couple who thought our room was their room. They jumped back so fast I am glad that they didn’t fall over the railing. Once they realized what had happened, we all had a good laugh.

We left at 7:45. Al is still doing the temperature check and we are all wearing our masks. So far, so good. Nobody has gotten ill.

We traveled through the Big Horn Mountains. Lots of cattle grazing on the mountain sides. Al told us that the ranchers will be moving the cows down the mountains to corral and sell pretty soon.

At 11:30, we stopped in Cody, Wyoming for lunch. Cody was the home of Wild Bill Hickock. Al told us about several restaurants that he recommended. Chuck and I saw a Chinese restaurant that we decided to try when Al let us “scatter.” We were tired of sandwiches.

Even though this restaurant was not on Al’s list, it was an excellent buffet. Nobody else from our group was there but it was packed with local people. While we were getting our food, Wade came in. He was surprised to see us. He said it was his favorite place and he came every time his routes had him stopping in Cody. We told him Al should put it on his list of recommended restaurants. Wade said he wanted to keep it for himself.

Little more walking and some retail therapy and it was time to get back on the bus.

Continuing toward Yellowstone Park, we stopped for photos at Sunset Basin and a rest stop at Cooke City, Montana. Al said since we got to walk around and look at the Visitor Center, we can officially say that Montana is a state we have visited if we are keeping count. Driving through or flying over doesn’t count.

We followed the Gardner River to the north entrance of the park. As we came into the park, we were greeted with hundreds of bison grazing in the valley surrounded by the mountains. Welcome to Yellowstone!

Unfortunately, we passed an accident. A car had flipped over. The park ranger and ambulance were there. Al guessed that they may have hit an animal or swerved sharply to miss one. He said that an animal encounter was the cause of many accidents on these roads. That, and drivers who get distracted by the scenery. Another reason for taking this guided trip – my only job is to look out the window.

At 5:00, we arrived at Mammoth Hot Springs Village to visit the Travertine Terraces. Al told us that terraces are formed from limestone. Thermal water rises through the limestone, carrying high amounts of the dissolved limestone (calcium carbonate). At the surface, carbon dioxide is released and calcium carbonate is deposited, forming travertine, a chalky white mineral forming the rock of travertine terraces. Colorful stripes are formed by thermophiles, or heat-loving organisms.

When we walked the boardwalk from the parking lot to the Terraces, my first thought was that it looked like a frozen cascading waterfall. You could see the steam seeping through in the various areas.

As we got closer to the Terraces, I was wondering why nobody was at the very end of the boardwalk. They seemed to be clustered at the middle. Getting closer, I found out why.

A park ranger was holding everyone back from going any farther up the boardwalk. Why? Because a big bull elk had decided he need a soak in one of the thermal pools at the base of the Terraces. The ranger said the elk is known for his bad temper and would charge people or cars at any random time. Well, I didn’t blame him, nobody wants to be disturbed when soaking in a hot tub after a long day of foraging.

Heading back toward the Visitor Center, we encountered another Park Ranger running around telling people to get back. Seems another large Elk had wandered in from the valley and had decided that the plants and grass at the Visitor Center was just what he needed for an early dinner. He was massive. Why anyone has to be told to “get back” is beyond me. I finally got some decent elk pictures from a safe distance.

Traffic was very slow in the park. We finally got to the Old Faithful Snow Lodge at 7:00. It is the Lodge that is within walking distance to Old Faithful so a very nice location. Al said it is the luck of the draw on which Lodge a group gets so we were a lucky group. He also reminded us that, due to Covid and staffing, Yellowstone had very limited in-door dining and that most venues were order and go. He gave us tickets for breakfast for 2 days and dinner for one night. We can get dinner at the Snow Lodge but will have to walk to a different location in the morning to get breakfast. He also told us that the temps in the morning will be in the 30’s or 40’s.

Like Custer State Park, these room are small. I was looking for the air conditioning thermostat as I thought the room was stuffy. After studying the gauge on the wall, I realized that the room had no air conditioning. It was confirmed when I opened one of the closets and found an oscillating desk fan. I opened the one window in the room. If the temps do drop tonight, the room will be okay. If not, I will be in for a restless night.

Al had also warned us that the Internet was spotty to non-existent but I haven’t had any issue with the Verizon network. I have not been able to connect to any WIFI.

The room also had one can for garbage but it was divided into 3 slots – recycle, compost, and garbage.  Hadn’t seen that kind before.

We got in line to order our dinner as it is now closing in on 7:30. The lunch at Cody long gone. We split a sandwich and an order of chicken wings. You could take it outside or take it to your room. We went to the room. Too many hungry crows outside – size of roosters.

We have a full day in Yellowstone tomorrow. We have to be on the bus at 8:45 which is later than normal but Al is trying to compensate for the fact we have to get over to the other venue for breakfast and then back to the Lodge.

As I forgot to include trivia yesterday, it is below:

Travel Trivia:

Deadwood, South Dakota

Deadwood was established in 1876 during the Black Hills gold rush. Most of the early population was in Deadwood to mine for gold, but the lawless region naturally attracted a crowd of rough and shady characters. A mostly male population patronized the many saloons, gambling establishments, dance halls, and brothels. These establishments were considered legitimate businesses and were well known throughout the area. Famous visitors to Deadwood during this time included Wild Bill Hickock and Calamity Jane.

The tradition of spreading sawdust on the floors of bars and saloons started in Deadwood due to the amount of gold dust that would fall on the floor at any given time. The sawdust was used to hide the fallen gold dust and was swept up at the end of the night to be sifted for the valuable dust.

Deadwood gradually evolved from a wild frontier town to a prosperous commercial center, due in part, to the construction of the railroad.

During the 1920s, gaming became illegal but continued to operate behind closed doors. With the repeal of the Prohibition Act in 1935, gambling once again flourished in Deadwood until 1947, when it was officially closed. Prostitution remained a business until the 1950s. Gaming once again became legal in Deadwood in 1989 and continues to bring in tourism to the area.

In 1961, the entire city of Deadwood was named a National Historic Landmark.

Sheridan, Wyoming

The city is named in honor of General Philip H. Sheridan, the Union cavalry leader who served during the American Civil War.

It is the 6th largest city in Wyoming

The arrival of the Burlington and Missouri Railroad in 1892 boosted Sheridan’s economic status, leading to the construction of the Sheridan Inn, where Buffalo Bill Cody was once a financial partner. The Sheridan Inn is now a National Historic Landmark.

By 1910, an electric streetcar line, one of the only in the state, connected the mining towns of Monarch, Dietz, and Acme to Sheridan. A top destination is the Sheridan Rodeo, which began in 1931. It is widely regarded as one of the top rodeos in the nation. It draws 25,000 guests to its annual, weeklong western celebration and performance each July at the Sheridan County Fairgrounds.