Westward Ho! Part II. Exploring the Southern Half of Yellowstone National Park

Anticipating sunrise over Yellowstone Lake

A doe elk spotted in a meadow at a scenic turnout

     Driving north from Jackson, WY and through the Grand Tetons again was as impressive as before. See my Part I post about our first travel days here. Because of the vast size of Yellowstone National Park, we stayed at two different locations in the park. First, we stayed two nights by Yellowstone Lake in the south. The main road through the park forms a figure eight, and our location at one of the lodges in Grant Village was the perfect base for exploring the lower loop and for making one side trip. We settled in and walked along the beautiful lake side and into the lodge pole pine forests in the area.

One gathering of bison, part of a larger herd in Lamar Valley

     The next morning, we drove north on the loop and then east to the Lamar Valley and beyond--almost to the eastern edge of the park. The broad valley lived up to its reputation as the best location for watching large herds of bison and spotting other large mammals. We did not stop where a cluster of cars surrounded a bison on the shoulder; some people were much too close to the powerful animal. Further on, the valley gave way to towering peaks and rugged cliffs. Here, some kind Yellowstone enthusiasts invited us to look through their high-powered scopes at snowy white mountain goats, one almost skipping along where the rock face had only the narrowest possible ledges for its hooves. My husband also saw some pronghorns bounding from the grasslands into the trees, but they went by too fast on the wrong side of the road for me to see.

The smell of sulphur and steam rising reveal a thermal feature

     On the way back west, we stopped for food at the insanely busy Canyon Village (I was glad we had not chosen to stay at the lodge there). Then, we followed a couple of short trails to overlooks at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. The Upper Falls area was closed to visitors that day, but we enjoyed seeing the more dramatic Lower Falls. 

Boiling mud at Dragon's Mouth Spring

     I joined my early-bird husband for a walk before sunrise the next morning to watch the color change in the sky over Yellowstone Lake-- a gorgeous display, followed by a stunning sunrise. Then, a breakfast buffet at the Lake Restaurant overlooking the water before checking out on our way to our cabin on the north loop. Although we were not yet in the area with the most thermal features, we stopped at turnouts and parking areas to walk on the boardwalks over bubbling hot mud pits, hot springs, and steam vents called fumaroles. Dragon's Mouth Spring, pictured here, hissed and made thumping and crashing sounds as steam puffed out and mud at the entrance bubbled. It was easy to imagine a dragon inside that lair.

Lower Falls in the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

Question of the Day: Have you been to Yellowstone National Park? If yes, what did you particularly enjoy there, or if no, what would you like to see?

Westward Ho! Part III. Yellowstone Thermal Feature Guided Tour

Nope, this is Fountain Geyser, which erupts on an irregular schedule

Fountain Geyser and its small twin in back

We were lucky to catch their eruption

     In Yellowstone National Park this past September, we were fortunate to get seats on the last Firehole Basin Tour of the season, which we had reserved in advance at a visitor center. On the way from Grant Lodge near Yellowstone Lake (see earlier posts) to our cabin in Mammoth Hot Springs, we saw a late morning Old Faithful geyser eruption and then took the afternoon Firehole Basin guided tour of a number of other thermal features.

Heart Spring

Microbial mats make the colors on the ground

The mineral rich waters feed the microbes

     

     
     

     
             The tour was amazing, completely exceeding our expectations. Our guide shared his passion for Yellowstone's unique bubbling mud pots, geysers, hot springs, and steam vents, providing a wealth of fascinating information about the geology of the area. Driving our group in a restored 1938 yellow White Motor Co. bus, he answered a range of questions, provided bird and wildflower charts for those interested, and entertained us with stories of events from the amusing to the tragic that had occurred in this dangerous terrain.  

The walls of the rapids came from lava flows

Falls in Firehole Canyon

     Photos will show you a few of the wonders we saw, although photos do not capture the sulfur fumes, the odd sounds, or the weird activity of each feature. If I begin to describe all that we saw, this post would be waaaay too long, but I can't resist a bit of information. Yellowstone sits atop an active super-volcano which last erupted about 640,000 years ago. We are safe from another eruption for awhile because of these thermal features that literally let off steam from the huge 125 mile deep plume of molten rock. In many areas, the earth's crust is very thin, to the point that a person walking on it could break right through. The only safe access to many sights is on the extensive network of wooden walkways built above the ground.

Our funky bus, with hubby in the foreground

Question of the Day: Are you interested in geological wonders?

Westward Ho! Yellowstone's Mammoth Hot Springs and Terraces

     A cabin at Mammoth Hot Springs was our second "home" in Yellowstone National Park. The cabins (and newly refurbished hotel) are part of a hub toward the northwest corner of this huge park. The hot springs and extensive natural travertine terraces formed from dissolved limestone are fascinating. Over a mile of boardwalks allow visitors to explore them safely. Our day for exploring them and other nearby thermal features was chilly, grey and sometimes forbidding looking, so my photos show a completely different reality from the gleaming, pearly look of the terraces in bright weather. Of course, you can click on any photo to enlarge it.

    

     The Mammoth region is home to some of the largest herds of elk in the park as well as a variety of other wildlife. We had seen a few female elk in meadows in other parts of the park, but we were not expecting the number of elk we could watch in Mammoth. Nor were we prepared for the degree to which we saw some of them "up close and personal". We had been as careful as possible to stay the recommended distance away from wildlife, but in our cluster of cabins, the elk came to within eight feet of us. Between six and eight does and yearlings regularly grazed on the green grass the cabins surrounded--guess it was sweeter than the sagebrush on the hills around us. A number of others settled in around the cabins--one large doe even blocking access to our rented vehicle for awhile one morning. 

      Since we visited in elk rutting season, we could hear the bucks' eerie high-pitched bugling at night. Several bucks were gathering harems in the area--one group hanging out often in Mammoth Village (cluster of ranger station, camp store, hotel, restaurants, etc.). Cars stopped, and some people came much closer than was safe to get the perfect photo--a challenge for the rangers to manage.

     I have been puzzling over how to adequately express our awe and fascination with the natural wonders of the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. We are thankful to have had the opportunity to spend some time there. Since we were already near the Northern edge of the park, I had arranged for us to fly out of Bozeman, MT rather than drive all the way back to Jackson, WY. Oh my, we wished we had had a few more days in Bozeman as well. It's a hip, cultured college town surrounded by breathtaking mountains. After a quick lunch and stroll in town, we visited the amazing Museum of the Rockies, arriving just in time for a visiting production of Mongolian music and dance in dazzling costumes. The accompanying extensive exhibit featuring Ghengis Khan was eye-opening. I had not known that the fierce, brutal warrior became a progressive (for that time) leader. The museum's permanent exhibits include a stunning variety of local dinosaur finds and Native American art.

     Our itinerary worked well for us. We appreciated our time in Jackson, WY, and thrilled to the Grand Tetons. We were glad we had reserved rooms in two different corners of Yellowstone's expanse so that we could visit varied areas and features in a leisurely way without driving greater distances. You can view previous posts about our trip here. I hope you have the same opportunity some day.

Question of the day: Can you sometimes recall particular travel moments and experiences as vividly as if they had happened that day?

Westward Ho, Part I. Journey to the Grand Teton National Park

Along the Snake River, Grand Tetons in view

     We recently returned from a wonderful journey west to the Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park. I have been planning for it for more than a year--especially once I learned (from kind travel bloggers) that lodges and cabins in Yellowstone needed to be reserved a full year ahead in most cases.

     Traveling from flat, hot coastal North Florida to cool, dry mountains was a treat. We love our home, but a change of scenery and climate at the end of the summer was (immensely) refreshing. It is difficult to find words to describe these breath-taking national treasures, as you know if you have visited there. And photos cannot begin to convey the magnificence of the mountains, valleys, meadows, and animals we saw. However, I'll try to share some of what we experienced.

     We landed before noon in Jackson, WY on a chilly, rainy day, tired from getting up at 3 AM (1 AM mountain time!) for our flight. I had booked a room north of busy Jackson, but we first headed into town for lunch and exploration. Extra-large crowds of people clogged the streets, partly because we happened on a major--and delightful--art fair, and partly because it was too nasty a day for most hikers and outdoor explorers, so they came to town. 

     Foggy, but gradually clearing weather cheered us in the morning, and we drove north on US 89 into the Grand Teton National Park. Low clouds hugged some of the highest peaks, while others stood proud in their jagged glory. For our first day, we drove north as far as Moran Junction, then west to the sparkling, bright blue Jackson Lake (I'll post photos of Jackson Lake in Part II), and south again along the lakeside, past Jenny Lake, and on back toward our Jackson room for one more night. We stopped whenever we wanted to at one of the many overlooks and just drank in the crisp, fresh air and awe-inspiring views.

     Finally, we stopped at a trail head to do some hiking. Our Lonely Planet guide included the distance for each trail, and sometimes the elevation change. The trail we chose was fairly challenging, and we found exertion at that altitude exhilarating, but tiring. I loved using my Pacer Poles for walking--very helpful for my back problems--and was able to walk further than I would have without them. The trail wound through meadows, forest, along and over a rocky, bubbling stream, past a park horse and mule corral, and up some steep rises. It was all too lovely for words. The first full day of our adventure was simply amazing. Stay tuned for more.

Question of the Day: What journeys have taken you to a very different place from home?

Blue, Green, and Aqua Impressionistic Hand-painted Silk Scarf

     This impressionistic blue blend scarf is a new favorite--in fact, one I plan to keep for myself. It is especially pleasing that it is a rescue of a scarf that went wrong (see earlier post about that mistake). The white and misty aqua background that was left after I removed the messed-up gutta seemed perfect to re-do in a scarf with a blue, green, and aqua swirling print.

Close-up of one end

Close-up of other end

     After choosing the palette and blending the colors I had tested and wanted to use, I wet the entire scarf well. Then, with a soft brush, I swirled the colors on in a sort of "planned random" way with a bit of unpainted area between many of the swirls so that the hues would flow together without too much mixing. I didn't want the colors to muddy each other or to blend too much. Once that looked satisfactory, I deepened some blue areas and quickly sprinkled kosher salt over while the areas were still quite wet. Using salt on wet French silk dyes works a kind of magic as the scarf dries, producing jagged lines, star burst effects, and concentrated darker spots. Sometimes, I do further modification of the colors or pattern after I see how the scarf looks dry. It would have been a mistake to tamper with these results; in my opinion, it is lovely just as it is. Now it's getting hard to wait to wear it; five newly hand-painted silk scarves are ready to be steam-set. One more, and I can load up the steamer and complete the finishing processes.

Close-up of center

By the way, I will have one or two more posts about our trip to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone, but took a break to show you this newly painted scarf.

Question of the Day: Do you prefer defined patterns on silk, such as tulips or starfish, or a more abstract or impressionistic look?