July 4, 2013- Breaking News

Stationery Break Day at Terry Bison Ranch, Cheyenne Wyoming

Our Time at Terry Bison Ranch:

It was good to have a day to rest and relax without any real schedule. Pete chose Terry Bison Ranch in Cheyenne because it would give me an opportunity to take a trail ride if I so desired. I was just too tired to even consider taking a trail ride. For me, that’s really tired. I had ridden in Wyoming before, so I don’t feel like I missed out. Plus, here’s the scoop on Terry Bison Ranch:
Frankly, the place really confused us. So much so, that it’s going to take a bit of work to sort it all out for you, but I’ll try.

·         We never got an email confirmation for our reservation

      “ That’s just not how we do it,” they said.
Well, okay, but in an electronic world, when you are operating a business that people are planning their lives around, some sort of confirmation, especially one that lists our reserved site and dates (just to make sure we haven’t made a mistake) would be both reassuring and helpful to put into our binder. Because that led to the next situation:

•      The message on the answering machine (at 8:30pm) said their office closes at 5pm

“Our office really closes at 8pm. We don’t know how that message got on/stayed on our answering machine, “  they said.  Well, who, really is in charge at this ranch?

Since we don’t have a paper telling us how to handle late arrivals, we were super-nervous arriving at 10pm. At National/State Park sites, there is a card with your name and site on it, waiting at the gate. At TBR, we had to search on the façade of the trading post to find out that if you arrive late, you just mosey yourself into a site (praying that there is one despite the fact that you paid for a site in January) and just pay in the morning.

·         When we checked in, they were friendly. They gave us a cute TBR newspaper, a campground map and a 10% off coupon for The Senator’s Steakhouse and here’s where things get confusing if you are or are not paying attention.

The newspaper explains the difference between buffalo (located in Africa and South Asia, according to the missive) and Bison (located in North and South America. The current owners claim responsibility for approx. 2,500 head of the formerly endangered herd).

Why is the meat for sale in the Trading Post at TBR called Buffalo and why is it from a meat plant in Sturgis, SD?? Shouldn’t there be a sign explaining this? It costs twice as much as the buffalo available in local grocery stores, also from the Dakotas.

The newspaper and website encourage a visit with the camels and there is a public catwalk for which to view goats, pigs, steer, an ostrich, and some ponies in a cared-for, but desolate fenced in lot. There is not even one bison in the public viewing area. The camels were in a field 1/3 of a mile away. The only way to visit with them would be to take a walk along the service road. The ranch invites you to take a train ride on their hand-built railway (it’s cute from afar). The charge for my family to see the feed-lot bison (remember, we’ve seen a herd of 500, in the wild) would have been $42. 

We’re already (willingly, mind you) paying $42 for our site. That’s considered pricey in the camping world. The sites are pull-through, on gravel, right next to Route 80. The price is raised to $58 during Cheyenne Frontier Days, a city-wide extravaganza/rodeo/fair held the third week of July.
 Consider this: KOA campsites cost about $34 for a pull-through site. Some are next to highways. Most come with a pool and activities like mini-golf for no charge. National park sites cost about $17-20, sometimes with electric but usually with no water hookups.TBR was pricey.

·         The menu for The Senator’s Steakhouse menu is kindly printed on the back of our newspaper. The menu is expensive. I don’t have a problem with paying good money for good food, but the online reviews (very few recent, by the way) leaned heavily towards the negative. Pete and I had a long talk about expectations. He felt very strongly about eating bison at the ranch, so I accepted that. It is what it is.

·         Our dinner experience:

We had a super-nice server, Jayci, who, while she never complained, was responsible for too many tables. It was July 4^th and there was a concert scheduled in the main dining room. (“You can sit in the main dining room, but you’ll have to pay for the concert ($30 total add-on for the family)” said the hostess. So we chose the outdoor patio. It IS a ranch. There are some flies. Thank goodness for the breeze.)

·         The salad bar, which was $3.99 extra, had some choices.  Jayci sold it very well. We should have looked at it first. We were lucky to squeeze a salad out of the neglected ingredients. Many were not fresh. The soup tasted canned-but-doctored. Jayci took that charge off of our bill. Thank you, Ma’am.

·         The meal itself was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS. HANDS DOWN, MOUTH-WATERING BISON GOODNESS. I had an 8-oz. bison sirloin. Pete had a 12-oz. bison ribeye. Both kids had bison burgers of different sizes that came on fresh buns with fresh lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and garlic pickles. The meat should be ordered rare or medium rare. We ordered medium rare and they may have been a tad underdone, but we are fine, even impressed with that. Juicy, juicy, flavorful, and juicy. I detected a bit of bison-gaminess in the first bite, but I truly did not find much of a taste difference from beef. Our entrée plates came with buttery Texas Cheese Toast and a wonderful combination of grilled colored peppers, zucchini, onions and squash. I chose a baked potato, which, again, was fresh and plump. Pete had garlic chive mashed potatoes. We debate whether these were from scratch, but they were so tasty that doesn’t seem to matter. OH! I must tell you: THEIR FRENCH FRIES ARE HAND-CUT! We skipped dessert. The kids wanted ice cream and pound cake, berries and whipped cream were available in the RV for anyone who wanted them (no one. We were full!)

·         Here’s the important part: We would have much less of a problem paying for the extras if Terry Bison Ranch seemed to care more; Care more that we were staying there, Care more for their buildings, Care more about whether we’ll come back or most importantly, Care more if we tell our friends that this is a “not-to-be-missed” stop through the Plains.

Between the concert and the fireworks TBR put on after the concert, July 4^th would have been a prime time to capitalize. Do they still have cookouts? Why didn’t they have a cookout/buffet? They could have charged the concert-goers extra for added value, taken the stress off the restaurant staff by having a simplified menu and brought about a unified experience, and THAT’S WHAT’S MISSING at TBR. It feels like they have one foot in and one foot out of the public camping/dining experience and the layman’s ranch experience is what the public is craving. There’s just so much unreached potential.

Other things we did:

Isaac did laundry/web surfing while we replenished supplies in Cheyenne (20 minutes away). My grocery list: Diet Coke, Ice, eggs, bison. I feel like Wilma Flintstone.

Pete taming a Jack-a-Lope!

Millie and Pete rested in the RV while I took a rockhounding walk up the service road (and visited with the camels, too).

Isaac "riding" a bison

Millie loved Blossom, born on June 21, 2013

Great Plains at Dusk

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Birds: Lots of different swallows on the ranch. I also saw Night Hawks (not true hawks, by the way) and another bird that I can’t yet identify because I misplaced my field guide.

I swear I heard coyotes baying. Pete said the sound was of cooing Morning Doves. Hey, It’s my balloon! Don’t pop it!

Why today was the best vacation day ever: My rested, relaxed, well-fed family took a stroll through the ranch at dusk, giggling the whole way. Joy.

Wednesday July 3, 2013- Havin' a Grand Teton Time!

Left: Grant Village at 8:43am MST

Pit Stop: Grand Teton Village- arrived 9:19am until 2:00pm MST
Arrived: Terry Bison Ranch, Cheyenne, Wyoming at 10pm MST
Total time on road: about 9 hours
Miles driven today: 552.40
Total miles driven: 3398.7

We did not answer the question of whether we would spend a whole week at Yellowstone, because that’s an invalid question. The real question is: How much time would you spend in Yellowstone? Well, that depends on how deep you want to entrench yourself. I would have enjoyed visiting each of the visitor’s centers. I would have liked to have tried one of the fancier restaurants. I would have like to visit the famous lodges and those are just the surface features.

I really needed more time to sit at Fishing Bridge, famous for its rich and varied wildlife. The only camping permitted there is in hard-sided RVs due to bear activity. I would love to do more self-guided hiking. I didn't even get to Lamar Valley, which is also abundant with wildlife and outside the Grand Loop. My friend’s sister lives and works by giving tours in Lamar Valley. You know I’d be buying her dinner just to hear the stories! I’d go on more hunts for Trumpeter Swans and I’d have a few private picnics next to mountains streams with my own park ranger. I would even buy him a hat for the occasion.

As sad as we were to leave Yellowstone, there’s a definitive line for detachment. You either have to get more involved and go deeper, which we didn't have time for, or you have to find a new adventure. So, we took ourselves to Cheyenne, Wyoming via the South entrance of Yellowstone through the Grand Teton Mountains. Yes, this is an indirect route to Cheyenne, but Peter has dreamed of seeing Jackson Hole since he was a young man. His brother, Mike, is an avid skier who has spent many enviable hours swooshing those slopes.

As we approached the Tetons, I was struck by their awesome magnificence. So different than Yellowstone, yet just next door.

The Grand Tetons

Pete talked about taking a ride on the aerial tram, but lamented the cost, both in money and in time. I offered him several options: If you think we have enough time, go by yourself OR take the kids OR if you feel it’s that important, I’ll go too. The bottom line is: Do not worry about the expense. Do worry about not climbing the mountain. He took the kids to the top of the world while I did a tiny bit of shopping and a healthy bit of quiet resting.

Would we spend a week there? Oh, heck yeah! We’d have to spend two. One in the summer so I could bike and one in the winter so he could ski. I don’t know that I would like staying in Teton Village.  The center of Jackson looks like I could get into so much fun while Pete was skiing.

We had quite a bit of driving to do to get to Cheyenne. The passage south from Jackson to Rock Springs is lush with rock veins that I would love to explore in early spring (in Yellowstone-speak that means May). The Oregon Trail also ran across this passage. Other than that, it’s quite desolate.

Our Tired, Happy Campers

Dinner: Cheese and crackers, etc.  That’s a really popular dinner lately. Who knew?
Today was the best vacation day because Pete took his children to the Top of the World.

Tuesday July 2, 2013- Take me to the River

Left: Grant Village at 8:42am MST

Arrived: Grant Village Visitor Center at 6pm MST
Arrived Grant Village Campground: about 7:30pm MST
Our route is in purple. The green arrows show direction. The green Xes show some stops. The green O is where the Obsidian Cliff is.

Total time on road: 7 ½  hours
Miles driven today: 235.3
Total miles driven: 2843

Our first destination was the Visitor’s Center in Fishing Bridge. Each area of Yellowstone comes with its own Visitor’s Center and usually a campground, a gas station, usually a lodge or two and a restaurant or two. Each of those Visitor’s Centers has a theme and a ranger or two to answer questions. It was important to me to stop at FB VC because their theme is birds. On display, you'll find taxidermied specimens of almost every bird you could see at Yellowstone.

Before I was a bird watcher, I would have just thought the specimens were nice to look at. As a birder, an exhibit like this is vital. I can read the field guide and I can see the birds but while I am at Yellowstone, I don’t have an experienced birding friend to confirm what I think I’m seeing. The bird exhibit lends perspective to what those birds really look like. (Oh! That wasn't a Mountain Bluebird, which looks super-blue compared to our Eastern Bluebird. It really could have been a Lazuli Bunting, which, by the way, would be a real score!) Oh, no. I really have become a bird geek. Did I mention that my field guide got misplaced/mispacked since I purchased a Rocky Mountain folding guide that I've been using? Crap. It’s here somewhere, buried. Double crap.

The awesome ranger (a graduate in film studies) answered some questions. This is his 2^nd summer.  We probably won't see moose in Yellowstone as there are only about 100 in the park. However, the chances are much higher as we approach the Tetons tomorrow. You might find obsidian (black volcanic glass that makes up a cliff and a creek/river bed in Yellowstone) on the lakeshore, but it won’t likely be round and dull. It will still probably be sharp. (Yeah, it wasn't obsidian I found. Probably just regular prehistoric lava.)

This day was already getting off to a fabulous start!

Today’s trek took us back through Hayden Valley (Helloooo bison!) to the Mud Volcano. At MV, our first photo was of an iron grate of a storm drain. The iron grate had a sawhorse over it because of the thermal activity going on in the drain. Not only was it steaming furiously, but the gas had eaten half of the drain away. The features at MV are some of the most acidic in the park.

We learned that not all of the “steam” you see is actually heat. Some of the vapor may be because of the gases in that spot. Hydrogen sulfide gas is deep down in MV. Microorganisms that use hydrogen sulfide for energy help convert the gas to sulfuric acid, which breaks down the rock to wet clay mud. The gas keeps the mud a poppin’ and the crowds entertained.

MV is close to one of the major vents from which the lava flowed during the spectacular eruption 640,000 years ago. After the eruption, the land collapsed and formed a caldera. The lava flowed from the vents at MV and Old Faithful and created a volcanic plateau, which makes up a lot of the park. MV is near the greatest uplift and sinking of the caldera floor.

Fun stuff here:

Dragon's Mouth Spring

Dragon’s Mouth Spring- its surging action has decreased since 1994 for unknown reasons. In 1999, its water temp. dropped 10 degrees and the color changed from green to chalky white.

Sour Lake- looks like a lovely swimming hole, but the water is so acidic it would burn your skin like battery acid. Looks are deceiving, huh?!

Black Dragon’s Caldron burst onto the scene in 1948. In Yellowstone prehistoric speak, that’s practically yesterday! It uprooted and coated nearby trees in mud and has since migrated south 200 feet. Sour Lake was much more active before Black Dragon Caldron came around.

An added bonus to this feature is the way the bison just roam in and hang around. We got some awesome natural photos and towards the end of the visit we found a bison extremely close to (but not dangerously so) the visitors’ walkway. How close? So close we could smell him. Fun!

Grand Canyon Falls from Artist Point

Thankfully, Isaac was also in a much better mood today. That meant that he really enjoyed himself at the Mud Volcano and he got out of the RV to walk the South Rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River. We walked to Artist Point, the most highly photographed area of the 308-foot Lower Falls. As you view the canyon walls, you can steam venting from the sides.

There is some construction going on in that area of the park, so traffic can be a bit congested here and there. At one point, we encountered heavy traffic in an area where there were no sightseeing features. After a quick debate, Pete encouraged me to jump out of the RV with the camera and begin walking while he sat in the traffic. Good thing I listened. The reason for the traffic and crowds was a grizzly bear swimming in a stream in the valley below. I got some awesome photos. I also got to see how crazy people can be. A female ranger with the patience of a saint had to come along to handle the crowd, including the family of four who literally parked and turned off their car on the two-lane road so everyone could get out and watch! The ranger was havin’ none of that! Back in and move along! I’ve enlarged the photo as best I can. The grizzlies can be confused with the black bears in this area because the black bears of Yellowstone can sometimes be brown. The grizzlies however, have an unmistakable hump on their shoulder blades and their rump is smaller than their shoulders.

The Grizzly was swimming with only his nose out of the creek...at first!!

After that excitement, we continued driving the loop. We didn't get out of the RV much more. Our energy was wearing thin. Recognizing and heeding that is becoming a skill we’re more and more proud of. We wanted to visit Petrified Tree but there was no room for us to park. We could barely make it in and out of the parking lot! We drove through Mammoth Hot Springs but did not get out to visit.

Obsidian Cliff

Large Obsidian Boulder

It seemed to be “Indulge Julie Day”. I really wanted to see Obsidian Cliff. As a rockhound, I did not want to pass up the chance to see an entire wall of volcanic glass. It’s not heavily marked, so we missed it at first. Pete drove a mile out of the way and turned around just so I could see it. I’m so thankful. It is gorgeous.

Stars of our own beer commercial!

I did make one outright request of Pete. I said, “Honey, if you see a peaceful stream that looks accessible and there’s a place you can park, will you pull over so I can just stick my feet in?” I kept seeing these picnicking people frolicking in these glassine streams with mountains behind them and it just looked like a beer commercial that I wanted to star in.

He didn’t forget. He pulled up along the Firehole river and he grabbed the camera. When I said, “Oh. You have the camera!” He replied, “Yes. I want to get pictures of you flopping around in the water.” Many of you know that there are not many things that I love more than water. So this was a lovely opportunity. As I went into the back of the RV to get a foot towel, it occurred to me to actually change into my swimming suit, just in case the water was even more accessible than it looked. Boy, was it! Before I knew it, I was in up to my neck. I bent at the knees because it wasn't very deep. There was a gentle but insistent current. It was like my own natural lap pool! When Millie saw me swimming, she quickly changed into her suit. We called Isaac to bring the smaller lens. When he saw us dipping it, he was next. (The top picture of us swimming is what I see when I tell Pete I am going swimming. The bottom photo is what Pete sees when I say I am going swimming.) Our five minute warning was extended another 10 minutes by my indulgent partner. Pete let me swim with my babies until I was satisfied without pressuring me to get out. I was swimming in crystal clear water of 87 degrees with mountains beside me. Not only was it the best day of vacation, it was one of the best moments of my forever.

Take me to the river. Drop me in the water. Dip me in the river. Drop me in the water. The water.Words and music by Al Green and Mabon Hodges

Millie Quelly, Jr. Ranger!

We drove around to the Grant Village Visitor’s Center where Millie turned in her Junior Ranger book and earned her Junior Ranger Badge from Ranger Ali. It was a proud moment. We'll iron the patch onto her girl scout vest.

Our Vacation Pet, "Sparky"

Dinner: Overpriced but decent hamburgers from the Grant Village Grille and a stroll through the gift shop. Pete suggested we avoid dinner clean up by eating out and I was happy to agree. When we got back to camp, Millie played with her friends while Pete and I had a drink and fed the mosquitos. We retired early, plumb tuckered out!

Monday July 1, 2013- Bi-son, Get son free!

Left: Grant Village at 10:30am MST
Arrived: Grant Village at 6pm MST
Total time on road: 7 ½  hours
Miles driven today: 76.5 (our route is marked in purple with some stops we made are marked in green Xes.)
Total miles driven: 2607.7

Some Yellowstone Features Seen: West Thumb Geyser Basin, Firehole Lake Drive, Great Fountain Geyser, Gibbon Falls, Artist Paint Pots (Mudpots)

We got a much later start today. I decided to get our remaining ground beef cooked off so it could be quickly used at mealtime. We also needed to get our showers in and some days it just seems so difficult to get rolling, especially to get the kids moving. We also had some housekeeping to do. It’s a pain, but this is a small space so it goes quickly. Plus, with such a small space, it’s so important to keep everything straight.

Gibbon Falls

This day just got off to a rough start. I think the late start made Pete anxious (there is a lot of ground to cover here-no pun intended) and Isaac was just not in the mood to be anywhere near us. The day got rougher as we went. Our route would be taking us on the southwest lower half of the figure-eight loop; Keppler Falls to Great Fountain Geyser to the famous Fountain Paint Pot at Lower Geyser Basin. Well, we took Firehole Lake Drive, which, it turns out, is closed to RVs. We didn’t know that until we were ready to leave. The ranger was very kind and understanding, but a few visitors were very rude as we were driving out. Next, as we approached the Fountain Paint Pot area, it was way too full to even consider visiting. Traffic was backed up for a mile (in the opposite direction, thankfully) to get into the entrance. Bummer.



Thermal pool at Artists Paint Pots

Mudpot at Artists Paint Pots

We made our way through Madison to picturesque Gibbon Falls and then north to Artists Paint Pots, which was a real hoot. Can I just repeat that hiking the thermal areas is hard work? However, because we climbed to the highest peak in the area, we were treated to an almost private visit with the two mudpots at the top of the hill.


These mudpots provide the closest views of mudpots in all of Yellowstone. We laughed as the huge mudpots glurped and glopped sending mud so high and far that we thought we’d get splashed. In retrospect, it’s okay that we missed the Fountain Paint Pot. There were far less crowds at Artists Paint Pots. Our planned sightseeing visits ended with a stop at the North Rim of The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River. Tomorrow we will try to visit the South Rim for the most photographic vantage points.

My first bison close-up.

Our trip back to Grant Village took us through Hayden Valley. We had a buffalo sighting! We stopped to take some photographs. As I was making my way to where Pete had parked the RV, he was furiously waving his arms. Not only were the bison on the left side, across the road from the RV, but one was about 15 feet outside my passenger door and I had to pass him to get back in the RV. Pete worries when wild animals are that close, but I talked to the bison. (I really did.) “Listen,” I said to him, “I just have to get in the camper. I’m not going to bother you.” He looked unaffected.  Bison to the left of me, bison to the right, here I am, stuck in the middle with Pete. As we continued on through the valley we saw approximately 500 head of bison.

Dinner: Back early enough to whip up soft beef tacos and mango margaritas for all (no rum for kiddies!) We bought some firewood and made a small fire for S’mores. Millie made some friends at the neighboring campsite and we learned that the mosquitos in Yellowstone are vicious. Add bug spray to your list. Usually I am not a big user of bug spray, but it may prove invaluable this trip.

Birds: are somewhat tough for me to watch here partly because the soaring birds are really high, the perching birds are really quick and the forests are either dense or super-dense. When I say super-dense I mean that in the area of Artists Paint Pots, which is thermal, if I took my arms and made a ring with them, like a great big hug with my fingertips touching, there might be eight trees in that hug. Super-dense forests make for tough bird watching if you’re not sitting still for long. That’s the other issue. We don’t stay put for long. I’m convinced that if I took myself to an area and sat, I’d see much more wildlife. Well, maybe next time. Wildlife surprises are fun and will have to do for this trip.

This was the best vacation day:

Millie at the mud-splattered fence.

Because our effort climbing the steps at Artists Paint Pots paid off in listening to Millie’s laughter (photo- Her almost-10-yr.-old beauty stuns me.) Plus, I loves me some bison herds. Glorious.

Sunday June 30, 2013- Everyone into the Thermal Pool!

Left: Buffalo Bill State Park, Cody, Wy 9:19am MST
Arrived: East Entrance of Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming 3pm MST
Arrived: Grant Village Campground, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming 8:30pm MST
Total time on road: about 5 ½ hours- some of that was driving from the Eastern Entrance to Old Faithful to the campground. Making the straight trip should take about 4 hours.
Miles driven this leg: 149
Total miles driven: 2581
Our route is marked in purple. Some stops are in green Xes.

Some areas of Yellowstone visited: West Thumb Geyser Basin, Old Faithful and the Upper Geyser Basin

A MUST-HAVE: Yellowstone: The Official Guide published by The Yellowstone Association. There may be better books out there, but this only costs $9.95 and supports the assoc. We purchased it in Cody at the Buffalo Bill Dam Shop. We realized that while we could have done even more strategic planning, between our hectic home life and the enormity of a trip to Yellowstone, you just do the best you can. Not having a true concept of what your destination is like makes strategic planning very difficult.

Take at least one, if not two of the Yellowstone Maps offered at the entrance gates. They are terrific. We used a highlighter to map our course and wrote all over one. That map was such a vital tool that it tore along the edges and we were only there for 3 days.

Grant Village has no water, electrical or sewer hookups. You may run your generator only between 8am and 8pm. Plan blender time accordingly.

Showers: You do receive 2 free shower credits per campsite per night. That gave us 6 showers. You may purchase extra shower credits for $3.21. It’s a good value. The showers are clean with plenty of hot, full-pressure water and a dispenser of liquid soap. If you are a traveler, there are even towels you may rent. We do have a shower in the RV and use it, when necessary.

The Travel: We took a brief stop to see the dam at the Buffalo Bill Reservoir. I saw some exquisite Green-Violet Swallows. I learned that one of the rocks I saw is called Plum Stone and is rose granite mixed with concrete used for building the dam. Nice and worthy stop. Allow 45 minutes to an hour.

The only real plan we had for Yellowstone was that we were going to stay at Grant Village for 3 nights and Pete wanted to accomplish driving the whole Grand Loop. There are many side roads, picnic areas and hiking trails, but Yellowstone’s main road is designed in a figure-8 (see top photo). When we planned our stay, we followed Mike and Donna’s book, but we also depended on a lot of reviews on websites such as tripadvisor. In retrospect, staying at only one campground may have been a mistake because had we flexed, it would have relieved some of the driving we did. We could have traveled part of the loop and then camped at a nearby spot instead of having to drive all the way back to Grant Village.

Bones in a thermal pool at West Thumb Basin

We entered the East Entrance and drove south, around Yellowstone Lake to West Thumb. There were a bunch of photo stops as soon as we entered the park, but our first hiking stop was at West Thumb Geyser Basin. At many of the self-guided trails you will find leaflets available. They ask for a modest donation ($.50) and they are well worth it! In one of the pools, Isaac and I saw and discussed some mammal bones in the pool. We guessed that they were from a marmoset, which is about the size of a groundhog, based on the size of the rib bones. (The photo, left, is of the bones in WATER. It is so clear in this pool.)

Our next stop took us right to Old Faithful. The tourist area is much bigger than I imagined. We parked the RV and just as we approached the geyser, cameras ready, it erupted! Talk about great timing. She goes off about every 90 minutes, give or take 10 minutes each way. The eruption lasts about 5 minutes. The height also varies but is usually about 130 feet.



Heart Geyser

Since Old Faithful is in a thermal area of the park, it is surrounded by other thermal activity. We took the longest loop around Old Faithful to cover the Upper Geyser Basin and stopped at the famous thermal pool called Morning Glory.  One of the most colorful pools in the park, it gets its orange and yellow hues from the bacteria that grows in its water that’s been cooled from natural changes as well as the vent being plugged from visitors tossing stuff in. ¾ of the way down that path, we stopped and waited to see if Grand Geyser would go off since its schedule indicated that it would, give or take 10 minutes (in Yellowstone speak that translates to “any minute now.”
Here’s how the process works: Yellowstone Scientists might say, “Yesterday this quite reliable natural phenomenon shot 425-degree water out of its funnel 150 feet into the air at 5:20pm. We have noticed it erupts every 24 hours, give or take 20 minutes. We will write with China Marker on the plastic board in front of it that it will probably erupt again at 5:20 pm today. You, Geyser Watcher, beginning at 5pm, will in turn tell your family and all other potential Geyser Watchers in front of you, that the geyser will erupt “any minute now”. The Geyser Gods will laugh and take their sweet time. You will tire of waiting by 5:34 pm and walk away, at which time, the Geyser Gods will laugh again and decide “This is the minute!” and send forth steamy spray with which to impress you.”

Thankfully, you will just be on the other side of the bridge, out of the sun, but with a fine view to take photographs, as we were.

Morning Glory Pool

Just as we finished our hike and approached Old Faithful on the flip side, cameras ready, she went off again!! This time Pete got it on video. He always has had great timing. We stopped in at the lodge cafeteria to consider eating there. We decided to go back to our site where we could relax.

Hiking thermal areas is a hot job. Very little shade and, well, bubbling thermal activity. The beauty and miracle of it all is breathtaking. And the geysers, hot springs, mudpots (none at OF) and fumaroles (steam vents) are all different. There’s also the unpredictability involved. Could, at any time, one of these tiny, hissing fumaroles just blow a gasket and shoot like an unhinged pressure cooker full of tomato sauce right in front of me? Yes. Stand back.

Dinner: (too late to run the generator) Hot turkey sandwiches with Can o’ gravy and Krap Macaroni and Cheese on the stove. It uses propane. Macaroni and Cheese makes Millie so happy. Afterwards, I was able to surf with my phone and read all the fine meals my chef friends were preparing for the weekend. We all had a good laugh!

Wildlife sightings: Just after we entered the park, a long line of cars was stopped alongside of the road. Whenever that happens, if you are “hunting” wildlife (as we are, with our camera) you should slow down! Our first Yellowstone sighting was of two huge elk. I got close enough to see the velvet on their racks. It's not as easy as it looks. This was in an area deforested by fire and there are a lot of large tree trunks to climb over/around. This forest (pictured) is not what I would consider dense for Yellowstone. At Old Faithful, we saw what appeared to be grizzly tracks and mountain lion tracks. We definitely saw bison tracks and manure. Pete saw a baby snake. I saw an Osprey.

This was the best day ever because we all made it though a long, hot, stimulating day and were still laughing and enjoying ourselves at bedtime. 

Saturday June 29, 2013- Cracking the Cody

Saturday June 29, 2013
Buffalo Bill State Park, Cody, Wyoming

Restorative Day

24.2 miles driven to Cody and back.

Boy, did I wake up to a ruckus! The screaming! The shouting! The carrying on! Who did they think they were to make such a commotion while we are on vacation?!

At first, I thought it was prairie dogs outside my window. I took a peek. Holy crow! Birds, and look at the size of 'em! Good looking, but way too noisy. Three of them. Got out the field guide. It’s 7am, for crying out loud! Magpies. Just like Heckle and Jeckle. It looked like a union meeting. Smiling, I went back to sleep for another hour or so.

After a glorious night’s sleep and a shower in the RV (hallelujah), I had the most delicious breakfast of Pork Roll, Scrambled Eggs and Pancakes with Maple Syrup in the most beautiful outside café I have ever been in. Beachfront property overlooking the Absaroka Range of Mountains and the Wild Bill Reservoir all for just $17 per night. Incredible. All around the reservoir is driftwood like you’ve never seen. After breakfast, Millie and I took a walk to ‘the beach’ and put our toes in and played with driftwood. Nature’s Arts and Crafts class!

AND THEN THE THOUGHT HIT ME: “I really deserved this vacation. Pete really deserved this vacation. This is the life.” The feeling of peace is one that everyone deserves. At times, it is so hard to come by. Some of us have to work really hard to learn how to relax. And even when we’re working on learning to relax and we desperately want and need to relax, the luxury of ignoring schedules and commitments may elude us. We are really enjoying this vacation.

After breakfast and cleanup, our family loaded the RV and took a ride into Cody to replenish food supplies and do a few loads of laundry. I spent the downtime writing some postcards, uploading a blog entry. Allow just over an hour for this activity. Well worth it!

Millie with the White Bison of Cody

CODY IS THE TOWN FOR ME!! I don’t even remember why I decided to stay in Cody an extra day. Perhaps that’s what Mike and Donna did on their trip. Originally, I thought we’d spend the day at the Buffalo Bill Cultural Center. Admission is $18 per person, but the complex is comprised of 5 different museums, all of Smithsonian quality. I would have liked to see the Native American Museum, but between sleeping in and replenishing, we decided to stroll into Cody and then call it an early day.

The atmosphere in Cody is beautiful. There are some accessible souvenir shops, some saloons with gunfights (we left before then) and some shops with affordable-to-high-end-priced merchandise. Gone is the crazy chaos of Wall (Of course, you’re here! It’s Wall! Everyone needs to see this!!) and the slight-dumpiness of Deadwood (Yeah, it’s a slow weekday. We still don’t really care if you’re here or not, eventually the action picks up. We’re a saloon town that caters to locals).  In Cody, the overall feeling seems to be, “Welcome to Cody. We’ll be so nice to you that you’ll wish you were a local.” A woman in the Cody grocery store recommended I visit a shop in Cody called “B-dazzled…too” for jewelry. She told me that the trading posts have nice jewelry, but it’s mass manufactured. The stuff in B-dazzled is purchased, by the owner, directly from the Native American artists. So, we put the shop on our list.

Greg Koschtial of B-dazzled...too.

And what a treat! Owner/Silversmith Greg Koschtial spent a hearty amount of time with us in his cozy, well-appointed shop. We all got an education in turquoise (Who knew there were so many different kinds? They are all unique!) and Native American styles. He is a charming man and an exceptional artist. I chose a pendant and silver chain (I narrowed my choice down from 5!), Millie got some earrings and we found a few gifts/souvenirs for others that are perfect. All from a local business in Cody.

I thought I might take a swim in the reservoir before dinner, but a storm and our hunger rolled in like a vengeance, so we called it a day. Dinner, relaxing, card playing, etc.

Dinner: Chicken and Beef Tenderloin Fajitas, Grilled Fresh Sweet Corn, Mango Margaritas.

Today was the best vacation day because: We all had a really good and relaxed time in Cody. Mr. Koschtial treated Isaac perfectly when Isaac returned to look for a piece of jewelry for himself but did not find a good fit. Plus that view and Breakfast with a handsome man.

Would I spend a week in Cody? AB-SO-LUTELY. When Pete and I discussed this, his answer was, “Well, we don’t have hookups, but sometimes you make your sacrifices.” This is a place I look forward to revisiting someday.

Tomorrow: Off to Yellowstone!!

 

Friday June 28, 2013- Mother Nature's Amusement Parks and Resorts

Left: The Black Hills of South Dakota (Horsethief Lake) 8:40am MST (E)
Arrived: Rapid City, SD (RV Supercenter) (F)

Arrived: Buffalo Bill State Park, Cody, Wyoming 1:34am MST (G)

The Black Hills

Water and electricity is available. No sewer hookups. Clean pit toilets are available for tent campers and a dump station plus potable water for RVs. There are no restrictions on generator use.
Total time on road: about 7 ½ hours
Miles driven on this leg: 495.5
Total miles driven: 2408

First things, first. We’re stopping to get the generator fixed. See the Real Time Blog entry.

Before we approached Rapid City, we revisited the Minuteman Missile Silo to see if we could book a tour. The first available tour was 10am and that would interfere with our appointment at the I-90 RV Auto and Supercenter to get the generator fixed. Pete vetoed waiting for the Minuteman tour.

Downtown Deadwood, SD

After leaving the RV Supercenter, we stopped in Deadwood, SD, home of the assassination of Wild Bill Hickock. It’s a cute, Old West town that has real slot machines in many of the stores along Main Street. The children are welcome to come in before 8:30pm, as long as they stay 3 feet away from the slot machine. We visited the perfect place for families in Deadwood: an ice cream parlor/candy store on one side, a tiny casino on the other! Deadwood kind of reminds Pete and me of Central City, Colorado. I think we liked Central City better. Deadwood was a fun, quick stop. Allow an hour or two.

A new category we thought of is: Would you spend a week here? The answer for Deadwood is an unequivocal, “No.” Pete says we would spend a day or two there. There are lots of tours and other things to see on the outskirts of town. One or two days, sans children, would be even better for us. There’s just not enough to hold their attention, it would seem.

Follow Deadwood's Bar Rules and no one gets hurt...maybe.

On the way out in the morning, Isaac suggested that we plan and have meals ready to go in case we needed to pull over. I appreciated his proactive attitude and that’s what we did. It was a brilliant plan, really. We agreed on menus and that left no room for whining when the time came.

Even though Sturgis, SD is in between Deadwood and Belle Fourche (the lowest point), Wyoming, we did not stop. Home to Harley Davidson, right now Sturgis is hosting a Camaro Festival and in a day or so there is a simultaneous Blue Grass Festival. August brings their annual Harley Road Rally. To stop would have been too time-consuming and way too stimulating. Would I spend a week there? Probably, even if it was just to make some new friends and watch the people. We did see lots of bikers and Camaros along the way.

From Deadwood, we headed to Devil’s Tower. Our nation’s first National Monument, DT is considered sacred to the Lakota tribe and to several other tribes connected to the Black Hills. Summer solstice (last week) brings tribes to the base to perform the Sun Dance ceremony, a group ceremony of fasting and sacrifice that removes the suffering of nature and leads to the renewal of the individual, of the group as a whole, and of nature. Tearing of flesh is said to be part of this ceremony. Ouch.

Climbing Devil’s Tower is a goal for many climbers. Since 1996, a voluntary ban on climbing has been in effect during the month of June out of respect for the Native American cultural activities. One of our very dear friends Will has climbed DT. When we were talking about it last week, Will said, “When you get to Devil’s Tower and look up, think of me climbing that!”

My reply to Will (because I am a foolish neophyte) was, “Yeah, but you were harnessed in!”
And then I met the Tower, up close and personal. I already have so much respect for Will just because he’s a wonderful guy and he’s got the best sense of humor, but to think of Will (or anyone) attempting to scale Devil’s Tower, let alone conquer it, takes my respect to a new level. Harnessed in. Really, Jewels?! Thank goodness Will has such a terrific sense of humor and understands that many times I simply don’t have a clue. That’s a graceful guy for you.

Anyway, we took the trail around the base of DT. It’s about a mile and a quarter. Allow at least 2 hours. The walk is mildly strenuous and you also want to allow plenty of time for gazing at Golden Eagles and gaping at climbers. We did see 3 groups. When we observed the climbers we saw: a woman rappelling down the side (she probably had a partner, but we did not see him), a group of three halfway up and another group of three about 1/5^th of the way up. The time: 5:30-6:30 MST. Keep in mind that it stays light a long time in the mountains, but I can’t wait to ask Will to fill me in on what the back story could possibly be. If you have young children, the trail is navigable with an all-terrain stroller and a strong back.

BIRD BREAK- ABOUT THE BIRDS: Millie and I are beginning bird watchers. Before we left New Jersey, we took Peterson’s field guide for birds out of the library to bring with us. Great idea! We’re on the lookout! The first utter thrill I received was in The Badlands. I heard musical aviary trilling that made me gasp. I quickly sent Millie for the field guide and I picked up the camera with the loooonnnggg lens and quietly got as close as I could. Turns out that the bird is a Meadowlark. I may be wrong, but Meadowlarks could be as common as Robins are in our area. Nevertheless, they are beautiful and sing like, well, birds.

Friday night’s dinner: Happy Hour minus Steve, Andrea, Enid, and Rich (our usual Friday Happy Hour friends at home). We enjoyed Cheddar Cheese and Club Crackers (no wine, we’re driving!) and grapes. Believe it or not, everybody loved dinner. It tasted good, we had hours left to drive and we were hungry and tired. Enough said.

Return to Which Mountain?  Mother Nature’s Amusement Park

The ride to Cody, Wyoming continued quite uneventfully, for a while, at least.

Wildlife spotted: Whitetail deer, here and there and an antelope.

After a few hours, Ike agreed to ride up front while I took a nap on the sofa with Millie. The first time I was woken was when the RV came to a complete stop. Pete decided to scrub the bugs off of the front window. The next time, the breaks were slammed on because a female moose crossed in front of him. That also happened for a mule deer and then for a HERD of moose. They were moving kind of quickly, so he couldn’t tell if there were any bulls, but they were definitely moose.

The next time I woke up to the boys cracking up and carrying on. It was pitch black and we were climbing the windy Shell Canyon on the Big Horn Scenic Bypass (through the Big Horn Mountain Range). It was scarier than Return to Witch Mountain at Disneyworld! As I looked up through the window in the coach, I saw a humongous shooting star amongst the millions saturating the night sky.

We made it to Buffalo Bill State Park by 1:34am MST. Right to sleep for us. Good thing we have the luxury of sleeping in tomorrow! We have a "day off" and are staying in Cody another night.

Today was the best vacation day: because Devil’s Tower is amazing. Isaac and Millie really jived with the cheese and cracker dinner. Having no “moments” takes a huge weight off of my tired-I’ve-been-hiking-all-day shoulders. Plus, we made it through Big Horn in the dark, unscathed.