Plans, and no plans

Our last day in Gardiner was Sat. Sept 7 and was spent doing laundry and getting gas and supplies for the next leg of our journey. We considered going to Glacier National Park but looking at the weather decided it might be a good idea to wait a few days so we decided to go to Craters of the Moon NP in Idaho first.
So Sunday, Sept 8, we left Gardiner and headed back into Yellowstone to first take a short hike along the river to a place where hot water enters the river and makes a natural hot tub as the hot and cold water mix.

This is allowed. The warning sign you see in the photo is a warning not to enter the river at this spot. There is a safe place a little further up the river to get in and out.
I wanted to walk to see this place because we'd seen it many times from the bus and it was a nice flat walk. It would have been fun to swim but would have taken more planning than we had time for that day.
We left the Park via the West Entrance and it started raining, which we expected. It was a rainy but very interesting ride through Idaho to our next campground in Arco, Idaho.

Lots of fields and views of mountains through the storm clouds.
Arco is a small town and has a mountain looming over it covered with numbers:

 which are really difficult to see in this image so here is a zoom:

Turns out that every high school class since 1921 has climbed this mountain and inscribed their graduation year on the mountain. An interesting tradition. The rain pretty much stopped by the time we got there and we were able to have a campfire that evening. They also had free Belgian waffles for breakfast! Even better than the pancakes in the Cody KOA, and we'd purchased some real maple syrup last time we were in Walmart, so they were extra good.

Monday Sept 9 we headed 20 miles away to Craters of the Moon National Monument which was a fascinating place.

As we drove along the landscape was lumpy and soon it was apparent that lava had flowed here in the past. Off in the distance there was an area that was very rugged.

We entered the park and got a map of the loop drive and headed off.

First stop was this 'new' lava flow from only 2000 years ago.

It was large and had some amazing colors and features. This area used to be over the hot spot that Yellowstone is over now. Much of the entire park was craggy and rough but a lot of it looked like this:

 There was a huge hill to climb:

but Will and I didn't climb it.

At some points it seemed like there was lava 'everywhere' 

but we eventually drove by the edges of the flow:

There were 7 stops along the loop and most of them had short walks as well as longer hikes. We did most of the short walks. It took about 2-3 hours. If we did the longer walks or explored the caves it would have taken much longer. A permit was required to go to the caves so we decided not to do that.

One interesting thing about this park was that the signs along the paths mostly talked about how people visiting the park is hurting it. It discussed the merits of allowing access vs the dangers to the features of allowing people in. It was very interesting and different from other parks where the signs talk about the history of the names of the various features.

We were told that the best restaurant in town was the Mountain Man's Trading Post just outside of Arco, and it was a real treat. Mel is a Vietnam vet and was looking for a way to connect with people as a way to support his recovery from PTSD so he opened the restaurant. He's such a warm and wonderful guy. His food is also amazing. I had a Ruben which he said used an original German brisket recipe and Will had a sloppy but delicious meatball sub. We wished we could have gone there for breakfast the next day but he's closed on Tuesdays. In addition to great restaurant food he had a well-stocked grocery including local produce, a gift shop filled with hand made items, and even a book swap area. We bought two peaches and ate them for dessert.They were perfectly ripe. I even had a huckleberry ice cream cone which was delicious. The place is quite humble but that didn't detract from the delicious food and warm company.

We really liked the small town and the campground had a great view. We spent two nights there.

Tuesday Sept 10 we skipped the waffles and headed out toward Glacier National Park. We were amazed by the drive up Rt 93. Sweeping valleys and rocky passes:

We ate in Hamilton at a place called Naps Grill which I'd found on the web. We had some delicious steaks. Then we drove another 20 miles to Charles Waters Campground near Florence, MT. There was a kiosk where you select your site, then fill out an envelope and put the money inside. It cost $10. We found plenty of open sites and picked one right near the toilet. Just a one-hole vault(pit) but very clean and not smelly.

The site was large and the campground very quiet. Just what we were looking for. There were rain showers in the area but they didn't effect us. We continue to be lucky with the weather. We envisioned that the next day we would complete the trip to Glacier NP and get a campsite at the Apgar Campground on the west side of the park and spend 3 nights there, using the free shuttle to visit the park itself.

But Wednesday, Sept 11 turned out differently. We got up early and didn't eat breakfast in the campsite and there was no shower so we were on the road by 8:30. Will had a hankering for a Egg McMuffin and we'd bought a small cobb salad to eat for dinner that we hadn't gotten to so I ate that. We continued to enjoy the scenery as we drove by Flathead Lake

The Park has a web site where you can check on which campgrounds are full and with about 30 minutes more to drive, the Apgar campground filled up. The only other campground with open spaces was on the far side of the Park. It was 'only' 57 miles so we decided to go for it. In retrospect it would have been better to go back to the KOA campground we'd just passed.

The road was crowded and the turnouts were all full. We drove the narrow 'Going to the Sun' road through the park. At first only I was scared but soon Will was also feeling a little agoraphobic. We were on the 'outside' most of the time, trying to stay inside the 'guardrails' which were only rocks about 1 foot high. Sometimes there wasn't a guardrail! The consequences of a 'mistake' were 1000'+ drops! I'm never a fan of heights and this seemed over the top. It was difficult to look long enough to see the amazing views which I'm sure were there. I caught only a glimpse and Will hardly saw anything except danger. About halfway through we decided we really didn't want to pass this way again, with or without someone else driving. I took some pictures by holding the camera to the window while I stared at the cliff wall or the center line, if there was one.

We got to the east side of the park and went to the open campground but there was a sign warning of lots of bear activity and only hard-sided campers are allowed. Our van is hard-sided but neither of us felt comfortable testing the situation, especially after what we'd just gone through. And since we felt we were done with Glacier NP we pressed on. We kept going to little towns looking for campsites but most were completely inadequate and we'd keep going. At one point the road we were on was under construction and was like going through Glacier again only without pavement. Honestly, it wasn't as narrow but we were traumatized.

We finally ended up in Shelby, MT facing a campground which was in the backyard of the Comfort Inn. We ended up getting a room at the hotel rather than stay in the campground. There was a restaurant right next door. Nothing fancy but good basic food. We had the hamburger steak special and the salad bar.

As we were finishing the meal I heard someone in another part of the restaurant say 'we're from Cape Cod'. I couldn't let that go so I went over to the table and said 'Hi, we're from Cape Cod  too'. So, it turns out to be the parents of a former colleague at WHOI, Josh Eaton! I met Josh in Bermuda on Oceanus during a port stop on the EDDIES trip in 2005. Since then he and I worked for Tim Stanton and went to sea together at least twice. We were even invited to Josh's wedding but couldn't attend. What a crazy coincidence!

While at the hotel we decided we preferred having a plan to winging it so looked for our path back to the Grand Tetons.

We're currently in Canyon Ferry Lake which is actually the Missouri River dammed up. The campground has an amazing view which is also the view from the restaurant at the top of the hill:

You can just see the lake at the foot of the mountains. We also took this picture to send to our WHOI friends but you can't see the view:

Still struggling a bit with this camera to get the shots I want but this picture of the sunrise came out nicely:

You can just barely see the lake on the right side. It was a cool morning and has turned into a breezy but delightful day. I've been sitting in the van with all of the doors open and typing away. 

We'll probably walk up to the restaurant at the top of the hill for dinner as otherwise we'll have to drive somewhere and it isn't clear we'd find food that is very different. We're still trying to figure out what is 'missing' from the menus we encounter. Most things are good but somehow it all seems like food from 25 years ago. Lots of carbs. But we're managing.

Our plan is to go from here to West Yellowstone tomorrow and spend 2 nights(Sat/Sun) there. Then move to Colter Bay campground and go through the Grand Tetons the next day(Monday) and perhaps to Montpelier, ID near Bear Lake, after that, on our way to southern Utah. But lots could happen by then.

Hope to post again before next weekend!

Day 25 - Last day in Yellowstone

Wow, sorry for the long delay. It seems like it has been go, go, go since my last post....
We landed in Cody,WY at the KOA for 3 nights.

 It wasn't very private but it also wasn't too crowded the first night.

Cody has a rodeo every night in June, July and August. Many of the riders were under 25, and one steer rider was only 7 years old! It was explained this is sort of a 'training' rodeo although there were some events with well seasoned riders.
I didn't take any pictures during the rodeo but here's the view from our seats:

Right in front of us are the chutes where the riders get onto the broncos, steers and bulls. The entire thing was really interesting. I think I'd like to go back and watch behind the stands where they shuttle the animals to and from their pens for the various events. It was quite an operation.
It had a 'county fair' atmosphere and felt very local. One funny thing was between each event 2 girls on horseback carried flags with local advertisements on them while the winner of the previous event did a 'victory lap'. I guess you can't escape advertising even at the rodeo.

Friday Aug 30 we had free pancakes at the campground (which were really good)
and went to Walmart and got an oil change then we ate at a German restaurant which was a nice change from the 'bar and grill' type restaurants that seem to prevail 'out here'. After that we went back to the campsite and laid low for the evening.
Saturday, Aug 31: More pancakes and then took a nice walk by the Shoshone River. It was sunny and hot but very peaceful.

 Then we went downtown to visit the Buffalo Bill Museum which is 5 museums in one. We only made it through three of them before our backs gave out. We went to a local brewpub for our meal then back to the campsite to do laundry in preparation for the week-long tour in Yellowstone where we knew we'd have very little free time.

The drive from Cody to Gardiner, MT the next day was uneventful after crossing over the Big Horn Mountains which were amazing and a little scary. We saw some bison as we drove:

see those brown specks in the distance?


The Road Scholar tour, "Yellowstone: The Great Caldera", began Sunday Sept 1 with dinner but before that we met several of the other members of our group out back on the patio behind the hotel which overlooks the Yellowstone River.

In the green field on the other side of the river, elk would come to graze each evening. It was a wonderful place for a glass of wine before dinner.
Weather continued to be lovely.
On the way to dinner we were surprised to see elk crossing the road right in town.

 but this happened a lot during the week and we became used to it.

Monday morning, Sept 2 we met in the local church basement. Gardiner is a small town with friendly people. Everywhere we went people were so nice.
Our guide, Gene Ball, previously worked at the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody, and also directed the Yellowstone Association  and Yellowstone Institute, so we were in very good hands.
We also had a group leader, Louis Spencer who taught school in Kenya and Iran, so he kept us in line and made sure all the plans went smoothly.
Gene gave a lecture in the morning about Yellowstone he showed some amazing wildlife slides and introduced us to the Park. We had a lovely lunch in the church and then got onto the coach(bus) and ventured into the park for the first time.
We stopped at Mammoth Hot Springs. There are no 'mammoth' there, just BIG hot springs. The emerging water is loaded with calcium carbonate which precipitates out when the water cools forming amazing terraces. The colors come from bacteria which feed on the chemicals:

We saw these features from several angles and walked through them on boardwalks and down many stairs. That's our guide, Gene, in the cowboy hat

An amazing place, but this was only the beginning.

Tues, Sept 3 we started at the Yellowstone Park Heritage and Research Center where we met archivists and librarians and learned how they are preserving the history of the park. This is not a usual tourist destination although anyone is allowed to do research there. It was a very interesting place.
Each day, we had a brown bag lunch with a cold cut sandwich. We ate in picnic areas.
After lunch we visited the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, one of the most magnificent features in the park.

Not the most flattering picture of me.
Artist Thomas Moran painted a famous picture of this scene(I found this image at TOPofART.com):

He took a few liberties with the subject, but it is definitely the same place. I recall seeing this painting many times in the past.
In addition to this vantage point we visited the Upper and Lower Falls so we got a lot of viewpoints and the roaring sound of the falls.
We also stopped whenever we saw wildlife. Sometimes we just slowed down as we went by because there was no safe place to stop the bus. We saw lots of Bison(buffalo), many elk, and some pronghorn(antelope) like these:

Next we visited Canyon Visitor Center where there was a huge relief map of the area. Different areas of the map lit up as the formation of Yellowstone was described.
We ate dinner in the cafeteria there and headed back to our hotel as the sun set and dusk fell. We saw a few animals but also this lovely rainbow:

Wednesday Sept 4 was a different sort of day. We met Jack Gladstone, a Blackfeet Indian Tribal Citizen. He derives from both Native American and German roots. We spent the day in various natural settings, some we'd visited before, while he told us stories and sang us songs about the formation of Yellowstone, the wisdom of animals, and development of Native American culture.

He was delightful and interesting. My camera batteries were both flat so I didn't get many pictures but I did get this one of a bluebird who stopped by to enjoy the music:

Not sure I've ever seen a bluebird before.
The day wrapped up with Jack giving a performance at the restaurant where we had dinner.
In the morning at breakfast he brought his CD's for sale. I got an MP3 disk with ten of his albums. Lots of great songs, some poignant, some very funny.

Thursday, Sept 5 was our day at Old Faithful.

We arrived just in time to see it erupt as we ate our lunch on the veranda of the Old Faithful lodge(I guess I didn't get a picture of this eruption but this was our view as we waited for the geyser). The period between eruptions is currently 91 minutes give or take 10 minutes. When Will was here in 1977 it was 68 minutes, so it seems to be slowing down.
We left the area for a side trip to the continental divide.

Here's a better shot of me at another waterfall:

There are several other great geysers back at Old Faithful that were due to erupt in the afternoon. These were actually more impressive than Old Faithful but not as reliable. We were lucky to see two of them erupt. This one is called 'Grand':

We also saw this amazing pool called Morning Glory:

Riverside Geyser also erupted for us:

Each of these geysers erupted for 10-20 minutes! Very impressive.
We walked a little over 2 miles to and from these features and as we returned to Old Faithful, it erupted again(no picture this time).
We also toured the lobby of the Old Faithful Lodge which was a real surprise:

It looks like Hogworts with all of the stairways and balcony. And check out the big clock on the 4-sided fireplace(you can only see one opening but there is a hearth on each side)!
As we ate dinner in the cafeteria, we saw Old Faithful erupt one more time.

We stopped at two geyser basins on the way back to the hotel as the sun was setting making for some nice images.

 We didn't get back to the hotel until 10PM and everyone was pretty much done in.

Friday Sept 5, our last day of the tour and the first rainy weather we'd had all week.
We went to Lamar Valley which is along the northern border of the park. Will and I came in this way but we didn't stop and look at anything but we did see lots of Bison herds. The rain showers made it difficult to find a lot of different wildlife for viewing but we saw lots of bison and some pronghorn. Wasn't taking as many pictures at this point.

It was a much quieter day than Thursday but that was ok because we were all exhausted after the day at Old Faithful. We were glad to take it easy and look at animals in the scope in various locations. As we drove home, in daylight this time, each site we passed was now quite familiar and brought back many memories.
We had a 'farewell' dinner followed by a meeting to provide some feedback to the leaders. What a 'family' we'd become over such a short time. I went back to the hotel and made a shared Google folder we could all put pictures in.

I'm going to stop here as it has been too long since I started this post on Saturday. Next time I'll begin with our last day in Gardiner and our trip to Arco, Idaho, and beyond.

Day 15 - Buffalo, WY

Yesterday we left Deadwood and drove only 76 miles to Devil's Tower. The weather was much cooler and spectacularly clear. We visited the monument and were in awe:

We walked all around the peak on a paved path, about 1.3 miles. I took dozens of pictures and the different angles are interesting but it takes a while to upload so I'll just include this one.
We had a lovely fire and watched the stars at the campsite:

In the morning we cooked breakfast for the first time. Delicious scrambled eggs with cheese. We drove 130 miles to Buffalo and had lunch at a nice Mexican restaurant and sat outside, then moved to the campsite.

It is much warmer than yesterday, about 85 but very low humidity and an occasional breeze. The picnic table is in the shade but the van is in the sun, which is good for the solar panel but makes for a toasty nap. It should cool off by sunset.
We'll lay low for the rest of the day and head to Cody, WY in the AM. We'll be there for 3 nights and then on to our Yellowstone adventure!