After 6 weeks and 11,000 miles on the road we arrived home after midnight on Friday. To our surprise Michael and Jessie had spent a couple of days mowing grass, raking, blowing the leaves, scrubbing the porch of pollen, etc. They even found time to make a welcome home banner for us. We're fatigued, but still very excited about our adventure and will soon start planning next summer's excursion. I'm still hopeful of finding a summer job for us in Yellowstone, but Pat refuses to spend that much time away from the baby.
Sometimes you think you've seen and learned all there is to learn or all you care to learn, but this trip was a remarkable learning experience in addition to being a great adventure:
1. Although we have bonded over a 45 year marriage and several additional years
of "dating", six weeks together living out of a van, motels, lodges and on the
road was a chance to draw even closer together.
2. See America first! What a beautiful and diverse country. The National
Geographic Channel, the Learning Channel, the History Channel and the Travel
Channel on cable TV provided us with more exciting ideas and things to do than
we could possibly fit into our schedule. Of course Julia was the final word
on the route and priorities.
3. You always pack more clothes than you need. Rather than carry multiple suit-
cases with us, we purchased a large plastic bin from WalMart. It fit perfect-
ly into the well behind the rear seat in the van. We stored about ten days of
clothing in the bin and about three days worth in one suitcase. Still, we had
to carry the a suitcase, cosmetics case, and laptop into each lodging.
4. The best laundromats are at KOA. Remember to bring soap and bleach.
5. Don't forget vehicle maintenance. We changed oil three times on the trip. It
is always a surprise to the quick lube people to discover that you changed oil
only seven days earlier.
6. Always stop at the Visitors Center when entering parks. They have great film
about the park and many "freebies". In addition to postcards, we purchased
refrigerator magnets at each stop and have about 25 to attach to the fridge.
They are very colorful and some are 3-D magnets.
7. Write a blog and share it and your photos with your friends. It's a fun way
to keep a diary and share experiences with others.
8. Look for side trip opportunities or the chance to experience a new thrill such
as whale watching, hiking to the bottom of a canyon, or rafting through the
rapids.
9. Talk to other visitors. They will have stories and experiences to share with
you and may provide information to get you excited about something not pre-
viously included on your itinerary.
10. Carry laptop, cellphone, cameras, camcorders and any other technology that you
can fit into your vehicle. We don't have a GPS system, but only got turned
around a couple of times. As any fellow travelers know, the wireless
reception in some lodging can be sketchy, so be prepared to sit in the lobby
while you communicate.
11. If you don't have GPS and get turned around, seek directions from a policeman,
fireman or postal carrier. Too often the clerks at convenience stores and
motels have recently relocated and are still learning their way around town.
12. Carry water by the gallons. If you are traveling in the high deserts you will
get dehydrated and your skin will make you look like you've aged about twenty
years. Carry snacks also. In some areas of the West one can travel a hundred
miles without seeing a town, service station, convenience store or rest area.
13. "Go west, young man, go west". Horace Greeley was correct.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Butch, Sundance and Steve Fossett
The four corners of Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico that come together to form the Colorado Plateau is a beautiful site to behold. The canyons number in the thousands. Plateaus, buttes, needles, arches, valleys, hoodoos, mesas, gulches, etc. along with animals, reptiles, insects and birds make for an ecosystem uncommon to Easterners. Monday and today we saw lizards, butterflies, and ravens. Other people were fortunate to see bighorn sheep.
Arches has a very nice visitors center where you can start out with a movie tracing the development of Arches and Canyonlands. The theme has become very familiar to us after visiting so many parks in the Colorado Plateau. We know all about John Wesley Powell and his exploration via the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon and what we now know as Canyonlands. His trip all the way to where the Colorado and Green Rivers meet is an adventure equal to any that European explorers made across the Atlantic.
In Arches National Park there is one main road that runs about 18 miles. You make your return trip via the same road, but all sights look different in reverse. The first pull-off on the road was Balanced Rock. It is a marvel to see this huge rock balancing on a larger and somewhat tilted rock. At this stop you can view the tableau from roadside or take about a half mile hike all the way around Balanced Rock.
The next pull-off for us was Delicate Arch, an arch that has grown fragile with the passage of eons. At its thinnest point it is only about 6 feet in diameter. Although we stopped to see and photograph many arches along the way, the largest and most dramatic is Landscape Arch. It is 306 feet wide and looks large enough for a container ship to pass through. Whereas most of the canyons are the result of water flow, the arches are more a result of winds and the passage of time. The landscape continues to evolve, but only scientific animations can project what they may look like hundreds of thousands of years into the future.
Today we visited Canyonlands which looks like a scaled down version of the Grand Canyon. Canyonland has three major, but separate areas. We visited Island In The Sky via a direct route in and out like Arches. The other areas are Needles and The Maze. Needles would have required an extra day and The Maze can only be traversed via four wheel drive vehicles, so we limited our Canyonlands experience to Island In The Sky. The four major sites to visit are Upheaval Dome, Mesa Arch, Green River Overlook and Grand View Point Overlook. All are very dramatic vistas, and at Grand View you can see a bit of everything in the far distance.
At Grand View a young lady asked Pat to shoot a picture of their group of six as they posed at the summit. They were speaking a tongue which we did not immediately recognize. As they were walking down the trail in front of us one turned around and said, "we're Polish". We struck up a conversation as we walked together to the parking lot and discovered that they had driven all the way from Chicago over the previous 24 hours. Sounds daunting, but doable with six drivers. They also were on a tour of the National Parks, but with a more limited scope than us. One of them had visited Charleston last year.
Everywhere we visit we are overwhelmed with the number of visitors from Western Europe and the Orient. Something to do with the exchange rate on the dollar, but I'll let the politicians worry about that. Most of these visitors are anxious to talk to Americans and to share experiences. Today we also chatted with some visitors from England and passed along our regards to the royal family.
Why did I reference Butch, Sundance and Steve Fossett? Canyonlands is where Butch, the Sundance Kid and the Hole-In-The-Wall Gang hid out. Any lawman, even with a large posse, would be insane to track outlaws through the canyons. It would be absolutely amazing to think that anyone could find there way around the Colorado Plateau, but many pioneers settled along the banks of the rivers and tried to make a go of it. Later ranchers tried their hand at raising livestock. As for Steve Fossett, I know he disappeared over Nevada. Did you?
Arches has a very nice visitors center where you can start out with a movie tracing the development of Arches and Canyonlands. The theme has become very familiar to us after visiting so many parks in the Colorado Plateau. We know all about John Wesley Powell and his exploration via the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon and what we now know as Canyonlands. His trip all the way to where the Colorado and Green Rivers meet is an adventure equal to any that European explorers made across the Atlantic.
In Arches National Park there is one main road that runs about 18 miles. You make your return trip via the same road, but all sights look different in reverse. The first pull-off on the road was Balanced Rock. It is a marvel to see this huge rock balancing on a larger and somewhat tilted rock. At this stop you can view the tableau from roadside or take about a half mile hike all the way around Balanced Rock.
The next pull-off for us was Delicate Arch, an arch that has grown fragile with the passage of eons. At its thinnest point it is only about 6 feet in diameter. Although we stopped to see and photograph many arches along the way, the largest and most dramatic is Landscape Arch. It is 306 feet wide and looks large enough for a container ship to pass through. Whereas most of the canyons are the result of water flow, the arches are more a result of winds and the passage of time. The landscape continues to evolve, but only scientific animations can project what they may look like hundreds of thousands of years into the future.
Today we visited Canyonlands which looks like a scaled down version of the Grand Canyon. Canyonland has three major, but separate areas. We visited Island In The Sky via a direct route in and out like Arches. The other areas are Needles and The Maze. Needles would have required an extra day and The Maze can only be traversed via four wheel drive vehicles, so we limited our Canyonlands experience to Island In The Sky. The four major sites to visit are Upheaval Dome, Mesa Arch, Green River Overlook and Grand View Point Overlook. All are very dramatic vistas, and at Grand View you can see a bit of everything in the far distance.
At Grand View a young lady asked Pat to shoot a picture of their group of six as they posed at the summit. They were speaking a tongue which we did not immediately recognize. As they were walking down the trail in front of us one turned around and said, "we're Polish". We struck up a conversation as we walked together to the parking lot and discovered that they had driven all the way from Chicago over the previous 24 hours. Sounds daunting, but doable with six drivers. They also were on a tour of the National Parks, but with a more limited scope than us. One of them had visited Charleston last year.
Everywhere we visit we are overwhelmed with the number of visitors from Western Europe and the Orient. Something to do with the exchange rate on the dollar, but I'll let the politicians worry about that. Most of these visitors are anxious to talk to Americans and to share experiences. Today we also chatted with some visitors from England and passed along our regards to the royal family.
Why did I reference Butch, Sundance and Steve Fossett? Canyonlands is where Butch, the Sundance Kid and the Hole-In-The-Wall Gang hid out. Any lawman, even with a large posse, would be insane to track outlaws through the canyons. It would be absolutely amazing to think that anyone could find there way around the Colorado Plateau, but many pioneers settled along the banks of the rivers and tried to make a go of it. Later ranchers tried their hand at raising livestock. As for Steve Fossett, I know he disappeared over Nevada. Did you?
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Contrasting Canyons
During our visit to Zion Canyon on Saturday we spent much of our time looking up at canyon walls. The park service provides an excellent shuttle service that transports you to seven different vistas--all free of charge. Zion is a beautiful green canyon with easily accessible hiking trails. Although there is much wildlife around, there is little to be seen. Zion's most famous wildlife is the Zion snail, about 1/16" in size, and found nowhere else in the world. We didn't notice any tourists walking around with microscopes.
Bryce Canyon is many times the size of Zion. Bryce also has a shuttle service but we opted to make the 18 mile drive to the vista where the road terminates at Rainbow Point. We expected to spend our time riding around the rim and pulling off at scenic sights to soak in the beauty of the park, but there are also opportunities to take hikes ranging from one to twenty-six miles. Bryce is like a scaled down Grand Canyon. They have similar origins and continue to evolve, albeit slowly.
The contrasting colors within both parks dramatizes the photo experiences. The greens of the aspens, cedars, ponderosa pines , grasses and underbrush along with the red and white sandstone cliffs and hoodoos creates postcard landscapes. The hoodoos look like sandcastles under construction at the beach. We even visited a natural bridge which more correctly should be called an arch.
At the very first stopping point there were several trails leading to the canyon floor. The sight of people hiking down the switchbacks and the appearance of others at the floor of the canyon persuaded us to make the trek. We started down the Navajo Trail and returned via the Sunset Trail. Altogether about 2 hours to make the trip. It was seven tenths of a mile down and what seemed like forty miles back up. Many children and senior citizens made the hike. It was simulating and downright challenging for out of condition types.
Zion and Bryce Canyons are 'gotta see it to believe it' parks. Monday morning we travel to Moab, UT for a visit to Arches National Park. Seems like we're finally heading eastward.
Bryce Canyon is many times the size of Zion. Bryce also has a shuttle service but we opted to make the 18 mile drive to the vista where the road terminates at Rainbow Point. We expected to spend our time riding around the rim and pulling off at scenic sights to soak in the beauty of the park, but there are also opportunities to take hikes ranging from one to twenty-six miles. Bryce is like a scaled down Grand Canyon. They have similar origins and continue to evolve, albeit slowly.
The contrasting colors within both parks dramatizes the photo experiences. The greens of the aspens, cedars, ponderosa pines , grasses and underbrush along with the red and white sandstone cliffs and hoodoos creates postcard landscapes. The hoodoos look like sandcastles under construction at the beach. We even visited a natural bridge which more correctly should be called an arch.
At the very first stopping point there were several trails leading to the canyon floor. The sight of people hiking down the switchbacks and the appearance of others at the floor of the canyon persuaded us to make the trek. We started down the Navajo Trail and returned via the Sunset Trail. Altogether about 2 hours to make the trip. It was seven tenths of a mile down and what seemed like forty miles back up. Many children and senior citizens made the hike. It was simulating and downright challenging for out of condition types.
Zion and Bryce Canyons are 'gotta see it to believe it' parks. Monday morning we travel to Moab, UT for a visit to Arches National Park. Seems like we're finally heading eastward.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
And the deer and the antelope play....
It was our last day in Jackson, WY and was as interesting as the previous four days. To begin the day we missed a turn and headed east instead of north. An extra 40 miles of driving, but Robert Frost would be proud of us. As we returned to the main highway we came upon a half dozen cowboys and cowgirls--the real thing--herding about 75 cattle from one pasture to another. In order to get the job done they had to cross our highway. Traffic from both directions stopped and tourists jumped out with their cameras to record the event. When you look at the pictures take note of the steer with big horns. I believe he could have cleared the road quickly if he had gotten away from the herd. It's amazing to watch these experts work their cutting horses. It's big livestock country in Wyoming, but this is the first time that we've seen a herd being worked.
Today we saw mule deer for the first time and also saw "Bullwinkel". Moose are in abundance in Yellowstone, but sightings are not as common as elk, bison and deer. We also saw a bison with a new born calf. I suspect that the calf was only a few days old as it was staggering around trying to get it's feet working together while trying to nurse. If you look carefully at the two consecutive pictures of mother bison, you'll see the calf underfoot.
We had lunch at a small restaurant at one of Yellowstone's lodges. Again we were surprised to discover that our server was a student at the College of Charleston and the host attended the University of Georgia. Everywhere we've turned we have run into young people from our neck of the woods. Almost all of them are summer help. This particular lodge had one summer worker that is 85 years old. We may apply for jobs there next summer.
Now for a little drama! During the afternoon as we began to work our way back to Jackson, we saw a bison charging what appeared to be a large dog. We got the glasses out and discovered that it was a wolf stalking one of the calves. The wolf only retreated a few feet after the bison stopped his/her charge. Apparently the wolf had been stalking for an extended period of time. We watched this cat and mouse game for about fifteen minutes until the wolf went off after smaller prey. Several other vehicles had stopped also to watch the drama.. The wolf was first spotted about 150 yards from the road by a young child. We've seen this situation over and over where a preteen first spots the wolf, moose, elk, etc. There are three pictures of the wolf and the herd, but they will need to be enlarged to spot the wolf at work.
We ended the day at the rangers' headquarters where elk and deer grazed in the yards and tourists attempted to station themselves so that they could be photographed with the animals in the background.
Sadly we depart Jackson Friday morning, but we will be seeking new adventures the next ten days in Utah and Colorado.
Today we saw mule deer for the first time and also saw "Bullwinkel". Moose are in abundance in Yellowstone, but sightings are not as common as elk, bison and deer. We also saw a bison with a new born calf. I suspect that the calf was only a few days old as it was staggering around trying to get it's feet working together while trying to nurse. If you look carefully at the two consecutive pictures of mother bison, you'll see the calf underfoot.
We had lunch at a small restaurant at one of Yellowstone's lodges. Again we were surprised to discover that our server was a student at the College of Charleston and the host attended the University of Georgia. Everywhere we've turned we have run into young people from our neck of the woods. Almost all of them are summer help. This particular lodge had one summer worker that is 85 years old. We may apply for jobs there next summer.
Now for a little drama! During the afternoon as we began to work our way back to Jackson, we saw a bison charging what appeared to be a large dog. We got the glasses out and discovered that it was a wolf stalking one of the calves. The wolf only retreated a few feet after the bison stopped his/her charge. Apparently the wolf had been stalking for an extended period of time. We watched this cat and mouse game for about fifteen minutes until the wolf went off after smaller prey. Several other vehicles had stopped also to watch the drama.. The wolf was first spotted about 150 yards from the road by a young child. We've seen this situation over and over where a preteen first spots the wolf, moose, elk, etc. There are three pictures of the wolf and the herd, but they will need to be enlarged to spot the wolf at work.
We ended the day at the rangers' headquarters where elk and deer grazed in the yards and tourists attempted to station themselves so that they could be photographed with the animals in the background.
Sadly we depart Jackson Friday morning, but we will be seeking new adventures the next ten days in Utah and Colorado.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Oh Give Me A Home Where The Buffalo Roam
We arose early this morning and hightailed it to Yellowstone, about 65 miles from our inn. The best sightings of the park's animals are in the early morning and late afternoon when they are feeding. We were not disappointed. Elk and bison were out and about in large numbers.
The main road through Yellowstone is a figure eight. We set out thinking that we would see it all the first day. By lunchtime we had covered about 1/10 of what we had planned. There's just too much to see. If you pass over a sight you worry that you have missed something dramatic. Therefore, we slowed down and changed our plan in hopes that we would cover half today and the other half tomorrow.
As you depart the majesty of the Tetons it's difficult to imagine anything as beautiful. A large part of the difference is that most of the viewing in the Tetons is from the valley unless you are packing it in on one of the many trails. In Yellowstone much of the travel is along the ridges where you are looking down upon rivers, waterfalls, valleys, meadows, and several lakes. One of the first lakes we saw actually was still partly iced over. The largest lake, Yellowstone Lake, was immense.
The early morning and late afternoon vistas are hard to describe and harder to photograph. The peaks are rimmed with snow, ice and clouds that make the rims appear silvery. In a few valleys the clouds are in the meadows.
We visited numerous geysers, but Old Faithful was the most dramatic. There is a circular rail fence with bench seating on almost half of it. When we arrived several hundred people were seated, so it appeared that the eruption was at hand. Sure enough, five minutes after our arrival Old Faithful delivered on schedule. Very dramatic, but not as tall as we expected. The area is totally commercial. There are wall-to-wall lodges and more under construction. Disneyland in the sky! Many restaurants, museums, a post office, etc.
The multitude of other geysers was more impressive. Some no bigger than potholes; some spread over areas the size of football fields. The largest is Steamboat which had an eruption in May 2005 to an elevation of about 350 feet. Today, only about 25 feet. In some areas the sulfur odor is very strong-like rotten eggs. Many of the pools are green, blue, red and other colors. I tend to be more impressed with rivers and waterfalls than geysers, though we had plenty of each.
Whereas we were disappointed that we did not see more wildlife on our earlier visit to the Tetons or the white water rafting, today was an experience beyond our expectations. We first saw bison herds from a distance, but soon saw them up close. On several occasions we would stumble upon the bison and elk grazing along the roadside. A couple of times we were the first to sight the animals and vehicles stopped behind us to enjoy and photograph the sights. More often we stopped when we came upon other stopped vehicles. On one instance an elk bolted across the road about 20 feet in front of us. Fortunately we were cruising at about 25 mph.
Altogether we traveled over about half the road and saw much more than we expected to see. We probably saw several hundred bison and maybe 50 elk. No bear or moose today, but we're very hopeful for tomorrow when we travel the upper loop. If you are interested in horseback expeditions, there are several dude ranches in Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.
A special hello to former students/campers in Statesboro, GA that braved the wilderness with me in the Great Smokies and other secret places.
The main road through Yellowstone is a figure eight. We set out thinking that we would see it all the first day. By lunchtime we had covered about 1/10 of what we had planned. There's just too much to see. If you pass over a sight you worry that you have missed something dramatic. Therefore, we slowed down and changed our plan in hopes that we would cover half today and the other half tomorrow.
As you depart the majesty of the Tetons it's difficult to imagine anything as beautiful. A large part of the difference is that most of the viewing in the Tetons is from the valley unless you are packing it in on one of the many trails. In Yellowstone much of the travel is along the ridges where you are looking down upon rivers, waterfalls, valleys, meadows, and several lakes. One of the first lakes we saw actually was still partly iced over. The largest lake, Yellowstone Lake, was immense.
The early morning and late afternoon vistas are hard to describe and harder to photograph. The peaks are rimmed with snow, ice and clouds that make the rims appear silvery. In a few valleys the clouds are in the meadows.
We visited numerous geysers, but Old Faithful was the most dramatic. There is a circular rail fence with bench seating on almost half of it. When we arrived several hundred people were seated, so it appeared that the eruption was at hand. Sure enough, five minutes after our arrival Old Faithful delivered on schedule. Very dramatic, but not as tall as we expected. The area is totally commercial. There are wall-to-wall lodges and more under construction. Disneyland in the sky! Many restaurants, museums, a post office, etc.
The multitude of other geysers was more impressive. Some no bigger than potholes; some spread over areas the size of football fields. The largest is Steamboat which had an eruption in May 2005 to an elevation of about 350 feet. Today, only about 25 feet. In some areas the sulfur odor is very strong-like rotten eggs. Many of the pools are green, blue, red and other colors. I tend to be more impressed with rivers and waterfalls than geysers, though we had plenty of each.
Whereas we were disappointed that we did not see more wildlife on our earlier visit to the Tetons or the white water rafting, today was an experience beyond our expectations. We first saw bison herds from a distance, but soon saw them up close. On several occasions we would stumble upon the bison and elk grazing along the roadside. A couple of times we were the first to sight the animals and vehicles stopped behind us to enjoy and photograph the sights. More often we stopped when we came upon other stopped vehicles. On one instance an elk bolted across the road about 20 feet in front of us. Fortunately we were cruising at about 25 mph.
Altogether we traveled over about half the road and saw much more than we expected to see. We probably saw several hundred bison and maybe 50 elk. No bear or moose today, but we're very hopeful for tomorrow when we travel the upper loop. If you are interested in horseback expeditions, there are several dude ranches in Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.
A special hello to former students/campers in Statesboro, GA that braved the wilderness with me in the Great Smokies and other secret places.
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