Back Road Byways to the National Parks

 

Yosemite National Park

The driveway is behind us and we are officially on vacation.  We did have to make one trip back to the house because I left the car phone charger and knew we would need that since many of the campsites will not have electricity.  When I walked in the back door I saw we had left the kitchen lights on, so maybe it wasn't so bad to make one more trip back home.  Once we got off State Highway 99 the scenery became much more interesting. Highway 59 follows the Merced River, and there were piles of tailings from the dredging that they used to extract gold, lying by the side of the road mile after mile.  Pretty interesting to view history like this from the car window as you pass by.   It seemed like we drove from sea level to 2000 feet and back again several times.  Saw where the water from the Hetch Hetchy reservoir came over the mountain from several huge pipes and dropped down into another reservoir for San Francisco’s water.  When we were at the bottom of the valley we looked up, way up, and saw these tiny cars on switchbacks and realized that would be us soon, going from sea level to 3000 feet.  It was impressive, and when at the top we had a magnificent view but I was quite happy that we had our big powerful truck.  Once on Highway 49 we worked our way through miles and miles of open land that had wide-open meadows with large out cropping of rocks scattered everywhere.  You could certainly see why there wasn't much farming here; certainly beautiful country though.  Then we found Highway 120 and rolled into Groveland, a sweet tiny little town.  Our campsite for the night was two miles out of town and as soon as we got the trailer settled we went back into town to check out this really old tavern.  The town was approximately a half-mile long, quaint buildings with a narrow main street.  The tavern was called 'Iron Door Saloon' and was established in 1852 during the gold rush, the walls were made of rocks and mortar, fairly dark inside, stuffed animals, with animal heads mounted here and there, old pictures, i.e. horse drawn carriages coming up a very steep, dusty, switchback road and a lot of atmosphere.  It was fun - glad we went back into town. 

Drove from Groveland to Yosemite’s northwest entrance, about 30 miles; certainly better than yesterday’s 450 miles.  This part of Yosemite feels so much like the high desert forests with its large pine trees, not much shrubbery, mainly dirt for the forest floor, the wind rustling through the trees and high above the beautiful blue sky.  That first evening a female ranger gave a talk about the giant sugar tree pines located in this area of the park.  That made sense because earlier I was in awe as to how tall these trees were.  She spoke about Yosemite and discussed how large everything is here from the sugar pine, sequoia trees, the many waterfalls that are located in the park, half-dome rock – everything in this park is large and it is.  She also mentioned that 94% of Yosemite is wilderness and can only be seen by hiking.  By the time she finished her campfire chat it was dark and the stars were out.  People from all over the world were here; Australia, Germany and also right here from Sacramento.  The campsite is dotted with tents and each campsite has large metal containers to store food as to not encourage the bears to look for snacks. 

The following day we went to the valley floor, about twenty-five miles from our campsite.  There was a lot of forest between the campsite and the valley floor and we saw what looked like a fast moving fire that came through the draws and up the mountains.   Just a little further on we saw what had been a devastating fire that took most of the trees, the land still barren after five years but there was a small round meadow at the bottom that looked like it escaped the fire entirely because there sat about three or four out-buildings still standing with an extremely green, grassy meadow and a few trees attached that didn’t appear to have burned at all. It was quite a contrast to the gray barren hills we were traveling through.

Soon we drove through three tunnels that were cut through the mountain and when we came out of the third one the scenery was of Yosemite Valley; what a beautiful breathtaking view.  Laid out before you on the left, close, is a fast moving waterfall tumbling from side to side over and around large boulders and we watch it zig zag down the side of the hill till it met up with another creek further down.  As we look straight ahead we see Yosemite Valley all the way to Half dome with waterfalls that look like a white silk ribbon laying on the massive mountain of gray granite; what an absolutely gorgeous view.  They say Bridalveil Falls is one of the most photographed views in the world and when you see it you know why.   This new adventure called us to keep moving and when we arrived at the floor we were met with the fast moving Merced River with the water continually leaping over the countless rocks and boulders that lay in the river.  The floor is so lush, green and with new growth popping up everywhere; ferns, large leafed ground plants, green grasses, wild oats, flowers, etc.  The exit for Bridal Veil Falls approaches, we take it, park and walk up the asphalt path to the falls and there is water running down the path like a creek from the mist coming off the falls.  Our timing in the park is good because the waterfalls are extremely full from the melting snow.  Being so close to the falls it felt more like you were walking in rain.  Continuing on in the truck we pass several large green meadows with smaller groups of pine trees dispersed throughout the floor and you realize that you are in a narrow strip of land, not all that long, surrounded by mammoth walls of vertical gray granite with some unique and different forms or protrusions where ever you look.  The Yosemite floor’s elevation is 3,967, El Capitan’s elevation is 7,569 and Half Dome’s elevation is 8,842; over 4,000 feet of granite wall surrounding the entire valley.  Amazing.

  It was time to explore Yosemite Valley Floor with our feet.  The Valley Floor is easy to explore with all the walking paths so we hiked over to the Ahwahnee Hotel, explored the grounds, walked into the large two story high community rooms which still have the 1920’s feel to them, looking out the walls of windows to see the amazing view surrounding the hotel and the huge fireplaces made out of stone.  Felt like we were walking back in time.

Today we are going to explore Tuolumne Grove, around ten miles from camp.  The hike was about two miles on asphalt road, the first part being quite easy because it was downhill but getting back to the car was a bear.  The Giant Sequoia was why we were here and we were not disappointed.  The sequoias that we saw were so large, 100 – 200 feet high, straight as a rod, reddish bark, their limbs being at the top part of the tree and these weren’t the 3000 year old trees that long ago were cut down.  Boris is standing at the bottom of the tree in the picture.  See if you can find him (he's the blue dot at the bottom.)  The park laid out a path that walked you around standing trees, one you could walk through and a felled tree whose roots systems looked to be fifteen feet or more in diameter and height.  It is hard to imagine what this forest must have looked like before all these mighty trees were cut down. 

  This evening we had a ranger who had more of a science theme and discussed what the Park Rangers have learned over the years.  In the 1950’s, in the early evening, the rangers would take the trash from the campground and throw it in a pile in the meadows and the campers would then watch the bears come and dig through this pile of garbage.  After a while the rangers realized they were encouraging the bears to be comfortable with humans.  We have all seen the footage of bears ripping a door off a car or van in order to get to some food left behind and seeing people hand feed them.  In the late 1990’s they put metal containers at all the campsites to store food and now have trash bins that make it difficult for humans to throw their trash in them but it seems to have worked because the ranger said the sighting of bears in the campgrounds has gone way down.  They continue to study the ecology of the plants and animals here in Yosemite Park and try to do what is best for all.  Going to these ranger talks seemed like the only way we stayed up till after dark. 

  The following day we were at the Valley floor early to go on an 8:30 am photo walk given by the Ansel Adams Gallery.  Not only was it a lovely walk through the meadows but the guide (NOT Ansel Adams, but a knowledgeable photographer,) gave us many great tips about taking photos and then proceeded to show us spectacular views of the different falls and Half Dome for us to practice what he had shown us.  Did some exploring of the museum and the reconstructed Indian village.  That evening we went on a nature walk with the same ranger from the night before.  He walked us through the Hodgson Meadow, where we were camped, and talked about the man, Hodgson, and what brought him up here.  First it was for grazing cattle and horses to sell to the gold miners and then it was to cater to the tourists who were traveling through his meadow by stagecoach to visit Yosemite.  Soon he built a hotel to house and feed these same tourists.  The ranger also showed us many different plants, shrubs and bark and told how the Indians used them for medicinal purposes; everything from headaches to tooth aches.  He pointed out a black bear that looked more cinnamon than black, way out in the meadow and as soon as the bear heard us he scurried away.  The ranger  touched on a lot of interesting history regarding this very specific area.  His summer job was being an interpretive guide all over the country, while he helped his dad run a book store in the winter.

  While traveling through this beautiful park, I couldn’t help but notice the Dogwood trees with their large white six petal flowers sprinkled throughout the forest which gave the scenery a delicate soft touch among the many different large green pine trees.  They were lovely.

  After a week it was time to move on to our next destination but little did we know how stunned we would be by the magnificent views we would see on our way out of Yosemite through Tuolumne Meadows.  We expected to see meadows but every so often a gigantic granite mountain would cascaded down into a valley and we just were not expecting to see these spectacular views.  On the side of the mountain lay erratics: boulders that had been moved by glaciers from their original position by glaciers.  There are people standing by some erratics to give you an idea of their size.  When we stopped at one of the lookout spots we saw the backside of Half Dome and were shocked with the view we were seeing.  The altitude was between 7,000 and 10,000 feet with a lot of snow, especially in the shadows of the trees on <o:p> the north side of the mountain.  There was nothing open, no campgrounds, stores or gas stations in this part of the park and we figured it was because there was still so much snow around, even ice on the lakes.  Went over Tioga Pass at 9,944 feet and down into Bi shop, 4147 feet, which I thought was still pretty high.

                

   

Bryce National Park

 It is 8:00 am and we are traveling east on Highway 6 out of Bishop, a small two-lane road through barren ranch country heading to Utah. US 6, known variously as the Roosevelt Highway (named in 1925, for Teddy,) and the Grand Army of the Republic (renamed in 1953,) was a major LA to Boston road, now existing only in stretches.  When you see a few trees you know there must be a farmhouse tucked in there somewhere because the rest of the land is brown and flat.  Mostly what we saw was desert, enlivened with hay or cattle farming.   If you look closely at the picture, you can see the thin stripe of US 12 coming down over the hill in the middle. We passed through Rachel, Nevada, whose claim to fame was “extraterrestrials”, certainly not our Rachel ( middle daughter.)  Next was Tonopah, which had a used bookstore.  Sucked Boris right in.  Got a couple of books (Building the Panama Canal, 483 pgs, $5,) AND a 1 hr lecture on how to sell books on the Internet.  Another Boris’ dream, my nightmare.  And, by the way, the book sellers wife wasn't too happy either.  After about 300 miles of this barren land we ended up in a small town called Caliente, Nevada.  As we entered the town we saw a clean, green RV Park that looked cool in temperature.  After we unhitched the trailer, we went around the corner to town, which felt like we hit the big time – a couple of gas stations, a Dollar store, a couple of restaurants and even though I didn’t see a grocery store I am sure they had one.  It was the largest town we had seen all day.  The RV park was filled with construction workers, repairing local highways, which was their summer job. Don't know what the winter job was, but they must move around, they're all in BIG trailers with BIG diesel pickups. And when you hear them all arrive after work, it's impressive.

The next day we continue on Highway 6 and as we drive east we begin to see different scenery than the day before.  Soon cactus and something that looks like Joshua trees, scrub oak and juniper are beginning to appear.  Hillsides are getting higher and steeper and by the time we get to Cedar City, Utah, the hillsides are red.  Got gas in Cedar City, talked to a young man who drove a bulldozer at a gold mine 100 miles distant. Gone from home for a week and the a couple of days off.  Good job, $25/hr and health insurance.  His wife was studying to be a nurse.  We continue up a curvy two-lane steep road that leads us up to Bryce Canyon National Park and an RV Park where we had reservations. 

  The following day when we woke up it was cold.  The local paper said Bryce Canyon, Utah, was the coldest spot in the US at 26 degrees, probably a few miles from our campground.   While in Bryce we enjoyed their Visitor Center that was informative, especially about the geology of the area.  Bryce, Zion and the Grand Canyon all are part of a major land uplift.  Driving through the park we stopped at the different scenic lookout locations and enjoyed the spectacular views of the multi colored (mostly red) hoodoos, which are pillars of mud/rock carved by years of erosion.  The landscape is amazing; different from anything we have seen before.  The trails are well kept, as is the entire park.  Took a bus tour the following day in hopes the driver would have more information about the area and he did; it was well worth the time.  He and his family lived in a little town just north of Bryce, and he drove a Pepsi delivery truck for 30 years.  That includes snow and ice, as well  as the warm days.  He certianly knew his neighborhood and even pointed out his house. After the tour we went to Bryce Canyon Lodge, built in 1924, had lunch and explored this old historic building and grounds.  That evening we went to Bryce Point to watch the sunset, at a place called the Amphitheater, which expanded along the rim of the canyon.  The scenery was gorgeous – so much red, so many hoodoos, trails meandering through the hoodoos, birds soaring high but still we see their backs because we are above them, vertical walls of dirt where the rim of the canyon begins and way out towards the east you can see valleys where the farmers tend their pastures.  We watch the sun slowly descend, the sky and clouds change color, the full moon ascends as the sun lowers and soon we can see some stars appear. 

 

 

 

 

 

Capitol Reef National Park

  It is time to get back on the road, Highway 12, another two-lane byway and head toward Capitol Reef National Park.  The altitude is about 6,000 feet and we will go up to a 9,600 foot pass; we were surprised how high the altitude was.  Nevada is behind us and Utah will be our stomping grounds for a while.  The scenery is amazing and so varied – sometimes it will look like desert, then scrub pines appear, other spectacular vistas on how the landscape has eroded into deep canyons over millions of years, look down at the bottom (left) there's the road. As we round a curve on a mountain there is an entire forest of Quaking Aspen and then several miles down the road are tall pine trees on the hillside.  The sign on the right says "Sharp Curves, 25 MPH," and they meant it. The Hogback road was narrow with steep banks, and the Pepsi truck went through year round.   The eyes had much to devour.  After passing through several towns where I truly think that the sign on the road was pretty much the entire town, we found a sweet RV Park at the very end of Highway 12 in a small town called Torrey.  I loved it there – it was so pleasant and our view was a green valley with cattle and horses enjoying the spacious land and a mountain range laid out in front of us.  The RV Park was also close to Capitol Reef National Park.  The clouds started forming around noon and by early evening we had thunder showers that helped cool it down.  That evening we explored the little town of Torrey and found an old restaurant/hotel for dinner.  On our way home we stopped at a store/bakery and picked up a newspaper, three pieces of pie (all different) and some banana/cranberry bread.  Our sweet tooth had certainly kicked in.

  Boris chose Capitol Reef National Park to explore and I had no idea what this park consisted of.  I thought maybe it was once a seabed since there was “Reef” in its title but we were about to embark on an amazing journey through this diverse National Park.  We will only see a small portion of the park because it consists of a 100 mile long Waterpocket Fold.  Because of this gigantic fold in the earth that eroded over millions of years, it created a diverse array of geology formations.  The reason for the name “Capitol Reef” was, we heard, that when a wagon train approached the waterpocket fold, there were sea captains in the wagon train and they equated this challenge to cross this formation as trying to cross a reef, very difficult.  We started by going through a barren desert that had large rock formations, one called “The Castle”, and headed for the Visitor Center and out of nowhere appeared this lovely little green patch of land that had a river meandering along the side of a canyon wall.  A small number of Mormon families settled here in the late 1800s with fruit trees, gardens, school house and farms, the last resident leaving in 1968.  This area became a National Park in 1971.  The buildings were open with locals explaining how the Mormons lived and worked here.  While in the Visitor Center we heard that a ranger was about to give a lecture on the Fremont petroglyphs just a mile or two down the road.  Not long after we arrived at this vertical wall of rock in this canyon, just next to the river, we could see the petroglyphs pecked into the rocks several feet above where we could reach (in a row, just above the fallen rocks.)  The ranger said they were between 800 – 1000 years old.  Mind you, we are standing among green trees, grassy grounds that have orchards of fruit trees, farm buildings, cattle, horses – this must have appeared like a Garden of Eden to them.  The early Indians were said to have lived here between the years of 700 -1250 AD. 

  The following day we went on two different hikes through deep, narrow, twisting gorges; Grand Wash and Capitol Gorge.  Grand Wash was narrow with high vertical walls of rock twisting and turning by the erosion of water over millions of years.  The register was talked about in the material we read and I figured it was a book further up the gorge that people signed as you walked past.  What a surprise when we finally saw the register.  As we walked down the narrow canyon, high up on the sides where the rock was black, was an array of where people had signed their names with the dates, 1888 through 1937, high up, around fifteen feet off the ground.  Your mind couldn’t help but wonder how they signed their names up so high and their names were scratched in the rock not signed with a pen.   Maybe in the 1800’s they were traveling in a covered wagon and they stood on top of the wagon – the gorge was wide enough for a wagon or a car.  Maybe when cars came available they would stand on a fender.  Didn’t get the answers to my questions but I was awe struck when I saw these names pop out at me.  Another interesting point was that we noticed every so often a black rod sticking out of the rock about 30 feet up.  That question was answered.  Those rods had a string and a bell attached and that was the way people who wanted to travel up this gorge to get into Capitol Reef in their wagon or car could be sure there wasn’t another one coming the other way, as there was not enough room for either wagons or cars to pass each other in that narrow gorge.  As we hiked through Capital Gorge there were signs implying that Butch Cassidy had traveled through these canyons and maybe had even hid out in some caves high up in the canyon.  This canyon was similar to Grand Wash but different.  Different in the type of rock formation but still with high vertical walls, twisting and turning through a riverbed that once was.

  Our next adventure in Capitol Reef National Park was to travel off road through Cathedral Valley that was many miles away at the north end of the park. The next morning, early, we moved the trailer to  an RV park and a farm across the road called Caineville; that was all that was there but it worked for us.  This outing through the Cathedral Valley, a 70-mile off road loop, would take most of the day so we packed a lunch and left early.  The scenery today would be much different than the green orchards and narrow canyons of yesterday.  Here there is little vegetation, more like scrub oak, of any kind and the colors are different shades of grays, reds, whites, muted green, purple and everything in between as the colors blend into each other to create the gorgeous scenery of jagged vertical cliffs that you felt you would see in Afghanistan.  As we drove through miles of different terrain we saw large rock domes, high thin pillars, miles of what reminded me of monument valley where huge monoliths rose hundreds of feet straight up from a flat valley floor, a gypsum sinkhole that dropped deep into the ground, an entire area of round mud mounds that made you think of a fat full belly of a puppy.  The dirt road was rough but doable with the truck and we toured through this valley most of the day.  At the end of this loop we came to a river, a small river I give you that, but when Boris said we had to cross it in order to get back to the highway, that was where I drew the line.   He started talking fast, showing me papers that the ranger had given him and assuring me it wasn’t very deep.  We crossed. 

 

The heat is starting to catch up with us as we head east.  In fact it is so hot during the day that the road maintenance guys were working at night.  How do we know this – they were staying in the same campground and we listened to them with their tractors move the pipes, side railings, etc. around all night.  I was grateful we only stayed in Caineville one night.  When the guys came back to camp from working through the night we packed up and left.  It was already warm, we were tired from the lack of sleep and we were headed for Hanksville for breakfast and a newspaper.  No newspaper worth buying anyway, but we did find a place to eat.  Oh yes, another one of those big towns.   Colorado here we come.
 

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Highway 24 will take us to our next destination, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Colorado.   About half way there we pick up Interstate 70 and head for Grand Junction, Colorado.  Of course this town now looks like Los Angeles to us, size wise; it was great to have a pick of which grocery store you could shop.  Rested, provisioned, did laundry and we were ready to explore the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.

Left for Montrose on Highway 50, about 85 miles from Grand Junction, to find our next RV Park.  After the trailer was settled in its new camp we started out to explore the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park that is 12 miles out of Montrose. This area was designated as a National Park in 1999 and the name Black Canyon was not because of the dark rock but because it is so deep, sheer and narrow that little light can access the deep gorge. In the afternoon we drove up to the Visitor’s Center to get a feel of the area.  But just after we passed the entrance to get into the park we saw a road that would take us to the bottom of this amazing gorge, down to where the river ran, about a 2,000 foot drop.  The ride down was steep and curvy on a narrow road.  The upper road is the original road, circa 1912, we went down the lower road, right at the canyon floor. At the bottom there was a gorgeous, fast running river and we came upon the history of this particular spot.  It was here that they built the Gunnison Diversion Dam and it was here that they dug the Gunnison Tunnel through the mountain in 1909 that brought water to Montrose and made it into an agricultural area instead of a desert.  The engineering accomplishment was compared with the Golden Gate Bridge, the Statue of Liberty and others.  That was an interesting bit of history that we literally tripped over. 

Our next stop was the Visitor Center located at the top of the rim.  This National park is unique for several reasons; one being that the gorge is 48 miles long with the sides of the canyon have a 2700-foot vertical drop but the park itself is only 9 miles wide and 14 miles long.  The Gunnison River that runs through the Black Canyon loses elevation quickly; 96 feet per mile and in a 2-mile stretch drops 480 feet.  Because of the dramatic drop in elevation and the water being filled with so much debris, that is what gave it the ability to carve this extremely hard rock into this narrow steep canyon. From the Visitor Center we hiked to a breath taking overview where the continual sounds of being awe struck were heard from us and anyone else who was looking at this amazing scenery.  Every time we stopped at a lookout point the views would be different but deep and spectacular.  Some had jagged vertical rocks with deep inset crevices, then we would see clumps of trees clinging to a tilted area of rock, there would be a massive area of rock with intrusions of magma crisscrossed the entire surface which was called the “Painted Wall”.   One side of the canyon was a vertical drop and the other more dirt and debris that looked more like an alluvial fan, which was because one side would stay frozen longer from lack of sun and then the rock would erode more.

 

After our lunch, huddled in the truck with the air conditioner on because a thunderstorm was passing overhead, we headed toward Cimarron Visitor Center.  The reason we went to Cimarron was to see a steam engine they used on a section of narrow gauge railroad they built through an area of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, the first line from Denver to Salt Lake.   Men in the East around1875 were interested in building railroads to the west; they hired men to explore this canyon and discovered that part of the canyon could be used but not the entire canyon.  It was truly our lucky day because not long after we arrived at the Visitor Center another man entered the building and we found out that he was an archeologist who was there to train the rangers about Steam Engine #278, which they were getting ready to open up to the public.   They let us tag along and Boris was in hog heaven crawling all over the train, asking questions and we got an insight into the history on the trains in this area.  We explored up the canyon and saw a section of the train track that was once used by Engine #278 to travel through this narrow canyon. The train will be returned to the trestle when restored.  Apparently there are people who make a living restoring old trains, thank God.

One last shot of Montrose, specifically our RV park.  This is a 1952 International truck, with a "For Sale" sign at $1750.  I'm really happy Boris didn't have it in his hip pocket, or we'd be returning to Montrose to pick it up. We saw a lot of these oldies in Colorado, and, yes we stopped and looked at them all.

Dinosaur country here we come.  Highway 139 was our next two-lane back road byway that meandered through curvy narrow valleys that were beautiful but dry, surrounded by mountains.  The road was lumpy, bumpy and definitely not straight.  Then it looked like we are coming into a large box canyon.  Soon we see something shimmer way up the side of the hill and realize it was a car and that was where the road would take us.  The climb started and soon we were doing right and left angle switchbacks but close to the top there was an incredible view.  The pass was 8,240 feet and then we went down in a similar fashion on the other side.  Boris definitely got a workout driving those roads while pulling the trailer.  Arriving five minutes late, literally, we missed the last tour through Dinosaur National Monument for the day so we decided to bypass the dinosaur country as they were also rebuilding the Visitor Center because of the land movement there.  Instead we visited the Natural History Museum in Vernal, Utah, which seemed to take care of our desire for the dinosaurs.  

 

Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area

  We leave Vernal and head for Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area, a lake approximately the size of Lake Powell, and take Highway 191 that is a scenic route, quite pretty, through mountains.  The closer we get to Flaming Gorge Dam the redder the surrounding hillsides get, hence its name.  This is obviously used as a major vacation destination.  Since we didn’t stay in Dinosaur County we decided to spend a night at one of the campgrounds here.  Again we stopped at the Visitor Center and they were helpful in helping us figure out the best place for us to stay that night.  As we drove we could see the lake stretch out before us and we also saw the devastation of a fire through this area.  The campsite we found had been untouched by the fire and was just lovely.  It was so peaceful and had a gorgeous view of the lake that made us realize how much we missed the water we are usually on during the summer.  We ended up staying a couple of nights just to enjoy the water plus we took a great tour of the Flaming Gorge Dam that was quite interesting, all the way to the bottom. Our guide was a local young man, a 4th generation Mormon.  He said that after school and his mission, he wanted to work at the Mormon ranch in Florida, which was the largest ranch there.

 

Yellowstone National Park

 

We continue on Highway 191, it is narrow and feels like it is in the outback.  The terrain was high and barren, mile after mile of no trees along a high narrow ridge.  The  Oregon Trail crossed some sections of this drive.  Before long we could see the Rockies with its snow capped mountains off in the distance poking above the dry barren horizon.  After Pinedale, Wyoming, the trees appeared again, soon the hills got higher, beautiful meadows appear and the Green River was now running along the side of the road.  Before long homes dotted the hillsides every so often and we knew we were getting closer to a city.  As we traveled through this amazing countryside it made you feel like you would want to live here, but then you remember that this is their best time of year and then we came back to our senses and just enjoyed the moment.

  Yellowstone is the last National Park that we will visit on this trip and true to course we took several two-lane byways to reach the west entrance of Yellowstone.  We were pretty much awe struck as soon as we entered the park as we saw the large green meadows with rivers meandering through them, the hillsides where you can still see the lingering effects of the fire that has been almost thirty year ago, the wildlife enjoying their natural habitat, the amazing blue sky that was not polluted by a large city, the trees and the awareness of how much work the park has gone to so that we can enjoy this piece of America pretty much still in its natural state.  National Geographic recently had a spread on Yellowstone and what I found interesting is that Yellowstone is over a hot spot and they had been able to track how the earth has moved southwest and can see how this hot spot has created a line of scared volcanic fields over the past eighteen plus millions of years. 

 

Rachel, Max and Kate joined us for our stay in Yellowstone and they arrived around 9:30 pm, still a little light outside.  The ranger had just started his talk so the five of us walked over to the amphitheatre and sat down to listen.  Soon he showed us, up in the starry sky, the Space Station slowly passing over our heads.  That was quite a crowd pleaser.  It was time to start back to camp since we really wanted to visit with each other and the amphitheatre was not the place to visit.  It took a while for everyone to settle down and go to sleep.

The following morning Kate and Grandpa took a walk down to the meadow by the campground and saw the fields alive with ground squirrels scurrying from one hole to the other, a herd of elk enjoying their morning breakfast in the meadows with an occasional drink in the river, the deer munching on the grass with some laying in the fields for a rest and the birds flying high in the gorgeous blue sky.  Soon they came back to gather the rest of us so that we too could see these animals in their natural habitat too. 

After the excitement of the morning discoveries it was time to start exploring the geologic wonders of the park.  As we drove along we couldn’t help but be in awe of the beautiful landscape that lie before us and observe how it continually changed.  Before long we arrived at some geysers that had a self-guiding trail and discovered the difference between hot springs, fumaroles, mudpots and geysers.  I wasn’t expecting to be so impressed with how different they were and their beauty.  We found out that the temperature of the hot spring determined the type of bacteria that would grow and that equated to what colors you would see in and around the pools of steaming water.  If it were above a certain temperature it  would be extremely clear because bacteria couldn’t grow.  But I have to say that some colors of the bacteria were gorgeous; oranges, yellows, reds, greens.  Fumaroles were tucked in between some hot springs and they are so hot that there is very little water in them so what you see is steam and what you hear from them is hissing.  The mudpots were interesting, this gray goo bubbling up and depending on how thick it was made a big difference in its performance.  Our next stop was Old Faithful.  After we arrived we found out we would have to wait a little while for the next eruption.  Depending on the previous eruption’s length would determine when the next one would happen.  It wasn’t long before she blew, over a hundred feet high and after the commotion settled down with the hundreds of viewers we strolled over to the lodge for an ice cream; what better way to celebrate finally seeing Old Faithful.

  The next day as we left the campground there seemed to be a traffic jam and we soon found out the reason why, there was a wolf working its way through the forest and we fortunately saw it.  After that encounter we drove 35 miles up to Mammoth Hot Springs to see the famous terraced springs that cascade  down the hillside.  They create a lip around each pool from calcium carbonate and then they seem to pour over from one to another; it is quite beautiful.  But I have to say I was surprised to see how many were entirely white with no activity.  They appeared dried up and I guess they were.  The ones where the hot water was still moving through them also had colors in and around them, a lot of yellow, from the bacterial growth.  The park has done a beautiful job of creating trails to intimately explore these natural wonders and we did.   

On our drive up to Mammoth Hot Springs we encountered a big traffic jam and soon realized when this happened it meant there was an animal sighting and people would stop their cars, get out and start taking pictures.  Pretty soon we were doing the same thing.  But this time there was a gorgeous elk with a large rack standing picture perfect with this amazing scenery wrapped around him. 

After a day of rest it was time to explore the West Thumb of Yellowstone Lake.  On our way there we went over the Continental Divide at 8,300 feet and then toured the West Thumb Geyser Basin.  This was an interesting tour because the hot springs and geysers were next to the lakefront and some even in the lake.  As we walked on the path you often could feel the warmth and fine mist that would look like fog from the geysers because of the difference in the temperature.   There were many side trips where we would be on barren land because of the effect of the geysers with the minerals they create that isn’t conducive to plant growth and then another time we would be walking through a forest with geysers laid out every so often with some even having bleached out white bones scattered in them from an animal that had unfortunately gotten too close.  You could not help but be continually awe struck by the beauty that lay around us.  There were also many side roads so that you could explore the rivers and waterfalls and I remember one stretch of river where many people were in swimming, that we would visit a couple of days later, but obviously it had geysers not far from it to warm up the water enough to swim.  One of our goals that day was to check out Yellowstone Lake because the next day Boris’ goal was to put the dinghy in the water and take Rachel, Max and Kate for a ride.  Once again we bought life jackets because we left the multitude we have at home.  Max and Kate wanted to go swimming in the lake that had a small beach.  The water was ice cold so there wasn’t much swimming going on but a lot of playing. 

The following day we took both the car and truck so that we could bring the dinghy up to Yellowstone Lake.  Max helped Grandpa put it together and get it in the water.  Before long the oars are on, the motor is mounted, everyone has their life jackets on and they were off with Kate and Max taking turns on how to steer and maneuver the dinghy.  They went all the way over to where the West Thumb Geyser Basin was and saw that from the waterside and just enjoyed the fun of the dinghy.   Then it was time get the dinghy out of the water and back into the back of the truck.

On our way back to the campground we stopped at Old Faithful again and took the tour of the geysers that were in back of Old Faithful.  Again in awe of these gorgeous pools of water realizing that man couldn’t produce the beauty that nature does; the soft then brilliant colors, the amazing range of colors and then you come upon the crystal blues.  Lovely, just lovely.  As we walked along this path we could see that a geyser had erupted and we started walking towards it and then Rachel, Max and Kate ran on the path where the wind was blowing the geyser and then I did – we were all soaked and but loving the fun of it all. 

  The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone was our goal for the following day.  There was such a different aspect of Yellowstone that we saw every day; the area is so diverse.   There were two falls, the upper and lower and we hiked to both.  As we got closer to each one the noise of the falls became apparent and soon it was a thunder where you could not hear others speaking.  On both of them they built the point to where you could observe the falls right where the falls spilled over and down this amazing drop into the river below.  The sensation of being so close to the falls and the spectacular views were breathtaking.  We were grateful we didn’t bypass this.  When we got back to the campground Boris and I were beat but not the Max & Kate.  Rachel took the kids and they all went swimming in the river we had seen a few days earlier, actually close to our campground, where there were a large number of people swimming.  The following morning and our last full day Rachel, Judy, Kate & Max went to the swimming hole again.  The water was warmer because of the upstream geysers and a strong current ran through the center where people would jump in and be swept down a ways.  Obviously popular because many would struggle against the current to get to the other side, work their way close to the rocks to get to a jump off point for this fun filled ride, as did Rachel, Max and Kate – twice.  How lucky we have been to enjoy these sweet moments in the natural surroundings of Yellowstone Park. 

To The National Bison Range

  Rachel, Kate and Max left for their trip home through Salt Lake and back to Naperville, Il and we prepared for the next leg, visiting the biggest herd of Bison left, and traveling part of the route Lewis and Clark took from St Louis to the Pacific Coast at Astoria, WA.  This part is by Boris, since he had read several books on their trip, and knew the country to be beautiful..

  Since the L&C trip was in 1804 to 1806, the countryside has changed, but I wanted to visit some of the more interesting and scenic points along the route through east Montana and through Idaho.  That was where L&C left the Missouri River and started wending their way through the Rockies to the Snake River.  We left Yellowstone at the west side and headed up alongside the Gallatin River, a beautiful scenic river with both fishermen and rafters.  L&C came up the Missouri to the point where it branched into 3 rivers, named the Jefferson (in honor of the President who sent them,) the Madison (Jefferson's Secretary Of State) and the Gallatin ( the Secretary of the Treasury.)   It pays to be nice to politicians.  When they reached the junction they followed the Jefferson River southwest.  We came up the Gallatin River, and got on the interstate with an important mission: find a place to do 2 weeks worth of laundry.  We passed through Three Forks, which was as Lewis described it: “a beautiful plain” with the Missouri going north and the three rivers feeding it coming up form the south.  With that much water it was bushy and green and had just basic campsites.  So on to Bozeman, a RV park with a laundry, mission accomplished.

The L&C western route, after they got to the end of the Missouri, followed the Jefferson River to the Lehmi Pass, from whence it headed north.  We shortcut that loop, and headed up I-90 to Missoula.  After spending the night in Missoula and re-provisioning, we went up to the National Bison Range, wonderful terrain with 3 to 4 hundred herd of bison (aka “buffalo.”)  It turns out that Missoula is in the middle of glacial Lake Missoula, which developed as a result of volcanic and glaciers.  The outlet of the lake would break periodically and sweep down the Columbia all the way to the Pacific.  Long gone (by about 35 million years,)  it has left beautiful, steep mountains that can be seen from the Bison Range.  Going north from Missoula, through an Indian reservation to the Range, we visited the Visitors Center and got a map of the roads through the Range.  Also I inquired if the winters were cold, and the answer, from a local Indian resident, was “not really, we never get more than 3' of snow at a time.”  All depends on your frame of reference.  We then set off to see the bisons/buffalo.  The road climbed up a steep hill, from which we saw elk and antelope but no buffalo.  At the top, this was a view of miles, where we saw the remains of the Lake Missoula basin, including snow.  Going downhill (steep,)  we finally came back to the river and there were the buffalo.  Apparently they don't like to climb steep hills and they like water.  And were they ever big!!!  Since this wasn't the mating season, the bulls were by themselves, and the cows were in the herd with their calves.    

Lewis And Clark through the Rockies

The next day we headed south a couple of miles and went through Lolo, to our first stop on the L&C trail over the last of the Rockies, the tough part.  Agreed, it hadn't been easy getting there for L&C, but the toughest mountain trails went from Travelers Rest, across the Lolo Pass to the Clearwater River. Travelers Rest is a camp site where they (all 49) rested before going up Lolo Creek, over Lolo Pass and down the ridges to the confluence of the Clearwater and Snake River.  Judy's standing in the middle of the open grassland, which was the first they'd seen in days. They went down Lolo Pass on the ridges (except for once when the Shoshone guide, Old Toby, got lost.)  There is a truck trail which follows their path, but Judy didn't feel the truck AND trailer could make it.  So we followed US 12, which followed  the rivers down to Lewiston/Clarkston.  From Travelers Rest, we followed the same trail up Lolo Creek that L&C took, to the  Information Centre at Lolo Pass, and then down US 12 along the river. L&C took the ridge down from Lolo Pass and it was just an Indian trail, which their guide, Old Toby lost once.  However our road was a long winding beautiful road, with stops for the summer road repair work all the way to Clarkston, WA, the only RV park in the AAA guide.  L&C stopped at Wieppe Meadows after meeting the Nez Peirce indians to build canoes and then went down another Lolo Creek to Clearwater and then the Snake River.  After just driving through, on a paved highway, with air conditioning, you began to appreciate what that expedition did.  Looking up at the ridges, as shown on the right and reading what it took to get horses and themselves through, starting to snow, they certainly knew what they were doing.

We ended up in Clarkston, by the river and spent the night, Judy thankful the trip was over and we'd be going home and both impressed by the country we came through.  However, next morning, we headed south to Boise, where Boris was going to have a Ramona High, Class of '52 reunion.  We did stop in Lewiston and visited their historical museum.  There was a lot more than L&C coming through, Lewiston was a big wheat shipping point down the Snake to the Columbia and overseas.  The trip down to Boise was just as impressive as the previous day.  Up over the Seven Devil Mountains next to the Snake River, and then down to the plains where Boise was. there was a railroad running next to the highway, and the pictures show what it took to get the iron through

In Boise, actually Meridian, we visited Boomie and Claudia Huston who showed us the sights of Boise, especially Boise State, fed us elk meat (at a restaurant,) and told us about their life (which was wonderful to hear,) and what really went on at Ramona High when we went there and Ramona happenings thereafter.  A wonderful visit.  Unfortunately another Ramona grad, Ernestine Stockalper, was in Murietta, CA selling their house. Also, I didn't know Cal Baker was moving up to Idaho.  All part of the '52 scene at Ramona High.

Then it was over through Oregon to I-5 to see Judy's brother, Donny, and then home.  Another trip down I-5 and the end of this years journey.