The second road trip was in 2015 when we explored much of Colorado and New Mexico over a four day period. There is a blog right here about it.
The third was in October 2020 which saw us visiting sections of Wyoming, Idaho, Montano and finally spending a few days at Yellowstone National Park. (Yellowstone falls mainly in Wyoming with a small section at the northern end in Montana.)If there was any disappointment, it was because I never saw as many animals as I would have hoped and no bears close.
You see, I am crazy about animals and especially fascinated with bears which are so cuddly.
Momma grizzly bear and her cubs |
Unfortunately, the only place that I can seem to get a close look at them is at the zoo, and that's no fun. It is frustrating how absent they are in the wild when I am nearby. Last year we were in Alaska where I was almost guaranteed that I would see at least one black bear. But not even a tail. On the other hand, others on the same trip reported how they had seen some. Boohoo.
But I stray.
Jackson Lake dam |
Oh yes, we did see the grizzly mom and her two cubs but they were just too far to get a good picture. For the idiot that I am, I had traveled without my decent camera with its zoom lens. So the poor picture I have was taken from across the lake, a far distance which a stupid cell phone just can't manage.
Oh well, I guess I must say thank God for small merceries, as we just never saw another bear anywhere!
Actually, the only other dangerous animals we saw (despite the numerous signs all around warning us to stay away from them) on the entire trip was a group of militia-looking white people all dressed in camouflage. They were at the dam also and piled into a van with Kentucky plates. I couldn't but wonder what mischief they were up to!But I am ahead of myself so let's start from the beginning.
Grand Prismatic Spring, the largest hot spring in the USA, noted for its outstanding coloration |
This trip was my daughter's idea. She lives in Colorado and the southern entrance to Yellowstone is around 600 miles away.
That park is really the creme de la creme. It is the world's first national park, having been established in 1872 and also the largest.
While the flora and fauna on the over 2.2 million acres are simply astounding, that park is best known for its geothermal activities.
However, we did not undertake the journey in one fell swoop.
Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Instead, we decided to spend a few days at Jackson Hole in Wyoming, so we could also take in Grand Teton National Park and its environs, before heading on to Yellowstone, just over a hundred miles away.
That was indeed a brilliant idea. My only complaint is we should have stayed longer than the two days in Yellowstone as that area has so much to see.
Jackson Hole is surrounded by glorious snow-capped mountains |
Black Lives Matter sticker prominently displayed |
One mistake we made was leaving Colorado too late and with stopping for gas and food and generally not hurrying, dusk descended on us shortly after we left Laramie.
We were traveling through Trump country in my daughter's car which declared its political leanings loudly, so all we could think of is having an incident (like an animal running across the road and crashing into us! There were signs all along to way to watch out for those animals), which would cause us to have to stop. For we had to drive on long, dark, lonely stretches where we saw no signs of lights or life. Running into a member of the violent white militias that follow Trump around like puppies, seemed like a real possibility, therefore.
Thank god we didn't and arrived in Jackson Hole close to 10 pm.
When we got to the hotel there, we were pleasantly surprised and happy to be checked in by a black man.
Lady's western-style boots on display at Jackson Hole |
Jackson Hole is very beautiful, especially now that the leaves are changing color and the snow has started to cover sections of the mountains that hover over the town. It appears to be a popular skiing area in the region, though by no means as popular as Vail or Aspen in Colorado. It maintains traditional western architecture all over town and the stores are full of cowboy paraphernalia.
This ski run already partially covered with snow |
Arch made from stag horns |
Jackson is very central for sightseeing as the magnificent Grand Teton Park is just outside town.
This park, established in 1929 is approximately 310,000 acres and rises 7000 feet above Jackson Hole. It includes the major peaks of the 40-mile-long Teton Range as well as most of the northern sections of the valley.
It is absolutely beautiful.
Its human history dates back at least 11,000 years when the first nomadic hunter-gatherer Paleo-Indians began migrating into the region during warmer months pursuing food and supplies. It has numerous lakes, including 15-mile-long Jackson Lake (referred to above) as well as streams of varying lengths and the upper section of the Snake River.
One interesting trek we had was hiking almost three miles uphill to Hidden Falls. As usual, I was unprepared, for although I had a knapsack with water when we headed out from Jenny Lake, I forget to carry it, so spent a lot of time walking uphill, dying for a drink. Also, the entire area is situated in the continental divide, so my oxygen kept running out as I am not accustomed to strenuous activity in those over 7000 feet altitudes. Before the virus, adventurers could visit the falls by taking a ferry from the entrance to the foot of the falls, but this luxury had disappeared.
We could only conclude that she was fascinated by the stickers! The Idaho Falls con job Our biggest disappointment was driving 88 miles to Idaho Falls. I was the one who suggested to the others to check it out since with "falls" in the name, I had visions of beautiful waterfalls ala Niagra. The name is a grand con job for when we got there and headed to the visitor center, the lady there admitted that lots of tourists are fooled by the name. The only falls there are man-made spill-offs from the pipes in the dammed up Snake River where hydroelectricity is generated! Well, the journey was not a total loss as we were able to get a bathing suit for my granddaughter who had forgotten to pack one.
One of the 'falls" at Idaho Falls! |
It was there too that we could literally feel the most animosity as people scrutinized the stickers on the car.😁
Well, the next morning we were up bright and early and were rearing to head south to explore, but guess what? It had snowed the night before and was 25 degrees. But then again we were in the continental divide where we were told the weather there changes every 15 minutes. We were however fully equipped to handle the snow and quite delighted to see a large herd of elk lolling close by. However as we headed to the car, we saw a long line of traffic, none moving, all parked on the sole road out. That's when another driver told us that two vehicles had fallen over a cliff, apparently something that happens regularly there. Since we would have nothing to do inside, we decided to head to the northern gate, to the town called Gardner, which is five miles away and the only town in the park. That town is in Montana. To get there we drove down a deep, scenic valley and the traffic caused by the accidents above us stretched almost the entire five miles into that town. The first thing we saw on arrival was an impressive arch, but would you believe it's meaningless! According to Wikipedia, it is named the Roosevelt arch. "Constructed under the supervision of the US Army at Fort Yellowstone, its cornerstone was laid down by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1903. The top of the arch is inscribed with a quote from the Organic Act of 1872, the legislation which created Yellowstone, which reads: "For the Benefit and Enjoyment of the People". The idea of the arch is attributed to Hiram Martin Chittenden, who felt that the area surrounding Gardiner was not sufficiently impressive and required an emphatic statement of arrival at the famous park."
Gardner River |
Being the ever-helpful one, I told him that I was from the land where rasta originated but he seemed surprised and so high that I suspect he still thinks that Rastafarianism had been invented in America! But he admitted that it was the hairstyle that attracted him, not at all admitting that it was the ganja which he appeared to never have enough of! We eventually decided that the traffic must have been eased by then and headed south. And what a day we had visiting numerous geysers and colorful hot springs.
Boiling lava at Dragon's Breath |
I found it curious that two crows that had been playing together close to Old Faithful while we waited for it to erupt, actually stayed around when it did. I had thought the sound of the eruption and the heat of the steam would have driven them away. No such thing. I guess they are accustomed to it!
The tunnel in the rocks leading to Cody |
According to Wikipedia "The Sand Creek massacre (also known as the Chivington massacre, the battle of Sand Creek or the massacre of Cheyenne Indians) was a massacre of Cheyenne and Arapaho people by the U.S. Army in the American Indian Wars that occurred on November 29, 1864, when a 675-man force of the Third Colorado Cavalry under the command of U.S. Army Colonel John Chivington attacked and destroyed a village of Cheyenne and Arapaho people in southeastern Colorado Territory, killing and mutilating an estimated 70–500 Native Americans, about two-thirds of whom were women and children. The location has been designated the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site and is administered by the National Park Service. This was part of a series of events known as the Colorado War and was preceded by the Hungate massacre."
7 comments:
Joan, absolutely fascinating trip. Yellowstone Park, I remember well the Grand Canyon and Old Faithful!there was no bear sightings for us either and we were there for 2 weeks!. Thanks for sharing
Joan you are my heroine..i have visions of having your bravado..my next life methinks.
This account of your holiday rivals a National Geographic edition. The beauty shared is ah .so breathtaking. Thank you. You trained Michele well and definitely in you footsteps. What you collected in the beauty of all the sites abound in wonderment and color. I will revist this blog often and take the trip virtually...brava my friend, not Kenya but a cool close second.
Undeniably majestic scenery that instantly brings to mind the humbling feeling of being a small human in the Great Outdoors. It's one of the reasons I'm a big western/cowboy film fan - you can sense that those canyons, mountains and wide expanses of prairies are breathtakingly beautiful even in film!
I'm glad you had a great trip and think you're all quite bold and brash to be traipsing around in those neck of the woods in these volatile times. Thanks for sharing and reigniting my dream of going there some day...
Absolutely fascinating! The historical information and the beautiful photos! Always a joy to read about your adventures.
Seems like it was an amazing trip. What a sight to see. Mother nature is so beautiful.
Please do it now as the next life is guaranteed to no one lol
Living vicariously Joan! Thanks!
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