NP#2 - Yellowstone Revisited

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May 23, 2012 - Northwest Entrance

In October, 2009, Yellowstone was the first Park that Terry and I visited during our Trek thru the Parks. We stayed at the Old Faithful Lodge and did not get the opportunity to visit the Mammoth Hot Springs area.  Since we would be heading south from Glacier, I figured we may as well revisit the world's very first National Park and explore the northwestern reaches of this magnificent landscape!

Park #2 - Revisited

Mammoth Hot Springs Lodge - Room #305

The weather forecast for the next couple of days called for snow...so camping became a very unpopular lodging option. Instead, we were fortunate to secure a room at the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel. We were assigned room #305 - a very basic room...however it did have a bathroom! Some of the rooms and cabins do not!

Hot Springs Liberty Cap Cone

A very short walk from the Hotel you'll find the wood walkways that encircle the Hot Springs Terraces. These hydrothermal features were the reason we revisited Yellowstone! I'd seen pictures of the Hot Springs and wanted to get a closeup look. The first object you'll notice is the large finger-like protrusion known as the 37' Liberty Cap Cone that was created by deposits from a long lasting hot spring.  

Hot Springs Lower Terrace - Palette Spring

Ah...the main event! The first section of the wood boardwalk takes you to the cascading flow of the Palette Springs. Here hot water flows in a crisscross pattern down a steep ridge where thermophiles create a changing palette of color. A thermophile is an organism that thrives in extremely hot temperatures. (No, we Phoenicians are not considered Thermophiles....yet!)

Lower Terrace Palatte Spring

Lower Terrace Limescape

The thermal action within the earth heats the water as it rises to the surface. The scalding hot water dissolves much of the soft limestone rock as it makes its way to daylight. When the hot slurry reaches the surface a colorful chalky mineral is deposited on the hillside. 

Travertine Hill

Travertine is a form of limestone that has been deposited on the hillside or terrace by the hot springs.  The hot water found at the  Mammoth Hot Springs originates 20 miles south in the Norris Geyser Basin. The hot water follows an underground fault line and surfaces here.  

Main Terrace 

During our tour of the area, it appeared that many of the Hot Springs had dried up. Very little of the area resembled the Tourist Brochures that depict vast amounts of Hot Springs colorfully spilling over terrace after terrace.  I curbed my disappointment when it was pointed out to me that like a geyser, the timing and volume of water emerging from any "hot spring" will forever and unpredictably vary. A Terrace that appears to have "died" today, may be bubbling over with orange Thermophiles tomorrow! 

Main Terrace - Canary Spring

The Trail Springs and Canary Spring section of the Main Terrace looked more like a winter wonderland than a thermally active landscape.

Main Terrace Icefields

Main Terrace Thermophiles

Upper Yellowstone Falls

A visit to this Park must include a visit to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. After checking into the Hotel and touring the Hot Springs, Terry and I drove down to Canyon Village. Five minutes into our drive, it began to snow! And it snowed steadily the remainder of the day. 

Needless to say, the photo ops were minimal. However, the following morning, as we were exiting the Park, the sun peaked out through the clouds. Terry suggested we swing by the Canyon thus giving us one last opportunity to view the Grand Canyon and its spectacular Falls.  We managed to catch the Canyon catching a few early morning rays of sunshine before it began snowing again!  Amazing! The weather report for Phoenix today - 104°. Here in Yellowstone -  31° and snowing! 

Lower Yellowstone Falls

Terry and Lower Falls

Lower Falls

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

The mighty Yellowstone River is carving out a colorful and most impressive Canyon.

Snowing at the Canyon

Norris Geyser Basin

One final stop before departing Yellowstone - the Norris Geyser Basin. Norris is the hottest region of the Park and the waters here are acidic rather than alkaline . Steamboat Geyser is the largest Geyser in Norris Basin. It is not nearly as popular as Old Faithful, however, it spews a larger geyser stream (300 ft) when it decides to erupt. The problem is, Steamboat is very erratic. Intervals of more than a year can occur between eruptions. We did not see it blow its stack!

Park Resident

Our wildlife viewings in Yellowstone were limited to Bison and Elk. I had already taken far too many pictures of Bison at Wind Cave and Teedie so Terry shot an Elk as we departed the Park.

Big Sky Country

A rare moment when the blue sky showed itself in between snow showers!

Truly a National Treasure!

Named after my favorite president, Roosevelt Arch greets each visitor who enters from the northwest with Teedie's famous quote. The beauty of our Parks system is that these amazing landscapes have been preserved for all of us to enjoy! If you have not yet visited our country's (and the world's) first ever National Park, do add this one to your bucket list! It is well worth the effort to get to this wonderland of wildlife, geology and fresh mountain air!

Until we meet again...take time to blaze new trails through this amazing landscape of life!

NP#37 - Glacier

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May 20, 2012  Our 37th Park!

Although we have previously visited Glacier (Oct 2007), the visit did not qualify within the parameters of our 40 Treks between 9/9/9 - 12/12/12...hence, we visit Glacier once again! Glacier is located in northwestern Montana and was established as a National Park in 1910. Waterton Lakes National Park, located in southwestern Alberta, Canada and borders Glacier. Waterton was established as a Canadian National Park in1895.

In 1932, the Waterton-Glacier Peace Park was formed by combining the Waterton and Glacier NP's. This International Park was dedicated to world peace. We haven't yet ventured outside the US during our National Park Quest, however, the Price of Wales Hotel is located in Waterton and is one of the sixteen Great Lodges of the National Parks that is an important part of our "Bucket List!" 

Lake McDonald Lodge

Speaking of Great Lodges...the Lake McDonald Lodge IS on our list and we had the good fortune of being able to secure a couple of nights in cabin 2A during our visit to Glacier. The weather was a bit wet and cool so Terry and I opted out of setting up the Hob.  

Lake McDonald Lodge was opened in 1914 and quickly became one of our favorites. (Including Lake McD, we've now stayed in 8 of the 16 Lodges) Its rustic architecture suits me very nicely and naturally blends into its surroundings. The Swiss Chalet motif is intended to evoke a pioneer spirit in its visitors!

Local Transportation

If you go to Glacier, you will see the historic Jammer vehicles tooling about. In 1936, 33 Red Busses began providing visitors a unique touring experience. Although we have not yet taken the Red Bus tour, I would highly recommend doing so if you wish to really see the sights along the Going-to-the-Sun Highway. This road is both beautiful and awe-inspiring and one of the key highlights of the Park. 

However, if you are the Driver of your vehicle...trust me, you will NOT see nearly as much of the Park as your passengers. Why? The GTTS Highway is very, very narrow with many hairpin turns! Your undivided attention on the road IS mandatory. Why do I know this? Because I was the Tour Driver when we traveled this road back in '07!

Our Modest Cabin - #2A

We chose to stay in one of the Cabins during our visit. A "duplex" with a modest bath and two double beds. I was surprised we were able to get reservations with such short notice. As we were making the 12-hour drive from Teedie to Kalispell, (yes...that was one loooong drive), Terry got online and made the reservation. As we discovered, the Lodge had just opened for the season the day before our arrival! The last time we visited the Lodge, we got there the day after it had closed for the season! According to the Front Desk staff, the reason why the Lodge was quiet stems from the fact that the Going-to-the-Sun road was still closed. It wasn't scheduled to open until some time in mid June. Then watch out! the Lodge and the park will be packed!

Cabin Interior!

The interior of the Main Lodge is charming and was designed with a Huntsman feel. Heads and skins and full sized Mountain Goats are hanging from the railings and walls! The hand painted light shades suspended over the Living Room give the room a touch of Japanese Tea House.  

Walk In Fireplace

 My favorite element of the Lodge was the walk-in Fireplace! I literally rambled into it to examine its construction. I found that it included a hearth that was once used for cooking. The massive fireplace and concrete floor are scored in a flagstone pattern and have been inscribed with several Indian messages! I think it said "Tourist go home!" in Navajo.

Totem Pole Terry

We did not get the scoop on the significance of the totem Pole that greets guests in front of the Lodge. I shall do more research regarding its meaning when I revisit Glacier in July!

Avalanche Lake Hike

If you ever visit Glacier, do take the Avalance Lake hike. It's a 2-mile (one way) easy trail that climbs about 500 feet from the trailhead to the Lake. The trail follows Avalanche Creek for a good portion of the hike and offers up some outstanding scenery! The one disadvantage to this hike? It's very popular...thus it can get a bit congested. The first time Terry and I hiked it (Oct, 2007) we only saw two other people! This time around (and it wasn't yet considered busy) we saw about two people every two minutes!

Avalanche Creek

Texture along the Trail

I'm a freak about shooting "Texture in Natune" photos! Don't know why...but stuff like this gets me feeling all fuzzy! 

Back at the Lodge with Mike's

Somewhere along our travels, we discovered Mike's Hard Black Cherry Lemonade. Needless to say, we became instantly addicted! Most of the afternoon was cloudy with a bit of drizzle; however, we were able to soak in a few minutes of Montana sunshine while enjoying a Mike's out on the Lodge's lakeside veranda. 

Lake McDonald

Before there were roads to the Lodge, visitors would access the property via Boat. 

McDonald Creek Observation Platform

The Spring snowmelt had definitely filled the rivers, creeks and streams and the raging water of McDonald Creek was impressive!

McDonald Creek

Snyder Creek

This trip has been very relaxing for the two of us. No real agenda. We do what we do when we do it without worry of where or what we need to be doing next! I’m finding the “play it by ear” approach to be quite enjoyable! Typically, I’ve been one who has felt the need to adhere to a strict agenda.

 Day two of our visit to Glacier. We take a drive to Apgar to see what message has been left on Terry’s Cell. There is no cell or Internet service at the Lake McDonald Lodge. It turns out to be a false alarm. No messages. I call my sister Laura to wish her a happy birthday. We drive up Fish Creek Road to see what we can see. A deer is standing in the middle of the road. She takes off running when she sees us. We follow behind her and Terry films the chase on her IPhone.  The gentle rain begins to fall a bit more aggressively. When we approach the end of the paved road, we spot a young moose standing in the middle of the road. He looks at us and begins to prance off into the forest. Before he vanishes from sight. Terry is able to catch him on film as well.

The area in which we are traveling is where the great fire of 1983  burned an estimated 10% of the Park. The ghostly remains of the burn are still painfully visible. However, new growth is emerging from the burn zone and one day in the future the forest will have rejuvenated itself.

Most of the weekend visitors have departed. It seems like we have the Park to ourselves. After our drive up Fish Creek, we venture back toward Avalanche Lake to take a look at the swelling river that is now churning with white water. There’s a footbridge that crosses the river and we take a walk in the rain down the soggy path on the opposite side of the river.  About 500 yards into the walk, Terry spots a pile of fresh Grizzly scat. That curbs her enthusiasm for walking deeper into the forest and we retreat back to the car. We never did see a Griz during our visit! Only Deer and young Moose.

It’s a good day for a Keoki coffee or three! We hang out at the Lodge Bar for 3 hours chatting it up with the bartenders and other patrons. We discover that one of the kids tending bar (Aaron) went to the same High School as our son. Small world.

We meet Dick and Doty, Floridians who have fled Florida in favor of becoming Montanians. They overheard our conversation with Aaron regarding living in Phoenix and asked us our opinion about Queen Creek. They are interested in buying some property in AZ to escape the harsh winters of northern Montana. Ironic. We seek to escape the heat of AZ and find the mountains a pleasant relief. They seek to escape the cold mountain winters and desire to live in the desert during the winter months. Dick is a photographer and writer. Sounds like the kind of occupation I desire! He got into photography as a hobby back in Del Rey Beach and ended up meeting the editor of Outdoor Photography magazine. One thing led to another and before long, Dick is writing articles for the magazine and teaching photography at a local school. I get his card and will look him up either before or after my week-long Photography class at Glacier with Jeff Jessing in July.

A few decent photo ops present themselves this evening and then we retire to our cabin for a good nights rest. Perhaps the only minor disappointment regarding the Lodge would be the food in the Restaurant. People do not visit these Lodges for their culinary offerings...however, it would be nice if more of them would follow in the footsteps of the Chef at Lake Crescent Lodge in Olympic National Park. We've yet to find a finer meal in any of our other Lodge visits.

Yikes! I've noticed that I've begun to get a bit wordy once again! So enough of the commentary. Tomorrow we ride! It's off to Bozeman for the night and then south to Yellowstone! Happy Trails my friends!

NP#36 - Teddy Roosevelt

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May 16, 2012-  Teedie Roosevelt National Park

When Theodore Roosevelt was a youngster, he was nicknamed "Teedie"by his family. He was not particularly fond of this name...however, I have embraced it and use it repeatedly throughout the Blog! Roosevelt preferred to be called TR or the Colonel; however, his most coveted title if asked would have been: Major General in the US Army in active duty! 

An avid hunter and conservationist, when Teedie served the country as our 26th president, he was credited for helping establish the US Forest Service, 51 Federal Bird Reservations, 4 National Game  Preserves, 150 National Forests, 5 National Parks, and pushed through the 1906 American Antiquites Act which he used to establish 18 National Monuments - many of which have since become National Parks. During his presidency, Teedie was responsible for protecting approximately 230,000,000 acres of public land! For this...Terry and I are truly grateful and we found Teedie Roosevelt National Park to be one of our favorites! 

Teedie's Maltese Cross Cabin

Teedie first came to the "bad lands" of North Dakota in 1883 to hunt bison; however, finding bison proved to be difficult as most of the bison herds had been mercilessly slaughtered prior to his arrival. During his visit, Roosevelt expressed an interest in cattle ranching and soon thereafter made an investment in a herd of cattle. He hired Sylvane Ferris and Bill Merrifield to tend to the herd and during the winter, he and his two sidekicks built the Maltese Cross Cabin. 

After finally bagging a bull bison, Teedie left North Dakota and returned home to his wife in Sagamore Hill. On Feb 12, 1884 his wife Alice gave birth to a baby girl. Two days later, both Alice and Teedie's mother died only hours apart. Grief stricken, Teedie returned to North Dakota and immersed himself in the "strenuous life".  He added to his cattle ranch and with the help of two of his trusted friends, Bill Sewell and Wilmot Dow, Teedie developed the Elkhorn Ranch north of the Maltese Cross Cabin.  

Binkele's Campsite #20 

Although we had no interest in becoming cattle ranchers, we thoroughly enjoyed our three night stay at the Cottonwood Campground (site #20). The Campground sits adjacent to the Little Missouri River in a thick cottonwood tree grove. Many fine campsites here!

I Talk to the Trees

A Rocky Mountain Juniper enhances the Coal Vein Trail, an easy .8-mile loop trail. In 1951, a vein of exposed coal caught fire and burned for 26 years! This phenomenon has been occurring for the past 9000 years. The heat from these coal fires bake the local rocks and create"scoria" - brick red rock formations.  

Scoria Rock Formations

The red color of the rock is the result of the baking process of the burning coal. These rock formations create a protective cap as they resist erosion better than the softer claystone and siltstone layers. 

Roosevelt's "Bad Lands" of North Dakota

North Unit Cannonballs

Theodore Roosevelt National Park is comprised of three independent "Units". We were camped in the South Unit. On Thursday, we ventured the 50-plus miles up Hwy 85 to the North Unit. We picnic'd at Juniper Campground, shot Bison with our Canon and inspected the Cannonball Concretions that lie along the road. The third Unit is Elkhorn Ranch, an undeveloped section of the Park that is accessible by hiking or  off road vehicle. 

Layers of Color

Badlands Boobs

Golden Grasslands

Little Mo River

Contorted Rockscape

Terry braving Bison...again!

Close Encounters

There are approximately 300 Bison roaming the grasslands within the Park's South Unit. Because they are protected, they fear not human visitors. Frequently, they graze on the grasses immediately adjacent to the roadways. We have gotten so close to the bison that if we were to roll down the window of our car, we could literally pet them! Of course, petting them is discouraged as an agitated Bison can do much damage to one's auto! 

Campground Visitor

The evening of May 17th, a gentle rain began to fall on our Campsite. Terry and I retired to our Hob early and played cards. After she whipped my butt several times at Trump, I crawled into my sleeping bag for a good nights sleep. Soon thereafter, outside the tent we heard rustling of the bushes and the snorting of a wild herd of Bison who were moseying thru the campground! In the morning, we discovered the meaning of "cow pie" as the grounds were littered with Bison Poo!

Damn good Dusting!

One of the most entertaining events regarding bison watching  is to observe them rolling in the dirt! In the spring, these beasts are trying to shed their winter coats. They can be seen rubbing up against trees and fence posts. But the most exciting means of shedding their overcoats is to watch them wallow in the dust. During the rut, he who produces the biggest dust cloud wins the cutest cow! 

Grazing in the Grass

These 2000 lb monsters are capable of running at speeds up to 35 mph and have been known to jump fences 6 feet tall! In addition, they are good swimmers and can easily cross a river a half mile wide. Their diet - the grasses of the badlands are the bison's primary food source.

Mom and Calf

In the distance, Terry spies a Momma Bison and her Calf. To get a closer shot, I attach my 100-400mm Telephoto lens to the camera and hike up a nearby hill. As I am snapping off a few shots, I hear Terry approaching me. Simultaneous to her arrival, I hear a rather ominous rattling sound. I look down and much to my surprise a Prairie Rattlesnake is coiled up about 3 feet in front of us! I jump backward, knocking into Terry who asks "what's up?"  Before I could point out the snake, it had slithered down a nearby hole! That got our hearts a pumpin'!

Correction...Mom and Calves!

Two Headed Horse

The Bison were definitely our favorite animal here at Teedie. Next on the list were the wild horses that roamed freely about the Park. On our first Loop Drive, we were fortunate to get a good look at the Park's famous Two headed Horse!

Wild Horses

For many years, the National Park Service attempted to rid the area of the feral horses that ran wild throughout the South Unit of the Park. In 1970, the Park Service reversed its policy opting to retain a herd of between 70 and 110 horses. Since then, visitors have been able to experience a badlands scene as it would have appeared back in the day when Teddy Roosevelt called this area home.

Mom and Colt

Mom Dusting

Blending In

Hooting at his Harem

Wild horses typically run in small bands of between 5 and 15 animals consisting of a dominant stallion, (pictured above), his harem of mares and their offspring. We caught this fellow hooting at two of his harem. 

Shy Guy

Prairie Dawgs

The Prairie Dog Towns here at Teedie were very similar to those we found at Wind Cave. These Towns consist of large tracts of underground burrows housing thousands of these Black-Tailed Dawgs! They were everywhere scurrying about...barking at us and suicidally dashing across the roadway within inches of our tire tread! 

Sounding the Alarm!

We caught this one hollering loudly....

Prairie Rattlesnake on the Prowl

...and for good reason! Jake the Snake was luring in the grasses!

Morning Elk 

Like many of the native animals of this region, Elk were virtually hunted out of this area by the late 1800's. On Tosha's 12th birthday (March 13, 1985) The Park Service reintroduced 47 Elk back into Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Since then, the herd has grown in population largely due to a very favorable habitat where hunting is prohibited and natural predators are rare.   

Mule Deer

The least interesting of the animals we encountered here at Teedie were the plentiful Mule Deer. These  mammals can be found bounding around many of the Parks we've visited and are easily recognized by their mule-like ears and white patch on their butts! They do not run like other deer. Instead, they have a distinctive leap capable of covering a distance of 8 yards in a single bound!

Mammoth Moth!

Terry found this huge Moth hovering around the Women's Restroom! It's wingspan measured a good 6 inches tip to tip. 

Camp 20 Alarm Clock

This fearless feathered friend kept our campsite clean as he picked up every crumb that found its way to the grass and woke us at the crack of dawn each morning. 

Teddy's Shirt with Bullet Hole

When Roosevelt was stumping in Wisconsin for a third term as President, a crazy man shot him in the chest from close range just before he was about to present his speech. The picture above shows the hole in Teddy's shirt made by the bullet. Teddy was an avid hunter and knew that since he wasn't coughing up blood, the bullet had not penetrated his lungs. Rather than immediately rush to the hospital as his aides insisted, Teddy went on to deliver his message. He started his presentation by addressing his audience as such: "Ladies and Gentlemen...I don't know that you know that I've just been shot in the chest. But it takes more than that to put down a bull moose...so here we go!"

And he went on to deliver his speech in full!  

After bidding Teedie adieu, we packed up our tent and headed west for Kalispell, MT.