Day35/36/37 Wapiti intestine.drum.grounds.
Welcome back me to the inter-connected world after falling off the radar. for a couple of days. ‘Tis marvelous. :-) No, I didn’t fall foul of marauding bison.
This outage has put me a couple of days behind in reporting so I’ll do a composite to save Discourse from growling at me.
I had booked my accommodation at Wapiti on the misconception that closer to the park boundary would be an advantage. An error but no biggie. The tours were based in Cody and I needed to do that 30min shuttle several times.
I did two full day tours and travelled the Beartooth Highway. Consequently, I managed to traverse the Chief Joseph Byway four times in three days. If you wanted to be a real curmudgeon, it was spending nearly 24 hours in a bus looking at dead and dying lodge-pole pines.
Yellowstone is fabulously oversized, rather than compact as befits the scale of it’s attractions. And there are a lot of people all stopping where other people have stopped. It is also reassuredly low commercial. It would be an obscene shame if a consequence of global warming was the lack of a -20F cold snap to kill the mountain beetle lavae which threaten to devastate the forests in the park.
Day1 of PT’s visit to Yellowstone was a guided tour of the lower loop ie entering the park (after a 7am start at Wapiti) via the East entrance to Fishing Bridge (where fishing is no longer allowed) Canyon Village (inc Upper and Lower Falls of Yellowstone River), Norris, Madison, Old Faithful, West Thumb then back to Wapiti via Fishing Bridge. The guide was the charming Alision who seemed to have self-educated herself to a exceptional standard for somebody in only her second season as aguide. I managed to be offered the co-drivers seat and it made for a very pleasant day.
On the species bucket list there were sightings of bison, white-tailed deer, elk, marmots, chipmunks, squirrels, and an osprey. We caught Old Faithful with about 2 minutes to spare.
I enjoy falling water, so both components of the falls were grand viewing. To my mind Grand Prismatic Spring was the visit’s highlight particularly in that I didn’t know there were four pools at the site (and there are several other prismatic hot water springs in other locations eg West Thumb).
The Grand Spring is really best observed from an aerial view to see both the scale and intensity of the colours but seeing red, yellow, and blue steam arising was very neat. There isn’t actually a blue algae/bacteria of course but a zone where the water temperature exceeds 160F and is devoid of life. The colour comes from reflection off the sky and the depth of clean water.
Day2 of PT’s visit to Yellowstone was a guided tour of the upper loop ie entering the park (after a 6am start at Cody) via the North East entrance to Lamar Valley, Tower-Roosevelt, Mammoth Hot Springs, Norris, Canyon Village, Fishing Bridge and back to Cody. This time it was a smaller group lead by Coulter and Meredith.
On the way from Wapiti to Cody about 5:30am there were 5 police cars in full blues and twos mode plus two fire engines roaring into the park. Have no idea as to the cause of alarm. Remembering of course apart from tourists getting gored from “petting the woolly cows” there was also the foot in trainer found in Abyss Pool back in January.
Lamar Valley is touted as the “Serengeti of North America”, and though we got a selection of bison, whitetail and mule deer, and elk none were particularly close quarters, unlike the experience at Custer SP. There was a moving white speck on a waterfall about a mile off which was IDed as a mountain goat. A grizzly bear was sighted a couple of hundred meters away who then ambled up the slope and crossed the road amidst the 50+ cars who were at first rubbernecking and then scarpered back to their vehicles at the urging of a park ranger. The bear was still some (safe) distance from us.
Mammoth Springs are intriguing being limestone rather than mud springs. There is an active cycle of a column edge having an overflow which colours up but also the limestone builds higher. Where there is no overflow the Thermophilic Cyanobacteria die off and the limestone bleaches to a brilliant white. Then, without the supply of new sediments the limestone columns begin to breakdown, and when the top edge has fallen in height sufficiently the flow returns and the cycle resets.
We didn’t get to see either wolves (too late in the day for this time of year or moose who I understand are quite rare in Yellowstone.
Day3 I drove back to Red Lodge and then wound my way up and down the Beartooth Highway. Beartooth Mountain which scales 12,356’ (3,766m) and the pass tops out at 10,947’ (3336m) and there is still snow in reasonable sized drifts along the road. It’s a spectacular drive though I stopped very regularly for snapshots. Near the pass was a score or so mountain goats reposing on snow not far off the bitumen surface.
Called into Cooke City again for lunch and the Visitor Centre. I wasn’t aware of the connection between this rather isolated town and Ernest Hemmingway.
On the return leg via Chief Joseph Byway I was reflecting on the escape of the Nez Perce through this pass above 8,000’ in 1877 and of them leaving an injured brave as sentinel at this spot who was killed by the pursuing US cavalry. The pass is named Dead Indian Pass, Now, all along my US circuit there are roads and bridges named in remembrance of US servicemen and women. So I wonder whose nose would be put out of joint if they renamed the pass after the guy who did the “Horatius at the Bridge” act. Rather heroic I would have thought. Sure, the band were fighting the US government, but they weren’t traitors and there are hundreds of statues and memorials to the Lost Cause in The South.
Last stop for the day was Buffalo Bill Dam. My first impression in passing on Day1 was that it was a relatively recent construction, which is totally incorrect being completed after many fits and starts over a century ago. They have the novelty of an attendant in a golf cart who will convey you from the car park to the visitor centre. They have a interesting history to tell and do it well. Whilst I am upsetting the applecart about names, I prefer the original Shoshone Dam. The whole town and focus is named after Colonel William Frederick Cody.
Saturday night also was the final time I seated myself at the bar of the Yellowstone Valley Inn and was chaperoned through a comparison of US whiskeys and bourbons by the barkeep Marc. A grand way to finish each day and I wish I could remember all the components of the tasting tour. Back home there would be 1/10th the range of distilleries available.
As an side, the Inn has one of the best disclaimer and liability release I have read. The third clause alone reads:
“I personally risk in connection with the activity, and further release the aforementioned parties, their agents, servant and employees, and guests, including, but not limited to, persons not mentioned, for any harm, injury or damage which may befall me during my participation on, preparation for, during or after the time I am in or around the premises owned by Outdoors in Wyoming, LLC dba Yellowstone Valley Inn and RV Park and all risks connected therewith, whether foreseen or unforeseen, and I further save and hold harmless by Outdoors in Wyoming, LLC dba Yellowstone Valley Inn and RV Park, and all persons associated therewith, from any claim by me or my family, estate, heirs or assigns.”
And to demonstrate the no care, no responsibility approach of the establishment housekeeping did not attend my room during the four days. Include the offer of free but nonexistant wifi and breakfast including in tariff provided you only wanted toast and charging for coffee, YVI is not a place I’d recommend.
Next day is on to Great Falls to break up the trip to Glacier NP.
