Yellowstone – A Live Volcano Crater in the Middle of America!



John air fishing!



We left Bozeman and headed south to enter Yellowstone through the West side. We are staying at the Wert Yellowstone Koa for two nights. We wanted to set up camp and then have time to go to the visitor's center in the town of West Yellowstone, Montana. The park overlaps Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming, but the majority of what we planned to see was in Wyoming.

We drove into the Gallatin Canyon along the Gallatin River which was moving very swiftly encouraged by the melting snow. The drive was beautiful and it reminded John of the Provo Canyon in Utah. There were fishermen everywhere doing fly fishing as the river is known for trout. In places where there was white water we saw kayakers trying their skills. This road had an element of danger as well for in several areas where the turns are abrupt there were several crosses indicating people had died there. In the winter especially you would not have to be going very fast to lose control on the icy road. Even in the summer you have to be a vigilant driver when the large trucks full of logs come at you like a runaway train. John made sure that if one ever got behind us, he would pull off the road at the earliest opportunity as he didn't want to hold up any monster trucks.

We turned on the Garmin Girl to get us to our Koa. We were pretty dependent on her now as she was pretty reliable. In times when her battery was low, I would plug her into the cigarette lighter and we would then continue to give us directions. This Koa was out of the way in the middle of a forest so she did well to get us there. We signed in and we were given a site that upon our inspection did not suit us as it was far from the bathroom and it was on a slanted hill. Since we require electricity and water, we are given sites that are used by RV campers who don't need to be on complete level ground as they have levelers for their rigs. We asked if we could look for another site and we did finding one much closer and with level ground and with electricity and water. Sometimes, you just have to take matters into your hands. We had given the girl several choices but the ones closest to the bathroom were all taken and later we found out by whom when a super large bus drove in and whole bunch of Japanese boys around the age of twelve all got out with their tents and back backs in hand and went to the sites. As we ran around the campsite we noticed they were all rented tents from REI. That night they sounded like a swarm of little birds yelling and playing chase all over the place. I was now glad we did not get a site near them though they were really a cute bunch. The next morning at around six thirty they got up to a revelry command, broke camp and were off in their bus by seven thirty. When we went running that morning you wouldn't have thought anyone had ever occupied those spots!

This Koa is recognized as one of the best as it has an outdoor barbeque that serves breakfast and dinner for a slight cost. They also had a gazebo where several families could cook using gas ovens and wash areas and tables. They had plenty of showers and large laundry area. The pool was indoors and large enough to swim laps. There was a large hill that John and I especially enjoyed running up and down. They also had a bicycle rental with all kinds of bikes, and finally they had a coffee espresso and ice cream hut. We had dinner several times and met families from many places in Europe: Germany, Netherlands, and Switzerland. Koa are very popular with Euros it seems! There are also cabins for rent and we talked to a camper from Washington State who rented a cabin after he found that someone got attacked by a bear sleeping in a tent. He had a marathon tee shirt, so we gave him a flyer for the Leavenworth Marathon that Lynda gave us to pass around.

One interesting thing we notice on our trip is that there are a lot of foreign students working in the U.S. for the summer. This Koa had a Turkish boy working in the kitchen. I had to have him repeat the menu three times as I couldn't understand him. At the Best Western there was a girl at the desk that was from Slovakia and her co-worker was from Check Republic, at the pizza parlor in West Yellowstone was from Jamaica and he could really make a great pizza. At the McDonalds here were several girls from China working at all types of jobs .We thought so much for unemployment until a bar tender told us that there were just as many Americans working in Europe for the summer. I guess that is an equal exchange.

Wolf Pelts

The next day we got up early and went to West Yellowstone to the welcome center. The center was full of animal busts and examples of bones and pelts. The national park gives a lecture on the park and what are the most important things to see if you only have two days. A National Park advisor drew us a map one going to the Old Faithful Geyser and another to the Canyon Village and Falls. So we were set to go that day to the Old Faithful. On our way to see the Geyser it was not hard to realize that we are indeed in the crater of a huge volcano that still wants to show what it is made of. We made several stops where we could observe other geysers and hot beds of bubbling earth. We followed paths that took you around beautiful blue pools of steaming water and some that changed color being affected by the bacteria in the water. We were told that the Indians, the Shoshone, used to come to gather some of the colored rock for coloring their artifacts. They regarded the Yellowstone area sacred area. What they didn't know is that Yellowstone is the only place on earth that you can find extremophiles, single cell microbes of many varieties. These are microbes that can live in extreme heat. Scientists think that if there is life in other planets, they might be life in this form. A new field of study called Astrobiology combines geology, biology, chemistry, astronomy physics and philosophy has been formed to study the origins, evolution, and life in the universe. It is made up fourteen teams of scientists from NASA and universities from around the country including Montana State University in Bozeman.

We drove along the Madison River and pulled over to the side when we saw a young man start taking off all his clothes… all except his underwear. His buddy watched him as he walked into the river. So we went over to talk to him about what was going on. He informed us that several hot springs empty right into the river so it is not supposed to be as cold as other rivers in the area. His friend wanted to see for himself. We looked and he was swimming against the current like swimming in an Endless Pool. He came out with a big smile and said the water was warm and pleasant. We were also told that since it does not freeze in the winter, it attracts a certain kind of swan that comes every year and enjoys the warmth of the river in the middle of winter.

Getting back to Native Americans, we came to a billboard that explained that the Nez

Perce Indians who lived in the Columbia River Plateau what is now Idaho, Washington, and Oregon, and how one large part did not want to go to a reservation. They evaded the American forces by going into the Yellowstone area on their way to Canada. They accidently surprised some settlers who were camping near there and couldn't take the chance that they might tell the Army about them. So they decided to take them with them rather than kill them. They later let them go as they traveled north. Chief Joseph and his Nez Perce Indians almost made it to the border, but were apprehended just before they got to Canada. This was the same group of Indians that helped Louis and Clark when they were in their greatest need for food and canoes. They trusted the Nez Perce with their horses until they returned. If it wasn't for the Nez Perce Lewis and Clark would never have made their historic trek to the West coast and back to tell the world about their exploration.

Soon we found ourselves at the welcome center for the Old Faithful. The cornerstone is the Old Hotel that was built close to the turn of the century still regal and beautiful standing like a fortress with its façade of stone. Many dignitaries stayed there such as Teddy Roosevelt and visiting heads of state and celebrities. Then of course there was the welcome center and gift shop and restaurant. Yellowstone is the first National Park established in 1872 and the Old Faithful is the gem that highlights every visit to the park. At that time the army made sure that poachers did not deface the park. In 1915 the National Park Service was founded and they took over the work the army was doing in preserving the park.

There were people from all over the world there as was evident by their speech and in some cases their dress. We heard that the Old Faithful was to show its stuff in just five minutes so we all rushed out to the viewing area with cameras in hand. We had to walk out in what looked like snow but with close inspection it was hail that had fallen not too long ago. People gathered in a large group around the park waiting for the first sign of an eruption. Many people including John were counting down the minutes looking at their watches. I stood up on the metal seat to get a good view, and I didn't have long to wait.

The first sign was a little steam that flew up from the vent. That was followed by a larger bit of steam. All eyes were on the vent and any time anything happened there were Ooos and Ahs from the crowd. Finally, the moment came when Old Faithful on time began to erupt with ever increasing geysers of steam. The crowd cheered and clapped as if it wanted an encore performance. It continued on and on until it got lower. By this time we had walked near the namesake etched in wood and John found it possible to take my picture while it was still erupting. What a treat!

When we returned to the town of West Yellowstone that afternoon we signed up to see the IMAX show of Yellowstone. The presentation was fantastic and informative. It helped to piece together what we had seen and made sense when you think that the area is in fact the remains of a huge volcano that helped to create much of the terrain in the area. John Colter, a member of the Lewis and Clark team, stayed behind to do more exploring and lived with the Shoshone Indians. They told him about the wonders of Yellowstone, and he went and explored this area writing down descriptions of what he saw. When he made this information known in the east, no one believed him. The same was true when Jeff Bridger, the mountain man, told stories and no one believed him either. It wasn't until Warren Ferris of the American Fur Company wrote to his company naming the erupting mist "geyser."  The word "geyser" originated in Iceland. Familiarity with this word made Ferris' story believable.  What made Yellowstone a success as a tourist Mecca was the automobile. Roads were built to accommodate the car and people began coming to see for themselves what the "geyser" was about.

After the show we went to an internet café that specialized in Pizza. If we ate dinner now, we wouldn't need to cook at the campsite. That was fine with me. So we went in and ordered our pizza from a student from Jamaica who was here for the summer. He planned to study biology to become a teacher in Kingston. While John continue to talk to Albert about everything he knew about Jamaica, I found a table by the window and booted up my computer to check my e-mail and find out more about Yellowstone. Albert made a decent pizza and great salad and after a couple of beers we were good to go.

The next day we got up and had a pancake breakfast at the camp and set off for our second day of sightseeing. We really needed five days to study the whole park, but we had only allotted two days and the Forest Service Ranger felt the second day would be great to see the Falls. We entered Yellowstone again from the west and followed the Madison River to the turn off and headed north to Norris. Philetus Norris was the second superintendent of the park. He established park rangers to help him ward off poachers. The highest geyser is named for him. Taking this path we saw several small geysers and hoped to see the Norris geyser as well. Unlike Old Faithful this one does not erupt with any regularity so we past it by as it was dormant. At the next turn off we continued east toward the canyon. Here there were several areas where we could stop at lookouts to see spectacular scenes of falls and canyons. We took a turn off to see Virginia Falls and though it was not a large fall, it cascaded over a large boulder bed creating an exciting white water rumble full of energy. We circle back to the main path and arrived at the welcome center for the Canyon Village just in time to see the introductory film.

 The film went on to explain that Yellowstone got its name from the yellow stone near the falls. David Thompson, a British fur trader, explorer, and geographer sent information back to his company naming the area Yellow Stone because he saw the yellow stone on both sides of the cliffs as he looked up from the falls. The film made it look pretty magnificent, but it is not half as fantastic as actually being there close enough to touch the rushing water.

The Forest Service did a great deal to make the key areas of Yellowstone tourist friendly. They advise you to stay in the path, but the paths are pretty close to the scenes you want to see. Also on climbs up and down there are several places where you can rest. It was amazing to see the types of people attempting the hikes. There were little children (who may not have had a choice), very old people who took tiny steps, and obese people who had to stop and rest at every switch back and paraplegics with canes. They all wanted to see the fantastic falls for themselves.

We walked down the trail to get a good sight of the falls. It was still far off, but we were eager so we went down to get a better view. It looked magnificent from where we were, but it was still too far to hear the water and feel the energy. We did encounter a photographer with a long telephoto lens looking down at some crags on the rock spires below. She let us look through her lens and sure enough there was a large osprey nest with a mother and three baby birds inside. The father soon arrived with a fish and they fed the young as they were scrambled for food. We thanked her for sharing this unique sight, and continued our walk up again counting at thirteen switch backs to the top.



An Osprey Nest



We got in our car and drove around the rim of the canyon until we found another entrance to the falls. This time we would be right on top of it. So we eagerly scrambled down the trail again to get a good view. There below us was the Yellowstone River flowing with a green tinge making its way leisurely to the edge. Then without fanfare, it dropped 308 feet down to the bottom of the canyon spraying us with mist and producing a full rainbow for our benefit. White water tumbled below carving more of the canyon as it had done for thousands of years. The roar and the energy of the water are hard to describe, so I am adding a video to give you a sense of the power of this water as it tumbles below. As you look farther up, you can see the sides of the canyon glisten in the mist as the yellow color comes through like gold.



A Buffalo in the Parking Lot!



By the end of the day we were pleased with ourselves. We had hiked and climbed in eight thousand feet above sea level and had built up an appetite. We got in our car but we were stuck there unable to move as a buffalo stood staring at us in the parking lot. I looked for my camera and just as I got ready to shoot, he walked around us so I was only able to get his rump. We were told not to get out of our car if any wild life stood in front of us. So we watched it go as it made its way to where ever buffalos go in parking lots.

Mud Pots

We retraced out route back to the West entrance and headed down the lovely two lane road at 25 miles an hour checking out the fields dressed in blues and yellows made by the wild flowers all in bloom. We saw several bikers who had packs on their bikes either passing through Yellowstone or going to campsites in the area. We also saw many fishermen in the rivers and tributaries fishing for trout. This area is well known all over the world for fly fishing, and there are several stores in West Yellowstone that sell whatever is needed to do the sport. If you want to do some fly fishing and still see the sights in the park, plan at least a week to take it all in. Yellowstone is not to be missed!