WASHINGTON DC AND SPRING EQUALS CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL

Spring is beautiful anywhere, but
in Washington DC, there's
The Cherry Blossoms.

Unless you live nearby, It’s probably too late to get down to Washington, DC to see this year’s cherry blossoms in full bloom.  It’s a magnificent sight made even more memorable by the history of these Cherry Blossoms.  Encircling the Tidal Basin are pink blossoms so thick that visitors use them as backdrops to their photos.  If the day is calm, the trees and monuments reflect in the water, and you are surrounded by beauty.  It’s a wonderful experience.

The history of this special DC times begins in 1912 when the Mayor of Tokyo gifted the city of Washington DC with 3,000 cherry trees.  Imagine.  The gift was to signify the closeness between our two countries.  Despite some initial setbacks, then First Lady Helen Taft and the wife of the Japanese ambassador planted the first two trees at the north end of the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park.  (https://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/about/history/)

Every year when the cherry blossoms are in bloom, there is the Cherry Blossom Festival.  The festivities this year are over this weekend when the blossoms have reached their glorious peak.  I wish we could go back.

The tidal basin is always a must-see venue in Washington DC.  The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Monument, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Monument, and the Jefferson Memorial are all located there.  Within your sight is also the Washington Monument, and, if you know, you also see the Curtis-Lee Mansion, Arlington House, across the river at Arlington Cemetery.

The beautiful Washington Monument 

A bit too early for full bloom
but gorgeous and enticing anyway

We were in Washington, DC the last weekend in March and spent a good part of a beautiful day, March 31^st, walking the 2.5 miles around the Tidal Basin, admiring the not-quite-at-their-peak beauty, revisiting some monuments and seeing another for the first time.  It was a calm day, and definitely not one where you want to be rushed.  Plenty of people but plenty of smiles.

We actually lucked out and found parking along the river, right across from Arlington National Cemetery.  In the distance we could see Arlington House, the Custis-Lee Mansion high up on the hill.  Kayakers were on the river as well as tour boats.  A perfect spring day.

That's Arlington House (Custis-Lee Mansion) high up on the hill.
Those tombstones on the side are part of Arlington National Cemetery.

Taking the path that first headed toward the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, we stopped so many times to take photographs—as did almost everyone else.  It is so beautiful.  People in paddleboats were out on the water, and around us were the sounds of many languages as visitors commented to each other.

The FDR Memorial consists of many structures.  Waterfalls.
Quotations that remind us of our duty to our country and of our country to
its citizens.
Each quotation gives one pause to stop and to think.

At the southern end of the FDR Memorial stands a gift, a pagoda dating back to the 1600s and weighing 3,800 pounds!  It, as the cherry trees, was a gift from Japan, from the Mayor of Yokohama, commemorating a peace treaty between our countries signed in 1854.  It has been in place since 1957. There's a sign giving The Pagoda's history as well as an explanation of  its symbolism.  

What I liked about it was its modest size set among the giant monuments yet demanding in a humble way, for visitors to stop, to read, and to think about the symbolism of the layers.  Apparently I was not the only one who felt this way, as I had to wait to get close to the sign.

Our next stop was the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.  We'd never seen this monument before as the last time we were up at Cherry Blossom time, this monument had not been built.  

It is magnificent.  Strong, with Dr. King's quotations on the walls.  As I stood looking upward to gaze at his profile, the Washington Monument rose in the distance, and I was struck by the importance of this place, of the importance of both men in founding something for this country and then working tirelessly to make their dreams become reality.  

This area was as crowded with people as the FDR Memorial had been.  Both men were persuasive and important speakers who inspired citizens to get through the rough times and strive to make lives better for all.  The connections, if one knows American history, were phenomenal.

Continuing our walk past groups of tourists, food trucks, and even people posing for wedding pictures, we rounded our way along the Tidal Basin until we reached what I would say is the hallmark of the monuments--The Jefferson Memorial.  There it stands, looking over the water, a noble and mighty structure beautifully designed.  The pink of the cherry trees and the curve of the path accented the whiteness of the building.  

From some angles, a visitor can look across the water and see the figure of Jefferson, tall and stalwart, looking out over the land.  Impressive.  Awesome.

If you cannot make this year's Cherry Blossom Festival, plan ahead and see if you can get down to Washington DC next year.  You’re in for a big Spring treat.

FROM YELLOWSTONE TO GRAND TETON AND ON TO JACKSON HOLE -- THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES!

One last early morning look at Old Faithful
before we head out of Yellowstone

Traveling with Tauck Tours, this Legends of the American West adventure meant waking each morning with excited anticipation.  On this day, leaving Yellowstone National Park meant arriving at Grand Teton National Park.  We followed the Snake River, began to hear about the majestic mountains, and got an inkling of the vastness of the grasslands and the kinds of people who saw the ruggedness of Wyoming as a welcoming factor--enough to call it home.

Here's our first bit of amazement.

Imagine an imaginary line beginning in Alaska, running through western Canada, crossing the continental United States and continuing to Mexico.  That imaginary line is called the Continental Divide.  It’s not the halfway mark between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.  It’s the winding line separating the waters that flow into the Pacific Ocean from the waters that flow into the Atlantic Ocean. 

Incredible to think that such an imaginary line can exist, but that’s not all.

Where we crossed the Continental Divide in Wyoming is a lake named ISA LAKE. 

Don't try to work out the pronunciation.  It really Is A Lake.

How did Isa Lake get its name?  No one could decide if this body of water was a lake or a river, so someone finally stomped a foot and proclaimed it “IS A LAKE.”  (true story or legend of the old West?)

Lovely and Peaceful and Unusual

What is so special about Isa Lake?  It empties into both the Atlantic and the Pacific, and it does so BACKWARDS; that is the eastern part drains into the Pacific while the western section drains into the Atlantic.  You might want to read that sentence again and shake your head in wonder.  This is not a legend; this is true.

Our first stop in Grand Teton National Park is the Colter Bay Visitor Center, and there we have our first views of the majesty of the Tetons towering 7,000 feet above the valley floor.  Their massive presence, steel grey with spots of glacial ice, dwarfs the trees, grasslands, and lakes that lie below.  I am stunned by the magnificence of nature and of creation.  Surely this valley is one of the most beautiful places on earth. 

We also learned that the mountain have names,  Please remember these names for the next post I write because these peaks are with us throughout the rest of our trip.

Photos cannot begin to show the enormity of these peaks,
but this scene was with us for the rest of our journey.
It was nice to be on a name basis.
Later, when we talked about glaciers, it was easy to identify the different kinds on these mountains.

Next stop--Jackson Hole.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming earns it fame in many ways, but driving in to the city is quite an experience.  It doesn’t look like the typical town, and in the center, the square is anchored by arches made of elk antlers.  Beautiful.  If you’re worried about the source of these antlers, put that aside.  One thing Jackson Hole is famous for is its cold and its skiing.  It gets so cold in the Tetons that animals cannot survive, and the elk migrate down out of the mountains and come into the valley.  They do not have the natural coats of the buffalo.  In fact, there is a National Elk Refuge established in 1912 to offer a winter home to some of the largest elk herds in the country.  The refuge is home to approximately 7,000 elk each winter.  As bulls shed their antlers, a program began to allow Boy Scouts to collect and sell them at auction.  That is where the antlers for the arches originate. 

Beautiful.  Amazing.  Jackson Hole's unique signature.  Four arches entering the town's park.

Even in summer, Jackson Hole is a tourist’s dream.  Restaurants, art shops, mercantiles and western stores are everywhere, and it’s a great place to roam when you’re not out enjoying all that nature has to offer in the mountains, lakes, rivers, and in the valley. You might even spot some very famous people.  I did.

Interesting town.  Look at those magnificent ski runs up the mountains.

One of the great store, the Mercantile, with a moose out front.
We had lots of fun inside too, and emerged with some "souvenirs."

There really is an atmosphere of the untamed west.

Right in the middle of town--Lewis and Clark exploring the continent.

Who should I meet but Mark Twain and his young friends Huck  Finn and Becky Thatcher

Here's a chance to pose with those famous Ohioans
who flew for the first time in North Carolina
Wilbur and Orville Wright

It truly was a wonderful day, and I highly recommend visiting any of these places, any time of year.

JUST WHEN YOU THINK YOU'VE SEEN EVERYTHING--THERE'S OLD FAITHFUL

Just when we think we’ve seen everything amazing, we leave Yellowstone Lake Hotel and head toward some of the most famous geysers in Yellowstone National Park on our way to the Old Faithful Inn.

What an education!  The park keeps revealing its wonders, and we are practically stupefied by what we see.  Yesterday’s introduction to the thermal activities in the park was merely a prologue.  Today is the real story.

It begins simply enough as steam rising to the sky emanates from the ground, but as we come closer, we see what surrounds these pools. 

The trees are bare, dead stalks, a skeletal reminder of what once was.  Around the bases are white rings known as “bobby socks.”  The acids in the water and land kill what is living, and what we see is all that is left.  It looks so incredibly desolate; it looks as if we’ve wandered into a wasteland, and in some ways we have.

The treeS, absorbing the acids in the water, die, but their bases turn white and are called Bobby Socks,
just like the ones girls used to wear.

When we leave the bus, we’re warned of the dangers around us although there is probably no need. It's pretty obvious.

The beautiful, colorful pools, steam rising prettily, belie the reality of boiling temperatures and the dangerously thin crust.  The colors of the earth are caused by microorganisms thriving in the heat. Strands of colorful bacteria are what we see.

Mudpots bubble away. I’m flabbergasted by this lone evergreen.  What gives it the ability to survive in this parched, acidic earth?

I’ve seen pictures, but nothing compares with seeing these up close and hearing some of the stories that accompany them.

Red Spouter was formed by the 1959 earthquake.  One day it did not exist, and the next day it did.  In the spring with a lot of water, it is a splashing, muddy bubbly pool, but as the water level drops, it becomes a fumarole, a steam vent.

Imagine coming to work on morning and seeing Red Spouter for the first time!

 Look at the colors in the Turquoise Pool.

The most beautiful of all the geysers in this part of the park is the Grand Prismatic Spring.  It is the largest hot spring coming in at a whopping 160°. Magma from an active volcano heats water that rises through fissures in the rocks.  Microorganisms contribute the color.  It is beautiful and treacherous.  And did you catch the words “active volcano”?

Difficult to believe that the Grand Prismatic Spring's magnificent colors
are caused by microorganisms in the water. 
It's all wonderful, beautiful, and extraordinary.  Almost beyond belief.

 You might be concerned by my oftentimes reminder of the danger of these areas.  Honestly, I was a little uncomfortable in many of these areas because, believe it or not, some of the boardwalks do not have railing; they’re just flat, a bit above the ground.  That is true on the entire path to and round the Grand Prismatic Spring. 

But uncomfortable or not, I was not going to miss this grand opportunity to see some totally outstanding sights.

It wasn’t over yet.  We headed for our next hotel, the National Landmark designated Old Faithful Inn, which opened in 1904 and is constructed out of local materials to recreate a forest inside.  To see it is to understand the outstanding tribute it pays to the environment surrounding it in Yellowstone Park.

I add that we met a couple from Canada who made their reservations here more than 15 months before.  If you want a room at this inn, plan far in advance.

Wonderful as this is, we were there to witness the eruption of the most famous geyser in Yellowstone—Old Faithful.

We've all heard the name, but to see Old Faithful
up close and personal
is the experience of a lifetime.

Discovered in 1870, Old Faithful is so named because it erupts on a regular basis, anywhere between 60 and 110 minutes, and its eruptions are predicted on charts inside the inn.  Since Yellowstone became the world’s first national park in 1872, Old Faithful has erupted more than 1 million times. 

The geyser is incredibly beautiful to watch because it begins with bubbles and slowly but continuously increases its height and the force of the steam. Visitors sitting on benches around the perimeter of the area are treated to this breathtaking spectacle and sit in awe of Nature’s wonder.  Not to disappoint its audience, Old Faithful rises to 100-180 feet at each performance, averaging between 130 and 140 feet.  It’s quite a show.  When it reaches its height, it slowly slackens and lowers itself back into the earth.  Performance over.  Audience wide-eyed and slack-jawed.  WOW!

By the way, during an eruption, Old Faithful’s temperature at the vent has been measured at 204° and the steam above 350°.

Here we witness just a touch of Nature’s incredible power, and we are awed.

What more is there to say?