SUNRISE OVER THE GRAND TETONS--RAFTING ON THE SNAKE RIVER--WHAT A DAY!

Rafting on the Snake River

Tauck Tours really knows how to arrange a grand finale, and that’s exactly what happened.  We stayed in the Jackson Lake Lodge in a beautiful room looking out over the flats to the Tetons.  The view was inspiring and magnificent.  We’d heard, however, that there is nothing compared to watching the sun come up.

I’m not a sunrise person.  But what choice did I have? This was my one chance, and I was not going to blow it!  We stood on the deck at the back of the hotel, coffee in hand, quietly waiting.

The sun, rising from the east, is behind us, not behind the Tetons which we face.  We cannot see the sun.  As it rises, it slowly sends its rays toward the mountains in front of us, gradually, hitting the peaks first, spreading downward, crossing the valley and eventually to where we stand, a slow, beautiful turning of the earth to coral and pink and then lighting the awakening world. 

At the beginning there is just the sun's pink coloring behind the mountains

As the sun ascends, the mountains capture the pinks and corals of day, and the light
spreads across the dark valley bringing color to it as well.

I’ve never seen anything so magnificent.  The experience makes us feel very happy to be up and alive and able to enjoy the glorious morning.

Not to be outdone, the Snake River offered up its view of the Tetons as we went rafting later the same morning.  Our guide told us stories, pointed out the importance of sights along the river, and answered a myriad of questions as we all tried to get answers before leaving for home.

 

Magnificent!

Notice how those same peaks are always with us.  Just glorious.

The afternoon was ours to enjoy independently, and Rob and I took the Lunch Tree Hill Loop Trail beginning behind the Jackson Lake Lodge and rising up to a ridge overlooking the valley. 

The top became a favorite of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. who visited it in 1926.  The view is splendid.  The site serene

We're actually on a hilltop, high above the Lodge.  Magnificent.
Don't see views like this one in the East.

Interesting history.  Can you imagine being out here as a trapper?

Here's another view from the top of the trail.
You can see the roof of the Lodge off to the left.

That evening we had a farewell dinner for our small group, and we sang “Happy Trails to You” to our friends from Great Britain.  You remember the one who, as a boy, went to the Roy Rogers Riding Club every Saturday morning to watch the TV show.  It was a beautiful ending to this trip.

I add that we’ve booked another Tauck Tour—The Canadian Rockies and Glacier National Park. 

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? 

FROM CODY, WY. TO YELLOWSTONE AND THE SIGHTS IN BETWEEN. SUPER!

Leaving Cody, Wyoming we are treated to another eye-full drive.  We roll along part of the 146 mile shoreline of the reservoir formed by the Buffalo Bill Dam.  Like spider threads thrown off the water are irrigation canals for agriculture.  It makes the area bloom.

We don’t leave Buffalo Bill behind easily.  We make a stop at Pahaska Tepee, Cody’s hunting lodge, and it’s beautiful.  It’s the original building and so are many of the furnishings.  This is no rustic cabin. In the 1920s in one of the eight bedrooms upstairs, the Prince of Monaco slept.  I’m glad we didn’t miss this.  It's such a reflection of the man who built it.

This is the main room of Pahaska Tepee, Buffalo Bill Cody's hunting lodge. 
It's very comfortable with leather chairs and a huge, stone fireplace.
I got a kick out of the fact that Bill's own portrait hangs above the fireplace.
No visiting upstairs because of the wood stairs that they say is a safety risk, but the back room is a long dining room, almost like a banquet room.

Along the road to Yellowstone National Park is the strangest structure, The Pagoda.

This is known as The Pagoda.
It was started as a "weekend project" in the 1950s
and for one reason of another, the builder gave up at this stage.
Here is stands for all this length of time.

As we drive through the valley, we see Nature's sculpting ability
in the formations rising high above us.
Do you see the bear, the lion, and the blacksmith?
What else do you see?

The land is so beautiful.  In the far distance, the mountains don’t look real; they appear as a painted landscape.  There is an other worldly aspect to their beauty, and we are anxious to reach them as we drive through the Shoshone National Forest.

Beautiful, isn't it?
It's so rugged, and it looks like a painting as we speed past.

Our destination is Yellowstone National Park, a place with more geysers than New Zealand or Iceland, countries known for their geysers.  The Yellowstone we visit was formed by a series of volcanic eruptions so huge that the central part of the park is actually a 35 by 45 mile caldera.  If you have ever been to Volcano National Park in Hawaii and flown above to see the caldera of Kilauea or have climbed to the caldera of Diamondhead, you will literally suck in your breath when you think of the eruption that produced Yellowstone.

The geysers, mud volcanoes, fumaroles, hot springs and other thermal phenomena are caused by the still-active magmatic forces bubbling just below the surface.  You are above seismic activity.  If it should blow….

Just one of the many thermal wonders spouting the steam created
by the activity below the earth's surface.
Makes you really wonder about the earth on which we stand.

These thermal wonders as well as the magnificent wildlife, the beautiful trees and rugged mountains are what we see during our three days in Yellowstone National Park, and our excitement is practically palpable.

Actually, traffic moved pretty well along the park roads, one reason that we looked for a late season visit there, but one occurrence consistently stopped everyone dead in their tracks—the appearance of wildlife.  Here you can see what constantly happens when bison decide to cross the road!!!!  I don’t believe anyone minds however; the thrill of seeing them never fades.

Bison are incredible.
But it really isn't wise to get too close.
People really do get hurt.

All the traffic in the world doesn’t matter when you take the time to explore Yellowstone.

The gorge that is the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone is magnificent: the layered rock strata of blacks and browns dotted here and there with tenacious pine and worn away by the constant forces of rushing water cascading down the crevice creating rising mists at the base before it hits another drop and becomes a waterfall again. The sound of the roaring water does not lessen the beauty of the browns, blacks, greens and whites against a blue sky.  It is spell-binding.

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
Spellbinding
Please follow the link in blue for a description of how this incredible canyon was formed.

This is only the beginning.  On to some of the great thermal sights in the park.  One thing to keep constantly in mind are the warnings about nature’s display.  It’s dangerous and tricky.

Other signs gave some of the numbers of people injured and burned.
Sometimes people are so strange.  We saw teenagers testing with their feet, and we saw, in another area, adults letting their children romp off the designated paths.
Wonders never cease.

We began touring the mud volcanoes, highly acidic and accompanied by pungent sulfuric odors.  The path is a boardwalk, and the different mud volcanoes bubble and spurt steam and gasses, rumbling at you as you walk by.  There’s nothing inviting here, but you cannot resist a fascination with the bubbly mud and the steam emanating and rising into the sky.

It's impossible to forget what is going on under your feet.
I wonder what possesses people to test the acidity and to disregard the warnings on the signs.
This is an incredible walk, and I wonder what happened to people prior to the boardwalk.

Mud volcanoes change.  In 1870, explorers were amazed at a volcano spewing steam and mud into the treetops and shaking the ground; two years later, the volcano had blown itself apart and became the muddy, bubbling sight that greeted us.  Some mud volcanoes, on the other hand, appear overnight. 

Some areas are quite beautiful, but we soon learned that the colors are caused, for the most part, by bacteria.  That sort of takes the edge off, so we just shake our heads in amazement at nature’s artistry.

Steam and boardwalks and vibrant colors.
It's almost difficult to believe that this is how it has "always" been.
It's also hard to believe that the vivid colors are caused by bacteria.

I’m glad we stayed in at the Yellowstone Lake Hotel in the park because as the clock gets closer to dinner time, there is a mass exodus of park visitors. Those are the real lines of traffic.  Hotels outside the park are quite a distance.  But there are other reasons that this hotel is so exciting. 

The beautiful Yellowstone Lake Hotel.
Travelers rode two days into the park to reach this hotel.
It is simple and grand at the same time.
Its atmosphere reflects the calm beauty of its enviornment.

It is 175 years old, and yes, it has been remodeled, the last time in 2014.  As a member of Historic Hotels of America, it is not allowed to install wifi although wired internet is in each room.  Nor are there televisions.  Board games are available if one desires, and there is a real attempt to preserve the atmosphere as it once was.  The original 300 rooms are now shrunk to 157 as bathrooms (thank goodness) ate up a great deal of space, so the Yellowstone Lake Hotel has a glamour of its own that makes a stay here utterly charming.

We walked down to the gorgeous lake and just reveled in its beauty.

Quiet and peaceful.
There is an overwhelming sense of calm down by the lake where some people sit, some stand, but all stare, overcome with awe.

Another magnificent day.  Awaiting to see what is in store tomorrow.

OF CATTLE, THE BIGHORNS, WILD MUSTANGS AND RODEOS

Sometimes life ain't easy

Our Tauck group walked into the Sheridan, Wyoming Holiday Inn after a day crossing part of Wyoming, having a great time at the TA Ranch, and enjoying every moment of the day.  

Despite the entertainment possibilities of the hotel which was quite inviting, I think most of us called it an early night. It was not until breakfast the following morning that we had the great surprise of being able to catch a bit of a cattle auction in progress right in the hotel and attended by ranchers and others not only from Wyoming but also from all over the west.  Cowboy hats and boots and a thick, printed catalogue were the order of the day for them, and we noticed immediately.

Lots of advertising, quite unlike what any of us were accustomed to seeing

As each of us found out we were welcome in the huge room with big screens where the auction was televised, we let others know, and most of us eventually went to see what was going on.  Haha No cattle in the hotel; we saw men and women leafing through their auction books, and we heard the real life sounds of the auction bidding occurring before our eyes.  It was barely 8:00 AM. As we were all from the Eastern Seaboard, Chicago, or California,  this truly was a first for us all.

The auction was pretty exciting, and people kept drifting in and out of the room

We were definitely acting like tourists taking in everything, and the people running product sales tables outside the auction room were friendly as can be and gave us hats, pens, pot holders, and all kinds of souvenirs.  Those hats became chapeau de jour for a large part of the remainder of the trip. 

After breakfast, however, we were off to cross our first mountain range. We climbed the majestic Bighorn Mountains on our way to Cody, Wyoming.  We crossed the peaks at 9,300 ft.  What a view we had from Cutler Hill at 8,347 feet.  Then we passed through towns like Greybull, WY with a population of 1,837, and Shell, WY with a 2010 census count of 83.  Ten miles outside of Cody there were wild mustangs running on the flats.  Exciting to see them gallop across the range.

Pretty magnificent, wouldn't you say?

I wanted to share this picture of a house by the side of the road.
Somehow I don't think this would be the plot of land I'd buy for my home.

In Cody in time for lunch, we also had free time to wander downtown, and do some shopping before heading to the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, a fascinating museum and a real treasure trove of information and artifacts about Buffalo Bill, the West and the tribes that live there.  The Center is really five excellent museums in one, but we did not have time to take it all in.   Most online travel sites, not surprisingly, suggest a 2-day pass to see it all.

One museum is specifically about William  F. Cody’s life, not quite what we’ve been led to believe, but fascinating nevertheless.  What a showman he was!  The museum has many of his personal items but also posters, books, and history.  

This is a representation of the kind of sets used during the shows.
Cody not only brought his Wild West Show around the United States
but also spent several years touring Europe and becoming the
toast of the continent.

The Whitney Western Art Museum highlights the scope of western-inspired art in sculpture, paintings, and prints, and it, too, is a treasure.  If you visit the museum site, you will be able to view their online collection.

We didn’t have a chance to visit the Draper Natural History Museum, but it might have been good to add to our knowledge before we entered Yellowstone National Park.

There’s the fascinating and informative Plains Indian Museum.  This is more than a collection of artifacts and art.  Rather it is a history of the people, their culture, and today a study of the movement of the Plains Indians over the course of 250 years is underway.  Additionally, the people are seen in the context of  their life today.  It is an impressive place to visit, and there is a lot to learn.

The Cody Firearms Museum is reputed to be the most comprehensive in the world. Rob liked that one.

It was at the Museum, too, where we had a private show (yes, just for the 16 of us) by the Dan Miller Trio, a band specializing in country, bluegrass, Americana, gospel.  They were terrific. 

On a personal note—Because I need hearing assistive devices, the Tauck director brought along what we’d successfully been using on the tour, but Dan had his own equipment as his sister is deaf, and he wanted to share his music with everyone.  We used his equipment; before the show began, he made sure I could hear, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!!!  Never forget how nice people can be.

Dan also played “Happy Trails to You,” and, of course, we all knew it and sang along. Our travel companion, Maurice, related a story.  As a small boy in Northern Ireland, he belonged to the Roy Rogers Riding Club.  Every Saturday morning, they met to watch the Roy Rogers Show on TV.  We loved that. On the last evening and dinner together on the tour, we all sang that song to him.  That’s the kind of group it was.

The day was not nearly over.  We checked in to the Best Western Premier Ivy Hotel, and after dinner headed to the Cody Stampede for the rodeo.  Cody, WY is no ordinary town.  It bills itself as the Rodeo Capital of the World, and, incredibly, there is a rodeo EVERY NIGHT throughout the summer.

Great time at the rodeo.  Dangerous and adrenaline producing.  I like the team calf roping and the barrel racing best.  I cannot believe the angles at which those horses round the barrels.  There was plenty of see, plenty of oohs, and plenty of pictures.

The Rodeo opens with a display of beautifully executed synchronized horsewomanship and flags
and recognition of the many sponsors.

Bull riding is as dangerous as it looks

My favorite is the barrel racing.
I am wowed at the angles at which the horses move around the barrels
running as fast as the riders can handle
and as close to the barrels as a rider can get
so she can cut time off her ride.
True team spirit and ability.

Just look at that horse's legs.
That may be close to 1,000 pounds rounding that barrel.

By the time we finished the rodeo, it was time to head back to the hotel for a good night's sleep.Yellowstone was coming up next.