More Thrilling Yellowstone Delights: A Guided Tour of Fort Yellowstone, Eye-to-Eye with Gigantic Bison and Elk, A Stunning Sunset and Drinks at a Pub in Jackson

Saturday, August 17, 2024

More Thrilling Yellowstone Delights: A Guided Tour of Fort Yellowstone, Eye-to-Eye with Gigantic Bison and Elk, A Stunning Sunset and Drinks at a Pub in Jackson

Today was probably our most thrilling day in Yellowstone National Park as we enjoyed wildlife sightings galore and managed to shoot them on camera—still and video—to our heart’s delight. But to begin in our motel…

We awoke at the Traveler’s Lodge in Madison, Montana, munched on croissants and had motel coffee (from the lobby) before we checked out and began the long drive back into Yellowstone National Park. Again, I have to make clear that Madison is the nearest western town outside the Park and yet it is a good two hours away from the Park’s entrance and even further away from its attractions. This explains why there is a lot of (rather boring) driving to be done in Yellowstone where all you pass are long ribbons of asphalt road ahead lined by pine trees on both sides.

Driving North Past Norris Towards Mammoth Hot Springs:

Our aim today was to cover the northernmost reaches of the Park—this explains why we had to do so much driving. Past Norris, we encountered Sheepeater’s Cliff where we stopped to stretch our legs and take in the unusual basalt formations of rock that formed a steep cliff in front of us. It was at this point that we caught a glimpse of another creature that is common in these parts—a pika. This animal belongs to the rodent family but he looks rather cute as he resembles a rabbit rather than a rat. It has cute round ears and rather than a snout, a nose that twitches, somewhat like a rabbit. We enjoyed its nest-building antics for a while before we returned to our car and drove on.

A little while later, we arrived at Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces. These are so-called because the calcite rocks which are plentiful in this area were formed in layers over millions of years. We could see the hot springs smoking as we parked our car and walked towards the clearly-demarcated walkway. However, the climb to the top that would afford panoramic views of the smoking ‘sulphur pots’ and ‘mud pools’ was so long and so strenuous that we decided to pass on it and take pictures only at the base. Here too, we could smell the sulphurous fumes and my sulphur-allergy was well and truly activated at these spots (in fact, throughout the Park).

Guided Tour of Fort Yellowstone:

Driving still further north, we arrived at the Albright Visitors Center where we stopped to use rest rooms and to find out about a guided tour of Fort Yellowstone which is in this location. There is a very nice exhibit in the Center that details the history of Yellowstone and its establishment as a National Park in 1872 We discovered that a guided tour, given by a US Park Ranger, was about to start in 15 minutes. We decided to join it and saw ourselves in a pack of about fifteen other folks.

The Ranger was very good and as he walked us around the premises, comprises of army barracks, headquarters, store houses and, at the very end, a little church, he told us about the history of the military in this spot. The military set up camp there for the first time to maintain law and order in the area. The biggest danger, then as now, was poaching and the illegal shooting of wildlife and the transportation of their skins and pelts had to be regulated by law. Hence, the origin of the presence of the army. We learned a lot of interesting facts about military life, living with wildlife and the changing seasons and the training and duties of field officers. The tour lasted about 40 minutes and gave us a composite idea of the role and contribution of the US military in this area. Since we were very close to the northern exit of the Park, we decided to drive further northwards and get to Gardiner, another small town. However, it was a disappointment as Boiling River which lies en route is no longer open to visitors as it has ‘disappeared’ in a recent storm. So we exited the Park and then made a U-turn and came right back into it!

This time we drove south and then eastwards along the Blacktail Plateau where we had our first major sightings of large herds of American Buffalo (bison). We stopped to take in the heartening sight (as did many other visitors) and then drove towards the junction of Tower-Roosevelt. Once there, we followed signs east for the Lamar Valley which is supposed to offer some of the best wildlife sightings in the Park.

And we were not disappointed. For the next couple of hours, the further east we drove, the more animals we saw. On this single morning, in addition to dozens of bison, we saw a large herd of pronghorn (also known as antelope). And as our car was driving slowly along, I saw a bobcat! This is a rather rare sighting, I am told, as they usually stay up in the mountains. Sadly, as the car was moving, I could not take a picture and Llew (who was behind the wheel) did not see it at all. Still further west, we saw loads of elk drinking water from a stream that lay glowing golden in the sunshine. It was all very very exciting indeed. This was what we had come to Yellowstone to see. Sadly, there was not a moose in sight and I would leave the Park without fulfilling my favorite aspiration.

Lunch in Cooke City:

A very long drive eastwards, out of the Park, took us to the city that is called Cooke City. It would make a good place for lunch, we thought, as we drove for what seemed like hundreds of miles to get there. This is a typical frontier town and resembles, in every way, Madison and, later in our trip, places like Deadwood, that we would see. In general, these towns, just like you see in Western movies, have a single Main Street with shops and restaurants lining it on both sides. In the good old days of the Wild West, you would have had horses left outside the entrances. Today, there are motor vehicles and we ran into a group of bikers who were traveling across the country and enjoy taking their vehicles into the uppermost reaches of the woods where they told us, they often come across wolves!

We found a place called ‘The Prospector’s Pub’ where we settled down to have a meal. It had an old-world charm about it and in its limited menu offerings, we found a cheese steak hoagie that we shared with a side salad. It made for a very filling meal with fries. After our lunch, we used the facilities and began our long drive back into the Park.

More Wildlife Sightings:

It was from this point on, that we had some of the most exciting wildlife sightings of the trip. The Lamar Valley Plateau is simply covered with bison and literally hundreds of them roam freely here. Oftentimes, they venture out on to the roads and it is here that they come within a few feet of people in their vehicles. It was here that we stopped our car as bison had taken over the road and one of them ambled aimlessly all over the place like a drunkard who did not know where he was heading. Eventually, he came right in front of our stationary car and then moved towards the driver’s side. I was so dumbfounded that I did not have the presence of mind to use my camera to take a picture when the animal was literally eye-to-eye with Llew, not even six inches away from Llew’s eye, as he skirted the side of our car and then ambled away, just as aimlessly. It was an unforgettable experience and the closest encounter we would have with wildlife during our trip.

Our Drive Southwards:

South of the Lamar Valley, we continued our drive. We’d had our fill of wildlife and were keen to return to Grand Tetons National Park before it got too dark. Hence, we decided to begin the long drive homewards. Along the way, we stopped at Tower Falls, so-called because the river falls down from an impressive height over granite rock into the valley below—albeit in the distance—forming a wonderful canyon. It was at this point that we had another unexpected wildlife sighting. A few folks were using their binoculars to look across the river and there, they pointed, was an osprey’s nest, with the mother and her two chicks clearly visible in it. It was another unexpected encounter with bird life in the Park.

Just a little later, we stopped to take in a rather wondrous sight. Peering over a ridge, we caught out first glimpse of the amazing Canyon that is referred to as “the Grand Canyon of The Yellowstone”. For those of us who have seen the real Grand Canyon of Colorado, the feeling is a little bit like one has on first seeing the canyon—it is breathtaking! However, we knew that we did not have enough time or daylight to be able to do justice to Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon today. Hence, we decided to postpone that pleasure for tomorrow when, at the very start of the day, we’d be fresh enough to really enjoy it.

As we drove further south, we stopped at one more point—to see Suphuric Cauldron, which, as its name suggests, is a bubbling pot of sulphuric liquid whose milky waters were highly odiferous. We would, no doubt, have many more such sightings, had we stopped at all those attractions marked along the way.

A Truly Stunning Sunset:

Instead, we pressed on downwards. As twilight was swiftly falling, I took the wheel. We drove straight on and, in about two hours, we left Yellowstone behind us and were arriving at the entrance of the Grand Tetons National Park once again. We began to feel very familiar with this terrain as we had driven through or by these points, it several times in the past few days.

While Llew simply wanted to get back home (it was about 7.00 pm, by this time), I suggested to him that we drive, once again, to the Town of Jackson. I needed to buy a few more gifts and souvenirs that we had not purchased on first encountering the town, a couple of days ago. Llew agreed and, with me still driving, we went further south.

was at this point while driving through the vast flat plains of the Park that we had one of the most stirring sunsets I have ever seen in my life. Massive clouds had amassed behind the Tetons on the left side of us and were billowing in huge, fluffy apricot folds that left me breathless. In fact, the rays of the sun were setting gently in the West; but it was on the Eastern horizon that all the magic seemed to be happening. I had to pull over at a lay-by so that I could safely take pictures as I was afraid I would not be able to commit so spectacular a sunset to memory And I am glad I did—as I now have a stack of photographs that still allow me to marvel at the changing skies that completely gripped us that evening.

In Jackson—Another Night on the Town:

In about an hour, we were skirting Jackson. We were not sure exactly where to go, but we decided to head towards the Central Square to park our car and walk about. Alas, at nearly 9.00 pm, with many smaller bars already shutting down for the night, it was hard to find parking. We had to drive around towards the smaller bylanes to find a spot in a free public parking lot. Once there, we walked about ten minutes towards the Central Square.

While the shops were still doing business, we bought some souvenirs: Christmas ornament, T-shirts, etc. and with these buys done, we began to look for a place to eat dinner. However, every spot either had a long wait list or was closing down. Finally, we found that the Roadhouse Brewing Company, a pub on the top floor of one of the buildings on the Square was open and still doing business. When we arrived upstairs, however, the waitress informed us that they were no longer seating people for dinner. We asked if we could have a quick drink at the bar and the bartender agreed to serve us just one drink only. We were grateful for little mercies, as we had driven a long way to get there and it would be a disappointment, had we been turned away.

Hence, without wasting any time, Llew ordered a glass of red wine, I had a half pint of cider that was very good and very refreshing. Within half an hour, with almost everyone having left the place, we paid up and made our way downstairs. It was still buzzing on the Central Square, but only youngsters were around. Families, children and the elderly had found their way home, a long time ago. Within ten minutes, we were back in the parking lot and in our car. And about half an hour later, with me driving, we arrived back at our mountain cabin.

As we had done every evening, we used wifi to pick up our messages (as there is very little connectivity in the Parks), ate a make-shift dinner of soup and leftover Dornan’s pizza of a couple of days ago, had our showers and then settled down to bed

Amazing Radio Station:

Before I end this installment on our travels, I have to say how much easier and shorter the long drives in the two Parks felt with our radio tuned on to a station that we found purely by chance. This was JTNX-105, a local station that played Songs from the 70s and 80s. As Llew and I knew every single track the DJs spun, we often sang along or exclaimed at how long it had been since we had heard a particular number. It often got us talking about musical artists such as Karen Carpenter or James Taylor and it kept conversation going as well as lightened the miles. Had it not been for that amazing radio station, there is no way those long drives would have been half as pleasurable.

Later, and now that we are back, we are trying to find the radio station; but it clearly has only a very small bandwidth. We are simply unable to pick it up. A true loss to us indeed. This is why we are doubly pleased that we made the most of it while we had easy access to it. If you are ever in this region and love Oldies music, I’d like to suggest that you give this radio station a go. It will add great joy to your exploration.

Until tomorrow, cheerio…

At Jackson Hole, Wyoming: The Start of an Incredible Time in the Grand Tetons

Wednesday, August 14, 2024

At Jackson Hole, Wyoming: The Start of an Incredible Time in the Grand Tetons

Dawn had just broken over ‘Avalanche Ranch’ where Llew and I awoke to begin our five-hour long drive to Jackson Hole, Wyoming—the next stop on our Great American Driving Adventure. Sweet Kathy actually came up to our cottage to say Goodbye to us and wish us well for our journey. The horses were in their paddocks, neighing softly in the misty morning as we waved ‘Avalanche Ranch’ farewell and set off, with Llew behind the wheel. The town of Oakland in Kamas County was also still fast asleep when we drove through it at 6.30 am. We used our trusted Waze app to find our way to our next destination: our accommodation would be the mountain ‘cabin’ of our Fairfield, Connecticut, friends, the Deans—Virginia and Jimmy—who had kindly left us the key to enable us to use their very special home.

Journey to Wyoming:

The drive through Utah and into Wyoming was as rugged as might be expected. We curved around the many bends of the Wasach Mountains even before daylight broke. It was incredibly serene—so quiet, so peaceful, so other-worldly. At many times during our drive, the highway ahead and behind us was empty—completely devoid of other traffic. It was a great opportunity for me to test my driving chops behind the wheel and to build up confidence in a strange car. Indeed, by the end of the trip, I was sharing the driving quite confidently indeed and giving Llew the breaks he needed to spend time surfing the web on his phone.

We stopped just once along the way to fill gas and use rest room facilities at a local gas station as we passed through really sleepy villages that Time forgot. As one stage, while still in the mountains, we had dreadful driving conditions (Llew handled those segments). Low-hanging clouds on the U-turn bends made us drive right through thick fog—sometimes in real pea-soupers! The skies, however, were simply stunning—shades of blue-grey in thick, foamy pillows made for some really arresting photographs. Somehow, however, while trying hard to enjoy the journey and not just the destination, we arrived at the outskirts of Jackson, the principal city in the Grand Tetons National Park where we would spend the next four nights.

Our First Impressions of Jackson, Wyoming:

For the confused, let me explain. Jackson is the principal city in this part of Wyoming. Jackson Hole is the entire region. So, when you arrive in the city of Jackson, you also arrive in the region of Jackson Hole (which encompasses the entire National Park). It had taken us about five hours to get from Utah to Jackson—five hours of sometimes strenuous driving. When we did arrive on the outskirts of the city of Jackson, we passed by any number of fast food chains—from Wendy’s and Burger King to Denny’s and Taco Bell. We also began to notice the crowds as the region is assailed by tourists in August—high summer. We drove further into the town following signs for the City Center. And within a few minutes, we arrived at the Central Square Park which is the main hub of Jackson.

Exploring Jackson’s Central Square Park:

Jackson’s Central Square Park offered parking facilities around the periphery of the park. We felt lucky to find ourselves a spot as it was close to lunch-time (about 1.00 pm) and the town was heaving. People were out and about as they looked for a suitable eatery. We were very happy to stretch our legs and decided to walk around the four sides of the Square.

Of course, the most striking element of the Park are its four corners that are marked by giant gateways made of threaded deer antlers. I am not sure if these are artificial or real—I’m guessing they are artificial as they are all of a uniform color. At any rate, they provide popular photo ops and people stood beneath them to take photos. Following their lead, Llew and I requested passers-by to take our pictures too. That done, we began our walk about the Park’s many shops.

We were quite taken by the high-end quality of the merchandise available on the Square. There is nothing shabby chic about this place—indeed, it is super classy. We found loads of interior design stores that sold the kind of domestic accoutrements that had made up the Mountain Style aesthetic that we had so loved on Kathy’s ranch: striped kilim rugs and Navajo--style blankets, Native American pottery in typical designs, wooden furniture in rustic styles, lamps fashioned out of metal farm equipment and implements—you get the idea. It was all quite lovely indeed!

And then there were the upscale art galleries that were simply bursting with the most stunning art works: paintings and sculpture that stole my heart away. Of course, the theme of all these works were Mountains and Nature. Lakes, sunrises, sunsets, woods, trees, landscapes, seascapes and cloudscapes. There were so many interpretations of animals and birds: bears, antelopes, wolves, moose, elk…as well as smaller animals such as hares and squirrels, dogs and mountain lions. The quality of the work was superior—indeed so many were of museum quality and I was astounded that they were on sale (at very hefty prices, of course). For those of us with shallow pockets, it is a real pleasure to venture inside these art galleries to merely admire the talent of so many artists and to admire the curators and marketers of their work that bring it into the homes of the public.

When we had explored some more of the shops and found the usual souvenirs—T-shirts, magnets, shot glasses, keychains, etc. we made sure we bought our own magnet—good job we did…as it would be only on the last day that we would return to Jackson again—so much did we enjoy staying within the precincts of the Park itself.

A long stroll around the area then led us back to our car where we had a nasty shock. Someone had either keyed our car or had parked too close to it and then damaged it when opening their door. We would never know, of course, as they did not leave their insurance information for us. We were annoyed that something like this had happened so early in our travels. Thankfully, we had purchased full damage insurance when renting our car and knew that these kinds of minor dents and dings were covered. Still, it dampened our vacation spirits to have to deal with something like this.

Off to Find Our Accommodation:

With our exploration of Jackson complete, Llew got behind the wheel again so that we could begin our attempt at finding our accommodation for the next few nights. We were very grateful to our friends, Virginia and Jimmy Dean, who were supposed to have been in Jackson Hole during our stay to play hosts and guides. However, unavoidable circumstances had made of them return to their principal home in Fairfield, Connecticut, where we had first met them and become friends. Having committed themselves to hosting us, however, they insisted that we should use their home and Virginia left full instructions (which we found when we entered the place, a good half hour later).

En route to finding our friends’ home, we entered Grand Tetons National Park. There is a lovely sign on the south side of the park that my guidebook (which Chriselle had bought for our use) had informed me was a great spot at which to pose for a picture as it included a shot of the Grand Teton Mountains. We did not stop at this point to pose for a picture, as we did want to find our cabin quickly. However, we would take our picture at this point in the next couple of days.

The Mountain Cabin we would occupy, for the next few days, was built (I’m guessing from the décor) in the late 60s-early 70’s. Cabin is a misnomer as it is, in fact, a sprawling home with huge square footage and many rooms, with nooks and crannies all over. It is a double storey home that contains multiple bedrooms on two levels, one of which (on the main floor) was allocated for our use. As soon as we unloaded our baggage, we entered our room and found clean linens, towels, etc. and everything we could possibly need in the ensuite bathroom. Next door, in an annexe, were two young men—possibly lodgers—but we did not see much of them at all as we were out all day. The home is crammed with furniture and all the detritus of domestic items that are accumulated over fifty or sixty years of occupancy. Sadly, we would not have much of a chance to enjoy the house as we were out exploring the park all day or looking for wild life. But it felt good to have such a luxurious place to come home to at the end of each day. The house included a large indoor swimming pool (which was not in operation), two decks that allowed stunning views of the mountains and a fully-equipped kitchen. We would be very comfortable in this space for the next few nights.

We created lunch for ourselves (as instructed by Virginia) from ingredients we found in the fridge—we shared a Club Sandwich (that we heated in the microwave) and some Chicken Soup from a Campbel’s tin of concentrated soup that I found in the pantry. Then, with Virginia on the phone with us, we keyed in the wifi password and were online. There was no movement at all around us in the gardens surrounding the home—which even had its own pond. Kathy, our friend in Utah, (who is also a good friend of Virginia) had informed us that on one of her stays in this house, she had seen a moose thread its way through the pond. It was my dearest wish to see a moose on this trip and I kept my eyes peeled for one. Alas, I would leave the national parks without seeing a single moose. But there were a large number of other wildlife sightings to keep me happy.

An Excursion to Taggart Lake:

Left to our own devices and with the time almost hitting 2.30 pm, we decided not to waste daylight but to go out in search of a hiking trail as we were both eager to stretch our feet.

Using our guidebook and the detailed map which Virginia had thoughtfully kept handy for us on her kitchen counter together with a pair of binoculars, a tub of delicious trail mix and instructions to help ourselves to any of the items in her adjoining pantry (we would have enough meals for the next few days), we set out. Taggart Lake (which was really short drive from our cabin) seemed like a good place at which to start exploring the Park.

In following the map to get to Taggart Lake, we officially entered the Park. At this point, I decided to purchase the Annual Seniors National Parks membership to which I am now entitled (Llew had obtained his card earlier on a trip to another National Park, a few years ago). I paid $80 for my card (which I obtained upon production of my passport) and felt really grateful to have it for free entry for myself and anyone accompanying me into any of the US National Parks anywhere in the country. Each time you enter the Park, you are expected to show your card.

When this mission was accomplished, we continued following signs and the map to the parking lot of Taggart Lake. After parking, we set out on foot to hike through the forest pathways that were clearly sign-posted and that would lead us to hidden Taggart Lake. Everywhere we walked, I kept my eyes peeled for wildlife. But, unfortunately, we were not blessed with any sightings—not even a bird was in sight. I guess we were far too late in the day to see any animals…but we resolved to wake up really early and go out in search of them tomorrow.

The Taggart Lake hike was deeply challenging. We walked for three and a half hours (from 3.00pm until 6.30 pm), a distance of five miles. But as most of the hike involved climbing up mountainous paths, it was very slow going. For much of the hike, we climbed up steadily. I had to stop frequently to rest as the air at these higher elevations is much more rarified than I am used to. This makes breathing more challenging and one’s stamina definitely takes a beating. Often, I wished I had climbing poles like so many of the hikers we passed who were far better equipped than we were. But the views at every turn were just lovely. Coniferous trees were everywhere. The mountains were never very far from our sight and often we felt as if we could reach out and touch them.

About two hours into our hike, we began to see our first glimpses of Taggart Lake. This was also the point at which we stopped ascending and began our descent. We would eventually arrive at the shores of the lake, as the sun dropped low on the horizon. Its slanting rays were uplifting after our long and very tiring climb. At the lake shore, we found a young man fly-fishing wearing nothing as he stood chest deep in the icy water. His friends on the shore had also just taken a dip and we marveled at their resistance. All we did was trail our fingers in the lake as we posed for photographs. It was rewarding to find the mountain peaks reflected in the still waters and we took many pictures.

About an hour later, past some rushing streams that made pretty eddies, we arrived again at our parking lot. We had consumed a large amount of water during our climb and we were ready for some snacks before we actually went out in search of dinner. The first of our hikes had been deeply fulfilling as we had seen almost everything that the Park could offer (except for wildlife): mountains, lakes, deeply wooded pathways, rushing streams, charming cascades and unspoiled vistas of Nature.

Dinner at ‘Dornan’s’:

As every guidebook and all the blogs I had read while planning our itinerary had proclaimed the wisdom of eating at least once at ‘Dornan’s’, a Jackson Hole institution, we decided to go there and get that item off our To-Do List. ‘Dornan’s’ is clearly marked and we followed signs to get there. The Dornan enterprise comprises several low-slung buildings that include an upscale restaurant for fine dining, a pizzeria—the most popular in the Park—a grocery store (for those who camp in the park and need provisions) and a gift store. Virginia had recommended that we find a spot on the upper level of the restaurant so that we could enjoy the sunset behind the mountains from this vantage point. However, the sky was fully overcast with thick cloud cover today and we knew we would not have a picture-perfect sunset. Also, since it was really chilly as the sun sank lower, we decided to leave the upper deck and get down to the main pizzeria which was very crowded as most people tucked into vast salads and substantial pizzas. We were really lucky to find a table downstairs and we followed the drill to order our dinner, pay for it and then wait for it to be delivered at our table.

We decided to try one of ‘Dornan’s’ famous pizzas and we chose a Chicken, Tomato and Spinach one that was large and much too filling for just the two of us. We drank Cokes with our pizza and then decided to take half of it home. It would provide us with a substantial breakfast, the next day. All around us, people were chattering happily at the end of what had been a fun day for them. There is a huge bar at one end where people were ordering drinks but ‘Dornan’s’ is definitely a casual family eatery and there were many children of all ages plus teenagers and their parents in the venue. It made for good people-watching as we munched.

Not too long after (as we’d had a really early start to our day), we decided to return to our mountain home. We found it quite easily as we soon got the hang of the layout of the Park. After checking our email and whatsapp notices, we had our showers and got ready for bed at the end of what had been a mixed sort of day. The difficult driving conditions, the damage to our car and the lack of wildlife had made for a few disappointments. But being surrounded by the presence of the mountains did a lot to lift our spirits and salvage our day.

Until tomorrow, cheerio…