From the Grand Tetons National Park Into Yellowstone National Park—A Journey into the Wild with Geysers, Mud Volcanoes, Sulphuric Springs and Wildlife (Finally!) …for Company.

Friday, August 16, 2024:

From the Grand Tetons National Park Into Yellowstone National Park—A Journey into the Wild with Geysers, Mud Volcanoes, Sulphuric Springs and Wildlife (Finally!) …for Company.

Today, we gave wild whoops of triumph and delight! Because today we finally spotted wildlife. But, we had to migrate from the Grand Tetons National Park to Yellowstone National Park to spy them. And when we did, we saw them in droves. Indeed, Yellowstone is the home “where the buffalo roam/ And where the deer and the antelope play!”

But to begin at the beginning. After our rather disappointing drive early in the morning yesterday, we did not think it worth the trouble to awake at dawn to go wildlife-scoping. Instead, we awoke at about 7.00 am, packed lightly (for just one night away from this, our mountain cabin in the Grand Tetons) to get into our car and drive north. Today, we would undertake our Great Migration North!—from the Grand Tetons to Yellowstone. The two parks are, in fact, connected. You drive north, leave one and enter the southern-most tip of the other. It takes a good two hours from where we were staying (near the airport in the Grand Tetons) to enter Yellowstone.

Stopping at the Grand Tetons Southern Entrance Sign for Pictures:

As I realized that we had not taken a picture either together or separately at the National Park’s signpost at the southern end of the Grand Tetons National Park (which includes a lovely glimpse of the mountains in the background), we made a swift detour to the spot before we began our journey to Yellowstone. The angle of the sun was just perfect at this point and we were able to take the desired pictures. It really is worth stopping here if one is an ardent scrap-booker (as I used to be in a previous life—sadly, not anymore!). Pictures taken, we began our drive northwards to Yellowstone.

Admiring Mount Moran:

En route to Yellowstone, we stopped at the Mount Moran Lookout to get a glimpse of the Snake River at this lovely point. The mountain towers above the rest in its range. It remains snow-streaked even in August—a lovely visual contrast against the grey granite of the sun-kissed peaks. Many people stop their vehicles at this point to click pictures and we did too. I tried to be artsy and get some of the mauve wildflowers growing in the area as I composed my pictures. Others walked all the way down to the riverbanks to dip their fingers in the water. There were a couple of kayaks with early-morning energetic people out to enjoy the river as its earliest settlers of the region did.

Cinnamon Rolls at Jackson Lake Lodge:

Driving further north, we arrived at Jackson Lake Lodge and immediately made a beeline for its lobby where its cinnamon rolls are reputed (according to a blog post I had read, in readiness for this trip). They had blueberry cinnamon rolls and we enjoyed them with hot chocolate while seated at the picture window that offered uninhibited views of Mount Moran. This would serve as our breakfast as our 90 minute drive to the entrance of Yellowstone National Park continued.

Arrival at Yellowstone National Park:

At the entrance to Yellowstone National Park, we spied the official signpost. However, as Llew was unprepared for the stop and missed the parking lay-off, he merely pulled up and instructed me to get a picture of myself. I jumped out of the car, ran to the sign (which has a lovely Native American teepee at its side), requested someone to take my picture and jumped back in the car again. I resolved that we should get a picture of the two of us together at the same spot on our way down into the Grand Tetons National Park—which we would do, a few days later. I proudly showed my Seniors Lifetime Card at the entrance for entry into the Park. Otherwise, Daily rates are $20 per vehicle. At the entrance, visitors are provided with a map (really invaluable) and with a copy of a weekly news tabloid that lists highlight happenings of the week in the Park. Armed with these, we drove into the Park. I could not believe that, after years of wanting to visit this Park, we were actually finally there! One more Bucket List item could be ticked off!

En Route to Geyser Country:

It must be noted that it takes at least 90 minutes of a really boring drive (nothing but conifers and the shores of Lewis Lake) before one really spies any action at all. This Park is massive—and I mean, humongous. The Grand Tetons National Park is like a little playground in comparison to the vast thousands of acreage that makes up Yellowstone. I emphasize this because you must be prepared to do a lot of driving—literally hundreds of miles—from one venue to the next—when you are exploring this Park. That was why we had booked accommodation for tonight in Madison, a small sleepy town outside the Park—just so that we would not need to do the hours of driving back to our mountain cabin in the Grand Tetons. And what a good thing too! So, a bit of advice: Treat the two Parks as two different entities and finish exploring one (and pack and leave from one) before moving on to explore the other (and book separate accommodation in the other). You cannot go back and forth between one and the other on the same day—it is simply not advisable at all.

Yes, once in Yellowstone, you will pass a few attractions and we did stop at Kepler Cascades to see a small-ish waterfall. Nothing very impressive at all but it did allow us to stretch our legs and get a short walk-about and it allowed us to spy another lovely piece of wildlife—a peregrine falcon that sat on a tree right at the sight and sang most lustily (who knew that eagles could be so melodious?).

Off to Conquer Geyser Land:

Our main aim today was to get the biggest attraction in Yellowstone right out of the way! The area is well-known for its geo-thermal activity. For some reason, there is massive activity taking place in the bowels of the earth in this area. And ever so often, the bubbling of active liquified gases bursts through the surface of the earth via a variety of outlets that makes this region a paradise for geologists. By the end of the day, we became familiar with a completely new vocabulary that included words such as “mud pools”, “sulphuric springs”, “volcanic rocks”, etc. Not to mention geysers (pronounced ‘gai-zers’)—glorified fountains, really—that are everywhere. However, the Grand Daddy of them all is the one that is referred to as “Old Faithful” and for very good reason! This was the one we were headed out to see first.

Off to See Old Faithful:

Old Faithful is so-called because every ninety minutes, like clockwork, it spouts a grand and impressive fountain out of the earth—a phenomenon that has been going on since time immemorial, day and night, and will continue for who knwos how long? In general, Nature is unpredictable…but Old Faithful can be timed almost to the minute. This is why when you enter the vast parking lot, park your car and make your way to the lovely Visitor Center, you can actually see the timings on a large board, of the next eruptions at Old Faithfal and several other minor geysers in the region.

We decided to catch the eruption at 3.34 pm. This left us enough time to cross the street to the Cafeteria to pick up food. I have to warn you that everything is really expensive within the Park itself. This explains why wise families bring their own picnics with them before they set off for the day. Also, there isn’t much that’s healthy or exciting in the Park cafes. You get the usual stuff: hot dogs, cheeseburgers, ice-cream. No salad that I could see. Anyway, Llew and I opted for the Broccoli Cheddar Soup and large servings of ice-cream (Rocky Road Chocolate and Pralines and Cream) and it would serve us well until dinner-time when we hoped to get a better meal (Alas! That was not to happen…as I will soon reveal).

We walked out of the Café area and found seats at the site of Old Faithful. We had about twenty minutes to go before the eruption and we ate our make-shift meal at the site overlooking the mouth of the spout which was already lined by eager-beaver human beings with cameras at the ready.

Twenty minutes later, as if right on cue, the first rumblings could be heard and spumes of white smoke began to emerge from the spout. Within minutes, it was a full-blown gushing of gallons of water that leapt up high into the sky as countless cameras caught the action—some through video, others through stills. Yes, although one knows exactly what to expect and has seen dozens of pictures of it through the ages, the sight is still spectacular and you are filled with awe at Nature’s possibilities. I know I was! Most of us are speechless or let out occasional gasps—so thrilling is the sight. It lasts for three minutes (or so it felt), but it is a very long three minutes. Enough for one to keep camera aside and simply gaze upon the wondrousness of the sight. And if one wants a repeat performance, well…you only have to wait another 90 minutes to return to the same spot and watch the spectacle all over again. It is truly Nature’s Gift that keeps on giving!

Before we left the site, we took pictures at the signpost that proclaimed that we were at Old Faithful. There were literally thousands of people at the same site at this time and I wondered just how many visitors come to this Park everyday to encounter Nature in her watery glory. It must run to millions! Back at the Visitors’ Center, we asked for advice on how to see the rest of the geysers and were informed that our best bet would be to go back close to Old Faithful and find a little bridge behind it that would take us on a clearly-marked path throughout the area that would enable us to see spouting water in abundance.

And that was what we did. We undertook another hike—but one with a big difference. For the next two hours (or two miles, back and forth), we walked along a beautifully-constructed pathway that took us past most of the main geysers. We saw bubbling pools and we could smell the chemicals that the earth kept spewing out all around us—including loads of pungent sulphur. I have to say that my sulphur allergy was activated merely by breathing in the fumes of this area. Immediately, I began to have hay fever-like symptoms such as a runny, tickling nose and watering eyes. This allergy manifestation stayed with me throughout our days in Yellowstone. It took me a while to out my finger on it and understand why I was suddenly having this cold-like nasal reaction.

So on we trudged past all manner of eruptions. The colors of the earth were mesmerizing. There were the most beautiful tones of ochre, blues, greys, yellows, as they mingled with the earth above. The temperature at these pools and mud holes was very high and one could not get even close to them. One would surely get burned if one tried to touch these emerging fluids. Each of the main eruptions had names such as Castle Geyser and Grand Geyser and one would occasionally catch its next eruption—but these were very minor compared to the grandeur of Old Faithful. We simply took pictures of a few of them and walked on. Our aim was to get to the very end where a spouting hole called ‘Morning Glory’ is a huge highlight.

An hour later, we reached Morning Glory. It used to be much larger than it is today, but it is still quite impressive in its current guise. I believe it is so-called because it resembles a large, colorful flower—the Morning Glory. It is ringed in vivid colors such as red, orange, yellow and green. A lot of pictures are taken at this spot, but seriously, no camera can actually do it justice.

Having reached the end of the marked walkway, we made our return hike to the Visitors’ Center on the opposite side as the pathway forms a loop—another hour of walking past a different variety of geysers. Fortunately, the weather was really good and the hiking did not seem strenuous in the slightest. You can stop as often or as little as you like, depending on how much time you have at hand.

Visiting Yellowstone Lodge:

Just before we returned to our car to continue our exploration of the Park, we followed the instructions in our Guidebook and made a swift detour at Yellowstone Lodge. Like the lodges in the Grand Tetons National Park, this is a vast structure with a spacious lobby clad in wood and stone. There is a stone fireplace and a grand clock that tolls the hour. This place provides accommodation, of course—so it is like a grand five-star hotel. But booking must be done at least a year in advance, if one wishes to stay here (not inexpensive, but I would imagine, a handsome experience). We rested our feet on one of the side sofas in this space and took in its soaring architectural achievement in the glorious timbered ceiling, before we left and made our way back to the Visitors Center to use the restroom and before getting into our car.

Heading Northwest Towards Madison:

This entire area is known as the Geyser Basin and it is divided into the Upper Geyser, Middle Geyser and Lower Geyser Region. After a while, you will feel as if you have seen them all. There is variety in the size, shape, color and activity of each of these geysers, but stopping at all of them takes up a lot of time. By this time, it was about 5.00 pm. and we decided to follow the map and drive north towards our accommodation for the night in the town of Madison. We stopped en route at Firehole Falls, a short cascade, where we took a picture. These drives are equally stirring as the Lookout points they take you past granite canyons that tower ahead of you, thick forests fragrant with pine and eucalyptus and several minor waterfalls.

Finally---Some Wildlife Sightings:

It was at this point that we received our first wildlife sighting of the day: a single bison chewing the cud in the shade. We saw a line of cars ahead of us and realized immediately that someone had sighted an animal. As is customary, we too joined the line, then stepped out of our car, to catch a glimpse of the massive beast in a clearing, well hidden by a thick grove of trees. It was impressive because it was so close to us, although seemingly oblivious to our presence. This was not much of a sighting, but it would be a good start.

Just a half hour later, as we were driving out of the Park, we passed by a river and, seeing other cards parked ahead of us, we too stopped. This time we saw a whole herd of elk—from larger members to does—about . They were grazing calmly very close to the road and allowed for wonderful photo ops. Luckily for us, we were very close to the river and as the elk made their way to the water, first to drink and then to cross it, we had a chance to take really wonderful video and still shots of them. It was a truly uplifting experience after days of not having seen any animals at all.

Driving to our Hotel in Madison, Montana:

Once you leave the precincts of the Park behind, it is a very long drive westwards—almost two hours—to get to the little town of Madison, where we had booked accommodation for the night in Traveler’s Lodge. This very modest motel, located outside the Park and in the state of Montana, would suit our needs for a quick single night of showers and rest before we set out again. We checked in and set out to find dinner. But, as we were tired and didn’t want an elaborate sit-down meal, we traversed the town and its little grid of side streets on foot before coming to the conclusion that we were best off picking up sandwiches from a local supermarket and eating them in our room.

And that’s what we did. We found a deli-grocery open and we chose roast beef and ham and cheese sandwiches which we washed down with a cold Sprite once we returned to our rooms. Showers and a quick use of the wifi later, to pick up our messages, and we were off into Dreamland after what had been a really eventful day.

Until tomorrow, cheerio.