#32 We Just got Back from a Road Trip

We just got back from a road trip. Nearly 50 years ago the madman’s cross country road trip passed through Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park and Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve. He wanted to revisit and couldn’t get in touch with Jeff, so he took me instead. Wow! I am so glad!

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The madman’s memory is pretty good, but after nearly 50 years, roads were moved, trails were changed, plants had grown and geology had changed – especially in Yellowstone, the most seismically active area.

Sheep Horn Apartment

Our first stop was a VRBO apartment in Hoback Junction, WY. Never heard of it before? Neither had I, but it was definitely not a place to be missed. Our host, Robyn was awesome – if you want a place to stay near Grand Teton, check this out. Robyn and Jason were quick to point out hiking trails around Hoback Junction; and were well-versed in hiking trails in the Tetons. Their property borders a critical migration corridor for wildlife. We took a great hike up to the top of the ridge. The madman was looking for the sheep who preferred not to be photographed and didn’t show their faces, so on to the Tetons.

Grand Teton National Park

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Driving into Grand Teton National Park is breathtaking. We stopped in a meadow pull-out to marvel at the majestic snow-capped peaks when the madman looked down. He realized that the plant kingdom was welcoming us. The sagebrush meadows bloomed all around in colors of blue, white, pink and yellow. His quandary: look up or look down? Forty-nine years ago he didn’t care about plants – he just wanted to hike the mountains and camp out.

He still likes to hike – and hike we did. We hiked up mountains, around lakes, along the Snake River and through sagebrush meadows. We even found a bog with water lilies for the madman. One afternoon, we followed a Connecticut car into the trail head for Two Oceans Lake in one of the more remote sections of the park. The lone occupant of the car was Julie, a young woman relocating from Connecticut to Portland, Ore. She was almost fearless but didn’t want to hike alone in a grizzly prone remote area. The madman and I had forgotten our bear spray, but since Julie had some we decided to hike the trail along the lake. Although we saw mountains, meadows, wildflowers and lots of insects, we didn’t see any grizzly bears, much to the disappointment of Julie and the madman. I was thrilled.

On to Yellowstone

It was so tempting to stay in the Tetons, but we had a schedule to keep and Yellowstone was next. We followed the scenic John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway straight into Yellowstone National Park. We passed through large stands of Lodge Pole Pines on the way to our first stop, the West Thumb Geyser basin. The madman was concerned: the lower branches of all these trees had died. It was later explained to him that this was normal for the species. Unlike other conifers, the Lodge Pole Pine needs sunlight. When the tree gets taller, it begins to shade the lower limbs, taking away their necessary sunlight. As they get shaded, these limbs fall off. The Lodge Pole Pines we saw were healthy-the madman felt better.

West Thumb

The West Thumb Geyser basin was at a break in the Lodge Pole forest. The madman didn’t remember much about this area, probably because changes have forced the Park Service to move roads and walkways. This was my first exposure to thermal pools and I found them fascinating. It was hard to believe that the water in these pools was hot. The colorful pools bubbled, spouted and steamed – all of this on the shore of Yellowstone Lake. We spent a lot of time exploring this area. No stop in this park is ever quick because there is so much to see and marvel at.

 Much of Yellowstone sits atop the Yellowstone super volcano. Ages ago a very large outpouring of lava cooled and left a vast hollow chamber underneath. Eventually the lava collapsed into the hollow chamber leaving a depression known as the Yellowstone Caldera. All of this area is still seismically active, resulting in some very cool geologic features – and when we say cool we mean hot.

Circle of Fire

Since we had four days to spend in Yellowstone we signed up for the Park’s Circle of Fire Tour which approximately follows the edge of the caldera. Our guide, Micah, brought us back through the Lodge Pole Pine forest to the West Thumb area. Instead of just marveling at the mud pots, boiling springs and geysers, we learned the geology behind these features. If you want to learn more, visit the Park’s Geology page. Micah also pointed out the old road bed which the madman most likely traveled in 1970.

Then on to the Geyser basins which contained Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic, Artists’ Paint Pots and a bunch of other pools, fumaroles and geysers, too numerous for us to visit at this time. We realized that we would need an entire day to explore this spectacular area.

Temperature by Color

We learned that the colors of the springs and pools were indicators of the water temperature. Different species of bacteria and other microorganisms grow at specific water temperatures, producing the different colors – at the hottest of pools, nothing can live resulting in pure blue water. Again, we are plant geeks, not bacteria scientists so we will refer you to the Park Services’ page on Thermophilic Communities. It is fascinating.

A Different Grand Canyon

The tour moved from the geysers to another feature of the park – the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River, a deep, narrow gorge carved out over time by the powerful river. With its brilliant colors and steam vents, known as fumaroles, the canyon was beyond breathtaking. But, the massive waterfall that created the canyon was even more impressive. The madman couldn’t wait to get to the lower falls. In 1970, he remembered taking Uncle Tom’s trail, a metal stairway descending 500 ft. to the base of the falls. He desperately wanted to retrace those steps. Imagine my relief when I saw the sign “trail closed” – over the years the stairs had become unsafe and will be closed until repaired, unless budget constraints keep them closed forever. The madman took that news rather well.

Bison Jams

The final leg of our Circle of Fire tour took us through Hayden Valley, famous for the traffic jams caused by the bison and other animals who freely walk the road. Once you see an adult bison up close and personal, you will understand why he stops traffic. After all, the road was built in his meadow.

Exploring Yellowstone

For the rest of our time at Yellowstone we started our days early so we could explore in more detail the natural wonders the park offers. We hiked the trails through the geyser basins, watching Old Faithful erupt three times and caught several other geyser eruptions that weren’t as famous but were just as spectacular.

One day we climbed to an overlook of the famous Grand Prismatic pool. The pool lived up to its billing despite the steam rising from its surface. We continued to hike to Fairy Falls – bear spray at the ready.

We didn’t spend much time in the northern areas of the park due to both distance and crowds. But we did make it to Lamar Valley, a prime wildlife area. Since we hit the valley in the middle of a hot day wildlife sightings were limited although a couple of bison did wander into the road to check us out. After the valley we drove through the Mammoth Springs area, but it was so thick with tourists we couldn’t find a parking space. Our view of the terraces was limited to those we could see from the road-a reason to go back.

Elephant Back

Our last evening at Yellowstone found us hiking up Elephant Back, a trail that led through the Lodge Pole Pines to an overlook offering spectacular views of Yellowstone Lake. Looking down on the beautiful lake, it’s hard to imagine that this area was created by violent geological forces so many thousands of years ago.

Craters of the Moon

Talking about violent geological actions, our last stop was Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve in Idaho. This strange area was formed when a series of fissures collectively known as the Great Rift spilled out a lot of lava nearly 15,000 years ago. Scientists believe that the last eruptions occurred only 2,000 years ago, yesterday in geologists’ terms. In comparison, Yellowstone’s eruptions were 600,000+ years ago, making Craters of the Moon a relatively new feature.

At first glance Craters of the Moon looks quite barren. The lava fields cover 618 square miles and can be seen from space. But, it is horticulturally significant because of the numerous kipukas, little islands in the lava where native plants can thrive without competition from introduced species such as grazing grasses. We came upon several of these on one of our hikes.

As we stood on the top of a cinder cone scanning this alien landscape, the madman announced, “Time to go home.” I guess he wanted to check on his peppers.

Besides, it was hard to find fresh lemonade in these parks.