Oct. 02, 2008 – Idaho Falls, Id. (Yellowstone NP)
UNBELIEVABLE!!!!
If someone were to tell me that Yellowstone is the most beautiful park on the planet, I wouldn’t even think of arguing with them.
When I awoke in my car this morning in a Holiday Inn parking lot, I wasn’t sure what to expect. At 6′ 2″ and 300lbs, spending 8 hours in a compact car’s drivers seat isn’t the first thing on my dream list. Nevertheless, it was a necessity.
My morning view
I arrived in Cody Wyoming last night around nightfall….or 7 o’clock. I was forced with the prospect of skipping Yellowstone (which wasn’t going to happen) or spending the majority of the next 10 hours in my car. Cody is the closest town -of any size- to Yellowstone, which means that this was my stop
After eating dinner and spending time online, I decided around 11 to try to get some sleep so that I may arise at 5am and maximize the day in the park. It was a night from hell. I was hot, I was cold, my neck hurt, my back hurt, my legs fell asleep, and I question whether I actually slept at all….are you getting the gist of it?
BUT….It was worth EVERY kink in my neck!
Yellowstone is a magical place. It is a place with something exciting and exhilarating around every turn. For that matter, you better look behind you because you probably missed something.
After spending the first 20 minutes on winding roads with a plethora of tree species that would make any dendrologist jump for joy, I couldn’t help but notice a smell that took me back to the smelliest science lab experience I could remember. If you can imagine a firework smoke bomb and a rotten egg, then you know what I smelled. The trees in the area of stench were dead. I was wondering if there had been a fire here in the past. I found out later in the day what the stench was.
The road exited the trees and revealed a picturesque lake with steam rising along the banks. I pulled over to the side to investigate the steam.
Cool, but smelly
There appeared to be geysers or hot springs. Every few seconds you would hear the water bubble and see the steam expand… and, yes, I still smelled the rotten egg/sulfur substance in the air. I spent some time leaning over the guardrails and climbing down the banks to investigate the steam phenomenon, but with no real resolution…I had to leave
A few miles down the road I saw a car stopped. With no real explanation as to why, I was forced to stop too. As I approached, I noticed a herd of Buffalo lackadaisically making their way from one side of the road to the next. As odd as this was, I found it even odder when one of the Buffalo left the herd to walk in the opposing car lane towards me. Somehow, this beast seemed to obey all traffic laws by staying in his lane. The Buffalo and I gazed into each others eyes as he approached my car. I will say that my secure feeling was quickly leaving since he seemed focused on me and not the car in front. Here we were, two cars waiting for a herd to cross the road while one independent buffalo decided to head up the road towards me. This beast had a look in his eyes that seemed to match his horns. Quite obviously, this animal had been cast out of the herd due to his mental instability and now he sought to take out his social indiscretions on me.
He was within 5 feet of my front driver’s side wheel and I knew it was time to punch the gas and spin the wheels or grab my camera. I chose the latter. I grabbed for the camera and rolled down my window as
think he's using GPS?
this law-abiding buffalo proceeded to walk (in his lane) within 2-3 feet of me. I took a picture, he ignored me, and we both went about our business.
Miles down the road I noticed cars on the shoulder. I thought to myself “What is this all about?” It turned out that everyone and their fancy cameras were lined up on the side of the road taking pictures of an enormous herd of buffalo. There were hundreds. The big brown animals dotted the landscaping from left to right. They were off in the distance, but the sheer number of them was attention grabbing.
I left the large herd of buffalo alone since I felt fulfilled from my eye-to-eye meeting with the wanna-be pedestrian earlier.
About 30 minutes later, I saw more cars pulled off to the side and wondered if it was another herd. These buffalo were neat at first, but I’m getting tired of them stealing the limelight from any other animals that might want to pose for my camera.
It wasn’t buffalo this time.
This time, the buffalo had given way to a wolf. This wolf was about 50 yards away from us meandering through the shrubs with the occasional pounce on what I would have to guess was an unfortunate gopher. The wolf was no stranger to an audience. He looked up at all of us lining the edge of the road to pose for a picture and then continued hunting. Maybe it was the abundance of viewers or the calmness of the animal, but I felt no threat from the wolf whatsoever.
Wolves, buffalo, and elk greeted people throughout the park. It was clear that the Yellowstone visitors were from all over the world and these animals loved it. They worked and played within yards of us at various locations. Without the fences or prisons to keep these animals securely away from us, there was a feeling of camaraderie with the animals that can’t be felt in anywhere but the wild. I realize that this was far from “the wild” with so many people around and these animals used to a human presence, but it was even further from the zoo and it makes for a great experience.
Foxy
I didn’t see any bears, but I did see some signs closing off hiking trails to people because of high bear activity. I was tempted to hike those trails, but my better judgment got the best of me.
Speaking of hiking…. I probably walked over five miles today up and down trails that seemed to have grades only matched by a vertical wall. I realize I’m out of shape, but I have never gasped as hard as I did during these hikes.
It later occurred to me that part of the problem may have been the additional 8,500 feet of altitude. In Florida, the highest spot is about 500 feet above sea level and I can assure you that wasn’t anywhere near my home. I almost avoided some trails after I realized that my eyes were bulging out of my head from the pressure, but I had to push forward because there is nothing more embarrassing than being overweight, sitting on the ground, and coughing while an eighty year old man with a cane walks by you as he checks his watch. There was no way I was going to allow this scenario to play out.
The hikes were in different locations and they usually led to a view that left nothing compromised. The designated lookout spots were wonderful, but if you are prepared to put a little more time and effort into your experience, then diverge from the cement guides and hit the trails, but be sure you wear some shoes that are NOT white. My once upon a time “white shoes” are now an earth tone. Literally!
There were mud volcanoes, geysers, and waterfalls that kept me mesmerized from sun-up to sundown. Old faithful was not as thrilling to me as the basin full of geysers. I found it more exciting to use the walk-way which weaved its way through a geyser basin with steam emitting so profusely that it created a density to the point of blindness. I was so blinding by the steam that I often times wondered if I was going to walk into someone. While these geysers were contributing to the stinky sulfur smell that I complained about earlier, the fascination of their natural beauty left me accepting the smell and embracing it.
Spectacular waterfalls
I left the park just in time to catch a glimpse of the Grand Teton’s 13,777 glorious feet. The snow capped mountain looked as if it belonged on a beer bottle label, not in front of my eyes at sunset. While the natural wonders of Yellowstone exceeded any of my expectation, the Grand Tetons were mountains out of a fairy tale.
The pictures that I took of the Grand Teton at sunset didn’t turn out well. The lighting was limited and I wish I could have captured it on camera before the sun began hiding behind other mountains, which in turn left my picture shadowy.
By the end of my third day of driving in the mountains, I began feeling a little more confident. I can now take these 6-8% grades like a local. It was on one of these roads, about 30 miles north of Jackson Hole, that I had my final experience with nature for the day.
The road was downhill and straight with shadow casting pines flanking me from both sides. Pinholes of light pierced the upper part of the tree lines to my right, but the light was too buoyant to sink down to me. It was in these darkening shadows up ahead on the left that my eyes captured something moving. It was subtle and hard to see, but it was enough to make me slow down to avoid any potentiality of an animal jumping out in front of me.
As I neared the object, I was sure it was an animal with four legs. As matter of fact, it appeared to be deer with antlers of mythical proportion. I soon realized that it was no deer. This thing was a very large moose. I have never encountered a moose on the side of the road, but as usual, I am open to anything and embraced the new experience. I stopped in the middle of road and the moose eyed me. As with the buffalo earlier in the day, this moose was giving me the eye. Stopped in the middle of the darkening road, I reached for my camera. I kept telling myself: “Just stay there moose, just stay there.” I didn’t know how well the picture would turn out, but I would have been happy with something as little as a silhouette of those antlers. With my camera in hand and ready to snap, I rolled the window down. The moose turned its body a little while watching me. As soon as the window was down completely and the camera was aimed and ready, the moose ran at light-speed into the woods. I felt ripped off. The moose was a beauty and it was right in front of me.
Later on the radio in Jackson, Wy. I heard a public service announcement warning of car accidents involving moose. Evidently, there are more than just the one that I saw earlier. They are quite prevalent around here. They may be an everyday thing for these residents, but it was a first in 35 years for me.
Final thoughts on Yellowstone.
Yellowstone was amazing. It is a park that should be seen by everyone in their lifetime. It is filled with wildlife and natural wonders that will challenge any spot on Earth. I would like to go back there for a week if possible.
If you’re one of these people that likes to see something just for the sake of seeing it, or just to have the ability to say that you’ve been there, you are doing yourself a great injustice. I spent 12 hours in this park exploring as much as I could and I feel as though I missed out on a week’s worth of things. Sure, I saw the main attractions, but I wish I could have viewed them from many different angles. One of my fondest memories of the park was hiking down a mile trail that was so steep I could hear my legs scream louder and louder with every step nearing the bottom. When I arrived at the bottom, I saw a view of a waterfall that was second to none. I could feel the spray of the waterfall misting me as I leaned against a tree to give my legs a rest. I don’t if it’s the reward of the hard work or if it’s all a result of the view itself that I enjoyed it so much, either way, it was truly a once in a lifetime moment. As physically miserable as I was from the hike down the trail and back up it, I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
So next time you’re at a park, remember to take the path less taken so you may be able to experience a little more of the inspiration that nature is trying to give you.
