Postcards from Yellowstone

We've been home from our trip to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone for a couple of weeks and we're slowly acclimating back into life in the Denver metropolitan area which includes the usual gambit of daily shootings and politicians behaving... well, the way politicians do. Given the time of year it's also election season and the media (T.V., internet, newspapers, radio, etc.) is inundated with political ads espousing the saintly characteristics of one candidate over the demonic traits of their opponent. In other words, in the four plus weeks we were gone we didn't miss a thing.

Still, having big city life whack you between the eyes, with all its stimulus overload, reminds me of why we hit the road in the first place. To escape the constant barrage of negativity which seems to inherently be so much a part of urban living is what constantly tugs at me to get back out on the road that beckons. Fortunately I have not just memories but lots of snapshots to remind me of the world 'out there' that we visited and the video below is entitled "Postcards from Yellowstone" because each little snippet reminds me of a special moment experienced in this special place. 

Yellowstone is celebrating its 150th anniversary as America's first National Park and remains as worthy of a visit as it was when first created. I'd love to go back in time to when you had to walk or go horseback to get into the Park. Certainly it would have been far less crowded even though visitation this year is down roughly 40% due to the Spring flooding that knocked out some of the northern roads. Unlike 150 years ago it takes a more concerted effort to get away, at least for a while, from the herds of humanity that flock to the Park each summer. But if you are willing to try you can reach a place where the sound of your footstep or the dip of your paddle is the only thing you hear save for the whisper of the wind in the pines or the muffled grunt of a buffalo. 

Yellowstone, like most National Parks, is a treat when viewed through a lens. When photography still meant using real film the challenge was getting that special shot without seeing the results until you got home and sent the film in to be developed. Now everyone seems to be equipped with the newest and greatest camera equipment that allows instantly seeing your prize photo. I admit to a little equipment envy (all of my videos and photos are taken on a Samsung Galaxy Note 10) but the reality is, except for

pictures requiring a real zoom lens (and by that I mean not the poor substitute of digital zoom), I think anyone with an eye for the unique can still get that one-of-a-kind image. Of course, you can rent top-notch photo equipment (the Yellowstone Camera Store located in West Yellowstone will be happy to kit you out) ranging from camera bodies to the requisite 600mm lens to get that close-up of the bear or wolf a quarter mile away. I did spring for a new pair of binoculars to bring the distant critters up close and it set me back about the same as renting a zoom lens for a week. Still... nah, the wife is giving the ole' evil eye. 

Anyhow, if you can't make the jaunt up to Yellowstone this year or you just need a break from city life, grab a cup of cocoa, curl up on the couch, and enjoy these postcards addressed just to you!

Grand Teton versus Yellowstone?

Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks are adjacent to each other but in my mind that's where the similarity ends. Having visited both many times through the years we've come to love them both and it's their differences, rather than any similarities, that keep us coming back time and time again.  

Grand Teton offers wide-open vistas and spectacular panoramas, great cycling and hiking options, and the western-themed town of Jackson, Wyoming for art galleries, shopping, fancy and not-so-fancy restaurants, and great people watching. 

Yellowstone boasts geothermic attractions from geysers to mud pots, lots of wildlife viewing, more of a true wilderness feel especially off the very busy roadways, and the tourist haven of West Yellowstone, Montana. 

Having just returned from a month spending time in both Parks our love affair remains undiminished and if you've never been to either, or both, of these national treasures you owe it to yourself to visit. I had mentioned in my prior blog uncertainty whether to make a video of each Park separately or to combine the two. I've opted for the former as the visits to each were different enough to warrant their own look. Here's the video of the Teton area. In the last two years we've been fortunate to visit Teton Country from June through October and I still have aspirations to see this land covered in white at some point. 

Any return visit to a favorite destination raises the challenge of seeing it in a different light from prior trips. My wife and I make a concerted effort to seek out new perspectives and experiences that keep our favorite places fresh. Sometimes this is as simple as seeing a familiar vista at a different time of day, or in different weather. Other times it takes a little more effort to find the unexplored and unexpected, but as with most trips it's the journey rather than the destination that ultimately yields rewards to the traveler. The mark of a good trip is wishing for a return visit as soon as you leave and for us that's certainly the case for this beautiful part of the country.

The Grand Tetons are some of the most photographed mountains in the world. The power of modern technology has put the ability to take great photos into almost everyone's hands. Walking through some of the galleries in Jackson one can certainly see spectacular shots framed on everything from glass, to metal, to canvas, as well as traditional prints. Yet I'm also struck by how many great shots taken by amateur photographers rise to the same quality and beauty of the pro's. For me, that's what keeps photography and videography fun - trying to get that unique image that gives the viewer a slightly different perspective of whatever is in front of the lens. Can't say I'm always successful in that effort but I'm always trying. So sit back and enjoy another journey on the road that beckons.

Portrait of a KOA

We’re spending two nights at the KOA campground just outside Cody, Wyoming. It’s nicer than we had anticipated and seems pretty representative of a typical KOA so for those who are not familiar with them I thought I’d give a brief tour. 

My wife and I discovered KOA’s early in our marriage as we traveled from one camping destination to another. By camping I mean tent camping, usually in the mountains or national parks. Back then RV’s were not as frequently seen in the campgrounds we were headed for and tents far outnumbered Class A Motorhomes, fifth-wheels, and travel trailers. Still, on days where we spent all day driving and had not reached our final destination we’d pull into a KOA and spend the night in one of their cabins instead of unloading and setting up the camping gear and tent for one night. All that was needed in one of the “Kamping Kabins” was to unroll our sleeping bags on the bed frame and hit the sack. We found the cleanliness and consistency from one KOA to another to be excellent (with only the occasional exception) and quickly came to rely on them instead of pricier hotel/motel options when on the road.

KOA’s have always catered to the RV crowd but most offer the aforementioned cabins as well as spots to set up an actual tent for those who, like, actually want to camp. The other nice thing is that KOA’s offer toilet and shower facilities the likes of which are few and far between where we usually camp (though that too has slowly changed through the years). It’s undeniably nice to grab a quick shower after a long day driving. Most KOA’s also have laundry facilities if you need to do a load or two.

Some KOA’s have recreational amenities such as pools and hot tubs, bike rentals, mini golf, jump mats etc. Some also offer limited food service such as pancake breakfasts and pizza. 

For those unfamiliar with RV’ing, most of the sites at today’s KOA’s offer what are called full hook-ups which means you can hook your camper up at your site to the campground’s electricity, fresh water, and sewer connection. You can more often than not also hook up for cable T.V. And most, if not all, KOA’s offer free WI-FI though the quality of the connection can still be challenging especially at night when all those kosy kampers are busy checking their Facebook and email. Most KOA’s have some type of store where you can buy basic grocery items, pizza, camping and RV’ing supplies, and even souvenirs and gifts.

The Cody KOA has a better-than-average store and best of all, at this time of year, almost everything save for the food and beverage items are half-price given that its the end of their season (not all KOA’s are open year round). 

A lot of KOA’s are individually owned and operated and many rely on work-kampers who work a certain number of hours in exchange for a camping spot. We’ve found the staff at most KOA’s to be genuinely friendly and helpful which again is greatly appreciated after a long day behind the wheel. The staff also usually has all the inside knowledge of things to do in the area, where to eat,

etc. Rumor has it that the younger generations are not into camping and RV’ing as their parents and grandparents. Don’t know how true that is as we’re seeing a lot of young families in some pretty extravagant RV rigs so hopefully KOA’s will continue to dot the landscape across America for years to come.

Anyway, as promised, here are some images of the Cody, Wyoming KOA. Our two days here have been an unexpected treat...

The Cody KOA offers a fair
Assortment of recreational amenities 

The KOA "Kamping Kabin"

KOA "kottages" are a larger
Version of the smaller "kabins"

Yes, you can still pitch a real tent
At a KOA

At the Cody KOA you can opt
To stay in tipis complete
With bunk beds

"Kamp K9 is for the dogs...

Aah, Yellowstone, Yellowstone… what is there to say about Yellowstone

Sunset settles over Yellowstone Lake

Most of America, I’d hazard a guess, has visited America’s first National Park which is this year celebrating it’s 150th anniversary. I may have been around for the 100th but I was definitely not on the guest list back in 1872. Yellowstone then and Yellowstone now bear some resemblance to each other if you can ignore the buffalo jams, the elk jams, the bear jams, the chipmunk jams - well, you get the idea - where each passing vehicle thinks its perfectly okay to stop and take their picture while a line of cars stacks up sometimes for a mile or more waiting for their chance to do the same. 

This year, at least for the last two weeks, bears - black, grizzly, teddy - were in notably short supply at least as seen from the roadways but the majestic buffalo more than made up for that lack of ursine attendance. The buffalo herds were large so when the bears do come down from the Yellowstone high country (which is where the rangers tell us they currently are beating the heat in the alpine timber) they’ll have a virtual bison smorgasbord to choose from as they eat their way through a hyperphasia haze in anticipation of the coming months of silent slumber under the snows of another Yellowstone winter. Given the number of bison we saw along and on the roads there will likely be some very plump bears heading into the dens once the first serious storms roll across the Yellowstone plateau.

Is it a bear? A Buffalo? A Chipmunk?

Most of our wildlife viewing took place in the Hayden Valley just north of the Fishing Bridge area where we camped for a week after moseying over from the hustle and bustle of the little town of West Yellowstone, Montana. The Hayden Valley is known as one of the premier wildlife viewing areas within the park and lived up to its reputation except for nary a bear to be seen. We saw the aforementioned buffalo, lots of elk complete with the sound of their bugling, river otters, a beautiful owl, eagles, and five representatives of the Wapiti wolf pack who single-handedly brought the Hayden Valley to a standstill (AKA- parking lot) as they roamed about the hillside just east of the Trout Creek turnouts. Having conveniently forgotten our binoculars and spotting scopes at home, I had the wisdom to hand over my wallet at one of the Yellowstone General Stores for a new pair of binocs so the wolves actually looked like wolves instead of tiny black dots on the distant hillside. It’s been years since I’ve taken out a mortgage to buy a fine pair of viewing optics so was pleasantly surprised that the technology has actually improved making the exorbitant price a little more palatable. I bought a pair of 12X50 “Permafocus” binoculars that live up to their claim of always being in focus so when I get home one of my older pairs will be finding its way into our next garage sale. 

For more than an hour the wolves wandered over hill and dale getting surprisingly close to the roadway at times. I’d guess for every wolf that made an appearance there were hundreds of star-struck tourists (yes, including me) gawking at these wonderful creatures. My home State of Colorado is currently trying to figure out how to reintroduce wolves after voters mandated their return to the ecosystem from which they had been exterminated a century before. Hopefully one day soon I’ll be able to catch a glimpse or hear their distinctive howl closer to home but for now seeing the wolves doing their wolf thing in Hayden Valley was a highlight of the trip. 

I’ve been coming to Yellowstone since the seventies (as in nineteen, not eighteen) and have always had a love-hate mindset regarding the park. The thermal features, wildlife, and scenic vistas continue to draw me back time and time again but if you’ve been to Yellowstone (and you probably have) you know there is a price to be paid for the Park’s popularity. Though visitation this year is down  approximately 40% due to the Spring floods, the Park at times still seemed very crowded. Prices at the stores within the Park are exorbitant ( a pack of three not-overly-large chocolate cookies - a particular weakness of mine - could be had for $6.99; a pre-packaged salad was $12, and if you wanted to sample a bison burger you’d pony up $18) though clothing prices still seemed relatively reasonable. Gas in the Park during our visit was $4.79/gallon which isn’t bad considering the price of cookies, but in Cody, where I am writing this from, petrol is as little as $3.99. Pulling a camper I get about 10 miles to the gallon so regardless, moving on down the road sure eats up that discretionary income faster than one would like, that’s for sure. Still, Old Faithful remains as timely and impressive as ever, Yellowstone Lake is as vast and deep blue as I had

Yellowstone Falls from Artists Point

remembered, the view from Artists Point of the falls is as gorgeous as ever, and the sunsets rival those of any I’ve seen anywhere. Oh, and the temps were in the 70’s during the daytime dipping into the low 30’s at night, cold enough that Fishing Bridge would have ice on it every morning at the crack of dawn as we dutifully headed out for the early shift of pre-sunrise critter viewing. 

And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the many helpful and patient Rangers who answered our questions for, like, the ten thousandth time this summer. Their wealth of knowledge was greatly appreciated and some of it actually managed to sink into my rather thick skull. 

I haven’t decided whether to combine the Tetons and Yellowstone into one or split them into separate videos so we’ll see once I get home to Colorado. Either way, lots of fun shots to share (some of the animals were remarkably cooperative in having their pictures taken, which is not always the case), and certainly enough good memories that I can’t wait to head back out on the road that beckons. 

Dawn along the Yellowstone river