We returned to Emily's place for a couple more hours of hanging out, then off to bed to get ready for our morning flight.
- Posted by Shawn from our iPad
Location:San Diego, CA
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Wedding
This afternoon Sara and I attended Lisa and Andy's wedding, which was the inspiration for us to drive out from Yellowstone in the first place. The ceremony started at 6pm and was awesome. Very casual and very happy, a perfect wedding for two great people. They had it in their backyard and it was a perfect setting. All the food was also sustainably grown: catfish, BBQ pork, and [I never thought I would say this] a very delicious brussel sprout dish. It was really great to get to see them and Ellis, and we wish them many, many years of happiness.
We returned to Emily's place for a couple more hours of hanging out, then off to bed to get ready for our morning flight.
- Posted by Shawn from our iPad
We returned to Emily's place for a couple more hours of hanging out, then off to bed to get ready for our morning flight.
- Posted by Shawn from our iPad
Pancakes and Burger Time
After a late night drive across the desert last night, we all rested for most of today. Emily being an awesome host ran to the grocery store and made us some incredible pancakes. It is making me hungry just thinking about how good they were. I also had a little time to get reacquainted with an old friend named Burger Time. I used to play this game all the time on our Intellivision when I was a kid. I was surprised to find out that Emily had the game for her Wii, so I got to spend a little bit of time depressing myself with how rusty I have become at it . . . :)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:San Diego, CA
Friday, July 30, 2010
One last hike
Today we headed into Sequoia National Park. Having already visited the Mariposa and Grants groves at Yosemite and Kings Canyon we have already seen some big trees, but the Giant Forest at Sequoia contains the largest living thing on Earth, the General Sherman Sequoia, and a density of large trees that neither of the other parks came close to. We found a hike in the Lonely Planet guide which wound for 6 miles on various trails from the General Sherman tree to Moro Rock.
After the obligatory pictures and viewing of Sherman we quickly found our way away from the crowds and into what we found to be the much more enjoyable solitude of the backcountry. The hike took us by many other notable sequoia including the Pillars of Hercules, the Black Arch Tree, and the McKinley tree.
We eventually came to the Crescent Meadows where we were sadly forced to bypass the final mile of our trail due to a controlled burn in the area and took a shuttle bus to Moro Rock.
At Moro Rock we were faced with almost 400 often narrow steps to the top of this granite outcrop, where we were rewarded with beautiful views of the Great Western Divide and the southern Sierras. After a shuttle bus trip back to the car, we wound our way out of the Mountains one last time and headed toward San Diego.
- Posted by Shawn from our iPad
After the obligatory pictures and viewing of Sherman we quickly found our way away from the crowds and into what we found to be the much more enjoyable solitude of the backcountry. The hike took us by many other notable sequoia including the Pillars of Hercules, the Black Arch Tree, and the McKinley tree.
We eventually came to the Crescent Meadows where we were sadly forced to bypass the final mile of our trail due to a controlled burn in the area and took a shuttle bus to Moro Rock.
At Moro Rock we were faced with almost 400 often narrow steps to the top of this granite outcrop, where we were rewarded with beautiful views of the Great Western Divide and the southern Sierras. After a shuttle bus trip back to the car, we wound our way out of the Mountains one last time and headed toward San Diego.
- Posted by Shawn from our iPad
Location:Sequoia NP
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Things that crawl in the night
This evening we returned to the cabin and stumbled across the guest journal. It was filled with sketches and stories (some colorful) from past visitors. Em and Sara wrote a suitable illustrated entry for our stay.
While browsing through the book, one entry we were unfortunate enough to come across talked about a California tarantula letting itself into the cabin through the hole we had already noticed in the screen above the couch Emily was sleeping on. Soon after discovering thus, we then retired for the night. The cabin was too warm to close the windows, so I think we all laid in bed for quite a while thinking about tarantulas crawling about the cabin.
-Posted by Shawn from our iPad
While browsing through the book, one entry we were unfortunate enough to come across talked about a California tarantula letting itself into the cabin through the hole we had already noticed in the screen above the couch Emily was sleeping on. Soon after discovering thus, we then retired for the night. The cabin was too warm to close the windows, so I think we all laid in bed for quite a while thinking about tarantulas crawling about the cabin.
-Posted by Shawn from our iPad
Location:Near Three Rivers, CA
Monkey Identified
At one of the visitor centers we visited today, we were pleased to find an exhibit that provided a rational explanation for the "monkey" we saw yesterday. They have a critter in these parts called a ringtail, that looks like a lemur crossed with a raccoon.
- Posted by Sara from my iPhone
- Posted by Sara from my iPhone
Location:Kings Canyon NP
Winding roads and really big trees
We woke this morning in a not so ominous place, but a cozy cabin nestled into a lovely hillside. Of course to continue our adventure we had to get down that hill and then up and down several others. We got to the main road from our cabin in record time (for some reason it always takes longer going up than down), then we headed towards Kings Canyon. I thought that I would work on this blog on the way, but soon had to stop because the roads again began to twist up into the mountains, slowing us down to 15 miles an hour. Even then I made Shawn stop once because I was feeling nauseous. When we made it to the park, our first stop was Grants Grove which was home to Grants tree, a giant sequoia that has the auspicious position of being the widest if not the largest tree in the world.
After strolling among these beautiful trees, I was feeling better and more or less prepared for what was coming next. Once back in the car we found another narrow winding road that led us to panoramic point. After a short walk we had lunch on a rock with a view of the entire canyon we were about to drive through. People pay a great amount of money for good tables in fancy restaurants, but I wouldn't have traded PB&J on the top of that mountain for any five star eatery.
After lunch we drove through Kings canyon. The canyon was narrower and much more rugged than the valleys of Yosemite, even though they were both cut by glaciers. When we wound down to the bottom, we stopped at beautiful grizzly falls.
Once we wound up out of the canyon again we headed south through the park into Sequoia National Park on the way back to the cabin. This roughly took us through at least 20 switch backs, but was a lovely drive. We were all a little dizzy once we got back to the cabin (via winding cabin road again).
- Posted by Sara from our iPad
After strolling among these beautiful trees, I was feeling better and more or less prepared for what was coming next. Once back in the car we found another narrow winding road that led us to panoramic point. After a short walk we had lunch on a rock with a view of the entire canyon we were about to drive through. People pay a great amount of money for good tables in fancy restaurants, but I wouldn't have traded PB&J on the top of that mountain for any five star eatery.
After lunch we drove through Kings canyon. The canyon was narrower and much more rugged than the valleys of Yosemite, even though they were both cut by glaciers. When we wound down to the bottom, we stopped at beautiful grizzly falls.
Once we wound up out of the canyon again we headed south through the park into Sequoia National Park on the way back to the cabin. This roughly took us through at least 20 switch backs, but was a lovely drive. We were all a little dizzy once we got back to the cabin (via winding cabin road again).
- Posted by Sara from our iPad
Location:Kings Canyon NP
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Road to scary cabin in the middle of serial killer alley (guest blog by EM)
I'm not sure where to start this blog...with the monkey sighting on the side of a mountain in CA or hearing opera reminiscent of Silence of Lambs in the middle of the woods. I guess I should start where all good stories start, at the beginning.
This is day 4 of me joining the Polson road trip across America. We began the day heading to Mariposa Grove in Yosemite. After seeing some big trees including the Tunnel tree, we headed to our next stop in our adventure - our cute cabin near Sequoia National Park - or so we thought (enter scary movie music here).
We make it to the town of Three Rivers and start heading up the mountain to our secluded, out - of - the way cabin. It was still daylight when we started the trek up the mountain, and we observed beautiful sunset views of the mountains. As we continued to climb the ever narrowing "road" up the mountain, the sun continued to set. It was not long before we had no more sunlight to help us find this secluded "paradise." However, before the sun set completely and before I started getting really weirded out by the tiny "road" and potential serial killers, we witnessed an amazing monkey scampering across the road. Actually, we don't really think it was a monkey, but it was not something we had witnessed in any of our travels before. Sara will post a sketch.
"Treacherous Road" in daylight
It was about the time that we saw the monkey that we were losing most of our daylight and we'd been driving up this mountain a good while. All of a sudden we turn a treacherous curve (like most of the curves on this mountain), and we are draped in darkness. Luckily, the cabins are to the left as we enter the tunnel of darkness, but we don't have the lockbox code to get our keys. We try to find the phone that's supposed to be by the gate, but we have no luck getting in the gate on the first try. There are directions to a lodge a few more miles up the treacherous mountain, so we decide to try to find the lodge.
This is about the time I start to get a little crazy. I'm blaming it on being tired and the heat the last few days, but for some reason I started getting really uneasy about this whole adventure. All I could see out of the window was the canyon, and it was just getting darker and darker. Three Rivers Comfort Inn was calling my name!
We head back down the mountain to the cabins and force our way in the gate where we find dark stairs and in the distance a cabin with the one-way phone. We make it to the phone sans flashlight because we're smart like that and have super night vision. While we're trying to figure out what to do, the opera music starts, and I start having visions of Hannibal (aka Anthony Hopkins) eating his latest treat. I'm really about to lose it now, and for those of you who know me (which may not be anyone that reads this blog), I'm quite entertaining when I lose it. Shawn proceeds to call the keeper and gets the voicemail. We go back up the stairs and the phone rings. While Shawn is taking care of the adult responsibilities (getting the lockbox code so we have somewhere to sleep), Sara and I wait out by the road (again because we're smart). I start hearing animal noises across the street, and I'm convinced we're some serial killer's next kill. As Shawn is returning to the car with the vital code, I totally lose it Emily style. For those who don't know me, that entails a quite entertaining dance and some laughing. After my little fit, though, we get all of our things from the car and made it to our amazingly cute cottage.
Now that we're somewhat settled (we still need to make one more trip to the car), it's quite the charming little cottage, and I think we will have an amazing stay here (as long as we get down the mountain in the morning). Yosemite was breathtaking and amazing. I can't wait to see the treasures of Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks.
- Posted by Emily using BlogPress from the iPad
This is day 4 of me joining the Polson road trip across America. We began the day heading to Mariposa Grove in Yosemite. After seeing some big trees including the Tunnel tree, we headed to our next stop in our adventure - our cute cabin near Sequoia National Park - or so we thought (enter scary movie music here).
We make it to the town of Three Rivers and start heading up the mountain to our secluded, out - of - the way cabin. It was still daylight when we started the trek up the mountain, and we observed beautiful sunset views of the mountains. As we continued to climb the ever narrowing "road" up the mountain, the sun continued to set. It was not long before we had no more sunlight to help us find this secluded "paradise." However, before the sun set completely and before I started getting really weirded out by the tiny "road" and potential serial killers, we witnessed an amazing monkey scampering across the road. Actually, we don't really think it was a monkey, but it was not something we had witnessed in any of our travels before. Sara will post a sketch.
"Treacherous Road" in daylight
It was about the time that we saw the monkey that we were losing most of our daylight and we'd been driving up this mountain a good while. All of a sudden we turn a treacherous curve (like most of the curves on this mountain), and we are draped in darkness. Luckily, the cabins are to the left as we enter the tunnel of darkness, but we don't have the lockbox code to get our keys. We try to find the phone that's supposed to be by the gate, but we have no luck getting in the gate on the first try. There are directions to a lodge a few more miles up the treacherous mountain, so we decide to try to find the lodge.
This is about the time I start to get a little crazy. I'm blaming it on being tired and the heat the last few days, but for some reason I started getting really uneasy about this whole adventure. All I could see out of the window was the canyon, and it was just getting darker and darker. Three Rivers Comfort Inn was calling my name!
We head back down the mountain to the cabins and force our way in the gate where we find dark stairs and in the distance a cabin with the one-way phone. We make it to the phone sans flashlight because we're smart like that and have super night vision. While we're trying to figure out what to do, the opera music starts, and I start having visions of Hannibal (aka Anthony Hopkins) eating his latest treat. I'm really about to lose it now, and for those of you who know me (which may not be anyone that reads this blog), I'm quite entertaining when I lose it. Shawn proceeds to call the keeper and gets the voicemail. We go back up the stairs and the phone rings. While Shawn is taking care of the adult responsibilities (getting the lockbox code so we have somewhere to sleep), Sara and I wait out by the road (again because we're smart). I start hearing animal noises across the street, and I'm convinced we're some serial killer's next kill. As Shawn is returning to the car with the vital code, I totally lose it Emily style. For those who don't know me, that entails a quite entertaining dance and some laughing. After my little fit, though, we get all of our things from the car and made it to our amazingly cute cottage.
Now that we're somewhat settled (we still need to make one more trip to the car), it's quite the charming little cottage, and I think we will have an amazing stay here (as long as we get down the mountain in the morning). Yosemite was breathtaking and amazing. I can't wait to see the treasures of Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks.
- Posted by Emily using BlogPress from the iPad
Location:Cabin on Mineral King Road
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Into the Valley
We awoke to a beautiful morning at the Yosemite Springs Bed and Breakfast. We were treated to a wonderful and breakfast by our hosts, which included incredible French toast and very yummy orange-banana smoothies. After a few errands we got a somewhat late start and headed off for the Yosemite Valley.
When people think about Yosemite this area is what they probably envision: A vast valley sandwiched between granite monuments like El Capitain and Half Dome with waterfalls plunging thousands of feet over each size. Interestingly the image that has recurrently popped into my head when thinking about this trip will be like is from one of the Star Trek movies. I have no idea which one it is, but one of them starts with Kirk climbing El Capitain while camping with Spock and Bones. I know its pretty weird, but there it is.
Anyway, the valley is an incredible place. As we drove in on Oak Flats Road the view of the valley was amazing. We then descended to the floor for bottom up views. It is pretty surreal standing in the completely flat valley with granite monoliths jutting up straight out of the ground. We went to the visitors center and decided to take a hike up the Mist Trail to Vernal Falls. The last bit up to the falls was steep and fighting the flood of people coming down made it a bit treacherous, but in the end the view was worth the climb. We stopped down for a picnic lunch (PBJ and apples) and returned to the visitor's center to browse the Ansel Adams Gallery and get some pictures of Half Dome and Yosemite Falls. We then made our way up to Glacier Point for some pictures of the sun's evening rays on the valley. We were then treated to one last great view as Sara spotted a massive Grizzly Bear with two cubs off the side of the road on our return drive. The dusk lighting was bad for pictures, but we did have the bear family to ourselves for several minutes watching the cubs play as the mother bear seemed to teach them to how to look for food.
The Yosemite Valley is one of the most amazing places I have been, but the sheer number of people was disconcerting. We knew the valley would be more crowded, especially compared to our tranquil day in Tuolumne Meadows. We hoped going in the middle of the week would make it tolerable. Its really great that so many people want to get out and experience nature, but sad that they all decide to converge on the exact same piece of nature. I'd really hate to see what a weekend was like . . .
- Posted by Shawn using BlogPress from my iPad
When people think about Yosemite this area is what they probably envision: A vast valley sandwiched between granite monuments like El Capitain and Half Dome with waterfalls plunging thousands of feet over each size. Interestingly the image that has recurrently popped into my head when thinking about this trip will be like is from one of the Star Trek movies. I have no idea which one it is, but one of them starts with Kirk climbing El Capitain while camping with Spock and Bones. I know its pretty weird, but there it is.
Anyway, the valley is an incredible place. As we drove in on Oak Flats Road the view of the valley was amazing. We then descended to the floor for bottom up views. It is pretty surreal standing in the completely flat valley with granite monoliths jutting up straight out of the ground. We went to the visitors center and decided to take a hike up the Mist Trail to Vernal Falls. The last bit up to the falls was steep and fighting the flood of people coming down made it a bit treacherous, but in the end the view was worth the climb. We stopped down for a picnic lunch (PBJ and apples) and returned to the visitor's center to browse the Ansel Adams Gallery and get some pictures of Half Dome and Yosemite Falls. We then made our way up to Glacier Point for some pictures of the sun's evening rays on the valley. We were then treated to one last great view as Sara spotted a massive Grizzly Bear with two cubs off the side of the road on our return drive. The dusk lighting was bad for pictures, but we did have the bear family to ourselves for several minutes watching the cubs play as the mother bear seemed to teach them to how to look for food.
The Yosemite Valley is one of the most amazing places I have been, but the sheer number of people was disconcerting. We knew the valley would be more crowded, especially compared to our tranquil day in Tuolumne Meadows. We hoped going in the middle of the week would make it tolerable. Its really great that so many people want to get out and experience nature, but sad that they all decide to converge on the exact same piece of nature. I'd really hate to see what a weekend was like . . .
- Posted by Shawn using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Yosemite Valley
Monday, July 26, 2010
The one where we were rewarded for walking long distances
Today we entered Yosemite National Park via Mono Lake. Mono Lake is a hypersaline lake which is 3 time saltier than the ocean. We took a few pictures, but then moved on to the main attraction. I have been to many national parks and have hiked many mountain ranges but the granite domes and forests of Yosemite are amazing and unique.
The three of us hiked to the upper cathedral lake and took in vistas that made us all repeat the words "beautiful" and "amazing" over and over again. The hike itself was 7.7 miles round trip and ascended over 1000ft to an altitude of almost 10,000 ft. The first assent was breathtaking, quite literally for me, but we made it. Even at Yosemite's peak season, we only encountered a few other people on the trail. It was one of the most tranquil and pristine places we had ever been. It made me think of Shangri-La. The sky was too perfectly blue and the greens so saturated that it didn't seem quite real. It was as if we were somehow transported into a work of art.
At the lake Emily had the idea to see if we could see the lower cathedral lake from where were. We trekked through the woods for a little while and were rewarded with the most amazing overlook yet. We had a snack break on a piece of granite that overlooked the lower cathedral lake and surrounding valley.
We decided that had we overused the words "amazing" and "beautiful" on this trip and so tried to think of new candidates. We tried out words like "fantabulous" and "splenderific" but in the end we decided that there were just no words that could begin to express the beauty of this place.
After the hike we started towards the bed and breakfast were we were to stay the night. We made the mistake of trusting Garmin to know where he was going and had to resort to looking for hard to see house numbers on dark and windy roads that never seemed to end. We found it though and it turned out to be a charming and cozy place.
- Posted by Sara from my iPad
The three of us hiked to the upper cathedral lake and took in vistas that made us all repeat the words "beautiful" and "amazing" over and over again. The hike itself was 7.7 miles round trip and ascended over 1000ft to an altitude of almost 10,000 ft. The first assent was breathtaking, quite literally for me, but we made it. Even at Yosemite's peak season, we only encountered a few other people on the trail. It was one of the most tranquil and pristine places we had ever been. It made me think of Shangri-La. The sky was too perfectly blue and the greens so saturated that it didn't seem quite real. It was as if we were somehow transported into a work of art.
At the lake Emily had the idea to see if we could see the lower cathedral lake from where were. We trekked through the woods for a little while and were rewarded with the most amazing overlook yet. We had a snack break on a piece of granite that overlooked the lower cathedral lake and surrounding valley.
We decided that had we overused the words "amazing" and "beautiful" on this trip and so tried to think of new candidates. We tried out words like "fantabulous" and "splenderific" but in the end we decided that there were just no words that could begin to express the beauty of this place.
After the hike we started towards the bed and breakfast were we were to stay the night. We made the mistake of trusting Garmin to know where he was going and had to resort to looking for hard to see house numbers on dark and windy roads that never seemed to end. We found it though and it turned out to be a charming and cozy place.
- Posted by Sara from my iPad
Location:Yosemite National Park
Us + 1 (now better than ever!)
After a (very) uneventful drive through Nevada, we made it to Reno. Well there was that brief dust/rain storm we drove through that had these nifty little funnels following us around...oh and tumble weeds!
After we picked up Emily from the airport...
...we headed downtown for dinner. Emily and I had wonderful mushroom ravioli and Shawn had seafood risotto at La Strada, then I won $7.70 in a slot machine. We celebrated this feat by going to Circus Circus and spending the winnings on the carnival games there.
Now we are on our way to Yosemite National Park!
- Posted by Sara from my iPad
After we picked up Emily from the airport...
...we headed downtown for dinner. Emily and I had wonderful mushroom ravioli and Shawn had seafood risotto at La Strada, then I won $7.70 in a slot machine. We celebrated this feat by going to Circus Circus and spending the winnings on the carnival games there.
Now we are on our way to Yosemite National Park!
- Posted by Sara from my iPad
Location:Reno, NV
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Our trip to the moon
After making one last drive through Grand Teton National Park and Jackson, we crossed the Teton Pass and entered Idaho (state 43 for me). We enjoyed the drive through Targhee National Forest and the eventual transition into beautiful farmland. We stopped in Idaho Falls for a few supplies and then decided to find a local place to have lunch. Dixie's Diner fit the bill . . . It is a 50's themed diner with great atmosphere and incredible food. We can personally attest to the quality of the burgers, fries, and chili.
After waddling back to the car, we once again headed west. We soon crossed into the Idaho National Laboratory Site. I immediately flashed back to memories of my hometown. INL is the sister Department of Energy site to the Savannah River Site in Aiken. I can remember as a kid hearing about competing with Idaho Falls for various projects. It was interesting to see the site and it was a very obvious location for such a plant . . . remote and desolate.
Our real destination was a little known, but fascinating part of the National Parks system called Craters of the Moon National Monument. This is an expanse of other worldly looking lava flows that covers about 1100 sq miles of southern Idaho. The entire Snake River Valley from southeastern Oregon, through Idaho and to Wyoming are former locations of the volcanic hotspot that currently sits under Yellowstone. Most of these locations are now dormant, but Craters of the Moon has remained active erupting lava flows about every 1000 years. The most recent flow was about 2000 years ago and still looks very fresh with very little vegetation growing. We hiked several trails, including hiking to the top of one of the cinder cones (Infernal Cone) and through the lava field to Indian Tunnel, a massive lava tube. We thought this would be just a drive by attraction, but in the end we spent almost 4 hours exploring this place and probably would have hiked a few more trails if we had more time.
Our extended stay at Craters (among other things) meant we didn't have time to check out the nearby Hagerman Fossil Beds (so we'll have to save that one for next time). We are now checked into our incredibly posh $70 hotel room in Twin Falls, ID. Tomorrow we will cross Nevada and pick up our friend Emily at the Reno airport!!!
- Posted by Shawn from my iPad
After waddling back to the car, we once again headed west. We soon crossed into the Idaho National Laboratory Site. I immediately flashed back to memories of my hometown. INL is the sister Department of Energy site to the Savannah River Site in Aiken. I can remember as a kid hearing about competing with Idaho Falls for various projects. It was interesting to see the site and it was a very obvious location for such a plant . . . remote and desolate.
Our real destination was a little known, but fascinating part of the National Parks system called Craters of the Moon National Monument. This is an expanse of other worldly looking lava flows that covers about 1100 sq miles of southern Idaho. The entire Snake River Valley from southeastern Oregon, through Idaho and to Wyoming are former locations of the volcanic hotspot that currently sits under Yellowstone. Most of these locations are now dormant, but Craters of the Moon has remained active erupting lava flows about every 1000 years. The most recent flow was about 2000 years ago and still looks very fresh with very little vegetation growing. We hiked several trails, including hiking to the top of one of the cinder cones (Infernal Cone) and through the lava field to Indian Tunnel, a massive lava tube. We thought this would be just a drive by attraction, but in the end we spent almost 4 hours exploring this place and probably would have hiked a few more trails if we had more time.
Our extended stay at Craters (among other things) meant we didn't have time to check out the nearby Hagerman Fossil Beds (so we'll have to save that one for next time). We are now checked into our incredibly posh $70 hotel room in Twin Falls, ID. Tomorrow we will cross Nevada and pick up our friend Emily at the Reno airport!!!
- Posted by Shawn from my iPad
Friday, July 23, 2010
Westward-ho
After a long day in Yellowstone yesterday we all slept in today. We had good intentions to spend a little more time in Cody, but we ended up hanging out with family. I haven't had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with my brother and his family in the last few years and we had a wonderful time catching up. We are leaving today to go back towards Jackson Hole so we can begin the second leg of our journey towards San Diego. We will miss Don, Alisha and the kids, but we have vowed to make these family vacations a more common event.
- Posted by Sara from my iPad
Location:Towgotee Lodge
Guest Blogger Cassidy Husted
Our trip with aunt Sara and uncle Shawn was great. It started off with them arriving here tuesday night around 11pm. Then Wednesday we took the tour of Cody Wyoming, saw museums, went shopping, went to the candy store, and ate dinner at a Mexican restaurant. Thursday we toured Yellowstone National Park. While we were in the car traveling we made up a game called "yellowstone adventure". We got to see many different animals but no moose!!! My favorite animal was the mommy grizzly bear and her two cubs. However, we did almost see a bison attack 2 cars and a motorcyclist. This trip has been really fun and I can not wait for many trips to come (:
Cassidy Husted
Ps thanks for everything(: keep In touch with me too
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Cassidy Husted
Ps thanks for everything(: keep In touch with me too
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Yellowstone/Cody, WY
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Chief Joseph Highway
After some late evening wildlife viewing in Yellowstone's Lamar Valley, we headed back toward Cody via the Beartooth and Chief Joseph Highways. The Beartooth begins in Montana's Gallatin National Forest at Yellowstone's northeast gate, immediately passing through the tiny town of Silver Gate and then the slightly more developed town of Cooke City. We didn't stop, but they seem a cute towns driven almost entirely by the tourist economy trickling through this most remote gateway to Yellowstone. The drive then enters Wyoming and the wilderness of the Shoshone National Forest, passing no more towns until Cody (about 80 miles).
The route is a renowned scenic drive, but I'm sad to say that I can't confirm this because the sun set a few minutes before we left Yellowstone, so beyond some scenic mountain silhouettes early in the drive we didn't see much. What I can confirm is that the Chief Joseph Highway has a section that is insanely curvy. The attached map doesn't even do it justice as it has smoothed out a lot of the curves. At several points I glanced at the Garmin to see a route that resembled very closely a small intestine.
The pitch dark along with my level of exhaustion from a busy day exploring the park made the drive a challenge, but I can only imagine what the views must have looked like. I'm putting this drive on my list of things to do again, but the next time during the day.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
The route is a renowned scenic drive, but I'm sad to say that I can't confirm this because the sun set a few minutes before we left Yellowstone, so beyond some scenic mountain silhouettes early in the drive we didn't see much. What I can confirm is that the Chief Joseph Highway has a section that is insanely curvy. The attached map doesn't even do it justice as it has smoothed out a lot of the curves. At several points I glanced at the Garmin to see a route that resembled very closely a small intestine.
The pitch dark along with my level of exhaustion from a busy day exploring the park made the drive a challenge, but I can only imagine what the views must have looked like. I'm putting this drive on my list of things to do again, but the next time during the day.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Cody, WY
Yellowstone Adventure - The Game
Yellowstone Adventure
50 bison
20 deer
240 moose
75 bear
250 mtn lion
250 sheep
30 elk
70 antelope
10 small birds(swallows, robins,...etc)
30 medium birds (ducks, geese,ravens/crows)
50 large birds (eagles,pelicans,etc...)
300 wolves
20 small mammal
150 coyote
BONUS
+100 for baby animals NO BIRDS
+20 in a group of five or more
RULES
Game does not ever stop unless you are not in yellowstone.
If you see animals in groups you can not count each individual animal.
The person that has most points wins.
CREDITS
Clancy James
Cassidy Husted
Sara & Shawn Polson
- Created by the yonguns as we drove through Yellowstone
50 bison
20 deer
240 moose
75 bear
250 mtn lion
250 sheep
30 elk
70 antelope
10 small birds(swallows, robins,...etc)
30 medium birds (ducks, geese,ravens/crows)
50 large birds (eagles,pelicans,etc...)
300 wolves
20 small mammal
150 coyote
BONUS
+100 for baby animals NO BIRDS
+20 in a group of five or more
RULES
Game does not ever stop unless you are not in yellowstone.
If you see animals in groups you can not count each individual animal.
The person that has most points wins.
CREDITS
Clancy James
Cassidy Husted
Sara & Shawn Polson
- Created by the yonguns as we drove through Yellowstone
Location:backseat of the car
The wild life
Last year we saw a moose in Newfoundland. There is a post here about it in fact. We were hoping this trip to see a moose in Yellowstone. Alas, no moose were spotted. However, what we did see was nothing short of thrilling.
We saw tons of bison (even calves) and occasionally even shared the road with them, we saw more elk, deer and antelope. We did see a couple of black bears, and more grizzly bears. The highlight of all of our wildlife viewing had to be when we came up on a mother grizzly bear and her two young cubs.
The best places for viewing wildlife are the Hayden Valley and the Lamar Valley. Both of these boast vistas that are among the most beautiful I have ever seen.
In the Lamar Valley we even saw some coyotes. On Thursday we drove through these valleys with our niece and nephew in the back seat and as fun as it was to see the bison, elk and bears, the best part was seeing them with family.
- Posted by Sara from my iPad
We saw tons of bison (even calves) and occasionally even shared the road with them, we saw more elk, deer and antelope. We did see a couple of black bears, and more grizzly bears. The highlight of all of our wildlife viewing had to be when we came up on a mother grizzly bear and her two young cubs.
The best places for viewing wildlife are the Hayden Valley and the Lamar Valley. Both of these boast vistas that are among the most beautiful I have ever seen.
In the Lamar Valley we even saw some coyotes. On Thursday we drove through these valleys with our niece and nephew in the back seat and as fun as it was to see the bison, elk and bears, the best part was seeing them with family.
- Posted by Sara from my iPad
Location:Yellowstone NP
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Cody
We woke up this morning in our luxurious accommodations, which included our own room and a (very comfortable) queen sized mattress, This is luxury indeed for a fifth wheel camper trailer that we are sharing with Sara's brothers family.
Today we decided to recover from our travels, so after an excellent breakfast provided by our generous hosts, we decided to spend some time checking out Cody. There's not much you can say about Cody without mentioning Buffalo Bill Cody. He started the town, financed many of its buildings, and directed its early growth. We took a brief bus tour of the small town.
Between learning the location of the elementary school and the mayor's house, we were told that Buffalo Bill insisted that the towns streets be twice as wide as normal roads because he had been annoyed having to turn his wagons around in narrow city streets when on tour with his wild west show. His vision also secured the tourism that now supports Cody, as he insisted that even though the park is 50 miles away, He insisted that the only way to get to the park from the east was to pass through Cody's downtown (and it remains that way).
We also checked out the Buffalo Bill museum which is quite impressive for such a small town. It is a collection of 5 museums covering everything from Buffalo Bill to Natural History. We spent a couple of hours in the museum, but only made it through one section.
In the evening we went to the Irma hotel (named after Buffalo Bill's daughter) and watched the Cody Gunslingers put on a skit and gunfight in the street. The all volunteer group puts on the nightly performances benefiting various charities. Their costumes were very realistic and Clancy enjoyed getting his pictures with Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Buffalo Bill, and other wild west figures.
We wrapped up the day with dinner and "Mexican" margaritas at La Comida. (side note: apparently "Mexican" is a synonym for very strong) :-)
- Posted by Shawn from my iPad
Today we decided to recover from our travels, so after an excellent breakfast provided by our generous hosts, we decided to spend some time checking out Cody. There's not much you can say about Cody without mentioning Buffalo Bill Cody. He started the town, financed many of its buildings, and directed its early growth. We took a brief bus tour of the small town.
Between learning the location of the elementary school and the mayor's house, we were told that Buffalo Bill insisted that the towns streets be twice as wide as normal roads because he had been annoyed having to turn his wagons around in narrow city streets when on tour with his wild west show. His vision also secured the tourism that now supports Cody, as he insisted that even though the park is 50 miles away, He insisted that the only way to get to the park from the east was to pass through Cody's downtown (and it remains that way).
We also checked out the Buffalo Bill museum which is quite impressive for such a small town. It is a collection of 5 museums covering everything from Buffalo Bill to Natural History. We spent a couple of hours in the museum, but only made it through one section.
In the evening we went to the Irma hotel (named after Buffalo Bill's daughter) and watched the Cody Gunslingers put on a skit and gunfight in the street. The all volunteer group puts on the nightly performances benefiting various charities. Their costumes were very realistic and Clancy enjoyed getting his pictures with Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Buffalo Bill, and other wild west figures.
We wrapped up the day with dinner and "Mexican" margaritas at La Comida. (side note: apparently "Mexican" is a synonym for very strong) :-)
- Posted by Shawn from my iPad
Location:Cody, WY
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Places I have(n't) been
As some of you may know I have actually been to Yellowstone NP before. I was 14 the first time I experienced the awesomeness that is Yellowstone. I worked, selling cookies, doing odd jobs to save up for the camping trip with my aunt Lia. I paid my way (or most of it) and my aunt and I set off with camping gear and cameras. Needless to say it is interesting to see how much the park has changed over the years. This was most obvious at Mammoth Springs in the northwestern part of the park. Here the hot springs flow over and create complex limestone terraces. However, the flow is transient and the flow I saw when I was 14 was completely dry and new limestone deposited flows had taken over part of the old walking trail.
While we were in the northwest corner of the park, we took the opportunity to do something I did not have the chance to do when I was 14... go to Montana. Although, I don't feel like I have seen much of that state, we did have lunch there, so technically that makes it the 46th state I have set foot in. More impressive perhaps than having lunch in Gardiner, Montana was seeing the Roosevelt Arch at the northwest entrance to Yellowstone. It is a huge stone arch that was dedicated by president Roosevelt when the park first opened.
This afternoon we met my mother again at the Norris Geyser Basin to see some more amazing biogeochemisty at work and to say our goodbyes because tonight we travel to Cody, WY where we will meet up with my brother and his family.
We will be spending the next three days and nights with my big brother Don, his lovely wife Alisha, our 14 year old niece, Cassidy and 7 year old nephew named Clancy.
- Posted by Sara from my iPad
While we were in the northwest corner of the park, we took the opportunity to do something I did not have the chance to do when I was 14... go to Montana. Although, I don't feel like I have seen much of that state, we did have lunch there, so technically that makes it the 46th state I have set foot in. More impressive perhaps than having lunch in Gardiner, Montana was seeing the Roosevelt Arch at the northwest entrance to Yellowstone. It is a huge stone arch that was dedicated by president Roosevelt when the park first opened.
This afternoon we met my mother again at the Norris Geyser Basin to see some more amazing biogeochemisty at work and to say our goodbyes because tonight we travel to Cody, WY where we will meet up with my brother and his family.
We will be spending the next three days and nights with my big brother Don, his lovely wife Alisha, our 14 year old niece, Cassidy and 7 year old nephew named Clancy.
- Posted by Sara from my iPad
Location:Yellowstone NP
Monday, July 19, 2010
Yellowstone - Geyser basins
Yellowstone National Park is known for many things. It was the first National Park and is also the largest. Its beautiful and full of wildlife, but one thread connects every part of the park: its an active volcano. Technically its a super volcano with a caldera so large that its 34 by 45 mile dimensions could not be discerned until the advent of aerial imagery.
The most obvious sign of the volcanic activity in the park are the thousands of "thermal features" within and surrounding the caldera. These take many different forms: geysers, thermal pools, mud pots, mud volcanoes, fumaroles . . . These features are awe-inspiring for anyone, but for a microbiologist this is one of the coolest places on Earth.
The first thing that you notice about many of these features is the bright-coloration that makes each unique. The source of this coloration is microbes (bacteria, archaea, algae, etc.). These organisms known as extremophiles can tolerate the very high temperature and extreme pH (acid/alkaline) conditions of these springs and thrive. Sara and I had a great time explaining the various features to her family as we toured through several different geyser basins.
For me it was even more exciting since I actually do research on the microbes and viruses that call these pools home. In fact the week before I left for this trip we submitted a grant proposal to study the microbiology in several of the hot springs at Yellowstone. One of the hot springs we visited at West Thumb Basin (called Black Pool) was previously sampled by our collaborators and I recently analyzed viral DNA sequences from it. It was very cool to be able to stand there and actually put a face on part of my research. The sulfur-laden smell of many of these springs also took me back to my past trip sampling deep sea hydrothermal vents, which are essentially the same thing (but under the sea).
All in all it was a great experience and despite seeing dozens and dozens of thermal features over the past few days, I still wish I had time to see more. My only caveat about this experience is that while we stood there and waited for Old Faithful to erupt, this was probably the least interesting part to me. It was crowded and a lot of waiting around. In the end I found many of the other features we visited, like West Thumb Basin, Sand Pit Basin, Grand Prismatic Hot Spring, Norris Geyser Basin, Mammoth Hot Springs, and the Dragon's Mouth to be much more interesting. Anyone who goes to Old Faithful spends a few minutes wandering around the nearby Upper Geyser basin then assumes all the rest are the same are really missing out on some of the best parts of Yellowstone.
I know this post is getting long, but I have one more thermal feature that I'd like to mention. This feature is well-known, but most people would be surprised to learn that the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, carved by the spectacular Upper and Lower Yellowstone Falls are actually a thermal feature. Scientists have determined that the falls have managed to carve this deep canyon in a geologic instant within the last 14,000 years. The accelerated rate that this canyon has formed is due to the thermal features which heated the rock, making it extremely susceptible to erosion and linking this seemingly independent marvel of Yellowstone, to the volcanic activity which drives life in the park.
- Posted by Shawn from my iPad
The most obvious sign of the volcanic activity in the park are the thousands of "thermal features" within and surrounding the caldera. These take many different forms: geysers, thermal pools, mud pots, mud volcanoes, fumaroles . . . These features are awe-inspiring for anyone, but for a microbiologist this is one of the coolest places on Earth.
The first thing that you notice about many of these features is the bright-coloration that makes each unique. The source of this coloration is microbes (bacteria, archaea, algae, etc.). These organisms known as extremophiles can tolerate the very high temperature and extreme pH (acid/alkaline) conditions of these springs and thrive. Sara and I had a great time explaining the various features to her family as we toured through several different geyser basins.
For me it was even more exciting since I actually do research on the microbes and viruses that call these pools home. In fact the week before I left for this trip we submitted a grant proposal to study the microbiology in several of the hot springs at Yellowstone. One of the hot springs we visited at West Thumb Basin (called Black Pool) was previously sampled by our collaborators and I recently analyzed viral DNA sequences from it. It was very cool to be able to stand there and actually put a face on part of my research. The sulfur-laden smell of many of these springs also took me back to my past trip sampling deep sea hydrothermal vents, which are essentially the same thing (but under the sea).
All in all it was a great experience and despite seeing dozens and dozens of thermal features over the past few days, I still wish I had time to see more. My only caveat about this experience is that while we stood there and waited for Old Faithful to erupt, this was probably the least interesting part to me. It was crowded and a lot of waiting around. In the end I found many of the other features we visited, like West Thumb Basin, Sand Pit Basin, Grand Prismatic Hot Spring, Norris Geyser Basin, Mammoth Hot Springs, and the Dragon's Mouth to be much more interesting. Anyone who goes to Old Faithful spends a few minutes wandering around the nearby Upper Geyser basin then assumes all the rest are the same are really missing out on some of the best parts of Yellowstone.
I know this post is getting long, but I have one more thermal feature that I'd like to mention. This feature is well-known, but most people would be surprised to learn that the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, carved by the spectacular Upper and Lower Yellowstone Falls are actually a thermal feature. Scientists have determined that the falls have managed to carve this deep canyon in a geologic instant within the last 14,000 years. The accelerated rate that this canyon has formed is due to the thermal features which heated the rock, making it extremely susceptible to erosion and linking this seemingly independent marvel of Yellowstone, to the volcanic activity which drives life in the park.
- Posted by Shawn from my iPad
Location:Yellowstone NP
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