G is for Geysers and GRRR - Yellowstone, June 10 -11, 2014

Post 2 of 3:

Seems like we spent a lot of time trying to re-create during our trip to Yellowstone this year.  But that's what recreation is, after all.  Many, many years ago, back in the 1990's, Brent took the guys on a hike up to Lone Star Geyser one time, while I stayed in the lobby at Old Faithful Inn with Tonya and Heather, who was running a fever and definitely not feeling well (turned out to be strep throat).   They hiked the entire distance to the geyser (2 1/2 miles each way) only to discover they had barely missed it's eruption.   Seeing as it only goes off about every three hours or so, they took the hike back to the car and Brent has commented every year we've been up there since, that he'd like to go back.  What he failed to tell me was how beautiful the hike was.

We selected Tuesday to make the hike back up there, this time just with me in tow.  I have to give one warning.  We slept in.  We took the hike in the middle of the morning, long after the best light of the day was past, and well into the "pool" hours of the day, which means I got my best shots, definitely, the day before in Hayden Valley.

But still,
I'm inviting you to come on a hike to Lone Star Geyser with Brent and me.

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

The hike is an easy one, following an old road that took earlier Park visitors directly to the Geyser.  Elevation rise is fairly gentle, as well.

(Sign halfway up the trail)

The forest was lush and green on both sides of the road.

 

And I loved the little wildflowers poking up from the loamy soil.

The largest wildlife we saw on our hike was this squirrel.  We were hoping to see bear.  Didn't even see buffalo.

When we arrived at the geyser, we found a handful (well, two handfuls) of people lounging around waiting for it to erupt.  We only had to wait fifteen or twenty minutes. 

Brent photographing the eruption.

Lone Star Geyser and Me (photo by Brent)

Lone Star Geyser and Brent (photo by Me)

It certainly wasn't nearly as tall or spectacular as Old Faithful, but it definitely went on and on and on, lasting nearly a half hour, and was fun to watch and worth the hike.  Well, actually, the hike was worth the hike, but it was fun to have the extra reward of watching the geyser and meeting the people who were watching the geyser with us.  I'm glad we finally got Brent back there, and I was extra glad I got to go with him.

We took a lot longer going  back to the car because I had to stop and take photos of EVERYTHING I saw going back.

Every time I go through my photos and see the picture above I go to delete it.  I mean, really, that is a go nowhere photo if I ever saw one.  And then I remember.  That small stick floating just off left center?  It is no stick.

I watched the water snake swimming in the water until it made it's way toward shore, toward ME!  I hate snakes and even seeing it here makes me want to throw up, but there was still a fascination as it caught a log out into the river and wrapped itself around a branch.

Ok, I think that's more than enough photos of Mr. Slithers.   I was happy to leave him with his sunbathing.

 The road followed this river most of the way to the geyser.  

And the point where the sign was I posted at the start of this blog, was also the junction for another trail that could take you to the Continental Divide lookout.  We didn't go on that.  Not only were bikes not allowed, but Julies were not allowed either.  Dangerous to my well being, I think.

Map at the trailhead.  Even looking at this, I'm not exactly sure where the trail went.

 We had tickets that night to the Playmill Theater's production of Les Miserables, so we didn't spend a huge amount of time in the park.  It was good to return to the condo and shower and freshen up before going to dinner and the show that evening.   Workers were  still at the condo, doing some finishing up work in the basement.

 Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Welcome  to Yellowstone.  Madison Valley seemed to host more than its share of these this year. If there was something in the middle of the road stopping traffic, it was always totally gone by the time we got there.   All we ever saw was a buffalo grazing alongside the road, or a few cow elks off in a meadow.  No bear.  No wolfs.  No badgers or foxes or anything else rare and unique, even for Yellowstone.

 Wednesday we had one goal and one goal only.   We had yet to see any bear, and Yellowstone just isn't a success in Brent's mind until we find bear.   So Wednesday found us heading north to the section between Tower and Mammoth.   We drove the entire length without success, except I forced Brent into stopping for a few seconds while I took a photo of these wildflowers.  They were blooming big blossoms all over the place, mostly around sagebrush, and turning entire hillsides yellow.

So I got the wildflowers and we turned around and started back towards Roosevelt, still looking for bear.   We came to a section that had been totally empty just fifteen minutes earlier when we drove through.   But going back, suddenly there were cars parked all over the place and a mass of people lined up on the side of the road, pointing.  That could only mean one thing:   finally - we found our bear.

We pulled into a spot and looked and looked and didn't see anything.  Finally I asked someone else what they were looking at, and there, a very long long way away (400 yds at least) was a black dot, and yes, a couple of smaller black dots.  A momma black bear and her two cubs.   Yes, a very long shot, but at least they were bear.  I could understand how we drove right past them and never noticed.  I couldn't understand how anyone else actually saw them enough to create a bear jam.

The cubs played around a little and then disappeared for nap time.  Momma Bear moved behind some trees and become difficult to watch as well.  Brent and I moved up the hill and out a little closer to get a better shot of her.   Before long everyone else followed suit.  We were still several hundred yards away and easily a safe distance to prevent worrying the mother or creating stress in the little family.

But now we were in a part of the forest that had more wildflowers!   I was delighted!  I love taking photos of flowers in the wild.

 Brent loves taking pictures of bears in the wild.
I love taking pictures of wildflowers and bears in the wild.  Flora And  Fauna, you entrance me!

Momma bear, apparently, prefers eating the flowers.   Can you see the yellow flower just about to disappear into her mouth above?

More wildflowers

Wild bear watchers who followed us up the hill.  They stayed after we left.

 We did leave, and continued on back over the route we had already taken earlier in the day.  We were just past Roosevelt, when we came across ANOTHER parking lot in the middle of the road.  This time there were park rangers.  We pulled over and were informed in a hurry we could not park the car, could not stand, could not take photos from that location.   Just below us was another Black Bear.  This little mommy had three cubs.   But they were no where to be seen.

Except up in the tree.  Where they were napping.  We were a lot closer to this momma bear and it was fun watching her for a while.   There were three cubs up this tree:

Brent was pretty happy with the fact that we saw those bears -7 in all if you count the Cubs.   We finally pointed the car back toward Mammoth.

 We passed by the stage coach at Roosevelt.

 And the antelope in the glacial fields

And Undine Falls overflowing with the bounteous amount of snowmelt God blessed Yellowstone with this year.

 

And Brent got a photo of me at the Falls, but I did not get one of him while there.

 And we went past the old chapel in Mammoth - I loved the way the sun and the shadows were playing with the windows and stonework there.   So I became one of those "photograph Yellowstone from  the Car" kinds of people, but I promise we didn't make the cars stop who were behind us.  They were already in the middle of the stop and go game we were all stuck in, trying to get through Mammoth.

We stopped for an early dinner at the dining room in Mammoth.  Afterwards, we found a herd of Momma Elk, with little juniors and mistresses gamboling through their legs had moved into the grassy meadows across the street from the dinner stop.  Of course, I had my camera with me and Brent was obliging.  And I couldn't resist the babies:

One more stop on our way back to the Condo:  This was where we waited for the pilot car to lead us through the construction zone.  Every year there's construction somewhere in the Park.  This year it is in the stretch between Mammoth and Norris.  They are doing some major work there.  When they get done, some narrow winding roads will be replaced with straighter, wider roads.  I'm afraid some of the charm will be gone as well.

But we enjoyed the mosquitoes and the scenery in this location for a half hour or so.

 When we got back to the condo, we found much of the work had finally been completed.  New cabinets had been installed, the new paneling was up, and the rooms in the basement were ready to have all the furniture moved back in.  So Thursday was spent, the entire day, in cleaning and moving and sorting through boxes of things to determine what stayed and what was tossed.   We hung art back on the walls, cleaned the fish for the one bedroom, and put things back together as best as we could.   The work continued Friday morning as well, until Heather showed up late that afternoon.  Yay!     That will wait for the next post, however.  More great memories to come.