The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming– 7/24/11

For more pictures, click HERE

We had a slow lazy day today. I was pretty sore from my tumble yesterday so we didn’t go any hiking. We walked around the Old Faithful complex and I bought souvenirs. We also watched a movie at the Visitor Center. Then we ate the lunch buffet in the dining room but we didn’t like it. The food only tasted mediocre and the cost was much too high. It cost $13.95 but I didn’t think the food was great at all. After lunch we drove to Madison and then back down to West Thumb. We spent the rest of the evening in lobby people watching.

Tomorrow morning we head towards Kalispell, MT and Glacier National Park.

What I Learned Today:

· The Yellowstone Hot Spot does not move.

· The land above the Hot Spot moves an inch every year which is why there are calderas from Nevada to here.

· The Yellowstone Caldera is the largest active caldera in the world.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming– 7/23/11

For more pictures, click HERE

Most of the day was spent hiking up to Mount Washburn. We hiked this years ago and I guess I forgot how hard it was. I would recommend this hike to everyone though because it was awesome. We had 360 degree views when we got to the fire tower.

Along the trail we saw a buffalo. Then as we hiked the steep trail, we saw lots of people stopped way ahead. Then we realized that a coyote was heading straight towards us and away from them. I dug out the bear spray and we picked up some rocks in case it got aggressive (before we started this hike we were told to report any aggressive coyotes on the trail) but it decided to get off the trail and go a different way. Further up the trail we saw a yellow bellied marmot and an eagle. Then we came across a huge group of bighorn sheep. As we continued to hike up we found another group. There were lots of little babies and they were playing in the snow. Then on the way down, we saw a lot more sheep in two different places. I guess we saw about 40-50 sheep today and Don had to hold me back from getting any of their wool to knit! Darn!

Of course not too far from the end, I took a tumble on the loose rocks and landed on my knee, hand, and hip. Nothing major was hurt but I’m sure I will be a little sore tomorrow.

For dinner, we decided to eat in the restaurant in the Old Faithful Inn. Both of us chose the prime rib dinner buffet for $25.95 and it was delicious. First we started with the red pepper gouda soup that was so tasty. There was a Caesar salad, twice baked potatoes, wild rice, green beans almandine, and stuffed mushrooms to go with the prime rib which melted in your mouth. I’m glad we decided to do this tonight.

What I Learned Today:

· I’m not as young as I used to be and that hiking up a mountain that I did ten years ago is much different now.

· Wild animals are not as afraid of people as we think. I guess the sheep are desensitized to tourists by now because we were able to walk on the trail to get by them and they didn’t run away.

· There is still a lot of snow in the higher elevations than I expected.

· As I get older, I need to be more careful walking down the mountains on loose rock.

· The views from the top of the mountain is something that is magical.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming– 7/22/11

For more pictures, click HERE

Today was an absolutely beautiful day! I woke up feeling so much better and everything we did was wonderful. After breakfast in our room (oatmeal and fruit and hot chocolate), we headed towards the Mammoth Hot Springs area. I was a little disappointed in the terraces because it is not how I remembered it. The last time we were here, they were glistening terraces of white, gold, and oranges but today they were white and gray. They seemed dead and inactive. After seeing this, I wondered if someday, Old Faithful might end up in the same condition and that we need to appreciate it while it is still erupting on a predictable schedule.

Then we ended up in Gardiner, MT for lunch at the Corral Drive In. Our hamburger baskets and 2 drinks cost $24 and the burgers were huge. Later we wished we had just gotten a $5 sub from Subway which would have satisfied us just as well. On the way back, we saw the Boiling River where we wanted to swim (the glacial waters join the hot springs water in the river) but it was closed because the water was too high. So, we headed towards the Tower area and saw the Tower falls (the end of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone).

When we returned to the hotel, we sat out in the lobby and enjoyed the action all around us. For dinner, we had triscuits and cheese in our room.

Today we saw black bear, buffalo, elk, ground squirrels, and a grizzly bear!

What I Learned Today:

· Change happens whether we want it or not.

· Change can happen in our lifetime even if we don’t expect it.

· Some slow drivers are just inconsiderate and won’t pull off to the side so others can pass, even if there are signs reminding them to do so.

· Woodrow Wilson created the National Park Service in 1916.

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming– 7/20/11

For more pictures, click HERE

It was nice and chilly this morning (43F when I got up but I heard it got down to 38F). We got up early and went to meet a ranger for a hike this morning. When we got there we found out that the original hike was changed due to bear activity in the area (this is where the hiker was killed a few weeks ago). We had a delightful hike and saw the Upper and Lower Yellowstone Falls. I didn’t find out until later from friends that three people fell over these falls yesterday!

After the hike, we drove around and did some hiking to geysers and sightseeing spots. In the late afternoon we hiked to an observation point and both of us heard what we thought was a mountain lion growl. Needless to say, we continued on the trail quickly until we got to a safe area!

In the evening, we sat in the lobby of Old Faithful Inn and listened to the piano player. A fire was started and it was cozy way to spend the evening.

What I Learned Today:

· The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is 20 miles long.

· The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone only took thousands of years to form while the Grand Canyon took millions of years.

· The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is anywhere from 1500 – 4000 feet wide.

· It is a shame that people don’t follow rules like “stay behind the guard rails” and lose their lives by being swept over waterfalls.

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming– 7/19/11

For more pictures, click HERE

We decided to eat breakfast in our room since the cost of food in the park is so outrageous. Using the coffee maker to boil water, we fixed our instant oatmeal (adding walnuts and fruit) and hot chocolate which filled us up. Then we headed for the Mystic Falls hike with the ranger.

We started out first thing seeing a snake! Then we hiked to the falls and then the ranger turned back but encouraged us to continue up the mountain to the overlook. It was pretty steep but well worth the view. By the time we got back to our car, it was lunch time. We drove to West Yellowstone, MT out of the west entrance to the park (14 miles from Madison) where we ate lunch, found a supermarket to refill some supplies and filled up with gas for 3.89 a gallon (it was 3.99 a gallon in the park.)

After lunch we headed up to Norris and did some hiking around the geysers and waterfalls. About 5pm it started to rain so we headed back to Old Faithful in time to get settled and then attend the ranger program on Yellowstone Art.

What I Learned Today:

· There are no poisonous snakes in Yellowstone.

· There are 900 geysers in the world and 500 of them are in Yellowstone.

· A 10 year old fell into one of the geysers and died one year.

· Big birds build their nests in the top of old snags.

· Mosquitoes are bad in Yellowstone this time of year.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming– 7/18/11

For more pictures, click HERE

We got up early and decided to have breakfast at the Geyser Grille only to find out that they didn’t open until 8 and it was 7am. So we decided to have a breakfast at a picnic table. Then we found out the mosquitoes were in full force and had to gulp down our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and run for the car.

At 9am, we met a ranger for a hike around Harlequin Lake. It was a fun hike. We saw a pair of osprey and their nest, a bald eagle, a red winged blackbird, a loon, a cormorant, and ground squirrels. After the hike we had a nice picnic lunch where there were no mosquitoes. Then we stopped along the ride back to walk around scenic geysers. At 4pm, we decided to do another hike around geysers in the Old Faithful area before joining a ranger on a hike at 5:30. We hiked on our own about 7pm to the Morning Glory geyser and then back to our hotel. We were too exhausted to even go find some dinner. We walked too many miles to count today and I hope we can get out of bed tomorrow!

Tomorrow we plan to do the Mystic Falls hike with the ranger and then do some more geyser hiking. That is, if we can still walk.

What I Learned Today:

· Rain that doesn’t reach the ground is called Verga

· Ospreys have a dihedral wing pattern which looks like they have elbows.

· Beavers come out at dusk and dawn.

· Blue dragonflies are called Bluets.

· Old Faithful is not the largest geyser.

· A geyser is predictable only if it has its own water source.

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming– 7/17/11

For more pictures, click HERE

We left Cody and headed for Yellowstone this morning. First we stopped at the Buffalo Bill Dam which was awesome. A shuttle took us to the visitor center that had been blocked off to cars since 9/11. We were amazed how much water was being dropped from the dam.

After the dam, we drove to the park. It seemed like a long ride, maybe because we didn’t get much sleep last night. Don had bad leg cramps and I was miserably hot and too lazy to get up to turn on the air condition.

We arrived at the Old Faithful Inn and checked in. Our room was very nice but a little over priced at $170 per night. There is a bed that they claim is a Queen size but it seems like a Full size bed to us. There is no TV but it does have a private bath.

We saw Old Faithful erupt about 3 times while we checked out all the lodges, restaurants, and the visitor center. We checked out the ice cream shops at all 3 places in this area but the lines were ridiculous! They need to add more ice cream shops. We walked the geyser loop trail and it was pretty. After dinner we went to the ranger evening program. Then we sat outside on the upper porch to watch Old Faithful erupt one last time.

What I Learned Today:

· The colors of the mud pots are caused by iron sulfites, iron sulfates, and iron oxides.

· There are about 100 wolves in the park.

· The park was not as crowded as we expected.

· There are plenty of eating establishments available.

· There are plenty of ranger led activities each day all over the park.

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: Dam by Pat Hensley