Tag Archives: Mammoth Hot Springs

10/12/2019 Firehole River, Crystal Springs, day 31

 

Many thermophiles are not liking the cold weather. The Crystal Pool was a disappointment.  Spring snow melt feeds the hot springs that feed the pools. In the fall with less water, the springs are not as active and the thermophiles suffer.  The colorful beds of bacteria that segregate by temperature are muted.  The geysers reliably shoot plumes of steam high in the air.  Steam can be seen rising high in the are south of Madison.   Here we encountered the most traffic we’ve seen in the park. People come for the active geothermal features of the park.  Driving through a super-volcano has its charm.

We drove from West Yellowstone to Old Faithful stopping frequently to take in the sights: an expansive meadow here, geysers there.  Elk were numerous just outside the park.  There were a few bison south of Madison.  Today was a ho-hum day for wildlife sighting.  It was a warm day reaching 70 with bright sunlight.

Dunraven Pass was closed today.  All other roads were open.  Patches of shaded roadway facing north were covered in ice.  Not smooth black ice, rather ice that had pits and divots affording some traction at reasonable speeds.  One particularly dangerous icy curve has a sign posted that reads, “Accident Ahead”.  It’s a valuable marker.  Each time I see it I think, “Yeah, and that accident could be you!”

We’re staying at Buffalo Crossing RV Park tonight,  “four star” rated.  It is not that different than Pony Express Worse, the main roads are dirt and muddy in the afternoon thaw.  For our site fee, we got a discount to the IMAX  theater, a two minute walk away.  We saw Ad Astra this evening. Don’t bother seeing it. Brad Pitt does a reasonable job acting, but he cannot rescue the film from a poor plot line.  Attempts at drama and suspense fall flat.

We may go back to Pony Express tomorrow, assuming we stay another night.  I want to see Hayden Valley.  People compare it to Lamar Valley for wildlife viewing.  It has the largest herd of Bison in the park (and in the world).  That reminds me, while scoping out the Junction Butte pack in Lamar Valley, we were told that two packs got together and took down a bison for the first time in the park. (Who knows if it’s actually the first time …).  This is a huge step in the survival of the wolves.

We took panoramic photos, photos of fly fishermen, some of The Beast, a few of Elk and Bison, and some of us tramping through 6 inches of snow.  I’ll post some tomorrow.  I’m not taking the time to off load photos from five devices.  Some quiet time reading before crawling into bed is far more appealing.

10/10/2019 Rocky Mountain RV Park day 29

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Headed Home along the Gibbon River

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Pools and Terraces Upper Mammoth Hot Springs

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Sunset Over Gardiner Mt

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Winter Came Early

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No Snowy Wet Boots Inside!

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Sunrise Yesterday, Cold and Overcast

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Local Mule Deer

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Rocky Mountain RV Park

Jessica returned my call yesterday.  She was overnighting with family in Bozeman.  The roads back to camp were treacherous.  “Day called on account of snow!  We’re hunkerin’ down here. Curtis is at the park.”   I told her we’d stay last night and tonight while the weather breaks.  We could stay over Friday to Saturday too.  Rocky Mountain Park closes October 15th. 

Today, Thursday, is cold with temps in the mid teens.   We had clear skies this morning for sunrise, though clouds are moving in.  It is calm, there is no wind. The Navion couple left this morning.  They tow a vehicle so I figure they’re gone.

We may take Li’l Beast down the hill to Gardiner for a change of scenery. The road between Gardiner and Cooke through the park and Lamar Valley is open.  I mentioned this to Ellen, who was not impressed.  It’s too cold to have fun there today.  That is the only road open in Yellowstone.  All roads south are closed.

There are RV Parks open going south. In West Yellowstone there’s Buffalo Crossing with electricity.  They close on the 20th.  In Jackson there’s Fireside Resort which is expensive, but could be our only choice to stay near Grand Teton.  They are open year ‘round.  The Virginian (also expensive in season) closes 10/15 and will not be there for us.

Weather going south out of the high plains and mountains will be fine with daytime temps in the 40’s or more.  We’re in no rush to flee Yellowstone.

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Ellen’s Lunch, Huckleberry Sauce Left Background

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Cowboy’s

Late Morning

First off I headed to Antlers at the other end of town.  I wanted to check their menu.  It’s a lodge and bar/restaurant across the street from Outlaw’s Pizza and Casino.  Parking was easy, the lot was empty.  Antlers looked closed, but the front door opened and in I went.  I found a gal in the back room packing sandwiches into bags.  I startled her.  “You’re closed, right?”  They were, she had left the door unlocked.  I slip-slid to Outlaw’s and the local mall.  They too are closed.  In fact the entire mall was shut down.

We drove into Gardiner to top-up our propane and find something to eat.  The local propane company is family owned and has erratic hours.  A sign states “Open 7AM to 1AM Monday – Friday”.  That’s more a suggestion.  they were closed when we arrived at 12:20 AM.   We parked up the hill in an RV parking spot and walked down to Wonderland for lunch. 

Wonderland was closed.  They’ve changed their hours to 7AM to 11AM.  Gardiner is slowly shutting down.  We went to Cowboy’s with an “oh well, let’s see what this is like”.  We both had pork, mine in a BBQ sandwich, Ellen’s with mashed potato.  It was very good.  On the menu was a huckleberry Habanero sauce for a dollar more.   It sounds strange having huckleberry with BBQ sauce, but how could I pass up Huckleberry habanero?   It was so good I asked if they sold it.  “No, we make it ourselves here and don’t sell it.”  I had another “order” in a togo cup.  This sauce is great.  It has a heavy huckleberry flavor, probably a reduction, with just the right touch of habanero to give it a kick.  Scrumptious!

We dropped in at Yellowstone Wild to chat with Chris, but saw the Yellowstone Visitors Center was open and went there first.  A tall woman welcomed us in from her desk by the window to our left.  The visitor center is huge, walled with literally hundreds of brochures and maps of the area.  The massive fireplace stands mid-room.    I chatted with her as Ellen perused the literature.  “I’d get up to greet you, but my dog’s asleep on my lap.”  “Oh what kind of dog to you have”, Ellen perked up.  She rose to bring her baby dachshund over.  She was wrapped in a blanket and so tiny.  Ellen and I have both had dachshunds.  The three of us bonded over her dog.  “What’s her name?”   “Mango”

Chris had company, a local woman he was hiring to manage his shop.  We chatted a bit then headed off.

Back home four of the five other campers were gone.   We’ll head out tomorrow for points south.

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Man in the Moon

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Overnight Low

On our cold evening walk we met Rudi, the dog, and Kevin and Mindy.  “The only Rudi I know of is Rudi Giuliani” Ellen quipped.  “Let’s not talk politics”, I said. Kevin and Mindy live a few houses down the hill from Rocky Mountain RV Park.  Ellen and I dispute where they said they live.  Ellen says Indiana, I think Louisiana.  Either way they had been coming to Gardiner & Yellowstone for years then decided to boy here in Gardiner.  They stay a few months in the spring and a few months in the fall and rent the house out in the summer..  “It pays for itself”, said Kevin.  They invited us to join them for pool night at the Two Bit Saloon.

We have proven that Li’l Beast can sustain sub freezing temperatures better than we can!  Diesel gel has not been a problem either. Winnebago’s cold weather package does work.  On 10/10 the daytime temperature never rose above 28 F!  So long as we have an electric hookup to run resistive heaters on our tanks and adequate propane for our heater, we’ll be fine.

10/5/2019 Rocky Mountain RV Park, Gardiner, & Mammoth, Day 25

 

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Sign in Wonderland Cafe

What’s the Zygote Say

That phrase comes from my college days when my girl friend, half awake first thing in the morning asked, “What’s it like out today” and one of the guys took a double take and said, “What’s the Zygote say? Huh? What?”  Ever since that moment “What’s the Zygote say.” has become legend.

Today the Zygote says it’s gloriously sunny with a few high wispy clouds.  It’s also cold.  Temp shows 33 F.  It dropped to 30 overnight, not cold enough to freeze our lines; not yet.  I’ll have to read about Winnebago View’s cold package and how it does its magic.

The weather report is for rain and 44 F today.  It sure does not look like we’ll get rain. Tomorrow a fully sunny day is expected.  Monday and Tuesday should be warm and partly sunny. Wednesday & Thursday will be trouble.  Wednesday a high of 30 and a low of 9 is expected in Gardiner.  Thursday is not so bad with a high of 35, low of 9.  I might be able to get by with additional heating like 100 watt light bulbs strategically placed near the water tank and the outside shower.  We’d have to keep the heat on at night as well.  Set the thermostat to 50 at night.  So far the heater stays off all night.

Happy Birthday!

The first words Ellen spoke this morning.  Sounds great to me.

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Gardiner, not downtown

Car Rental Gardiner

In short, there are none.

This morning Ellen said, we could rent a car to drive to Lamar Valley tomorrow morning.  It turns out there are no car rental companies in Gardiner.  There is a web personal car rental group, but all the cars are located in Bozeman or West Yellowstone.  They’ll deliver, but I doubt that offer extends to Gardiner.

I’ll ask Curtis if anyone he knows would rent their car for a day.

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Early Morning at Rocky Mountain RV Park

Rocky Mountain RV Park

This park is very well done.  The showers are tiled and look brand new.  At 38 F outside, they’re heated sort-of.  An on demand heater provides boat loads of hot water.   Curtis and Jessica, his wife, put thought and feminine attention into the design of this park.  The views from the bluff are an added bonus.

I walked to the shower with a couple who were walking down the hill for breakfast.  We had a chat about elk and bunnies (there was one sitting under a car).  I mentioned walking to breakfast to Ellen, but she’d already eaten by the time I got back.

Elk rut is ongoing.  Males are bugling; females are running about.  The elk are very successful near and in the park. This morning about an hour before sunrise we heard elk bugling, some at a distance and the male here at camp responded.  He was just outside or motorhome.  I was awake enough to notice, not to make a recording.

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What was a glorious morning has turned overcast and cool.  The prospect of rain is increasingly likely.

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We’d Plan on This, but We’ll be Long Gone

Plans

We’ll walk downtown this morning.  We may drive to Lamar Valley to check drive time and “just” to be there.  Our plan is to leave Gardiner for Lamar Valley around 6AM.  We should arrive well before sunrise.  We’ll scan the tree line for wolves and bear.  I’m sure we will encounter elk and bison as well. 

We’ll head over to Chris’ photo gallery to take delivery of our photograph later today.  It’s a big print, 6 ft wide.  He caught elk walking on a ridge with four wolves in pursuit printed in ecru.  The photo is in muted grays.  I could feel the cold just looking at the print.  It’s a wonderful photograph, but not the one we chose. 

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Sign Sitting in the Entrance, Wonderland Cafe

Wonderland Café

We walked into downtown Gardiner after scones at the Wonderland Café.  Yesterday their huckleberry were sold out.  We walked around town, Chris had customers at his gallery.  We walked on to  Yellowstone Forever and chatted with park representatives.  There were overnight road closures.  Dunraven Pass between Tower and Canyon is closed as is the road south to Grand Teton.  Road conditions in the park are variable and change by the hour.  We’re being careful not to venture out in a storm and not be able to get back.  “Is there an ATM in town?”, I wanted to pay in cash for our campsite to save them the processing fee. “Yes, I think there’s one in the Two Bit Saloon.  It’s probably the only one in town now.”  Ellen asked about local car rentals.  There are none in Gardiner.

 

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Whiteboard Sketch at Yellowstone Forever

Leaving Yellowstone Forever, we walked past Wonderland to Two BIt and the ATM.  Back at Wonderland with cash in hand we ordered three huckleberry scones, one Raspberry, and a double cappuccino.  The sampled the scones with the cappuccino.  That cap was exceptional.  I’ve made it a point when we travel to always let people know when something is exceptional.  Ellen said, “You just wanted to talk to that young girl.”  We both had a good laugh.  I carried that theme along conversationally for a few minutes.

I very highly recommend Wonderland Café.  It’s a step above hamburgers and fries.  Off-season Gardiner closes up.  Even in high season, Wonderland would be a great place for a bite to eat.  Try their cappuccino in the morning.

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Happy Camper

Back “home” we walked the camp.  The elk were nowhere to be seen.  I called Jessica and arranged to stay for a day or two.  We’ll settle up at her convenience when we’re “home”. 

Funny, Ellen just asked if I remembered where she had her blueberry whatchamacallit.  Saved by our blog!  She had a blueberry pizza at Wine Down Dog in Castle Rock on Sept 13.  When we revisit cities and towns  I’ll read past blog entries.  That way we can avoid the bad, and get reacquainted with the great.   I think in this case El wanted to post about her experience in Castle Rock.

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Back into the Park

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Why Stop and Read Signs?  Because…

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Having a Jog at the Forty Fifth Parallel

Mammoth, Perhaps Lamar Valley?

There is a turnout on the left just inside Yellowstone’s north entrance.  From parking a trail leads along the Yellowstone River.  Every time we’ve driven past, there have been a number of cars parked and people along the trail.  Today we’ll go there first.  Perhaps we’ll get to Mammoth.  I’ve considered driving to Lamar Valley today.  The road between Gardiner and Cooke City runs through Lamar Valley.  It is kept open all winter.  It was a snowstorm over the pass toward Lamar Valley that turned us away last year. We’re not so easily deterred now.

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Traffic Stopped for These Guys

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Along the Yellowstone, Lower Road to Mammoth

Retrospective

We lounged about until about 1 PM.  Weather didn’t improve or degrade.  We “broke camp”, which meant pulling in our DirecTv antenna, disconnecting the cable wire, bringing the push-out in, and disconnecting power.  We have a “pre-flight check list” to avoid major mistakes.  After a walk around (did we leave anything, is the antenna really down, how do the tires look), we drove off to Yellowstone Wild to pay for and pick up our photo.  Chris had the photo packaged up and waiting.  We talked about Yellowstone, how he came to photograph “the hunt”, his amazing shot of four wolves chasing a herd of elk.  We had to look closely to see the stones the elk kicked up as they ran and one of the wolves was practically airborne with one foot on the ground.  We talked about how quickly a situation changes and how photographing it is so difficult.  You cannot predict lighting or animal behavior.   Chris said he spent four days getting that shot.  The ridge was the only place in that area the snow had melted.  There was nothing to eat in the valleys.  The elk congregated on the ridge and a wolf pack did too, but a quarter mile away.  This is an amazing photo, and it is not ours.  Chris took “our” photo on October 2, 2015.

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Our Package Safely Stowed in our Shower

Ellen mentioned to Chris that there’s a turnoff just inside the park where she’s seen gaggles of people hiking in.  “Oh, you mean bubbling waters.  It’s a place that hot springs feeds the Yellowstone River.  There are hot pools in the river that people soak or swim in.  They’re comfortable and  very popular.”  We chose to drop by on our way to Mammoth.  Chris offered to help load the photo in our motorhome.  “No, it’s ok”, I said, “I can handle it”.  I was surprised at the weight of the packaging.

The photo would not fit in the back of the shower stall.  The specs I saw for the Winnie View shower must have been for a different year or model.  There was no way.  We considered putting it in the bunk over cab though what a pain that would be.  We’d constantly bonk our heads getting to/from the cab.  Ellen said, let’s try the  shower again.  We managed to get it into the shower kitty-cornered.  Whew.  What a mess it would be otherwise.  The photo will sit in the shower until we get home (or until we reach San Diego, whichever comes first).

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No Crowds at All

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Mammoth’s Travertine Steps

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Mammoth, Yellowstone

This time entering the park, I gave the ranger my senior pass and license. “Will you need maps for the park?”  “No, we’ve been before.”  “It looks to be snowing in Mammoth.  It’s higher than here.  Those rigs handle snow pretty well though.”  “I try to avoid driving in snow.  We’ll see how this goes.”  He gave my pass back and smiled. “Have a good one.”

We drove off to find the hot springs.  The turnout was impossible to miss.  A sign read “Congested Area Ahead”.  There was a roadside strip on the right that was full and two parking areas left and right.  A sign read “20 ft vehicles only”.  Unhappily, we drove past.  “Another day, another time” we said.

Snowflakes.  Mammoth was gray with very light snow falling.  There was some wind as we stepped down from Li’l Beast.  Temps read 38F; we dressed for it.  “Should we stop for hot chocolate and a pretzel?”  “How about on the way back”, I said.  We walked the middle section of the Mammoth Travertine steps.   The more we walked, the warmer we became. It’s hard to describe Mammoth Hot Springs.  I suppose it is a lesson in how travertine is created.  I could never put travertine in a home without thinking of Mammoth.  I was impressed by one little fellow who ran past his dad, “Wow, look at that.”  Dad, “Isn’t this amazing” “Really cool, WoW”.   It IS really cool. 

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The Pools of Thermophile Are Fascinating

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Toward the end of our walk, the sun broke through.  Clouds started to disperse.  I love sunshine.  It lifted our mood mightily.  At the general store we skipped hot chocolate for a double scoop of Huckleberry Ice Cream!  Ice cream in the winter?  You Betcha!

Driving back the Hot Springs turnout was full.  “Let’s drive west from Gardiner to the Cottonwood grove we saw last year.”  We found the turnout at a bend in the Yellowstone River fronted by a line of cottonwoods with a grassy field across the river.  A herd of elk were feeding on the fresh grass.  The cottonwood are beginning to turn.  We’ll check back before we leave Gardiner/Mammoth.

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Home

Our resident elk are out and about.  It’s about 7 pm, just around dusk.  The bull has been bugling like crazy.

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10/4/2019 Gardiner & Mammoth, Day 24

 

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Red Sided Winnie? Of Course!

Weather Report 10/4 “good buddy”

Again we were warned that overnight temperatures would drop below freezing and again it did not happen.  After midnight the low was 32 F and the high was 40 F.  It’s cold outdoors for a Californian, but it’s non threatening to an RV’s water system.  Wednesday is projected to be sub freezing all day though temps Tuesday and Thursday would be above freeing during the day.  Do I winterize, or do I find a way to heat the water tank and outside shower for 24 hours?    I’d much prefer the latter. Li’l Beast has the winter package with heaters on the gray and black tanks and a vent from the heater to the fresh water tank.  There’s a light in the water bay that should keep the outside shower lines from freezing.  I’ve been reading about using terrarium heaters  to avoid frozen RV plumbing.

At 8:57 it’s 37 F outside. I’m in no hurry to venture outdoors.  Rain and Snow is forecast for today and tomorrow.  The skies are darkening.

Happy Birthday

Ok, so Ellen said it’s not uncommon to celebrate decades birthdays for days or a week even.  Really, can I celebrate for a month or year?  Cool.  Ellen chirped, “Happy Birthday” again this morning. 

And In Florida Today

A mother tried to kill her children by slamming her van into a tree at high speed. “He put a hex on me and caused the crash” speaking to police about her husband.

Man jumps out of bush to wish father in-law happy birthday.  Father in law shoots him dead.

Is Florida particularly whacky?

Plans

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Ok, but There is Better!

 

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View of The Yellowstone River from Yellowstone RV Park

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Today we do not have any plans per se.  We’ll wing it.  See what’s out there and go where our hearts take us.  We stayed at Yellowstone RV Park last night.  it’s ok.  Rocky Mountain RV Park was full yesterday.  I called this morning and have a site reserved for tonight and tomorrow.  It’ll be good to have electricity with snow on the way.  There’s a scarcity of motorhome supply shops here.  We need some non-toxic antifreeze “just in case”.  Perhaps a general store or market will carry some.

We’ll spend the day at Mammoth walking the hot springs, the visitors center, and enjoying the resident elk.

Ellen spotted a camper using a unique method to protect their windshield wipers.  We use the same material over spots we’d bonk our heads inside.IMG_8383

Winterize your Windshield Wipers

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Ellen and Curtis off to View a Site

Rocky Mountain RV Park

Rocky Mountain RV Park sits on a bluff above the Yellowstone River overlooking Gardiner.  We drove there yesterday, saw a FULL sign, and turned away.  This morning at 10:01 I called. “Oh we have many sites open, come on up!” a happy young woman answered.   We stopped at the local grocery for milk and Kleenex.  They carried RV antifreeze.  SCORE!  Not that I want to winterize, but now I can if I have to.

I parked at the RV Park and Ellen headed to the office as an electric car pulled up.  Curtis hopped out and greeted us.  He’s a bundle of energy.  The weather has driven most of their long term renters off.  They have lots of sites.  He offered to show Ellen the sites and off they sped in the golf cart.  Moments later they returned.  Ellen was happy with the site.  An added bonus, elk roam the campground.  One massive bull was sitting on the far side of the camp.  We signed up for two nights, hoping to be in place as the rains/snow this evening and tomorrow subside.  I really enjoyed talking with Curtis.  He said some locals think they’re crazy.  They’re one of the first to open and one of the last to close every year.  Sometimes they have burst pipes, but that’s the price of taking risks.  They plan to turn the water off Monday.  The truly cold weather arrives Wednesday (so say the meteorologists).

 

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Mammoth

There were zero cars going into the park as we pulled up to the kiosk.  Kia opened the window, “Hi, how are you guys?” Kia is an early 30’s ranger who really enjoys her work.  With no cars behind us, The three of us chatted a bit about the park, Yosemite, the weather, and wolf sightings.  “I hope to see you guys again!’ “Oh you will!”  Parking in Mammoth was stress free.  There were many open spots for an RV.  The visitors center was just as I remembered it. The photo of the mountain of Bison skulls stood where I remembered.  That photo had and has a profound effect on me.

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Bison Skulls to be Ground Up for Fertilizer!

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Lamar Valley is further from Mammoth than I remembered.  “If you want to see wolves, go to the valley at first light.”  How many are in the pack?  “Maybe about ten”  Getting to Lamar Valley at first light will take getting up very very early for us.  We tried doing just that last year, but a good snowfall over the passes turned us back and out of the park. 

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We walked to Mammoth Hot Springs, stopped at the general store for a hot chocolate and hot pretzel.  At the cashier I said, “Just these two hand warmers.” We stopped in the Mammoth Dining Room, but figured we had better food in The Beast.  The Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel is open, has an interesting gift shop, and a lounge.  We didn’t find anything of interest in the gift shop.  The lounge’s bar was closed; I had no plans for a drink anyway.

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Driving back we saw two elk harems.  Ellen said “Stop” as I approached a turn-out near the exit kiosk.  The something she had seen was a group of prong-horned sheep, a harem.  Five females with a single male.  We saw more elk as we watched the sheep.  They are alternately called sheep or deer.  Their closest living relative are giraffes and okapi!  Last year getting diesel near Butte, we noticed photos of pronghorns on a wall.  Ellen remarked on it and the young gal at the counter said, “They’re really fast and they’re great eating.”  I didn’t mention the ones we had seen in Yellowstone then and I wouldn’t now.

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“Let’s go back to Rocky Mountain, have lunch, and walk Gardiner. We could have dinner later.”  We agreed we could dress warmer and be more comfortable.  We ate the last of the chili while watching a few elk graze on the fresh grass as the sun came out.

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The View of Gardiner from Site 45

Gardiner

Headed down the hill to Gardiner we met Curtis walking home.  “Hi, we forgot the name of the restaurant you recommended.”  “Are you walking?”  “Yes.” He mentioned three: Cowboy’s just across the bridge, Wonderland Café as the best in town that’s open, and some other I’ve forgotten.

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We walked downtown Gardiner, which is very small. Most restaurants are closed for the season.  Most inns have vacancies if they are open at all.  There were a few espresso shops open and Rosie’s for breakfast, all the outfitters and tour operators are closed, though one outfitter offered XC-Skiing tours.   It felt warmer than our walk to Mammoth Hot Springs earlier.  We remembered stopping in here and grabbing a bite there last year. We had fun reminiscing.  Yellowstone Wild was open.  C Thomas Hoff was at his desk just like last year.  His photographs pop off the page, just as they did last year.   One photo in particular, well two actually, but one well; Ellen and I discussed where it could go.  Over the fireplace?  But it would break up the wall.  It would look great there.  But I don’t think the colors would go well.  The blue and gray would be perfect.  But the blue isn’t the correct color and we’d have to put holes in the stone.  No we could drop the piece from the ceiling on transparent line.  How about in the stairway?   It was a losing proposition for me, but we were discussing color not price.  “It’s late in the season.  If you take it with you, I’ll give you 20% off.  Ellen liked that.

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We ate at Wonderland Café.  When we arrived the restaurant was nearly empty.  Ellen had butternut squash soup, some of my side salad (which was served in the coldest salad bowl ever), and some of my mac & cheese with pulled pork.  The pulled port was laced with maple syrup.  It was scrumptious.  By the time we left the restaurant was full with people waiting for seating.  Wonderland also has a bakery with some great looking scones on display.  Their huckleberry were sold out.  “Tomorrow” we said simultaneously. 

 

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Photograph on the Wall at Wonderland Café

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Diners at Wonderland Café

 

We stopped at Cowboy’s but didn’t bother to go in.  It has a distinctly old west look and feel.  It looks like a good place for a burger and a beer.  I wouldn’t expect much more.

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Cowboy’s & Red Cars?  It’s a Thing?

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Cowboys & Gazebos? It’s a Thing?

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Cold and Dressed for It

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We walked back over the bridge that’s under repair and down the street past the market before turning back. The scattered tour operators were closed.  We passed an elk youngling in one yard, a deer in another, and a skittish fawn who sped away.  Some houses had high wire around their yards and plants.  As twilight set in we walked back up the hill to Li’l Beast then looked for the laundry and showers.  We were back “home” at 7:43 when the first few rain drops fell. Twenty minutes there’s some serious rain falling.  Will we have snow overnight?

If it’s cold & stormy tomorrow, we’ll  hunker down for the day.  With no reservations driving us onward, we can stop where and when we like.

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Rocky Mountain RV Park

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A Great Gate and Li’l Beast in the Background

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It’s Too Cold for a River Run IMO

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Ever Feel This Way?

10/3/2019 Livingston, Gardiner, Mammoth, Old Faithful, Day 23

 

Osens RV Campground, Livingston Mt

Temp last night was a solid 38 F.  There was little threat of freezing.  Even so, Ellen very surprised said, “There’s no water!”.  “Paul must have disconnected the hose.”  Around 10 PM Paul goes around in a golf cart and does that to prevent frozen lines.  I stowed our hose and filter and switched our pump on. 

Ellen awoke early in the morning , “I think that’s the little dipper.  No it’s the big dipper.  I can see the stars for the first time.  They’re bright.  Oh there’s a satellite.”  Li’l Beast was gently rocking in the wind gusts as some sort of a front worked its way through Livingston.  I went back to sleep easily.

NPR is playing on my phone this morning as Ellen sleeps in.   No need to wake sleepy head.  Our Max/Min weather station shows a min of 37 and a max of 38 overnight.

Impeachment is the news of the day with The Orange One claiming treason, the buffoon.

Happy Birthday

“Happy Birthday” was the first thing Ellen said as I rolled our of bed.  She rolled over and went back to sleep. Today is my 70th birthday.  I’ve never thought much of birthdays.  To me they’re just another day.  Turning 40 or 50 didn’t phase me.  60 was a surprise.  “Don’t trust anyone over 30” or so the mantra went in my 20’s.  But 70? This is serious.  It’s fitting we saw the dinosaur museum yesterday.  I’m becoming one.

Are you going to do something special on your birthday?  How often is that asked?  Today we’ll visit Old Faithful and have lunch in the old lodge there. We’ll find a place to overnight either near Gardiner or at Mammoth.  There’s a campground that looks to be situated in a river valley with a cotton wood grove.  If true, we’ll check that out on the way.  We’ll also visit a photographer’s shop in Gardiner.  Last year we chatted with him for quite some time.  We spoke about wildlife, the park, the cottonwoods along the snake river, living in Gardiner, travel, his photographs, and what it takes to get “just that shot” in the wild.  I look forward to visiting with him.

“Something Special?”, Yellowstone is perhaps the most exotic monument in all of the New World.  It is fascinating.  From the primordial beds of thermophilic bacteria in and around the steaming colorful pools to the herds of buffalo and scattered wolves, it is a marvel and a treat to behold. And that’s not even considering the profound geology of the area.  Yup, Happy Birthday.

 

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Stupidity

It’s nearly impossible to talk of Yellowstone this year without dropping into a conversation about human stupidity.  First up was the drunken fellow bullfighting a buffalo.  Luckily for him, the buffalo was unimpressed with his taunts.  A video of the idiot went viral.  He was located and fined.

There was the case of a German family who rescued a baby buffalo.  The found the animal wandering around, put it in their car, and drove to a ranger station. “Here’s one that got loose.”

The manager at Osens’ was once asked, “When do they let the animals out”.  The woman seriously thought that Yellowstone rounded up their animals and housed them overnight like any good zoo would.

Last week two guys walked off the boardwalk around Old Faithful and went up to the geyser’s spout and looked in.  Photos of them also went viral.  Last I heard they could be fined for damaging the geyser as well for going off the boardwalk.

Just a few days ago, some drunken bozo arrived at a clinic with severe burns over a large portion of his body.  The next morning at Old Faithful,, rangers found a beer can, and evidence of someone falling into a hot pool.  He will also be fined once (if) he recovers.

Then there are the moms and dads who think it’s cute to take a photo of their toddler riding a buffalo.  Right, walk up to a wild animal and put your child atop. Facebook likes outweighs their child’s safety? 

I’ve had the benefit of many years of hiking in wildernesses in the U.S.  “There’s bears in them hills, you got a gun?” “No.”.  I had that chat beside a log cabin in Appalachia with a fellow who’d watch my car.  He was maybe 38 and had few teeth.  I’ve both seen and had close encounters with bear.  They are not to be messed with.  I’ve also walked past a yearling eating grubs from a fallen tree.  I was literally within a foot of him as I passed.  Risky?  You bet. Though the way that bear was focused on eating, I felt safe.  I think most people are out of touch with the violence inherent in the wilderness.  Apex predators are very real and very dangerous.

I have not personally experienced this level of D’oh behavior (walking past a yearling aside).  It’s out there. I hope we see grizzlies and wolves in the park, but at a very safe distance.  “Let’s go feed the bear” may cross my mind, but as a joke.  I would prefer not to become dinner.

LP Consumption

Gauging LP use is tricky.  When filled the tank will never go full.  We could have a fill then then next morning it will read 2/3.  OF course the tank will read 2/3 when the gauge just drops below Full.  It’ll read 1/2 when just below 2/3.

We filled our tank when we left Coeur D’Alene on 9/30.  Today our tank reads 1/4, though yesterday it read 1/4 as well.  We will fill today and divide the gallon fill by three to figure daily usage in cold weather.

Our LP tank is full.  It took 5 gal. which seemed strange.  At Blackwell we had a 7 gal fill. Still that’s about 1.66 gal LP consumed per cold day. Our tank holds 13 gal.  Perhaps our gauge reads 1/4 once the tank drops below 1/2.  Half of 13 is 6.5.  Unless the gauge is inaccurate (possible) or there is a built in “reserve” (likely), there is no way our gauge should read 1/4 and only take 5 gal.   Working backwards, if the tank were just below 1/2 full and took 5 gal it “should” read empty at 10 gal. That would leave a 3 gal reserve.  Also possible the gauge is not linear.  For most car fuel gauges, the gauge changes slowly from full and more quickly past 3/4. This would be the opposite of what I’m seeing.  Oh Well.

Not a Cloud in the SKY

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Yellowstone River West of Gardiner

Yellowstone RV Park, Mammoth Campground

Today started cool with strong winds in Livingston.  The sky was clear for the first time since our bike ride in Coeur D’Alene.  As the day developed, temperature soared reaching 77 F in the valleys.  Snowy peaks sheltered from the sun probably stayed cold.  Ellen wished me a wonderful sunrise and sunny warm day for my birthday.  She must have an “in” with the gods of the weather.  What a remarkable day today has been.

The drive from Livingston to Gardiner is along the Yellowstone River with some dramatic views over the river, across golden fields, to snow capped mountains.   There are numerous fishing holes and outfitters on the river.  Fishermen were everywhere.  We stopped at Yellowstone RV Park just outside Gardiner.  A dirt road drops down into a narrow canyon overlooking the Yellowstone river.  With no expansive views, it’s an “ok” campground.

The office sits atop the road.  It was closed.  The manager’s 5th wheel was close by.  I walked over, “Hello, anybody home?”  with no answer I walked back to the office.  There I found a note saying, “out to lunch be back soon”.  I turned back and saw Ellen talking with the manager.  Ellen had knocked.   Site 7 was open.  Ok we’ll look at it.  We walked down the road and Tammy went back to her lunch.  We decided #7 was ok, but couldn’t roust Tammy.  Ok, we’ll check out another site and call her back to make the reservation. Off we went.

Rocky Mountain RV Park & Cabins sits on a ridge above Gardiner.  It could have expansive views, but we would not know.  A sign announced FULL.   We called Tammy and left a message that we’d take site 7, please call us back.

With two other vehicles entering the park, we had no wait getting in.  With our Senior Pass, we paid nothing to enter.  We stopped at Madison Campground, again there was no line.  We chatted with Rickie about the park, weather, and campground.  At 12:15 they had lots of open sites, though the ones high up were all taken.  Only $14.46 a night for a site with no water, electricity, no sewer.  In fact the only place in the park to dump waste was Madison and they closed it down last week.  Temps dropped too low.  Increasingly we thought to stay outside the park for a few days, particularly if rain and snow is due tomorrow.  We drove the campground eying those sites that appealed to us for future use.

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Yellowstone National Park

I drove on to Old Faithful to get a renewed feel for the park.  We saw deer, elk, bison, and hare along the way.  We never stopped to scan the tree line for wolves or bear.  We recognized a few favorite places from last year’s trip.  “We’ll be back.”

I wanted to visit Old Faithful for lunch on my birthday.  Old Faithful is roughly 50 miles from Gardiner: No Problem.  The drive took about two hours, with some delay for road work.  My memory of the park was spot on in places and remarkably vapid in others.  Mammoth was as I remembered.  The drive from Mammoth to Gibbon Falls took far longer than I remembered.  Gibbon Falls is much closer to Madison than I remembered, probably because we drove it behind a herd of buffalo at 5 mph.  Past Madison 89 rises past to Firehole canyon. I remember walking this area looking for wolves last year.  I love, love, love the golden fields past Firehole Canyon on either side of Firehole River.  We saw several buffalo herds and elk harems in this area.  Old Faithful is not much farther.

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We saw steaming ponds and fumaroles, remembering those we visited last year.  Often we were unsure that we had stopped.   There is so much to explore in the park.  We stopped for buffalo and elk a few times.

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The Largest Log Hotel in the World

Old Faithful Inn

The town of Old Faithful has two inns.  The modern snow lodge and the Old Faithful Inn.  The snow lodge is modern, has wifi, and lacks the charm of the Old Faithful Inn (in my opinion).  The Old Faithful Inn may be the largest log building in the world.  It opened in the spring of 1904.

I had wanted to have late lunch in the Inn’s dining room.  The dining room opens at 5PM.  We could have waited, but wanted to get back “home” before sunset.  That left us the Inn’s restaurant, with a choice of bison burger, chicken sandwich, hummus, or a salad.

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Happy Birthday

 

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