YelIowstone Park, WY. I came to Yellowstone because it was the start of it all…the National Parks system. I came to see Old Faithful, wild animals, mountains and lakes. I was fortunate to see all these things and more. As I reflect on my week in Yellowstone I realize that I received one of Natures greatest gifts, peace. Beautiful sunsets, majestic mountains, a glimpse of fawn gingerly taking its first steps from the safety of its mother all invite you to open your soul to the serenity of the park. Climbing, hiking horseback riding provide the balance of leaving your body refreshed and renewed.
Although Yellowstone is a big park, spanning some 3,468 square miles, it is infinitely assessable. Paved roads get you from one end of the park to another, and secondary roads take you to some of the more interesting park features. Far and away the best way to see the park is to get out of your car and onto one of the many trails…they are all well maintained and run the gamut from a short simple stroll to an exhilarating 4 hour vertical rock scramble.
Tetons w/Snake River
I also went to Grand Teton Park, just south of Yellowstone. For beautiful mountain vistas, this park has no parallel. I went on a half-day tour via horseback. My guide, cowboy Kasey (with a “K”), regaled me with stories of Wyoming and his boyhood in Idaho. Turns out we had a common literary hero in Ernest Hemingway. Kasey went on to talk about his favorite authors, their works and his impression of them. In short order it was clear that Kasey doesn’t spend all his days on the trail…he was one well-read cowboy! The ride included climbs up steep hillsides to get a better view of the Tetons, splashing through a series of ice cold rivers and streams…I always wanted to do that…make a big splash when fording a river on a horse…seems so cool, and it was! My favorite however was riding through a large stand of Quaking Aspens.
The contrast of the white bark against the now golden foliage was striking. The wind rustling through the branches and the small golden leaves flying around, like a hundred brilliant rays of sunshine, was not to be forgotten!
Wildlife was out in force in Yellowstone. It is the rutting season, so male virility was prominently on display. The bugling of Elk would go on for hours around sunset, reverberating through the park. I'd heard that one of the largest packs of wolves lived in Yellowstone, in the Lamar valley. The Lamar is known as the Serengeti of Yellowstone...it all happens in this valley. Try as I might, I never did see the elusive wolf. I did see many, many bison however. They are in the grasslands, the roads, even the campgrounds. I think the bison ought to be the symbol of Yellowstone (not to take anything away from Old Faithful...but read on). The story of the bison is an inspiring one. The American Bison was once the most numerous single species of wild mammal on earth. During the 1800’s, reckless white settlers slaughtered the bison for their hides, sport, trophy and to eliminate the primary source of food for the American Indian. Driven to the brink of extinction, it was in Yellowstone that the Bison made its “last stand”. In a desperate attempt attempt to survive, 23 Bison hid out in Yellowstone’s Pelican Valley in late 1800's. They endured near starvation, predation and the elements. Today, there are now
over 3500 hundred free-ranging in the Park and 100’s of thousands elsewhere throughout the west. This is great success story for animal conservation and the perseverance of the Bison.
Long may he roam.
Arco, Idaho. I used to only say this to myself on a particularly bad day at work..but here at the Craters of the Moon National Park it felt like I had landed on the moon, or some distant planet. The landscape is definitely otherworldly. Its all a result of a volcanic eruption some 2000 years ago. The hardened black lava covers the landscape as far as the eye can see, leaving behind a series of caves, unusual formations, lava pipes and cinder cones. I climbed to top of the tallest cinder cone and found to my surprise this one tree growing on top of what is one of the most barren landscapes I’ve ever seen. I thought about how this tree is a symbol of how life preservers in spite of incredible adversity.
The Survivor
Aside from the Craters of the Moon park, I found Idaho to be incredibly bountiful in her lakes, rivers, mountains, forests and ranchland. I’m ashamed to admit that I really didn’t know much about Idaho…and have always thought of it as simply the potato capital of the US. Happily, I’ve had my narrow view corrected, and enjoyed every minute of it. I was able to spend several days camping in the Sawtooth mountains. The area is really an outdoor paradise, with something to offer in every season. Skiing (both down hill and cross-country) is very popular, and the combination of the mountains and wide-open rolling plains creates an ideal environment for skiers. Hunting and fishing are very popular outdoor activities in Idaho as is hiking, horseback riding and white water rafting.
Idaho is also rich in mineral deposits. Like many of the western states, this fact brought a virtual stampede of people during the 1800’s hoping to strike it rich.
Towns sprung up and grew rapidly during the gold rush days. Today, their “ghosts” dot the landscape as a stark reminder of how fortunes can turn…boom to bust. These towns stand in testament to the “Darwinian” era of business…before government bailouts came into fashion (I guess some would say necessity today). As I strolled the dirt roads of the ghost towns of Bonanza and Custer, I couldn’t help but wonder if history might repeat itself, and where the ghost towns of the future might be?
Hell's Canyon
This has been a fantastic week. I started out on the most Northwesterly corner of Oregon on the coastline. Wow! I’ve never seen such a dramatic coastline. The first hundred or so miles were all about waves crashing violently against mountains and boulders. Blue, blue water, the ever-present scent of pines and sunshine greeted me every single day. I haven’t seen a cloud in over a week! I stopped in several places…they were all great.
Oregon CoastlineSomeone told me Manzanita was wonderful, so I stopped there and had lunch…charming beach town with great organic restaurants. Stopped by on my way back from the town beach and chatted with a women who runs a real estate outfit…hmmm, ever so tempting, she pointed out a charming cottage on the hillside over looking the beach. I am keeping the brochure! The lower part of the Oregon coast then moves on to giant sand dunes….they are everywhere…an ATV’ers paradise!
I then moved inland to the lower central part of Oregon. My goal was to see Crater Lake. Again, more drama than you can possibly imagine. The drama further escalated when I found my way blocked by a large forest fire. It had been burning for several days…natural causes, lightening. Anyway, roads were closed, and I ended up having to wind my way there through a series of secondary roads. The silver lining in all this was that I was able to see more of Oregon…off the beaten path…um, way off the beaten path. Crater Lake National Park is gorgeous. I spent a couple of days hiking and taking in the various vistas around the lake. The pictures just do not do it justice..its a huge lake surrounded on all sides by rugged and unusual rock formations. The water is sapphire blue. Because of the fire, many of the photos are hazy..but you should get the idea.
After Crater Lake, I pointed myself…and my 40-foot caravan, due Northeast. My last stop in Oregon is the Hells Canyon area. The terrain from Crater Lake to the Northeastern part of the state changes quite a bit. I first moved through the high plains area…miles and miles of golden grasses…small glimpses of Mt. Hood and large cattle ranches dot the landscape. My goal was to see Hells Canyon, which is the deepest canyon in the US (I always thought the Grand Canyon was..but I’ve learned otherwise). My base camp was in the Wallowa Lake National Park. To get to the park, you go through this unbelievably charming town called Joseph. The facades of many of the buildings are all in Old West style. What’s really cool about it is that it is sort of an artist’s community. The specialty here is large bronze statues. These magnificent works of art are on every street corner in town, and other places, like the roofs of buildings.
Ride em' cowboy - town square Joseph OR Bronze sculpture, bronze art foundries and galleries were all a part of my life growing up, its what my father did for a living, and what he lived to do! Consequently, there are several photos of Joseph and the art that graces the town. It’s a great town, with wonderful people, restaurants and bars (saloons). On my second day, made the trek to Hells Canyon. I am not sure if its called Hells Canyon because of the terrain…which is hellish, or the road to get there, which is even more hellish.. The road I chose to take, which is really more of a dirt path scratched out of the cliffs, winds 24 miles from the point where I made my ascent. It is so steep, twisted and narrow that I could only go about 10-15 mph…it’s a real white-knuckle experience. There is something exhilarating about scaring the hell out of yourself. When I finally reached my destination, I jumped out of the car and praised the Hell’s Canyon Gods for delivering me! The vista was unbelievable….I stood near the edge and looked down, and then looked around…and told myself the power of nature is truly divine. I carefully backed away from the edge. I also did the same thing I did when I was kid visiting the Grand Canyon; I threw a rock down into the abyss.
I should mention that trip up was nothing compared to the terror of taking the road back down. Even in the lowest gear, it was a challenge to keep the truck slow enough so that it would not slide around the hairpin turns. At one point as I was winding my way down, I could see a truck making its way up….horrors…this is less than a single lane dirt road! Not sure of what scary as hell road protocol is..but since I was on the mountainside, as opposed to the cliff to oblivion side, I slowed to a crawl and edged my left-hand side wheels into the cliff to try to make room for the truck to pass. As the truck inched up to me, the driver rolled down his window and shouted through the dust cloud…”Hey Connecticut..yer a long way from home ain’t ya” I solemnly stated, Yessiree!!
I want to tell you that I did something today that I haven’t done so far on this trip and that is…I did nothing. No driving, no planning, no hiking, no paddling. I took the day off. I know it’s a bit of a joke, when I’m on this extended road trip, but seriously, I haven’t had a day of just hanging out. It’s been great. Right now, I am sitting by the campfire with my laptop..really on my lap, writing this blog entry. The stars are out, and all I can hear is the wind in the trees and the crackling of the fire. The night is so special, I am going to dig out the sleeping bag and sleep outside, with nothing between me and the heavens but fresh air. Goodnight.
Alaska – Inside Passage. The second part of our visit to Alaska included a tour of the inside passage. We took the cross-gulf ferry. It’s about a 3-day trip through some extraordinary terrain. In addition to seeing some spectacular glaciers and rugged mountains, we also stopped in 3 ports. Yakutat, famous for the Hubbard glacier. Hubbard is a tidewater glacier stretching some 76 miles. It is an advancing glacier, and if it continues, it will eventually reach and close the seaward entrance of the Russell Fiord. This will create the largest glacially dammed lake in North America. We also stopped at Juneau, the capital of Alaska (completely inaccessible by land…you can only get there by sea or plane), and my favorite, Ketchikan. Ketchikan boosts the largest collection of Totem Poles in North America…they even grace the front of some peoples homes.
Ketchikan - CreeksideI especially liked the Creekside area of Ketchikan. The salmon were in abundance in the creek and the restored gold-rush era buildings made it easy to step back in time. You can almost still hear the music and levity spilling out from the saloon and onto the wooden sidewalk.
The inside passage is also a great way to see marine wildlife. We saw many, many whales. Pods of killer whales and dolphins were also spotted. I loved it! There is something mystical about whales, and I felt privileged to see so many. One thing I learned while on the inside passage cruise, was that I have a tolerance for about 3 days at sea. The vistas were unbelievable, but the same dining room, same food, etc. made me feel a little closed in. Still, there is absolutely no better way to see that much of Alaska's coastline - fantastic!
PS – It was a tad chilly!!!
Me - On deck
Wittier, AK (~6100 miles traveled). I know, its been quite a long time since I last posted here..but I've been busy exploring and having fun. I've also been away from my laptop and wireless signal (nice to do every once in a while, trust me).
Denali - a rare clear view
When I started telling people about this trip, many of them questioned the choice of Alaska as one of my key destinations. They’d cite all the usual stuff, its cold there, its rugged, it’s a long way away, and there are grizzly bears in Alaska. All true. As for the cold, yes indeed it has been cold. I think it fell below freezing every night. But as a fellow hiker told me, “there is no such thing as the wrong kind of weather for hiking, there is only the wrong kind of clothing!” We went out everyday, and enjoyed some of the most spectacular scenery imaginable. I consider it an honor of nature that on the first day that we went to see Denali, it was perfectly clear and we saw the entire mountain in all its glory. Something that is really very rare I am told. Denali is glorious. Its jagged, snow covered peaks present a sharp contrast to an unbelievably blue sky. It has the highest absolute vertical ascent of any mountain on earth (I know Everest is taller, but Denali has a greater overall bulk and vertical rise).
me - Denali Park
I did travel over 6,000 miles to get to Alaska, and I guess that’s a long way, but going a long way was entirely the point of this trip in the first place…..which has been great. We saw many animals in Alaska, including grizzly bears. It happens to be the time of year when the salmon are making their run upstream to spawn, which provides a veritable feast for the bears. One night while we were camping along the
beautiful lakeshore of Quartz Creek Lake, in the Kenai peninsula area, a bear decided to give our trailer a shove in the middle of the night. The three of us woke with a start. My brave dog made a beeline for our bed, and once firmly ensconced in my lap, managed to muster enough courage to growl at the bear outside.
The bear left without incident (no doubt in fear for its life after hearing from my ferocious dog ☺ ). The next morning, the only evidence that a bear had been about was a deep recess in the beach that the bear had dug to lie down in, and a few salmon skeletons scattered about. I don’t know why the bear decided to shove our trailer, perhaps just to remind us who is king of the forest in Alaska. Which brings me back to the question of why go into the wilderness. There was a time when people were drawn to Alaska, not so much for the wilderness itself, but for what it contained. The gold rush of the 1800’s is a great example and of course there’s the modern day “gold rush” for oil which is unfortunately still going on. Others have gone and continue to go in order to pit themselves against nature itself… .a contest that takes no prisoners and has claimed a number of lives through the years. Another group of people, and I met a few of them, go to Alaska in search of a simpler life, relatively free from the modern world. I didn’t go for any of those reasons. I went because I wanted to see and feel what one of the few remaining wild places on earth was like. I wanted to walk on the tundra, climb in the mountains, plunge my hands in glacial melt and splash my face with the coldest, cleanest water imaginable. I wanted to see animals in their natural habitat, living as they were meant to live. I was able to do all these things and more. I took nothing away from Alaska except pictures, memories and a more profound sense of my own place in the greater order of things.
Go if you can.
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over 3500 hundred free-ranging in the Park and 100’s of thousands elsewhere throughout the west. This is great success story for animal conservation and the perseverance of the Bison.
