I finally have a little time to write this blog and tell you all about our 2-day whirlwind tour of Yellowstone National Park. We probably weren't as efficient as we could have been in driving around the park, but we did get to see a large amount of the park with a couple of quality hikes sprinkled in for good measure.
Yellowstone Day 1 (27th)
We arrived in the park late Sunday night (7/26) after our full day in Grand Teton National Park. The next morning I cooked a feast of bacon and eggs and potatoes wrapped in tortillas, i.e., breakfast burritos! The kids (and Jill) *loved* them and we enjoyed a very leisurely breakfast time in our cabin. It was only after I had finished cooking that I noticed the sign that said "no cooking in the room!" Oh, well...
After our tummies were full, we headed to the Canyon Visitor Education Center (CVEC), a new addition to the park. In a word, this new facility was excellent. The kids were fascinated by the exhibits, from the stuffed animals in natural habitat to the interactive displays on the seismic and thermal features under and around Yellowstone. Nick shared with us the fact that underneath Yellowstone is one of the world's largest "super volcanoes." I wasn't aware of this fact, but the fabulous Mr. S (Nick's history teacher) had told Nick about it and he remembered. Fortunately for all of us it's not supposed to erupt in the next millenia...
At the visitor center, the kids decided to do the Yellowstone Junior Ranger program. Although similar to the program at Mount Rushmore, this program was much more involved, with requirements such as attending a Ranger-led program, hiking on a park trail, and completing activities on various park resources, issues, and concepts such as geothermal geology, park wildlife, and fire ecology. The cost of the program was $3 per child, and if completed, the kids would earn a patch that could be sewn on to a backpack or a jacket. The kids signed up and started working on filling out the pages with vigor using the resources at the CVEC. Below are a couple of examples of the exhibits at the CVEC, these ones on detecting earthquakes:
An interesting sidebar is that I once did some work with a wonderful Palo Alto-based company called Stellar Solutions and one of their subsidiary companies, QuakeFinder. As their site states, QuakeFinder is dedicated to earthquake forecasting research to develop, within the next decade, a global warning system of ULF magnetometers used to detect imminent destructive earthquakes. I think their technology is very interesting, and while I was in Yellowstone, I thought maybe this would be a good place to put a network of their sensors. Just another thing to do when I get back to the Bay Area!
We left the CVEC and headed for the North Rim of the Grand Canyon: we were going to hike down to the brink of the 109 foot Upper Yellowstone Falls. It was a short trail and the kids enjoyed the brief little hike to get there. Here are a few of the pictures on the hike to get there and of the scenic overlook:
After staring over the edge and resisting the urge to jump, we headed back through the parking lot to the north rim trail that leads to the brink Lower Yellowstone Falls, where a longer trail descends to a fenced viewing area right beside the falls as they drop down 308 feet into the depths of the canyon. This was truly an amazing place, with beautiful views of the falls and the canyon, outlined in mist and rainbows. Nick said it best when he gasped, "This is the most beautiful view I have ever seen." Here are a few different pics of this area, including the hike back up the switchbacks with Josh on my back:
Our next stop was Inspiration Point, a small but busy outcropping of rock that offered great views of the canyon directly up and down the river. Unfortunately we were having a little meltdown with "Flame" (aka Josh) and only Nick, Natalie and I went to look. Although it was a mass of people going to a small location, it was well worth the walk -- the views were simply stunning. Nick preferred the view from the brink of Lower Yosemite Falls, but I think this view was tough to beat. Take a look at the photos from Inspiration Point:
After we got back to the car it was clear we needed to take a little lunch break, near a place where the kids could go swimming. Since we were going to go to see Old Faithful in the evening light, we headed down towards Grant Village, looking for a place to stop and swim on Yellowstone Lake. The first we stopped was by Lake Yellowstone Lodge, a monstrous yellow hotel and set of cabins right on the shores of Yellowstone Lake. We parked and got out of the car but just barely, as the wind was so strong it practically knocked Josh over! We stayed for a little while, running around on the black sand and in the waves, but decided to go to somewhere a little calmer. We did get some great shots though:
Yellowstone Day 2 (28th)
-Early start
-Old Faithful Geyser Basin hike 2.5-3 miles
-Norris Geyser Basin for lunch
-Mammoth Visitor Center, Junior Ranger Ceremony
-Drive to Bozeman
Peace,
Brian
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