2018 - Kenya Discovers the Wild West - Days 5 - 8

Day 5, September 14, 2018 – Geysers, Geysers and Geysers

Our first day of exploring Yellowstone National Park was a real adventure as we meandered down the west side.  There along the cauldron’s edge run the high mountains with sheer cliffs down to the deep gorge of the Gibbon River that at one point gushes down a lovely waterfall. But most of the trip finds us looking at the many billows of steam popping up from the ground. At the Norris Geyser Basin we hiked for almost two miles through a large area of steaming geysers … some just spouting steam, some steaming over brilliantly colored water, some just percolating boiling water which sounds just like a boiling pot on the stove, some just sounding like the wind blowing, and some really giving off that sulfur odor. Today one little geyser was spewing water up 3-4-5 feet for over three and a half minutes, which the local ranger categorized as a major geyser.

Old Faithful

I wanted to stop at the Midway Geyser Basin, but both going down and coming back the parking lot was full, jammed at the entrance and lined up along the road.  We wondered why so many are here in September … don’t people work anymore??  So this little trek will have to wait for another day.  We were, however, in time to see Old Faithful show her magnificence. She was right on time and did not disappoint. 

Firehole Canyon Falls

Another beautiful little jaunt was through the Firehole Canyon Drive which follows the twisting Firehole River. There’s the breathtaking view of the 800-foot high sheer cliffs which tower over the canyon; and, it is interesting to note, the river does not freeze in the winter due to the hot springs beneath it.  That warm water then became the swimming hole in this area. And then a 40-foot falls gushing between the rocks provides a gorgeous picture where one could just sit and be mesmerized for hours!   There’s another wonderful falls on the Gibbon River that cascades down the rocks, the water then meandering through the grassy flat areas. 

While Father Robert had seen a geyser in Kenya, he was amazed at all that we saw today. Again, you have to be here to experience it. This area does have the world’s highest concentration of geysers, and we are privileged to be able to enjoy them. 

Day 6, September 15, 2018 – Canyons and Falls

Today Fr. Robert and I spent the day exploring the east end of Yellowstone while Bob stayed back to rest.  Again, how does one describe the incredible beauty of driving up and down the mountains, the vast expanses of hills and valleys, some yellow with wild grasses, others very green with evergreens? Then there’s the very deep canyons with steep cragged, jagged walls and pillars of stone, all carved out by what looks like a very small river, though we know that the Yellowstone River is not all that small!  We made many stops along the way to soak in the wonder of it all -- the canyon above Tower Falls, the North Rim of the colorful Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, as well as the graceful Tower Falls, then the Upper and Lower falls. 

Mammoth Hot Springs

After a little lunch at the Canyon Village store and purchasing a few souvenirs, we headed back to our place, but not before taking in the expansive Mammoth Hot Springs.  The gigantic chalk-white travertine terraces are created by the interactions of water and limestone. The park information states the terraces are among the fastest changing features in the park, emerging quickly and drying up just as fast.  There are pockets of steam and water spewing out in many places … and it just keeps growing!  The nice thing today was it didn’t seem as crowded … we actually found parking places everywhere we stopped! Even so, Father Robert was amazed at how many people were here doing exactly what we are doing!

Father’s commented that the park offers such a vast array of natural phenomenon, all of which are “out of this world!”  That about says it all. And all of us are so glad we’re able to experience it.

Day 7,  September 16, 2018 – Mountains and Valleys

Trumpeter Swans

This morning we entered Yellowstone National Park once again, backtracking along yesterday’s eastern roadway, but this time continuing past Canyon Village. While still following the Yellowstone River, we encountered Hayden Valley, an expansive plateau of yellow grasses where wild animals are often found grazing.  We did see a lone Bull bison and a few mule deer, and we were very excited to see some magnificent trumpeter swans and their babies on a small lake. We’re told only about 1,500 exist in the entire world! Of course, Yellowstone Lake’s sparkling blue waters welcomes the eye against the yellowing tree leaves, green evergreens and hazy blue/gray mountains in the background. Yellowstone Lake is the highest mountain lake in North America and also one of the largest, 14 by 20 miles.  And it is also over 400 feet deep.  After a brief respite to enjoy the lake, we continue south, over the Continental Divide at about 8,000 feet, and out of the park.  For Fr. Robert, it’s been a once-in-a lifetime experience.  And even for Bob and me, such a mixture of phenomenon and unique vistas are never tiring.

But as many of you know, leaving one National Park here leads right into another, this time the Grand Teton National Park.  While we didn’t take a lot of time to explore, just driving along the winding Snake River and enjoying the jagged mountains rising, without foothills, straight out of the Jackson Hole plateau from 11,000 to almost 14,000 feet tall, most peppered with snow and glaciers, was amazing.  We did stop at several lookouts to take in the panoramic view across Jackson Hole to the Teton Range. As we approached Jackson, there is an expansive Elk Preserve area. Unfortunately we didn’t see any herds of elk, and we surmised they were still resting in the high plains on this sunny, warm afternoon!

The elk antler arches on the four corners of the town square park in Jackson are always a draw. And we were no exception to that draw, stopping to get that picture in front of an arch. All of them were created in the 1960s with elk antlers collected by the local Boy Scouts.  Very unique, as is the western flare of the town with its wooden sidewalks!

The remainder of the day was spent driving west -- twisting, turning, up and down through more mountains crossing through some beautiful valleys filled with ranches and farm fields on our way to Idaho Falls.  It was nice to get here mid-afternoon and to just relax before taking off again tomorrow.  This is indeed a beautiful country!

Day 8, September 17, 2018 – Craters of the Moon and Salt Lake City

Traveling westward from Idaho Falls for over 60 miles, we follow along a high plateau of approximately 5,000 feet that is pretty much devoid of trees but is used for farming and open range grazing.  Large square bales of something yellow, probably wheat, are either stacked at the fields’ edges or still scattered in the fields. Many of the fields are irrigated, but there were a few bright green fields of hay – everything else is pretty much yellow or just sage brush wilderness.  We did note, however, that when some where driving through or plowing the fields, there’d be a huge cloud of dust that could be seen for miles. What really surprised me is once we got to Craters of the Moon, a topographical layout of the area showed the plateau as being only a very small area that is totally surrounded by mountains!

Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve is a very interesting place.  This 1,100-square-mile area contains basaltic volcanic rock from activity that took place between 2,000 and 15,000 years ago. While most of the lava in the vicinity now has sage and other vegetation growing on it, about a 52-mile area is still quite bare with sharp black lava rocks and cones from fountains of molten gases that shot up into the air (called a’a) or smoother rocks from the flowing lava (called pahoehoe).  Some of the cones are quite large, up to 700 feet; but because the rock is so porous, the lava has pulverized and most have vegetation growing on them. Interesting enough, this entire lava bed was not the result of explosive volcanic activity, but simply lava seeping up from fissures in the earth. 

From here we doubled back just a bit, then south to Salt Lake City where we stopped to stroll the Temple Square of the Church of Latter Day Saints. It is so beautiful and peaceful there with the gorgeous flowers and landscaping.  The Visitor’s Center has a huge display on the life of Jesus as well as a large statue of Him up stairs where one can sit and contemplate.  The cavernous Salt Lake Tabernacle, completed in 1867, hosts a huge organ with the acoustics such that one can hear a pin dropped in the front all the way in the back.  Of course, this is home to the world-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir. It is an amazing building.

We’re spending the night in Provo, hoping to cook up some chicken breasts for dinner; but we couldn’t get the camping stove to work, so a delicious pizza was second choice!  So we’ve had another wonderful day meandering across our wild west and enjoying much different scenery. Most of today was through mountains that were bare rock except for what looked like moss over them and valleys filled with golden grasses speckled with occasional evergreen trees. Even the deciduous tree leaves are turning yellow and occasionally red. A heavy haze rides over the mountains due to two large forest fires raging uncontrolled just south of us. This may change our plans for tomorrow as roads are closed, so we will be praying for the threatened homes and the firefighters as we find a way to work around it.