National Park Road Trip: Yellowstone Day 2 (Part 8)

August 5, 2019InACents Leave a comment

After our family’s first full day in Yellowstone, and only seeing the northern half of sites, I was quite surprised just how much there was to see and do. I am also very thankful that my wife opted to download the Gypsy Yellowstone app, as it proved to be an invaluable tool in making sure we saw the most important sites within the park.

Going into the park with little expectations, it was quite exhausting with so many sites to see. It is also quite astonishing how many different landscapes there are to see within Yellowstone. One area will be dense forest, and then the next area you go are boiling mud pots, or barren geyser basins. I could only imagine what earlier pioneers thought upon discovering the beauty of Yellowstone.

Artists’ Paintpots

Probably one of my personal favorite spots within Yellowstone was the Artists’ Paintpots. We got a really early start and arrived at this site at 6:45 in the morning. We were the only ones in the parking lot, at least for a couple moments, and started to make the 1-mile hike back to the site.

Being so early made for some cool scenes with the fog in the partially burned lodgepole forest.

Watching the various boiling pods of water and bubbling mud so close was fascinating!

We ended up spending roughly an hour hiking the trail and enjoying the various scenes, especially since for the most part we had the trail to ourselves.

Following Artists Paintpots, we continued on the journey south and made a quick stop at Gibbon Falls to see the cascading water.

Fountain Paint Pots

At the recommendation of the Gypsy app, we decided to do the short hike and explore the various formations at the Fountain Paint Pots site. The boardwalk gets you up close to various sites, some with boiling water, others gushing steam.

The Clepsydra Geyser was erupting rather violently, but the steam coming out of the formation made for it being rather difficult to actually see anything.

Also near the Fountain Paint Pots was a little road that tended to be well worth investigating, that took us to White Dome Geyser and Pink Cone Geyser.

We happen to be driving through just before 9:00 am and were one of very few cars on the trail. We also got extremely lucky to see Pink Cone Geyser going off for an extended period of time. Apparently this only erupts approximately every 16 hours or so, and you can pull up practically besides the geyser, which was fascinating to watch.

Grand Prismatic

One of the areas we were excited to see was the Grand Prismatic spring in Yellowstone for its beautiful color arrangement.

The short hike from the parking lots takes guests past Excelsior Geyser Crater, which used to be very active but has remained relatively dormant for quite a while.

The boardwalk than takes guests near the Grand Prismatic spring.

While pretty cool to see, you do not really get a good perspective of the colors being at ground level. If the wind blows the steam in the right direction, you might get a glimpse of the colors of the rainbow. However, overall the views were pretty unimpressive.

They really should consider building a higher up platform to really get a good angle looking down into the spring. We hear there might be a trail in the hills behind the spring, but we did not have time to fully explore more.

Old Faithful Geyser

By this point in the day, it was a little past 10:00 am when we arrived at the Old Faithful Geyser site. This massive facility was packed full of vehicles and probably one of the busiest sites we saw the entire time in Yellowstone.

The kids quickly accomplished their Jr Ranger badges and by a couple minutes past 11:00 am, the Old Faithful geyser started to go off in a very quick and small display of power.

So we explored the Old Faithful Inn, had a quick bite to eat, and sat on the deck waiting until the next eruption at 12:49 pm. Fortunately this show was way better than the prior and we could move on with our adventure.

Old Faithful was our last official stop in Yellowstone as we then made our way to Grand Teton National Park.

However, we made one last unexpected stop at the Continental Divide sign, which while nothing spectacular to most, was pretty cool to say we were there.

National Park Road Trip: Yellowstone Day 1 (Part 7)

July 19, 2019InACents Leave a comment

A year of planning. Advanced reservations months ahead of the trip. The day had finally come when we were heading into the big daddy and where the National Park Service first got its start, Yellowstone National Park.

To say we were excited was an understatement. For a family that normally gets excited for a new ride to open at an amusement park, this was a whole different experience. A more relaxed pace and way of seeing parks.

We got up and were on the road for Yellowstone by 6:00 am to get ahead of any potential crowds. This proved to be one of the best tips of the trip, and since we were still accustomed to EST, it was not difficult to be up then.

Another irreplaceable tip is to download the Gypsy app and purchase the Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park guides.

For much of the time within the National Parks, and a lot of places out west in general, cell phone coverage is spotty at best. This is why it is critical to pick up paper maps of each of the parks you visit. We had also done tons of map research ahead of the trip, knowing the general direction we were traveling. However, the Gypsy app makes for a fantastic guided tour of the parks!

The app knows where you are on the map using GPS, and even the direction of travel, and then offers customized narration of the journey. Not only does the app provide tons of great historical background on the parks, but also tells you whether stops were worth your time to see or not.

We had planned one whole day for the Yellowstone upper loop, and then another whole day for the lower loop. We were then based at the Canyon Lodge. More details on the Canyon Lodge below.

Mud Volcano & Dragons Mouth Spring

Our first stop of the day in Yellowstone National Park, thanks to the Gypsy app, was Mud Volcano and Dragons Mouth Spring.

The sulfur smell in the air. The boiling ground. This was our family’s first glimpse of natures incredible geological formations at work, live in front of us. Sure we have been to Hawaii and seen active volcano, but this was different. We were up close to these amazing formations. Upon closer thought, we were standing on top one of the earth’s most active volcanic sites on the planet, and even though the threat of it becoming a much more problematic eruption were slim, it very much was a dose of reality.

Dragons Mouth Spring was fascinating to sit and watch, as the underground cavern echoed with exploding water from deep within, causing steam to billow out. It was amazing!

Continuing on Grand Loop Road, our next stop was the Upper and Lower Falls of Yellowstone.

Upper and Lower Falls of Yellowstone

When most people see photos of Yellowstone, they likely see the iconic upper and lower waterfalls, including Artist Point.

There were some great pull-offs with great viewing of the falls that were easy walks for families. This was likely one of those instances where we were very fortunate be out ahead of the crowds, as even though there were people there at roughly 9:00 am, it still was easily manageable to get a good view and some photos.

Norris Geyser Basin

Even though we may have done some research ahead of the trip of the general direction and area of travel while in Yellowstone, we ultimately reserved our stops for the recommended highlights using the Gypsy Yellowstone guide.

Our second major stop he recommended was at the Norris Geyser Basin.

This short and easy hike was absolutely worth the time up to see Emerald Spring and Steamboat Geyser. During our visit, we happen to be within the window of when Steamboat Geyser erupts, so lots of people had been camping out on the boardwalk all night in anticipation. We waited around a little while, but ultimately did not see it blow.

By 10:00 am, this site was pretty bustling and our first real encounter with crowds, though nothing unmanageable.

The kids did not want to hike down into the basin, so we enjoyed it from afar with a full schedule of sites still ahead.

Mammoth Hot Springs

Following the Norris Geyser Basin, we headed north to the Mammoth Hot Springs site, spending about an hour exploring the top and bottom of the structures, and a brief stop into the town of Mammoth.

Following Mammoth, we briefly drove into Montana to see the Roosevelt Arch. At this point in the trip, including our home state of Ohio, we had been to 8 states.

Lamar Valley

One of the areas we hoped we would have enough time to explore was the Lamar Valley, but we were not sure if we would have enough time. Fortunately, since we got a really early start, we had plenty of time to head out before checking into our Lodge.

The Lamar Valley was quite impressive with wildlife.

While there were quite a few buffalo, at one point one was blocking our access to the road, so we had to wait and then slowly drive around it. He grunted in digust.

Canyon Lodge, Yellowstone National Park

When planning on visiting Yellowstone, one of the biggest decisions one needs to make well in advance of the trip is where they want to stay. Those with hard-sided campers have it somewhat easy as they can set up shop at campgrounds within the park, albeit at a premium. For us, we had to make the decision to pay a really high premium and stay at a National Park Lodge or to make the long drive back out of the park, potentially late at night, and possibly deal with traffic.

We ultimately sucked it up and went with the Canyon Lodge and their Western Cabin for one night since it was one of the cheaper options at just shy of $300. This is likely one of the most expensive nights stays we have ever had anywhere in the world, and yet did not earn any reward points, and the facility offers minimal amenities. No pool. No television. No air conditioning.

We were lucky to get two queen beds, and fortunately, it gets cold enough at night (was down to 40° F on our visit) to offer comfortable sleeping arrangements with the windows cracked open.

As a general rule, we found everything to cost about double what it does back home. Gas. Food. Accommodations. Everything.

At the Canyon Lodge, they do have a grocery store, which was really helpful to stock up on supplies to fill our cooler for the day with lunch items, but again realize, it costs about double what you would expect back home.

We also opted to have dinner at the Canyon Lodge Eatery, which I was very delighted to find a vegan friendly BEYOND MEAT™ plant-based Swiss Steak.

After a very long day, it was time to get some rest, as tomorrow promised another full day touring the southern Yellowstone area, including Old Faithful, and then heading out towards the Grand Tetons National Park.

National Park Road Trip: Devils Tower and Onto Cody, WY (Part 6)

July 18, 2019InACents Leave a comment

After our first couple days of being in the parks, we were excited for just how much grand the scenery ahead of our journey would be for the next couple weeks. We got up early from our hotel in Keystone and headed out towards Devil’s Tour.

The journey would take us over two hours to reach Devils Tower. Unfortunately, Devils Tower is not located close to I-90, which means an extensive drive on back roads to the park. Although it is pretty cool to see the Devils Tower butte appear out of nowhere on the horizon.

Having never been to the park, we had no idea what to expect. After showing our National Park pass, we proceeded to drive to the base of Devils Tower and the Ranger Station. The kids acquired their Junior Ranger badges and we were off on the 1.3-mile loop around the base of the formation.

Seeing Devils Tower up close was quite impressive and a nice, casual hike for the family with nice trees from the surrounding forest.

Devils Tower is also a great location to pack a lunch and eat at the base of the monument. Just pack plenty of water, as it was hot during our summer visit.

Drive to Cody, WY

Following our departure from Devils Tower, we began the long journey to Cody, WY, where we would spend the night before heading into Yellowstone National Park.

This drive was a shockingly barren landscape with few, if any exits along I-90. At some point I remember seeing we had approximately 1/3 tank of gas left and figured we would stop at the next exit. Yet it never came. Or if there was, it was a dirt road with no gas stations within site.

At one point panic began to settle in as van computer said we had zero range left and were riding on fumes in the dessert heat. So at that point, we pulled off the freeway onto another dirt road that just so happen to have a single farm house.

Knock, knock, knock. No answers. However, there was a gas tank onsite, and at that point in the middle of nowhere, we had no other option. So we filled the van with a couple gallons of gas to get us the 30 miles or so to the next gas station, and then left cash on their front door. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and calling AAA would have taken hours. Since we had cash, I did not feel guilty buying a couple gallons off the unknown farmer. However, we learned a valuable lesson. For the rest of the trip, the gas gauge never went below a half tank to ensure we always had plenty of fuel to get to the next town.

On the drive, we happen to go through Bighorn National Forest, which was absolutely beautiful! We had no formal stops, but did pull off and take some pictures at Shell Falls Interpretive Site which was gorgeous!

It was also quite serene in that for the most part, we were the only ones within Bighorn National Park, or at least it seemed that way. With the peak summer travel season, we expected to see lots of people, but up until this part of our travels, we had not really experience much, if any people. Very cool.

At that point of the day, the kids were hungry and had been asking for Asian food, which was an odd request given we were in the middle of nowhere U.S.A. However, as we pulled through small town Greybull, Wyoming there was a small restaurant called Beijing Garden, so we made the stop.

The town of Greybull, and even the restaurant, was a ghost town. So we had no idea what to expect. However, the food at Beijing Garden was really great, offering a wide selection of menu items for the family’s tastes.

Cody, Wyoming and Big Bear Motel

Then it was on to Cody. More barren landscapes. No cars. Long, straight roads. Then it happened.

Going 7 mph over the speed limit, I had that Cars movie moment. The State Trooper was on me. For 7 mph…really? In Ohio, cops do not even look at you going 10 over. Heck, my driving instructor told me at 16 you need to drive at least 7 over the speed limit and you were safe. However, in Wyoming, they are strict dogs. We found that even more prevalent within Cody. While we remained citation free for the remainder of the trip, they took speeding seriously we noticed in Wyoming with lots of signs telling your speed.

Ticket in hand outside of Cody, we eventually rolled into our hotel for the night, the Big Bear Motel.

Coming highly rated and cheap by National Park standards at $149/night, the motel was really cute and clean. Despite dropping temperatures, after being in the car all day, the kids insisted on jumping into the pool.

The Big Bear Motel was nicely located on the outskirts of Yellowstone National Park, and while we were out the door early in the morning, seemed like a nice facility that we really did not get to experience to its fullest.

When we initially made reservations for the Big Bear Motel 7 months in advance of the trip, our thoughts were to take in the nearby rodeo, as our in-laws really enjoyed it on a recent trip. However, as luck would have it, the rodeo, which performs every night, decided to have a Clint Black concert on the night of our visit. So no go for us.

At this point in the trip, everyone was pretty excited for the next day in Yellowstone, as it was to be the highlight of our National Park tour.

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Author: InACents