Saturday, July 11, 2009

Rainy Nights, Snowy Days: Yellowstone – June 20-21, 2009



It was cool the night of June 19 in the Tetons. A foreshadowing of our weather to come in Yellowstone. I had hoped that we could get some good pictures of the morning light on the Tetons but the sun was nowhere to be seen. Grand Teton wore a streamer of moisture as we ate a cold breakfast, broke camp and packed up for some sightseeing. Driving back through Jackson and around the south end of the park we headed for Teton Village and the tramway at Jackson Hole ski area. Walking up to the tram we saw some backpackers headed into a field next to the parking lot. The packs they were carrying were huge. I wondered how they ever made it up and down the trails. Then we realized that they weren't hikers, they were parasailors. On the tram, there were five of them clustered around their packs in the middle of the tram. By this time there were broken clouds and the sun shone brightly on the two to four feet of snow that still lay at the top of the tram. There were even a few snowboarders and skiers trying there luck at traversing the scattered patches of late spring snow. The tram operator pointed out places in the snow where algae grew giving it a faint red cast. She cautioned us not to eat that snow as the algae was a very powerful natural laxative.

The parasailors were gathered in a clearing just below the top of the tram. The slopes faced east towards the Snake River valley. The wind was blowing hard upslope, an unusual direction according to the parasailors. It made launching easy as they just let the sail fill and jumped up. Landing in the field to the east was somewhat problematic as they were blown up and back as soon as they launched. It took some skill to change from sailing up through the wind to down and upwind to land.

Dark clouds gathered to the south with streamers of rain. After snapping pictures of the parasailors, the mountains and each other we headed for the shelter of the little refreshment cabin to await the next tram. The remaining parasailors rode the tram down as blowing rain pelted the windows of the tram as we headed down.

We ate another fancy lunch of turkey sandwiches in the parking lot of Teton Village before heading out for more sightseeing. Since rain was intermittent, we decided against a boat trip across Jackson Lake and instead headed for Yellowstone. We were forced to take a detour as an accident on the road outside the park closed the road and we had to take the road inside the park to get to Yellowstone.

Storms preceded us into the park and the land of geysers was steaming as we rolled in the southern entrance. A long drive into our campground allowed us to see bison up close and lots of the forest both burned and re-born. We drove along Yellowstone Lake and the Yellowstone river stopping often to take pictures and enjoy the view. After setting up camp, we bought a few fresh groceries and went back to camp to cook dinner. After dinner we went back to the cafeteria to work on our blogs and process the pictures that we had taken in the previous days. When the cafeteria closed, Dave went to bed and I searched for the site of the ranger talk that evening in the amphitheater. By the time I finally found it, in the rain, it had apparently been canceled so I returned to camp and climbed into my sleeping bag. It was cold that night. The cold and damp got to both of us but we stayed dry throughout intermittent pouring rain throughout the night.

The next morning I rose early and started coffee and frying up strips of beef for a hot breakfast. It was a pretty primitive meal of fried beef and bread but it brought us the warmth that we needed after the cold night. After breakfast we set out for one of the most beautiful spots in Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. We stopped first at the Upper Falls. This cascade had been swelled by the rains of the previous day and night. Even the short walk out to the top of the falls tired both Dave and myself at this high altitude. After taking pictures and video of the upper falls, we returned to the car to travel to the lower falls. Declining to take the 100 step stair path to the top of the lower falls, we drove on to the viewpoint called “Artist's Point” that gives a magnificent view of the lower falls and canyon about a mile downstream from the lower falls. Dave stayed near the parking lot as I went up and down the stairs that led out to the overlook. It is truly a beautiful sight with the cascading falls in the background and the colors of the canyon with the river below arrayed before you.

Leaving the canyon, we re-traced our drive from the previous day along the Yellowstone river and lake. This time we stopped at the Mud Volcano area and I got out to take some pictures. It was a difficult climb up the boardwalk but I made it after two pauses for breath. Just as I started back down, rain began so I headed quickly back to t he car. Fortunately, it was downhill. We then headed west towards Old Faithful. Stopping at a small picnic area at the continental divide we ate our usual lunch of turkey sandwiches. While we were eating, a western jay perched on a tree not more than three feet away. At the time we thought it was cute. We were to learn otherwise later.

Dave wanted to take pictures of the Old Faithful lodge so we pulled into the parking lot and stopped. As we were snapping pictures, Old Faithful erupted and we also got a few pictures and some video of the geyser. We strolled around briefly inside the lodge before heading out again. Dave remarked at the incredible expansion of the roads and the number of people in the park. There is now a mini four lane expressway leading into the Old Faithful area.

After stopping to take more geyser pictures at lower geyser basin and a trip along the river to see Gibbon Falls, we headed back for our campsite at Canyon Village. Except for brief periods of sunshine at the continental divide and lower geyser basin, rain had been threatening all day. Dark clouds gathered again as we fried up hamburgers for dinner. That was the only thing that gathered. One or two western jays also gathered as we cooked. No more than an arms length away from where I was cooking, one swooped down and tried to pick up Dave's hamburger. They did this several times apparently undisturbed by our proximity. Dave was trying to start a fire with our damp wood and he saw one of the birds swoop in and pick up a burning ember! Apparently it thought it was food cooking. As it started to drizzle, we retreated to the car for shelter from both the rain and the marauding birds.

Dave crawled into bed shortly after dinner and I sat in the car to keep warm. About 8:00 PM I decided to drive over to the cafeteria to work on the pictures and blogs again. As I strolled over to the tent to inform Dave, I heard thunder rolling in the distance. I urged Dave to come with me and just as he came out of the tent, the storm let loose and it began to hail! Not just a little, but a lot. We quickly zipped up the tent and jumped into the car. By the time we reached the parking lot of the cafeteria, it was raining and hailing so hard that we just stayed in the car. After about fifteen minutes, we decided to make a mad dash for the cafeteria, gathered up all our electronic gear and splashed through to the cafeteria. It was full of campers and visitors taking shelter from the storm.

We worked until closing and then packed up to return to our campsite to see if our tent was still there or rent with holes from hail. We both agreed that we sleep in the car if the tent was gone. It was in fine shape. The weather had turned even colder and was predicted to drop as low as freezing that night. We put on all our cold weather gear and crawled into our sleeping bags. Although it was colder than the night before, we were actually warmer with all our hats, long underwear, dry socks and extra blankets. Still we rose quickly, got the stove going underneath some hot coffee and ate a cold breakfast in the car with the heater going. As we finished packing up the tent, it began to snow.

Next: Back down to the Plains

0 comments:

Post a Comment