Travelers intending to visit Yellowstone National Park during summer should plan at least half a year ahead since accommodations within the park were snapped up by the time we reserved ours in January 2008.
The one-week trip, beginning from Jun 7 -14, was joined by WenMin and Michele. We flew from Baltimore-Washington International Airport to Jackson Hole Airport, transiting at Atlanta, GA. As we approached Wyoming, we could see mountainous ranges with snow-capped peaks.
The sight of Teton range inspired awe and humility. As we entered the small Jackson Hole Airport, there was an arch of elk antlers to welcome us. There are four such arches at Jackson Hole Town Square, where many more antlers were used to make each arch than the one at the airport.
After picking up our rental car, we drove north, towards Yellowstone, passing by Grand Teton. The landscape was still blanketed with snow in June, in contrast to my mental picture of wild flowers blooming. In fact, we were hit by snowstorms and cold weather which might had affected my impression of Yellowstone. We were wise to check the weather forecast for the week and brought along winter gear.
Depending on your schedule and plan, I found that we could complete the highlights of Yellowstone within three days, provided that you leave early in the morning and return around 9 plus at night.
The highlights were Norris Geyser Basin, Mammoth Hot Springs, Tower Fall, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Mud Volcano Area, Yellowstone Lake, Old Faithful, and Midway Geyser Basin.
At Mud Volcano Area, the air was reeked with a malodorous odor of sulfur dioxide. I wondered if the mud here could be used to make beauty products such as face masque.
The picture of me, standing at 5-foot-10-inch (1.78-m), 'capping' The Liberty Cap, a 37-foot (11-m) travertine was taken at Mammoth Hot spring. Here, nature has created an amazing staircase of hot spring pools or terraces. Sadly, many of the hot springs like the one which had created Liberty Cap had ceased flowing, leaving terraces of white, porous deposits.
During this trip, I had lost count of the number of hot springs and geysers in the park, which had different colors, shapes, and sizes. Colors of hot springs included emerald green, cyan, blue, orange, and brown. I only remembered some of their names because they were aptly named e.g. Ear Hot Spring which has the shape of an ear. One reminded me of Edvard Munch's "The Scream". The largest hot spring in Yellowstone is The Grand Prismatic Spring which I had no way of taking it since it is approximately 250 by 300 feet (75 by 91 m). I had to be contended with buying postcards of it taken from an aerial view.
Taking pictures of hot springs meant waiting for wind to blow away rising steam from the water surface and longer waiting time for geysers to erupt. The famous Old Faithful erupts every 90 minutes plus/minus 10 minutes. You can check out the time from the front desks of The Visitor Center, Old Faithful Inn or
Old Faithful Lodge. I was particularly impressed by the architecture of Old Faithful Inn which is the largest log cabin in the world. The main lobby has a huge fireplace, giving me a warm and cozy feeling.
Another attraction in the park, besides the hot springs and the geysers, was wildlife animals roaming freely. A telltale sign of animal sighting was parked car(s) along the road. We caught sight of our first animal, bison or buffalo, grazing in the fields. They were huge animals with scraggy fur. By the end of our trip, we were 'bored' of taking pictures of bison since they were ubiquitous in the park.
We saw grizzly bears four times in the park. One sighting was really close, where we were separated from a grizzly by a 20-foot wide river. It was standing on its meal at the opposite bank, occasionally looking up to see a crowd of humans snapping pictures of it. How to differentiate a grizzly from a black bear is by identifying a thick, muscular hump on its shoulder.
While driving one evening for animal sighting, a wolf or a coyote leaped in front of our car. It crossed the road unscathed because we did an emergency brake! I could not tell which animal it was since I had never seen the adult size of a wolf compared to that of a coyote before.
Other animals sighted included two curious chipmunks, an evasive marmot, several greedy ground squirrels, shy deers, and three long-faced moose. I could recognize Canadian geese and magpies, although there were other avian species to be sighted by bird watchers.
After completing our tour of Yellowstone, we headed towards Grand Teton National Park. A two-day tour was sufficient. The ever present Teton range could be seen anywhere in the park. I took so many pictures of the mountains that upon editing them, most looked the same to me. This is the advantage of a digital camera; take first, edit later.
We also took a ferry across Jenny Lake where we hiked up to Inspiration Point. At 7200-foot elevation, we marveled at the picturesque landscape of lake, open fields and mountain ranges.
We spent our last few hours at touristy Jackson Hole where merchandise were more expensive than in Yellowstone. Shopaholics can indulge themselves with a wide variety of shops.
For this trip, I broke my record for getting in and out of a car so frequently during one week to take pictures of animals, geysers, hot springs, and mountains. I could also strike off Yellowstone from my list of places-I-want-to-visit.
Yellowstone National Park pictures.
Grand Teton National Park pictures.
I went on a hike along Old Rag Circuit at Shenandoah National Park, VA with a group of Singaporeans on Aug 16. This was a physically demanding hike which required climbing, stretching, hopping and balancing to get to the summit of Old Rag Mountain (3291 ft/1003 m). People suffering from acrophobia should be aware that part of the trail runs along cliff edges.
