At night they have a light show that they shine on the dam which describes the construction and history of the dam and Columbia River. We walked across the street to the park, avoiding the sprinklers that had managed to come on. The show was impressive, but loud and a tad hokey. (Laura corrected me and said “overly dramatic”) I don’t think I would like to live in this valley if this happens every night. One thing we did discover – laser light shows trigger migraines, especially mine We left after about five minutes

Last night it struck us that we have to drive back.  With that realization, we decided that we wanted to stay still as long as possible, so we decided to stick to the interstates and get to Samish Island a day earlier.

We headed north out of West Yellowstone at 7:00 AM.  The road briefly re-entered Yellowstone, but mostly followed the Gallitin River through the Gallitin National Forest.  This was another beautiful western river gorge.  We reached the interstate at Belgrade and headed west, back on I-90.

From Belgrade to Missoula, the highway ran through wide basins ringed with mountains.  We could certainly see how Montana got the name Big Sky Country.

Missoula sits in an ancient glacial lake basin surrounded by hills.  On one was an imposing statue that I thought was a Christ, but Laura said looked more like a giant rodent.  Who knows.  We stopped for lunch and gas.  Laura’s grandparents lived in Missoula, and she thought the neighborhood we entered upon exiting I-90 was their old neightborhood.

West of Missoula, the highway climbed into the mountains, following the Clark Fork River.  At Lookout Pass we crossed into Idaho and into Pacific Time.

The highway dropped into a valley and ran through a series of little mining towns along the Couer d’Alene River.  We stopped briefly in Wallace, which was having a festival.   The road continued along the river until it turned into a large lake.

At 3:00 PM local time we crossed into Washington State, and entered the city of Spokane.   I wish we had more time to explore, rather than just admiring from the interstate.  The architecture looks quite interesting.  Just west of the city, we left the interstate on Highway 2, headed for Coulee Dam and Lake Roosevelt.

We had just gotten out of town when we decided to stop at a quick shop for a better map and candy bars.  The clerk inside asked if we were going to stick around for the show, and I asked, “What show?”  Apparently George W. Bush was to drive by any minute, and the road would be closed.   I dashed outside and told Laura we had to get out of there.  Just as we left, two black SUVs with secret service agents pulled into the parking lot and began to disperse.  We noted several other law enforcement types all along the road until we got past Fairchild Airforce Base, where the president was to arrive.

The trip through far eastern Washington alternated between lush green grains where irrigation was rampant, and arid scrub.  We noted the same hexagonal volcanic columns along the roadway that we had seen at Devils Tower, and again at Yellowstone.  Lone, desolate farm houses stood out against the  lush green fields, and any towns were mere spots in the road.

We left highway 2 and turned north toward Coulee Dam.  I was a bit disappointed in the dam.  I thought it was supposed to be huge and imposing, similar to Hoover Dam (which I’ve never seen, and may be less imposing than I imagined, too.)  It’s still impressive, especially since it was constructed in 1902.

We found a room at a lovely little inn in the town that had grown up around the dam.  Turns out that it was the last room, and the floor was wet from cleaning the carpet.  We decided to explore the town and find dinner.

The town is beautiful – neat cottages line the main street with overhanging trees providing a canopy, all overlooking the gorge and dam.  This is one place that has not been overrun with frenzied resort construction.  Our inn appears to be the most modern in town.

Dinner was at a Mexican restaurant called La Pesa that turned out to be a real find.  Each of the booths had a different hand-carved, hand-painted tabletop, and there were other wood carvings adorning the walls.   The food matched the setting.  We ordered margaritas, and got massive bowls instead of small drinks.  They tasted wonderful, but there was no way I could drink even half mine and expect to drive.  The entres were equally large.  Laura got a combination plate, and I ordered arroz con pollo, which easily could have fed three.

After dinner, we crossed the Columbia River for a drive along the north shore.  We were on an Indian reservation, but everything was very neat.  I thought back to the Tohono O’Odham reservation in Tucson, which was littered with broken glass and poverty.  This was as different as can be.  Speaking of Tucson, the dry hills looked like they belonged in the Sonoran Desert.  Just throw in a few saguaro, and you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.  The ground was littered with volcanic rubble.  Huge boulders reminded of the ejecta I had seen in the Pinecate Volcanic Zone in Sonora, Mexico, adding to the desert impression.  The eruption that produced these volcanic bombs must have been massive.  My limited geological training reminded me that the Pacific subduction zone used to be under this area before moving westward to create the Cascades.  Even the skies were like Tucson,with wispy virgas tempting the ground with rain.

Back at the hotel, our carpet was still wet, so we opened doors and windows and enjoyed the patio outside the room.

For the past three days we have been without Internet access. This evening we’re staying at a place with free high-speed Internet, so I’ll catch up on a few things. Thanks for your patience.

Sometimes the documentation of having fun takes more time than the actual fun.  In that case, it’s time scale back.  We have taken so many pictures over the past three days that I haven’t had time to select any for the web. When we get to Samish Island and are holding still for a few days, I’ll add some images.  Also, we haven’t had internet access for three days, so this post and the previous two are actually being posted on 6-17-04.  On to the journey…

It was cold last night, getting down to the upper 30s. This morning was cloudy, and it looked like it had just rained. We had a huge breakfast in town, then headed into the park, this time with the roof up and Laura at the wheel. Our plan for today was to avoid the Old Faithful traffic an cover the north part of the park, where there might be more wildlife.  It looked like the mountains had a fresh dusting of snow.

Our first scenic stop were the Artists Paintpots.  The hike up was marred by noisy Germans, who talked loudly the entire entire trail.  Europeans complain about rude Americans, but it apparently goes both ways.  We saw a couple of gurgling hot springs, then headed back to the car.

A couple more stops for animals and geysers, and we continued north.  Soon, light snowflakes and ice pellets began to hit the car.  At one point, we came to a traffic jam – a “bearjam”, as Laura called it.  People are idiots.  A poor black bear was cornered in a tree, and these boneheads were leaving their cars in the middle of the road to chase it with cameras.  I asked Laura if every bear sighting was going to be like this, and her answer was, “Most likely.”

Strange how after a few times looking at bison and elk, and we stop counting them. We were in the market for larger things – grizzlies, moose, and anything else we hadn’t seen.  On the stretch between Norris and Mammoth, we hit an area very similar to Windy Gap in Tucson  Rock formations were stacked precariously.

At Mammoth Hot Springs, we took time to view the hot spring terraces.  As the water bubbles up, it carries dissolved traverine crystals to the edge of the pool and deposits it around the edge of the pool, forming terraces.  The active pools were blue on top, with multi-colored crystals around the pool. According to overheard conversations from people who seemed to know, the pools aren’t as active as they had been prior to an earthquake sometime in the 70s or 80s. However, they seemed to be making a comeback. The hike was a bit strenuous, but we made it back to the car in one piece.

From Mammoth Hot Springs we headed west.  We stopped at on dramatic waterfall,then stopped for our picnic by a peaceful stream.  This was quite a change from the madness at the cafe where we were yesterday.  We watched the birds flit and regretted not bringing our binoculars.

A couple of miles along, we came to a small lake and saw a couple staring off into the trees.  We thought we had another bearjam, but instead, recognized the two as birders.  Where there are birders,there has to be something interesting to see.  They were kind enough to point out sandhill cranes, yellow-head blackbirds, and avocets – a multi-colored waterfowl that was quite impressive.  We spent some time looking through our binoculars and their spotting scopes,thanked our hosts, and headed on.

There was one more bearjam, then we came to a turn out for a petrified tree. That’s exactly what it appeared to be – a petrified tree standing by itself on a hill.  We drove by, but didn’t stop.  At another stop, a ranger pointed out an osprey nest over a gorge lined with hexagonal columns just like the ones at Devils Tower.

Our last stop was Tower Falls, so named for the rock formations flanking the entrance to the falls.  It was spectacular, as were most of the falls I have seen so far.

Since we were suffering from altitude sickness, we took as direct route back as we could,ignoring wildlife along the way,unless it was something really special.  Two days in the park and we’re already jaded.  We did stop at the Norris Geyser Basin to see – you guessed it!  More geysers!  These are really fascinating.  We watched Steamboat Geyser erupt several times, and saw lots of stinking steamy things.  Laura’s comment was that if her lab smelled like this, the EPA would shut her down.  The smells started to get to us, so it was time to head back.

A quick dinner downtown, and we turned in early for an early start tomorrow.

We looked at the map, looked at the AAA guidebook to see where we might find a place for tonight, and decided to alter our travel plans a bit.  We found a tiny place in West Yellowstone, Montana, called “Al’s Westward Ho”, and made our reservations.  This meant that instead of heading south to Grand Teton,we were going to do the bulk of Yellowstone today.

We headed north from Worland to Greybull, then west toward Cody.  The land continued to be very dry – I think the term is chapperal.  It was a good time to have books on tape.

Cody turned out to be a delightful town.  Laura’s aunt and uncle owned a saloon here many years ago, but we had no idea if it still existed.  We initially thought we might spend some time in town looking at the neat shops.  We went in one place, then stopped in a coffee shop for more caffiene.  We realized that the day was getting on, and if we wanted to make the park, we needed to move.

The drive from Cody to Yellowstone is astounding – canyons and ranches with rugged landscape.  We first came to the Buffalo Bill Dam and lake, then continued along the Shoshonee River.  As we drove along the river,I really wanted to put a kayak on it.  Rivers have that affect on me, and there were plenty that we crossed today that made me want to take a paddle trip.

At the Yellowstone entrance, cars were lined up at least a quarter mile in front of us,and moving at a snail’s pace.  I was hoping this wasn’t a preview of things to come.  Once we got through the entrance, thirty minutes later, the cars cleared out, and things relaxed a bit.

What can one say about Yellowstone that hasn’t already been said?  There is new scenery around every bend.  The great 1988 wildfire was still evident throughout the park.  At that time,we had visited Laura’s parents, and on the return trip flew over the fire.  From the air it was incredible how hight the smoke clouds rose.  In the 16 years since that fire there are still blackened tree corpses everywhere, but there is also new growth.

At one point, a bison wandered down the middle of the road.  I didn’t know what to do – it looked like it could wander into my lane at any minute.  I crept by, and the bison stayed in its lane.

We reached Yellowstone Lake, and the wind was whipping up whitecaps.  At Fishing Bridge, we had a madding lunch in a crowded cafe, bought T-Shirts and hats,then we headed north.  Unfortunately, the road was under construction,so there were several times that we had to follow a lead vehicle.  We soon reached our first neat geological feature – a series of gurgling sulpher springs.  The odor was unreal, as were the steaming, gurgling mud pits. I was most impressed with the sounds made by the sulpher pits.  Laura, unfortunately,couldn’t handle the smells.  She said that this was how she imagined Mordor from Lord of the Rings – noxious gases and steam gurgling everywhere.  At one point she also mentioned that the felled trees everywhere looked like the work of Orcs, rather than sulpher and wildfire.

We stopped at the upper and lower falls of the Yellowstone River – again, astounding.  However,by that time we were tired of the crowds.  Humans are less predictible than the bison and elk we saw along the way,especially if they are in cars.  They will stop right in the middle of a crowded road to take a picture of a bison that’s exactly like the herd of bison they just passed.  This park is better off without humans.

We reached Madison Junction,and headed west.  Just before reaching the park boundary, we reached a glade that had a heard of buffalo, including many calves.  We wondered if the single bison we saw were the males, roaming through the park.

We exited the park and began the search for our motel.  It turned out to be the first one outside the park, very easy to find. Al’s Westward Ho was an older establishment, and it looked like the lobby doubled as their living room.  The room was decorated in floral pinks, but was otherwise spartan.  There wasn’t even a telephone in the room!  So why we decided to reserve a second night is beyond me.

We set off looking for dinner. Laura told me about a family reunion she had many years ago here.  They had caught some fish,and the restaurant cooked their fish for them. That started us thinking about trout, so we looked for someplace that might have some.  Our answer was a place called Bullwinkles. We both ordered the trout – Laura with a nice chardonnay, and me with a dark beer called Moose Drool. With a name like that, I had to give it a try. (It was very smooth.)  The food was incredible, and seasoned to perfection.

After dinner we headed back into the park to see if dusk would bring out more wildlife.  We saw (and heard) a family of elk, but didn’t really see more than we had earlier.  There was a minor traffic jam as the herd of bison with the calves we saw earlier decided to cross the road.  We took a couple of side routes we would have avoided earlier, then decided to head to Old Faithful while there weren’t too many people around.

We were able to park right next to the geyser.  We took the short trail amongst some of the lesser-known geysers, and the setting sun backlit the steam venting from them.  We found out from a ranger that Old Faithful was going to erupt again around 9:00, and since it was still light, we decided to stay. It did erupt right on time.  It was impressive to see that much water forced out of a hole in the ground.

After the eruption, we went to the Old Faithful Inn to try to find dessert.  It celebrates its 100th year this year.  The main atrium of the lodge is 6 stories tall, and constructed of whole pine timbers.  The columns are carved to looked like saguaros. The setting was stunning, but the restaurant looked like it was going to be too crowded.  Luckily (I thought at the time) there was a coffee shop on the second floor overlooking the lobby.  It turned out to be an expresso cart, and I came face-to-face with my second example of park incompetence today.  After waiting in line, I was informed that they had no chocolate, so no mochas like we wanted.  I asked for just simple coffee, and they didn’t even have that!  Tomorrow we picnic.