100 Days 48 States - The Journey

"Time is nature’s way of making sure
that everything doesn’t happen at once."

TODAY’S ROUTE:
Gardiner, MT to Signal Mountain, WY: North Entrance Road to Mammoth Hot Springs to Grand Loop Road south through Madison to Old Faithful to West Thumb to South Entrance Road to John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway continuing on US-89 South to Colter Bay Village to Teton Park Road South to Moose Junction to US-89 South to Jackson to US-89 North back to Signal Mountain. (MAP)

THE DETAILS:
Yellowstone is the world’s oldest national park, a true wilderness, and one of the few large natural areas (2.2 million acres) remaining in the lower 48 states. It has 10,000 geysers and hot springs and was established in 1872. At least that is what the book says. What the book doesn’t tell you is that Yellowstone is crowded, even after Labor Day. It doesn’t tell you that more than half of the park was burned up in the fires of 1988. It doesn’t tell you that the roads are in horrible shape and many are closed during the day for repair. And it doesn’t tell you that the place stinks that rotten egg sulfur smell.

I get up early for the big day, but it’s never early enough. By the time I get the bike packed and ready it is almost 8 AM when I’m going through the North Entrance. The entrance fee is $20 per automobile and $15 for a motorcycle, probably the most expensive of any park in the system. The fee is good for seven days and gets you access to Grand Teton National Park as well. If you are planning on visiting a number of national park sites, you should get yourself a Golden Eagle Passport for $50. This gets you into any national park, historic site or monument for one year from date of purchase. It will end up saving me hundreds of bucks. You can purchase one at any site that charges admission. If you are over the age of 62 (those Dempsy Fight Fans again) you can get a Golden Age Passport for $10. It is good until you kick the bucket.

My first stop is the rather noxious Mammoth Hot Springs. While the smell is nasty, the views are sensational. Travertine (calcium carbonate) has formed into spectacular terraces, which look like the landscape of another planet. While walking the boardwalk trail, I notice the many signs that I will see throughout the day warning visitors of the dangers of the fragile ground and thin crust of the earth’s surface. You are encouraged to stay on the trails as dozens of people have been scalded to death and many more have been very badly burned. Not a good way to go!

As I travel south, stopping at many of the springs, geysers and scenic overlooks, I notice there are more people here than any other park I’ve been in. But that’s not saying much: it’s not exactly crowded. However, I would never, ever come here in the summer. If there are this many people here in September, it must be a bloody zoo in July.

I also notice another striking feature of the park I haven’t seen elsewhere. Forest fires have devastated Yellowstone. The trees, for the most part, are gone. Those that remain look like 40-foot high toothpicks, branch-less burned spires that cover the mountains as far as the eye can see. In 1988, (you may remember from seeing it on TV) the park suffered huge fires that have changed the landscape here for generations to come. The fire damage is quite substantial throughout the park, but is not everywhere. But those large areas, which by my estimate amount to about half the park, look a lot like Mount St. Helens after the explosion.

By lunch I’m at Old Faithful, the most frequently erupting of the 300 geysers in the park. People line up around the geyser rim like they’re about to watch a Broadway show. Just as the range station had predicted, Old Faithful erupts around 12:30 PM, spewing it’s boiling hot water a hundred feet in the air for a couple of minutes. When the show is over, the audience applauds. The average interval for the geyser is about 80 minutes but it does vary from 45 to 110. Each eruption lasts 1 1/2 to 5 minutes. The estimates are based on the previous eruption’s height and duration.

There is much to do here at Yellowstone, but I’ve had my fill for the day and it’s time to head south to the Tetons. I cross the Continental Divide three times at heights over 8,000 feet, travel out the South Entrance, cross the John D. Rockefeller Memorial Parkway, and enter Grand Teton National Park. As soon as you reach Jackson Lake, less than a mile from the entrance, the stunning view hits you like a tectonic plate. The Rocky Mountains offer some dramatic vistas, but few are as impressive as the Teton skyline. As the Teton Range rose though sporadic earthquake producing jolts, the valley called Jackson Hole subsided. Because of the way the mountains formed, no foothills hide jagged peaks and broad canyons. The valley sits at 6,000 feet and the peaks reach 12,000 feet, rising straight from the valley floor. Large lakes mirror the mountains with a breathtaking reflection.

I head over to the Colter Bay Visitor Center to get two more stamps (Teton and The Parkway) and check out the camping situation. I had planned on camping at the Jenny Lake campground, mainly because it is right on the water and does not allow RVs. But it is already full, and it’s only 2:30 PM. The Camping Gods are working against me again. I wander over to the Signal Mountain campground and manage to reserve a site, although the best ones are already taken. Camping at Teton costs $12 a night. Not exactly a bargain and my Golden Eagle gives no discount. I break out the gear and pitch my tent, a Eureka Backcountry 2 Man, which is comfortable for one and packs to the size of a toaster.

As I am not cooking out (because I can’t carry the gear and don’t want to encourage the bears) I head south about 30 miles to Jackson, Wyoming for an early dinner. Jackson is a neat place combining that old frontier feeling with a bit of a modern touch. Good shops and lots of places to eat and drink. Actually, it’s probably gotten a bit too much of that modern feeling. I can understand having an Eddie Bauer store here, but does there really need to be a GAP? This town was probably way cool about 20 years ago. I check out the famous chicken fried steak at The Wagon Wheel.

On the way back to Signal Mountain, I stop at the Snake River Overlook. You’ve seen this picture a thousand times. Ansel Adams probably took the best shot: the majesty of the Tetons with the river curving in the foreground. I sit right in that spot for about an hour and watch the sun go down behind the mountains.

I get back to my campsite as the light is fading. Two women have the site right next to mine and they invite me to sit by their fire. They’re on their way to Florida from Alaska, camping along the way and seeing the country like me, albeit at a slower and less encompassing pace. We trade travel tales and as the embers die down, I retire to my tent. It’s been a busy day and I’m exhausted.

THE DAILY TAKE:
Miles Today: 203.2
Total Miles: 7,998
Time on Motorcycle: 5 Hours 35 Minutes
Average Speed: 36.4 MPH
States Visited today: 2 (MT, WY)
Total States Visited: 21
National Park Service Passport Stamps: 3
NPS Stamp totals: 58 Stamps, 18 States
Weather: Mild and Sunny with a few clouds at Sunset
Maximum Height of Old Faithful: 184 Feet

SEEN ON THE ROAD:
"Park Regulations Prohibit Feeding and Molesting The Animals" – sign at North Entrance to Yellowstone National Park.

RANDOM PASSINGS:
Whenever I visit a National Park Site I head over to the visitor center and get my Passport stamped with the official cancellation for the site. The ink marking records the name of the park and date of my visit. And the stamp colors vary depending on which of the nine national regions the park is located in. The Midwest is orange, Western is green, North Atlantic is brown, and so on. But lately, especially in the Rocky Mountain Region, the various visitor centers have not had corresponding ink blotters. This really pisses me off! You would think that the Old Faithful Visitor Center, a national icon located in the grand daddy of all National Parks would have the right colored ink: Yellow for the Rocky Mountain Region. BUT NOOOO! I’ve got a pink stamp for that one. And The Grand Teton and Rockefeller Parkway stamps are brown! And the Grant-Kohrs Ranch is green! What the hell is going on here! Somebody call the stamp cops, quickly before this outrage continues and another wrong colored stamp messes up my passport. Help! The Fort Union stamp is purple! PURPLE IS FOR THE SOUTHEAST! CRAP! I CAN'T TAKE THIS MUCH LONGER!!!!