Yellowstone Then and Now

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

I can't recall much from the trip my family made to Yellowstone National Park in 1961.  After all, I was only seven-years-old at the time.  But I do remember the exuberance my older brother Doug and I felt upon our arrival.  We threw open the car doors and burst out of that four-wheeled prison with all the pent-up pressure of a steam locomotive's boiler.  It had been an excruciatingly long way from the family farm in Kansas to the park!

My parents had reserved a cabin for our stay.  While they were occupied with unloading the suitcases, making up the beds, and undoubtedly thanking God that they were no longer in a car with whiny kids, Doug and I spied a black bear cub near the cabin and gave chase.

What could be cuter than a bear cub?  All we wanted to do was pet it, but I still can remember my dad's terrified shout when he exited the cabin and saw what we were up to.  I think we scared 10 years off his life.  (Mine, too, now that I recall the incident!)  We were lucky Mama Bear did not maul us.

That memory has replayed in my mind in a continuous loop now that my husband Tim and I are here on our own pilgrimage to Yellowstone.

LeHardy Rapids

We are camped near Moran, WY.  That's an ideal location for viewing the sights of both Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks.  Because the distance to Yellowstone from our campground is more than 30 miles, we've decided to alternate our days between the two, giving Tim a reprieve from long days of driving the Yellowstone Grand Loop.

I'd forgotten the beauty of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.  When my dad drove the Loop so many years ago, I'm not sure he ever let us out of the car after the bear cub incident.

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone's Upper Falls

But I found the canyon breath-taking this time.  On the South Rim, Tim and I hiked from Artist's Point to Sublime Point for views that were--well, sublime!

The Lower Falls of Yellowstone's Grand Canyon

There seem to be fewer bears this time or maybe they're just lying low nowadays.  During our family vacation so many years ago, the bears would walk right up to cars where tourists would feed them.  When we hiked the backcountry to Mystic Falls this past Friday, we didn't encounter a single bear.  Perhaps that's due to the park service's "Be Bear Aware" campaign, warning visitors not to leave food outside where bears could find it and become habituated to human handouts.  Wildlife should be wild!

From upper left: chipmunk, elk, buffalo herd, the buffalo who sauntered by our car, deer

Our hike to Mystic Falls began at the trailhead in Biscuit Basin known for its collection of six geysers. 

Sapphire Pool

The most beautiful one is Sapphire Pool, a brilliantly clear and blue hydrothermal feature.  

Mystic Falls

The Mystic Falls were lovely, too. 

Old Faithful as seen from Mystic Falls Trail

However, the most memorable moment of our hike came when we found an outcropping and watched Old Faithful erupt 3 miles away.  

The overlook on Mystic Falls Trail

We were definitely in the right place at the right time!  

Of course, we later watched this phenomenon up close with hundreds of other viewers.  Old Faithful is an amazing sight no matter the viewing location!  It's no wonder it's such an icon.

One activity we really enjoyed this trip was listening to the GyPsy Guide app about Yellowstone.  Using GPS, the app's narration would kick on as we drove past memorable places, many off the beaten path.  

Firehouse River Falls below the swimming area

The Firehole River Road was one of those hidden gems.  The river flowing through this canyon is one of the few places in the park where swimming is allowed.  In most other spots, the geothermal heat makes the water much too hot for this activity.

Lake Yellowstone Hotel

The Lake Yellowstone Hotel was another turnoff from the Loop that we would have missed without the app's directions.  The hotel is a National Historic Landmark and it's beautiful inside.  Naturally curious, we wondered how much it would cost to stay there so we asked at the registration desk.  The Presidential Suite is $690/night, way beyond our budget!

The Black Pool at West Thumb

Of course, Yellowstone is known for the many hydrothermal features of the park.  

Grand Prismatic Spring

Over two-thirds of the worlds geysers are right here in Yellowstone.  That's impressive!

Lakeshore Geyser

Yet, it's the sounds of Yellowstone that I recalled from my first visit and that I will remember from this trip, too.  

Cliff Geyser

The fizzing geysers as they erupt into the air;

Mud Volcano

the mud pots that plop, plop, plop the clay surface of their pools; 

A Fumerole at Fountain Paint Pots

and the fumaroles that hiss as their gases escape their vents.

Yellowstone is a delight to the senses--sight, sound and the smell of sulphur in the air.  I'm so fortunate that I've had the chance to experience Yellowstone both then and now.

Lunch With a Moose

There are times when the preposition used can make all the difference.  Take the title of this post.  It could have very easily read "Lunch For a Moose" or even "Lunch In a Moose."  Use of the preposition with conjures a convivial lunch in the company of friends.  "Lunch For a Moose" makes one wonder what exactly is on the menu.  But "Lunch In a Moose" carries such a sense of finality, don't you think?

Spoiler:  No one got hurt!  But let's start at the beginning.

Fishing, mountain climbing, backcountry camping and hiking are what attracts visitors to the Grand Teton National Park.  That, and of course, the scenery!

I can count on one hand the number of times I've gone fishing.  Technical mountain climbing looks too risky to me.  And although I enjoyed backpacking in my younger days, the thought of sleeping in the rough is no longer tempting.

Tim was in the Army for six years and spent many a night bivouacked in less than desirable settings.  Consequently, he's not a fan of backpacking either.

So while we aren't devotees of the first three pastimes in the above list, we do enjoy hiking.

Early Thursday morning, Jenny Lake was as smooth as glass and just as clear when we climbed aboard the shuttle boat for our ride to the western side of the lake. 

We were on our way to Inspiration Point with Kari, one of the park's rangers.  She told us that 70% of the park's visitors hike to the top of this point, making this the most popular hike in the Grand Teton.   

We had to agree that the view from Inspiration Point was stirring, perhaps even elevating.

But we didn't stop there.  We'd heard there were moose further up Cascade Canyon so up the canyon we went.

We weren't disappointed.  

Two moose were grazing through the brush near the aptly named Moose Ponds.  

For almost 30 minutes, we and a dozen other hikers stopped to watch them eat.  Did you know moose daily eat 26 pounds of vegetation?  And who knows what else!

I was the advised 25 yards away from this guy.
He looks closer than he was.

How lucky we were to be there for lunch!  

Tim used the zoom lens to take this snapshot.

But when one moose finished his entree, no one wanted to be his dessert.  As he clambered up onto the hiking trail, we all scattered.  Luckily, Tim and I were on the downhill side while the moose was headed up the mountain.  Everyone gave him the right-of-way and as he swaggered up to the next tempting thicket, I could almost hear him say:

"Moose with me and you're history!"



If you'd like to see scenic photos of our hike without commentary, keep scrolling down.

A Thank You to the Rockefellers!

In 1926, concerned that rampant development was ruining the scenic Teton Range, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., heir to his father's Standard Oil fortune, began to purchase approximately 30,000 acres of private land that would ultimately become the Grand Teton National Park.

But he kept for himself the JY Ranch, a dude ranch he purchased in 1932 from H. S. A. Stewart.

From left to right: Nelson, John D. III, Laurance and John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
This photo is on display at the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve's Visitor Center.

Over the next decade, the ranch buildings were razed or remodeled to became his family's favorite vacation destination.  

Laurance S. Rockefeller
Photo displayed at the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center.

When Rockefeller died, the ranch was passed to his son Laurance.

Monday Tim and I signed up for a ranger-led tour of the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve.  Laura, our ranger, led us to the site of the JY Ranch on the banks of the crystal-clear Phelps Lake.  She passed around the following photo and allowed me to photograph it.

Nothing remains of the compound but the flagstones by the lake where the lodge once stood.  A noted conservationist, Laurance who died in 2004 at the age of 94 specified that the ranch should be returned to its natural state.

And so it is!  The lodge, cabins, stable and other buildings have been removed.  Now a meadow is growing in their place.

When Laurance gave the final parcel of the ranch to the National Park Service, he retained the right for the Rockefeller family to reclaim the acreage if NPS did not strictly follow his instructions, including his caveat that the Preserve's parking lot should have no more than 50 parking spots.  He believed that any more would bring too many people to the Preserve at a time.  Such crowds would compromise the serenity and beauty of his bequest.

As we walked the property, I wondered how the Rockefeller family could bear to part with this beautiful place situated close to the southern boundary of the Grand Teton National Park.  But I grateful to be a Rockefeller beneficiary!