Lucky me! I made it to and through Yellowstone before the deluge. So sad that it rained so much it put out the fires powering the impressive displays and, in some cases, washed away the boilers as well. The National Park Services estimates that it will be years before the fountains are operational.
Oh, dear. My van has sprung a leak in its fresh water system. A cheap plastic fitting buried in the Unreachable Spaces has split. All the Winnebago dealers within Wyoming and surrounding states are taking service appointments month in the future. So…you’ll never believe the only solution I can see. I’m driving 1,000 miles to Iowa where I bought the thing so they can fix it. I suppose I should count myself lucky that they can get me in.
Geysers and geezers abound! Here are tourists gawking at Old Faithful, which was 20 minutes late.The fountains, called “geysers,” are scattered throughout the park willy-nilly. They’re nice, I suppose, but The Bellagio in Las Vegas has a more coordinated show…and it is set to thrilling music!There are a number of reflecting pools at Yellowstone. The NPS blames the bizarre colors on “bacteria” and the crusty mineral buildup on crusteformea minerala in the water they use. I suspect that a little attention from the maintenance department could clear up both issues.Planting grasses and flowers right up to the edge of the hot tub is boldly innovative.A thoughtful touch…the NPS places snow on the shoulders of the roads. This serves as a subtle clue to motorists that they’re entering the park.The village of Jackson (sometimes called Jackson Hole), Wyoming is near Yellowstone. It strikes one as somewhat contrived, with the Old West theme overwrought. But, worth a visit; it only takes an hour or so.Downtown Jackson is centered an a central square. The entrances are denoted by macabre arches constructed of deer antlers.
I visited Grand Teton National Park and stayed a couple of days at the main lodge, in a cabin. The views are spectacular. The National Park Service installed signs everywhere, promising bears, but none appeared. The NPS bear wrangling division clearly requires some management attention. They had better luck getting the elk and antelope to show up as promised.
Did you know that paleo-Indians settled here 11,000 years ago? That’s what the NPS web site said. I was astonished; had no idea that dietary fad had been around for so long!
Yup, this is how the Grand Tetons looked, no photoshopping or anything. Grand Tetons is French, of course. In English it means Big Tits. Apparently, French fur traders thought the mountains looked like infant feeding apparatus. Apparently, they had been in the wilderness too long. I recommend searching the web for images of large breasts to refresh your memory and then you can judge for yourself.
According to a National Park pamphlet, the Grand Tetons are a young mountain range. That’s why there are no foothills. Mountain ranges don’t get foothills until puberty.Xena was wistful and indignant, believing that the private residence was rightfully hers.Warrior Princesses are not concerned by so-called “dangers” posed by the weeds beyond this sign.
