Yellowstone & The Rodeo

Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Although we find ourselves in Minnesota, this is really our Yellowstone story. We were both lukewarm about Yellowstone – Darlene had been there before and I had seen a lot of thermal areas in New Zealand - so we really went because it was on our way. Perhaps it was because we brought few expectations to the Park that we were so taken with it.

For me it was a visual feast. My photography tends to turn things into colour abstracts on most occasions so Yellowstone was just one photo after another. Only the truly interested should ask to see my Yellowstone photos – and have lots of time on their hands.

Nor were we really expecting to see so much wildlife. Five minutes after we entered the park we came across a bald eagle perched beside the road, then five minutes later, a herd of elk crossed our path. And the buffalo were stupendous! These were not the quiet, docile animals we encountered in Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba. No,no,no. It’s rutting season in Wyoming folks, and that means lots of grunting, head-butting, rolling in the dust, and – if you’re a bull – keeping your favorite cow away from the rest of the boys. And when all this happens ten feet away from you, it’s quite exciting.

Yellowstone kept us busy for three days solid.

Our next stop was Cody, Wyoming – home of the rodeo and a huge Buffalo Bill Museum. We spent the night in a motel. It was still 39° in the evening and the campgrounds weren’t offering any shade. That night we took ourselves off to the rodeo, ate pulled-pork sandwiches and drank Bud, while the locals – and one Australian - competed in bareback bronc riding, barrel racing, calf roping, steer wrestling and bull riding. I think we were most impressed with the kids. It’s one thing for a twenty-five year old to climb on the back of a bull – it’s gut-churning when the rider is only ten years old. I don’t think many of these kids have to worry about a poor self- image.

It was particularly exciting when the Aussie cowboy got tossed by his bull after he’d managed to hang on for the 8 seconds. The bull went after him. And again. The animal ignored the exit chute and kept his eye on the rider, who was by now behind the fence. Even when one of the safety riders lassoed the bull it didn’t give up. It pulled horse and rider over to the fence to continue its staring contest with the Aussie. That has to be unnerving if you’re the rider.

Darlene’s favorite moment came when another bull also ignored the exit chute and jumped over the fence into the public area. ( This is a big, heavy bull and a fairly tall fence. Think Andrew, standing next to our garden gate, and in one leap, diving head-first over it.) The bull got a lot of applause. And a lot of attention – helpers and riders came from all over to get him back in the right area.


Next stop, the South Dakota Badlands!

Hot, hot, hot!

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

It’s Tuesday evening and we find ourselves in West Yellowstone, camped just outside the park.
We caught the ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles last Friday night and grabbed a room at the Flagstone Inn when we landed. On Saturday we drove down to Bainbridge Island and caught the ferry into downtown Seattle. ( It was important that we get to Pikes Market before they shut down so that Darlene could see the men throw fish.)

We did, and they did, and the market lived up to its reputation. We decided that the next day we would visit The Museum of Aviation and the Art Gallery and so headed for a campsite just out of town.

The campsite was full. We drove on (south). The next campsite disappeared as we chased their signs and suddenly it was late and we were way south of Seattle. Quick change of plans! We’ll go and see the Mt. St. Helen’s monument. That takes us further south, but we’re not worried because we’ll forget about pitching the tent and get a motel.

In each little town we visit, the motels are full – weddings, baseball tournaments, you name it. This is the first time we’ve had trouble finding accommodation. By now we are too far south of Seattle to consider going back. When we eventually do find a room we’re even south of the Mt. St. Helen’s turnoff.

The Forestry Dept has done a wonderful job with Mt. St. Helen’s. Excellent interpretative centres, good roads and knowledgeable park rangers. The power of the mountain is still very evident and the constantly growing lava dome in the crater is evidence that it is only resting, not at all asleep.

After a great morning on the mountain we grab the I 84 and head towards Idaho along the beautiful Columbia Scenic route. We get as far as Deschutes and spend the evening in a lovely Oregon State Park.

It is the next day – Monday, Aug 7th – that brings us one of the most exciting days yet. As we left Oregon and entered Idaho, the woman in the Tourist Info office at the border suggested that we get away from the freeway and take some of the scenic routes through the Sawtooth Mountains. (Mountains? I thought Idaho was flat! Potatoes, yes?)

Idaho turns out to be mostly hills and mountains and very very beautiful. It is also very hot. At mid-day it was 41º and we were thinking motel + air-conditioning. At 6:30 it was still 39º . But as we drove along the Ponderosa Pine Scenic Byway I watched the sun sink below one of the ridges and decided to at least sample the air in the next campsite I found. We turned into the Bonneville camp on the 21 and found, not only cooler air, but a sign for hot springs as well.

These springs are part of the campsite. They flow naturally from the rock as they have for hundreds of years, and drain into the local river. The result is a series of ponds of varying temperature where one can sit and soak the dust and grime away. After Banff and Jasper, with their crowds of people, it seemed something of a small miracle to sit and share all of this with one other couple – who we couldn’t see anyway. All of this, a great campsite beside a river, no bugs, crows, seagulls, trains, trucks or planes – at the cost of $8.00!

We were sad to leave the next morning but managed to get in one more soak before climbing back into the car and heading for Yellowstone.

Whales? Whales!

Friday, August 04, 2006

We’ve spent the last six nights on Vancouver Island in search of some sun and sand and whales.

Having driven up the “sunshine coast” we caught an evening ferry from Powell River over to Comox and camped at a place that referred to itself as a “resort”. The Resort was really just a tenting and RV camp but we found a satisfactory site and friendly people on either side. From them we learn that we must stop in Coombs and check out the goats on the market roof. We do, the goats are there, and so is Darlene’s favorite dressmaker. While she’s buying, Ian gets trapped by a enthusiastic iridologist and is informed that lettuce is bad for the bowels and that flies excrete all over black peppercorns. This man is extremely friendly – and would like to sell me some “silver water”, guaranteed to kill germs as they enter my system.

Monday night we camp in Stoat Lake Prov Park, home to some ancient petroglyphs and two very impressive water bombers. (These planes can scoop up 23 million tons of water when fighting forest fires!) We have been very clever and actually made reservations at a campsite in Ucluelet for Tues and Wed. Although our site is rather close to another couple, we rarely see them – and we have a great view of the harbour. Tuesday is spent hiking, checking out Tofino and arranging for a whale tour on Thursday. On Wednesday we hike some more – through a rainforest trail – and then grab a few hours at Long Beach, sunning, reading, and watching the surfers. What a beautiful part of the world!

Thursday we pack up quickly, full of anticipation, and head for Tofino and the whale tour. Darlene and I have chosen the small Boston whaler – 20 ft – rather than the huge enclosed launch. This means we get suited up in thick, warm all-weather gear. We get great seats – right at the front – and the day is sunny. In fact, the only thing that was missing was whales. NO WHALES! ( OK, not quite true. We saw a fin here and a tail there and the odd blow or two, but this was a really disappointing trip.) My best photo of the day was of a kelp bed!

We left Tofino about 3 p.m., soured on whales, and headed for Victoria. And as we drove, things got progressively better. There was sunshine in Cathedral Grove, a beautiful hike through old-growth Douglas Fir, and we took the time to see the murals in Chemainus and the totem poles in Duncan. We arrive at Goldstream Campground in Victoria about 9 p.m. and get the last tent site.

We had pretty well given up on the idea of another whale tour but the German couple beside us extolled the virtues of “Prince of Whales” and their Orca tours, so Friday morning saw us up early and into Victoria. This time we chose the larger boat so that I wouldn’t spend the whole trip cradling the camera in a plastic bag to keep it away from salt water. And what a great trip! We saw lots of whales as they swam by our boat and we came away happy that we’d tried again.

We caught the 7:30 p.m. ferry to Port Angeles and managed to find a cheap and cheerful motel – The Flagstone – where I now sit and write.

Karen, Happy Birthday!