First Glimpse of Old Faithful

(Posting for Sunday, June 8th)

Well, we all made it through the night at the spooky Lake Hotel. The power went on and off a couple of more times as we sat up reading, so we fell asleep wondering if we would wake up to electricity and heat. Luckily, the heat came back on early in the morning, so we awoke to a cozy room and more importantly, hot water. I foraged in the car for some breakfast – the kids had Pop Tarts and Steph and I had some yogurt and granola bars. After breakfast, the kids announced they are just about sick of Pop Tarts. After 11 days, I can’t say that I blame them. Maybe it’s time to find some good old fashioned bacon and eggs tomorrow.

After breakfast and showers, we packed up and said goodbye to the Lake Hotel. We ventured out to find a couple of fresh inches of snow. Luckily, the temp was in the mid 30’s, the sun was out, so the roads were all in great shape. We ventured West and then North to Old Faithful. Along the way, we crossed the Continental Divide (twice) and came through some fairly heavy snow. At our first crossing of the Continental Divide, we came upon 3 bikers (that’s bicycles, not motorcycles, folks) who were traveling from Denver to Oregon. It was a cold day to be traveling in an auto, much less a bike.

We arrived at Old Faithful around noon. There was little snow left around Old Faithful – they obviously did not get the pounding that the Lake area received over the past couple of days. We wandered into the Grill at the Snow Lodge in search of lunch. There aren’t a ton of food options here in the park, so we were hoping for something hearty and different. Everyone enjoyed burgers, chicken nuggets, fries and chili-cheese fries. We had great cell phone service, so we took a gamble and got the laptop out of the van. Luckily, I had coverage on my wireless data card, so we were able to upload the blogs for both Friday and Saturday.

After lunch we worked our way over to the visitor’s center and watched the movie about Yellowstone they were showing. After the movie, we wandered over to Old Faithful Inn for a few pics and some hot chocolate and coffee. We will be staying at Old Faithful later next week, and the quick trip through the lobby got everyone excited. The Inn is probably what most people picture when they think of a rustic lodge in the wilderness – lots of rough hewn hogs, exposed log beams, a soaring stone fireplace with a roaring fire. We’re all ready to check in there, find a comfy chair in the lobby near the fireplace, and settle in with a good book.

We wandered back outside and caught the 2:15 eruption of Old Faithful. As we waited for the eruption, the wind picked up and it began to snow a bit. Everyone enjoyed the eruption and will be ready to hit the rest of the trails there when we return next week.

After our stop at Old Faithful, we worked our way North to Madison Junction and then on to Canyon before returning to Lake. We saw lots of fishermen along the way, and the difference in scenery from the Lake area was striking. There was very little snow of the ground during most of our trip North from Old Faithful, and the temperatures were a downright steamy mid 40’s most of the afternoon. We made a stop and the Fountain Paint Pots and took a quick half mile hike around the boardwalk. When we left the car, it was a bit windy. Halfway through the hike, the wind turned into blinding snow.

After shaking off the snow, we headed on towards Canyon. We had plenty of bison and elk sightings along the way to keep us entertained. We also traveled through areas of the park that were heavily burned during the 1988 fires. It’s amazing to see the rebirth process with thousands of new lodgepole pines working their way into a new forest.

From Canyon we headed back towards Lake. We took a quick detour to Fishing Bridge to hit the general store and get a few snacks and items for dinner. We headed on to Lake to check in at the Lake Hotel Cabins (just behind the Lake Hotel where we spent the last 2 nights). As we made the turn into the Lake area, we caught the beginning of a bear jam. A large black bear was foraging along the side of the road. We stopped, parked, took some great pictures and let the kids get a good glimpse of the bear without getting too close. It’s amazing how stupid people get when they see a bear. People were stopping in the middle of the road and jumping out of the cars, and entire families with young children were wandering right up to the bear for a close up view. Luckily, a ranger arrived as we were leaving to bring a little order to the scene.

We made our way through the bear jam and checked in for our cabin at the Lake Hotel. We enjoyed out room at the Lake Hotel, but the cabins are much better. They don’t look like much – little yellow boxes stuck close together, but the on the inside they are great. The cabin we’re in seems almost new on the inside – comfy furnishings, new carpet, lots of windows. This is really the way to go. Best of all, the car is only steps away. No lugging stuff up and down the elevator. These are the same cabins where my mom worked during the summer of 1968. The kids were wondering today if Granny had ever cleaned cabin 512 during her tour of duty here...

We’ve got a big hunk of bison fur and lots of bison chips near our cabin. Perhaps we’ll have a visitor during our stay here.

We hung around the cabin for a dinner of cheese, crackers, summer sausage and some great cookies we picked up at the general store. We took a quick stroll to the post office to mail a few items, and the kids had a blast climbing to the top of some big piles of snow and sliding down, getting completely cold and wet in the process.

After a couple of rounds of Phase 10 and Uno, everyone (but me) is into a good book. I’m soon to join them. Looks like the weather is clearing, so tomorrow should be another great day.

Lots of pics but still no fast internet, so only words for now.

The Grays