Quintessential Camping … what it’s all about!

There could not be a better end to a breathtaking day of taking in God’s creation, than a true, camping style dinner under the sky.  We stayed at a nice campground in Rock Springs, Wyoming nestled in the barren mountains typical of this area.  Tomorrow we will part ways.  The Hudlow’s will continue on with another week of travels through Arches National Park, the Grand Canyon and Carlsbad Caverns.  The King’s will hit it home so Connor can start weight training for high school football on Monday, and Kris can prepare as one of the leaders for our upcoming mission trip to the Appalachian mountains of West Virginia.

The (very) Grand Tetons

Grand Teton National Park protects stunning mountain scenery and is unique because these grand, peaked mountains protrude up from an otherwise flat landscape.  The Teton Range is the focal point of the park, the youngest range in the Rocky Mountains. An active normal fault, the Teton Fault, lies on the 40-mile long mountain front. Rock is jetted into the sky some 7,000 feet from the flat plains, with the highest peak at 13,770 feet, the Grand Teton.

I was not aware that when you leave Yellowstone Park through the south entrance, you drive right in to Grand Teton National Park.  Road construction gave us a long delay (and an RV driver's challenge) as we inched our way across it's landscape.

Houston ... we have a problem!

At any given time, there are between 2,300 and 4,500 bison at Yellowstone Park.  Since we are considered trespassers on their land, they always have the right-of-way.  As we headed out of Montana, through the park, we saw first hand what a traffic jam can occur when the bison decide to take the road.  This bison herd, calves and all, travelled down the main road to cross the river via the bridge (they need to thank us for that one!).  We could look down from the bus and see these massive creatures up close.  Our dog Pepe was just not too sure what to think of these things walking so closely!

The Hudlow RV Going Through the Roosevelt Arch

"The Yellowstone Park is something absolutely unique in the world...This Park was created and is now administered for the benefit and enjoyment of the people...it is the property of Uncle Sam and therefore of us all. "President Theodore Roosevelt
- April 24, 1903 - at the Gardiner, Montana Speech dedicating the North Entrance Arch

 

To President Theodore Roosevelt Yellowstone’s, uniqueness was not the geysers or wildlife he had observed during his visit. Its uniqueness was being the first national park anywhere in the world. You see Yellowstone is not entirely in any one state. Although the majority of it is in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho enjoy some of the park within their boarders too.  This meant that Yellowstone could not be a State Park like all before its time.  It was a new symbol of democracy - land that the federal government set aside from development or settlement, land that belonged to all the people. President Roosevelt recognized this would be Yellowstone National Park's legacy.  Many other national parks followed in the United States, Canada and Mexico as a direct result of Yellowstone Park.  This arch marks what used to be the only entrance to the park, the North Entrance.

Raising a Modern Day Knight

On a beautiful Wednesday evening, in front of an open fire, overlooking the raging Yellowstone River, the boys and men in our group participated in a very special observance.  For years, Ted has been training our boys along the principles of a book by Robert Lewis called Raising a Modern Day Knight.  This book uses the ethical foundation on which the knights of old became legendary to train modern-day boys to be strong men of God.  The creed of the knight is that:  real men resist passivity, real men accept responsibility, real men lead with courage, and real men work for a higher reward.  Their motto is that “A knight has a will to obey, a work to do, and a woman to love [right now, a mother… later a wife].  The scripture challenge was Romans 12:1 – “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service”.

This night, Connor was presented a silver chalice signifying his position as a Page.  Over the next few years he will earn other rewards cumulating in the presentation of a sword and ring with the family crest.  You may want to consider reading this book if you are a father to sons.  

The Hike Along the Yellowstone Trail

Although we started right next to our RV's in Montana, our hike along the Yellowstone trail took us riverside into Wyoming and the Yellowstone Park itself.  We stepped over a fresh elk carcass, saw three others in varying states of decay, and observed a great deal of God's creation.  I have never seen such a beautiful part of the country.  This is why we love the RV life.  You can't buy times like this.

Chill Time

The boys enjoyed some gaming on our "basement" TV after our second 10 hour day at the park.  The weather was absolutely perfect!  We will add a few more states to our map on this trip.  Only seven more to go!

The Group Shot!

Here it is!  The one and only picture of the entire Hudlow / King clan.  [From left]: Lacy, Connor, Mike, Jacob, Melody, Kris, Ted. [front row]: Evan and Adam.    This picture was taken in front of the enormous, geyser laden Yellowstone Lake.

We decided on this trip that this will certainly be an annual event for our families.  What a wonderful time we have had.

Picnic in the Snow

Our guide provided a nice picnic lunch for us each day.  The side of the park where we saw the wildlife yesterday is 50 miles from the side of the park where the geysers can be found.  Today we ate in the warm sun, but many feet of snow is still present in the area.  The boys had a great time having a snowball fight after lunch!

Danger in the Park

We strolled along the elevated sidewalks as water boiled underneath, a constant reminder of the massive Super Volcano that sits below.  We could not help but ask our guide to tell us the gruesome stories of death at Yellowstone.  Since Yellowstone was established, grizzlies have mauled five people to death and three visitors have been killed by bison. While backcountry hikers may be well aware that grizzlies and bison can be dangerous threats, Yellowstone visitors can get into serious trouble while wandering near the park's heavily visited geyser basins and other geothermal features. Just this June, a six-year-old Utah boy suffered serious burns after he slipped on a wet boardwalk in the Old Faithful area. The boy fell into hot water that had erupted from nearby West Triplet Geyser. He survived, but 20 park visitors have died, the most recent six years ago, scalded by boiling Yellowstone waters as hot as 250 degrees Fahrenheit.  I can’t help but wonder what it was like for the Native American’s and early explorers of the park.  Yellowstone is a constantly changing landscape.  The dozens of earthquakes that quietly rock the park every day shift the “plumbing” of the geysers and often change the temperature of the water.  The boiling water beyond Evan and I in the 1^st picture is on the location of what once was a Yellowstone Parking lot.  Ground that looks firm may be only a thin crust of mud above a boiling cauldron below.  We saw a bison that had recently burned its tail off; raw bloody flesh still oozing from it’s fresh wound.  Surely large numbers of people were injured and killed before they were armed with the knowledge we have today.  This was a truly amazing experience that everyone must see firsthand.

Old Faithful

I have read about it my whole life, so it was a thrill to see and experience the park’s most famous geyser.  Just as spectacular was our visit to the historic Old Faithful Inn that was built during the winter (I can’t imagine that) of 1903 – 1904. Robert C. Reamer, who wanted the asymmetry of the building to reflect the chaos of nature, designed this hotel.  The lobby of the hotel features a 65-foot ceiling, a massive rhyolite fireplace, and railings made of contorted lodgepole pine.  Wings were added in 1915 and 1927.  The Northern Pacific Railroad financed the original construction of Old Faithful Inn and the Department of the Interior allowed building materials to be gathered within Yellowstone National Park itself. Railroad workers who normally build the trussells over which the trains travel did the construction of the massive logs.  Disney’s Ft. Wilderness was built based on the design of this impressive and historic building that sits directly in front of the Old Faithful Geyser.

Geothermal Day at Yellowstone

There are no words or pictures that can truly capture what it is like to walk among the planet’s most diverse and intact collection of geysers, hot springs, mudpots, and fumaroles. Its more than 300 geysers make up two thirds of all those found on earth. Combine this with more than 10,000 thermal features comprised of brilliantly colored hot springs, bubbling mudpots, and steaming fumaroles, and you have a place like no other. Geyserland, fairyland, wonderland--through the years, all have been used to describe the natural wonder and magic of this unique park that contains more geothermal features than any other place on earth.

"Yellowstone's Grand Canyon"

One of the many impressive areas of the park is the deep canyon of the Yellowstone River, featuring the upper and lower portions of Yellowstone Falls they call “Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon”.  Yellowstone's complex geologic history is expressed in vivid colors and dramatic shapes that can be seen from several different points of view.  Puffs of steam mark the locations of active geothermal features in the canyon's walls. The Upper and Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River add to the grandeur of this unique natural treasure.  Truly it is a sight to behold! 

Dinner Along the Yellowstone River

After a wonderful ten hours at Yellowstone, we walked to the little town of Gardiner and had dinner along the river with the kids.  We reflected on our experience that day and all wholeheartedly agreed that this is a unique and wonderful place.  Now to bed early and off to the park again in the morning!

The Wolf Experience

One of the most fascinating things we learned was the complex world of the park’s main predator, the wolf. Yellowstone Park is no stranger to controversy and the handling of the wolves has been front and center for almost a century.  Although wolves are fascinating to watch, they pose an enormous threat to livestock and animals many ranchers in the Yellowstone states of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho need for their livelihood.  In the 1930’s the decision was made to kill off the Yellowstone wolf population altogether.  This plummeted the park’s ecosystem into an imbalance that affected everything from plant life to the birds in the air.

 In January of 1995 after close to 70 years without the wolves, the first step towards wolf reintroduction to Yellowstone took place. That month, fourteen wolves captured from Alberta, Canada were placed in acclimation enclosures in Yellowstone National Park. In March 1995, the pens were opened and the wolves were released into the wild. Another 11 wolves were released the following year and by 2004, the wolf population in Yellowstone had grown to an estimated 300 individuals.  Now there are 12 wolf packs in the park that are closely watched and studied.  Only within the park’s boarders are wolves not killed because of their threat to man.  This provides a unique environment where the human does not intimidate the wolves, so their natural behavior can be studied for the first time ever.  Here we were shown a wolf den (while a bison watches behind us) as well as the result of a wolf attack.  Our very knowledgeable guide entertained us with the soap opera like world of the wolf packs of Yellowstone.

The Circle of LIfe

Yellowstone never intervenes with the natural course of events that happen in this wild environment with the exception of things that happen as a result of the human world.  We saw this first hand 20 minutes into our first day after Carl spotted a newborn elk curled up by the side of the road.  The mother had given birth and the space between the ground and the road had eroded to the point that the mother could not get the baby across.  Carl called the ranger and together they wrapped the newborn in a blanket carefully void of human scent to take it across the street closer to its mother.  In contrast, last week a female bison died after giving birth. The calf stayed by her side trying to nurse the corpse for days before dying of starvation.  It was amazing that a wolf had not found the vulnerable creature first, but it did not.  Rangers knew what was happening, but correctly see themselves as observers of this amazing system of life.  Bones and carcasses in various forms of decomposition can be found everywhere.  Carl had done forensic work for the government where he helped determine cause of death.  He taught us a lot about what to look for when you observe these occurrences in nature.

Frisbee on the Range

Bison, despite the fact that they are HUGE, are herbivores.  They eat about 24 pounds of grass a day!  The lack of protein in their diet makes their droppings, or Bison patties, light and void of odor.  After explaining this to the kids, Connor and Carl proceed to prove this point by playing Frisbee in a field with one of these patties!

Bathroom Break Anyone?

Here, the animals have the right-of-way and if this bison wants to hang out by the bathroom, we will let him!  It’s amazing how accustomed to us these animals have become.  However, despite their docile appearance, these are deemed the most dangerous animals in the park.  We saw this first hand as we watched a wolf wander too close to a bison calf.  These 2,000-pound animals can run 30 miles an hour.  We were there just as the spring babies were being born across the whole animal kingdom.  This makes the animals more aggressive than usual as newborns provide good food for those up the food chain.

The Hunt

Our guide Carl is a lifelong naturalist from British Columbia who had a wealth of experience he shared with us the 20 hours we had together.  He has worked as a fire jumper, a scuba diving instructor and guide, he was with the Fish and Game Department working with bears, led safari’s in Africa for three years and, more recently, enjoyed time working on the wolf project.  He has a close relationship with the large number of park rangers and volunteers who were in the park daily.  These people called or radioed him when there was animal behavior to observe and we would load up and head to our destination.  Once there, Carl would set up three powerful field scopes for the nine of us to share in addition to the high quality binoculars given to each of us in the beginning.  We observed bison, bear, wolf packs, elk, prawn horn, ground squirrels, prairie dogs, badgers, marmut, moose, coyote, and many more animals as well as birds of all kinds.  Amazing!

Yellowstone Safari Day!

The best thing we did was to take the advice of a friend and hire a private guide to take us through the park.  Carl Swoboda picked us up at 6:00 a.m. and we were off for ten hours observing the wildlife in Yellowstone Park with someone who knows it well.  Carl gave us a list of animals to find and we spent the day on a true safari trying to locate and observe each animal.  If you ever go to Yellowstone yourself, please do it this way too!

Devil's Tower

Did you ever see “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”?  It was filmed right here at Devil’s Tower.  We debated whether it was worth a journey this far off the beaten path, but boy it really was!

Devils Tower is 867 feet from its base to the summit. It is an igneous intrusion.  That means Magma welled up into the surrounding sedimentary rock.  There it cooled and hardened.  The sedimentary rock has since eroded away to show this majestic tower. 

While preparing to travel west, we spent a lot of time studying the Native American Indians who were here long before we settled in America.  Our family formed our own personal opinions about what happened during that time, and this natural wonder sparked a great deal of conversation on the topic.  You see, this is considered sacred ground to the Indians.  “Devils Tower”, it is believed, was a name given when an interpreter wrongly translated the name into English.  The Indian term probably literally meant “God’s Tower”, but it was translated as “Gods Bad Tower” or “Devils Tower”.  Knowing this land and structure was of such great importance to the original inhabitants of the area, we turned it into a tourist attraction and even allow to this day climbers to scale the massive structure.  This is seen as a desecration of a holy place to the Native Americans.  

Rocky Mountain Campground

Wow!  This campground was absolutely breathtaking.  It is nestled in the mountains overlooking the Yellowstone River.  The Roosevelt Arch marking the original North Entrance to Yellowstone Park can be seen through our front picture window.  Just out our door is the Yellowstone Trail that takes hikers all the way into Yellowstone Park along the river.  As you can see, wildlife was abundant and walked freely through our RV park.  We walked into the town of Gardnier every evening for dinner where almost every restaurant is on the river.  I could stay here forever!