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** If you are reading these journal entries for the first time, please start from the beginning, on June 21. **
Dear All,
Today we leave Yellowstone and head home!
Although all good things come to an end, we have done our very best to experience and enjoy Yellowstone, with long days and physical exertion, a sense of discovery and exploration, and as never before captured it in words and photos, with a sense of fun and our feelings.
Despite going to bed at midnight, Joyce got up at 5:30 am. We all showered, packed, had breakfast and got in the car by 7:15 am, only 15 minutes later than plan. The drive was estimated by MapQuest at 4:15 hours and the flight departed at 1:15 pm.
As you know, we usually do not get out till after 10 am, so we never saw anything early in the day and boy did we miss a lot! The early morning and late afternoon light is the best for photography, the animals are out during those hours too. As soon as we got out, we immediately enjoyed the crisp morning temperature, the soft lighting and the feeling that the entire day was still ahead of us.
The route was simple - go south along the left side of the top of the Figure 8, from Mammoth Hot Springs to Norris, east along the waist to Canyon Village, south along the right side of the bottom of the Figure 8, along the Yellowstone River to Fishing Bridge then hug the Yellowstone Lake to West Thumb, from there due south to the South Entrance. Go through Grand Teton National Park, then to Jackson Hole airport.
As early as 7:30 am, there were already visitors in the YNP taking photos at hot springs. Elks were grazing and bison were rising from their sleep, and a flock of ducks floating on the Yellowstone Lake. Today's Yellowstone photos were not our best, however, they were just the right re-cap for the trip.
Because we were heading to the airport and Michael being an early morning person with a sense of urgency very different from Joyce's (always the last minute or late arriver), she took many photos right from the car. However, Michael was kind enough to allow 30-second stops at strategic points so she quickly snapped them with greed. There were always slow cars we had to pass and Michael tried to stay ahead of them, keeping an eye on the 'red car' that would catch up if he allowed too much time. This particular challenge made for a fun ride.
[Sidebar - Joyce's sense of timing has created many close calls but she rarely misses really important things. One time, in Germany, she nearly induced a heart attack in a friend on the way to the airport, but of course they caught the flight in time.]
After leaving the South Entrance, we got on the John D. Rockefeller Memorial Highway, heading directly into Grand Teton NP. Boy, if there is a drive to the airport that could rival the views by this one, we would like to know! The entire drive from when we got a glimpse of the peaks of the Grand Tetons all the way to the Jackson Hole airport was permeated with a sense of awe and disbelief of the grandeur and majesty of these most magnificent Rocky Mountains!!!
We started to wonder out loud - Why did Cathy tell us not to spend a day in Grand Teton? Was she out her mind? Oh well, too late, besides her reply was nuanced. She said Grand Teton was best enjoyed from afar (true) unless one hiked into the back country (we didn't have time), and the best time of year was the fall where the aspen leaves turn yellow against the crystal blue sky. However, we also discovered there was a 7 or 8 mile bike path right in front of the mountains which would've been a fantastic way to take them in.
Set against a crystal clear lake, Joyce got a perfect shot of the mountains and their reflected image, complete with foreground, all done in a few seconds to frame, focus and shoot. A lifetime of training has finally paid off.
While taking photos from the passenger seat, Joyce leaned out the window to get a better shot. The strong wind blew her visor off and of course Michael said, "We can't go back for it." Oh darn, all her visors were bought at one of two special places - in a hat store in Provincetown or a general store on Nantucket where we spend our summer week on Cape Cod. And to think, we got to Jackson Hole airport at 10:45 am (in 3-1/2 hours), with more than two hours to spare (before we got gas). Oh well, oh well!
Because we had to gas the car, we drove past the airport towards Jackson Hole. On route, we past the National Wildlife Museum. Again, right from inside a fast moving car, Joyce managed to capture the sculpture of the animals and the museum building to/from the gas station. Before the museum, wow, ski slopes also showed up. Of course, they are the world renown Jackson Hole where Joyce skied in 1994 and went down 'Portuguese Ravine' on her back.
The flowers were beautiful at the mini-mart but how could they compare to the wild flowers in Yellowstone? We then headed back to the airport, which is probably also one of the most beautiful in the world, thanks to Grand Teton.
Sitting at a window seat, Joyce didn't put the camera away and continued to take shots as we got air born. You can see the quality suffered from the cracks and distortion in the airplane window (starting with #123), nevertheless, they showed off the mountains and the landscape, even those close to Salt Lake City, well. The last few shots were taken at the airport pub where we had a delicious lunch.
Acknowledgment
Final thanks go to Yeedeh, for inspiring Joyce to write this journal. To Cathy for her helpful suggestions on all the YNP places dear to her heart (her favorite is Lamar Valley where we spent two full days). To Michael for all his technical assistance - the camera, the computer, and the CD.
Prologue
In Michael's opinion, Yellowstone was the best vacation we ever had. During this past week, Michael came home and asked Ryan how his day was. Ryan simply said, "It's not Yellowstone."
In Joyce's mind, she could not get The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah, part of our 2007 Southwest trip, out of her mind. Yellowstone is the #1 national park of the world, but Joyce wants to hike the vast desolate wilderness of Escalante one day. http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/grand_st
OK, here is our 'Top Ten' for Yellowstone - only our rating:
1. Lower Falls, Canyon Village, complete with rainbow, for its emotional impact
2. Grand Prismatic Spring, Midway Geyser Basin, for the bright orange, gleaming yellow and deep azure with color mists to match
3. Yellowstone Lake from Craig Pass down to its shore, for the incomparable views and the wow factor
4. Hayden Valley along Yellowstone River, for its beauty and wildlife
5. Fairy Falls and Imperial Geyser, for the 7 mile hike and the private intimate feeling
6. Fountain Paint Pot for its multi-hued mud pots and erupting geysers, and Mammoth Hot Springs for its terraced mineral formations and reflective pools
7. The dessert mountains near Roosevelt Arch (North Entrance), for the grand scale and breadth taking views
8. Park Lodges - Canyon Lodge, Roosevelt Lodge and Yellowstone Lake Lodge (unfortunately didn't have a chance to have lunch there), for their old time charm and comfort
9. All the wildlife we saw - we counted 14
10. All the wild flowers we enjoyed
Boy, Old Faithful didn't even make it (a bit too commercial) - it does have a special place!
Photos
1. To the extent possible, Joyce did not doctor them.
2. When she does, they are usually appended as 'A' - only if the processed came out better without taking away the details.
3. Joyce will be updating the albums as time goes on.
4. The camera is Sony DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) model A100, with a 3.5-5.6/18-70 mm lens by Minolta. Remember - it is not the camera but the photographer!
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnails
Multi-Media
After a few days of seeing bison (buffalo), a tune surfaced from deep memory and Joyce started humming it. It turned out to be 'Home on the Range', part of the lyrics goes " ... where the buffalo roam ..." Michael heard the tunes at the Roosevelt Lodge and bought a CD. We played the CD in the car over and over, and still do at home.
Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam
Where the deer and the antelope play,
Where seldom is heard, a discouraging word
And the skies are not cloudy all day.
Chorus:
Home, home on the Range;
Where the deer and the antelope play;
Where seldom is heard, a discouraging word,
And the skies are not cloudy all day.
Ryan also took many video clips. If we want to get really fancy, Joyce could include video clips and play this song with the Journal, which she might still do. But for now, it's been enough labor of love!
That's it, folks, this concludes our Yellowstone Journal. Hope you enjoy it as much as we've labored over it.
Love, Joyce
This is a Chinese Lantern dripping with rain, taken on June 12, from Joyce's garden.
Dear All,
Today we leave Yellowstone and head home!
Although all good things come to an end, we have done our very best to experience and enjoy Yellowstone, with long days and physical exertion, a sense of discovery and exploration, and as never before captured it in words and photos, with a sense of fun and our feelings.
Despite going to bed at midnight, Joyce got up at 5:30 am. We all showered, packed, had breakfast and got in the car by 7:15 am, only 15 minutes later than plan. The drive was estimated by MapQuest at 4:15 hours and the flight departed at 1:15 pm.
As you know, we usually do not get out till after 10 am, so we never saw anything early in the day and boy did we miss a lot! The early morning and late afternoon light is the best for photography, the animals are out during those hours too. As soon as we got out, we immediately enjoyed the crisp morning temperature, the soft lighting and the feeling that the entire day was still ahead of us.
The route was simple - go south along the left side of the top of the Figure 8, from Mammoth Hot Springs to Norris, east along the waist to Canyon Village, south along the right side of the bottom of the Figure 8, along the Yellowstone River to Fishing Bridge then hug the Yellowstone Lake to West Thumb, from there due south to the South Entrance. Go through Grand Teton National Park, then to Jackson Hole airport.
As early as 7:30 am, there were already visitors in the YNP taking photos at hot springs. Elks were grazing and bison were rising from their sleep, and a flock of ducks floating on the Yellowstone Lake. Today's Yellowstone photos were not our best, however, they were just the right re-cap for the trip.
Because we were heading to the airport and Michael being an early morning person with a sense of urgency very different from Joyce's (always the last minute or late arriver), she took many photos right from the car. However, Michael was kind enough to allow 30-second stops at strategic points so she quickly snapped them with greed. There were always slow cars we had to pass and Michael tried to stay ahead of them, keeping an eye on the 'red car' that would catch up if he allowed too much time. This particular challenge made for a fun ride.
[Sidebar - Joyce's sense of timing has created many close calls but she rarely misses really important things. One time, in Germany, she nearly induced a heart attack in a friend on the way to the airport, but of course they caught the flight in time.]
After leaving the South Entrance, we got on the John D. Rockefeller Memorial Highway, heading directly into Grand Teton NP. Boy, if there is a drive to the airport that could rival the views by this one, we would like to know! The entire drive from when we got a glimpse of the peaks of the Grand Tetons all the way to the Jackson Hole airport was permeated with a sense of awe and disbelief of the grandeur and majesty of these most magnificent Rocky Mountains!!!
We started to wonder out loud - Why did Cathy tell us not to spend a day in Grand Teton? Was she out her mind? Oh well, too late, besides her reply was nuanced. She said Grand Teton was best enjoyed from afar (true) unless one hiked into the back country (we didn't have time), and the best time of year was the fall where the aspen leaves turn yellow against the crystal blue sky. However, we also discovered there was a 7 or 8 mile bike path right in front of the mountains which would've been a fantastic way to take them in.
Set against a crystal clear lake, Joyce got a perfect shot of the mountains and their reflected image, complete with foreground, all done in a few seconds to frame, focus and shoot. A lifetime of training has finally paid off.
While taking photos from the passenger seat, Joyce leaned out the window to get a better shot. The strong wind blew her visor off and of course Michael said, "We can't go back for it." Oh darn, all her visors were bought at one of two special places - in a hat store in Provincetown or a general store on Nantucket where we spend our summer week on Cape Cod. And to think, we got to Jackson Hole airport at 10:45 am (in 3-1/2 hours), with more than two hours to spare (before we got gas). Oh well, oh well!
Because we had to gas the car, we drove past the airport towards Jackson Hole. On route, we past the National Wildlife Museum. Again, right from inside a fast moving car, Joyce managed to capture the sculpture of the animals and the museum building to/from the gas station. Before the museum, wow, ski slopes also showed up. Of course, they are the world renown Jackson Hole where Joyce skied in 1994 and went down 'Portuguese Ravine' on her back.
The flowers were beautiful at the mini-mart but how could they compare to the wild flowers in Yellowstone? We then headed back to the airport, which is probably also one of the most beautiful in the world, thanks to Grand Teton.
Sitting at a window seat, Joyce didn't put the camera away and continued to take shots as we got air born. You can see the quality suffered from the cracks and distortion in the airplane window (starting with #123), nevertheless, they showed off the mountains and the landscape, even those close to Salt Lake City, well. The last few shots were taken at the airport pub where we had a delicious lunch.
Acknowledgment
Final thanks go to Yeedeh, for inspiring Joyce to write this journal. To Cathy for her helpful suggestions on all the YNP places dear to her heart (her favorite is Lamar Valley where we spent two full days). To Michael for all his technical assistance - the camera, the computer, and the CD.
Prologue
In Michael's opinion, Yellowstone was the best vacation we ever had. During this past week, Michael came home and asked Ryan how his day was. Ryan simply said, "It's not Yellowstone."
In Joyce's mind, she could not get The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah, part of our 2007 Southwest trip, out of her mind. Yellowstone is the #1 national park of the world, but Joyce wants to hike the vast desolate wilderness of Escalante one day. http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/grand_st
OK, here is our 'Top Ten' for Yellowstone - only our rating:
1. Lower Falls, Canyon Village, complete with rainbow, for its emotional impact
2. Grand Prismatic Spring, Midway Geyser Basin, for the bright orange, gleaming yellow and deep azure with color mists to match
3. Yellowstone Lake from Craig Pass down to its shore, for the incomparable views and the wow factor
4. Hayden Valley along Yellowstone River, for its beauty and wildlife
5. Fairy Falls and Imperial Geyser, for the 7 mile hike and the private intimate feeling
6. Fountain Paint Pot for its multi-hued mud pots and erupting geysers, and Mammoth Hot Springs for its terraced mineral formations and reflective pools
7. The dessert mountains near Roosevelt Arch (North Entrance), for the grand scale and breadth taking views
8. Park Lodges - Canyon Lodge, Roosevelt Lodge and Yellowstone Lake Lodge (unfortunately didn't have a chance to have lunch there), for their old time charm and comfort
9. All the wildlife we saw - we counted 14
10. All the wild flowers we enjoyed
Boy, Old Faithful didn't even make it (a bit too commercial) - it does have a special place!
Photos
1. To the extent possible, Joyce did not doctor them.
2. When she does, they are usually appended as 'A' - only if the processed came out better without taking away the details.
3. Joyce will be updating the albums as time goes on.
4. The camera is Sony DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) model A100, with a 3.5-5.6/18-70 mm lens by Minolta. Remember - it is not the camera but the photographer!
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnails
Multi-Media
After a few days of seeing bison (buffalo), a tune surfaced from deep memory and Joyce started humming it. It turned out to be 'Home on the Range', part of the lyrics goes " ... where the buffalo roam ..." Michael heard the tunes at the Roosevelt Lodge and bought a CD. We played the CD in the car over and over, and still do at home.
Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam
Where the deer and the antelope play,
Where seldom is heard, a discouraging word
And the skies are not cloudy all day.
Chorus:
Home, home on the Range;
Where the deer and the antelope play;
Where seldom is heard, a discouraging word,
And the skies are not cloudy all day.
Ryan also took many video clips. If we want to get really fancy, Joyce could include video clips and play this song with the Journal, which she might still do. But for now, it's been enough labor of love!
That's it, folks, this concludes our Yellowstone Journal. Hope you enjoy it as much as we've labored over it.
Love, Joyce
This is a Chinese Lantern dripping with rain, taken on June 12, from Joyce's garden.
