Chapter 10: Yellowstone and the Tetons
Once the car had left the interstate, they drove along a 'normal' two lane highway. This was US-14. Since it was Summer, the route their driver chose was the more mountainous alternative route, which is closed in Wintertime. This passed near several ten thousand-foot peaks. This was the main ridge of the Rocky Mountains. As the road climbed into the mountains, they could see the level plains of the prairies behind them. The going would be slower from now on.
They made a few stops along the way, one at 'Medicine Wheel', an ancient native American shrine high in the mountains. The views from this place were really memorable. Once they had passed the town of Cody, the route all the way to the park followed the course of the north fork of the Shoshone River which, at this point in its course, is a turbulent stream flowing rapidly down a steep sided valley.
At last, they entered Yellowstone National Park by the East entrance. And made their way to their hotel in Grant Village. They did not make any stops on the way there. It was early evening by the time the four travellers checked in to the hotel. They were allocated their bedrooms, parked their luggage and had a look at the nearest visitor center, which was still open, where they obtained some information about the park. As they were hungry, they had dinner and spent the rest of the evening discussing their plans in a bar over a few drinks.
"I hope you two are tolerant of high altitudes," said their travelling companion, whose name was David, "Because most of this park is round about eight thousand feet above sea level."
"We seem to be okay at the moment," said Sid, "But we have been climbing up to this level over several weeks, so I guess we're used to it by now."
"Have you had any thoughts about the next couple of days?" asked David.
"Looking at the info we've just picked up," said Sid, "I suppose 'Old Faithful' should be one of our visits."
"Yes." said David, "I'm planning to go there tomorrow morning if the weather's okay."
"It should be." commented Caroline, David's wife, "The forecast said it's going to be warm and sunny, with a possibility of a shower later on."
"Very well!" said David, "Old Faithful it is, immediately after breakfast. Don't forget, it'll take half an hour for us to drive there."
This discussion continued for the rest of the evening, by which time the foursome had more or less organised what they were going to do for the next three days. The next day's visit to the 'Old Faithful' geyser was the only thing that was 'set in stone'. What exactly they did next would depend on how long they would have to wait for the geyser to erupt. The other thing which had been decided, was that they would go South to the Grand Teton National Park on the middle day. That way, they would reach an interstate highway sooner by leaving Yellowstone by the Western entrance on the fourth day.
"I think that we're going to see some very strange things in the next three days." said Sid, as they were making themselves at home in their bedroom.
"As long as the whole place doesn't go up while we're here." observed Cassie.
"What do you mean?" asked Sid.
"We're sitting on what is, perhaps the world's largest super volcano." said Cassie, "While you two men were discussing our plans for this visit, I was looking through some of the literature we collected at the visitor Center. Yellowstone is due for another really big eruption. It could happen soon, or not for another hundred thousand years."
"Don't worry about that." said Sid, "I'm sure there would be some warning signs well before anything serious happens, and we'll have plenty of time to escape."
"That's one of the things I both love and hate about you, Sid." said Cassie, "You're the eternal optimist. Even when things are going 'pear shaped', most of the time, you seem to be able to find a bright side."
"That's only since I met you, my sweet Cass." said Sid, "Before then, I invariably found the cloud when I was shown the silver lining. Anyway, not long ago you were telling me off for considering 'worst case scenarios'."
With this, both Sid and Cassie prepared for bed. They shared the shower and had a comfortable night. They were both up and about by seven o'clock the next morning ready for breakfast and a long day of sightseeing. They met David and Caroline at the diner, where all four settled down to an American breakfast. Cassie exercised her sweet tooth and had pancakes and maple syrup with her scrambled eggs. Sid had gammon and pineapple, while David and Caroline had steak and eggs.
"What do you think the chances are of this place blowing up while we're here?" asked David, "Caroline was worrying me with that thought last night."
"I would think almost zero." said Sid, "Volcanoes don't just erupt without any warning, and things seem pretty quiet here at the moment. Cassie had the same thoughts last night just before we went to bed. In any case, if this one did blow up, there'd be nowhere to run to. Apart from the absence of radiation, the result would be worse than a thermonuclear world war."
"With that cheerful thought," said David, "It's time to leave on our geyser spotting expedition. Let's go and see how faithful this old geyser is."
All four wandered out to the parking lot, and embarked on the half hour drive to 'Old Faithful'. When they arrived there, they were greeted with the news that the geyser had erupted in the last five minutes or so. This meant that they would have to wait about three quarters of an hour before pressure built up again for the next eruption. They spent about half an hour browsing the visitor Center and the bookshop before taking up their viewing positions facing the mouth of the geyser. After they had been waiting for about twenty minutes, there was a sudden gush of water from the geyser. This was followed by a roar and a massive jet of boiling water and steam being hurled vertically upwards from the vent. It reached a height of about seventy-five feet before subsiding. As it was a cool and completely windless morning, the steam drifted straight up for a couple of hundred more feet before being carried off by the slight air movement at that altitude. 'Old Faithful' would now be quiescent for the best part of the next hour.
"Well, that was worth waiting for." said Cassie, "I've read about it in books, but I've never actually seen anything like it before."
"Is everyone feeling okay?" asked David, "No headaches or anything."
"No. We're good." said Sid, "Why do you ask?"
"A headache is one of the symptoms of altitude sickness." said David, "Last year, we went to Peru, and visited the 'Sacred Valley of the Incas' and Macchu Picchu. We flew from Lima to Cuzco. We had gone up over eight thousand feet in a couple of hours. We both had headaches. The hotel in Cuzco gave us coca leaves to chew, and served coca tea. We did feel better for it."
"I guess we're not suffering because, as I've mentioned, our climb to this altitude has taken several weeks." said Sid, "We've spent a few weeks at five thousand feet in Denver and more in Casper. Last year, you got into a plane at sea level, and less than two hours later you were up at eight thousand feet."
"That was a bit sudden." said Cassie, "I don't know for certain, but I think I'd have problems if I went up to eight thousand feet in a couple of hours. The pressure in the aircraft cabin was possibly higher than the ambient pressure in Cuzco."
Over breakfast, and in the car on the way to 'Old Faithful' Cassie and Caroline were studying the map of the park in the guide they had bought the previous evening at the Visitor Center.
"I guess this visit determines the direction we travel around the 'figure of eight'." said Cassie.
"Just so." said David, "We're going to see a few of the smaller geysers in the park, plus some other geothermal phenomena."
During the latter part of the morning, the little group of four visited a couple of the nearby geyser basins, before moving on to the 'Fountain Paint Pot', the 'Artist' paint pots, and the Beryl Spring. Their route was to take them down the valley of the Firehole River towards Norris Junction. They would not stop there as they would be visiting it again later in the day.
"I've never seen water that colour before." commented Cassie as she was looking at the many-hued paint pots.
"I guess you've never been to the other two major hydrothermal places in the world." said David.
"Where are they?" asked Cassie.
"New Zealand and Iceland." said David.
"Have you been to them?" asked Sid.
"We haven't been to Iceland," said David, "But two years ago we toured New Zealand. There are geothermal places all over the North Island. All over Rotorua, there are little steaming hot springs, and you can smell the sulphur in the air."
"You must travel about quite a bit." said Sid.
"We're trying to visit some of the more interesting places in the world before we start having children." said David.
"That sounds sensible." said Sid, "Children do tend to tie you down, and then there's a limit to the types of holiday you can take."
"And they're expensive, once their education starts." added Caroline.
Just before lunchtime, they arrived at Canyon Village, and made their way to the parking lot nearest to Inspiration Point, from where they could look back at the area they had just driven through. The next item on the agenda was a meal, so they located a diner in Canyon Village and had lunch. After their meal, they started driving around the Northern half of the 'figure of eight' pausing at intervals to see Mount Washburn, the Tower Falls and the petrified trees. Their next longish stop was at Mammoth Springs. Here was one of the more unusual sights in Yellowstone, the Minerva Terraces. These were a series of cascades, where as hot mineral rich water from deep under the earth fell over each of the little terraces, depositing its minerals as it cooled.
"I'm glad I've seen this." said David, "When we were in New Zealand, we read about something like this, which was buried by a volcanic mudslide."
"That was a pity." remarked Sid, "At least this one has survived."
The next part of their route included the 'Obsidian Cliff', an outcrop consisting of volcanic glass. This stirred some of Sid's film and Star Trek memories.
"I seem to remember the vulcanologist Harry Dalton in Dante's Peak had a little chunk of Obsidian." said Sid, "I think he gave it to one of the children."
Once again reaching Norris Junction, they repeated their drive along the twelve miles to Canyon Village. This time, they turned South to return to their hotel at Grant Village. The first part of the route closely followed the turbulent Yellowstone River in its deep, steep sided valley. The first sightseeing stop was at the Upper Yellowstone Falls, where the river falls over a hundred feet down a cliff. Cassie noticed at various points around the park, that there were sections of valley side that appeared to consist of a lot of vertical shafts of rock bunched together.
"What do you think that layer of rock is?" asked Cassie, "I've seen several like it around the park."
"It's a layer of solidified basalt lava." said Sid, "There's something like this in Northern Ireland. It's called the Giant's Causeway. When it cools, basalt shrinks and splits into, usually, hexagonal columns. Why you're looking at is a whole lot of them half way up a cliff. We saw some back at Devils Tower."
After they passed Fishing Bridge, the road followed the North-West shore of Yellowstone Lake. Unlike the non-stop drive to their hotel the previous evening, they stopped several times to appreciate the lakeshore scenery. Their longest stop was at the West Thumb geyser basin.
"They certainly make it easy to walk around here." said Sid, "There are boardwalks everywhere."
"I think that's to stop people's feet damaging the surface." said David, "I believe it's quite unstable under a thin, brittle crust, so the boardwalks are essential."
"As well as being very hot." remarked Caroline, "The ground, not the boardwalks."
By the time they had completed the 'figure of eight' circuit and returned to Grant Village, it was nearly time for dinner. After freshening up in their rooms, all four went to the diner and enjoyed a well-earned American dinner.
After dinner, they spent the rest of the evening in the associated bar planning their visit to Grand Teton National Park, the next day. The weather forecast was good with broken cloud and the remote possibility of a light shower, so they would be able to enjoy the views of the mountains.
As forecast, the next day dawned bright and warm with a few half-hearted clouds in the sky. A hearty breakfast was enjoyed in the diner before the car headed South out of the park towards the nearby Grand Teton National Park. It was still quite early as they passed Flagg Ranch, which is on the short stretch of road between the two parks.
The main feature of Grand Teton National Park is not so much the mountains themselves, but the abrupt way they rise up from the relatively flat land and Jackson Lake. Several of these mountains are over ten thousand feet high. There are a couple over thirteen thousand feet. They still look impressive, even though the surface of Jackson Lake is nearly seven thousand feet above sea level.
Once they had passed Flagg Ranch Village, it was not long before the car reached the entrance to Grand Teton National Park. David drove relatively gently as they went South along the main highway through the park. This was so that his passengers could appreciate the scenery. Their first main stop was for coffee and information at the Colter Village Information Center. They spent some time there, as it is right down by the lakeside. Cassie gasped when she caught sight of the mountainous panorama across the lake.
"Oh, wow! This is so amazingly beautiful." she said, "Those mountains look as they came straight out of a fairy tale. They're so steep and rocky. You almost expect to see white castles perched on the lower hills."
"I assure you they're real." said Sid, "That's the edge of a block of the earth's crust which was forced up by enormous forces as two of the plates moved together."
"What's that black streak up the side of that mountain?" asked Caroline, indicating the outcrop that was Mount Moran.
"I'm not sure, but I think it's what's called the 'Great Black Dyke'." said David, "Perhaps Sidney might be able to enlighten us."
"I might be able to." said Sid, "From what I've been reading, it appears that as the block of crust was forced upwards, it cracked. These cracks allowed liquid magma to escape through them. It cooled into black basalt. That's what you see high up on that mountain."
"You're sounding as intelligent as you look, for a change." said Cassie, smirking.
"Cheeky!" commented Sid, "At least somebody reads the booklets about these places."
They spent the rest of the day driving around the various viewpoints in the national park, appreciating the scenery, and taking photos. A light lunch was enjoyed at a café a couple of miles away from the Jenny Lake Information Center towards the Southern end of the park. This was a pleasant place, as it overlooked Jenny Lake itself. During the afternoon, they travelled slowly back North, stopping at frequent intervals to take in the amazingly beautiful landscapes they were passing through, and record them on their cameras.
"This place smells a lot fresher than Yellowstone." Said Cassie.
"That's because we're not sitting on top of a dormant super volcano." said Sid, "We're not getting sulphurous fumes seeping out of the ground everywhere."
That evening, the two couples returned via Flagg Ranch Village to their hotel in Yellowstone National Park. On their final day at the park, they went around the 'figure of eight' circuit in the opposite direction from that which they followed two days previously. They visited some of the sights and geysers they had missed on their previous exploration. This meant that they watched 'Old Faithful' erupt in the evening, just before they returned to Grant Village and their last night in the park. To mark their last day together before they went their separate ways, they had a full steak dinner, and followed it with apple pie. David ordered a bottle of Californian medium dry red wine to drink with their steaks.
During the evening, Sid contacted the hotel in Salt Lake City, the details of which they had been given in Casper. Fortunately, the manager in Casper had already made contact, and his call was expected. The manager in Salt Lake City was expecting him, and judging by their references, said that he would be only too pleased to take them on. He said he would be expecting them the next evening.
The following morning, they breakfasted early, as they were to depart for their separate next destinations; Sid and Cassie South towards Salt Lake City, and David and Caroline, across the Idaho lava plain and the West Coast. Late in the morning, they reached Pocatello, and said farewell to their new acquaintances, promising to keep in touch, and set about finding a ride to Salt Lake City.
"Well, this is goodbye, at least for the time being." said Sid, "We're heading for Salt Lake City. What's your next stopping point?"
"I'm not sure." said David, "It depends where we get to this evening. Eventually, we want to reach California and see the big redwood trees there. Anyway, goodbye and good luck.
David drove them to a truck stop on the interstate highway I-15, which went South to Utah's principal city. Against all odds, their luck with rides was still holding. It didn't take them long to find a driver, who wouldn't mind their company on his way South. He said he was on his way to Los Angeles, which was the Southern end of the interstate highway they were on, the I-15.
He had only stopped for a coffee, as it was still morning, so there would be a halt for lunch after about two hours. In fact, since they reached their day's destination before two o'clock in the afternoon, Sid bought the driver his lunch at their halt in Salt Lake City, as some recompense for taking them down from Pocatello. Their driver very kindly took them to the hotel where they were intending to work for the next six weeks or so.