Go West!

(Above:  One of the amazing days in Yellowstone National Park.  Click on any image in this blog post to enlarge.)

My husband Steve is a travel plan genius.  He had a two-for-one airline coupon and then found a flight to Boise, Idaho for under $300!  This took us WEST for almost five days.  We had a FABULOUS time.  Although "nature" isn't the focus of my artwork, experiencing nature is one of the best ways to refresh, reflect, and reinvigorate my creativity.  I'll be using the energy from this trip for months to come!
 

(Above:  Steve atop one of the giant, volcanic cinder cones at Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho.)

Our first stop was Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho.  We hiked up the giant cinder cone ...



... through the blooming high desert terrain ...



...past lava flow formations that truly resemble fibers!  Think ROPES ... coils and coils of rope!



We drove over acres of land that resembled cracked pavement but were really other interesting ways in which the lava cooled on earth.



There were grass lined trails that led to ...



... steep staircases ...




... that entered lava tubes that are called "caves".  Steve and I adore caves.  We've been in many.  Fortunately most recent cave visits have been west of the Mississippi.  That allowed us to obtain the "bat permit".  Why?  Well, bats in the east are dying due to "white nose syndrome".  5.7 million bats have died in Eastern North America since the winter of 2006-07.  The fungus might be transported on human's clothing and caving gear. 



We never actually saw a bat but they are notoriously difficult to spot when attached to the roof of a cave.  Besides, we were really looking at the sky through many of the "skylights" in the lava tubes.



These "skylights" form when the "roof" of the lava tube crumbles away.



From above, this is one of the giant holes that is called a "skylight" from inside the lava tube/cave.



Steve and I crawled through several of the tubes.



The lava is remarkable.  It is heavy porous ...



... and very light-weight when compared to any other stone of the same size!



For two nights we stayed in a cute log cabin at Colter Bay Village.  Originally built in the 1930s, the 166 authentic Jackson Hole cabins were refurbished and moved to this Grand Teton National Park location in the 1950.

166 authentic Jackson Hole homestead cabins

The view of the Grand Tetons at sunset was amazing.  One night we saw two fox cruising the campsite.  All the garbage cans sported "Be Bear Aware" signs.  This was truly a place where man and nature were living together.
 


The Grand Tetons are amazing.  The expanse between the Jackson Lake Lodge and the mountains was full of willow ... a favorite staple for moose.  We didn't see one.  We never saw a moose or an elk ... but one afternoon we came upon several cars parked all over the country road.  I got out of our rental vehicle to ask what was happening.  A lady whispered, "It's a bear!"  Sure enough, a black bear was less than twenty feet from the side of the road, under a tree, pulling low branches to its mouth!  Now, that's as close to a bear as I ever want to come!



While in Grand Teton National Park, we hiked in several locations including the trails around Jenny Lake.  It was sort of eerie.  The trail heads all sported "Be Bear Aware" signs with detailed information as to how a human ought to respond if happening upon a bear along the path.  Instructions said to "Back away slowly" and continued with "Do not run!  Bears can sprint three times faster than you can run!"  The instructions continued.  They were very informative ... telling how to use BEAR SPRAY.  We didn't have any bear spray.  As beautiful as Jenny Lake is, we were a little apprehensive about our lacking bear spray.



And ... why wouldn't a bear want to be near this beautiful lake?  It is truly a magnificent place on earth.



I guess that's why early settlers decided to homestead, farm, and raise cattle in this area.  At Moose Junction we visited the remaining log structures that were used for meetings with the government ... meetings that navigated the complicated negotiations that turned this land into a national park.  We didn't get inside the Chapel of Transfiguration.  It was Sunday morning when we visited.  We didn't have time to attend, but it is wonderful that there are two services every week!



We did visit the buildings at Menor's Ferry, a location that crossed the Snake River.  The general store was quaint.  There was a reproduction cable ferry.  It wasn't working when we were there, but it still does cross the swift moving water.  There was also an outhouse and several other buildings ...



... including a newly made structure in which were stored an original coach and covered wagon.



Nearby stood Maud Noble's cabin.  She purchased the ferry operation in 1918 and kept it running until 1927.  More importantly, she hosted the July 26, 1923 landmark meeting that initiated the formation of Grand Teton National Park.  For me, it was so interesting to see common antique items in such a historically significant place.  There were ordinary porcelain cups and saucers, novels, typical furniture, and so many other items that I'd generally see on any Friday night at Bill Mishoe's auction ... and not going for "big money".  The history of "people" in this faraway place is really very, very recent.



Best of all, Steve and I went around the side of this whitewashed building ...



... and saw a gigantic wood pile.  It stretched on and on ... enough wood for the brutal winter when few roads are plowed and fewer people stay in the area.  None of the park rangers and staff people we met will be in the area past Columbus Day!  (PS to Dad ... Steve and I thought of you while looking at all these split timbers!)

As glorious as the Grand Teton National Park is, Yellowstone was easily more fascinating.  Sure, I was excited to see a geyser.  Sure, as a kid I collected stamps and loved the 1972 8-cent stamp honoring the park.  Sure, I had a rough idea as to what formed a geyser ... but absolutely nothing prepared me for the vast number of geysers, the range of liquid colors, the rare textural surfaces, the sounds of boiling water, the smell of sulfur in the air, and the exchange of hot vapors with cool evening air.  Yellowstone is a multi-sensory experience of mind-boggling beauty, surreal science, and rare natural phenomenon. 

It was hard to know where to turn my camera's lens ... to the crusty mix of minerals on the surface ...

... to the cool blue pools of boiling water ...

... to the vista of boardwalks filled with awe-struck tourists ...

... to the variegated colors of microscopic plant life that can dwell in the extreme temperatures ...



... to the equally amazing rainbows found in local plant life ...

... to the intensity of a natural background ...

... to the lone osprey guarding a rocky aerie nest ...

... to one of the many incredible water falls ...

... to the "yellow" river bank cliffs against the Snake River rapids ...

... to the angles of roughed trees against the distant cliffs ...

... to the angry bison who were only feet from our hiking trail!

Yes, Steve and I were walking up this trail when a herd of bison decided to move in our direction.  There was a very nervous moment when two males butted horned heads.  A park ranger was fortunately nearby and said, "Walk faster!"  We did ... coming within ten yards of the two angry, nearly one-ton each males.  I took this photo after we were quite a bit further up the trail.  The ranger didn't let anyone walk back down until the herd moved on.  At another point, our car was stuck in a "traffic jam" while another herd decided to WALK DOWN THE ROAD.  Had we rolled down our windows, we could have touched them ... on both sides of the car.  (We aren't quite that stupid!)  Safe inside our vehicle, this was AWESOME!

The geysers were amazing.  The springs were equally fantastic.  Just think about it!  The photo above shows a cool teal and green pool.  It looks inviting.  It is likely over 170 degrees!  Some of the geysers and springs are at or above boiling.  Yet, the coloring is in hues of coolness.  One ranger told us about a dog, probably a lab, who got off its leash and made a mad dash into one of the springs.  His anxious owner tried to rescue him.  The dog died instantly.  The owner languished for nine days in a burn unit before also dying.  Scary ... but oh so lovely is that liquid!

Midway Geyser Basin was undeniably the most incredible place we visited.  The vapors coming off these mammoth sized geyser springs are incredible.  I took several videos as "still photos" cannot capture even a moment of the experience traveling over these board walks.  In fact, I've uploaded all the photos and videos I kept from this trip into a Flickr! album.  That album is HERE.    (Tip to Mom and Dad:  There are three pages to this album.  Scroll down to the bottom of the first page.  You will see the three page numbers at the very bottom.  The videos are all on page three!)

The roar of the wind, the smell of the minerals, and the surreal colors made this place simply outstanding.  If you want to just view one video, HERE is a 360 degree view from near Prismatic Geyser ... although THIS ONE really captures how it felt to walk on the board walk.  It's me following Steve as he tried to keep his hat on this head!

There were people from all over the world gasping at the natural beauty.  All sorts of languages were heard along the looped trail.  (By the way, Steve and I are still playing the childhood game of counting different states' license plates.  This was the BEST trip ever!  We saw six Canadian provinces and all the USA places except Hawaii and the District of Columbia!)

Did we see geyser's erupting!  Sure!  Most were at least expelling white steam.  There are about 500 geysers inside Yellowstone ... but there are over 10,000 "thermal features" ... which includes gigantic to tiny springs and other "hot" attractions. 

There are different sorts of geysers too!

Of course we also saw Old Faithful ... just after sun down ... from nice lounge chairs on a second floor balcony at the nearby Old Faithful Inn.  It was magnificent ... but we were truly THRILLED to come across a small geyser eruption just a few feet from the road.  Pink Cone was great ... and that video is HERE.  There's no way to predict when most of these geysers will erupt.  So, coming across this one felt somewhat special, almost intimate!  We know that very few people actually saw it.  We were among the lucky ones!

When we left the national parks, we drove to Jackson Hole and took the aerial tram to the top of Rendezvous Mountain (10,927').  The day was beautiful!



The 360 degree view was incredible!



The alpine vegetation was so pretty ...



... and fragile.  Some of these delicate specimen require fifteen years of root growth before a blossom can appear!

From there we traveled back into Idaho and spent our final evening in a tiny cabin on the ground of the Bruneau Sand Dunes State park.  We arrived in the late afternoon ... too late to climb the giant sand dune ... or so we thought!  The few families there were all letting their kids tackle "the little" sand dune.  So, we decided to hike perhaps "halfway" up the big one.

I really, really wanted to "make it".  Continued coaxing got Steve further up than either of us thought possible.  Finally I said, "Let me crawl ... just far enough to see the jagged edge that divides one side from the other."  What could Steve do?  Take photos of my butt, of course.  Yet ... I made it!

The view was GREAT!  I teased Steve that he would "miss this" if he didn't crawl too!

AND HE DID!

Honestly, I just wanted this photo ... something like the classic Ansel Adams black-and-white image of a giant sand dune.  It was worth the effort.  We did have to really, really hurry back down the steep slope and through the woods in order to return to our car before it got dark.  The sun had dipped below the horizon just moments before we drove the two miles back to our cabin.  That last night was magical.  The full "super moon" rose in the east while we picnicked.  This was definitely a trip to paradise.  Go WEST, if you ever have the opportunity!

Although this post has absolutely none of my artwork in it, I am still linking it to Nina-Marie's "Off the Wall Fridays", a site for sharing fiber arts.  Why?  Well, it really was an inspirational experience. I love to travel; I've been going places all my life.  I find the experiences to be deeply contemplative ... you know ... about art, life, God, nature, and especially about the sense of TIME, my constant focus.  I also find that a few days away from stitching reminds me why I love my medium.  My hands get anxious to take up a threaded needle.  I see all sorts of textures that I want to attempt in stitch and my mind is filled with new ideas.  I know that the future will bring about at least one of two of the plans that rolled around in my brain. The other thing about such a trip is a renewed sense of relaxation.  Love it!