Back to the Park - Sunday & Monday (7/3 & 7/4)

 

The Fourth of July holiday weekend ushered in interesting times for Yellowstone National Park.  The park had been closed for roughly ten days and when it initially re-opened, it was only the lower loop (three entrances) and with an alternating license plate system to cut visitor traffic by roughly half since only half of the park was open to guests.

On Thursday, June 30th it was announced that effective Saturday July 2nd the park would be mostly open (93% of the roads inside the park) with the elimination of the license plate limitations.  Additionally the Old Gardiner Road (OGR), was opened up for recreational use by employees working in the park, as well as approved tour operators.

It was nice to be able to spend my "weekend off" (Sunday & Monday) in the park.  I've already blogged about what the experience was like drive over the OGR, so check out the previous post (and photos) if you're interested.

This photo was taken at the Bay Bridge Marina on July 4th . . . as I sat and just enjoyed the morning breeze at Yellowstone Lake.

Both days in the park saw glorious weather . . . crystal clear blue skies . . . air temps in the 70's . . . with a light breeze from time to time.  For me, the time spent in the park was mostly my usual looking for bears or other interesting happenings to just sit and enjoy watching.

I was happy to once again spend some time with Raspberry & Jam, the grizzly bear Mom and her third year cub.  As in prior sightings, they were way up on the hillside my first (eastbound) drive by the Lake Butte area.  On my westbound trip, there was a jam of parked cars and photogs along the road, but it seemed most people will just milling around.  There was a ranger present, so I figured bears were somewhere in the area, so I too pull off on the shoulder to check things out.

From what folks were saying, the pair were hunkered down napping in the shade from the warm afternoon sun.  Some folks had been waiting upwards of an hour for them to awaken.  I had nowhere better to be so I pulled up, popped open my tailgate and had lunch.

 

 

 

This was my view while I patiently waited.  It wasn't too much longer when they both were seen bobbing around behind the fallen trees about 75 yards from the road.  It was exciting to finally see them again . . . without the rain that had plagued my earlier opportunities to photograph them.

As you can see, the "cub" is almost as big as its Momma!  Both look very healthy, so that is reassuring.  They say Raspberry is roughly 15 years old and this is her second consecutive cub she kept around into a third summer.  Snow was the last cub which she had with her until her fourth year, when she was emancipated.  Normally grizzly bears stay with their mom for just two years. 

Here's a little better photo of Raspberry.  She has such beautiful features including the lighter blonde markings along her left front leg.

The two munched on grasses and whatever the found underneath the dead logs.  After about 30 minutes of foraging around, they again slipped out of sight . . . so I moved on.

Perhaps the easiest bear viewing over the weekend (on both days) was between Mammoth and Canyon, especially in the area around Tower Junction (roughly five to ten miles in either direction).  Lots of black bears have been seen through this area, and at all times of the day.

In fact, on Monday afternoon it was warm with a high sun.  I had some time to kill before the 4:00pm road convoy back to Gardiner, so I thought I'd cruise one more time back over Dunraven Pass and back around to Mammoth via the Norris Junction.  I never did make it that far!

I really didn't expect to see bears in close range of the road, but this one was literally on the left shoulder by a pullout.  I parked and waited to see what it was going to do.  Crossing the road right in front of me and one other car, we had a front row seat to watch it for quite some time.

I was happy I spent the time "just in case" something was going to happen!  This bear didn't seem to be phased one bit by the midday heat.  Once it slipped up beyond the treeline, I called it a day and headed back to Mammoth to tank up my car at our YPSS station and got in line to head home to Gardiner.

All in all over the two days in the park, I saw (and photographed) six or seven black bears and the two brown (aka grizzly) bears.  At the bottom of this blog post, I'll share more photos of the bears I was fortunate to spend time with.

One of my more rewarding experiences in the park, happened on Monday morning.  Several years ago, my friend Valerie and I visited the West Thumb geyser area.  There is a loop boardwalk of about 1mile, give or take.  Because there is little shade and often the thermal features give off a pungent sulfur smell, I've been reticent to walk among hot spring pools and dormant lake shore geysers.  Add my "gimpy old lady knees" and it has a challenge for me to even consider the short walk.

Having lost 35 pounds since the first of the year, I've found my knees don't bother me as much as they had over the past couple of years.  While the morning was still cool, I decided to give the short walk a try.  I'm really glad that I did as there wasn't a terrible odor, and I was able to take a leisurely stroll, enjoying the sights around me along the lake.  It was amazing how clear the water was right at the lake's edge.

Here's a full panoramic view of the West Thumb Geyser Basin.  I really did enjoy my time here!

There really is so very much to see and do in Yellowstone National Park.  I try to make the most of my time here, given my health limitations.  Sometimes, just pulling over near a running stream or waterfall is good for the soul.  This was near the top of the Dunraven Pass.  Turn up the volume to hear the water flowing from the melting snowcaps above.

When I first arrived to Yellowstone back in late May, there was still quite a bit of snow up on Dunraven Pass.  As you can see here, it's mostly melted away.

As promised, here are a few more photos of the bears and other wildlife I saw during my two days off from work over the July 4th holiday weekend.

Three Weeks After the Flood

Since Monday, June 13th the North Entrance into Yellowstone National Park from Gardiner, MT has been closed due to the total destruction of the road connecting our town to the park.  It's been a terrible thing for all of the residents and seasonal businesses who need strong summers to make it through the lean times of winter.  It has turned this little bustling community into a ghost town for the past three weeks.

While the park was partially opened after a brief closure to allow the National Park Service to evaluate the damage done by the "thousand year flood" . . . the limited access afforded businesses needing to get into the park, was restricted to just essential services.  For employees cut off from the park, we received news last Thursday that the NPS was going to allow us some ability to enter the park for recreational purposes this July 4th holiday weekend. 

 

Entry is via the Old Gardiner Road (OGR), which was originally a one-lane dirt road that traverses over the sage hillside overlooking both Gardiner, Mammoth and the canyon below.  The NPS road crew has worked very hard to make the road suitable for transportation not only of warehouse box trucks like my employer YPSS uses, but also other administrative and commercial traffic.  I used the road both Sunday (in only) and Monday (in and out) and was very impressed with how good the road is given the challenges of shoring up a road not intended for such traffic.

The views are beautiful, given the vastness being up that high.  Throughout the five mile drive, I saw numerous elk.  Surely they were wondering "Where did all of these cars come from?"

Entry is limited to specific windows of time, providing control necessary for one-way traffic.  They tightly manage this so as to provide alternate direction traffic without incident.  For my trip into the park from Gardiner, the first time frame begins at 7:00am.  Here I am in line at the gate, as seen on the park's webcam, caught by a friend.

With the latest return out of the park from Mammoth scheduled for 4:00pm-5:30pm, I knew I wouldn't want to rush on Sunday, so I planned to go the long way home, via West Yellowstone, Big Sky and Bozeman.  I figured it probably added in reality about 125 miles and 2 hours.  But to give you an idea of that routing, here's what Google provides. 

And if I'm honest . . . I actually enjoyed my evening journey taking the longer route.  Hwy 191 goes through an underutilized part of the park . . . one I frankly didn't even know existed!  I had to stop to take a photo of the park sign, as one would see it enter coming from the down into the area north of the town of West Yellowstone.

This was the staging area for the convoy home from Mammoth on Monday afternoon.

 

So for 2022, this is our new normal.  It is my hope we (employees working in Yellowstone NP) will be able to continue to use the OGR for recreational purposes throughout the rest of the summer.  It would truly suck to have to drive "the long way around" in both directions to be able to enjoy the park this year.  It would be a huge time commitment plus probably $50 in gas round-trip. Only time will tell.

Izaak Walton Inn - Essex, MT

 

I really do like the Izaak Walton Inn, located on US 2 about 20 miles east of West Glacier, Montana.  I have dined there a couple of times on previously trips to Glacier National Park, once for breakfast and another time for lunch.  The food is good, but pricey.  If you're there for lunch or dinner, do the huckleberry-apple cobber.  I was going to after I checked in, but it was late, and my "Fitness Pal" wallet (that David & I use to calorie count) was already in arrears, so I did take a pass on this trip.

Early in the afternoon, I decided to not try to make it back to Gardiner that night, as I was anticipating a long day even without getting up into Canada.  I started calling around to see what I might be able to find.  Inside that park, nothing for less than $200 + taxes . . . and even going further out like Kalispell or Whitefish, I was looking at $175-$200 for "budget chains."

When I first called the Izaak Walton Inn (it was actually my first call) I was turned off by the $179 rate for a single ($205 with taxes) . . . but after several calls I called back to book (and prepay for) my room.  I'm glad I did because when I checked in, they told me they had just sold their last room for the evening.

The Inn opened in 1939, originally built as lodging for railroad workers for Great Northern Railroad.  Furnishings are still modest, and do not include a television.  No AC (open your windows!) and the heat is provided by in-room steam radiators.

As you can see from the photo, I had a nice corner room, so plenty of ambient light. (It didn't get dark outside until close to 10:00pm!)

The bathroom had the toilet and over-tub shower, with the sink and bathroom mirror in the sleeping room.  All in all, very comfortable for my one night stay in the area.

There was a very nice lobby area, with a big fireplace and several comfy chairs.  There was also a small gift shop adjacent to the lobby.  This main lobby level is also where the restaurant is, which includes a nice patio dining area.  On the lower (basement) level is their Flagstop Bar.

I love that their hours listed are "Open until closed."  I used to kid some of my bowling center owners when I'd see that on their website or Facebook page, so I get that if there's no business, there's no reason to be open, so they close.

I enjoyed spending my evening sitting out on the back porch watching the trains go by.  For some, this might be a deterrent for sleep, as the tracks are literally less than 100 yards from the Inn.

For those wanting a more unique lodging experience, you should check out their rail car and caboose accommodations.  Throughout the property there are several that have been renovated for personal lodging.  I would love to do this someday, but I'm pretty sure it's out of my price range . . . even for a special occasion splurge.  Besides I'm not THAT MUCH of a train aficionado to feel the need to stay in something that special.

All in all, I had a nice stay in a clean room and would recommend it to others looking for something near Glacier National Park, but without the steep "in the park" rates.

FYI this is a year-round lodge, with winter activities too, like cross country skiing and show-shoe hiking.  And for those who want to expand their railway experience, Amrak's Empire Builder does make a whistle stop on their Chicago to Seattle routing right at the Izaak Walton Inn.