Yellowstone

I haven’t written because we had no service in Yellowstone and have been busy, going hard and we each fall into bed at night with new experiences under our belts.  

On Sunday we woke up in Idaho Falls.  First things first, the boys had to relearn the etiquette of the free breakfast room.  No shirt, no shoes, no service.   And for mom’s satisfaction, no pajamas.  The Leeks have standards!

Our first stop was Shoshone Falls just east of Twin Falls.  It’s called the Niagara of the West and is beautiful.  The water was flowing well and it gave an impressive performance.  As we were leaving an entire bus full of Japanese tourists unloaded.  Perfect timing on our parts, we left.  Now, onward to Yellowstone. 

 The trip to Yellowstone was fairly uneventful until…..  Just inside the gate, at the least convenient spot, the “check engine” light came on and the engine shook anytime we got below 30 mph.  Pretty disconcerting.  Our van has over 110,000 miles on it.  Before we left, Bob and I agreed that if it went belly up mid trip we’d just get a new one and press on.   While the timing was horrid, having a back up plan was reassuring. 

We arrived at the campsite, set up camp and then headed to Old Faithful, the Yellowstone Lodge and the first set of paint pots.  The plan all along had been to all ride in the RV with mom and Ed while in Yellowstone. With the van on the fritz, this was even a better plan.  What made it even more desirable was the fact that Iva (our dog) was with us.  The RV stays much cooler than the van when they are not moving.  While dogs are welcome in the park, they are not welcome on ANY of the paths.  They are also not supposed to be left in cars.  This makes having a dog with you a true pain.  We decided to leave her in the RV at most stops and hope for the best.  She barked like mad every time but it was the only way we could all see the sights. 

Old Faithful did it’s thing after we waited for 30 minutes or so.  There were about 2000 people and hey, our Japanese buddies from Shoshone Falls were there too.  And they brought three more buses full with them, hooray!

We went through the lodge and as always, it is beautiful.  The rough-hewn logs and natural bend of branches prevail in the structure.  The stone fire-place is central and it’s chimney reaches up four stories and out the roof.  It is a marvel and a national treasure.  We went to the gift shop and Kees got a pin and Coulter bought a Yellowstone mug as a gift for my mom. The pin Kees got started a collection.

On the route back to camp we went to the paint pots.  The paint pots consist of colorful pools, bubbling mud pots and steam vents that can reach 300+ degrees.  They are not shy about sharing the fact that many people have died or been badly burned over the years.  The most gruesome story being of an eight year old boy that fell in a boiling pool and was recovered a day later.  All that was left was eight pounds of bone, flesh and clothing.  It made a real impact on the boys. 

Back at the campsite we started a fire and nibbled on whatever was available for dinner.  Hey, this is camping, just eat what you have.  At 9:30 there was a ranger talk that explained the colors of the pools, the eco-systems and their fragility, where the heat comes from and many more aspects of the park.

10:15 and it was lights out….  For a very cold night.   The boys were in the RV with mom and Ed, Sophia was with Bob and I in the tent.  It was cold but didn’t snow, like it did the week before when our friends were there.  Yikes! Waking up early is easy when you are cold. 

In the morning we had a quick snack, gave mom a couple cards and gifts (it was her birthday), headed north and then counter clock wise around the North Loop.  There were lots of bison sightings, steam vents, elk, vistas, paint pots and so on.  And hooray, our Japanese friends found us.  Quick, to the RV to get ahead!  At the furthest point of the day was Mammoth.  There are amazing falls there that emit calcium carbonate to the tune of a ton a day.  It looks like ice.   Beautiful. 

We made our way back to camp, had some food and went to bed.  Again, exhausted.  We bolstered our sleeping quarters with extra blankets and all slept much better.  Being warm is underrated. 

Again we were up early and broke down our camp-site by 8:30.  It was Tuesday and that meant we were headed to Cody, WY.  We exited the park via the east entrance.   This was the first time we drove the van since the “check engine” light came on, it was still on and running like crap.  It made me a bit nervous but once we were above 40 mph it seemed to run fine.  Every time we slowed down the shaking would start again.  If we made it to Cody we’d get it checked out or buy a new van.   Buying a new van would put a dent in the vacation budget!  So it goes and off we went….  Look out Cody, here we come.