Bison, Bears and Wolves, Oh My (We hope)!! - TR UPDATE!! 8-19-14 About This Page:

[DrDolphin]

Upper Geyser Basin - Old Faithful

By now it was around lunch time and I know I was getting cranky for being cold, being wet and being hungry. Those 3 added together do not make me a fun touring companion. We went back to the Inn to grab a snack for lunch and then headed out to walk the trails of the Upper Geyser and visit the most famous geyser of them all - Old Faithful.


The ref front door of the Inn.

We started out on the trail to the Old Faithful overlook which also takes you to Solitary Geyser.

Crossing the Firehole River



Not long after getting up on the boardwalk - it began to rain, and sleet and the wind really began to blow. Which made touring the geyers miserable.











We did come across this guy - we were later told that large numbers of bison move into the area when the weather gets colder in an attempt to stay warm.


After about an hour of touring, I was wet, cold and not happy. I wanted to tour more since this was our last day here, but the weather conspired to do me in. Chris agreed we should head to the Visitor's center to get my passport stamped, get some information on road conditions and find out when the next eruption of Old Faithful was expected.


The new Visitors and Education Center.

We talked to a ranger and the snow was expected to increase overnight, resulting in road closures throughout the park. If too much fell - the pass to the south, Craig Pass, would either close or snow tires would be required. If you attempted to traverse the road without snow tires and had an issue requiring park service response, not only would you be charged the cost of the response, but you would be issued a citation for violating the snow tires requirement. OK.... Well.... how do we get to Jackson, WY if we don't go south through Craig pass?? We were told we've have to exit the park through the Madison entrance and West Yellowstone (how we entered) and drive south through Montana and Idaho, and then swing east to approach Jackson from the south. A 6-hour detour. It would TOTALLY ruin our plans for visiting Grand Teton National Park. But - this weather was nothing to kid around about... and we opted to keep an eye on the road condition signs in the lobby for our remaining stay at Old Faithful.

We also found out that Old Faithful was due to erupt in about 30 minutes and that there was a Ranger Educational Talk scheduled for that evening after dinner about historic Yellowstone and how things have changed in the park.

Next up - There she Blows!!!

[DrDolphin]

Old Faithful geyser

After spending our time in the Visitor's Center, we headed out to the view area that surrounds the Old Faithful Geyser. There are walkways and benches and there was absolutely no one there. We had about 20 minutes or so - so we grabbed a front-row spot and set up tripods to get good photos.

Little by little more people trickled in.

No one here but us fools who like standing in the sleet


After about 15 minutes - we had a bit of a crowd building

Of course this is absolutely NOTHING compared to the crowds that come here in the summer


They geyser began to warm up a little bit


Standing next to us were three little British girls... I think two were sisters and one was a friend. They weren't sure what to expect of this thing called a geyser. One was worried about the coming "explosion". It was fun to talk to them and explain it all to them and answer their questions. Mum and Dad were behind us somewhere and had sent them forward to try and see the eruption.... or as the little one kept calling it - they explosion.

And then, the geyser erupted with large billows of steam!. Because of the grey sky, it was hard to see where the steam stopped and the water began.





I took about 75 photos in sequence and Chris video taped the whole event.



Our three young friends were a bit underwhelmed by the whole thing.

After the eruption was over, we headed back to the Inn, dropped our coats, etc and headed for the Lobby for the free walking tour. It was a good idea since the weather was not going to improve the remainder of the day. One thing about touring where mother nature writes the script, be flexible.


Next up - a Grand lady with a long history.

[chezp]

I am so sorry the weather was so miserable, as I know you'd have enjoyed more time there. I'm glad you got to see Old Faithful erupt - it's quite a sight, isn't it?

I just hope the weather doesn't affect your plans for the next day.

[pamcarey]

Wow, Sapphire Basin is gorgeous! I hope the snow doesn't mess up your plans to get to Grand Tetons NP.


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[cubfancolleen]

Can't believe some of the colors! Beautiful.
On the edge of my seat waiting to hear whether or not the snow comes.

[Cam22]

I can easily see why Sapphire Basin was your favorite, such a beautiful color. So sorry the weather was making touring miserable and interfering with your plans. I would have been so excited seeing Old Faithful erupt.

[lauriep]

What wintry weather! Glad you got to see Old Faithful and so many other geysers. You're right-- nothing to do but re-write the agenda if Mother Nature has other plans. Waiting to see what happens with the snow!

[DrDolphin]

The free walking tour began in the lobby at the fireplace at 330pm. The tour was led by an employee of the company that operates the hotel for the National Park Service. She started out having us look up to the rafters of the building.



The Old Faithful Inn was built in the winter of 1903-1904 and was constructed almost completely of materials from the park - lodgepole pines and rhyolite stone - both taken from within the park's boundaries. When the hotel open that spring it had 122 rooms with electric light and steam heat.


The fireplace was built with 8 hearths, after the 1959 earthquake, which shifted the hotel's foundation, only 2 of the the hearths work. A restoration of the fireplace was planned for this past winter.


we stepped outside and learned about the construction of the hotel. Originally it had 122 rooms. It is the largest log building in the US and may be the largest log building in the world. It is a representative of "National Park Service Rustic" and was designed by 29-year old Robert Reamer for the Yellowstone Company, which was a subsidiary of the Great Northern Railway. The east wing was extended in 1913-14 and the west wing in 1927 (this is where we stayed). The dining room was also expanded. As I said previously, the original building is called the "Old House".




Steam heat radiator

The front door key is hung on a hook behind the door

The building is considered a National Landmark



Prior to 1940, the logs in the building still had the bark on them. In 1940, the bark was peeled and in 1966 the logs were cleaned and varnished.

After we finished in the lobby - she took us to one of the rooms in the old house. Very few of these rooms have restrooms in them, instead they have shared restroom facilities. This was why I didn't book a room in that part of the house.





The rooms are very small with double beds in them with the storage being limited to a dresser. While the rooms are rustic, now that I have seen them, I might want to try and stay in one at some point. Maybe...

Next stop was the breezeway

And here is where we discussed what happens to the buildings at the end of the season - usually in mid-October. All of the water in the pipes are drained, all the windows are boarded up and the heat is turned off. The building is totally sealed up and isn't opened again until March when the process is reversed. Snow in the area gets up to 10-20 feet deep, burying the lower two levels of the hotel.

Then we returned to the lobby and went up to overlook the dining room. You can see the expansion of the original dining room.


She also told us about how, when the hotel opened, after dinner was served - dancing occurred on the 2nd floor with accompaniment on the piano.


The Inn almost burned to the ground during the 1988 fires. It was only prevented from burning through the efforts firefighters, volunteers and an external fire suppression system which was installed the year before. This is a lovely building and a truly grand lady. I love the Wilderness Lodge - and seeing the original building that WL is based on was truly a wonderful experience.

After the tour - we walked around a bit on our own, and then headed down to the room to get our jackets to head to dinner at the Obsidian Room in the Yellowstone Snow Lodge.

We walked from the Inn to the Lodge in the snow. Needless to say, I was continued to be worried about the snow and our drive tomorrow morning to Grand Teton.

Snow falling down looking back at the visitor's center



Dining in the Obsidian Room

I don't remember what we ate, I remember whatever it was, we enjoyed it.

After dinner, we headed to the Visitor's Center to hear an educational program conducted by one of the Rangers. It was a powerpoint presentation about how the park's use by people has changed. She told us how bears used to be fed by the rangers and guests as part of a SHOW. She told us about Handkerchief pool - young women would drop there hankies into the pool, where they were sucked down and sometimes spit back out later.

Eventually the spring became dormant and has been all but forgotten. Other items that were thrown into the pool included coins, rocks, broken bottles, and pins.

It was a VERY interesting presentation and I learned quite a bit of history about the park that I'd never heard before. After the presentation, we walked back to the lobby of the Inn in the falling snow, checked on the snow report and road conditions (still said snow tires recommended for Craig Pass) and headed to our room and spent the remainder of the evening packing up our stuff.

Next - Can we drive out of here?

[chezp]

The tour and presentation both sound absolutely fascinating. I'm still nervous about how the weather is going to impact you....

[KMB733]

Great picture of Old Faithful! The tour and presentation sounds really interesting!

[lauriep]

Really a spectacular building. I can't believe the architect was only 29! It's wonderful that they have these tours and after-dinner programs. The suspense is building about the snow in the morning!

[cubfancolleen]

What a great tour! I kind of like the fact that they haven't made major renovations to the building (like adding bathrooms in each guest room), but I may have also opted to stay in the 'new' wing.

[pamcarey]

The lodge is truly beautiful! I hope to see it someday!

[DrDolphin]

September 26, 2013 - today was our last day in Yellowstone. We woke up, loaded up all our stuff in the SUV and went to breakfast. I grabbed some photos of the bathroom shower since I hadn't done that when we'd checked in. It is much smaller than our shower at home, but it was larger than the one at Mammoth. I loved the Moose and bear tiles in the shower.



As we walked to breakfast, I stopped at the weather/road information board and checked the status of Craig Pass - it was showing as open and snow tires recommended, not required... at this point. We decided to hustle and get on the road before this changed. We decided that I should drive... as I have a little bit more experience in ice and snow than Chris does since I lived in Washington, DC (12 years prior, but there wasn't any argument given). As we drove out - Old Faithful erupted - I thought of it as a "see you later".



We drove and saw quite a bit of snow on the road and the side of the road. We saw a pull out along the way to go and see the Keppler Cascades -


The walkway to the overlook was covered in snow.




They were lovely waterfalls that prior to seeing the sign on the side of the road, I have never heard of this.

The road was snow covered, but not icy. We drove across the Continental Divide three separate times. Chris was the appointed photographer during the drive.



I was very focused on driving and tended to try to be in the middle of the road, where it was clearest. There had been no plowing done - since this pass closes in the winter season and is not maintained.

The road conditions began to improve as we descended out of the pass - and when we found an RV - I felt much better since I figured if he could make it - so could I.







After passing Yellowstone Lake - we came to Lewis Falls and decided this was a good place to get out and stretch and decompress from the slightly stressful drive through the pass.





Not the best photo of me... at least I'm smiling


Signs of the 1988 Yellowstone fire


Arriving at the exit kiosk for Yellowstone National Park


The road between Yellowstone and Grand Teton parks is the John D Rockefeller Memorial Parkway. It usually has a visitor's center - however, due to the sequester cut backs - this was an area that the park service had closed.


It wasn't too much further down the road, in the falling snow that had started again - we found the official park entry sign for Grand Teton National Park



We took our photos and headed into the park to begin a full day of exploring. First stop - Colter Bay Visitor's Center

Next - Low Lakes, a Busy Conference and Where's the moose?

[Hugmonster]

All Caught up. Looks beautiful.