Detour
…or not?

Traveling in shorts since we left the Black Hills and after taking a pit stop to see Devils Tower, we ascended into Cloud Peak in Big Horn National Forest. The outdoor temperature gauge on the dashboard plummeted to 30 degrees. Once at a high elevation, it proceeded to snow, adding to the 18 inches already on the ground. We pulled over, jumped out of the vehicle and had a fun snowball fight in shorts. Before the warmth from the vehicle wore off of us entirely, we were back inside cranking the heat.

Considering our unscheduled stops, we probably would have called it a day and spent the night in Cody, Wyoming had we not pre-paid to stay at a Yellowstone Lake Lodge Cabin. Besides, Cody looked like it had a lot to offer, according to the literature. I was especially interested in seeing the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. But on a vacation like this, sometimes some things don’t make the cut. There’s only so much time. And ours was running short!

Had we known what was ahead, we would have inserted a “detour” at this point in the trip and foregone the pre-paid first night stay at Yellowstone Lake. So this “Detour” column is actually about staying the course, when we should have detoured.

When we rolled up to the Yellowstone gate at 8:00 p.m., we were alone, except for one ranger in one booth. I flashed my national parks pass for the second time in one day. I couldn’t help but smile.

The ranger said we came at the perfect time. I asked why. He said this road was closed all afternoon because of the snow but just opened 30 minutes ago. Then he made an offer we should have refused. He said from what he’s hearing, the road may be closed again in as little as 15 minutes from now, so if we’re going, we better go now.

Somewhere inside of me, I was naïve in thinking if there’s any real danger, a ranger would never …

Damn that pit stop to Devil’s Tower. Must …keep …going.

So we kept going. And there was no turning back.

The East Entrance was along a steep cliff down on the left and up on the right. The right side of the road at least had a pitch to it but the left side was a straight drop to a bottom, too far to see.

The music was off. Nobody so much as whispered except for an occasional gasp. Then we felt paralyzed!

YIKES!

Snow drifted over our lane as high as our vehicle, leaving the slightest space in the opposing lane to get around it. If that weren’t bad enough, there were no guard rails. And just when you think it can't get any worse, the road was icy.

We couldn’t turn around if we wanted. Driving in reverse was out of the question. If we stopped, I was afraid the vehicle might slide off the edge. So we crept ever so slowly into the opposite lane, careful not to look over the edge with no guard rail, praying there’d be no oncoming traffic. My knuckles were white. My wife was clutching the dashboard and the kids closed their eyes, sensing danger.

These driving conditions continued for such a long time, I wondered if we’d ever make it.

STOP!

There was a bison in the middle of the road with a blanket of snow on it. We thread the needle of the large animal on the side with the snow drift and the sheer death plunge on the other side.

“Please Mr. Buffalo; do NOT nudge us in any way.”

Fortunately, that was near the end of the death road as we neared the north side of Yellowstone Lake. But it would take much longer to get around the lake to where our cabin awaited our arrival.

On the way, Yellowstone greeted us with a soaring bald eagle overhead. I felt groovy now so I flipped on the MP3 player and hit random play. Bob Marley sang about three little birds precisely when three pelicans glided into Yellowstone River.

I knew I was going to like this leg our Holiday Road a whole lot.

When we arrived at the main lodge or Lake Hotel, I went inside to get our keys and directions to the cabin we rented. It was very cold outside and I was still in shorts. People sure can make you feel self-conscious.

On the way back outside, cabin keys in hand, a group of sophisticated older ladies stopped, looked me up and down and said, “You must be crazy wearing shorts on a night like this.”

I replied, “No worries ladies, I grew up in Cleveland. Weather feels just right I’d say. Nice crisp night. I hope you enjoy it.”

I left them standing there with their jaws wide open but speechless, all.

Home away from home. We fondly referred to our humble abode as our "little yellow box" for the next three days.

Now it was time for much needed sleep, for in the morning, we would seek the Yellowstone experience.

Holiday Road Travel Series
by Frank R. Satullo

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YELLOWSTONE

Our first full day in Yellowstone started with sleeping in …late!

Once we were up and at 'em, we decided to do laundry before sightseeing. There was a smaller rustic lodge near the Lake Hotel that had a Laundromat and restaurant. We drove over there and started our loads of laundry. Then we sat and sipped coffee and played games in the oversized lobby filled with chairs and fireplaces.

"BEAR! BEAR! BEAR!" Came screams from all around.

Just like that, every guest and employee was in front of the lodge staring at a very rare sight indeed. Not only was it a bear, but it was a grizzly. Not only was it a grizzly, but it was a mamma with two cubs, out for a morning stroll.

Traffic on the road in front of the lodge stopped and people flew from their cars in reckless abandon, cameras waving. I grabbed my wife’s camera and tried to get closer, then closer, then even closer still. Before I knew it, I was in the grassy area and ….NOTHING! The camera froze.

“GET BACK RIGHT NOW OR GO TO JAIL,” a ranger yelled directly at me.

When I turned, there was my 8-year-old son at my side.

I frantically retreated to where my wife and daughter were watching from the crowd, a safe distance away.

“Fix the camera, hurry, hurry,” I said in a panic, watching the bears get further and further away.

Before the handoff was complete, I withdrew my hand prematurely and the camera, my wife so enjoyed, fell to the ground.

She had words for me but others had no trouble making them out. It wasn’t just the chipped camera she was upset about, but putting myself and our son in harm’s way.

I faded away from her gaze. Her damaged camera had its scars but she managed to get a few pictures to prove we saw the grizzlies.

My wife cooled off around the time our laundry did and then we were off to see an eruption of a different sort – geysers.

Geysers

When we arrived at the Upper Geyser Basin, it was freezing. The wind was pounding and we knew we had quite a walk ahead of us. We had packed some long sleeve shirts and light coats but what we really needed were down parkas and ski masks.

We emerged from our vehicle with beach towels wrapped around our kids’ heads, in an attempt to keep them warm. As if this weren’t embarrassing enough, each kid had another towel wrapped around their body.

“Warm?” Check. On with the mission.

We stayed close to Old Faithful knowing we had an hour before it was due to go off. Some of the other nearby geysers were pretty cool to look at even though they weren’t erupting. The shapes and colors were unique from one to another, and a few were even bubbling.

As time drew near for Old Faithful to do its thing, we found seats front and center. Then, we waited and froze, waited and froze, waited and froze. After we waited some more, we froze.

People all around us packed in tight. And we still froze. Many of the tourists were chatting on cell phones telling family and friends back home to watch for them on the park's live web-cam feed. I thought that would be novel and tried calling family back home. I must have had the only cell phone that didn’t get a signal. I wasn’t surprised. I can’t get a good signal in my own kitchen so it made sense I wouldn’t get one here. So it goes.

When Old Faithful started to bubble, I started shooting video. Shoot. Delete. Shoot. Delete.

“COME ON ALREADY!” Yes, I said that aloud.

There she blows! And blows and blows and blows. Was it worth the wait? I guess you can’t leave Yellowstone without seeing Old Faithful.

On our walk from Geyser Hill to Biscuit Basin and back, we saw nearly 40 geysers and hot springs. To our delight, three other geysers erupted in front of us. I have to say, Old Faithful may be the most visited but it is not the best. The primal colors and variety of formations made the walk very pleasurable for the whole family. Not long after leaving Old Faithful, the temperature rose to the point we could uncloak the beach towels from the kids, take off our extra layers of cloths and hoods to enjoy what turned out to be a beautiful afternoon and evening, albeit still a bit chilly.

By the end of the long day, we were thoroughly fulfilled, yet drained.

We decided to eat dinner back at the old lodge where we spotted the grizzlies. The place was alive with activity. At least three dozen card games were being played in the enormous lobby, people sprawling all around the numerous couches, coffee tables and fireplaces.

Outside, people curled up with blankets, their hands wrapped around hot drinks or wine, relaxing on the rustic, spacious porch, gazing at the last bit of sun glistening off Yellowstone Lake. I could live like this.

Mud Volcano

The following morning, we rose and shone early because we had a lot of ground to cover. First stop – Mud Volcano.

Snow was melting fast and the temperature was rebounding.

The thermal activity along the Mud Volcano Trail was diverse. One mud pool sizzled like a greasy frying pan. Another cave-like formation reeked of sulfur. Along the walkway, we stopped and gazed at a pool of water that had just one part of it churning violently. Elsewhere, there was a thick chocolate puddle in the middle of a vast cracked mud area that just plopped every so often. It was rather hypnotic.

Of course, we saw a buffalo chip and had a lively conversation about its name, and what it really was, in so many words. Kids love that stuff. They also loved the scenic wonders that abound at every turn.

Great start to a great day.

Yellowstone Grand Canyon

Driving from one area of Yellowstone to another is like being on a ribbon dropped from the sky right into the midst of a wild America, allowing you to ebb and flow through forest and  mountains like a babbling brook.

HIT THE BREAKS!

It was a rare treat indeed. A wolf was on the prowl. We watched for about 10 minutes before it disappeared into the dense woods.

Driving around, we stopped for a coyote, black bear, another grizzly (call this one papa), mountain goats, elk and other wildlife. I think we eventually checked off everything on the Yellowstone wildlife list except for the one thing I really wanted to see, a moose. Not just a moose, but a moose with spectacular antlers.

When we arrived at Yellowstone Grand Canyon, we were ready to stretch our legs. Then we went chasing waterfalls.

A trail that cut deep into the woods took us to a beautiful overhang that provided a grand view of the river, falls and canyon. We rested. Some people went off the trail and took pictures from cliff side positions that made me cringe for them. A lady started talking aloud, telling us - and whoever else was around - that a woman bent over last year to get a better picture and fell to her death, right in front of this lady and everyone else. It wouldn’t be the last horror story we heard on our Holiday Road. By the time we got home, we had some experiences on the road where we even feared death was possible. More about those later.

Mammoth Hot Springs

Our son was at that stage where a "little friend" accompanied him everywhere he went. His little buddy was named “Penguiny,” which was a stuffed baby penguin the size of a fist. Our son put him in a white sock and folded it down so only the penguins head was visible. The sock was his egg. And it was no longer white. Later, I was surprised at how many times this dirty sock appeared in our pictures.

By the time we ventured to Mammoth Hot Springs, we were feeling the toll of a full-day of walking, hiking and driving.

Mammoth Hot Springs looked like a wasteland where lava covered and hardened over everything. The coloring and texture of a certain area looked like it was ice, even in pictures. The formations were very picturesque and lured us up long walkways to see views from different angles from different terraces and overlooks.

We started at the Lower Terraces and my daughter and I made it to the Upper Terrace where the view was grand, and worth the hike, even though we could have driven there with much less effort. But we didn't know this at the time.

On the long drive back to our little yellow box of a cabin, we stopped at a general store and bought the kids “Buffalo Chips.” They couldn’t believe that such a treat existed, nor could we. The chocolate replicas of buffalo dung were devoured in no time flat.

When we returned to the little yellow box, housekeeping had apparently tidied and cleaned our tiny yellow cabin. There was one small, extra touch that amazed us. In the morning, our kids had dozens of old Star Wars figures spread out on the covers of the bed in a design. When we returned, the beds were made, new sheets and all, but the Star Wars figures were exactly in the same positions as when we left. Someone who takes that sort of time and consideration was worthy of a sizeable tip, which we left.

Yellowstone is a national treasure!

Wyoming
Attractions
Worth Consideration

Cody, WY

Devil's Tower

Grand Tetons

Jackson Hole

Wyoming

Pit Stop
Devils tower

En route from the Black Hills to Yellowstone, we realized this would be one of our more grueling driving days. While we talked about our favorite things back in the Black Hills, our daughter shocked us with the body of knowledge she absorbed at Crazy Horse Memorial about Devil’s Tower from artisans and their works. She proceeded to intrigue us with the legends and folklore she learned. One in particular was of various sculptures depicting Native Americans at the top of Devil’s Tower just out of reach from a giant bear, clawing his way up the rock face.

Today, Devil’s Tower is a rock climbing Mecca. Native Americans view climbing the Tower as a desecration because it is a sacred site to more than 20 tribes.

As the day pressed on, we grew tired of the road ahead. Looking at the map, we decided to take a spontaneous pit stop to see Devil’s Tower. The kids went from the doldrums of a long drive to euphoria, us too. Thirty minutes later, I realized the road map and actual roadway seemed out of synch. The rational side of me started regretting the decision knowing the day just got that much longer.

Then finally, “I see it!” echoed two eager voices from the back seat.

It was a peculiar site. This strange rock tower was the only thing jutting up from the surrounding forest for as far as the eyes could see. I pulled over and took a picture. Even from that distance, I could see the legendary bear claw marks down the side of the mountain, albeit with a zoom camera lense.

Part of me felt, there, we saw it. Now let’s turn around and head back. But I couldn’t. Call it the Richard Dreyfus effect ala Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

…Must …Get …Closer.

I stopped the vehicle on the side of the road several times over, snapping pictures at each interval.

Never satisfied, I pressed on. …Must …Get …Closer.

I think part of the reason I wanted to go the distance was because before we left on this family vacation, down Holiday Road, I purchased a National Parks’ pass good for admission at any national park or national monument. Long story short, I wanted to make sure I got my money’s worth.

…Must …Get …Closer.

There are several differences between a National Park and Monument but one of the key differences is that the President of the United States can quickly declare an area a National Monument without the approval of Congress.

…Must …Get …Closer.

Finally, we arrived at the gate. I proudly displayed our pass and in we drove.

Devil’s Tower peaks 1,267 feet from Belle Fourche River, but the Tower itself is 867 feet tall. Devil’s Tower National Monument was the first National Monument in U.S. history. It was designated such by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906. This is not to be mistaken with Yellowstone, which became the first national park designated by the U.S. Congress back in 1872.

Round and round we drove spiraling upward until we entered a parking lot packed with cars, RVs and tour buses. Inside the visitors center we learned more about the Native American legends surrounding Devil’s Tower and it’s various names, including Mato Tipila, meaning Bear Lodge or Bear’s Tipi, meaning home of the Bear.  The name, Devils Tower, is believed to have come from a misinterpretation during an expedition in 1875 when the original Indian name was thought to mean "Bad God's Tower." Of course, this was later changed to Devils Tower.  

Devil’s Tower has a variety of things to see and do. Among the more popular are hiking trails, rock climbing, interpretive talks and events, and seeing the Circle of Sacred Smoke Sculpture. For more information, visit nps.gov/deto/.

Next stop, detour, or not?