YELLOWSTONE!

 After breaking camp this morning, I headed  straight for Yellowstone National Park.

Old Faithful

           
 Yellowstone was set aside as the world’s first
 national park because of its hydrothermal  wonders. The park contains more than 10,000  thermal features, including the world’s greatest  concentration of geysers as well as hot springs,  mudpots, and steam vents. Old Faithful Geyser  was once called “Eternity’s Timepiece” because  of the regularity of its eruptions. Despite the  myth, this geyser has never erupted at exact  hourly intervals, nor is it the largest or most  regular geyser in Yellowstone National Park. 

 The park’s hydrothermal system is the visible  expression of the immense Yellowstone volcano;   they would not exist without the underlying  partially molten magma body that releases  tremendous heat. They also depend on sources  of water, such as the mountains surrounding the  Yellowstone Plateau. There, snow and rain  slowly percolate through layers of permeable  rock riddled with cracks. Some of this cold water  meets hot brine directly heated by the shallow  magma body. The water’s temperature rises well  above the boiling point but the water remains in  a liquid state due to the great pressure and  weight of the overlying water. The result is  superheated water with temperatures exceeding  400°F.

 I could go on and on describing the parks many  wonders, but I think the pictures I took can best  portray this marvel.

There are boardwalks located throughout the park to keep you safe,
 and protect the parks thermal features.

Hot springs are the most common hydrothermal feature in the park

     

    Terraces form when water rises through limestone, which then
allows the water to carry high amounts of dissolved calcium
carbonate. At the surface, carbon dioxide is released and the
    calcium carbonate is deposited, forming travertine, the chalky
white rock of the terraces.

Note the micro organism fields surrounding the hot springs

Mud pots vary in consistency from very soapy to almost hard-baked mud.
There is usually a lingering smell of rotten eggs from the hydrogen-
sulphide. Mud pots make interesting sounds as various gases
bubble through the thick clay mud.       

Hot springs continue to develop throughout the park

There are many rivers and creeks running throughout the park. The
water can be deceptively cold and  swift. Many people have lost their
lives in these rivers.

In addition to the beautiful landscape, the park is also the home of a broad range of wild life.While black bears are common, it is estimated that in 2015 there were over 700 grizzly bears living in the Yellowstone Ecosystem. There are also grey wolves, wolverine, lynx, elk, mule,
deer, bison, moose, bighorn sheep and white-tailed deer all native to the park. In all there are over 65 different mammals living in the park. Bison are known to have injured more people in the park than any other animal. This in part because of the huge population numbering in excess of 5,500. It should also be pointed out that they can run up to 30 mph and are naturally unpredictable and dangerous. Bittersweet as it may be, I did not encounter any of the above within the park. **Note: I did not know how dangerous the bison were when I took selfies with the bison in Texas.**

As the day came to an end, I traveled on to Cody, Wyoming where I found a room at the Wigwam Inn. I had hoped to find a campground  tonight but by this time I was competing with bikers from all areas who were heading to Sturgis, S.D. for bike week. Oh yes, I will be going to Sturgis! See you there....

Great Day For A Ride!

Tuesday morning I continued my trek toward Yellowstone National Park. It was a great day for riding but at the same time an uneventful day. After traveling 350 plus miles I decided to call it a day and set up camp at the Ennis, Wyoming RV Park. After setting up camp I was able to do some wash prepare another freeze dried meal and most importantly take another shower! Once cleaned up I decided to introduce myself to the neighboring campers. I was eager to get a better look at the Casita Camper parked on the adjoining lot.

 
The owners, Jim and Nancy were more than happy to answer all my questions. Jim explained that he was a fly fisherman and often towed the Casita on rough roads with no problems. Nancy on the other had had just retired and wanted to tour the USA. Her enthusiasm and positive review of the Casita was enlightening as my wife has also expressed an intrest in a USA tour, but not on a bike!!     Tomorrow, YELLOWSTONE!

Back on Line!

Before heading out Saturday morning I decided to work on the blog; however, my laptop had decided to take a rest, ca-put, no image on screen at all. That being the case, I decided to try updating the blog with my phone. I soon found out that would not work as it was just way too slow.  Best I could do at this point was to keep notes throughout the coming days so that I could finish the blog when I arrived back home in Maine.  I made it back in one piece and though a little slow getting back to the blog I am working on it and do plan to complete it. So starting with my notes from Saturday this is how the day went. I broke camp a little after noon and headed for Blaine, WA which will be my fourth corner! I did not go all the way to Blaine because I could not find a campsite or motel available in the area. I ended up in a campground of sorts in  Sedro Wolley,WA. The campground itself was nothing to really brag about but I did enjoy the night.  A young couple camped 
next to me and we had a real enjoyable evening. We shared vino and almonds and a lot of camping experiences. Sunday morning we all left about the same time. They were headed back to Seattle for a softball game and I headed to Blaine.
You may recall my border experience when I went to Madawaska, ME.  Well I had a near repeat of that same experience in Blaine, WA. 
It turns out that the Peace Arch, which is the fourth corner of my journey, is located between the US and Canadian borders. I realized that just as I was driving past the US border patrol. I whipped into a business parking lot and there I sat. I was trapped between the US and Canadian borders again! Lucky for me a business man decided to come to his office about that time. He was able to tell me a back way out of no man's land. Once back on the highway I was still trying to figure out how to get to the Peace Arch. Well my friend Jill, the Garmin  spokes lady, finally figured it out. She directed me through multiple residential areas and then to what appeared as a small beautifully maintained county park with many flower gardens and of course a wedding / reception in progress. As I looked on I realized that the Peace Arch was directly on the far side of this park. I parked my bike and strolled through the reception as if I were a long lost friend arriving at the last moment. With no questions asked I continued to the far side of the park where I crossed the highway to the medium strip which is where the Peace Arch was actually located. The medium is  also beautifully landscaped with flowers, trees and of course the Arch. This area between the two borders appears to be shared by the US and Canada so it depends on where you are standing as to what country you are in. 

 

Note the American flag on near side and Canadian flag on far side of Peace Arch along with cars on right entering Canada and cars on left exiting Canada 

Could I have walked right into Canada? It appeared so but I was not going to chance it. Having reached my destination, I snapped a couple photos and continued my journey. I headed east toward Glacier National Park. I left the navigation up to Jill and guess what, an hour later I was again looking right at the Canadian border. That was the breaking point. I was cold and I was lost so I shut down the Garmin and headed south. After an hour or so of driving I finally decided to call it a day and checked into the Windmill motel about halfway between Blaine and Seattle. After a good nights rest, I decided to skip Glacier National Park and continued southward to Yellowstone National Park. I was tired of being cold and decided the ride to Yellowstone would be a much more comfortable ride. I did not make it all the way to Yellowstone in one day as it was about a 600 mile ride, but I did make it to Coeur d'Alene,
Idaho which is where I set up camp for the night.