After Breakfast I had to do quick search for a housekeeper because I had left the room key locked in the room. The housekeeper was agreeable to opening the door for me so I could pack for the day’s trip. Nice start.
The old lodge was opening as we left Pahaska Tepee so we stopped for a quick tour. The original lodge named Pahaska Tepee was developed at the turn of the century by Bill Cody and used continuously up to the 50’s. It is now open only as a museum. There are many old artifacts collected over time, and the building itself is worthy of note. It was built of rough logs with the bark on, two stories,with the lodgings on the second floor opening onto the central hall, which has a big wood-burning fireplace. In back of the fireplace there is a large dinning hall. A kitchen on one side and a bar/lounge on the other complete the basics. Outside, the full porch overlooks the river. It must have been a special experience to stay here. The guests of long ago first arrived in Cody by stage from Billings, they stayed overnight in Cody at the Irma Hotel, then they continued to “half-way Lodge” for another overnight. Finally, after another full day on the stage, they arrived at Pahaska Tepee—where they could continue on to Yellowstone. Many stayed right here for hunting and fishing.
Next stop, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. We took the road to Artist Point to get pictures of lower falls. We got there just before 3 tour buses loaded the viewing stand to overflow. We got out pictures, enjoyed watching the soaring Blue-green Swallows and returned down the road to Tom’s Lookout where we took photos of the upper falls. White Pelicans were swimming in the river between the two falls—every now and then their heads dipped into the water. Hope the fishing was good.
The road to Old Faithful Geyser Basin goes through meadows that are green with spring grass. We saw elk and deer and many buffalo. We passed through Madison Junction the headwaters of the Madison River, which will join the Jefferson and Gallatin to become the Missouri at Three Forks. It was there that we meet our first real traffic jam. About 30 minutes delay, because of drivers slowing and stopping to look at a large herd of buffalo on the route to Old Faithful. Finally, it was our turn to look, but the buffalo seemed to be sleeping.
We drove on—to arrive at Old Faithful, where we parked and joined the throng of people waiting for the 2:30 eruption. I sat on the edge near one end of the seating area, people are 6-8 deep for the 150 yards or so that are nearest to the geyser. Where I was sitting there were fewer people and the views are just as good. A Mountain Bluebird was flying back and forth in th
e trees near the spout of the geyser. The thousand or so people watching and waiting shushed and there was a strange silence as the geyser began to gurgle, then sighs as the eruption began in earnest. After the last gurgle everyone left just like they leave after a football game.The real gems of Old Faithful Geyser Basis are the paint pots and sulphur pools; the colors are exquisite against the blue and yellow of the spring flowers.
We left the park, not stopping in West Yellowstone, to continue on to Ennis. On the way we stopped at the Quake Lake Visitor Center that commemorates those killed by the 1959 earthquake that was centered near West Yellowstone. We watched a video that described the geology and the effects of the quake. The video was shown in a hall with big windows that looked out on the dam caused by the debris. We could see the bare scar left on the mountain by the landslide. We could also see the large boulders now lying across the canyon from the mountainside where they originated. The slide happened quickly in the remote area and left 300 casualties and 28 dead buried under the slide debris. The visitor center is an impressive stop—makes you think about the forces of nature.
Driving towards some black clouds we soon found ourselves in a real mountain squall. It only lasted a few minutes, and it cleared the air and turned the fields brilliant green. How f
ortunate we have been with the weather. We arrived in Ennis about 5:30 ready to rest a bit and go out for dinner. We checked in and found ourselves in a double-wide trailer just in back of the motel. We have a big lawn, deer in the adjacent field and llamas across the street. We went to dinner at The Reel Decoy, recommended by the hotel owner, very good food—Chicken Picatta, Hamburger, Pulled Pork Sandwich were the main dishes, but we had deserts, of course.Oh, in case you were wondering, Ennis has a 4th of July Rodeo—just like Red Lodge and Cody.
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