YellowSTONE and its HighLIGHTS
Posted on July 2, 2009
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Posted by Sierra
Yellowstone National Park is the oldest national park. It is 2.2 million acres, most of which is located in Wyoming. Established March 1, 1872, Yellowstone is one of the most visited parks, up there on the list with Yosemite, Grand Canyon, and Arches National Parks. I’m here today to tell you about some of the highlights.
* Old Faithful: This is the obvious place to start. Old Faithful is the largest attraction in the park, and unless you’ve been living in a cave, you’ve probably heard of it. Spewing water on a fairly predictable basis (see visitor center for predictions) the image of this geyser isn’t hard to find. Just peek into any gift shop, restaurant, or hotel. Keep in mind that, like the Mona Lisa, “Most Famous” doesn’t always mean “Best.”
* Grand Geyser: If you are willing to wait an hour and a half to have rolls “throwed” at you (see: Throwed, not Thrown), then you are probably willing to wait around for a few hours to watch a geyser erupt. Although Grand Geyser (above), the World’s Tallest Predictable Geyser, is um, predictable, there is a rather large time frame in which it might erupt. For example, when we saw it, the sign said “Eruption should be between 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.” It erupted at 3:00 p.m. This gets my vote for “Best Geyser.”
* Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone: Although this is not quite as big as that other Grand Canyon, it offers spectacular views. It seriously looks like a painting. And yes, it is called the Grand Canyon of THE Yellowstone, in reference to the river. The Grand Canyon of THE Yellowstone wins “Best Canyon.”
* General Stores: There is usually at least one of these in the vicinity. They sell everything from camping supplies to souvenir mugs to shirts that say, “Yellow(stone).”
* Other Hydrothermal Features: There are hot springs, geysers, fumaroles, and steam vents throughout the park. Some of the hot springs are Morning Glory Pool, Beauty Pool, and Chromatic Pool. Some of the other geysers include Spasmodic Geyser, Solitary Geyser, and Fountain Geyser.
Well, there you have it. Yellow(stone) in a nut(shell).
The colors of Yellowstone
Posted on July 2, 2009
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Posted by Stan
Sierra will give you the words about Yellowstone National Park. A lot to see and take photos of, enough to merit a new category at Flickr . . . if we could find a good enough connection to post dozens of them. That might have to wait until August. Meanwhile here are a few chosen to illustrate the amazing range of colors throughout the park.
And Montana makes 50
Posted on June 22, 2009
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Posted by Stan
Yes, Sierra was happy to be entering Montana — even if the sun made it hard for her to smile.
Montana became the 46th state we’ve visited on our journey, and was quickly followed by No. 47, Wyoming.
But the real reason to post this photo is that Sierra has now been in all 50 states at least once. She’d kick everybody’s butt on that Facebook list going around . . . were she on Facebook.
Where All Those Pears Come From
Posted on June 22, 2009
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Posted by Sierra
Raise your hand if you’ve ever gotten anything from Harry & David, be it online, as a gift, or from one of their stores. It may have been Moose Munch, Royal Riviera pears, Bing cherries, or a gift box with an assortment of goodies. We went to the flagship store in Medford, Oregon. There you can take a tour of the bakery and the packing plant for $5 (you also get a coupon that is good for $5 off a purchase of more than $35). At the end, you get free samples (more on that later)!
The first stop on our tour was the bakery, where you can see Moose Munch being made (the photo above). Some 8,000 pounds of Moose Munch are made per hour! You can tell what each worker does based on their hairnet/gloves. A green hairnet means you’re a supervisor, a blue hairnet means you’re a line leader, a yellow hairnet means you speak Spanish and English, and any other colors mean you’re just a worker. Also, purple gloves mean you work in a high-allergen environment and should be careful not to contaminate anything. Also in the bakery are Swedish ovens, which rotate the baking goods. Two giant vats can hold about 6,000 pounds of chocolate apiece. Then come the free samples. You get a cookie and a chocolate. The chocolate was good, but the cookie had jam in it. I hate jam. But Mom and Dad were happy to eat mine.
Next on the tour, you go to the packing plant. On the way there, you pass the orchards, where they grow 800 pounds of peaches and 19,000 tons of pears a year. At harvest time, it takes 400 workers 6 weeks to get all the pears off the trees!
You can see people packing fruits and other treats into baskets and boxes. The experienced packers can pack 300-400 boxes a day!
Finally, at the end of the tour, you end up back in the store. I recommend buying lots of Moose Munch. The chocolate kind is yummy, but (in my opinion) the fat-free toffee kind is even better. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go sneak some. Don’t tell Mom!
Photos from Crater Lake in Oregon
Posted on June 18, 2009
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Because Matt Van Wyk asked so politely . . .
Even when it’s cloudy the views are terrific.
A lot of snow left on June 17, which we expected. That I’d be beating off mosquitoes while shooting this photos was more of a surprise.
Posted by Stan
One reason we’ve taken a curious route through Oregon, first heading north up the coast, then over to Portland before turning south, was so we could make Crater Lake National Park our last stop before driving to Yellowstone National Park.
That’s because it snows a lot at Crater Lake, and it takes a while to get rid of all of it. They aren’t even close. We knew we wouldn’t be able to travel the Rim Drive that circles the lake or take the boat ride to Wizard Island, but we wanted to camp in the park and hike where we could. Our patience was rewarded when they opened a campground last Friday.
And at least Cleetwood Cove Trail was open. That’s the only authorized route down to the water, the one you take to board a tour boat (when they are operating). It’s steep, descending about 700 feet during a mile hike, leading to incredibly blue water.
The kids will love the hike, Matt. Take them on the boat as well.
Seagulls Are Not My Friends
Posted on June 15, 2009
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Posted by Daria
Newport, Oregon, is a great coastal town, and our RV park for the night, the Port of Newport RV Park & Marina, is about as nice a parking lot-style RV park as you could expect. After strolling over to the Rogue Brewery for dinner (yes, we managed to find not one, but two RV parks in Oregon that were within a short stroll of a brewery; is this a great state or what?) I decide to work off dinner by checking out some of the marina docks and boats. Stan and Sierra opt to return to the RV.
So, I’m walking down one dock. It’s a long way to the end. As I approach it, I notice a few gulls perched on pilings nearby. One of them starts screeching at me—a high-pitched, shrill caw. The others just look.
I reach the end and turn back. Looking down at some metal beams arranged in a triangle shape (meant for some kind of dock maintenance) I spy a nest. Inside are three beautiful eggs, light olive with brownish spots, each about 2½ inches long. Wow, I think, paying no heed to the gull’s urgent cries.
Next thing, the gull swoops over my head and I feel a splatter all over my coat. I look down at tan streaks and smell an extremely fishy smell. I’m hit!
I call Stan. “I guess I am showering tonight. A gull just crapped on me.” When I get back to the RV, he and Sierra have the shower and laundry supplies ready. Fortunately, both were close by.
The next morning I head back to that pier, curious whether the birds are still hanging around. They are, and they fly back onto the pilings as I approach. I swear that the same gull is there, only what he screams now sounds like “Out! Out! Out!” Though I really want to shoot a photo of the nest, I’m not going to risk getting shat on a second time.
Moral: Never get between a gull and a nest. And always carry extra quarters for the laundry.
P.S. You may notice a striking resemblance between the gull pictured here and the suspect here. Coincidence? I think not.
A Bridge, a Streetcar, and a Prison
Posted on May 29, 2009
Filed Under Call us tourists, Museums & tours | 3 Comments
Posted by Sierra
When most people think of San Francisco, they think of earthquakes, cable cars, and the Golden Gate Bridge. But there are other things, too, such as Alcatraz, the Exploratorium, and the Musée Mechanique. I’ll talk about some of the attractions (a la “Travel Guide”) and add a few comments of my own.
* The Golden Gate Bridge: This famous bridge is about 8,981 feet long. Although it is not golden (although there is a bridge in Sacramento that is) it is the namesake of many shops, books, and bus systems. On a foggy day you can’t see the tops of the towers. Also, the rice crispie treat version collapsed rather unfortunately in The Food Network’s “Famous Bridges Challenge.”
* Alcatraz: Featured in books such as Al Capone Does My Shirts and movies such as The Rock and Escape From Alcatraz, this island prison was for the worst of the worst. It was pretty hard to be innocent in Alcatraz, since you had to be convicted of a crime more than once. Some famous inmates were Al “Scarface” Capone, “Machine Gun” Kelly, and Robert “The Birdman” Stroud. There is a really good tour of the Cell House that I very highly recommend. It is narrated by former inmates and guards.
* Earthquake: Unfortunately (or not, depending on how you look at it) we did not have a chance to experience this attraction. It is most famous for causing a good deal of damage in 1906.
* Cable Cars: Personally, I think these should be called streetcars, because if you pay attention, you’ll notice THEY DO NOT RUN ON CABLES! There are actually streetcars, which DO run on cables! What a confusing world this is.
* Exploratorium: A hands-on museum of science, this is a good place to learn things like about how magnetic black sand has iron in it. One of the highlights of the Exploratorium is the Tactile Dome. This is like a fun house with all the lights turned off. It’s completely dark as you climb, crawl, slide, and occasionally walk through a maze of pots, pans, and pillows. There are objects in there from spoons to sponges and from bundt cake molds to mattresses. In other words, the Tactile Dome is awesome.
* Musée Mechanique: I know what you’re thinking: How can a mechanical museum be considered “fun?” But this isn’t your typical museum. It’s a collection of old arcade games: fortune tellers, pinball machines, Skee-Ball, even an old “Laughing Sal,” a delightful/utterly terrifying figure. Those of you who have seen The Princess Diaries should recognize the arm-wrestling guy. You can watch a little band of monkeys (25 cents) or have the Bocca Della Verita tell your fortune (50 cents). The Musée Mechanique gets my vote for “Best San Francisco Attraction.”
So those are most of the attractions we went to in San Francisco. Next time, you’re there, remember to smile and scream “EARTHQUAKE!!!!!!!”
A Toad-ily Cool Shower: A Frog Blog
Posted on May 22, 2009
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Posted by the Daring Duo, Sierra and Daria
We were in a campground in Three Rivers, California. Sierra went to take a shower in the slightly old bathroom. She picked a shower stall and was closing the door when something moved.
Sierra jumped and saw there was what she described as “a small, light-green toad.” She also described it as “Awesome.” Still, she used the other shower.
After Sierra finished her shower, which, “I had to stoop during, due to the insanely low shower head,” she trooped back to the RV and reported the toad to Mom. Then she grabbed the camera and ran back to the bathroom. She took a picture of the toad. She and Mom discussed how cute the toad was and wondered what they should name it. Mom said “Emma,” after the toad Sierra had in second grade that ran away. But what if it was a boy? They decided to name the toad Emmett. Mom also said the “toad” looked like a “frog.” Sierra reportedly frowned at this.
So then it was Mom’s turn. She headed over to the bathhouse, turned on the light timer and took a look. There hiding in the grout groove in the far corner of the shower was Emmett. “You poor thing,” she said (yes, out loud), and she tried to catch it. Not an easy task, as Emmett hopped much faster than she could react. He managed to get to another corner, outside the showers. She gave up and took her shower, then checked again; he was still in the same spot. This time she was determined and grabbed him. His slippery body wasn’t too slimy. He moved down her hand and jumped off again, but she maneuvered him out the door.
Then she turned toward the sink, and found—another one! This one, christened Emily, didn’t put up much of a fight, and out to freedom she went.
Later research revealed that the amphibians are the common Pacific Treefrogs. It is hoped they do not meet gruesome ends in the wild, but perhaps they’ll find it more interesting than hanging out in the bathhouse all day.
I Used to Call it “YOZE-mite”
Posted on May 19, 2009
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Posted by Sierra
We were recently in Yosemite National Park in California. We did the typical national park-y things we do: I did the Junior Ranger Program (which, I admit, I am getting a little old for), we hiked, and we did a few ranger walks.
I’ll start by talking about the hikes we did. The first was the Mirror Lake and Tenaya Canyon hike. Mirror Lake was formed when a rockslide dammed the river. In the early morning and at sunset it’s reflective, giving it its name. The hike was partially closed due to a recent rockslide, from March. We hiked until we reached the blocked-off portion. We could see all the jumbled-up granite from the rockslide.
The other hike we did was the Nevada and Vernal Falls hike. It involved a lot of steep climbing. The best part (in my opinion) was the Mist Trail, which had stone steps and was very misty. We got SOAKED!! We saw first Vernal Fall and then Nevada Fall. They were both pretty magnificent.
We did not see a single bear while we were in Yosemite. We did, however, see bear traps. These are long, silver cylinders with a food bag at the back. When the bear bites the bag, the door swings shut, and the bear settles down and falls asleep. Occasionally a squirrel gets stuck in there.
And now for everyone’s favorite part: the funny stories. We heard these on the various ranger walks we did. The first is about a ranger—we’ll call him Ranger “Frank.” He was setting a bear trap one day, and he left his radio outside. He accidentally triggered the door and was stuck in there for several hours.
The second story is about a ranger’s nephew. She said he calls Yosemite “‘Se-mi-tee,” and thinks “Yosemite” means “Your ‘Semite,” so he calls it “My ‘Semite.” Isn’t that adorable, folks?
So that’s Yosemite. Your ‘Semite, my ‘Semite, everybody’s ‘Semite.
Best of the Trip, Part 3
Posted on May 11, 2009
Filed Under Call us tourists | 3 Comments
Posted by Sierra
Best Meal: Cochon, New Orleans, LA
Best Soup: Tomato soup at Bay Street Deli, Charleston, SC (Sierra), Crabapple pumpkin soup, Museum of the American Indian, Washington, DC (Mom)
Worst Dish: The pig’s feet that Dad had at Bertha’s Kitchen, Charleston, SC (Dad explains in How We Chow)
Best Ice Cream: In Key West at Flamingo Crossing (Mom and Dad), Blue Bell Ice Cream (Sierra)
Number of Key Lime Pies Eaten: 5
Number of Time Zone Crossings: 7
Best Candy: Chaser’s Bourbon balls, Cave City, KY (Mom and Dad), Fudge from Rustler Bob’s, Fredricksburg,TX (Sierra)
Best Dessert: For Sierra, the chocolaty dessert she had at St. Louis Brewery and Bottleworks, St. Louis, MO, see above for Mom and Dad’s
Best Grits: Dad’s garlic grits at Cochon
Best RV-cooked Meal: Mom’s “victory” cheese fondue (prepared by Sierra)
Best Beer: Sexual Chocolate Imperial Stout, Foothills Brewing (Mom), Boulevard Smokestack Two Jokers (Dad)
Best Breakfast: Blue & White, Tunica, MS
Best Sandwich: Po-Boy, Parran’s Po-Boys, Metairie, LA (Dad), Oyster Bacon Sandwich at Cochon (Mom), too many for Sierra
Best Pizza: Rustico, Alexandria, VA
Best Campground with Service: Fort Wilderness at Disney World, Orlando, FL (Sierra), Long Key State Park, Long Key, FL (Mom and Dad)
Best Campground without Service: Cottonwood Campground, Big Bend, TX
Best Campground Moment: When we saw the large pack of 14 or so Javelinas at Cottonwood Campground in Big Bend. (See Close Encounters)
Best Bathrooms: Campground at Hollywood Casino, Robinsonville, MS (Sierra), the ones in Waynesboro, NC (Mom)
Worst Bathrooms: The ones that were locked in Lee-Hi Campground, Lexington, VA
Best Shower: Toby & Amy’s, Alexandria, VA
Best Campground Pool: The big pool at Fort Wilderness
Best National Park: Big Bend
Best Historic Site: Capitol, Washington, DC
Best Monument: Gateway Arch, St. Louis, MO
Best Walking Tour: Savannah, GA
Best Bookstore: Williamsburg Book Exchange, Williamsburg, VA (Sierra), The Book Escape, Baltimore, MD (Mom and Dad)
Best Museum: International Spy Museum, Washington, DC
Best Hike/Walk: Anhinga Trail in the Everglades, FL
Best Drive: Outer Banks, NC
Best Small Town: Key West, FL
Best Small City: Savannah, GA (Mom and Dad), Lake Buena Vista, FL (Sierra)
Best Medium City: New Orleans, LA
Best Large City: Washington, DC
Best Beach: Sanibel Island Beach(es), Sanibel, FL
Best State Park: Hillsborough River State Park, FL
Best Crosswalks: Savannah, GA (They say “Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait,” and then “Crossing King Street. 21 more seconds. 20. 19. 18,” and so on.)
Best Highway Overpasses: New Mexico
Most Bicycle-Friendly State: Florida
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