We gave Yellwstone a pass today and chose instead to go to the Gros Ventre Slide southeast of Jackson Lake in beautiful Jackson Hole. The drive to the Gros Ventre Slide from Flagg Ranch offers magnificent views of the Grand Tetons to the west and pretty rangeland to to the east. We took narrow backroads through the rangeland most of the way there.
The Gros Ventre (it’s a French phrase so, stupidly, it is pronounced GROW-VONT which I think means big belly) Slide is an amazing demonstration of a failure of a mountain to hold itself together. Back in the 1920’s, 50 million cubic yards of mountainside failed to remain in place and slid downhill, blocking the Gros Ventre River and sending debris 700 feet up the other side of the canyon, all in 3 minutes. A few folks actually got to see the event from very close. I imagine they had to clean out their trousers afterwards. Things went along pretty well for 30 months until the big unengineered dam crapped out, inundating the town of Kelly below the dam. More loss of life occurred during this event because the locals were unprepared for a landslide dam to fail. Not real savvy in physics or civil engineering.
We left the gorgeous area around the Gros Ventre and headed into the town of Jackson, located at the south end of gorgeous Jackson Hole. The town of Jackson has many nice new buildings with exterior siding intended to make them look rustic. Antique and curio shops abound. Traffic is an absolute nightmare. Traffic signals are everywhere and the already sluggish traffic is retarded even more by clumsy traffic engineering and confused tourists crossing streets while wearing fashions previously unknown in western civilization. We went all the way through town and finally arrived at an Albertson’s store. The parking lot was filled with many idling foreign import SUVs awaiting parking places near the store entrance despite many spots being available just yards away. The store was infested with many confused out-of-town shoppers unfamiliar with the Jackson Albertson’s layout or common sense. Prices were almost criminal. They sell no beer in the Albertson’s but there is a liquor store with only moderately terrible prices next door where I picked up some Irish Cream and porter before the 60 mile trip back to Flagg Ranch. Jackson, Wyoming, pretty town in 1979 has been turned into a yuppie purgatory and should be avoided at all cost unless you are are interested in tourist junk, expensive liquor, long traffic stalls, aimlessly meandering morons spread about the streets with inappropriate footwear, branded T-shirts and liberally applied perfume and cologne. Jackson has become afflicted with the same retail and real estate schemes as Sedona, AZ and Taos, NM. They were great scenic destinations in the recent past that were transformed into expensive enclaves for flakes, folks believing their substandard products were worth more than they are and homeless folks wearing Reebok shoes and North Face parkas. It is a butthole. I will endevour to make sure I do not visit again unless compelled at gunpoint. A Chamber of Commerce can become a hideous monster and steering clear of upscale yuppie enclaves will benefit all in the long run.
We got some pix today. You can see some of ’em if you click here

Today we drove into Yellowstone again. We left pretty early for us and headed toward Old Faithful, mandatory tourist stop for any park visit. We arrived at the Old Faithful area about 50 miles north of our RV park by about 10:45 and found a pretty good parking space in a lot close to the geyser. By about 11:10 we were safely seated at the edge of the viewing area for this venerable attraction and learned that the 90 minute cycle between eruptions was almost over with the big squirt scheduled for 11:25. Right about on time, the big white hump started spewing steam followed by a great deal of water. This time, the stream of water did not go as high as I remember from the last time I was here. We figured maybe some eruptions are better than others.
We felt compelled to reward ourselves for watching the geyser so we strolled over to the old Yellowstone Lodge not too far away, found the bar and set ourselves up with some nice cold beers. It was a nice bar inside a gorgeous old hotel with an amazing lobby. All the framing is logs and heavy timbers and it is quite striking. Peggy made a quick recon mission into the gift shop but kept the expenditures to a minimum. On the way back to the car, we noted we had phone service and made some calls we were incapable of making from Flagg Ranch where we are camped. Between the beer, gift shop and phone, it was almost time for another Old Faithful eruption so we were treated to another display and the second one was a whopper. Lots of superheated water and foul odors came from the mound and rolled downwind to moisten some of the crowd.
We finally trudged back to the truck and headed northwest to Black Sand Basin where many colorful pools of boiling water, churning mud pits and hydrogen sulfide-laced emanations impressed us. The strange geology of the Yellowstone area offers views (and smells) of the hellfire underground’s effect on the surface and it is pretty amazing. Most of the water that comes out of the ground here flows into the Firehole River so we followed the river to Firehole Lake Drive, home to the Great Fountain Geyser which is a beautiful azure pond of clear water with steam and bubbles erupting from the bottom. They are plainly visible in the pond before they hit the surface and squirt water around and belch foul odors. We continued north on the same section of road to Firehole Canyon Drive which offers views of Firehole Falls and the river as it rips through a rock gorge near Madison Junction, gateway to the west from the park.
We continued a bit further north on the west side of the park before turning around and heading home for the day. Yellowstone is an extraordinary place with abundant big game, lots of little critters and colorful birds, spectacular geology and marvelous flowers and trees. We really have not found anywhere else on our travels that can offer better views of nature than here. There are also many stupid drivers, though, and a dedicated, sharp-eyed driver is necessary here. Brainless, impatient assholes will cross the road directly in front of speedy approaching traffic in order to get a certain parking place even when others are available. Oncoming cars will be noted with half their car in your lane and closing fast on tight corners. We salute this type of approaching moron with abundant horn honking and upraised middle fingers. Some jerks will see one of the thousands of bison here and panic brake to see these abundant creatures, blocking traffic and hope. The park forbids stopping in the road anywhere on Yellowstone’s max-45 mph routes but some arrogant bastards figure everyone can wait on them because they are so special.
We got a few pix and you can see them if you click here

Today we had no pressing chores so we devoted the whole day to exploring in Yellowstone National Park. Right out of our campground at Flagg Ranch, we turned north for two miles until we ran into the back of a long line of cars awaiting impoverishment at the Yellowstone fee station. Once we finally made it to the fee station, we showed them our access pass and were told to move along without parting with the $30 entrance fee.
Right past the fee station, the road starts climbing up a spectacular rock gorge with the Lewis River cascading down the valley. There were abundant wildflowers lining the road. The speed limit is only 45 miles per hour so passengers and drivers alike can enjoy the great passing scenery. Just because the speed limits are low, stupidity of other drivers was noted all along the way. We saw folks who could not keep it in their lane, folks who stopped directly in the traffic lanes and bikers coming the other way that put their left foot and front wheel on our side of the double yellow. The bikers promptly got back on their side as they noted Charlotte’s massive shiny bumper approaching with their left leg in the sights.
We took the counter-clockwise route around Yellowstone’s south loop. From the fee station we went to the West Thumb geyser basin for a stroll. There are many colored ponds with geysers in the bottom, fumaroles and other fart gas spewing features here with enormous Yellowstone Lake in the background. All the volcanic features here come with little gasps of hydrogen sulfide which smell like rotten eggs.
From West Thumb we continued northeast to the Mud Volcano which is a big hole full of bubbling mud erupting from the bowels of the earth. There is also a big cave with foul odors and gurgling noises emanating therefrom called the Dragon’s Buttpipe or something with ample steam and stench rising from the entrance. We continued to a section of the park called Canyon Village which is at the impressive Yellowstone Falls. From there we cut west across the park to Norris Geyser Basin and then south toward Old Faithful which is located at the south end of a gigantic geyser basin where the fury of the earth can be seen along both sides of the road. There are giant columns of steam and furious eruptions of water on all sides here.
From the Old Faithful neighborhood, we went back toward West Thumb, completing the loop and passing over the Continental Divide three times along the way. Yellowstone is a truly amazing place with fantastic scenery even without the volcanic highlights visible everywhere. Throw in the geysers and mudpots and steam breathers and the place is unlike any in the world.
We got some photos today and you can see them if you click here

Today was a travel day. We started the day in Thayne, WY. I don’t know why when I think of this place I am reminded of an old Alan Ladd movie in which this toeheaeded little squirt of a kid keeps whining “Thayne, Thayne, come back.” Oh… that’s Shane. In any event, we departed Thayne this morning and headed north up US-89 through the town of Jackson into Jackson Hole and ultimately into a place called Flagg Ranch. Flagg Ranch is on a bit of land between Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstorne National Park.
Peggy and I were in Jackson Hole during trips when we were young in 1979 and 1981. In 1979, the second night of our honeymoon was spent in the honeymoon cabin at Colter Bay near Jenny Lake in Jackson Hole. We discovered that, due to our rush to get out of town after our wedding, Peggy only had a really snazzy looking pair of high heels in her luggage. We drove into Jackson the day after our arrival at Colter Bay and bought her a good pair of boots that were more suitable for the terrain we encountered in this place. Jackson was a tiny town then with about 10 blocks of commerce downtown. Now it is a pretty large going concern with many tourists, much stupid activity by out-of-town drivers, art galleries and a Starbucks. There appeared to be few improvements since 1979 unless you consider unfettered tourism attractive.
Without bothering to stop except at the numerous senseless traffic signals, we finally trudged through town with the Barbarian Invader securely attached to the fifth wheel in Charlotte’s bed. We emerged from the north end of the Jackson Hellhole into the beautiful Jackson Hole, a gigantic glacial valley with moraines dotting the surface. The road (US-89 still) climbs very slowly through Jackson Hole with some relatively small mountains to the east but the magnificent Grand Tetons to the west. The Tetons are wonderful craggy rock monsters with little other than glaciers dotting their surface. They erupt from Jenny Lake and rise right up to over 10,000′ elevations. They are very impressive.
We continued north through Jackson Hole until we got to the non-community of Moran where we continued north on 89 to Flagg Ranch. Flagg Ranch is not really a ranch but a collection of facilities dedicated to RV camping two miles south of the south entrance to Yellowstone. The RV park has full hookups, there is a close store and gas station, tourist info is nearby but Verizon cell phone and data service does not extend to this rustic environment. This place ain’t cheap. It is around $70 per night but that’s much better than $100 per night in Jackson. There is no wi-fi. The spaces are pretty close to each other but they are situated in a grove of conifers offering ample shade. We were able to get some TV service from our satellite antenna because our assigned spot was at the end of a row and offered a relatively unblocked view of the southern skies, required for satellite reception.
Since our travel distance today was relatively short, we arrived at Flagg ranch early in the day and were all set up by about 1:30 PM. We re-boarded Charlotte and took a short journey of exploration into Grand Teton National Park which starts just south of our RV park at Flagg Ranch. We do not have to pay to get into either Grand Tetons or Yellowstone, thanks to our access pass. We drove into the northern edge of Grand Teton and turned south on a secondary road that passes down the east edge of the beautiful lakes at the foot of the Tetons. There are elk, pronghorn and bison here for a fact. There is also breathtaking, majestic scenery on all sides. There are not adequate superlatives in my vocabulary to describe this extraordinary place. I like it a lot.
We finished our loop down the east edge of the lakes and then turned back out to US-89 near the community of Moose before heading back home to Flagg Ranch for the evening. We will be passing through this place again before we depart Flagg Ranch next week.
You can see some of the pix we got today if you click here