TravelStream™ news feed for member lee.toma on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/lee.toma en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Mon, 20 Aug 2007 04:10:59 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lee.toma/00_09_yellowstn/968331600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lee.toma/00_09_yellowstn/968331600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lee.toma/00_09_yellowstn/968331600/tpod.html Mon, 20 Aug 2007 04:10:59 -0400 Super Mega Road trip to Yellowstone National Park!

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Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, United States

What a spectacular land this is! In the brisk, chilly morning air, I woke early and went for a hike. The water by the lake was steaming, with tendrils of mist curling along the surface, and gradually merging into a light fog bank that hid the birds and fishermen.

Shortly after that, I went to see the Lone Star Geyser. Along the way, I stopped for my first Continental Divide crossing, where, as per usual, I acted like a dork.

...and then proceeded on towards the geysers. I picked the Lone Star because it was a bit off from the beaten path, yet not so far that I'd have to do any of that time-consuming and strenuous back-country hiking. Ugh! I'm much too lazy and impatient for that... So I biked along the fire road, following the Firehole River along until I came to the clearing, and to my surprise and good fortune, the geyser was just starting to fire up. Lone Star erupts about once every three hours, so I was REALLY lucky to have such good timing. I posed for a bunch of pictures, and almost lost a roll of film... and then continued back to the road.

The next stop was at the Old Faithful geyser basin, where I took the bike for speed (walking just is WAY too slow), and then did a quick tour of the area.

One observation that is hard to avoid is the stark contrast between the burned-out trees and the new growth. The park had suffered severe wildfires in 1988, following a century of fire-suppression efforts, and large swaths of the area were decimated. New policies let fires burn more naturally, so they are less intense and clear out the dead brush on a more regular basis.

I was surprised as I was riding along, that elk were spooked by my presence, and would run along the path, often following beside me. I'm not sure if I was more surprised than they were, but it was an amazing experience to be biking in the midst of these large and beautiful animals.

Speaking of large, beautiful (and dangerous) animals, bison could be found throughout the park. Typically, you'd see a herd of them standing around somewhere pretty, like THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD, and there would be a handful of cars, with little people like me cowering behind car doors trying to get photos. I guess it is a little comical - but it was also pretty cool.

My final stop for the day was way up north at the Mammoth Terraces, where hot springs had deposited pools of minerals on the hillside. I went hiking in the twilight, enjoying the beautiful scenery, and checking over my shoulder for large predators that might like to attack a nice snack such as myself.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lee.toma/00_09_yellowstn/968277600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lee.toma/00_09_yellowstn/968277600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lee.toma/00_09_yellowstn/968277600/tpod.html Mon, 20 Aug 2007 03:34:45 -0400 Super Mega Road trip to Yellowstone National Park!

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Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, United States

At last, after many, many miles, entry into Yellowstone National Park...
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lee.toma/00_09_yellowstn/968252400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lee.toma/00_09_yellowstn/968252400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lee.toma/00_09_yellowstn/968252400/tpod.html Mon, 20 Aug 2007 03:30:03 -0400 Super Mega Road trip to Yellowstone National Park!

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Cody, Wyoming, United States

Last stop before the great wilderness! Had to stock up at Wal-Mart.

Took a quick tour of the Buffalo Bill Museum, and then checked out the dam before heading into Yellowstone.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lee.toma/00_09_yellowstn/968104800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lee.toma/00_09_yellowstn/968104800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lee.toma/00_09_yellowstn/968104800/tpod.html Sun, 19 Aug 2007 02:56:25 -0400 Super Mega Road trip to Yellowstone National Park!

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Custer, South Dakota, United States

Ah, the Black Hills!

After so many miles on the road, it all seems worthwhile to see so much in the Black Hills.

In fact, I regretted that I had less than two days to spend there.

Wind Cave was one highlight, as were Crazy Horse and Mount Rushmore.

Other amusing (kitschy?) destinations I visited included the Museum of Woodcarving, Bedrock City, a Flintstones-theme campground, and the Reptile Gardens in Rapid City.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lee.toma/00_09_yellowstn/968158800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lee.toma/00_09_yellowstn/968158800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lee.toma/00_09_yellowstn/968158800/tpod.html Sun, 19 Aug 2007 02:44:11 -0400 Super Mega Road trip to Yellowstone National Park!

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Deadwood, South Dakota, United States

I spent the night at a hostel in Deadwood before heading out on the road again.

Deadwood seemed, uh, pretty much dead. Maybe it was too early in the morning? I guess things may have gotten more interesting after the TV show went on the air, but that was not to happen for several more years.

So, I had myself a nice, relaxed pancake breakfast and wandered the town before heading up the road to the trout hatchery. Mmmm! Fresh fish!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lee.toma/00_09_yellowstn/967952700/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lee.toma/00_09_yellowstn/967952700/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lee.toma/00_09_yellowstn/967952700/tpod.html Sun, 19 Aug 2007 02:41:39 -0400 Super Mega Road trip to Yellowstone National Park!

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Badlands, South Dakota, United States

Another late arrival after a whole day of driving. The rangers told me I had to find a camp site, so I wandered around for another half hour to find one.

Woke up early in the morning, as I usually do when camping out (maybe I should camp out more often?). Got to see the spectacular sunrise over the rugged landscape. It was magnificent!

I wandered around the countryside for a few hours, and the prairie dogs scolded me for trespassing. Ooops!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lee.toma/00_09_yellowstn/967906800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lee.toma/00_09_yellowstn/967906800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lee.toma/00_09_yellowstn/967906800/tpod.html Sun, 19 Aug 2007 02:37:20 -0400 Super Mega Road trip to Yellowstone National Park!

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Tomah, Wisconsin, United States

Okay, to the only draw for me in Tomah was the fact that the town name is so close to my family name. I had a little fun and got a handful of pictures with my new digital camera. And then I hit the road. Again.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lee.toma/00_09_yellowstn/967899600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lee.toma/00_09_yellowstn/967899600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lee.toma/00_09_yellowstn/967899600/tpod.html Sun, 19 Aug 2007 02:35:39 -0400 Super Mega Road trip to Yellowstone National Park!

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Madison, Wisconsin, United States

You know, I had never been to Wisonsin before. One of my goals on this trip was to visit a whole bunch of states that I had never seen before.

So, having never driven there, I underestimated the travel time. And I arrived at the hostel at 1 AM. Ugh! Thanks to the kind folks for waiting up for me.

After a few hours sleep, I went out to see the town. There was a nice farmers market a the state house, so I checked that out for a while before I had to hit the road again.

Madison seems like a nice, eclectic town. I'd like to spend more time there.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lee.toma/00_09_yellowstn/967995000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lee.toma/00_09_yellowstn/967995000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lee.toma/00_09_yellowstn/967995000/tpod.html Sun, 19 Aug 2007 02:33:55 -0400 Super Mega Road trip to Yellowstone National Park!

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Hot Springs, South Dakota, United States

Me and my bright ideas!

I figured I'd drive across the local roads to get from the Badlands to the Black Hills. That way I could avoid the reknowned tourist trap known as Wall Drug.

Well, in some respects it is nice to get away from the beaten path, but on the other hand... The poor rental car had to put up with three hours of gravel-paved roads. Oh, well. It's a rental!

But the open scenery was really nice...
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lee.toma/00_09_yellowstn/967897800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lee.toma/00_09_yellowstn/967897800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lee.toma/00_09_yellowstn/967897800/tpod.html Sun, 19 Aug 2007 02:29:44 -0400 Super Mega Road trip to Yellowstone National Park!

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Mitchell, South Dakota, United States

After many, MANY hours of driving across mostly empty plains, I came upon Mitchell, South Dakota, home of the famous (infamous?) Mitchell Corn Palace.

After seeing so much corn from the highway, I had to see this, too...

Stoopid tourist!
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