Reflections: Yellowstone 2017

As the summer vacation of 2018 draws ever nearer to a close, I revisited some photographs of last summer's circuit of the west.  I will be perfectly honest:  I want to head back to Yellowstone, and sooner than later.  2017's vacation was a whirlwind, but an enjoyable time.  Below are some photographs with commentary, many taken by my daughter (6 yo at the time). Stephanie had a point-and-click digital camera that she gave to Sadie to capture what she wanted, and so far she has shown a bit of talent.  Stephanie took the others.  

The vast plains of South Dakota! There is a Spartan beauty here! (Stephanie took these, hereafter marked with a **)

Near Camp Pleasant on the Missouri River.  Beautiful! **

The plaza at Mount Rushmore. On the columns are the state flags of each of the 50 states.  Photo by Sadie - after this marked by a *.

General Washington.  There are two figures in American history that fascinate the young one: George Washington and Stonewall Jackson.  Good role models, both.*

We didn't get to stop but viewed it from a distance.  Devil's Tower, or as the tribes call it, Bear Lodge.**

We happened to visit during the annual reenactment of the Battle of Little Bighorn.**

A young brave near the Little Bighorn River at the location of the battle.**

Part of the Cheyenne Memorial on the battlefield.**

Liberty Cap Geyser, near Mammoth Hot Springs.*

A really good likeness of the Mammoth Hot Springs, near Gardiner.*

One of the many valleys that exist in the bounds of Yellowstone.*

The distant Absaroka Mountains, if memory serves.*

The pinnacles at the top of Tower Falls.  The trail to the base of the falls was closed and has been for some time, apparently.  It was on my list of things to do.  Disappointment, sadly.*

The Lower Falls in the Yellowstone Canyon.*

Was this Artist's Point? or Inspiration Point?  I can't remember.*

Old Faithful.*

The Geyser Basin near Old Faithful.  If you like geysers, you'll love this place.  If you don't like crowds, you will not.*

Petrified tree near Specimin Ridge.  Near here we saw our first black bear of the trip.*

This is like many of the places in Yellowstone; lakes, trees, rivers, geothermal features - truly God's handiwork.*

American Bison.*

Bison amongst one of the geothermal features.**

Yellowstone Lake.**

Grotto Geyser.**

Dragon Mouth Spring.  It really did sound like a dragon in there! **

Morning Glory Pool.  This one used to be much more vibrant, but thoughtless tourists in years past threw coins and other things into the pool.  It is amazing how many people do not think!**

After leaving Yellowstone, on our way home we stopped at several national parks and monuments.  This one was Colorado National Park.  We happened on this one and decided to stop.  It was well worth it.*

High desert.  Beautiful!*

She wanted me to pose for one!*

Near one of the lookouts.*

A few more at Colorado NM.**

Colorado NM.**

A mine near Silverton, Colorado.**

Pueblo ruins in Aztec Ruins National Monument.  Named for the town nearby, and not the tribes that lived here.**

Cliff dwellings in Bandolier National Monument near Los Alamos, New Mexico.**

A view out from one of the cliff dwellings. Notice the later Pueblo ruins in the valley below**

In the end, we traveled through 13 states and visited 7 national parks and monuments.  Over 5,000 miles.  And I would do it again, only I would take a bit more time to explore all of them further.  Our trusty Subaru Outback took it like a champ!

Book Review: Empire of Shadows

When I contemplated starting a blog the reason was pretty simple:  To share my family's adventures in the written word.  The problem, however, is a combination of geography and employment.  Living in central Texas the weather is hot and dry in the summers when there is time to do things, and pleasant during the spring and fall when I am back to work with limited opportunities to get in the car and drive.  As a school teacher, taking off work for a few days is often harder than the responsibilities of the day.

Therefore, much of the time adventure must be found in the 400 or so pages of a good book.  I had not intended to branch beyond travel and personal escapades, but the truth is, a book can take you places when time and money is in short supply.

As such, my summer reading included a nonfiction work entitled Empire of Shadows: The Epic Story of Yellowstone by George Black.  Last summer we made a trip that covered 13 states, 7 national parks and over 5000 miles, with Yellowstone the highwater mark of the trip.  We spent the bulk of the time there seeing the sights (and we still did not see them all).  While there, one of the souvenirs we picked up was the above-mentioned book.  Stephanie read it while on the trip and told me then how good it was but I was reading one I had picked up at the Little Bighorn Battlefield, and after getting home graduate coursework loomed.  So Empire of Shadows went on the shelf.  

Until we returned from the Rockies this summer, and a wanderlust to spend more time there could not be satisfied with loading the car again.  So transportation would have to come with the printed word.

From the dust jacket:

Empire of Shadows is the epic story of the conquest of Yellowstone, a landscape uninhabited, inaccessible, and shrouded in myth in the aftermath of the Civil War.  In a radical reinterpretation of the nineteenth century West, George Black casts Yellowstone's creation as the culmination of three interwoven strands of history - the passion for exploration, the violence of the Indian Wars, and the "civilizing" of the frontier - and charts its course through the lives of those who sought to lay bare its mysteries:  Lt. Gustavus Cheyney Doane, a gifted by tormented cavalryman; the ambitious former vigilante leader Nathaniel Langford; scientist Ferdinand Hayden, who brought photographer William Henry Jackson and painter Thomas Moran to Yellowstone; and Gen. Phil Sheridan, Civil War hero, architect of the Indian Wars, and the man who finally succeeded in having the new National Park placed under the protection of the US Cavalry.  The exploration of Yellowstone is a quintessentially American story of terrible things done in the name of high ideals, and of high ideals realized by dubious means.  George Black's Empire of Shadows is a groundbreaking historical account of the origins of America's majestic national landmark.

All told, this is an excellent summary, although I would argue that Hayden plays second-fiddle to the other personalities in the book.  Also neglected in the blurb is the early history of the region, particularly the mountain men and trappers who were the first Anglos to set foot in the region called Yellowstone. Equally important was a thorough discussion of the various tribes of the Northern plains and their unique interactions with the White man, and how those relationships changed, from the time of Lewis and Clark to the ultimate end of the Indian Wars.  

Click for the source of the image here.

If you are interested in a specialized history, be it Yellowstone, the American West, the National Park system, or the American Indian, this book is an enlightening read.  

Books can take you places you have never been or back to places that you want to see again.  This is the case for me.  Yellowstone was a memorable experience for us, and the expanse of the park was such that it was impossible to see it all in the time we had set aside.  Empire of Shadows took me back to notable landmarks, and has set in me a deep desire to go back again!

Beaver's Bend

This summer has been hot!  At one point, the thermometer on the back porch topped out at 120 degrees, although since the back porch faces the western sun, the official reading in town was 117 degrees.  So hot!  And dry.

**

That being said, the family decided to pack up the RV (I'll review that later) and head to more temperate climes.  The closest cold water to home is in Oklahoma; specifically, Beaver's Bend State Park (click for location).  It has been years since I visited the park, back in my college days with a buddy from East Texas.  Back then we hauled a camper and canoe and enjoyed our time "in the wild."  Since then, the family has camped in tents in national parks in the west, but my memory was fuzzy on Beaver's Bend (and we wanted to use our new purchase), so we hitched up and lit out with fishing gear in hand.

*

Beaver's Bend State Park is near the towns of Broken Bow and Hochatown (Ho-cha-town) and close to Broken Bow Reservoir. The lake is formed by the impounding of the Mountain Fork River, and the tailwaters below the dam are cold making a year-round trout fishery that draws many fishermen from Texas.  

The park is sprawling with a number of campgrounds.  After arriving at the main office, we were told that there were prime spots at the Acorn Campground, and you just pull in and the park officials will come to you.  The campground was easy to find with a number of sites that backed up right to the river, so we pulled into one and mom and dad pulled into the other with their B-touring motor coach and two wild and crazy canines.  When we arrived there were many empty spots, owing to the fact that we arrived on a Sunday and many people left out in the morning (That would soon change).

A view of the river from camp (Acorn campground) - $27 a night, with water and electric hookups.  30/50 amp available.  No sewer hookup.  These sites are considered premium ($5 extra) due to location.

The covered picnic shelter across the road from our site.

A drive around the park presented evidence of Great Depression-era construction.  Many of the cabins that can be rented appear to be of CCC construction, and one road in the park was even named "Dust Bowl Drive."  Near to our campground was also an old low-water dam and infrastructure also reminiscent of 1930s public works projects. 


The park has many activities that would match just about any interests.  Hiking trails stretch throughout the park (Due to rains on our first full day there hiking was out of the question), fishing on the Lower Mountain Fork (stop by the Beaver's Bend Fly Shop for friendly people and good fishing advice), paddle boats, canoe floats, kayak rentals, horseback ridings, mini-golf, and various activities are all available for diverse families - in other words, something for everyone!  

Canoes at the canoe float station.*

Much of our park activities were on our second (and last) full day at the park.  We had to go to Hochatown to buy fishing licenses since the fly shop was unable to connect to the state system and the main park office no longer sells them.  After breakfast, we went to the river access behind the earthen dam where the water cascades down cold and clear.  We waded and cast for several hours, and generally enjoyed our time outdoors - no fish though, but according to the attendant at the fly shop the trout were skiddish since nothing had been stocked for several weeks.

        

Cliffs at the river below the dam.**

The Lower Mountain Fork River.**

**

After a return to camp, we went to Hochatown for lunch and had pizza at Grateful Head Pizza.  It was good and highly recommended by the locals.  Next, we visited Girls Gone Wine, a local winery, for tasting and a bottle or two to take back.  Then back to camp to prepare for a canoe float we had promised our daughter.  The attendant said most people took two hours, but due to the swiftness of the water, it took us only one.  Casual fishermen cast jigs and spoons along the river, tubes and canoes worked down, and turtle sun-bathed on fallen trees.  At places, the river got shallow to the point that we scraped bottom, and it took us a bit to adjust to the different physics of the canoe over the kayaks that we are used to taking out at home.  In the end, it was a very enjoyable float and the cost was reasonable ($23 for 2 hours).  

An enjoyable day on the river.**

Swift water here!*

Cypress groves along the canoe float path.*

Since this was a quick trip there were a number of things that we would like to have done.  I would have liked to have fished more, and hiking is a favorite family activity.  Sadie would have liked to visit the swim beach, but she was okay since the park offered plenty of opportunities to ride her bike.  Before we were done she had made friends and there was a whole gang of young girls buzzing here and there on a variety of bikes adorned with streamers and LED strobes.  

Our trip was a good one, and a fine fare-thee-well to summer break.  It was also a good stretch of the legs for the RV.  We will research other destinations, but we will certainly be back to Beaver's Bend again. 

Campsite in Acorn campground.*

Early morning coffee in camp.*

Lilly Belle, the camp dog.*

Another view of camp.*