Family trip, August 2000
Sources: trip booked via Travelocity. Guide books:
· Wyoming Handbook (Moon Travel Handbooks)
· Roadside Geology of Wyoming, David Lageson and Darwin Spearing
· Windows into the Earth, Robert Smith and Lee Siegel
· Field Guide to Yellowstone’s Geysers, Hot Springs and fumaroles, Carl Schreier
22 August
Gatwick to Denver, then one hour flight to Rapid City. 747 had difficulty landing at Denver due to wind shear! Overnight at Hotel Alex Johnson. Met UK film crew I had worked with previously on location shooting beer commercials. They were filming a Wrangler commercial in the Badlands.
23 August
Toured Badlands National Park via Cactus Flat, followed by the Badlands Loop and Sage Creek Road before returning to Rapid City. Fabulous scenery and quite deserted. Overnight at Hotel Alex Johnson.
24 August
Black Hills National Forest. Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway. Mount Rushmore National Monument. Spearfish Canyon Byway. Overnight Spearfish Canyon Resort. Area was used for filming Dances with Wolves.
25 August
Devils Tower National Monument. Buffalo. Cloud Peak Scenic Byway. Buffalo. Big Horn National Forest. Overnight Meadowlark Lake Resort (a bit basic).
26 August
Big Horn National Forest. Route via Lovell and Powell to Cody. Overnight Comfort Inn at Buffalo Bill Village Resort. Visited Buffalo Bill Museum; highly recommended. It’s appalling what the white man did to the Indians. Read ‘Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee’ by Dee Brown and you’ll see what I mean.
27 August
To Yellowstone National Park via East Entrance and then north to Mammoth Hot Springs. Overnight at Maiden Basin Inn, Gardiner, just outside national park boundary.
28 - 29 August
Toured sections of Yellowstone National Park: Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces, Norris Geyser Basin, Gibbon Geyser Basin, Lower Geyser Basin, Midway Geyser Basin (you must go and see the Grand Prismatic Spring!), Black Sand Basin, the Upper Geyser Basin (Old Faithful was OK, but Castle Geyser was much more spectacular) and the Mud Volcano Area (where we saw a bison fall into one of the pools: the Ranger said that the animal would die within 24 hours).
30 August
Travel to Grand Teton National Park and into Jackson Hole. Overnight at Spring Creek Resort.
31 August - 1 September
Toured area. Good Japanese food in Teton Village. Noisy coyote at night!
2 - 3 September
Fly from Jackson Hole to Salt Lake City, then on to Vancouver. Overnight Empire Landmark Hotel, Robson Street. Great city for Chinese and Japanese food! Make sure to visit the aquarium in Stanley Park, especially for the Beluga Whales.
4 September
Fly Vancouver to Heathrow and back to reality!
Sources: trip booked via Travelocity. Guide books:
· Wyoming Handbook (Moon Travel Handbooks)
· Roadside Geology of Wyoming, David Lageson and Darwin Spearing
· Windows into the Earth, Robert Smith and Lee Siegel
· Field Guide to Yellowstone’s Geysers, Hot Springs and fumaroles, Carl Schreier
22 August
Gatwick to Denver, then one hour flight to Rapid City. 747 had difficulty landing at Denver due to wind shear! Overnight at Hotel Alex Johnson. Met UK film crew I had worked with previously on location shooting beer commercials. They were filming a Wrangler commercial in the Badlands.
23 August
Toured Badlands National Park via Cactus Flat, followed by the Badlands Loop and Sage Creek Road before returning to Rapid City. Fabulous scenery and quite deserted. Overnight at Hotel Alex Johnson.
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| Badlands, South Dakota |
24 August
Black Hills National Forest. Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway. Mount Rushmore National Monument. Spearfish Canyon Byway. Overnight Spearfish Canyon Resort. Area was used for filming Dances with Wolves.
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| Black Hills of Dakota |
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| Mt. Rushmore |
Devils Tower National Monument. Buffalo. Cloud Peak Scenic Byway. Buffalo. Big Horn National Forest. Overnight Meadowlark Lake Resort (a bit basic).
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| Devil's Tower, Wyoming |
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| Bighorn Canyon |
26 August
Big Horn National Forest. Route via Lovell and Powell to Cody. Overnight Comfort Inn at Buffalo Bill Village Resort. Visited Buffalo Bill Museum; highly recommended. It’s appalling what the white man did to the Indians. Read ‘Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee’ by Dee Brown and you’ll see what I mean.
27 August
To Yellowstone National Park via East Entrance and then north to Mammoth Hot Springs. Overnight at Maiden Basin Inn, Gardiner, just outside national park boundary.
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| Minerva Spring and Terrace, Yellowstone |
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| Mammoth Hot Springs |
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| View into Montana across Angel Terrace |
Toured sections of Yellowstone National Park: Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces, Norris Geyser Basin, Gibbon Geyser Basin, Lower Geyser Basin, Midway Geyser Basin (you must go and see the Grand Prismatic Spring!), Black Sand Basin, the Upper Geyser Basin (Old Faithful was OK, but Castle Geyser was much more spectacular) and the Mud Volcano Area (where we saw a bison fall into one of the pools: the Ranger said that the animal would die within 24 hours).
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| Yellowstone's Upper Geyser Basin |
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| Beauty Pool, Upper Geyser Basin |
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| Buffalo struggling in Sour Lake, Mud Volcano Area |
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| Castle Geyser, Upper Geyser Basin |
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| Crackling Lake, Norris Geyser Basin |
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| Excelsior Geyser, Midway Geyser Basin |
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| Heart Spring, Upper Geyser Basin |
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| Morning Glory Pool, Upper Geyser Basin |
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| Old Faithful, Yellowstone National Park |
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| Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone |
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| Hayden Valley, Yellowstone National Park |
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| Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone |
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| Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River from Artist Point |
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| Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River from Inspiration Point |
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| Tower Fall, Yellowstone River |
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| Upper Falls, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone |
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| Yellowstone Lake |
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| Yellowstone River |
Travel to Grand Teton National Park and into Jackson Hole. Overnight at Spring Creek Resort.
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| Grand Teton from Spring Creek Ranch |
Toured area. Good Japanese food in Teton Village. Noisy coyote at night!
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| Grand Tetons from Signal Mountain |
Fly from Jackson Hole to Salt Lake City, then on to Vancouver. Overnight Empire Landmark Hotel, Robson Street. Great city for Chinese and Japanese food! Make sure to visit the aquarium in Stanley Park, especially for the Beluga Whales.
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| Vancouver Harbour |
4 September
Fly Vancouver to Heathrow and back to reality!
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