French Alps

May 2001


A 'boy's trip' with Colin Stump, Hayden Measham, Richard Pratt, Graham Stump and Rod Shaw. 
This was my first 'independent' trip to the Alps and soon realised that it was far too early in the season to enjoy walking at any decent altitude without encountering the last of the winter snow! 
But good fun was had, with a climb to the chalets at the Refuge de Loria (where we sat on the roof for lunch above the snow),  a visit to the Gorges de la Diosaz, taking the cable car up to the top of the Aiguille du Midi (where we all manfully committed to climb Mont Blanc the following year) and walked a section of the TMB (GR5) above les Houches.

Above Argentiere, climbing to the Refuge de Loria

Refuge de Loria, 2020m 

Five Go Mad in the Alps!

Towards Argentiere from Ref. de Loria

Gorges de la Diosaz

Chamonix Valley from Aiguille du Midi

Aiguille du Midi: Hayden, Colin, Rod, Richard and Graham

Graham and Richard, Aiguille du Midi 

Stumpy with the Grandes Jorasses behind

Mont Blanc (and a commitment made to climb it the following year)

The ridge leading to the Vallee Blanche from the top of the Aiguille du Midi 

A well earned beer (well almost!). Les Contamines

South Dakota and Wyoming

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.

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.

Black Hills of Dakota

Mt. Rushmore

 25 August

Devils Tower National Monument. Buffalo. Cloud Peak Scenic Byway. Buffalo. Big Horn National Forest. Overnight Meadowlark Lake Resort (a bit basic).

Devil's Tower, Wyoming

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.

Minerva Spring and Terrace, Yellowstone

Mammoth Hot Springs

View into Montana across Angel Terrace

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).

Yellowstone's Upper Geyser Basin

Beauty Pool, Upper Geyser Basin

Buffalo struggling in Sour Lake, Mud Volcano Area

Castle Geyser, Upper Geyser Basin

Crackling Lake, Norris Geyser Basin

Excelsior Geyser, Midway Geyser Basin

Heart Spring, Upper Geyser Basin

Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

Morning Glory Pool, Upper Geyser Basin

Old Faithful, Yellowstone National Park

Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone

Hayden Valley, Yellowstone National Park

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River from Artist Point

Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River from Inspiration Point

Tower Fall, Yellowstone River

Upper Falls, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

Yellowstone Lake

Yellowstone River

30 August

Travel to Grand Teton National Park and into Jackson Hole. Overnight at Spring Creek Resort.

Grand Teton from Spring Creek Ranch

31 August - 1 September

Toured area. Good Japanese food in Teton Village. Noisy coyote at night!

Grand Tetons from Signal Mountain

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.

Vancouver Harbour

4 September

Fly Vancouver to Heathrow and back to reality!