UniBrain Trust » Nadya

Yellowstone – Day 7

Nadya — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 01:52:14 +0000

Day 7 we headed out to see more otherworldy hydrothermal features. Heading out earliesh in the morning, we drove, as we had many times before, through Hayden Valley. Hayden Valley is a big open valley, and many people hang out there all day to watch animals in along the river below, or in the hills across the way.

Seeing a big crowd gathered, we stopped to see what was up. I grabbed the binoculars and quickly yelled, “Bears!” I’d already made it clear that I only wanted to see bears if they were at a very safe distance and I got my wish. In the valley below, two grizzlies were eating from a bison carcass, while a third one paced around hopefully. At one point the larger two stood up and threatened each other, some secret bear pecking order was reestablished and they went back to eating. Eventually they got full and swam away, and the smaller bear got a chance to dig in.

We went on the Grand Prismatic Spring. The only thing we can say about it is that the burnished iridescent orange color exactly matches a painting we have in our house.

As we were walking back to the car we stopped to watch an osprey fly along the river. On the road heading back to the lodge, I thought I saw the osprey again, being chased by a smaller bird. Then I realized the smaller bird was an osprey, and it was angrily diving on a bald eagle. A second osprey soon joined. We figured the eagle had gotten to close to their nest. It was exhilarating to watch them fly. The ospreys would attack from above and the eagle would roll over to defend itself – sometimes doing a complete 360 degree roll. One of our absolute favorite moments of the trip.

A complete Gallery of the day

Yellowstone – Day 5

Nadya — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 01:50:59 +0000

We decided to tear ourselves away from Yellowstone for a day and check out the Grand Tetons. And, yes, the whole day was filled with immature jokes about Tetons. We’re like that.

The Grand Tetons were as gorgeous as we’d been told. Even better, they were a lot emptier, and we were able to get a bit of break from the crowds at Yellowstone. (I’m not complaining about the crowds; I’m glad people go. But it’s nice to get away occasionally.) We did see a bunch of people stopped by the side of the road at one point, and stopped to watch a herd of elk. We also stopped at a beautiful bend in the river where we learned there are white pelicans. (Coastal pelicans are brown, inland pelicans are white.) Later, we saw trumpeter swans, which, of course, we knew all about thanks to Mr. E.B. White.

Driving towards Jackson, we took a side trip up a smaller road and were rewarded with a stunning view of a farmhouse, surrounded by buffalo, up against the backdrop of the Tetons. You find yourself singing Home on the Range a lot out here. (Nadya also got Buffalo Soldier stuck in her head, which was especially distressing as she only knows the chorus. Over and over and over….)

We stopped in Jackson for lunch at a very good brew pub. Walking back through town we stopped at an art gallery with some great contemporary art that had, unfortunately, one zero too many in the prices.

Yellowstone – Day 4

Yellowstone – Day 4

Nadya — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 01:50:30 +0000

Wanting to beat some of the crowds, we headed straight out after getting up. (Thank goodness for the Keurig machine in our room, and the insulated mug we bought in Cody!) Driving through one of the open areas, we saw a coyote dart up a hill. We got to the Mud Volcano area and only a few other people were there. One couple warned us that they’d seen bison right on the path at the top of the hill.

We took the walk around the boardwalk, but the bison had moved on. However, we did see evidence of one:

We especially were impressed with Sour Lake, which is, ahem, a freaking lake of acid! Really, you can’t make this stuff up.

Up the road a little bit is the Sulphur Cauldron. It’s also basically a big bubbling pit of mud and acid. We started to suspect God put these here to remind us He can do anything. We especially started to fear Him when we learned that the microbes that turn the hyrdrogen sulfide into sulphuric acid, also carry viruses. It was like, “if the acid doesn’t get them, I’ve got some viruses in reserve!.” OK, God, we get it. You are mighty.

Also: all the best geothermal sites here have interpretative signs that are funded by a grant from NASA. Because this kind of place is as close to extraterrestrial as they can get right now.

We stopped in Canyon for breakfast, and then went on to Artist Viewpoint that overlooks the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. Jim wanted to walk up to a summit for a better view. Nadya declined and hung out with the view and her knitting. As Nadya was hanging out, a ranger came up with a scope and pointed out the osprey nest on a canyon crag. You could just see three little white heads in the big nest.

We had reservations for dinner at the Old Faithful lodge. It was a ways from our lodge, so we wanted to leave in plenty of time. Good thing, because as soon as we got down to the road, there were bison and deer on roadway.

We’d made the reservations weeks before, simply based on what time was available. As luck would have it, our dinner reservation was about 5 minutes after the next expected Old Faithful eruption. So we headed up to the deck to watch the show. After dinner, we checked the clock in the lobby, and sure enough, there was another eruption expected in just a few minutes. So we headed up to the geyser to catch it in the almost dusk light.

A large gallery of photos from the day.

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Yellowstone – Day 2

Nadya — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 01:49:06 +0000

Waking at 8:30, we were happy that the Keurig in our room made something resembling coffee. Waking up at 8000 feet is a little bit like being hungover, I was slow, my eyes were puffy and my head hurt. Water, coffee and a shower took care of all that and we were at the Lodge cafeteria for breakfast a whole half hour before they closed. Now we are normally the early risers on vacation, and breakfasting with the 9:30 crowd just reinforced all of our prejudices about late risers. Tomorrow we plan to be up at dawn to redeem our virtue!

We wanted to acclimate to the elevation with some easy hikes and found two nearby that fit the bill: the Pelican Creek and xxxx

I especially liked the second hike as it shows different landscapes, including a rugged lakeside coastline that reminded me of Scotland. At one point the smell of sulphur reminded us we are in a very active geothermal region. We saw squirrels and marmots

After our hikes, we drove a bit further east to admire the scenery. Then we realized Cody, Wyoming was only 50 miles away. We turned to
each other and said, “We’ve never been to Cody!”

The drive to Cody was spectacular. We didn’t stop so there are no pictures. Just think of a western movie that has high canyon walls
overlooking a river, mesquite brush, lone pines and red rock monuments.

We reached Cody around 2 and wanted a burger for lunch. On the main street we found a place that had several kinds of exotic burgers. We went for the tried and true beef, cheese and green chile. Yummy.

During lunch a rain squall came through accompanied by lightning. The rain seemed to have caught the locals off guard as many where standing in doorways watching the rain.

A little antiqueing then back to our hotel to enjoy a stiff drink before going off to dinner.

Alec says "Relax!"

Nadya — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 05:08:36 +0000

Alec and the iPad

Camden's Blue Label Catsup

Nadya — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 20:48:07 +0000

Of course catsup made in Portland has Sriracha and hemp seed.

Thank you, Anonymous Geek

Nadya — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 04:02:32 +0000

A major street near us has been under construction since last summer. The project is three months late, with no end in sight. On our way home tonight, we found one of signs had been improved.

Lady of Leisure

Nadya — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 21:27:13 +0000

With my impending return to full time work, I spent my penultimate Friday off goofing off like I meant it.
A stop at Nordstrom for boots

Relaxed at Public Domain Coffee with a book

And what might be my last solo trip to the new Penzey’s store in the Pearl. I have vowed to use each of these at least once within a month!

Moving things

Nadya — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 02:09:43 +0000

Our garage looks like this:

Because the study and craft room look like this:

We’re laboring for Labor Day. Moved out all the books, furniture, etc. and painted. New carpet on its way Wednesday!

We've Hired a New Decorator

Nadya — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 14:27:19 +0000

He’s all over our new project.