Week 11: I'll Be Your Huckleberry

Week 11, July 13-20

"I'll be your huckleberry"

Is a phrase made famous by Val Kilmer's Doc Holiday in the movie 'Tombstone'.

His menacing delivery makes it sound like a threatening phrase, but the actual meaning is "I'm the one you're looking for", it's the situation in the movie, and Kilmer's delivery, that makes it menacing.

This week was filled with Huckleberry picking, huckleberry ice cream, huckleberry pie. And zero shootouts at the OK Corral. All around a pretty good week!

Sunday, July 13. Day 70

I’ll be your huckleberry 

Grand Teton NP -> Yellowstone NP

Surprisingly, the drive between Grand Teton and Yellowstone is fairly unremarkable. Lots of trees, not much of the sweeping dramatic landscapes I’d come to expect. Maybe I'm just being greedy in wanting everything to be spectacular!

At Yellowstone I stayed at an RV campground inside the park. It’s a pretty penny, but the facilities are nice and have full hookups. Plus being in the park is clutch, the lines to get into the park in the morning can take hours. 

After checking into the site, my friend Jessie and I set out to explore the park. She had asked a ranger where the best spots are for wildlife and got a bunch of good suggestions. Off we went! 

Yellowstone is big. Like really big. It’s kind of laid out like a number 8, where every segment is about an hour drive. We drove up to the top right (NE) of the ‘8’, where the park becomes big grassy plains. 

We didn’t have much luck with wildlife. Lots of bison, but we’re all bison’d out after Grand Teton. We'd see a whole bunch of cars pulled over and people with their phones out, but when we'd go by we'd say "sigh, it's just more bison." We're so spoiled!

On the way back we passed a field of sunflowers that glowed yellow in the late day sun. I stopped to take a bunch of pictures!

Then we headed back to the SE corner of the park (near our campground) for a try at another recommended spot. 

And we scored! It took some driving around, and a little patience, but we spotted a grizzly bear! Well, we spotted a group of tourists who spotted a grizzly bear, and joined the crowd. 

The bear wandered around munching on pretty much everything. Flowers, leaves, I even saw it tear open a rotting tree to get at the termites! 

It wandered around snacking for over an hour (like me at a company holiday party), until it was so dark that my camera could not longer get a clear photo. But by then I had more than enough shots to work with. 

Then I watched a spectacular sunset and turned in for the night. (Well, after eagerly going through the bear photos!) 

Daily Listen: Song “Purpose Filled Life” by Bear Hands

Good: I saw and photographed a bear! From a safe distance! 

Bad: We were out searching for bears until sunset (9:05), but the campground showers closed at 9. I had to settle for a cramped van shower. 

Unexpected: The northeast part of the park. YSNP is known for the geysers and sulphur springs, I didn’t realize there are also spectacular mountains and valleys! 

Monday, July 14. Day 71

Only I can prevent forest fires, that’s a lot of responsibility!

Yellowstone NP

Woke up before sunrise to go searching for more bears, did not find any bears. Did get to see a lovely sunrise.

Then, after coffee and a proper breakfast, I drove to prismatic Springs, which was 90 minutes away!

The park is so huge that everything is one to three hours away. It’s like driving from Philadelphia to New York just to photograph the Statue of Liberty.

At prismatic springs I did a short hike up to the overlook. Along the way, right in front of me some people spotted a small fire burning in the brush. I went ahead to report it to the Rangers, and found someone with a radio that called it in.

On the way back from the hike I saw two emergency vehicles arriving to address the fire.

In the evening we drove more of the park, including a revisit to Prismatic Springs. Being a different time of day and lighting changes the look. Plus we went out on the boardwalk as opposed to the overlook. Unfortunately it was overcast and threatening rain, the dark skies were not conducive to seeing the brilliant colors.

We drove a bit further and visited more boiling sulfur hot springs of death. We also got stuck in traffic, which maps didn’t warn me about because I didn’t have any signal!

Between 2 visits to Prismatic Springs and a several hour stroll through the majestic Norris Geyser Basin, I got more amazing shots this day than almost any other on the trip so far!  

Daily Listen: Depeche Mode’s ‘Violator’ on the way to prismatic springs in the morning. 

Good: A friend back home recommended we check out Norris geyser basin, and it did not disappoint. We got there a couple hours before sunset and practically had the place to ourselves. There were four or five different parking lots and we were wondering when it would ever get that busy. 

Bad: Scheduling/timing required me to be back at the campground at 12:30. I basically drove to Grand Prismatic, took my pictures and drove back. For being a free spirit on the road, I seem to have a lot of time commitments. 

Unexpected: Apparently, I really am the one who can prevent forest fires - so it’s a good thing I was there!

Tuesday, July 15. Day 72

There’s no such thing as Bison Wings

Yellowstone NP

In my blog I’ve been flipping between ‘bison’ and ‘buffalo,’ but the animal’s real name is North American Bison. There’s actually no buffalo in N. America. 

The animals look similar, but are easy to tell apart. Bison have a distinctive hump and a ‘beard’, while buffalo have small vestigial wings and come in mild, medium, and hot varieties. 

While driving through the park I got caught in a bison-jam, and one walked by my van so close I could hear him snort. 

Last night we practically had Norris basin to ourselves. This afternoon I drove past it again and it was so full that the overflow parking spilled out into the streets a quarter mile up and down from the entrance! 

My main destination for the day was Mammoth Hot Springs, an area similar to Norris Geyser Basin in that there are a lot of features very close together, and several walkways snaking through the area. Mammoth was both a bit bigger, and had less parking than Norris. I always feel lucky when I find a parking spot that accommodates my van!

I feel like Norris geyser and Mammoth Hot Springs are under recognized and in the shadows of the more popular features of the park. Although judging from the parking, maybe they’re perfectly recognized?

Late in the afternoon/early evening it poured rain. It had been lightly raining on and off for over an hour and I was mostly ignoring it, but I got a sense a downpour was coming and headed back to the van. My sense was right and the skies opened up when I was 30 feet from my van!

During the rainstorm I took some time at one of the park lodges to sit and go through photos. It's also the only spot in the whole park with wifi, so I caught up on some internet stuff too.

When the rain let up I headed out to the N.E. part of the park in search of wildlife. 

Also on the way back at the end of the evening I swung past the sunflower field again for another shot.

Daily listen: Album “Foxes in the snow”, by Jason Isaac. If I was 16 and just dumped by my first girlfriend, I would have listen to this album on repeat and think “this guy really gets it!”

Good: Mammoth Hot Springs.

Bad: I had grand aspirations for a day to myself, but feel like I didn’t do a whole lot. (Yet the number of pictures I have to edit from the day would suggest otherwise.)

Unexpected: I got nothing. That’s the unexpected, I drove around in the evening for three hours looking for a wildlife and got nothing! Some days are winners and some days aren’t. 

Wednesday, July 16. Day 73

Tourons of Yellowstone

Yellowstone NP -> Glacier NP 

Leaving camp in the morning headed to Glacier, there were “tourons” (tourist morons) up and down the roads. Mostly it was people were stopping in the road to take pictures of bison that were everywhere. Including several bison walking in the road at various points.

One touron’s car in front of me stopped suddenly in the road, I slammed on my brakes and everything in my van went sliding all over.

On the way out of the park towards the town of West Yellowstone the traffic coming into the park is backed up for miles and miles. This is like Schuylkill Expressway (Philly) level traffic, The traffic just keeps going and I’m wondering how long it will take them just to get into the park. Not even accounting for being 60 to 90 minutes from the major features after they get through the gate.

Maybe that’s why Norris geyser basin is so popular early in the day? It’s closest to the northwest entrance.

Just when I thought the incoming traffic had let up, I drove past the park entrance where it was three times worse! Then at the first intersection in town traffic splits off and backed up in all three directions. With tourons blocking the intersection. It looks like a nightmare.

On a different note, this is the end of my bike trip nostalgia tour. From here it’s all new territory!

It was another unbelievably beautiful drive from Yellowstone to Glacier. Unfortunately the traffic leaving the park put me behind by an hour and I didn't have time to stop for photos. Although I did stop briefly at Earthquake Lake to photograph the surreal trees in the lake.

On the way to Glacier I picked up my friend Deborah at the Missoula airport and we’re visiting Glacier NP together!

We had a nice drive together the rest of the way, catching up and even stopping at a roadside fruit stand to pick up fresh local Montana cherries.

We got to the campground in early evening, walked around a bit and watched the sunset.

Daily Listen: album 'Deadringer' by RJD2. rap/funk/electronica fusion.

Good: I’m looking forward to a few days in the park with my friend Deborah! 

Jessie is still here too, and Jessie’s wife is flying in and joining us on Friday. 

Bad: Long drive, one of the longest of my trip so far. About 10 hours. And I didn’t have time to stop for photos. 

Unexpected: I’ve been nonstop busy for weeks now. Between that and limited internet I haven’t been able to share anything. But even internet connection aside, I’m several days behind on photo editing, and getting more backlogged every day! 

Thursday, July 17. Day 74

Bear Witness 

Glacier NP

In the morning Deborah and I wanted to take the park shuttle up the Going-To-The-Sun Road, but we took our time getting going and when we finally got to the shuttle pickup the line was waaaay too long. I felt bad for not planning better. Instead we walked along the lake and skipped rocks. 

There was a mother and daughter picking huckleberries from a bush along the shore and we stopped to pick some as well. 

Going-To-The-Sun Road (which I’ll sometimes abbreviate as just ‘Sun Road’) is the main drive through the park. A massive engineering undertaking that was completed in 1932. It is a marvel in it’s own right. 

Unfortunately, tall/long vehicles like my camper van aren’t allowed because the road is too narrow with low overhangs. There is also a reservation system that requires a pass to drive the road between 7a-3p, and those fill up months in advance. 

Not all was lost though, in the afternoon we all piled into Jessie’s pickup and got to go up the Sun Road anyway - it all works out! In fact, the light was better in the late afternoon and evening; with low, dramatic clouds coming off the tips of the peaks. We were pulling over every quarter mile to take photos! 

Many people have told me “Glacier is the most beautiful place I’ve seen.” 

From the campground that was a challenging statement to understand, but just 20 minutes up the Sun Road and I was convinced. 

It defies description. 

Good: Light on the mountains, peaks in the clouds, striations of colored rock, silhouetted layers in the distance, waterfalls glistening. Teal lakes behind stark white trees. Pictures that convey a mere fraction of the grandeur.

Bad: I was unhappy about my lack of planning in the morning. It’s one thing if I waste half a day, I have many days on the road. But my Deborah is only here for 5 days and half a day means more. Of course she told me it wasn’t a problem, but we’re all our own worst critics, right? 

Unexpected: I don’t know if you can ever really be prepared for something so majestic. Logically you understand something will be amazing, but it’s not possible to know how it will feel to stand among giants and watch clouds roll off granite peaks while waterfalls cascade along the valley. 

All you can do is breathe it in and be grateful for the opportunity to bear witness. 

Friday, July 18. Day 75

Not well Hidden

Glacier NP

In the morning we went kayaking on the lake near camp. Deborah set up a collaboration with local kayak outfitter Glacier Clear Water, for me to take photos of the outing and they hooked us up with a two person “glass bottom” kayak. 

It was a lot of fun, also a lot of work. The clear kayak was novel and interesting to paddle on the clear teal colored glacier water. Glacier Clear Water outfitters were fantastic to work with, and even delivered the kayak to our campsite! 

This was Deborah’s first time in a kayak and I got to give her a bit of lesson on paddling and maneuvering. I took my professional camera with me in a water tight-ish box and took photos on the water. A little nerve wracking but I wasn’t overly worried.

Afterwards we had (yet more) ice cream in Apgar Village.

Then we took the Going-to-the-Sun Road shuttle up to the mid-point and hiked to Hidden Lake. Not an overly difficult hike, but it was lots of elevation and the climbing had us both panting for breath. At the lake we saw a young mountain goat! He was right up along the path and I got a few great shots!

Catching the shuttle later in the afternoon worked out well and the line was non-existent. Compared to the day before when it was over 2 hours long!

However, we put ourselves up against a different time crunch because the last shuttle back down was at 7, so we had to hustle a bit on the hike - especially on the way back. We finished the hike with minutes to spare for the last shuttle! (Not really, we had a good half hour buffer, at least)

Then we got dinner in the village, getting into the restaurant just before they closed -it was a day of close calls. I had a bison burger (tastes like a regular burger, but sounds more exotic.)

Good: Had a great day hiking and spending time with Deborah! I think it was a nearly perfect day in the park. 

Bad: Coming back from the hike and rushing to catch the last shuttle, occasionally jogging down the path. 

Unexpected: Had a really nice chat with the van driver on the way down the Sun Road. She went slow around certain spots so I could take pictures! (Shot on film, so I don’t have anything to share right now.)

Saturday, July 19. Day 76

Yo Adrianne! 

Glacier NP

In the morning the four of us drove over to the West Glacier stables for a horseback tour. 

I’d ridden horses a lot when I was young, and a handful of times in recent years. Deborah had a little experience as well, while this was a first for Jessie and Suzi! 

My horse’s name was Stallone. Seemed apropos because Rocky is the patron saint of Philadelphia. Yo, Adrianne! 

The tour was nice, a group of about 20 meandered through the woods on well behaved stallions. Two guides shared information about Glacier park, the forrest, plants and animals. It was interesting and I learned a lot!

Midway through the ride it started to rain, and fortunately I had brought my raincoat. I also opted to leave the camera behind and made due with my phone.  

After the ride we cleaned up and I made sandwiches for everyone to take along as we got on the Sun Road. The goal was St. Mary Falls, it was a hike we started to do on Thursday but turned back because it was getting late and we weren’t prepared. 

The hike was worth revisiting and we got to see a few fantastic waterfalls along a relatively short hike. The highlight for me, though were the bleached white trees against the teal green lake. Well, really anything with the teal green lake in it!

Also, on the way back we came across a medusa-like bunch of garter snakes basking in the last rays of the day's sun. Trigger warning for some close-up snake photos below.

Having made the most of the afternoon and evening, we headed back down the sun road around golden hour. On the way back we had a special surprise guest, too!

Then we capped off the evening with dinner and huckleberry pie. 

Good: Hiked along a waterfall trail, saw a bunch of falls and had a great hike. 

Bad: Forgot my phone on the charger and didn’t have it all day. Not really a bad thing, but there were times I wanted to use the phone camera. 

Unexpected: I saw a black bear! We stopped to see the glacier, and just happened to have perfect timing to see a bear meander out of the woods. I got a ton of great photos, the lighting and angle were perfect, and I’m thrilled with how the photo came out!

Sunday, July 20. Day 77

What is a “real estate novelist”?

Town of West Glacier

Bid farewell to my friend Deborah today. We stopped in the tourist area of West Glacier on the way out, visited some shops and had Hawaiian Pizza, before driving to the Kalispell Airport (aka, West Glacier Airport). It was a great visit and I'm glad I got to share this with her.

Afterwards, I took some time in kalispell, to… drum roll… do laundry. (it's always laundry)

I’m headed to a music festival this week and need to take care of all the logistics for being off-grid for a week, laundry among them. Also empty/refill the camper, groceries, and clean the van. 

This evening I walked around the campsite a bit, down to the lake, and then started getting things settled to head into Canada tomorrow.

Daily listen: Billy Joel. Five times in five different places, I heard Billy on store radios. All different songs. Including a new one I didn’t know but totally recognized as his. Is the universe trying to tell me something?

Good: We’d been skipping stones on the lake since we first walked down there. But at sunset on my last day I found the perfect stone and hurled it for an epic skip- both distance and number of skips. Finished with flair! 

Bad: I have so much catching up to do! I’m way behind on editing photos, updating the blog, journaling, and sending postcards. And there’s not much time in the foreseeable future either. 

Unexpected: I’m sad to say goodbye to my friend, but also glad for some down time after a few weeks of visitors.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for your patience while I try to catch up on posting the blogs!

These are turning out to be more work than I expected, but I really enjoy doing them. The daily journaling helps me remember all the details of the trip, and The Good, the Bad, and the Unexpected helps me stop and recognize all the good fortunate I get to experience every day.

On a practical level, it's very easy to get backlogged with photo editing. Hell, for this blog I had to go back and edit several days worth of pics that I'd completely forgotten to do! I'm writing the blog and wondering why I don't have any photos for July 14 saved on my computer! I had to dig them up in my backup drive and do the editing. Now at midnight I'm ready to hit 'publish'!

If you're enjoying this, please let me know! Drop me a note on instagram, use the 'contact' link on this site, or send me a text if we're already connected!

Cheers,

- Aaron