Yellowstone: End notes

So I have finally finished my trilogy on Yellowstone. I just wanted to end this series with a few notes - additional information for anyone who wishes to visit the park.

Base camp:

We planned our trip only a month in advance. By then, it was too late to stay in the park. Sad! While searching for alternative locations, we came across Cody, WY, Jackson Hole, WY, and Billings, MT. Initially, we booked our lodging at Cody because it's closer to the park, it's relatively cheap, and the air fare is nearly half the price of Jackson Hole.

But we changed our mind at the last minute because air fare from San Francisco to Salt Lake City has dropped to $244 per pax. Even though that would mean a 5-hour drive from SLC airport to Jackson Hole, and we would commute two hours into the park instead of one each day, we chose this cheaper option.

It helps that we all love to drive!

And we enjoyed our stay at the quaint little town of Jackson Hole. It's a popular ski area in winter; in summer, it's abuzz with bikers, kayakers and other outdoor enthusiasts. It was pleasantly vibrant during our short sojourn, and dinner choices were aplenty.

Accommodation:

We stayed at Elk Refuge Inn. We didn't see any elks during our stay at the Inn, but we did see a lone moose at the refuge on our second night. The Inn comes with free muffins and coffee in the morning. For $160 a night, the room and its surroundings are pretty decent.

Our alternative choice was Motel 6, which is closer to downtown Jackson. We also considered Snake River Park KOA and Cabin Village just for the fun of it, but we realised the location is further from town.

There are plenty of other accommodation at Jackson Hole, depending on your budget. It's a pity we couldn't stay at the bigger lodges. They looked really pretty on the outside!

Grand Teton: The Bonus

Saving the best for last. Because we stayed at Jackson Hole, we drove through Grand Teton National Park every day. Grand Teton is the beautiful cousin of Yellowstone. We felt obliged to focus on Yellowstone; yet, it's hard to ignore the grandeur of Grand Teton.

On the morning of departure, we finally set aside time to explore the park. We only managed to visit Craig Thomas Discovery & Visitor Center and Jenny Lake. The visitor centre offers so much information on the area's geology and wildlife that we spent longer than expected there.

We also discovered that there are boat rides at Jenny Lake. It's such a pity that we didn't have time to go on a scenic cruise. The views are breath-taking.

Duration:

It's hard to say how long one should set aside for Yellowstone and its surrounding area. There's so much to explore, and plans are always changing because of the unpredictable weather. We had planned to do both north and south loops. The plan was aborted in the end because we didn't want to rush through the points of interest.

Looking back, I would say plan at least a week, so that you can truly take your time to appreciate the park. Staying inside the park would also help cut down a lot on travelling time.

Lastly, go with an open mind! Check out the visitor centres and join the ranger talks. Remember to put aside your camera from time to time, and just enjoy what nature has to give!

Bear encounters at Fairmont (2)

Continuing from our previous bear encounters...

Speaking of hot springs, we checked out Radium Hot Springs in the day, and had a dip in Fairmont's own hot spring pool in the evening. It was a bliss sitting in the mineral-rich pool, soaking up views of the Kootenay Rockies at twilight.

Nothing, however, beats the backcountry hot springs. The drive to the Lussier Hot Springs is tough; we had to go slow and avoid a lot of potholes on the gravel road.

But it's well worth the effort. We were told that this hot spring, located within the Whiteswan Lake Provincial Park, is always occupied. It is obviously a popular spot at night, as we found used tea light candles hidden between the cracks.

It's a pity that the two outer pools were flooded by the Lussier River on the day of visit.

 

Closer to the resort, there's a small pool behind the Indian Baths, where people can soak their feet after a long hike. We found this little pool atop a hill by accident, after one of the morning hikes.

On our second last day, we decided to end the trip on high by kayaking down the Columbia River. The river route is scenic. We rowed past golf courses and residential bungalows set against snow-capped mountains. It was a pretty leisure journey down the river; we just had to watch out for eddies and fallen trees.

It was also Aunt Elim and Mom's first time kayaking on their own, and they did a great job!  

On the day of departure, the bears decided to reappear and say goodbye. One pooped in front of us, while the other thought he should cross the road and join us at the vista point.

I'm guessing we were really lucky to have encountered so many bears in one trip. In the safety of our car, too.

A big thank you to Dad and Mom, Uncle Johnny and Aunt Elim, for this awesome Fairmont trip!

Bear encounters at Fairmont (1)

When Dad and Mom first invited me to go to Edmonton, I hesitated because first of all, that would cut into 'me-time'. You see, Panda will be away on a work trip, which means I'll have the car, I don't have to cook dinner, I am free!!!

Secondly, which normal adult over the age of 30 goes on trips sponsored by parents? Totally shameless, right?

Well, obviously I got over my shame. Family time is important. It's sort of Dad's retirement trip, too. Besides, I had such a fabulous trip with Uncle Johnny and Aunt Elim at Whistler last August. If I'm going as a tag-along, I shall be as hardworking as a tag-along can be.

Drive, cook, research, arrange. Bring it all on!

When I first researched Fairmont Hot Springs, information was scant and I couldn't for the life of me pinpoint its location. I know it's six hours away from Edmonton, somewhere near the Rocky Mountains in British Columbia, and there are hot springs (duh!). We are embarking on a journey to the Unknown, at least to me.

We drove south towards Calgary, then moved west towards the Rocky Mountains. We had a scare along the way, because while we were in the right direction following the resort's instructions, the GPS added a good three hours to our final destination. Thank God we had that fixed, and we reached the resort at 9.30pm instead of midnight.

And what did they say about sunshine after the rain? We woke up to beautiful mountain views from our balcony the next day!

We stayed in two apartments with a shared corridor at the Sunchaser Vacation Villas. Each apartment comes furnished with a bedroom, a Jacuzzi bath, kitchenette, a dining and a living room. It was perfect for a big group like ours.

We followed all the guided trails in the resort's summer programme. Wildlife is common in the area and we heard from the guides that there are bears and cougars around (gasp!). But Suzie, Kalyn and Pauline from the resort kept us safe with the 'bear spray sandwich' while we explored the area on foot - that is, one guide in front, one guide behind.

No regrets on following them, too. I love plodding through the forest everyday, climbing rocks, crossing creeks, and discovering all-natural hot springs. Summer is not here yet and it seems like we have the mountain all to ourselves.

In the afternoons, however, that's when our REAL adventures begin, because we are guide-less! With bears and cougars and what-nots in our mind, we went on the HooDoos trail all by ourselves. Dad was charged with singing out loud while the rest of us clapped and stomped our feet.

We felt so silly doing that, but you see, we already spotted two black bears along the road on our first day. We don't want to catch any bear unaware on the hike and end up being their dim sum, yummy as we are.

Up on the HooDoos, we were rewarded with brief but splendid views of the Columbia Valley. A thunderstorm was heading our way, and we barely had time to get down before the wind blows us away.

We explored further north, checking out Panorama, Invermere, Lake Windermere as well as Radium Hot Springs. My favourite place is Lake Lillian along Toby Creek Road. Isn't she tranquil?

More on our bear encounters...

Getting high in Denver (no, it's not pot!)

Say hello to the Rocky Mountains!

For a total of $10 on Southwest Airlines (isn't it awesome?), we flew to Denver for the Easter weekend.

Why so cheap? Because Panda used his miles to redeem his ticket, and I flew for free on his companion pass. All we did was to pay the tax. Like I said, I love our budget life. And I love the hubs who always has an eye out for cheap deals.


Day 1

We planned to hit a lot of places and only meet Panda's colleague for lunch on our last day. But this Panda had a major miscommunication and we ended up meeting M right after we touched down. It turned out to be a good thing, because M gave us many tips on travelling within Colorado. We owe that fabulous Rocky Mountains photo to him, taken from a vista point on a highway.

Panda and M reunite in Golden

Thanks to M too, Panda tried his first buffalo meat Reuben sandwich. D'deli in Golden sells the craziest flavours - peanut butter with egg salad, corn smoked elk? I'm a total wimp when it comes to food, so I ordered a Maui Waui. Safe and yummy.

M also told us about a well-known restaurant called Buckhorn Exchange, which sells all sorts of game meat like elk, rattlesnake and alligator. I later found out about the Rocky Mountain Oysters.

They are, in fact, bull testicles.

Cough, cough.

After bidding M goodbye, we headed to the Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre. I am slapping myself now for not taking a panoramic shot of this geological wonder. At 6,450 feet above sea level, this naturally-occurring performance venue has a sweeping view of Denver and two towering sandstone blocks on either side, providing what they called 'acoustic perfection'.

The perfect sound system God gifted to Man

Creation Rock

Ship Rock

I'm admittedly a sucker for all things big and ancient. It was absolutely mind-blowing to be looking at these prehistoric monoliths.

Hey there, are you 250 million years old too?

After an awesome time strolling around (and getting sunburnt) at Red Rocks, we returned to Denver downtown in hope of catching the free tours at Colorado State Capitol. The building bears resemblance to the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. and has a gold plated dome to commemorate the state's gold rush days.

I was hoping to stand on the 13th step of the State Capitol, and shout in all glory that I'm exactly a mile high above sea level. (Denver is nicknamed the Mile High City because of its elevation.) Alas, when we reached downtown, the only parking available was expensive and we were also getting a little tired and hungry.

So we did the most sensible thing - stopped by McDonalds' for food.

After that, out of sheer laziness, we decided to just drive around town for the sake of it. We went past Denver Art Museum and Colorado Convention Centre, but I couldn't spot the famous 40-foot 'I See What You Mean' blue bear since I was driving.

  

A glimpse of that golden dome

Denver Art Museum

At Panda's request, we also made a quick stop at Pepsi Centre, home of the Denver Nuggets. It was eerily quiet because there wasn't any games on that evening.

Panda shooting imaginary hoops outside a deserted stadium

Tired from our 6am flight, we decided to call it a day and drove home with our box of leftover nuggets for dinner. See, Denver nuggets rock, even when they were cold!

Ok, lame joke.


Day 2

It has got to be the most awesome day, because we were taking the world's highest cog railway to Pikes Peak! 

The depot is located at Manitou Springs, a picturesque little city at the foot of the 14,115-foot tall Pikes Peak. It would be a 3-hour round trip, with 30 minutes' break at the peak to take in the scenery.

When we collected our tickets, the lady warned us that a storm might be coming. Fortunately, we brought our down jackets. From that Mount Rainier 'expedition' in Seattle, I knew it could be freezing on top. We spotted a Chinese couple with nothing but short-sleeved tops. Good luck to them!

The COG railway depot

We got the tickets!

The special track that would take us to the top

And then came our 1.20pm train, along with the hilarious conductor who kept us entertained with trivia about Pikes Peak. I wasn't listening much though, I was too excited about the scenery.

As we wound through the forest and climbed up the mountain, vegetation became sparse. We could see surrounding mountains and lakes on one side; on the other side, it was a white expanse of rocks and snow.

  

At times, the wall of snow was so close to the window that you could technically reach out and touch it. BUT it's certainly not wise to do so. You could cut your hands.

I thought we might get lucky and the skies would clear. But no such luck. It snowed as we neared the top and it felt like we were entering no-man's land. The slopes looked so forlorn against the gloomy skies.

By the time we reached, the fog has rolled in and we could see nothing but white fluff all around. It was as if we had taken the Polar Express.

Still, we were 14,115 feet above sea level!

 

Best of all, we made it to the peak without fainting from the high altitude. What an achievement! Perhaps, that's the only consolation we have for not being able to view the five neighbouring states like we would on a clear day.

We were freezing even in our jackets, so we snuck into the gift shop and café for warmth. I don't know why I was surprised to find people working at the peak. I sure hoped those guys didn't have to hike or drive down in that foggy weather.

It rained when we got back to Manitou Springs, so we had to go even though it seemed like an interesting town. The skies were still overcast when we arrived at Garden of the Gods, our next stop.

It was a shame because somewhere nearby there must be a school prom. A handful of girls in heavy make-up and evening dresses were there with their dates, using those beautiful sandstones as photo backdrops.

We didn't do the full trail as the grounds were wet and it was turning cold. We looped behind the North Gateway Rock, passed the White Rock and Signature Rock, and took photos of the Kissing Camels.

  

We were about to leave when God blessed us with a majestic sight. A ray of sunlight burst through the overcast skies and lit up a monolith.

Isn't it gorgeous? Indeed, God has the power to make his creations glow despite the darkness. 

What an awesome end to the day.

Day 3

We thought of braving the cold to attend the Easter Sunrise Service at Red Rocks. But Panda had a bad bout of headache the night before so we slept in.

On our last day, we headed back to Golden to take a self-guided tour at Coors Brewery, the world's largest single brewing site. This region of Colorado is also known as the 'Napa Valley of Beer', naturally this alcoholic would take the chance to drink some.

Unfortunately, I had totally forgotten about the Easter holidays and I guess I wasn't really listening when I called to enquire about the tour. Coors was fully closed on Easter. Dang.

Our alternative was the nearby Golden City Brewery. The tiny shop and alfresco sitting area were hidden behind the owners' house off the main road - we thought we went to the wrong address initially. There was a crowd, probably regulars, when we got there in the afternoon.

  

I ordered the legendary red ale without thinking - it's legendary, right? But ended up not liking it much. I should have paid a little more to try the six samplers, but I figured I won't be able to finish it since I was the driver.

In any case, it was better than not drinking any. So says the alcoholic. 

End notes

I kept thinking we didn't hit a lot of places in and around Denver. Looking at all the photos, I realised we did the best we could in three days, and we didn't spent a bomb.

Hyatt Regency DTC room (breakfast + parking): $250

Southwest airfare: $10

Car rental: $ 68

Gas: $45

Meals: $60

Entertainment (Cog Railway + beer): $82

Total: $515

Slightly over $500 for two persons to Denver.

That's a loud and clear YAY for us!