Yellowstone - Beneath the Surface

A while back (after a previous visit to Yellowstone) we were driving between Idaho Falls and Boise, Idaho through a remarkably flat area known as the Snake River Plain.  We commented on the unusual texture of the desert-like prarie.  Traveling along we saw the entrance to the "Craters of the Moon" National Monument and Preserve and, naturally, we had to stop for a look.  There, we entered one of the eeriest landscapes I could ever imagine on our green and blue planet.  It consisted of literally miles of brown and gray basaltic lava, lava ash, lava cones and strange rock formations.  It is an area that screams "volcanic activity" wherever you look with remnants of long-ago eruptions everywhere.  While that is not a part of our current trip, I mention it because of the phenomenon that created it - the thing that is now referred to as "the Yellowstone Caldera."  About 15,000,000 years ago, the area that now makes up the Craters of the Moon National Monument was sitting there minding its own business when - bam! - the whole place started jumping as the underlying magma pool began to surge to the surface of the earth.  To shorten the story by a few million years, what we see there now are the remnants of that long ago eruption and the magma pool that once lay beneath Idaho now lies beneath Yellowstone National Park - and gives us the geyser action so much a part of the personality of the park.  The westward movement of the North American tectonic plate is what led to this strange migration and is what brought Yellowstone to the area over the magma pool - creating the fissures, geysers, hot pools and other volcanic phenomena.  Be that as it may .....  that's kinda beside the point for us right now but it is interesting stuff to ponder sometimes!!!  Even without volcanic eruptions, the landscape of Yellowstone is affected by all the forces of nature - including fire!!  There is still much evidence of the raging fires that devastated this region more than a decade ago!!  After a good evening at the Old Faithful Lodge we got ready to head out for new adventures - but - not without some trepidation.  We checked at the front desk and found that many of the main roads out of Yellowstone were blocked by snow.  We decided to stick to our original schedule and see how far we could get.  It turned out that we were extremely lucky and, as we proceeded Eastward, the once closed roads opened up before us.  On one stretch of beautiful highway beside the Yellowstone River we saw a park ranger standing on the side of the road looking down into a ravine.  We stopped and asked him what he was looking for and he related that there had been reported sightings of Grizzly Bears in the area.  But - he soon left us beside the rushing waterway and headed out for other parts of the park.  We continued to look into the thick mist and before long we began to see movement.   Well, with the ultimate "photo op" at hand, nothing would do but for Linda and Sherwood to get "up close and personal with the grizzly."  He proceeded to come up the hill with astonishing speed and our two intrepid photographers seemed not to even notice.  Finally - but only after a very stern admonishment ... "...get in the car!!!!" ... they reluctantly retreated.  By the time they closed the doors the grizzly was crossing the road right beneath our windows!!!  Whoa!!!  After getting our cardiovascular systems started up again and getting our breathing out of  "hyperventilation" mode we moved to the southeast out of this astounding place.  Although we needed to make good time down the highway we were constantly drawn back - in reflection - to this amazing experience.  But - we didn not have total and sudden "wildlife withdrawal."  All along the way we saw creatures of all sizes making their way through this winter wonderland.  Awesome!!  We were also descending from the mountainous cliffs of the Rockies through which we had been riding into the flatter river valley alongside the Shoshone River.  As we headed further eastward toward Wyoming the scenery was breathtaking.  In fact we use one of the pictures below as a 'screen-saver' and it is a constant reminder of the beauty of the region we were privileged to visit.  But - at the time - we were thinking about other things.  We had started to hear heavy thunder rolling across the valleys amid snow that varied from light to almost impenetrable.  As the storm seemed to reach a crescendo we stopped for lunch in the tiny but attractive town of Waitipi.  The little diner we found was the perfect refuge from the storm and by the time we finished our meal the skies were beginning to lighten.  So we resumed our trek toward Fort Collins, Colorado.  For the next several hours we experienced the most incredible range of weather phenomena imaginable - rain, wind, snow, sleet, hail, thunder and lightening and ... a tornado!!!!!  Yep, that's right, a tornado.  But it wasn't until we arrived in Fort Collins that we realized we had ridden right between tornado cells on both sides of the highway!!!  In fact, when we checked into our hotel we found that all of the available rooms had been taken for people who had to be evacuated from their neighborhoods because of the tornados!!!  Wow!! After a day like this one we felt we had earned the opportunity to kick back with a nice glass of wine and to reflect on our adventures.  But - ya have to take care of business first!!! So, after a quick meal we returned to the hotel to get some laundry done.  But - we did take time out for that glass of wine and the opportunity to chuckle at ourselves and the wild things we had been through over the course of the day.  But tomorrow we would be heading right into the heart of the mighty Rockies so we wanted to be ready for the next day.  We think you'll enjoy visiting the Rocky Mountain National Park so rest up, tighten up your seat belts and come on back.  See ya.