Medicine Lodge Archaeological Site State Park, Hyattville, WY

I hesitate to write about this park because I consider it our special find and I don't want it to become too populated.  We found this park during summer of 2018 when we were heading across Wyoming towards South Dakota.  At that time we decided against an unplanned visit to Yellowstone and instead sought out other Wyoming nature to explore.  We found this park and Boysen State Park on a blog about the unsung places of Wyoming.  They were right on both counts.  Medicine Lodge, however, has a special appeal and that is why we booked a week with my parents there this summer.

Most sites are first-come first served, but there are a couple reservable ones and we put our reservation in early because we knew we were staying the week of 4th of July.  According to park staff this is the busiest week of their season.  The group site was packed with people, but the layout of the park is so nice that we really didn't deal with the crowd at all.  Here are our two sites, relatively remote from the other parts of the campground.  The back of the sites are against the river pictured above so you can hear rushing water at all times when at the sites.  It is wonderful.  As you can see, there is also a lot of shade at these sites, but there are also patches of sun where we could set out our solar panel.

There are a number of paths through the park that take you through the various climate zones.  The deer trail is rather steep and takes you up to some fantastic views.  The best part of staying a week is that we got to hike this one a couple times.  

There is also a nature trail that take you along the river and over the various bridges.

The nature trail also takes you to the petroglyph cliff and the informational cabins that present the anthropological history of the area (that goes back to the time of mammoths).

There are two wonderful playgrounds (though they are near the parts of the campground that were full while we were there) and plenty of places to cast a fishing line.  Though much fishing was done, we didn't catch anything - I guess brown trout are the natural fish of these rivers.  (I don't really know anything about fishing, but my mom and dad were teaching the kids)

Regarding the amenities in this park - there are no hook-ups, but you can fill your fresh water tank.  There is no dump station, but they have the cleanest pit toilets I have ever seen - complete with air freshner!  We used our solar panel and got through the week just fine.  There is no Verizon service and no WiFi offered by the park so you must be ok with an unplugged stay.  This is a place to sit around, read, fish and walk in nature.  We even went to a star gazing party and got an amazing view of the night sky.  Husband commuted to the town of Worland to work from the library on three of the days we were booked there.

What I love about Medicine Lodge is that the camping and the nature around you are the attraction.  We didn't have to drive to see anything, we just walked out of our doors.  I enjoy this type of camping and if Husband didn't have to work we could have done more of it (like at Grand Teton). I am especially glad we got to share this time with my parents and we celebrated Sister's 5th BD here - so it was a special week on many counts.  If you go, please don't tell anyone else, because I want to go back again next year and I hope it is just the same. Last pictures - I am really proud of the river picture.  The monarch on milkweed was captured by my mom who should be proud of that one!

Edit: I forgot to mention one of the other huge pluses of this park - it is $9/night - $63/week.

But seriously - no hook ups and no dump station, so you probably should pass it by ;)

Yellowstone National Park (Part III)

I have SO many amazing pictures from Yellowstone.  I just have to share a few more and talk one final time about how special this National Park is....I mean....

I know you saw the video this week about the bison tossing the 9-year old girl after the tourists were all standing too close...this photo was taken by my mom from the car as we drove by this guy laying by the road.  We are very cognizant of the rules having completed so many Junior Ranger books - we don't approach the wildlife, but it is all around in Yellowstone.

Another amazing spot is Artist Point on the south rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.  When at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West I saw two outstanding paintings that I took pictures of, only to later realize that they were inspired by this spot.  First my best picture...

Then two paintings inspired by this awesome view...

On our final day in Yellowstone we set out to try to see a wolf - we heard the best chance of seeing them was driving to Lamar Valley.  Our plan was to drive through Lamar Valley and exit the park through the Northeast entrance and proceed via the Beartooth highway back to Cody.  This was a phenomenal drive.  We had quite an adventure.  Along the way we randomly stopped at a pull off, walked up a set of steps and were treated to this view that was completely obscured by the forest while driving!  I wish I could say exactly where this was...all I know is that a man in the parking lot told us when we pulled up that if we would have been there five minutes earlier, there was a wolf across the road!  We had just missed it.

Here is another classic Yellowstone scene - traffic was stopped and it was impossible to see what was going on up ahead.  As usual, there were a bunch of people getting out of their cars and walking along the road to try and get a glimpse.  When our vehicle finally inched forward enough to see what was going on we saw this:

Along the side of the road a woman who was walking along the road was asking the NPS law enforcement personnel, "Is there a bear?" The law enforcement personnel were visibly agitated by this woman and said, "no ma'am, we need you to get back in your car!" "But is there a bear?" she asked again clearly not getting the fact that she was out of line.  "Ma'am, everyone needs to be in their vehicle.  Please return to your vehicle!" they said with emphasis.  Disappointed that she was not getting the answer she wanted to hear, she kept walking towards the officer instead of back to her car.  The officers said, "you must return to your vehicle now!"  So she slowly started walking back but continued to crane her neck around to try and see a bear that didn't exist.  There was a bison in the road and the officers were trying to get people to drive around it, but everyone wanted to take a picture first.  Since the bison was only blocking one lane of traffic, he was trying to get the other lane to move forward.  It was a bit of a chaotic scene, but thankfully in this instance, while we were witnesses, no one was injured. 

This was not the only time we were stopped by bison in the road that day.  Later, when approaching Lamar Valley there was a huge herd complete with calves blocking traffic.  In this case people stayed in their cars, there was less traffic and we all were able to take our pictures and then drive through the herd.  Here are some of the cute calves:

Unfortunately we did not see a wolf BUT we did see a red fox!  We were able to observe it for a while from the car.  It was amazing that my mom spotted it as I was driving - she also took some amazing pictures.

But that was not all we saw on our amazing drive...we saw another black bear!  Our pictures didn't do it justice as it was moving and browsing....here is the best one, albeit out of focus.

We drove the Beartooth highway back to Cody at sunset and it was so beautiful.  At the top we pulled off and I took this picture that shows both the switchbacks in the road as well as the amazing sunset.

Yes, Yellowstone is crowded and huge and if I went back I would focus on the areas of the park that are less visited.  I also felt that we didn't get to do enough hiking as we were driving too much.  In the future I hope to camp in the park or near a different entrance so that I can explore other parts of this great wilderness.  I am glad we drove the Beartooth highway, but I would NOT want to drive this road with my trailer in tow!  Wyoming is amazing.  I think I need to go there every summer.

Yellowstone National Park (Part II)

A trip to Yellowstone is not complete without seeing Old Faithful!  We also targeted this area because Brother read about the Young Scientist program and this is one of the locations that offered that special youth experience.  The gist of the experience was that he checked out an explorer book bag with some scientific tools including an infrared thermometer.  The book walked him through a study of the geysers and hot springs.  This was above and beyond the Junior Ranger book and Sister was very disappointed that she could not participate as she was too young.  As it turned out she ended up being the "research assistant" and carried the book bag through the boardwalks and was ready to give a tool to Brother whenever he asked for it.  It was really quite cute.  She also insisted on walking right behind him so that she would be close and could help him make observations.  It took some time, but he did a great job and earned his Young Scientist patch which I sewed onto his vest!

The hike behind the Old Faithful Visitor Center was quite amazing.  There were many hot springs and smaller geysers - one of them unexpectedly erupted when mom was photographing it and she had to move back to avoid the hot water! It started out small and ended up shooting water 10+ feet high!

One thing I noted was that the boardwalk needs some repair or to be replaced in sections.  Every park we have visited (that was in operation in the 1930s) credits the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) for infrastructure improvements - it is obvious to me that we need another national CCC program to help our national parks keep their infrastructure functioning.  When you consider the CCC's work was completed in the 1930's is seems due time to invest in our natural national treasures.  At Yellowstone the boardwalks are crowded and they are creaky, which is not a great feeling when you are standing over hot springs with water temps in the 140+ degrees F.

The springs are beautiful with the microbial mats in multicolors surrounding them. 

The next stop, after predicting Old Faithful's next eruption (Brother and I were 100% in line with the NPS prediction), was the Grand Prismatic Spring and surrounding area.  Here the boardwalk it in better condition and they have thankfully made the walk one way (because it gets really crowded and hard to pass each other when everyone is trying to get the perfect selfie or picture).   

On the day we were there the wind was blowing.  As we walked the steam from Excelsior Geyser would surround us for a few seconds giving the illusion we were in a sauna before it would blow away and we could feel the ambient air.  The geyer is very large and a beautiful shade of blue.  The wind was so strong that many people lost their hats and the were stranded too far from the boardwalk for retrieval.  I wondered if the park rangers had a long tool to pick up the lost items from the fragile ground.  It is clear that walking off the path would be a terrible idea for fear of falling through the microbial mat into near boiling water. 

The Grand Prismatic Spring is so much larger than I imagined.  It is larger than a football field, and is generally photographed from above so one can see it in its entirety.  From our vantage point on the boardwalk (maybe 6 inches above the surface) it was massive and impossible to capture in a picture.  As we are walking toward it, you can see other onlookers trying to get a good shot!

Again, Yellowstone appears to offer landscapes that are otherworldly - here the "ground" appears to  be a colorful spongy mat floating upon and under a layer of hot spring water which is constantly washing over it.  The surface glistens.  In some places where the water rushes over it there are places that seem beach-like.

The other two amazing features on this walk, that would be astonishing on their own, but when compared to the other two seem to fall short are the opal pool...

...and the turquoise pool...

The water feature of the geyers basins are really amazing.  Yes, you are standing on an active volcano - but wow does a volcano make some beautiful landscapes. 

Yellowstone National Park (Part I)

Yellowstone National Park, the first National Park designated in these United States (1872), has places that are unlike any other landscape.  It's upon a volcano.  The magma, which is close to the surface (as close as 2 miles in some places), is doing strange things to the terrain.  The results can be stinky, steamy, or colorful but it is continually awe inspiring.  Yellowstone is huge and though we visited for a week we saw only a small fraction.  I know I will return to this place again.  I was already swept away by Wyoming, but now I feel that any summer trip is incomplete without visiting Wyoming and the alien places in Yellowstone.

The kids and I did day one together while Husband was working in Cody.  The first odd thing we saw after entering the park via the East was this steaming, smelly vapor coming out of the hillside.  We stopped to take pictures because we had no idea just how weird it was going to get!  Our destination for day 1 was the mud volcano area.  I found out later this destination is not for everyone because the sulfur smelling gas affects people differently.  I found it unpleasant, but not overwhelming.  It was more like an annoyance.  After being around it for an hour or so on the hike I was ready to leave the area.  I guess some people get nauseous or otherwise feel poorly when around the smell.  The whole experience was a curiosity to me and I enjoyed it (even with the smell) because it was so unique.

One of the first features you see is the Dragon Mouth Spring.  This cave churns, and breathes as the noxious gas bellows out.  The spring's frequency ebbs and wanes and the sounds are enough to make you think there really is something living in there! I could have sat and watched this crazy site for a good long time, but alas my little people are always on to the next thing - they didn't fully understand how singular this is, though I think by the end of the week they had a much better idea.  I was able to record a bit of it, unfortunately the sound of the cave was not captured adequately.

Have you ever seen the ground boil?  Well if you said no, that is because you haven't visited Yellowstone.  Technically it is not boiling - it is churning as the heat and gasses escape from deep in the earth, but it is very hot.

There are so many churning pools, some less active than the Churning Cauldron above, but there is a lot of activity everywhere you look.  It is clear that there are things going on here that are of import and we are just seeing the surface rumblings of the greater beast.  The 2/3 mile path is mostly a boardwalk because the ground is unstable.  In some places only a thin crust exists.  Mama has to watch her littlest bird here!  Though I have to say that Sister was a very good listener.

But what about the wildlife you ask?  Oh yes, wildlife - we saw a few critters on our first day!

We saw two elk right by the side of the road.  They were between all of the cars of onlookers, but here is one decent picture:

We saw a LOT of buffalo on multiple occasions.  Between mom and I we have quite a few good pictures.  Here is a favorite taken by mom.

On the first day we saw FOUR black bears!  First we saw a mama and her two cubs.  They crossed the street in front of me when I was driving out of the park.  I had to pull over and grab my phone and by the time I took the picture out of the passenger side window they were well into the wood.  Here is the best picture.  Mama is behind the tree, the cubs are more visible.  I marked them each with red arrows...sorry my editing skills are not very good.

Then after we exited the park and were driving towards Cody through the Buffalo Bill State Park we saw a single black bear browsing along the road.  We were one of the first cars to pull over and we got to sit and watch it for a while before he crossed the road, jumped the barrier and disappeared from view.

Because the coloring of this bear was lighter we thought we saw a grizzly, but the next day when we attended a ranger talk about bears we learned how to tell the difference.  We then showed the pictures to the ranger and using the information we had just learned (ears, hump, rump) we confirmed it was a black bear. This was the most close and sustained encounter we had with a bear, though it was not the last!

My parents, however did see a grizzly on their first day into the park (the day after our first visit).  I had to work until the afternoon and couldn't go with them to Yellowstone; instead I took the kids to the museum in Cody.

My folks also saw the one animal the rest of of us never saw...a big horn sheep!

Everywhere you look seems like a postcard view.  I have SO many pictures!

The best view of day one was the last scenic view we checked out before we left the park.  These are the upper falls in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.  There is such a massive amount of water rushing loudly over the rocks.

Of course I have more to say, but I have to break up this massive park into sections.  We did a ton of driving at Yellowstone.  Each day we had an hour round trip from the RV to the park entrance and then hours of driving through the park to the various sites.  I cannot stress enough how huge Yellowstone is.  If you are planning a visit stay close to the park or in the park to minimize your drive time during the day.  Also, there was construction on the east entrance road and a good portion of the road was dirt while the work is being done.  At times there were one lane roads with flaggers, which slowed us down as well.  Regardless of the hassles we saw a lot and enjoyed the park very much!  More on other sites next time....