The flight from Hong Kong to Seattle was very good, minus the lavatories on the right side of the plane not functional. They even serve dimsum meal for breakfast before landing at Seattle. The staff were generally friendly and helpful. They even offer free wifi for texting on board flight, never seen before. Sadly this flight will be axed.
1.
2.
I just randomly approached a Delta gate agent that was stationed at the gate for the flight towards Billings. Upon looking at my flight itinerary that involved a long layover at Salt Lake City, the gate agent took pity on me and issued me complimentary meal voucher US15. I used it for dinner later before I flew to Bozeman. This long layover was due to Delta changed their flight schedule from SLC to Bozeman in April 2018 (few months after I bought the ticket), resulting me landing in Bozeman at 10pm instead of the original stated 4.45pm.
I took the TRAX from Salt Lake City Airport to the city centre to see the Temple Church. The Scots were celebrating Highland Festival at Fairpark. The heat was searing, temperature was 89 degrees F. I was pulling my luggage to the church, put them under the roof and started walking around and took pictures of the church. Even joined a guided tour by the sisters but the long hour flight got the better of me and i kept dozing off while they wer explaning. The China lady who toured me told me there was a Malaysian lady who came just 1 week ago to do their 16 months full time service at the church.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
The flight from Salt Lake City to Bozeman was not full, so I just took one of the window seat at the front. From the window, I managed to see the peaks at Grand Teton, and also Yellowstone Lake. The sky was pretty cloudy so I struggled to get some shots.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
Union Pacific! Love their trains so much cos they are in yellow and blue!
27.
28.
Reached Bozeman ahead of time and I quickly raced to the Avis Counter. The staff there kept mentioning that I was given a Chevrolet Camaro. Not really a car enthusiast so I just signed everything and went to collect the car. Upon reaching the car park lot, i was stunned. This is a Chevrolet Camaro, not the Ford Focus that I booked. It looked so cool! I quickly started the car and went for the ride. I missed the hostel and parked 2 junctions further than I should. A kind lady came to my rescue and guided me to my hostel. She did warn me about the parking in Bozeman, the enforcement officer will issue ticket if I park in a lot that said "2 hour free parking" as this sign normally accompanied by "no parking between 2am to 7am", so I have to be really careful on where to park my car for tonight. Since it is already late and I was going to leave early tomorrow morning (Sunday), I decided to take a gamble and just left the car in the spot it was parked, else I had to walk two junctions in the drizzle to repark it after I checked into the hostel. Not something I would like to do after so many hours on the plane.
Woke up and had the free breakfasts that the hostel offered, really like the oatmeals they provided, yummy. Drove over to Safeway for grocery shopping before heading to Yellowstone via Big Sky. It was gloomy weather all the way. It drizzled, snowed and hailed at some parts, not heavy though.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
Stopped at West Yellowstone for chinese food lunch. The workers there was impressed with my car, came around to check it out.
Saw a bison and a fox after lunch, after entering the national park.
37.
38.
39.
40.
Once I entered Yellowstone National Park, the first stop I made was at Fountain Paint Pots. Followed a tour guide that was guiding his group and listened to him. There were long lines outside the toilets there and the toilets have no water.
41.
42.
43.
Then I drove to Grand Prismatic Spring. I couldnt see anything from the Boardwalk, too steamy. In order to see the Grand Prismatic Spring, one has to drive to another nearby carpark (often went unnoticed), and walk up the fork on the left to a hill to see it from high ground. The car park was small, so I have to wait awhile before I manage to get the car parked. The walk was not too far though, and not too steep either.
There were so many hats blown off from the broadwalk that one can open a hat shop in Yellowstone by just picking up the blown hats using forceps. The win must be strong to blow off hats off peoples hats onto the geyser plain!
44.
45.
46.
49.
50.
51.
52.
Stopped for broadwalk at Biscuit Basin next. The colour pools there were amazing. Met this very friendly couple from Sacramento who do mobile construction office rental. Showed them the way to the hill lookout for the Grnd Prismatic Spring. They shared with me the wildlife tour that they joined (cost 400/p) and they managed to see many animals. The sun decided to come out and gave Grand Prismatic Spring a lively colour. We parted ways after the hill lookout.
Reached Old Faithful at last at 6pm. Waited for the eruption without first check the timing with NPS visitor centre, which was a mistake. Old Faithful finally erupted around 720pm. Then I went up to Observation Point (on a hill nearby) that looked down at Geyser hill. Managed to check in only at 830pm which was dangerously close to closing time (I really didnt know the lodge reception will close). I asked for soaps, thinking that there might not be any inside the cabin, how wrong I was. Pretty amazed that the soaps they give are in the shape of a bear. Managed to settle my dinner at the cafeteria before they close at 9pm.
53.
54.
55.
56.
57.
58.
59.
60.
The log cabin has no attached bath and no mini fridge but got a powerful heater. I didnt know what was the ideal setting, so i just turned the knob to full, and the room was too warm in the morning due to the heater.
The camaro they rented me.
Old Faithful Lodge.
62.
63.
The next day I joined Ranger Margo for a castle hill guided walk which started at 830am. Then spent the day walking around Geysers hill, Blacksand Basin, Mystic Falls. Most of the ranger guide programmes in Yellowstone will only start towards the end of June or beginning of July.
V1.
64.
65.
Firehole River
67.
Crested Pool
68.
Belgian Pool, so named cos a Belgian adventurer fell into it many years ago.
69.
Grotto Geyser
70.
Morning Glory Pool
71.
Artemisia Geyser. Not many people come to this part of the trail, which is not a board walk.
72.
73.
Mystic Falls
74.
Met the couple in Mystic Falls, really envy them, can travel as a family even with young kids. I wouldnt have been able to trek with babies on my back honestly.
75.
Punch Bowl Spring, on the way to Black Sand Pool.
76.
77.
I went to take a look at Old Faithful Inn, which was the first accommodation in Yellowstone. Prior to the construction of this hotel, people do Yellowstone as a day trip, in stage coached. It was much harder to travel then, only the rich and adventurous will do it.
80.
81.
82.
83.
84.
v3:
Really didnt know this! Do you??
85.
86.
In the late afternoon, I went to see the eruption of Grand Geyser again. I happened to chat with one of the Giser Geysers (volunteers that follow geyser eruptions closely). He will use his walkie-talkie to relay the time of eruption of geysers that he see back to the NPS ranger centre.
87.
88.
v4:
After the Grand Geyser erupted, we walked over to Castle Geyser for the eruption. We waited for 1 hour plus before it finally erupted.
89.
v5:
Sunset in Yellowstone was amazing.
91.
92.
After taken dinner, I was hesitating whether to drive over to see Great Fountain Glacier which will only erupt at 945pm. I made the trip anyway, and saw beautiful sunset along the way.
93.
94.
It turned out that I was late, the eruption was already on going by 920pm. Great Fountain Geyser can erupt for up to 40 minutes. The sunset there was beautiful. Spoken to a very kind lady Chris, who was there with her husband almost every evening. She left earlier because she didn't want her car to be blocked by the crossing bisons. White dome glacier in the background erupted too. A family of 4 and I stayed till the end of the eruption and left together but our exit was blocked by a herd of bisons walking out of the park. The family asked me to drive carefully (no speeding) cos they saw a police car. Turned out that we both stay inside Old Faithful lodge. I couldnt find my way to my cabin in the dark, and lucky one staff who happened to be nearby guided me back to my lodge.
Great Fountain Geyser
95.
96.
97.
98.
V6:
The next day i went to Grand Teton National Park in the South to do hiking around Jenny Lake. The family of 4 went to Lonestar Glacier for hiking (Long day hike). Before i set off for Teton, witnessed the eruption of Old Faithful and Beehive Glacier. Thanks to the park ranger who told us to go over to see Beehive Glacier eruption as soon as Old Faithful erupted as Beehive only erupt at most twice a day, sometimes none at all, very unlike Old Faithful which erupts every 94 minutes or so. Wouldn't have realized how high Beehive Glacier shot up had i left the park earlier.
99.
100.
Beehive Geyser
V7:
101.
102.
103.
The drive to Teton made me crossed the Continental Divide a few times. Temperature was warm today, very different from the cold gloomy days. I got sunburn.
Took the boat ride across Jenny Lake and walked up to see the waterfall, short hike. When I finished my lunch and wanted to do Cascade Canyon hike, i torn my pants when I squatted down. That was an embarrassing moment. I had no choice but to abort my hike and return to my car. Because it was a sunny hot day, I left my jacket in the car and dont even have a jacket to cover my exposed ass. An old lady that i told my plight to consoled me that it happened to her husband once during hiking, when we were taking our return boat to the jetty. The best part was, of all things they sold in the gift shop at Jenny Lake, they dont have pants. I found out later those gift shops in Grand Teton and Old Faithful do not carry pants either. I temporarily used the jacket wrap around by butts to cover the torn seams. One thing good about Grand Teton NPS station is they have free wifi.
104.
105.
106.
107.
108.
109.
110.
111.
112.
Pronghorns saw near Jenny Lake.
113.
114.
I went to the Mormon's row to take photos, before heading back to Old Faithful.
Mormon's row
117.
Yellowstone Lake
118.
I was late in catching the Great Fountain geysers erupting today due to my pants search in Old Faithful Store. Chris was there as usual, with her son there taking photos as well. Lots of mosquitoes. We sprayed insect repellents to ward them off. White Dome geysers were erupting in the background.
Great Fountain Geyser
119.
120.
121.
122.
123.
v8:
White Dome Geyser
124.
Firehole Lake
125.
Good morning!
128.
129.
130.
The next day I went to Grand Canyon of Yellowstone to see the Lower Falls and the Upper Falls. Finally found a pair of trekking pants in the sporting goods store in Canyon Village (oh boy if only i know pants are hard to find in this part of the world!). Filled up petrol at the petrol station there as well, probably the largest petrol station within Yellowstone National Park. The price is slightly more expensive than in Bozeman but not as exorbitant as the one in Yosemite (saw in facebook post).
131.
132.
133.
134.
135.
V9.
Bought my pants here!
136.
137.
Upper Falls
138.
139.
140.
It pays to reach the Lower Falls earlier as the rainbow above the Lower Falls can be seen. I trekked to the Upper Falls and met another couple at the lake. The 3 of us concluded that Sublime Point was not worth the 0.5 mile hike up at all. The canyon wall with yellow and red colouration that inspired Thomas Moran for his famous paintings of the canyon were really an unforgettable sight.
After that I drove through Hayden Valley, saw an elk there. Long lines of traffic due to wildlife sighting. The ranger there explained to us the about elk, at the same time urging people to drive through, while preventing us from getting to close to the elk.
I drove to West Yellowstone to see geysers there, which was the only geysers group near to the lake. This is also the highest lake in all the national parks. There was no water dispenser there, so I was left really thirsty, it was a very warm day today as well. Finished my water supply long ago due to the really sunny weather.
142.
143.
144.
145.
146.
147.
West Yellowstone Basin
148.
149.
150.
151.
Drove back to Old Faithful to refill my water before making my way to Great Fountain Geyser again. This time the sun was relentless, and we have to wait in the glare for the eruption. For once I was not late but the wait for the eruption was long. There was a family from Seattle there, and they asked me whether it was worth the wait, I convinced them by saying yes. The eruption today however, not only was late, was not as grand as the two previous days' as well, it didnt feel as grand at least. After everybody left, there were about 5-6 of us there, and Great Fountain erupted again for the 2nd time, though the intensity was not as great as the first. Sadly most people already left. I drove back just in time for dinner before Geyser Grill close at 9pm. I have been dining at Geyser Grill every evening.
V10:
The next day I drove to Mammoth Springs, the furthest north in Yellowstone. There was road constructions on going. The construction was messy and I have to wait a long time in the return trip for only one direction of traffic was allowed at any one time, for 1000 ft. I saluted the workers who had to brace the sun and dust and worked there. This section was closed from 10pm to 7am until they lift the closure.
152.
153.
Geysers in the Mammoth Basin were quite different from what i saw in the Old Faithful. It looks more like those fountains in Turkey. Elks roam freely in the town, near NPS service centre. Theres also wifi here, the only national park service centre in Yellowstone with free wifi.
154.
155.
156.
157.
158.
159.
160.
161.
162.
After board walk trip to the different geysers, I decided to do a hike to Bunsen Peak. The trail entrance is near the Golden Gate. I almost missed the trail head. Found a parking spot luckily. Quickly start the trail hiking and reach the peak in about 2 hours and came back down again. There was a log book outside the communication tower shelter for hikers to leave comments. The views from the peak was amazing, you can see Mammoth Basin from there.
168.
169.
170.
171.
172.
173.
174.
175.
The drive back to Old Faithful involved a long wait at the road construction site and I missed the eruption of Great Fountain geyser today. Pretty unfortunate. According to the people who saw it, it was not spectacular today either.
I waited for the 2nd eruption of White Dome after filming the first, it refused to appear. So I went back to Geyser Grill. I stayed for the evening eruption of Old Faithful and enjoyed the sunset colours. It get cloudy, and the weather forecast for tomorrow was not too good.
White Dome Geyser
177.
Sunset near Old Faithful Geyser
178.
179.
180.
181.
182.
True enough it was raining today. People stayed indoor to see the eruption of Old Faithful. The auditorium were full of people watching short films played. I drove to Norris Geysers after lunch after checked out, Norris was beautiful, but the clouds and the occasional drizzles means no spectacular photos will be captured. I managed to capture the eruption of Vixen geyser. Also saw Pork chop Geyser. The two geysers with the tallest eruption are both inside Norris but their eruptions are highly unpredictable. There is a Cistern Geyser next to Steamboat Geyser. Cistern Spring and Steamboat Geyser are linked underground. During a major eruption of Steamboat, the water in Cistern Spring's pool drains, hence the name.
183.
184.
185.
186.
187.
Return to Bozeman via Big Sky
193.
194.
195.
196.
Spent the late afternoon in Bozeman Spa and Hotspring, the outdoor dip was the best experience. We were chased indoor by the staff when thunder was heard. It was fun switching between cold water pool and the hot water pool. The water does not have the sulphur smell.
Went to REI for shopping before they close for the day. The dinner at Panda Buffet was a disappointment. Went back to Treasure State Hostel, this time i was a bit more cafeful with where to park my car.
The next morning, I went to return the car at Bozeman Airport and did my check in, as Delta does not allow me to do check in online. The gate agent ask for my itinerary after Hong Kong. Only after she was satisfied she issue me the boarding passes, with the word DOCS OK on the segment from Seattle to Hong Kong. Without these words, they wont let you board the plane at Seattle. Strangely, I did not need to go through passport counters anymore. In Singapore, we have to go through passport counters in and out, for USA, only in. Such efficiency. The flights from Seattle to Hong Kong was full as usual. They have good selection of movies, I watched the Lion King and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Lost Arks on the plane.
197A.
197B.
198A.
198B.
Hong Kong
199.
200.
Delta ending the Hong Kong-Seattle route.
201.
Weather forecast for the next few days after i left.
202.
Dont play afool with the geysers, that's is 80 degrees C from a distance.
203.
Bunsen Peak shared by NPS on instagram:
205.
Mounr Washburn was closed to hiking when i was there.
206.
207.
Yellowstone Canyon shared by NPS on instagram:
208.
209.
Flight Route i took:
210.
Things to note:
1. Book your accommodation, car rental, air tickets way in advance as Yellowstone is quite high in demand.
2. There are few airports that you can land to get to Yellowstone, you can choose one that suits you for your other travels, based on proximity to the accommodation you booked.
3. To see wild life, wake up really early.
4. Sunset there was amazing.
5. Weather can change from cold to sunny, to rainy all within a day. It still hail and snow in June.
6. Most of the ranger talks/guided tour only starts in last week of June or in July. It is also the season where the most people visit Yellowstone.
7. Time of eruption given by NPS is just a guide.
8. Lonestar Geyser is really far, you need to trek for quite a distance before you can get to it, start your trek really early.
9. They have cup noodles in the store.
10. Police do petrol the road and issue tickets for people to speed. You have been warned.
11. There is no mini fridge inside Oil Failful lodges.
12. Be prepared for flight schedule change initiated by your airline and it might ruin your plans.
13. You cannot check in online for flight out of USA back to your home country. You need to go to the counter and let the gate agent check your passport, and he/she will stamp DOCS OK on the boarding pass after checking your flight itinerary as well as passport. Thats all, no more passport officer to check your passport out of USA.
14. The gate agent might let you board an earlier flight if there is availability. They might even let you board a flight to a different destination if thats what you wish. You may have to top up though.
15. The walk from the airport terminal to the rental car pick up is not sheltered in Bozeman Airport. If it rains, you may have a hard time collecting your rental car with your luggage. Return is a problem as well. Just pray that it does not rain.
16. If you are driving out of Firehole Lake in the evening, the bisons crossing might block your route of exiting.
17. Check with the rangers the weather ahead, road conditions, trail/facility closure ahead of your plan to avoid disappointment. I didnt know Mount Washburn was closed till i ask them.
18. The only 2 NPS centres with free wifi were Grand Teton and Mammoth Spring.
19. There are some petrol stations within the national park, do check for the locations in the map and ensure you have enough petrol before heading out.
20. Parking is a problem even in June. It will definitely be a big problem in July and August.
21. There are star gazing sessions organised, just check the program.
22. You can probably swim in Firehole River in mid summer when the temperature got warm.
23. Two different traveller recommended Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park to me, it is near Bozeman. Due to time constraint I couldnt visit this place, will definitely pay a visit the next time.
Thank you for visiting this blog. You can see my other travel blogs by clicking HERE.
Comments
Post a Comment