Yellowstone National Park - OUR BASE

Wow! What a title!
Actually, at first I wanted to talk about the bison. But Lodgepole Pine somehow grabbed my attention too .... so bison will have to wait.

How about "Of West Yellowstone and Lodgepole Pine?' That should do.


Not being winter-brave we chose to visit the Yellowstone National Park at the beginning of June - late enough for the snow to be gone and early enough to beat the after-school crowds of July and August.
June 6 - 10 proved to be a good choice for us.
Planning to spend three days in the park (definitely NOT enough) we chose West Yellowstone as our base. We wanted to travel it in 3 loops, returning back to West Yellowstone for the nights.
NOT enough, NOT enough, NOT enough! But better than nothing.

Accommodation-wise, the town offers many possibilities, we chose the Moose Creek Cabins - mainly because the three of us (dividing and sharing the cost) believed that a log cabin would provide a nice touch to our trip.
"Creek" was just the part of a name but we were gone all day anyway and being in town meant restaurants, groceries and a gas station nearby.

Our home in West Yellowstone.

Each cabin has its own flag.

And there was even an IMAX theatre (an acronym for Image MAXimum - wow did you know that? And a Canadian too.)
....ok, IMAX theatre in town and, after day 2, it became an amazing addition to our overall experience. 
The film about Yellowstone N.P took us soaring above the gorges and rafting the rivers of Yellowstone, making us feel that we were the great explorers and allowing us to experience the park from yet another angle. Well worth the time and money ($10 / ticket)

Our visit to Yellowstone N.P. was just a brief touch - having only 3 days is truly nothing for those who wish to experience more than just a few short stops at the famous spots or a glimpse from the window of a vehicle. A 3-day trip in the Yellowstone is an appetizer - those who visited will most likely want to return again.

Nel had been here several times and Judy and I happily accepted her design of the travel.

Day1:  Madison River Valley, Norris JTC, Mammoth Hot Springs, The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and back.
One could spend a week doing just this loop.

A twenty minute drive from West Yellowstone took us to the west gates of the park. 

The park fee is very reasonable - a  $25 for a vehicle for a week. And that includes Grand Tetons as well! 

The year was 2013 - for those who might happen to read this entry 100 years from now.

The road to Madison Junction (and everywhere else) was lined with Lodgepole Pine, (Pinus contorta). At first we hardly noticed but then it became obvious that this is the prominent tree of the park not only for 2013 but for years to come..

Lodgepole Pine can be found in most of western Canada and some of the western parts of US. It is that scraggly-looking cousin to the majestic Ponderosa Pine, Pinus ponderosa. 
The one being susceptible to Blue Fungus and Pine Beetle as all of us in BC know.

Lodgepole can grow up to about 20 meters high. It forms dense stands with branchless trunks and dense tops - this being an energy-saving design of the trees. What`s the point of building branches and needles in dark spaces where the sun does not shine? 
Only a solitary tree will have its branches placed all along the trunk
One thing about Lodgepole is, that it is vulnerable to fire,  that perhaps for a good reason too.
Vulnerable because its bark is thin and does not protect the tree. 
It is quite resinous and in a forest fire it will happily ignite.
Poor tree we say. 
The one who dies, yes, but during its lifetime it produced numerous cones. To protects the seeds within, the cones are tightly sealed with resin. And the only way to open them is to expose the resin to high temperatures.
Pop! The seeds come out!


The only creatures able to open these cones might be the bears - I am not sure about this one so better check it out.

After the forest fire the Lodgepole Pine seedlings start sprouting like crazy - and soon, (soon meaning several years), the area teems with green lodgepole seedlings.
Since the ground is so shaded by them nothing else can thrive there. And that is the advantage for the pine.

The seedlings also compete among themselves - survival of the fittest as they told us in school - and those who die create a litter of dry fuel for the fires to come. Fire means more seeds liberated from the cones
.
Survival of the individual means nothing in Nature - it is the survival of the species that matters..

Many of us remember the monstrous forest fire of 1988 that devastated Yellowstone N.P..
Today, 25 years later, the stands upon stands of the young pine bear witness to fire-popping cones. 

The following is a great presentation about the fire of 1988. 

Take a minute to take a look at The Story Behind .... It is great to see the events in retrospect.

By the way: 
The common name of this pine refers to its use. 
Native people used the pine poles to build their dwellings, be it tipis (or teepees or teepis) or lodges. 
So, I am sure, did the trappers and others who came later.

Thus Lodgepole Pine. Now we know!

There! 
And I started to write this entry with a bison story in my mind .... !