Morning in Mammoth Hot Springs
The last of the pictures from Yellowstone. Most of these are taken early in the morning at Mammoth Hot Springs.
Chittenden Loop Trail
On Sunday we drove to Tower Junction on the only road in Yellowstone that is open during the winter to do some cross country skiing on the 10 mile Chittenden Loop Trail.
Practically the whole way out on the loop was uphill. When we got to the top the map had indicated that the remaining terrain was steeper than what we experienced coming up.
About this time we were hanging out and a fairly serious looking skier was passing by. We decided to consult with him about the rest of the trail.
I asked him if the way back was steep. He asked us if our skis had metal edges and we said they didn’t. Regarding the way we were about to go his exact words were “I wouldn’t do it”.
I laughed at this nervously, alternating between thinking he might actually be right, we should turn around, and that he was just underestimating our abilities to navigate what lay ahead. It did turn out to be steeper than the way out, but it wasn’t a big deal.
Mammoth Hot Springs
The first evening we spent the remaining daylight walking around the boardwalks of the upper and lower terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs. Say Wikipedia
Mammoth is a large hill of travertine that has been created over thousands of years as hot water from the spring cooled and deposited calcium carbonate (over two tons flows into Mammoth each day in a solution). Although these springs lie outside the caldera boundary, their energy has been attributed to the same magmatic system that fuels other Yellowstone geothermal areas.
Driving Missoula to Yellowstone
When the weather is good the 4 hour drive from Missoula to Yellowstone is one of my favorite stretches of road. Here are some pictures from the drive. We just got back from a weekend trip to the northern part of Yellowstone.
The Good Old Boyz at the Town Pump in Black Mountain, NC
The Good Old Boyz are Woody Wood, Scott Sharpe, D.C. Jones, and Richard Foulk. If you are ever lucky enough to have them play in your neck of the woods go see some excellent live music.
East Coast Driving
This post is a small homage to the 24 hours round trip we NC Sulock’s spend in a car each Christmas driving from Asheville to New Jersey. To ignore it would be to ignore a significant part of my heritage.
Melt Banana at The Palace, Missoula 12-10-09
Last Thursday I saw Melt Banana play at The Palace. The Lion The Tamer and Deny the Dinosaur? opened. It was my first time at The Palace.
Multnomah and Wahkeenah Falls
On the way drive back to Missoula we stopped to walk a 5 mile loop at the highly recommended Multnomah Falls.
Northwest Jerk Fest 2009
Put on your skinny jeans because its time for Northwest Jerk Fest presented by Northwest Movement Magazine . These are all from the final round featuring Portland’s own Bedrock Boyz vs. The Rip City Jerks.
All you future jerkers out there can learn some new moves here.
Portland to Cannon Beach
On Saturday we drove to the coast. About an hour and a half drive from Portland.
Thanksgiving in Portland
Wednesday evening we drove 550 miles from Missoula to Portland to spend the holiday with Hilary’s friend Kathleen. We crammed a lot into a few days and Kathleen was gracious enough to be our local tour guide. These pictures are from Thanksgiving Day.
