Adventures in Yellowstone: Fall 2022
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After too-long of a pause, I am back with another installment.
When I left off, we had just arrived in Yellowstone. We had good weather for the first day or two and then the weather turned cold and wet. It remained that way for a few days and then was sunny and unseasonably warm.
I spent the first few days in Yellowstone recovering from getting to Yellowstone. During that time, my wife's nephew, wife, and baby son stopped by to say high. They had attended a wedding in Bozeman, MT and had decided to spend a few days in Yellowstone after the wedding. This worked out very well, as we don't get much of a chance to see them. It was the first time we had seen their son and really was a joy to see them.
We spent a few days of our trip driving around Yellowstone looking for wildlife. Most of those trips were spectacularly unsuccessful! It was so unseasonably warm during our trip that much of the wildlife was hunkered down deep in the trees. This was our first trip to Yellowstone in about 2 decades were we did not see any bears.
There just were not any opportunities to photograph wildlife, which is one of my passions. I wound up never even setting up for a wildlife picture.
We realized our time would be more productively spent wandering around the geyser basins and hiking on some backcountry trails, so that is what we did.
One day, we decided to park at the Old Faithful area and use my four wheel drive wheelchair to do a bit more adventurous tour of the Upper Geyser Basin than would be possible with a regular power wheelchair.
We made our way to Grotto and Riverside geysers, which were not near an eruption. We watched an eruption of Daisy geyser, which was spectacular. It is one of my favorite geysers.
We then made our way over a degraded boardwalk (with a downed tree blocking the path) to Punchbowl spring. I managed to get the four wheel drive wheelchair over the downed tree, but just barely.
After that, we left the boardwalk and travelled over a cinder path to Black Sands pool, which is famous for the amazing underground thumping that occurs as large steam bubbles are created and then collapse.
We stayed there for a bit listening to and feeling the thumping and then watching the mass of small bubbles make their way to the surface.
We then made our way over the cinder path to the Black Sands basin, where we saw some more of my favorite features. We watched Cliff geyser erupt and gazed up and down the length of Iron Springs creek. We saw several large and beautiful hot springs as well.
We then retraced our steps to make our way back to Daisy geyser. There, we took a left turn onto a cinder and dirt path that leads toward Biscuit basin. There are some "interesting" parts of the trail, from a wheelchair perspective, but we made it over those just fine.
My wife took a detour along a backcountry trail to Biscuit basin while I took the normal, shorter route. We met at biscuit basin and watched Jewel geyser erupt several times. We watched interesting and unusual behavior in some of the other thermal features. It was fascinating.
On our way out of Biscuit basin, we stopped and admired Sapphire pool, which has a deep blue color. It is one of the most beautiful (and hottest) hot springs in the park. We looked at numerous other thermal features along the way and generally had a great time.
We were then faced with a decision. I really wanted to go to the Artemisia geyser overlook. I had been there in a wheelchair several times before, so I knew just how adventurous the ride would be. We decided to do it and it turned into quite the adventure.
It is a pretty short ride, perhaps about a mile. The trail starts off soggy and soft. It then goes through a stretch with lots of tree roots and then a stretch with water bars across the trail.
It then becomes too steep for most wheelchairs and crosses small water channels that have been constructed across the trail. These are small, narrow ditches lined with logs. I made it over all that and we eventually reached the overlook that gave us a spectacular view of Artemisia geyser. It was not erupting and was not near erupting, but it still an absolutely beautiful thermal feature, even when not erupting.
After we had our fill of the beautiful view, we decided to continue going uphill a bit further to the high point of the trail, where we planed to turn around. We reached the high point, which represented our furthest distance from the car. At that point, we were probably about 3 to 4 miles away from the car.
There, I noticed one of my tires was flat! The Magic Mobility X4 four wheel drive wheelchair uses four small, pneumatic ATV tires. We hobbled our way back to the Artemesia overlook, which had a place where I could transfer out of the wheelchair and inspect things. I thought we might be able to put some air in the tire and make our way back to Biscuit basin, where there is a small parking lot.
I carry CO2 cartridges with an inflator as well as a bicycle pump and all the tools necessary to repair a flat on these adventures. But, I was in no condition to use them!
We tried putting air in the tire and quickly discovered the tube had a very large leak.
So, I very gingerly made my way back down the difficult trail with one of the four tires being flat. It was more of an adventure than anyone should undertake. We made it down, but I came very close to rolling the wheelchair several times. Only my wife's quick actions saved me from rolling it.
Once I was at the Biscuit basin parking lot, my wife hiked back to the Old Faithful area to get the wheelchair van. She drove it to the Biscuit basin parking lot and picked me up. Loading the wheelchair into the van with a flat tire was quite the challenge.
In the end, it was a wonderful adventure. We had a great time, nobody was injured, and the wheelchair was not irreparably damaged. But, it was one of the most challenging wheelchair rides I have done, and that is saying something!
Several days later we were able to repair the flat, finding the tube had two very large slices in it, probably from when I crossed some logs and pinched the tube. We were able to get the tube changed (I always carry a spare) and were able to use that wheelchair on several other outings on our trip.
Steve
When I left off, we had just arrived in Yellowstone. We had good weather for the first day or two and then the weather turned cold and wet. It remained that way for a few days and then was sunny and unseasonably warm.
I spent the first few days in Yellowstone recovering from getting to Yellowstone. During that time, my wife's nephew, wife, and baby son stopped by to say high. They had attended a wedding in Bozeman, MT and had decided to spend a few days in Yellowstone after the wedding. This worked out very well, as we don't get much of a chance to see them. It was the first time we had seen their son and really was a joy to see them.
We spent a few days of our trip driving around Yellowstone looking for wildlife. Most of those trips were spectacularly unsuccessful! It was so unseasonably warm during our trip that much of the wildlife was hunkered down deep in the trees. This was our first trip to Yellowstone in about 2 decades were we did not see any bears.
There just were not any opportunities to photograph wildlife, which is one of my passions. I wound up never even setting up for a wildlife picture.
We realized our time would be more productively spent wandering around the geyser basins and hiking on some backcountry trails, so that is what we did.
One day, we decided to park at the Old Faithful area and use my four wheel drive wheelchair to do a bit more adventurous tour of the Upper Geyser Basin than would be possible with a regular power wheelchair.
We made our way to Grotto and Riverside geysers, which were not near an eruption. We watched an eruption of Daisy geyser, which was spectacular. It is one of my favorite geysers.
We then made our way over a degraded boardwalk (with a downed tree blocking the path) to Punchbowl spring. I managed to get the four wheel drive wheelchair over the downed tree, but just barely.
After that, we left the boardwalk and travelled over a cinder path to Black Sands pool, which is famous for the amazing underground thumping that occurs as large steam bubbles are created and then collapse.
We stayed there for a bit listening to and feeling the thumping and then watching the mass of small bubbles make their way to the surface.
We then made our way over the cinder path to the Black Sands basin, where we saw some more of my favorite features. We watched Cliff geyser erupt and gazed up and down the length of Iron Springs creek. We saw several large and beautiful hot springs as well.
We then retraced our steps to make our way back to Daisy geyser. There, we took a left turn onto a cinder and dirt path that leads toward Biscuit basin. There are some "interesting" parts of the trail, from a wheelchair perspective, but we made it over those just fine.
My wife took a detour along a backcountry trail to Biscuit basin while I took the normal, shorter route. We met at biscuit basin and watched Jewel geyser erupt several times. We watched interesting and unusual behavior in some of the other thermal features. It was fascinating.
On our way out of Biscuit basin, we stopped and admired Sapphire pool, which has a deep blue color. It is one of the most beautiful (and hottest) hot springs in the park. We looked at numerous other thermal features along the way and generally had a great time.
We were then faced with a decision. I really wanted to go to the Artemisia geyser overlook. I had been there in a wheelchair several times before, so I knew just how adventurous the ride would be. We decided to do it and it turned into quite the adventure.
It is a pretty short ride, perhaps about a mile. The trail starts off soggy and soft. It then goes through a stretch with lots of tree roots and then a stretch with water bars across the trail.
It then becomes too steep for most wheelchairs and crosses small water channels that have been constructed across the trail. These are small, narrow ditches lined with logs. I made it over all that and we eventually reached the overlook that gave us a spectacular view of Artemisia geyser. It was not erupting and was not near erupting, but it still an absolutely beautiful thermal feature, even when not erupting.
After we had our fill of the beautiful view, we decided to continue going uphill a bit further to the high point of the trail, where we planed to turn around. We reached the high point, which represented our furthest distance from the car. At that point, we were probably about 3 to 4 miles away from the car.
There, I noticed one of my tires was flat! The Magic Mobility X4 four wheel drive wheelchair uses four small, pneumatic ATV tires. We hobbled our way back to the Artemesia overlook, which had a place where I could transfer out of the wheelchair and inspect things. I thought we might be able to put some air in the tire and make our way back to Biscuit basin, where there is a small parking lot.
I carry CO2 cartridges with an inflator as well as a bicycle pump and all the tools necessary to repair a flat on these adventures. But, I was in no condition to use them!
We tried putting air in the tire and quickly discovered the tube had a very large leak.
So, I very gingerly made my way back down the difficult trail with one of the four tires being flat. It was more of an adventure than anyone should undertake. We made it down, but I came very close to rolling the wheelchair several times. Only my wife's quick actions saved me from rolling it.
Once I was at the Biscuit basin parking lot, my wife hiked back to the Old Faithful area to get the wheelchair van. She drove it to the Biscuit basin parking lot and picked me up. Loading the wheelchair into the van with a flat tire was quite the challenge.
In the end, it was a wonderful adventure. We had a great time, nobody was injured, and the wheelchair was not irreparably damaged. But, it was one of the most challenging wheelchair rides I have done, and that is saying something!
Several days later we were able to repair the flat, finding the tube had two very large slices in it, probably from when I crossed some logs and pinched the tube. We were able to get the tube changed (I always carry a spare) and were able to use that wheelchair on several other outings on our trip.
Steve
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I just can't imagine staying so calm through some of the challenges that happen on your adventures.
I love how you manage to turn every single one into something positive, still get the most out of every moment, then write a gripping story about it afterwards.
This should all go into a book!
I love how you manage to turn every single one into something positive, still get the most out of every moment, then write a gripping story about it afterwards.
This should all go into a book!
swalker
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The ride I described in my previous post really was an adventure. It is my nature to be prepared, and that is why I had everything with me to fix a flat. Before diagnosis, I was an avid cyclist. I learned early on to always be prepared to fix a flat or do a repair. I carried that lesson over to riding in wheelchairs
I now have five wheelchairs. Each has a pack on the back equipped with all tools (screwdrivers, allen wrenches, socket set, tire irons, etc.) necessary to completely tear down and rebuild the wheelchair. While I am not able to use those tools to their full effect, where I typically ride It is common to have someone come along who can do the work for me.
Unfortunately, when we had the flat, we had several things working against us. It was late enough in the day that there were no other hikers on the trail. Second, the place where I could transfer out of the wheelchair was covered in a very fine volcanic cinder. It would not have been practical to repair the flat there, because getting that cinder in the wheel would have led to another flat. And, finally, I was pretty well spent by then. I needed to get to a place where I could sit in a supportive seat. Fixing the flat while I was sitting in the wheelchair would not have been practical.
We had other great wheelchair rides in Yellowstone. I love riding my wheelchairs along the boardwalks, especially of the Upper Geyser basin. This is the area where the famous Old Faithful geyser is located. There are many other geysers, some of which are more frequent than Old Faithful and some of which are far larger than Old Faithful.
We spent countless hours on the boardwalks. On a typical trip, I usually put in around 100 miles a week on those boardwalks. My wife rides her bike on an asphalt path that parallels the boardwalk for much of that but still gets plenty of exercise.
When I am on the boardwalks, I usually use my Permobil F5 wheelchair, which is a wonderful and very capable chair. We try to make sure it is fully charged at the beginning of each day, though, sometimes that is hard to do. We stay at a campground in Old Faithful that does not have electrical hookups at the campsites. Fortunately, there is a power outlet near the front office that they have allowed us to use. They do a good job of reserving a parking spot for us next to the outlet, but occasionally, it is not available to us.
Here are a few photos of geysers we saw on this trip.
Riverside Geyser. This one of the park's major geysers. It erupts at an angle over the Firehole river. It is a beautiful geyser to watch, especially later in the day when we sometimes see a rainbow. This picture has a slight rainbow, but we have seen much better on other trips.
Grand Geyser. This is the largest, predictable geyser in the world. There are larger geysers, such as Giant, Giantess, and Steamboat, but none of those are predictable. Grand geyser is truly spectacular and I have had the opportunity to watch it many times. It typically erupts every 6 to 9 hours, but it can go as long as 14 hours between eruptions.
Old Faithful Geyser. This is one of the most famous geysers in the world. I like to watch it from across the Firehole river near the Anemone geysers (there are two, which are in the foreground of this picture).
Steve
I now have five wheelchairs. Each has a pack on the back equipped with all tools (screwdrivers, allen wrenches, socket set, tire irons, etc.) necessary to completely tear down and rebuild the wheelchair. While I am not able to use those tools to their full effect, where I typically ride It is common to have someone come along who can do the work for me.
Unfortunately, when we had the flat, we had several things working against us. It was late enough in the day that there were no other hikers on the trail. Second, the place where I could transfer out of the wheelchair was covered in a very fine volcanic cinder. It would not have been practical to repair the flat there, because getting that cinder in the wheel would have led to another flat. And, finally, I was pretty well spent by then. I needed to get to a place where I could sit in a supportive seat. Fixing the flat while I was sitting in the wheelchair would not have been practical.
We had other great wheelchair rides in Yellowstone. I love riding my wheelchairs along the boardwalks, especially of the Upper Geyser basin. This is the area where the famous Old Faithful geyser is located. There are many other geysers, some of which are more frequent than Old Faithful and some of which are far larger than Old Faithful.
We spent countless hours on the boardwalks. On a typical trip, I usually put in around 100 miles a week on those boardwalks. My wife rides her bike on an asphalt path that parallels the boardwalk for much of that but still gets plenty of exercise.
When I am on the boardwalks, I usually use my Permobil F5 wheelchair, which is a wonderful and very capable chair. We try to make sure it is fully charged at the beginning of each day, though, sometimes that is hard to do. We stay at a campground in Old Faithful that does not have electrical hookups at the campsites. Fortunately, there is a power outlet near the front office that they have allowed us to use. They do a good job of reserving a parking spot for us next to the outlet, but occasionally, it is not available to us.
Here are a few photos of geysers we saw on this trip.
Riverside Geyser. This one of the park's major geysers. It erupts at an angle over the Firehole river. It is a beautiful geyser to watch, especially later in the day when we sometimes see a rainbow. This picture has a slight rainbow, but we have seen much better on other trips.
Grand Geyser. This is the largest, predictable geyser in the world. There are larger geysers, such as Giant, Giantess, and Steamboat, but none of those are predictable. Grand geyser is truly spectacular and I have had the opportunity to watch it many times. It typically erupts every 6 to 9 hours, but it can go as long as 14 hours between eruptions.
Old Faithful Geyser. This is one of the most famous geysers in the world. I like to watch it from across the Firehole river near the Anemone geysers (there are two, which are in the foreground of this picture).
Steve
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Kevin, it might be awhile before we are rolling in the motorhome again. We found out on Friday that our motorhome was hit by another vehicle, causing some damage that will need to be fixed before we can use it again.
We don't know how extensive the damage is. The impact appears to have been to the rear fairing of the main awning on the passenger side. It was powerful enough that it shifted the awning forward 5 or 6 inches and destroyed the rear fairing. The front door now appears to be out of alignment, meaning that there is a possibility the structure of the motorhome was damaged.
Our motorhome was in the shop to have final outstanding issue from the engine rebuild addressed. They had finished the work and moved the motorhome from the work bay to their parking lot. It was apparently hit by some unknown vehicle. There is apparently no video from security cameras of the incident.
We have contacted a body shop and they said it will be at least 2 months before they can start working on it.
It always seems to be something!
Steve
We don't know how extensive the damage is. The impact appears to have been to the rear fairing of the main awning on the passenger side. It was powerful enough that it shifted the awning forward 5 or 6 inches and destroyed the rear fairing. The front door now appears to be out of alignment, meaning that there is a possibility the structure of the motorhome was damaged.
Our motorhome was in the shop to have final outstanding issue from the engine rebuild addressed. They had finished the work and moved the motorhome from the work bay to their parking lot. It was apparently hit by some unknown vehicle. There is apparently no video from security cameras of the incident.
We have contacted a body shop and they said it will be at least 2 months before they can start working on it.
It always seems to be something!
Steve
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Tillie, it is just another bump in the road. I think being a PALS has given me a bit of perspective on what really matters.
Years ago, I would have been fuming over this and lost a bit of sleep. Now, my attitude is "what ever". It is insured and will eventually get fixed. I regret the inconvenience, but just can't get that worked up about it.
Having a motorhome down for a few months is not that big of a deal compared to having a motor neuron disease!
Steve
Years ago, I would have been fuming over this and lost a bit of sleep. Now, my attitude is "what ever". It is insured and will eventually get fixed. I regret the inconvenience, but just can't get that worked up about it.
Having a motorhome down for a few months is not that big of a deal compared to having a motor neuron disease!
Steve
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Steve on the one hand I'm with out totally, on the other hand I'm like - but this man deserves every day he can have of adventures in that motorhome!
Of course, that is an initial reaction, but the deeper response is exactly what you said.
It's still a bit unbelievable that they just finished the work and bam ... crazy world we live in for sure.
Seriously your book would be a best seller - especially released a short stories with people left waiting to hear how he gets out of the next weird turn in adventures.
I know, you have enough living the adventure, wow you have one amazing life when you stop and think for a moment.
Of course, that is an initial reaction, but the deeper response is exactly what you said.
It's still a bit unbelievable that they just finished the work and bam ... crazy world we live in for sure.
Seriously your book would be a best seller - especially released a short stories with people left waiting to hear how he gets out of the next weird turn in adventures.
I know, you have enough living the adventure, wow you have one amazing life when you stop and think for a moment.
swalker
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I will resume my efforts to describe a few of our activities in Yellowstone. In this installment, I will describe a couple of episodes of watching Beehive geyser, which is one of my favorites.
Beehive is a massive cone geyser, meaning that it erupts from a cone with a relatively narrow opening. This causes the eruption to jet more upwards than would be the case with a fountain geyser, which erupts from a more open pool.
Beehive is one of the world's major geysers. It is taller than Old Faithful (which is also a cone geyser), but currently only erupts about once a day. The boardwalk goes much, much closer to Beehive (about 15 meters) than to Old Faithful (where the boardwalk is a at least a three hundred meters away). Because of this, viewing Beehive from the boardwalk is a pretty spectacular experience. The roar it makes sounds much like a jet engine.
Another interesting aspect of Beehive geyser is that when an eruption is imminent, a much smaller, indicator geyser will erupt. This smaller geyser, named Beehive's Indicator, typically erupts 10 to 20 minutes before the main Beehive geyser erupts. Because I use a wheelchair, it is usually pretty easy for me to get from any place in the Upper Geyser Basin to the boardwalk by Beehive in less than 10 minutes. So, if I am aware that the Beehive's indicator has started erupting, I can usually make it to Beehive with time to spare.
There are quite a few serious geyser watchers that use radios to communicate various information about geysers. This includes when Beehive's Indicator starts erupting. As soon as I hear the call for Beehive's indicator over the radio, I can start making my way to Beehive with reasonable assurance I will arrive in time to see Beehive erupt. If there is a buffalo blocking the path, all bets are off, as those are very large and unpredictable creatures. If they are anywhere near the boardwalk, I have to stop and wait or find a different route to my objective.
One day on this trip, my wife and I were in the Upper Geyser Basin and heard over the radio that Beehive's Indicator had started erupting. I immediately abandoned my wife and started racing toward Beehive geyser. When I arrived, a crowd was already starting to gather. The winds were variable and strong enough to blow the eruption's plume in the direction of the boardwalk. Given that the boardwalk is so close to Beehive, it is important to watch it from the upwind side. One way to determine the wind directions higher up is to look at the flags flying on flag poles mounted on top of the Old Faithful Inn. We have a great view of that historic in from the boardwalk by Beehive geyser.
I looked at the flags and noted the direction they were blowing. I positioned myself accordingly and waited patiently in the crowd for Beehive to erupt. A tourist asked why I was positioned where I was and I explained to her that I wanted to avoid the plume getting my wheelchair wet so was monitoring the flags on top of the Old Faithful in. I looked up to show her the flags and noticed the wind had changed and I was sitting right where the plume was likely to go. Right then, she said "oh look, it is erupting". Rats. Beehive erupted and the plume headed straight for us. I turned the wheelchair around and tried to flee through the crowd of people on the narrow boardwalk watching the Beehive eruption. The wheelchair and I got pretty wet while doing that. I eventually made my way to a 90 degree turn in the boardwalk and was able to escape the plume.
By the time all this happened, my wife had made it to Beehive geyser and got to witness my foolishness first hand!
The water in a geyser's plume is loaded with silica. When this is deposited on a surface, it forms siliceous sinter, which can be very bad for wheelchair electronics (it has ruined a module in one of my wheelchairs before). Fortunately, I had covered the wheelchair's joystick with a gallon-sized ziplock bag, so no damage was done to the wheelchair.
The parts of the eruption I saw were really spectacular!
On another day, we were once again in the Upper Geyser Basin and heard the call over the radio for the start of Beehive's Indicator. Once again, my wife and I made our way to the boardwalk by Beehive Geyser. This time, I successfully picked the upwind side of the boardwalk to view the geyser. I was able to get a few shots of Beehive's Indicator and then Beehive geyser as they erupted. Here are some pictures to show you what it was like.
Beehive's Indicator. This small geyser is located adjacent to the large cone for the main Beehive Geyser. It is a beautiful geyser all by itself, but it is especially exciting to watch because it usually indicates an eruption of the full Beehive geyser is iminent.
Beehive Geyser. This is one of the major geysers of the world and is a spectacular geyser to watch.
Steve
Beehive is a massive cone geyser, meaning that it erupts from a cone with a relatively narrow opening. This causes the eruption to jet more upwards than would be the case with a fountain geyser, which erupts from a more open pool.
Beehive is one of the world's major geysers. It is taller than Old Faithful (which is also a cone geyser), but currently only erupts about once a day. The boardwalk goes much, much closer to Beehive (about 15 meters) than to Old Faithful (where the boardwalk is a at least a three hundred meters away). Because of this, viewing Beehive from the boardwalk is a pretty spectacular experience. The roar it makes sounds much like a jet engine.
Another interesting aspect of Beehive geyser is that when an eruption is imminent, a much smaller, indicator geyser will erupt. This smaller geyser, named Beehive's Indicator, typically erupts 10 to 20 minutes before the main Beehive geyser erupts. Because I use a wheelchair, it is usually pretty easy for me to get from any place in the Upper Geyser Basin to the boardwalk by Beehive in less than 10 minutes. So, if I am aware that the Beehive's indicator has started erupting, I can usually make it to Beehive with time to spare.
There are quite a few serious geyser watchers that use radios to communicate various information about geysers. This includes when Beehive's Indicator starts erupting. As soon as I hear the call for Beehive's indicator over the radio, I can start making my way to Beehive with reasonable assurance I will arrive in time to see Beehive erupt. If there is a buffalo blocking the path, all bets are off, as those are very large and unpredictable creatures. If they are anywhere near the boardwalk, I have to stop and wait or find a different route to my objective.
One day on this trip, my wife and I were in the Upper Geyser Basin and heard over the radio that Beehive's Indicator had started erupting. I immediately abandoned my wife and started racing toward Beehive geyser. When I arrived, a crowd was already starting to gather. The winds were variable and strong enough to blow the eruption's plume in the direction of the boardwalk. Given that the boardwalk is so close to Beehive, it is important to watch it from the upwind side. One way to determine the wind directions higher up is to look at the flags flying on flag poles mounted on top of the Old Faithful Inn. We have a great view of that historic in from the boardwalk by Beehive geyser.
I looked at the flags and noted the direction they were blowing. I positioned myself accordingly and waited patiently in the crowd for Beehive to erupt. A tourist asked why I was positioned where I was and I explained to her that I wanted to avoid the plume getting my wheelchair wet so was monitoring the flags on top of the Old Faithful in. I looked up to show her the flags and noticed the wind had changed and I was sitting right where the plume was likely to go. Right then, she said "oh look, it is erupting". Rats. Beehive erupted and the plume headed straight for us. I turned the wheelchair around and tried to flee through the crowd of people on the narrow boardwalk watching the Beehive eruption. The wheelchair and I got pretty wet while doing that. I eventually made my way to a 90 degree turn in the boardwalk and was able to escape the plume.
By the time all this happened, my wife had made it to Beehive geyser and got to witness my foolishness first hand!
The water in a geyser's plume is loaded with silica. When this is deposited on a surface, it forms siliceous sinter, which can be very bad for wheelchair electronics (it has ruined a module in one of my wheelchairs before). Fortunately, I had covered the wheelchair's joystick with a gallon-sized ziplock bag, so no damage was done to the wheelchair.
The parts of the eruption I saw were really spectacular!
On another day, we were once again in the Upper Geyser Basin and heard the call over the radio for the start of Beehive's Indicator. Once again, my wife and I made our way to the boardwalk by Beehive Geyser. This time, I successfully picked the upwind side of the boardwalk to view the geyser. I was able to get a few shots of Beehive's Indicator and then Beehive geyser as they erupted. Here are some pictures to show you what it was like.
Beehive's Indicator. This small geyser is located adjacent to the large cone for the main Beehive Geyser. It is a beautiful geyser all by itself, but it is especially exciting to watch because it usually indicates an eruption of the full Beehive geyser is iminent.
Beehive Geyser. This is one of the major geysers of the world and is a spectacular geyser to watch.
Steve
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Toward the end of our trip we decided to fit in two wheelchair rides I really wanted to do. The first was the western part of the Mary Mountain trail and the second was the ride to Lone Star geyser.
The weather was quite good and we decided to do both rides in the same day. First, we did the Mary Mountain trail. This is a trail that is frequently closed while we are there due to grizzly bear activity. We can take the four wheel drive wheelchair out about 2.5 miles to where there is a broken down bridge across Nez Perce creek. We turn around at that point and retrace our route back to the car.
The trail was open and the very small parking lot was essentially full. We squeezed the wheelchair van into the only potential remaining spot and got me unloaded. The trail starts at the Porcupine Hills and wanders along the Nez Perce creek. In doing so, it passes some small but very beautiful thermal features. We had a delightful time and did not come across any major obstructions. I have done this trail a few times in a wheelchair and have been blocked by downed trees before. We had a delightful trip.
Bikes are not allowed on that trail, so my wife hiked along with me.
After finishing that trip, we headed to the trailhead for the Lone Star geyser. The trail follows an old road for about 3 miles out to the geyser. My wife rode her bike for that part (bikes are prohibited past Lone Star geyser). The geyser was not near erupting, so we continued on past it. Shortly after Lone Star geyser, the trail joins up with the trail to Shoshone lake. We followed that trail as far as we could, quite a bit further than I have ever been on it in a wheelchair.
We crossed the firehole river on a very nice bridge and passed a backcountry campsite. We eventually came across a very narrow stretch of the trail where I normally turn around. Conditions seemed good, so I tried to make it through the obstruction. It was a bit harrowing, but I made it, so we continued on our journey. It was really great to be on a part of the trail I had last hiked on about a decade earlier.
We enjoyed the experience very much. We eventually reached a bridge over a swampy area. The bridge had steps in it that were too high for the wheelchair, so we turned around and made our way back. When we arrived once again at Lone Star geyser, we were disappointed that it did not appear to be ready for an eruption. We looked at it wistfully for a few minutes and continued on. Just as we were about past it, it started a major eruption.
The eruption was spectacular and we were very pleased to have been there for it. We were the only ones to witness that eruption, which happened as the sun was getting low in the sky. It was fantastic.
We made our way back to the van and got me loaded. We headed back to camp after a wonderful day in the park.
Here are a few pictures.
View of the Nez Perce creek from the Mary Mountain trail:
A self portrait on the Mary Mountain trail.
My wife, Lori, watching Lone Star geyser erupting.
Steve
The weather was quite good and we decided to do both rides in the same day. First, we did the Mary Mountain trail. This is a trail that is frequently closed while we are there due to grizzly bear activity. We can take the four wheel drive wheelchair out about 2.5 miles to where there is a broken down bridge across Nez Perce creek. We turn around at that point and retrace our route back to the car.
The trail was open and the very small parking lot was essentially full. We squeezed the wheelchair van into the only potential remaining spot and got me unloaded. The trail starts at the Porcupine Hills and wanders along the Nez Perce creek. In doing so, it passes some small but very beautiful thermal features. We had a delightful time and did not come across any major obstructions. I have done this trail a few times in a wheelchair and have been blocked by downed trees before. We had a delightful trip.
Bikes are not allowed on that trail, so my wife hiked along with me.
After finishing that trip, we headed to the trailhead for the Lone Star geyser. The trail follows an old road for about 3 miles out to the geyser. My wife rode her bike for that part (bikes are prohibited past Lone Star geyser). The geyser was not near erupting, so we continued on past it. Shortly after Lone Star geyser, the trail joins up with the trail to Shoshone lake. We followed that trail as far as we could, quite a bit further than I have ever been on it in a wheelchair.
We crossed the firehole river on a very nice bridge and passed a backcountry campsite. We eventually came across a very narrow stretch of the trail where I normally turn around. Conditions seemed good, so I tried to make it through the obstruction. It was a bit harrowing, but I made it, so we continued on our journey. It was really great to be on a part of the trail I had last hiked on about a decade earlier.
We enjoyed the experience very much. We eventually reached a bridge over a swampy area. The bridge had steps in it that were too high for the wheelchair, so we turned around and made our way back. When we arrived once again at Lone Star geyser, we were disappointed that it did not appear to be ready for an eruption. We looked at it wistfully for a few minutes and continued on. Just as we were about past it, it started a major eruption.
The eruption was spectacular and we were very pleased to have been there for it. We were the only ones to witness that eruption, which happened as the sun was getting low in the sky. It was fantastic.
We made our way back to the van and got me loaded. We headed back to camp after a wonderful day in the park.
Here are a few pictures.
View of the Nez Perce creek from the Mary Mountain trail:
A self portrait on the Mary Mountain trail.
My wife, Lori, watching Lone Star geyser erupting.
Steve
swalker
Very helpful member
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2014
- Messages
- 1,579
- Reason
- DX MND
- Diagnosis
- 07/2014
- Country
- US
- State
- CO
- City
- Vail
Despite all the difficulties with the motorhome during the first part of our trip, we really did have a wonderful trip to the Tetons and Yellowstone.
We spent our last day in Yellowstone on the boardwalks in the Upper Geyser basin, where Old Faithful is located. It was a wonderful day. The temperatures were a bit chilly, but quite moderate for that time of year.
I will admit to having a bit of apprehension on our last day as I contemplated driving our broken motorhome back to Colorado. In summary, we had an oil leak, a coolant leak, a turbo boost problem, a check engine light, and, perhaps most significantly, no engine exhaust brake (jake brake).
In spite of that apprehension, our last day was really wonderful. We were able to watch some of our favorite geysers erupt and finished off the day with a very nice sunset.
We made our way back to camp and my wife did all the hard work of preparing the motorhome for the trip. That involved packing and organizing a surprising amount of stuff. Needless to say, we could not pack my medical equipment until the next morning.
The next morning we woke up to beautiful weather. We finished all our preparations for the trip and departed for home. We would be crossing the continental divide 3 times that day and I was still a bit concerned about the absence of an engine exhaust brake.
It turned out the drive was uneventful except for one unanticipated episode. We negotiated the continental divide crossings with lots of caution, but without any issues. South of Jackson, Wyoming, we came across some more road construction. This construction had a very narrow section with the narrowest one-lane bridge I could imagine. There were no warnings about width restrictions that we saw, but our motorhome only made it through with (literally) a few inches of clearance on either side.
My wife, who was following in the wheelchair van said that she was both impressed with my driving and very scared at the same time.
We arrived at Rock Springs, Wyoming, where we spent the night at a Kampgrounds Of America (KOA) RV park. We spent a pleasant night there and the next morning headed out for the final leg of our trip, which would involve two continental divide crossings and probably the two worst descents.
We made it over the continental divide crossings without issue. We drove through Craig, Colorado and then Steamboat Springs, Colorado. It is a beautiful drive.
Once we were south of Steamboat Springs, my wife radioed me to report that there seemed to be some fluid coming from the back of the motorhome. There was no place to pull over and since all temperatures and pressures were fine, I continued on.
The stretch from Steamboat Springs to Interstate 70 is a narrow, winding two-lane road with no opportunities to pull over. Since my gauges were reading fine, we continued on for another 70 miles or so. The only thing I noticed was the were "using" more fuel.
Once we made it to Interstate 70, we made the turn for home and drove the final 26 miles to our house. There we parked the motorhome and I had my first chance to checkout the back. The entire rear end was absolutely covered in unburned diesel fuel.
We had already made an appointment to drop the motorhome off in Grand Junction 150 miles away to have the other items looked at, so we added diesel leaking/spewing to the list.
Arriving home should have been the start of a period of recovery for me, but it was not to be. That night, it was well below freezing and we discovered the heat in the house was not working. We were able to set up some electric heaters we keep for such situations and to get a heating guy out the next day. He was rapidly able to confirm my diagnosis and install a spare part I keep on hand (living in the mountains, I have learned to keep a pretty good supply of spare parts for critical equipment).
The next day, we discovered that while the heat was working, the zone control valve that controlled heat to the bedroom I sleep in had also failed. We were able to get that replaced with a spare that I had.
That night, my wife discovered the washing machine had broken.
That is enough for now, I plan to write one more installment of this saga to share with you the resolution of the motorhome issues.
Steve
We spent our last day in Yellowstone on the boardwalks in the Upper Geyser basin, where Old Faithful is located. It was a wonderful day. The temperatures were a bit chilly, but quite moderate for that time of year.
I will admit to having a bit of apprehension on our last day as I contemplated driving our broken motorhome back to Colorado. In summary, we had an oil leak, a coolant leak, a turbo boost problem, a check engine light, and, perhaps most significantly, no engine exhaust brake (jake brake).
In spite of that apprehension, our last day was really wonderful. We were able to watch some of our favorite geysers erupt and finished off the day with a very nice sunset.
We made our way back to camp and my wife did all the hard work of preparing the motorhome for the trip. That involved packing and organizing a surprising amount of stuff. Needless to say, we could not pack my medical equipment until the next morning.
The next morning we woke up to beautiful weather. We finished all our preparations for the trip and departed for home. We would be crossing the continental divide 3 times that day and I was still a bit concerned about the absence of an engine exhaust brake.
It turned out the drive was uneventful except for one unanticipated episode. We negotiated the continental divide crossings with lots of caution, but without any issues. South of Jackson, Wyoming, we came across some more road construction. This construction had a very narrow section with the narrowest one-lane bridge I could imagine. There were no warnings about width restrictions that we saw, but our motorhome only made it through with (literally) a few inches of clearance on either side.
My wife, who was following in the wheelchair van said that she was both impressed with my driving and very scared at the same time.
We arrived at Rock Springs, Wyoming, where we spent the night at a Kampgrounds Of America (KOA) RV park. We spent a pleasant night there and the next morning headed out for the final leg of our trip, which would involve two continental divide crossings and probably the two worst descents.
We made it over the continental divide crossings without issue. We drove through Craig, Colorado and then Steamboat Springs, Colorado. It is a beautiful drive.
Once we were south of Steamboat Springs, my wife radioed me to report that there seemed to be some fluid coming from the back of the motorhome. There was no place to pull over and since all temperatures and pressures were fine, I continued on.
The stretch from Steamboat Springs to Interstate 70 is a narrow, winding two-lane road with no opportunities to pull over. Since my gauges were reading fine, we continued on for another 70 miles or so. The only thing I noticed was the were "using" more fuel.
Once we made it to Interstate 70, we made the turn for home and drove the final 26 miles to our house. There we parked the motorhome and I had my first chance to checkout the back. The entire rear end was absolutely covered in unburned diesel fuel.
We had already made an appointment to drop the motorhome off in Grand Junction 150 miles away to have the other items looked at, so we added diesel leaking/spewing to the list.
Arriving home should have been the start of a period of recovery for me, but it was not to be. That night, it was well below freezing and we discovered the heat in the house was not working. We were able to set up some electric heaters we keep for such situations and to get a heating guy out the next day. He was rapidly able to confirm my diagnosis and install a spare part I keep on hand (living in the mountains, I have learned to keep a pretty good supply of spare parts for critical equipment).
The next day, we discovered that while the heat was working, the zone control valve that controlled heat to the bedroom I sleep in had also failed. We were able to get that replaced with a spare that I had.
That night, my wife discovered the washing machine had broken.
That is enough for now, I plan to write one more installment of this saga to share with you the resolution of the motorhome issues.
Steve
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