I suppose I'm not obligated to update within any particular window of time, but I still feel a little guilty about not finding a computer anytime in the last week. I have done a lot of stuff in the past 6 days, and I'll try to tell you about it without droning on and on with an unending list of hard-to-describe experiences. OK? OK.
So, I meant to head straight to Yellowstone from Dubois, but I found myself more than a little intrigued by the Tetons, so I stopped for one night at Grand Teton National Park. The Tetons, now those are real mountains. Huge and rocky and imposing, with slithers of ice and snow in their crevasses. I met a little boy in the visitor center. "Excuse me!" he said urgently. He grabbed my hand and pulled me to a display with different kinds of rocks. "Look at all of these rocks!" I asked him where rocks come from and we talked about erosion and how it left on the the rocky granite spires of the Tetons. Then he showed me the seismometer and we jumped up and down and made mini earthquakes. That kind of thing happens to me a lot, though I'm not sure why. I do enjoy chatting with kids much more than with adults.
At Grand Teton I camped next to the lake, took a ferry across, and went on a spectacular hike. The next morning I drove to Yellowstone, which was becatiful and amazing and would have been a much more personal experience if I hadn't had to share it with thousands of other people. Yellowstone is truly the Disneyland of National Parks, with hundreds waiting to see Old Faithful, throwing trash, and clogging the highways. I saw a fair amount of wildlife. I didn't have to look for any of it, I just stopped wherever there was a huge traffic jam and a busload of retirees with cameras and binoculars. Unfortunately, I didn't actually get to witness any buffalo gorings. (Buffalo actually injure many more people than bears.) Ah, well.
On the road to Helena my right windshield wiper grew slower and slower until it interlaced itself with the left wiper into an ineffective, struggling X. I got out of the car to untangle the wipers, in the pouring rain, cursing myself for being like 4 feet tall. The problem was only a loose bolt, which was easy enough to fix (though I would have preferred doing so in the sun and with a step stool). Hopefully this will be my only car problem, and not a recurring one.
I drove through Glacier National Park, truly the most beautiful place I've ever been, and I think I'm pretty well-traveled. It was so beautiful it made me want to cry. I can't express this well, so you'll have to take my word for it. Just trust me– breathtaking. It snowed as I crossed the continental divide– and hard! It was the funny springtime pseudo-hail that comes when snow has melted and frozen again, but it was still quite cold out. I think the Florida tourists with their shorts and Tevas were a bit bewildered by it.
I stayed for one night at a fantastic hostel outside of Glacier called North Fork Hostel and Squarepeg Ranch. It's in a "town" called Polebridge, where there is no running water or sewage system. The hostel had gas and kerosene lights and outhouses outside. it was decorated everywhere, floor to ceiling, with mementos, posters, postcards, etc. There were only 3 guests, including me, but it was great. I would absolutely go back.
I didn't, however, stay at the hostel for a second night; it was just too far outside the park. I camped inside the park in a nice light but unceasing rain. My rainfly did its job, though. The secret is in staking it separately from the tent and as tightly as possible, in case you're wondering.
So, now I'm in Calgary. I got supremely lost trying to get to the hostel. Well, not lost– I knew where I was, I just couldn't find my way through the one way and dead end streets. For all of that, Calgary is just not that interesting. I walked around downtown, and at 5:00 shops were already starting to close. As unmanageable as downtown is in a car, it's not really good for pedestrians, either. This is my last big city experience for the trip, and probably for quite a long time after. I feel OK about that.
Good Lord, I've written a book. I did exactly what I said I wasn't going to do. Tomorrow, Banff and Jasper National Parks, then on to the Alcan. I'm halfway through the trip– amazing!
