On Tour in the USA

[diminished]

All,well,we found the Piasa bird anyway,but thanks Pensive Monkey.

After we'd been up the Arch in StL,we didnt hang around the town much.Persistence doesnt like driving in cities,and we didnt much fancy spending the night there.

Anyway,its late,and been a bit of a day.We're having an on-going fight with the car rental company at the moment,as they keep hitting Persistence's credit card for cash,despite the fact that we have multiple valid rental agreements and vouchers.

That,and we've picked up another ding in the windshield,its a big one this time,and its going to need professional attention.

Have a few pics of our time in Yellowstone tho.


By diminish3d, shot with DMC-TZ5 at 2009-07-17




By diminish3d, shot with DMC-TZ5 at 2009-07-17

Our little bear



And our surprise Bison

[xoxoxoBruce]

Nice shots, the ones on the Yellowstone river are especially clear.
I've seen a lot of bad shots of that river/valley, for some strange reason, people seem to have trouble with that.

[diminished]

Thanks Bruce,you didn't see how many I had to delete

For some reason,I'm absolutely awful at getting shots level,even with a guide on the display.I'm considering taping a spirit-level to the bottom of the camera I'm the most fallible component in the whole setup

I thoroughly recommend the Panasonic DMC-TZ5,its the best bit of kit we brought with us.

[monster]

Oh, we so need to go there. next year, maybe.

[diminished]

If you're after a cheaper tourist-free (Yellowstone rapidly fills up after about 10am,the Upper Geyser Basin containing Old Faithful is truly hellish by about 2pm) alternative,we're recommending the drive south from Hamilton MT to at least as far as Arco ID,along US-93.As you approach the Idaho border,the road rises along the Lewis and Clark trail,then descends into the Salmon river valley,through the Salmon-Challis National Forest.

The scenery is pretty spectacular,every turn in the road (and there are plenty) opens another page of picturebook perfect views.

Before you reach Arco,looking left (east) as you're heading south,you'll hopefully see a 21-mile long fault line,caused by an earthquake in 1984 (I think).

The valley flattens out a lot towards Arco,but its worth going on to that town to see the conning-tower of the SSN-666,a decomissioned attack sub,erected in the roadside park.(Also a memorial dedicated to US Submariners).

Also,just behind it,is the Arco 'Number Hill',succesive classes graduating from the local High School go up there and paint their year number onto the hillside.

Take the opportunity to eat an 'Atomic Burger' at Pickle's Place,just across the road from the park.My butt didn't stop glowing or emitting noxious gasses the rest of the day :P

If you've gone that far,its worth going on to Blackfoot to visit the Idaho Potato Museum,which is more fun than it sounds (and you get a free packet of dehydrated potato if you're from out of state).

Between Arco and Blackfoot,you'll find the World's First Nuclear Power Plant,the EBR-1,which is quite interesting (admission free,open between Memorial Day and Labor Day).In the car-park there,you'll find the engines from,and story of,the nuclear powered jet-bomber which the U.S proposed to build in the early 60's.

I like Idaho.Lots to see and do.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Yellowstone, and most everything else for that matter, is less crowded before Memorial Day and after Labor Day.

By the way, you have my permission to use my comments in the book and/or documentary.

[diminished]

I could write a book about the crowds in Yellowstone alone,but I want to make sure I'm in a country with no extradition treaty with the US first.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Bah, the more to upbraid them, the more copies they'll buy for their friends and neighbors... along with the videos of themselves on the TV show Cops.

[Pie]

Hey dim, if you'll link some of those pics in their larger resolution, I'd love to have them for desktops! Pretty please?

[ZenGum]

Awesome pictures, they make me want to go there.

And they make me want to swim in that lovely colourful mineral pool. I acknowledge this would probably be more stupid than hugging a polar bear, but I want to do that, too.

[diminished]

No problem Pie,which one(s) would you like?

[diminished]

Its bad form to reply to my own posts,I know,but well,some things are worth mentioning.

We visited the Big Dog B&B yesterday http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/385 . (Cottonwood,Idaho)

We thought it would be a simple 'stop and shoot' job,and then we'd move along.

Whilst I was sneaking about trying to line up a decent pic, the owner, Dennis, came across and had a bit of a chat with us. A bit of a chat turned into a major chin-wag and breeze-shoot, and we departed 3 hours later.

But what a pleasant, intelligent and wise guy he is. If you should ever be in the area, I'd definately encourage you to go and spend a bit of time chatting with the fella. I can honestly say, I've not met a person who is happier doing what they're doing. Our envy of his happiness was only tempered by the pleasure of his conversation, he's an absolute mine of information on every topic we broached with him, and surpassingly wise.

And we were even allowed inside the Big Dog for a look around.(Its a pretty damned nice place to stay in too, by the look of it.).He's planning to make 'The World's smallest Coffee-Pot Museum', and 'something involving a giant wooden toaster'.

As we were Brits, he asked us if we knew of the comedian/writer Dave Gorman, who had stayed there on a trip he'd taken across the 'States as the basis for a book he wrote. When we replied that we'd seen the documentary that resulted from that trip, we spent quite a while chatting about that too.

I cant recall spending such a pleasurable waste of time with someone I'd never met before. Here's to you, Dennis, may you continue those things you do for a long, long time.

Other highlights of the last couple of days included visiting a damned fine shoe-tree in the very northwest of Idaho (we left a hat there as we couldnt spare any shoes,we hurriedly scribbled cellar.org onto it before pinning it up), dancing with a dust-devil, and tonight we're staying in a motel hosting a Creationist Conference. Why is it that we can never find a 'Darwin Rules!' t-shirt when we need one? :p

Oh yes,I knew there was something else.I've recently been noticing that Motels have been cutting off my net access for the duration of my stay,as soon as I fire up my torrent client.Its damned frustrating!(But understandable I guess <grumble>)

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by diminished

Its bad form to reply to my own posts,I know,but well,some things are worth mentioning.

Just pretend you're replying to my post.

[diminished]

Thanks Bruce

It was on your recommendation we went there anyway

[diminished]

11.30pm,5 beers and I've went outside for a smoke.

Unsurprising,but then I witnessed some behaviour I just cant fathom.

There was a chap,about 20 yards or so away,acting very strangely.

He appeared to be trying to stamp at a bush,whilst using his mobile phone to attempt to record what he was trying to do.

He stamped 2-3 times,shouted 'Shoot' a couple of times,stooped to pickup a handful of dirt twice,threw them at whatever he was trying to stamp on,and then ran away and ducked behind some other bushes when he noticed I was watching him.

Now I'm thinking a couple of things.One of those is 'Meth-Just say No.'.

Thats probably my preferred option.

The other is that he was attempting to film himself stamping a snake to death,and possibly failing.

Either way,I wasn't going over to check to see if there was a pissed off,possibly hurt snake,or a meth-head hiding in those bushes.

I quietly finished up my cigarette and came back indoors.