Jasperites Visits Western National Parks
Piedmont Academy family and friends spent six days touring the country’s western national parks the week of June 12-18 with 42 travelers, tour guide, Pauline Standish with Explorica Educational Travel, and the group’s motor coach driver, Julio Landeros with Arrow Stage Lines.
After arriving in Billings, Montana, the group rode in the motor coach through Custer National Forest, Montana, via the Beartooth By-way.
The park is located on the northeastern gateway to Yellowstone National Park encompassing spectacular terrain and an abundance of wildlife. They reached the top of the Beartooth Mountain with an elevation of 10,900 feet and encountered snow and freezing rain. The group was amazed at the lake glaciers and snow blankets in mid-June.
Once they arrived in Yellowstone, they covered the south loop of the park, touring the areas of Tower Fall, Lamar Valley, Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, Hayden Valley, Fishing Bridge and Yellowstone Lake (North America’s largest high-altitude lake).
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That evening, when the group checked into the park’s Canyon Lodge cabins, the clerk at the front desk warned the members of a grizzly bear sighting near the cabins. Suffering from jet lag and a busy travel day, the statement didn’t totally register with the group until the next morning when they noticed fresh evidence and bear tracks outside one of their cabins!
The second day began with touring West Thumb, Old Faithful, Madison, Norris and Mammoth Hot Springs. The group experienced such sights as rapidly flowing rivers and creeks, geysers, mud pots, travertine, geyser basins, hot springs, hot pools, and other hydrothermal features.
Animals seen along the way included bison, pronghorn, elk, moose, bald eagle, an osprey’s nest with a chick peeping over the nest branches, squirrels, ravens, ducks, and other varieties of birds and small animals.
Departing Yellowstone, the group traveled south through the breath-taking Teton Mountains in northwest Wyoming. The range has a tall peak of 13,770 feet that overlooks pristine lakes, dense forest, and vegetation. The 55 mile long range is abounding in bears, rabbits, hoofed animals, birds, and freshwater fish.
The third day was a travel day to Salt Lake City, Utah. The city was founded in 1847 by Brigham Young and the the headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Religious leader and founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, Joseph Smith, Jr. published the Book of Mormon at the age of 24. He spent the next 14 years attracting thousands of followers, established cities and temples, and created a lasting religious culture.
The group toured the lavish gardens and the temple square. Mormons believe in the Old and New Testament of the Bible and the Book of Mormon. Some still practice polygamy in the fundamentalist section of the religion.
The resting point for the travel day was Kanab, Utah. The group had dinner at the Chuckwagon Cookout restaurant. There, the group learned the history of Kanab and it is known as “Little Hollywood Land.”
Several western movies and television shows have been filmed in Kanab. Some include the Lone Ranger, Billy the Kid, Buffalo Bill, Planet of the Apes, Outlaw Josie Wales, Exorcist II, and the Six Million Dollar Man. Movie sets surrounded the area and there was also a museum. Plaques with pictures of the movie stars and the production they were involved in dot the sidewalks along the town.
Prior to the meal or “grub,” restaurant manager, “Cowboy Tony,” called on the tour members to cast in an episode of their own authentic western movie. The set included a saloon, covered wagon, livery stable and other town building fronts. The skit included actors portraying a good and bad cowboy, saloon girls, wagon drivers, a pioneer couple, indians, calvary members, and a wolf. The event was quite amusing and enjoyed by all involved.
The trip to the Grand Canyon in Arizona was in order for day five. The first stop was Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park in Utah. Established in 1963, the park serves as an access point to the sand dunes for a variety of recreational uses.
The dunes are created by three factors: sand, high winds, and a unique influence upon those high winds. Located in a notch between the Moquith and Moccasin mountains causes the wind velocity to carry grains of sand from the eroding Navajo sandstone.
The younger members of the group slid down the dunes and experienced sand that was actually cold to their bare feet.
At the canyon, the group was broken down into three sets and they had the experience of being a real cowboy or cowgirl by riding a mule for an hour-long journey along the North Rim.
The canyon has been offering mule rides for 100+ years. Gentle and tame mules who carried the travelers included Fancy, Ben, Homer, Festus, Carl, Dolly, Marty, Boo, Big Mac, Surepie, Suds, Johnson, Fred, and JohnDee. While one group was riding the mule, the other two groups toured the lodge area and Bright Angel Point walking trail along the canyon ridge.
On day six, the group traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada. Their first stop was Hoover Dam in Boulder. This engineering marvel began construction in 1931 and generates hydroelectric power for Nevada, Arizona, and California from the Colorado River. The dam was dedicated in 1935 by President F.D. Roosevelt and named after the nation’s 31st president, Herbert Hoover.
There is enough concrete in Hoover Dam to build a two-lane road from San Francisco to New York City (3.25 million cubic yards). The dam’s reservoir, Lake Mead, can store 9.2 trillion gallons of water.
The evening proved to be quite entertaining by visiting old Las Vegas with glittering lights and blending vintage Las Vegas of the 1940s with high-tech wonder at the “Fremont Street Experience.”
Here, street performers dressed like Elvis, a Spartan, Vegas show girls, Spiderman, Kiss and other characters were available for photo opportunities. Live music filled the air with bands scattered among the crowd.
Every evening, on the hour, from dusk to midnight, is the six-minute “Viva Vision” canopy and light show. The canopy towers 90 feet above the ground and spans the length of five football fields. Over 12 million LED modules and a 550,000 watt sound system attract tourists and locals alike.
In Vegas, the group enjoyed the “touristy” side of the city enjoying a roller coaster ride at the New York New York resort; toured other resorts with particular themes including: Flamingo, pink accents with a natural habitat of fish, flamingos, turtles, ducks, and geese; Venetian, depicting Venice, Italy where members took a gondola ride; Wynn, mosaic inlaid floors, waterfalls, and gardens; Bellagio, outdoor fountain show and the interior portraying Lake Como, Italy.
The final day of the tour in Vegas was a city sighting-seeing tour. The group visited the pawn shop where the “Pawn Stars” television show on the History channel is filmed; “American Restoration” where the owner, Rick, and his crew restore antique gas pumps, coolers, pull-along wagons, pin-ball machines, cash registers, etc. They also visited the boxing gym of Floyd Mayweather and met the trainers and several up-and-rising boxers from all over the world.
The educational tour was coordinated by social studies teacher, Elizabeth Davis and admissions/public and alumni relations director, Judy Nelson. Explorica Educational Travel in Boston, Mass. arranged the national parks tour for the group.
In the photo on front, the group displayed, “How the West was Lost.” Tour goers pictured include Haley Ann Frank, Ryn Smith, Patsy Howard, Rebecca Bailey, Gena Smith, Elizabeth Davis, Judy Nelson, Ivey Nelson, Roberta Satterfield, Lorie Parish, LaNae Whitaker, Tami Whitaker, Bailyn Whitaker, Rae Johnston, Susan Jones, Stephanie Edwards, Keith Frank, Briana Bailey, Noah Quick, and Holly Frank.
Also, Pauline Standish, Francis Shelton, Linda Dysart, Ivy English, Donia Smith, Matti Johnston, Sydney Davis, Ashley Johnston, Janna Hooper, Laura English, Keith Edwards, Loren Bailey, Haley Cashwell, Lynne Marie Edwards, Matti Smith, Carla Martin, Heidi Cashwell, Anna Jones, Britton Bailey, Branson Parish, Michael Edwards, and Ben Davis.
