Yellowstone...on Fire and Full of People

[WyoJim]

Fires have been burning for a while. First I heard of them they were up to 1700 acres and they were just going to keep an eye on them.

We went through Yellowstone Saturday and the smoke is starting to get tedious in places. Signs said the fires were now being managed. I wondered what that ment untill we came upon a big hellicopter and watched it take off to aparently dump water.

So they must have started to try to contain them but don't want to call it that.

The Park is completely full of slow moving vehicles, people, and traffic jams. I couldn't believe it. Enough of that place for me until September and October.

We got back to Cody at 8PM and could not find a restaurant without a waitng line. Amazing!!

 

[Whitmore]

there used to be 3 ways to put out a fire now there are 4 ways



takeaway the fuel-build a fireline



takeaway the heat-put water on it



takeaway the oxygen- slurrybomb it



takeaway the park service

 

[IdaH.O.Train]

That's a good one, Kevin.



Didn't Yellowstone burn a few years ago? I think it's time for another National Park to have its turn. I nominate the Grand Canyon.

 

[illflem]

I say as long as no structures are threatened let it burn. The areas that burned in '88 have never looked better except where they tried to put it out. Here's info on the current fires http://www.nps.gov/yell/technical/fire/

 

[Crazy Horse]

WyoJim,

Yellowstone is great Sept and Oct. Most of the tourists are gone and all the kiddies are back in school. We were there last year during that time. The Elk were in the rutt-got some excellent film footage and the weather was cooled off by then. If you have time you should also see Glacier in the NW part of Montana. Upper Two Medicine Lake, the the best lookin part of North American Continent (my opinion). Two Medicine.

 

[WyoJim]

Crazy Horse... We have went to Yellowstone every September since 1976. Went Saturday because we had some visitors from Wasilla that had just came from Yellowstone but missed Sunlight Basin and the Beartooh pass.

They were driving a PSD. I thought all you Alaskans drove Cummins. Any way we loaded them into the Dodge and corrected there oversite. We saw 6 Mountain Goats right on top of the Beartooth Pass. Alaskans don't get very excited over Goats.



illflem and the rest of the let it burn crowd had better have an eye exam because the Park is going down hill. If they think it is pertier since the '88 fires they must really admire the pictures of France during world war one, because thats the way it looks.

Used to see 500 to a thousand elk per trip through the Lamar Valley. Last 5 trips I have seen 3 elk and 5 wolves. Wonder where the elk went?

Thats why I am going to give Alaska a twirl this September and miss Yellowstone for one fall season.

 

[Whitmore]

It has been studied and is well known that before man started putting the fires out that there was a complete turnover aprox every 50 years. Since we started putting them out now we have mor fuel load than we know what to do and it turns out we are our own worst enemy.

Last summer we had a wildland fire in the desert and the county fire warden had 17 trucks on it so fast it just made me laugh, heck I think he saved a whole bunch of weeds from burning, my oppinion is like Illflem's let it burn and protect the structurs. I hate wildland fires.

 

[Fireman Dave]

I saw tons of wildlife last June when I was there - including a lot of elk. I thought the burned areas from '88 were looking very good. I'm sure many of you are aware that there are pine cones that don't pop open unless they reach fire temperatures - this is what has helped regenerate the forest there. That's nature's way of adapting to fire. I noticed the cause of all of the fires except 2 are listed as ligtning strikes (the other 2 were from power lines). I also am of the opinion that fires started by nature are good for the forest. They do need to be dealt with when lives and property are in danger, but otherwise letting them burn isn't a bad thing.

 

[Jim Fulmer]

I have to post here cause I just go back from that country, WyoJim I see were your located! I drove up from Rawlins through Thermopolis to Cody... ... way cool drive in a different way! The Canyon between Shoshoni and Thermo... . is bad a$$. Cody is one dang cool town! I have to say east Yellowstone is very nice to say the least, but the Tetons make the west side look like west Texas..... Illflem I noticed the trees are only 8-10 feet tall from the 88' fire on the west side. This is just a small post of my 5800 mile Journey through 7 states and Canada(BC).



Jim

 

[Crazy Horse]

illflem and the rest of the let it burn crowd had better have an eye exam because the Park is going down hill. If they think it is pertier since the '88 fires they must really admire the pictures of France during world war one, because thats the way it looks.

WyoJim, I agree with you 100% on that one. Last year was the 1st year I've been back since 1985. The burn areas are eye sores for sure. I thought it would have healed up better by now. The wild life is nowhere as abundant as it was in the 70's up to the 88 fire.

 

[joel]

I was in Y'stone Sat, too....

Went in from W. Yellowstone, did the tourist thing but didn't have that much time. Saw the painted pots, black sands and Old Faithful. Saw lots of elk, some buffalo and a wolf (and he graced us by taking a dump!).



Did you happen to see a green Ram 2500 with NH plates and 3 bikes on a rack mounted over the bed?



Left there and went to Jackson for the night yesterday and tonight we're in Rawlins. Came down 287 from Jackson. After about 4 hours, my wife came up on the walkie-talkie and said, "can we stop so I can stick a sharp stick in my eye?" There's some interesting and gorgeous scenery up north, but as we crossed the mesa/plains/whatever they are, it gets really tedious. I've driven HWY 50 in Nevada, the "lonliest highway in the world" but I gotta tell ya, US 287 in WY has got to be a close second!

 

[WyoJim]

Crazy Horse... In the '60s when I was going to Yellowstone there were hundreds if not thousands of bears and traffic jams for them were horendous. Then all of the sudden there were no bears. We spent 3 or 4 days there and saw none. They told us they had moved them all to the back country. Ya right. They killed them and I finally talked to a guy whose brother claimed to bury 900 of them. Now I agree, they were a pain and causing lots of problems, but they lied!!!



joel... Seems as though I remember a Dodge loaded with pedal bikes, but if you weren't in the Hayden River Valley, it probably wasn't you.

287 over the mountain, past Jardine muffler shop, into the quaint town of Dubois then down the Wind River and then Lander. Which incidently has 3 Bike shops, I think. Then Jeffery City, a ghost town made that way by the Federal Government shutting down the uranium mine. And finally an hour or so of nothing but Pronghorn Antelope into Rawlins. Damn, talking about it makes me want to do it again myself. I envy your trip.

 

[wyosteve]

WyoJim, if you ever have the munchies on the trip to Cody from Pahaska TeePee, stop at the steakhouse in Wapiti. Excellent food and no waiting lines. I know what you mean in Cody. Was there a few weeks ago and didn't realize they had built a Bubba's since I lived there 2 yrs. ago. Lines out the door every night. Oh well, only 6 more weeks until Sept. !

 

[TPCDrafting]

WyoTim was my second choice, dang. I used to inspect bridges for the State of Wyoming and each year we had to do special inspections on the bridges near the east entrance (cody side. ) That made the job all the worth while. One year we were up there in knee deep snow inspecting in the spring. A week later a fly fisher was chased by a grizzly near the last bridge on the way up. I miss the adventure. Cody has a sweet archery shop too!

Tim

 

[WyoJim]

Thanks wyosteve... I will go to Wapiti and give them a try, and I am sure it will be good. I saw a quite a few cars there when we came by, but I didn't see any one standing outside. But we had served the Alaskans some of my famous BBQ ribs for supper friday night and I wanted them to compare them with Bubba's. Hows that for confidence.



tpcdrafting... I have a 13 pound Brisket in the smoker now. Hmmmm

I forgot to tell you. I knew Fred Bear, Ben Pearson and Howard Hill personally. Better than that, they knew me.