Some signs we have seen....

The Old Roosevelt Arch at the North Entrance.

Official iconic Yellowstone sign.

Ok... we are getting the warning about bears. On the plane a guy we chatted to said 'you are going to be eaten by a bear' when I said we were going to do a couple of hikes in the park!

An interesting statistic!

Near the north entrance

On the opposite side of the one above...

These are everwhere. Note the pic of the kid falling into the hot ground. Apparently in many areas the ground is like a crust with scalding water just under the surface. There are many places you can see where it has cracked through... and it would NOT be nice. Most boardwalks have no railing so this is about managing your kids.

These rocks were just like at the Giant's Causeway in Ireland. The sign says it all about the original inhabitants.

Clearly she can't read!! This is where I took the pic of the boiling ground in our Day 1 blog post.

Note the temperature on our dash. It eventually got to 0F!! = freakin' cold!! Do your maths to work out the celsius equivalent....

Another bear warning...

We spotted this as we headed out for a short hike at Mt Washburn. I got quickly scared and managed about 100m before doing alot of hand clapping and chanting inane words to ward off any marauding bears who might be nearby with ideas of eating me to fatten up for hibernation.

At the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. After seeing this sign we headed back to the car, and noted there were quite fresh tracks in the dirt next to the path as well as very large poops on the ground in the carpark.

Another interesting statistic...

Bison Sighted !!!!!

Well many of you who had to hear me say “all I want is to see Bison in the wild”, will be happy to know we have. Several times actually! Each is very exciting. To know this animal was nearly hunted to extinction and to see them in the wild... is just amazing. Sighting #1 This was actually on our drive in to the park. Within 15 mins we VERY excitedly shouted “there’s a bison”!!! It turned out to be Dad, Mum and baby.

Sighting #2 Not from the hotel, we spotted this guy. Happily chomping and sitting there not 10m from the road.

Sighting #3 Often as we drive along we come across a few cars pulled over. This usually means an animal has been spotted. As we slowed to see if it was worth stopping, we spotted this herd of Bison. There were about 15 of them.

We watched for a while then as we considered moving on, one decided to cross the road. Soon most the others followed. We were excited.

I was envious as thee first lot went in front of the car ahead of us but then one came within 3m of my car window and started munching away on the grass.

Finally there was one grunting and it became clear he was the alpha male. He was massive and as he came onto the road he started walking straight at our car, with one of his girls next to him. At first I loved it and within seconds I was VERY nervous. He stopped in front of our bumper and it was amazing just how big he was. I am not afraid to say I was scared!

Eventually he ambled off the road, and grunted a few times before they munched their way into the sunset.

Sighting #4 Driving along the road near Yellowstone Lake, this guy appeared from between the trees and slowly strolled along the side of the road. We stayed next to him and he was not at all perturbed by the car. He must take this track often as you can see how worn it is. Others Sightings... there have been several in the distance and in many areas of the park.

We have also spotted many others in the distance. In trees, on plains, and around geysers to keep warm inthe steam. I believe my desire to spot bison in the wild has been satiated!

Yellowstone Day 1

We stopped in the town of West Yellowstone for alcohol supplies having forgotten to buy a couple of vinos in Utah. There was none to be seen in Wholefoods and possibly this was out of respect of the non-drinking, Latter Day Saints.

Just 5 mins from West Yellowstone we arrived at the park entrance. By now it was 6:30pm and the light was fading. It didnt take long though for us to be in awe of the untouched wilderness. We soon spotted this group of Elk by a river. Some were right at the road side too. It was very surreal how quickly the scenery changed. We had to drive through the main geyser basin to get to our hotel, The Old Faithful Inn. We finally arrived around 7:45 as you cant drive fast for fear an animal will walk onto the road.

The next morning we had b'fast in our room after glimpsing the poor fare of processed food available in the cafe downstairs.

After b'fast we headed out front of the hotel to watch the estimated 8:40am Old Faithful geyser go off. Apparently its faithfully spouting every 90 mins, +/- 10 mins. It was a very icy and slippery on the board walk and after my not so graceful slide at home, I was walking very carefully, remembering Kathy's advice of small slightly shuffled steps. It worked a treat. We ended up waiting until after 9am in the -10C temp. Thank goodness for the warm jackets we have. They worked a treat.FYI - Mark not shaving in preparation for Mo-vember. Reckons it will take him 2 months to grow a moustache!! Yes we are completely unglamorous but warm. I ended up having to pull my neck roll up over the bottom half of my face as I was literally turning blue. Having it over my nose only meant my breath fogged my glasses which then froze and took a bit to clear again so I could see!

We drove north through Madison & Norris to Mammoth Hot Springs. AS it turns out, this is the only town here that is still open. The buildings in the other towns are all completely boarded up. The only thing available is fuel via credit card only bowsers. We were surprised to see these elk happily grazing and dozing so close to town.

Having heard most places would be closed we planned for a picnic. Not quite the gorgeous experience I expected as it was just too cold to be outside for too long. Mark quickly climbed into the back of the car to have his 'picnic'.

This is a view of the Mammoth Hot Springs from the road. Each day, 2 tons of travertine are depostied by te relatively cool (179F) hot springs. From a boardwalk up top we saw that it was constantly bubbling up and overflowing down the side of the hill.

View from on top showing the flow having swallowed trees in its path.

All over the park, there is so much themal activity of differing varieties. It really feels like we are witnessing the birth and growth of earth in some way. We slowed to checked out a plume of steam coming from the side of the road. Here the earth was literally boiling. It sounded like food sizzling in a pan and there was a vague sulphur small here.

One of the pools at Norris Geyser Basin. It was quite deep and beautiful aqua in colour. Not always visible due to the amount of steam coming off it. It took 4 photos to get this shot.

This was taken in the Lower Geyser Basin. Note the water spirting from the ground. There was quite an extensive boradwalk here. Circling small pools then looking across a plain of steaming earth. Its amazing how there can be a clear bubbling pool like above and literally 10m away will be a pool of pink bubbling mud, then right next to that a brown watering mud pool, and next to that a dry hole that is pumpling out steam so rapidly that it sounds like a dragon breathing.

This is in yet another area called Firehole Lake drive.

SLC again

I forgot to mention, for those who know me well, I had looked online before hand for which places were getting great reviews. I wanted to be sure to find somewhere that wasn’t a chain restaurant. The dinner place I earmarked turned out to be a much bigger walk than expected but we were ok with that. We had a lovely dinner at Oasis Cafe. The setting was also good. They had a fair sized courtyard with planting, art etc to set the mood. The roof over the courtyard was cloth draped, similar to what we saw in Dubai. The food was predominantly organic, which is always a bonus.

We checked out of our hotel fairly early as we had a couple of things to do before heading off for the 5 hr drive to Yellowstone. First up was another internet find, Tulie Bakery. Such delicious pasties and the best coffee we have had so far. It was in a suburban street about 2km from our hotel and for me was like a little touch of Melbourne. They asked where we were from and seemed thrilled to know we had come from Australia to their cafe, because of the internet reviews. I had an almond croissant. So deadly rich I had to hand at least 1/3 to Mark.

From there it was off to Wholefoods (my fav USA supermarket). They have the most amazing and large range of food. Again the food is mostly organic and all is ethically produced. We bought up enough to take a few basics to Yellowstone as I don’t fancy being trapped somewhere with only cafeteria type food. They were so great at Wholefoods. Several times as we strolled and Mark was in retail heaven, different staff asked if they could help us find something! Now that doesn’t happen at Coles! Food bagged and packed in ice they kindly provided in bags for us we headed off to find an adventure sports store Mark had looked up as he wanted a particular pair of shoes. The address he had turned out to be their distribution centre for many brands. The shop was very small but it turned out they had a storage area the size of Bunnings, and several computers around the shop to look up and write down what you wanted. They would get someone at the storeroom to bring it up for you to try. The biggest range I have seen anywhere and Yes, Mark got shoes! Alas it took longer than we had hoped and we didn’t really get away from SLC until nearly 1pm.

A taste of the highway drive in northern Utah. Mountains impressive, highway NOT!! During our drive to Yellowstone, surprisingly we went to 4 different states. Starting in Utah, we went from sth to nth of East Idaho before skimming through the sth east corner of Montana to enter Yellowstone and finally into Wyoming.

Salt Lake City

Our flight from San Francisco took us via LA. It was a surprisingly easy trip. for the SF - LA leg we were on a large lear-jet style plane. Very nice! We got great views of LA as we were coming in. We circled over the Hollywood sign... so knew we were really there. We decided to stay in this cute little hotel. Built in 1910 it was very comfortable and well fitted out. Also a good central position.

So we popped in here for some reciprocal door knocking. However, the door we chose was of the brewery over the road. Im here to say, contrary to popular belief, you can buy alcohol here. We tried a couple of locally brewed beers and they were delicious. Marks a light Pilsner and mine was a darker ale with hints of pumpkin and spice. I was tempted to go another but figured we should at least see some of this city.

This city has very wide streets and not a particularly intimate feel. It was a very warm afternoon We were told there were only 2 things worth seeing in SLC. The Mormon temple/ tabernacle block and the salt lake itself. Well we made it to the Mormon centre yesterday.

The grounds of the buildings were really lovely.

There were no signs giving the names of the buildings, so Im not so informative here. We chose not to take a guide as it looked like we might have been trapped with them for longer than we wanted to spend there.

This is the main tabernacle. It was the only building not open for viewing. There were curtains on every possible window that you may have been able to see in.

This was such a beautiful tree in the garden. From a distance it looked like an old olive but it wasn't.

This is inside the 'beehive' where the choir sing and give concerts. A guide got up on stage and demonstrated the acoustics of the building. With no microphone she tore paper and then dropped a couple of pins. Amazing clarity in the sound heard from the back of the room!

This morning we head off to Yellowstone and I dont know if we can blog from there. Time will tell. We picked up a Chevy Traverse yesterday. Its huge and its only their standard sized SUV. Hope all are well. Really appreciate your comments. Love to all blog readers! xD&M

San Francisco

We had a one night stop over in San Francisco. This was our 4th time here and we felt no need to rush around the usual sight seeing stops. I had difficulty booking a hotel in the city here. I found out it was due to a huge conference for Oracle (software/ hardware corp). Apparently there are 50,000 delegates here for it. Thats alot of hotel rooms! We have ended up at a small place we have stayed in before, but it is getting a bit tired now so wouldnt rush back. It is however very convenient to all we wanted to do.

After checking into the hotel, showered and headed out for an afternoon stroll. This is the parking inspectors vehicle.

We went in the vague direction of to the waterfront and Embarcadero area. Passing Chinatown and down through the Financial district. It was not too busy and we enjoyed the old and new architecture.

The waterfront is where the local ferries were leaving from. The market was not quite what I expected. Interesting for sure but not quite like the markets food markets in Melb which is what I was expecting. This was a combo of food and local crafts. There was a wine bar which we stopped in for a sip. We had also spotted an oyser bar and figured we would have a second glass there with some oysters. By the time we got there, the after work folk had arrived. There was a queue of about 50 ppl waiting for a spot at the bar or one of the outside tables. We didnt bother waiting.

We went back to a lovely looking restaurant we had spotted earlier. Delicious octopus carpaccio with chorizo, poached pear & rocket salad, salami & prawn pizza... By the end of the meal, Marks eyes were literally glazing over and closing. We were finished, back to the hotel and in bed by 8pm. Exhausted but happy to have stayed awake until a fairly civilised hour.

The morning was breakfast at a local deli before a cab to airport for our flights to Salt Lake City, via LA.

Is this the meeting place for all lost Marks? And finally we looked up the weather for the next few days in Yellowstone... its looking mighty chilly!!

And finally an update on my 'aches'.. im feeling pretty good after a couple of days of walking. My ribs on my right side hurt when I cough and there is a general dull ache on my right side. All in all... Im ok with that.

The Joys of Flying....

We enjoyed an easy flight to Auckland. We got upgraded to pod chair seats... very roomy and comfy. As for the flight Auckland – San Fran, not so roomy and comfy. We had a family with 2 young kids under 3, in the row in front of us. After hours of babies crying they finally settled to sleep. I managed to doze a little. When I opened my eyes, I noted the Mum of the kids had come around to the aisle next to her husband. He was nursing the sleeping baby in his arms. I then saw his wife ’collapse’ to the floor in the aisle. He was trying to help her up but alas she was unconscious. I said over his shoulder, I would help. In my eagerness to help it seemed to take me ages to get out of my tangle of seat belt, remote control and glasses hooked on my top. He was trying to stand and press the call button all at once. All still with sleeping babe in arms. I offered to take the baby while he sorted his wife out. The staff came quickly and were great. They carried her unconscious body to the space in the emergency exit area. Within a minute there were 3 staff and they had oxygen on her etc. They handled the situation very well. Well I was quite enjoying nursing this lovely little poppet. Mark then woke to find me next to him holding a baby. An unexpected image for sure. The dad came back to ask could I also watch the sleeping 3 yr old lying on the seats in front. No worries I said... as most the passengers around us were sleeping through the drama. Well after about 10 mins the 3 yr old woke up. So I handed the baby to Mark and attend to the waking child. She was not so happy to wake up with no sight of her family and in a darkened plane. I tried talking to her and offered to take her to her Mummy and Daddy.... this just helped her cry!!! Finally I got the Dads attention, as they were sitting the Mother up. He came to collect the 3 yr old and it was just Mark & I with the baby. Eventually all settled down, the unwell woman was up and settled back in her seat and regretfully we had to give the baby back. They were very grateful for the help and the Mum thanked us 3 times over an hour. The temperature in the plane was very hot. I’m usually cold on a plane but even I was peeling layers off. I don’t think the heat helped her. Miss you all already... xD FYI - believe it or not, I am posting this at 31,000 feet whilst on a Delta flight. On board wi-fi. How civilised is that!!!!

USA / Canada ... Nearly didn't make it....

Well I had a close call this morning. I hadn't even made it to the driveway and I slipped and fell quite hard onto my elbow and hip. Was nearly under my car! I feel quite jarred but let me assure you.... it took me less than 3 seconds to assess the damage and confirm I would be fine to fly! Fingers crossed thats the most damage we get.

HK - in retrospect

Well I'm only 6 months late... but I would like to add a few images from our last trip to Hong Kong. I was too busy at the time, having fun, to post while we were there. On the night the Rugby 7's finished, Mark's parents John & Jan arrived for a few days with us in Hong Kong. It was a treat to have this time away with them. This is their first morning stroll not far from our hotel.

Mark has always been fascinated with the amount of stock the little stores there hold. He sent John in onto this hardware store pretext of finding a philips head screwdriver. He had luck within about 4 mins.

We headed over to the mainland from HK island to Mongkok. Besides the usual street markets selling clothes, handbags etc, we also went to the morning food markets. This one even had a stall selling frogs for eating.

Not too far from Mongkok was the Chi Lin Nunnery and Monastery with the Nan Lian Gardens. I had always been keen to see them and had not managed it on previous visits. The buildings were reconstructed around 1990 having been damaged by fire. The craftsmanship of the timber was incredible. There were no screws or nails. Just interlocking timber pieces.

The gardens were quite extensive and very beautiful. We ate lunch in a restaurant that was situated under a waterfall.

We went to Macau again as J & J hadn't been before. It was good to have had the few days there earlier so we knew the lay of the land. One of the foyers in the Venetian hotel. Can you spot Mark, J & J on the balcony?

Jan is a fan of Venice and gondolas. I may have 'pressured' them into this ride, but I know they enjoyed it in the end.

Then it was time for a drink. So we headed to the Ritz Carlton bar. Its located on the 102nd floor of the ICC building. We did a big launch there for work in 2007 so I was quite familiar with the precinct. The hotel itself occupies the top 20 or so floors and the bars have the most incredible views over Victoria Harbour to HK island.

On our last day we went to check our the view from The Peak, which is on HK island and just above our hotel.

Mark & I headed out one night for a late night drink in Lan Kwai Fong. We were watching the passing parade and discussing the joys of traveling and how we wanted to see as much while we could. The bar we were at put out this sign around 11:30pm. With a couple of drinks under our belt we firstly read it as Seniors hour. So Mark jumped up for a photo, only to realise later that it didn't read Seniors after all.