Golden Spike and Aggie Ice Cream

It's Pioneer Day, the day Brigham Young and the Mormon pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley in 1847. Though it's not a holiday for Henry Schein One, I took the day off so we could go with the Austins and Weavers to Golden Spike National Historic Site. I've been there several times, but I've never seen the reenactment of the meeting of the railroads, which volunteers put on every Saturday and holiday during the summer.

If you haven't read it, you should read "Nothing Like It in The World" by Stephen Ambrose. This is a fascinating story of the building of the Transcontinental Railroad across the United States. I really do highly recommend this book. I know it sounds boring, but you won't be able to put it down. 

The Central Pacific Railroad started in Sacramento, California, and the Union Pacific Railroad started in Omaha, Nebraska. The U.S. government paid each company by the mile of track laid, so the operation became a race. After passing each other by many miles (because they were being paid by the mile), they finally agreed to meet at Promontory Summit in northern Utah, with a ceremony where they drove the golden spike (more about this in a minute) on May 10, 1869. 

This is inside the Jupiter, which came from the west. 

Notice the wooden brake mechanism. 

The Jupiter burned wood to make steam, because wood was plentiful as the rail layers made their way across the Sierra Nevadas. 

The 119 came from the east. It burned coal, because that fuel was plentiful in the east, and wood was scarce coming across the vast Midwest. 

This is the 119 coming down the Union Pacific tracks. It will stop, back up, and switch to the Intercontinental track to meet the Jupiter. 

The 119 comes in for the final meeting. 

This is the final spike, which is connected to a telegraph (note the telegraph operator at the table on the right), being driven for all the nation to hear. Two gold; one silver; and one gold, silver and steel spikes have already been placed in predrilled holes in a ceremonial tie. 

Annie, Jared, Chieko, Sara, Jackson and Tanner, where the trains met. 

Three cheers for bringing the nation together. 

Our group of spectators. 

About five miles from the Golden Spike site is ATK, which makes rocket engines. It used to make the liquid-fuel engines for the Space Shuttle, including the doomed Space Shuttle Challenger. We found it interesting that these two monuments to travel that are so distant in technology are so close in proximity. 

Next we drove to Logan to enjoy Aggie Ice Cream. Very generous portions of very delicious ice cream for a very reasonable price. Who could resist? 

The end. 

Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park

Independence Day was on Wednesday this year, so we decided to take Saturday through Wednesday as a vacation in Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park. But then we decided we didn't need five full days there, so on Saturday I rode my bike to Provo and got the trailer and all ready to go. Sunday morning we left at 6:15 and arrived at Gros Ventre Campground near Jackson, Wyoming, about 11:30.

Here are some pictures from our trip. These are not chronological. They're more by theme, I guess.

Here's our camp spot at the Gros Ventre Campground. 

One thing to remember when you go camping: Never, ever leave home without your rice cooker. 

A lodge with hand-dipped ice cream is also handy. By the way, if Yellowstone is too crowded for your taste, stop by the Yellowstone Lake Lodge. It doesn't have nearly the hustle of Canyon or the insane crowds of Old Faithful. And they serve mountain berry ice cream in a waffle cone.

The Snake Rivers' Ox Bow Bend view of Mount Moran. 

Us. 

If you take the dirt road just west of the Ox Bow Bend overlook, it winds down to the river, where you can fish, kayak and canoe in the calm waters. 

Looking at the Tetons across Jenny Lake from our secret beach. 

Seriously, the South Jenny Lake parking lot spilled up the entry road and onto a half mile of the highway on both sides in both directions. We didn't even try to get close to that busy place. Instead, we hiked about a half mile to a little people-free beach we discovered last year. 

Chieko at our secret beach. 

Jenny Lake. 

The shores of very windy Yellowstone Lake. 

The Yellowstone River from the Sulfur and Oil overlook. 

Mammoth hot springs. 

Hayden Valley. We usually try to spot bison (sometimes in the hundreds), birds (in the thousands), wolves (in the zeroes when we've been here), and other wildlife. But the view of the valley itself is spectacular. 

Sunset over Hayden Valley. 

Roasting a marshmallow over our campfire. 

Grand Teton from the property of the old Mormon Barn. 

This is the iconic Mormon Barn that you see on all the postcards and book covers. 

But this barn is also nearby on Mormon Row. 

And so is this barn. These are all within easy walking distance of each other. 

Mount Moran from the dirt road that goes to the fishing spots near Oxbow Bend along the Snake River. 

Same place. 

Chieko woke me up to get pictures of the Mormon barns at sunrise. This isn't a barn spot, but it is sunrise. 

Is this mushroom safe to eat? 

How about this one? 

A pronghorn and its baby in Teton National Park. So, apparently pronghorn are not really antelope, and bison are not really buffaloes. That really messes up that song. 

I have a great idea: Let's all stand here and take pictures of this docile bison. He weighs only 1,400 pounds, runs 40 miles per hour, and has short sharp horns mounted on a massive head and a nasty temper. 

This is a safer distance. If this bison decided to run you down, you'd have approximately 19 seconds to jump in your car and speed away. Remember that the speed limit in the park is 45. 

The elk still have fuzz on their antlers.

This guy is apparently someone's pet who's gotten loose. The collar says he answers to "Otis." 

If you look closely, you can see four bighorn sheep just above the vertical volcanic shafts. 

This moose cow has two calves. 

This is the other calf. The river is the Gros Ventre, which runs past the campground. 

No pictures, but we also saw a coyote with a young pup. The mother crossed the road as we were entering the campground, and the fluffy little grey pup stayed on the left side of the road and watched us as we drove slowly by. 

We have seen the Bar J Wranglers perform here in at least 25 of the past 30 years. I think we first came when Tim, the fiddler, started 30 years ago. It doesn't seem so long ago that Babe, sitting in this picture, "officially" retired, but that was 20 years ago. 

A carving outside the Bar J barn.