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Majestic National Parks
Tour
by Wesley May
This article is about the 3,298-mile bus trip
of “Majestic National Parks” that my wife Jeanne
and I enjoyed last June. Although I couldn’t
get it written last year, now the time is right
for a commentary that I hope will enrich your
understanding of what American greatness
means.
YELLOWSTONE
Yellowstone is the absolute star of our
National Parks, and it would be easy to
devote this entire article to reinforcing what
many already know. So I thought it better to
introduce this paper with general comments on
Yellowstone and then move to other parks with
interesting histories.
This was our first trip to Yellowstone, our #1
Bucket List goal. We always knew that it could
never be “self-guided.” A well-guided tour would
cover more ground and teach more without
wearing us out. A good plan!
A main interest was Yellowstone’s four
thermal features (hot springs, geysers, mud
pots and fumaroles). We learned that a network
of elevated wooden walkways were ideal for
appreciating those thermals. Our bus dropped
us off/picked us up at the entrance area(s) for
those walkways. A huge time and energy saver.
Our guide helped us time the Old Faithful
eruption…some luck involved because time
variance between eruptions can be 35-120
minutes. We also wanted to see bison herds up
close, so our guide took us to Lake Yellowstone
Hotel, a classic resort hotel on shore of the big
lake. Almost on cue, a small herd of bison came
wandering across the lawn heading toward the
lake while passing close to our bus. Some of the
bison rubbed their mottled winter coats against
the trunks of nearby saplings… a new sight, and
we learned about bison’s natural “shedding” of
winter coat.
Another typical, although unexpected event,
was the “Bison-jam.” Animals in the park have
right-of-way, so when a herd wants to cross a
tourist route (e.g. to get water) the result is a
Bison-jam that stops road traffic. We experienced
one…changing a 15-minute trip back to hotel
into a one hour+ bottleneck. Oddly, typical,
home-town complaints were absent while we
were immobilized.
CONCLUSION: all expectations will be
happily exceeded…e.g., Yellowstone’s “Grand
Canyon” is a truly MEMORABLE sight!
BRYCE CANYON
The Bryce Canyon area was settled by
Mormon pioneers in the 1850s and was named
after Ebenezer Bryce, who homesteaded in the
area in 1874. Technically it is not a canyon since
it wasn’t created by erosion caused by a running
stream. It is actually a collection of amphitheaters
The largest is Bryce Amphitheater, which is 12
miles long, 3 miles wide and 800 feet deep. The
chaotic destructive force of water, not wind, is
responsible for the fantastic shapes in Bryce
Canyon. Its distinctive “hoodoos,” the geological
structures formed by frost weathering and
stream erosion of sedimentary rocks in the river
or lake bed, provide spectacular views for park
visitors.
Hoodoos are formed over thousands of
years by water, ice and gravity, the natural
forces at work. These three forces interacting
with the rock layer that forms hoodoos (Claron
Formation) produce distinctive hoodoos that
differ from those of any other area in the world.
Hoodoos can be found on every continent, but
Bryce has the largest congregation in the world!
And it can also be said that Bryce Canyon offers
the most spectacular views for park visitors.
ZION NATIONAL PARK
Parking is limited inside Zion, and parking
lots at the Visitor Center commonly fill early in
the day. A shuttle system established in 2000
effectively eliminates most problems. (Zion
Canyon Scenic Drive is closed to private vehicles
when shuttles are running.) Free shuttle service
operates from February through the end of
November. The Shuttle stops at nine locations
in the park, and travel privileges are free and
unlimited.
Believe me the shuttles are a great
improvement. In an earlier, pre-shuttle visit, NO
SHUTTLES, I had to drive with eyes glued on the
winding road. I remarked to Jeanne that I didn’t
remember much except The Three Patriarchs
in Zion. Her reply, “Of course not, you were too
busy driving the car!”
In the early 1850s, Mormon pioneers from
Salt Lake City were the first white settlers of
the Virgin River region where Zion is located.
In 1863, a Mormon settler and farmer named
Isaac Behunin named the site Zion Canyon.
Zion means place of peace, refuge or sanctuary.
For Mormons, it symbolizes their heritage as
refugees and pioneers who fled to the Great
Basin and Rocky Mountains, to escape their
persecution in eastern states. Eventually, the
term Zion itself took on meaning as a symbol
of Mormonism, embracing such qualities as
courage, dedication to the cause, physical
endurance, resoluteness, ingenuity, and faith.
LITTLE BIGHORN BATTLEFIELD
The Little Bighorn Battlefield (Custer’s Last
Stand) was only a short distance up I-90 from
our overnight stop at Sheridan. It wasn’t on our
itinerary, but Kelly, our very accommodating
tour director, said she could squeeze in a stop
that would add less than 1 hour to our travel day.
A unanimous, “Go for it,” from our group, and it
would have been a shame to miss this National
Monument. The Park Ranger gave us the typically
detailed introduction which we cut short to
climb “Last Stand Hill,” to see the monument
and the memorable vista from the hilltop. The
memorial is imposing, and its memorial plaque
says that “The remains of about 220 soldiers,
scouts, and civilians are buried” there. Many of
the soldiers who had been buried where they
fell, were then re-interred at the memorial. The
original burial sites were marked with stakes
which were replaced by marble markers in 1890.
What a view from the Memorial—scattered
marble markers when looking down the hillside
and then in the background the perfectly
aligned white headstones in the active National
Cemetery. What a moving experience.
CRAZY HORSE MEMORIAL
The Crazy Horse Memorial honors the
culture and traditions of Native Americans. The
Memorial was the dream of sculptor Korczak
Ziolkowski and Lakota Chief Standing Bear who
dedicated the memorial in June 1948. Ziolkowski
began blasting and sculpting stone from the side
of Thunderhead Mountain and continued until
his death in 1982. His foundation continues
work today, supported by public, tax-deductible
donations and admission fees, which are
limited, so no completion date is projected. It
will be the world’s largest mountain sculpture.
The head will measure about 87 feet, more than
27 feet taller than the faces on Mt. Rushmore.
On display is a picture of the mountain with
a superimposed outline of how the finished
Memorial will look.
Crazy Horse was born in 1842, and rose to be
a principal war chief of the Lakota Sioux. Over
the years, he became a daring military strategist,
Bison of Yellowstone.
No. 130 The Pinehurst Gazette, Inc. p.27