Pearl Jam Road Trip: Part Five - by Kevin Montavon

(Click Here for Pearl Jam Road Trip Part 4)

Grand Teton National Park sits just 15 miles south of Yellowstone National Park, and just north of the popular resort town of Jackson, Wyoming. In peak season, Jackson swells in population, becoming the largest city in Wyoming. Despite this, GTNP is often treated as an afterthought for many Yellowstone visitors. This is a mistake. I have written about how I try to avoid overcrowded situations in our National Parks, and Grand Teton can at most times be a respite from sitting in the traffic jams of its more popular northern neighbor. 

The Teton Range is like something out of a fantasy painting. Snow-capped Alpine Mountains that rise over 2,000 feet from the valley floor of Jackson Hole, which itself sits 11,000 feet above sea level. Grand Teton Peak rises to a total height of nearly 14,000 feet. I have a friend, a professional photographer, who has documented this wonderland with thousands of photos and in viewing them I am constantly reminded of the beauty here. So there was no way we were passing through this area of Wyoming without going through the Tetons.

We checked out of our cabin at 7 AM and drove back into Yellowstone, which was necessary for us to reach Grand Teton. Traffic through the construction wasn't as bad that early, so we had a little extra time to pick up the part of the Lower Park Loop Rd we had missed the night before. Since the Old Faithful complex sits on that section of road, and it was still early in the day, we decided to stop in to the visitor center there and get our stamp (each visitor center has a unique stamp cancellation so we try to collect them all). Crowds weren't too bad yet, so we parked and saw that the geyser was set to erupt in 15 minutes. Heather grabbed her camera and headed for the bleachers, and I went inside to stamp our journals. Just as I finished and turned around, Old Faithful was blowing. I snapped a photo through the massive picture window and then another from outside, but it was already losing steam (pun unintended). 

Next we made the short drive between Yellowstone and Grand Teton along the John D. Rockefeller Memorial Parkway, but not before passing a very serious car/motorcycle crash just before the South Entrance of YNP. I said prayers for those involved. It looked pretty bad. 

We drove only half of the main roads in GTNP, skipping the spectacular Snake River Drive (U.S. 191 through the east side of the park) due to time constraints. I don't recommend skipping that as the views are breathtaking. But we had seen it before and had to make sacrifices. There was plenty to do on the part we did travel. Travel tip: if you want to see the majesty of the Tetons for free, drive the U.S.191 portion that we skipped...there are no entrance stations along that route. If you have already paid the entrance fee for Yellowstone, you can also enter GTNP from the North for free, and see all of the park, if you stick with one Loop and don't need to re-enter through another gate. This is a great option if you are just passing through. 

We were able to make stops at most of our favorite spots in the park. This was our third time through so we actually knew what we were doing...somewhat. We stamped our journals at all 3 visitor centers, stopped in for reflection at the Sacred Heart Chapel (an active Catholic Church in a log cabin within the park), took some photos at Jenny Lake, and made the 5-mile winding drive up Signal Mountain for 360-degree views of The Tetons and Jackson Hole. The only real disappointment about the day was our lack of time, and the haze that hung in front of the mountains (which was actually smoke from wildfires burning to the northwest of Yellowstone), washing them out to the view and making any truly spectacular photographs impossible. Earlier I mentioned my photographer friend, I realized while I was there that I really never need to take another photo of this place as long as I can look at his. 

We reluctantly drove on south and west, out of Jackson Hole, over the mountains, and on through the night into Idaho. Tomorrow we would finally be seeing the first show of the trip, which is of course why we are doing all of this. I am pretty sure we are coming back here to the Greater Yellowstone area next year to spend some more concentrated time. And I will miss it every day until then.

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Show Review: Shock Tu at The Lazy Chameleon - by Mike Lovins

The lights are low, cymbals are swelling and the open guitar and bass notes roar like thunder. Rick Cautela, the Rock and Roll Reverend, steps up to the mic, arms spread as if to embrace the entire audience. “Coluuumbuuus, Ooohiooo! Are we ready for a good time tonight?” The crowd roars as he introduces the return of Shock Tu to the Columbus stage. And yes, we were ready for a good time.

It’s been at least 25 years since the line up of Timmy Owings, Ricky Soga, Jimmy Miller and Ric Martelino last played together. And this past Saturday night at the Lazy Chameleon in Powell, you’d think they’d never stopped. For those that are unfamiliar with Shock Tu, they were one of Columbus’s premier hard-rockin’ bands of the late 80’s and early 90’s. They also spent some time in Texas, which helped to broaden their appeal. This line-up was the final one before the band went their separate ways. In fact, last year the Lazy Chameleon hosted the reunion of Shock Tu with former singer Joey C. Jones and drummer Ken Koudelka. I attended that show as well, but that wasn’t my Shock Tu.

Back in the mid 90’s when I was just 17, I saw a long-haired blonde guy walk into the grocery store where I worked. I walked up to him and said, “So are you in a band?” That guy was Timmy Owings and he’s been one of my best friends ever since. I can remember the first time that I saw Shock Tu at the Alrosa Villa, the Columbus club owned by the aforementioned Rock and Roll Reverend. Being that I was only 17, Timmy got me in into the show and it was at that show that I met the other guys in the band. I’ve built friendships with Ricky Soga and Jimmy Miller over the years and Ric Martelino, who I haven’t known as well, has always been very cool when I would run into him.

Around that time, Shock Tu released a cassette of songs that were staples of the band’s set back then. And it was from that batch of songs that most of their reunion set was built. Songs that after 25 years, I was still able to sing along to, while standing right in the front pumping my fist. I even shared a shot of tequila with Mr. Soga.

There’s far less hair now than there was then. The guys in the band are older and have dropped the Y's from their names. But the music is as powerful now as it was then. Shock Tu was the first local band that I ever saw. They truly helped inspire me to one day become part of the local music scene myself.

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Pearl Jam Road Trip: Part Four - by Kevin Montavon

(Click here for previous Pearl Jam Road Trip)

Our National Parks have been called “America's Greatest Idea”. That's a sentiment that I can get behind. The setting aside of public lands for the enjoyment of all people is imperative in this day and age of unchecked development (do we REALLY need more condos?). So, since our government has seen fit to provide us with these places, I decided that I should see as many as possible. I have been working on that for a few decades now.

Yellowstone National Park was the first such set-aside tract in the US. Sitting in the Northwest corner of Wyoming, and extending into Idaho and Montana, it is a park that is larger than the entire states of Rhode Island and Delaware combined. A magical place of geysers, hot springs, waterfalls, lofty mountain peaks, and abundant wildlife, Yellowstone has something for everyone. However, it seems that year after year, everyone wants something from it. Our first National Park suffers from an overcrowding problem. In the busy summer months, it can become choked with automobile traffic and crowds. Old Faithful Geyser, the most famous such natural feature on Earth, now attracts crowds so large during the peak season of July and August that bleachers needed to be built to accommodate them. It looks like an ampitheater there now.

In our travels, Heather and I try to avoid crowds as much as possible. We drive the back roads, we choose activities within popular areas that are off-the-beaten path. We pull over and let cars pass us when we are cruising through the National Parks. In Yellowstone however, this is becoming harder and harder to do. We have visited three times before, and have seen most of the popular tourist stops in the park, so this time we decided we wanted to take a hike and really get away from it all. Destiny had other plans...

We arrived in the park early enough, entering through the popular East gate. The approach road is undergoing some major construction, so we weren't able to just “cruise right in.” Once we had stopped at the entrance sign for our photo (always have to take a picture with the sign at National Parks) and then the Visitor Center at Fishing Bridge for our Passport Stamp (a stamp cancellation that shows the date you visited the park...we have collected hundreds), we made the turn into the Hayden Valley and headed North. We were immediately caught in a traffic jam. Seems a herd of Bison had decided that this was the perfect time to cross the road. When dozens of these 1,000 pound beasts want to cross the road, there really isn't much you can do except wait. So wait we did. After about 40 minutes, enough Buffalo had cleared the road that cars were able to pass, so we continued North. We stopped into Artist Point in the Grand Canyon of The Yellowstone to take photos of the Lower Yellowstone falls. But the crowds were so dense there that we immediately regretted the decision. We still took our photos but got out of there as quickly as we could. A little further up the road, we just cruised right on by the turnoff for the Upper Falls/Canyon Rim drive. Just way too many cars choking the road. Another quick stop at Tower Falls went much the same way, but we did get out of the car there and take some photos as well. 

Then fate took a turn. The hike that we wanted to take was closed! Due to bear activity! So on we drove. What we ended up doing was driving a one-way dirt road called The Blacktail Plateau Drive. While this got us away from the crowds, there were still more cars on that road than we normally see on National Park back roads. Unfortunately I think the secret is out. 

Overall, despite the setbacks, it was a wonderful day. We even were able to drive most of the remainder of the main park loop road before nightfall. Then it was back to our cozy cabin in Cody (say that 10 times fast). Tomorrow is a drive through Grand Teton, and on to Seattle for the real reason we are trekking...Pearl Jam!

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Pearl Jam Road Trip: Part Three - by Kevin Montavon

(Click here for previous Pearl Jam Road Trip)

"The Mountains are calling, and I must go." - John Muir

I am a child of the mountains. Now, I don't mean that I grew up in the mountains, although I do hail from the rolling hills of Southern Ohio, which, as my Father impressed upon me at an early age, are a part of the foothills of The Appalachian Mountains. More importantly however, during my formative years, Dad took me and my younger brother on two annual trips to The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, once in the Summer and once in the Fall...to "see the leaves change" as he liked to say. These trips were usually "just us boys." My Dad, brother, and I shared a special bond with each other and with the mountains, which only grew stronger with each trip. 

One of the highlights of any Smokies trip is a drive over the Newfound Gap Road, which is a high mountain road that traverses the border of Tennessee and North Carolina. Dad - and later when we were old enough to drive - my brother and I loved to make a day of it. Naturally, when I got older and started taking my own vacations, I was drawn to destinations with lofty vistas. In the last two decades I have driven on as many high mountain parkways as my stomach could handle. Some people like roller-coasters: I like driving, or even better, riding shotgun, in the mountains. 

One such road that I have eyed on the map since I was a kid is The Beartooth Highway, a road that runs along a stretch of border between Montana and Wyoming, and crosses Beartooth Pass at nearly 11,000 feet above sea level. It is one of the highest mountain roads in The United States, and it is only open for a small window of time in the summer. For various reasons Heather and I had never been able to drive it in the previous three times we visited the Yellowstone region, so this time I had my heart set on it. 

We began the day at a rest area on I-25 south of Buffalo, Wyoming. Interestingly, the town was not named for Buffalo Bill, as was the nearby tourist town of Cody, but rather because when the time came to choose a name for their new settlement, the 30 citizens of the town put suggestions in a hat, and one man wrote his hometown of Buffalo, New York. A little farther north, near the large-by-Wyoming-standards town of Sheridan, we turned off onto US Route 14 and headed west into the town of Dayton. We always enjoy finding towns with Ohio names when we travel. Dayton, Wyoming is an exponentially smaller place than its Ohio namesake, but still large for Wyoming. Keep in mind that the entire state, which is over twice the size of Ohio, has a population smaller than the city of Columbus. These stats, however, don't take into account the millions who visit annually, but more on that in a future post. 

West of Dayton, Route 14 and Alt Route 14 are known as The Bighorn Valley Scenic Byway. I am a big fan of guidebooks, and one that we brought with us on this trip is a National Geographic "Scenic Byways Of The United States" guide, which covered both this drive and The Beartooth. So we were able to stop at points of interest as we drove, and already knew something about them. 

Shortly after leaving Dayton, we encountered a large number of cars parked on the side of the road, and people standing outside taking photos towards the woods. We thought it must be a bear siting, or "Bear Jam" (named for the traffic jams bear sitings cause in National Parks), but it wasn't. It was, however, a beast just as elusive...a Bull Moose! We have seen several Moose in the wild during previous travels, but they were almost always Cows, and even once a Cow and Calf. We had even seen two Bulls together years ago at Rocky Mountain National Park, but they were behind a lot of tree cover and we couldn't get a full look at them. But this guy was right out in the open munching on some Willow branches. I hate to admit it, but we spoiled it for everyone when we pulled over. Bullwinkle looked right at us as I was trying to snap his photo, and began walking away...right behind our car! We then rolled on, leaving everyone there cursing us I am sure.

About 50 miles west on the Alt 14, we came to Medicine Wheel National Historic Site, which is an ancient circle of rocks (placed there by people, not a natural formation) that is sacred to nearly all Native American tribes. Some wait their entire lives to visit "The Wheel," and it is considered such hallowed ground that some purify themselves for up to a year in preparation for their pilgrimage. After driving the side road up Medicine Mountain, we came to the visitors center, which was a glorified hut manned by two friendly rangers. One of the rangers greeted us and the others who arrived at the same time as us and explained the basics. It was a three-mile round-trip hike along the rest of the mountain road, uphill both ways. That wasn't hyperbole, as the road was laid out like the letter M. She also impressed upon us the sacred nature of the place and said that they have Native Americans come almost daily to pray and make offerings, so we should treat it with the same respect as we would any church. The hike itself wasn't terribly strenuous, as we had been preparing ourselves with hikes in Ohio over the Spring and Summer. When we reached The Wheel we were the only ones there for a few minutes, and the spiritual nature of the place was best described as eerie. The various prayer ribbons and offerings were interesting to see, and even moving. Typical offerings included tobacco, sage, bundles of herbs, flowers, and animal skulls (there were several big cattle ones). We took photos and had our moment to reflect, and back down the mountain we went. 

A little further northwest we came to the town of Red Lodge, Montana, where The Beartooth Highway begins. Having waited for this drive for two decades, I can say that The Beartooth lives up to the hype. At this point in the story I should point out that Heather was driving, as nothing fazes her behind the wheel, and I nearly screamed like a little girl when I looked down at the road getting smaller and smaller way down below. After stopping at some overlooks and snapping some photos (which never do the real view any justice), we turned off the Beartooth just before Cooke City and Silvergate, Montana, which are the service towns for the northeast entrance to Yellowstone National Park. The original plan for today was to go on into Yellowstone and see the Lamar Valley before checking into our cabin near Cody, but the breathtaking views on The 'Tooth had made us lose track of time, and it was approaching evening. We headed southeast and made it to the cabin just after 9:00 pm. It was great to lay down in the super-comfy bed after two nights in the car. I fell asleep before my head hit the...

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