Date:         Mon, 25 Jun 2012 09:45:03 -0700
Reply-To:     Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Westies, bears & Yellowstone
Comments: To: Rob <becida@comcast.net>
In-Reply-To:  <vanagon%2012062511561457@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

On Mon, Jun 25, 2012 at 8:55 AM, Rob <becida@comcast.net> wrote:

> I received an email asking me about camping in Yellowstone & bears.
> Just yesterday i heard that arriving with your food, toiletries &
> other thing that the bears might like separated and ready to be put
> into a bear box at the camp site was a big help in getting in the park.
>
> I have not been there in some years and I know there are folks on
> this list who are far better at offering advice on camping there and
> dealing with the dual threat of the officials & the bears.
>
> This being June and travel time for many it seems like a good time to
> talk about the best places to camp, things to see, do & avoid at
> Yellowstone.
>

   I haven't been there in a while either, but I dealt with the Parkies for
about 25yrs, using Yellowstone often.  The best way to 'avoid' tripping any
alarms, avoiding official BS from the Parkies, is to let them think you are
passing through.   Yellowstone is also a through-route to and from some
good sized towns....Bozeman, Jackson, Cody, etc.   Alternative routes are
quite a long ways around, so there's a fair bit of 'local' traffic going
through the park.
  Parkies are Programmed...They get trained or they simply develop habits
to respond, by rote, to stimuli.   So you get one reaction if you
say..."camping" and you get another for "fishing" and another for "passing
through"....the latter draws almost a sigh of relief...they dismiss you
with a wave, and look at the next Tourist in line....
  Do expect some really stupid behavior from both tourists and the Parkie
officials.   Late night and early mornings are a good time to go
'cross-park', otherwise during high season expect crowded conditions
everywhere, including the surrounding towns outside of the park.  It's a
really amazing place!  Well worth traveling to see...Something like 5
million visitors during each summer though, and the roads are older two
lane. Don't expect a wilderness experience.
  I like the terrace of Lake Hotel for a frosty in the afternoon.
Don Hanson