Tag Archives: Wyoming

Yellowstone National Park – Wyoming

Plan Now for Summer Fun & Learning

ynp-wolf-viewing Add an element of discovery and learning to your summer vacation plans in America’s oldest national park. Even if you’ve been a tourist in Yellowstone, going back for a field seminar will provide amazing experiences. The Yellowstone Association Institute, the park’s official educational partner, offers summer field seminars, backpacking courses, lodging & learning programs and private tours.

Creative, historic or scientific, there’s a course sure to peak curious minds. “Whether you are ruled by your ‘right brain’ or your ‘left brain,’ we have a class for you,” said Jeff Brown, director of education for the Yellowstone Association Institute. A sampling of the more than 1oo courses offered during the 2009 summer season:

CREATIVE ynp-guide1

Nature Photography in Yellowstone: The Digital Image
Poetry + Ecology =Creative Fusion
Writing the Natural History Essay

WILDLIFE BIOLOGY

Wolves – Reality and Myth
Birding for Beginners
Wildlife Watching in Grizzle Country

PHYSICAL

Day Hiking the Beartooths
Fly Fishing for Novices
Day Hiking the Wild Yellowstone: Northern Range Area

HISTORY

Yellowstone’s Northern Roadside History
Hiking the History of Yellowstone
Ghost Hotels of Yellowstone – Northern Loop

GEOLOGY

Mammoth: 320 Million Years in the Making
Exploring the Lower Geyser Basin
Tracking the Heat: Yellowstone’s Hot Spots and Calderas

Taught by college professors, research scientists, park staff and other experts most courses last one to four days. Participant numbers are limited. Many courses are held at the Institute’s Lamar Buffalo Ranch field office campus, others are based at park lodges.

ynp-old-faithful ADDITIONAL INSTITUTE 2009 FEATURES

Backpacking Courses– Wilderness experiences that allow participants to visit remote areas of the park under the guidance of professional outdoor leaders and Yellowstone experts.

Lodging & Learning Packages – Mix education and recreation for visitors wanting to learn more about the park, returning to park lodges at the end of each day.

Private Tours – Ideal for families and small groups desiring an introduction to Yellowstone wildlife, geology or a guided hike. Eight-hour trips focus on Yellowstone’s Northern Range, Lake Yellowstone and Canyon area or the Old Faithful area.

When You Go: Complete information available from the Yellowstone Association. Reservations for field seminars, backpacking courses and private tours can be made at 307-344-2294, Lodging and Learning reservations at 866-439-7375. Lodging and visitor services in Yellowstone National Park provided by Xanterra.

The Latest from New York Times Bestseller Author

C.J. Box – Wyoming Writer

The latest thriller novel from C.J. Box hit bookshelves January 6. Box says, “This is a very dark story, very dark.” The book is set in Denver, Colorado, a departure for Box. Three Weeks to Say Goodbye takes the reader through a heart-wrenching tale – a sinister struggle between adoptive parents and teenager birth father and grandfather, a powerful, intimidating Federal judge. Real events involving friends of Box form the basis of the story.

Seven Joe Pickett books demonstrate Box’s ability to build suspenseful plots. Pickett is a Wyoming Game Warden pitted against evil and violence. Box has crafted a protagonist with strength and sensitivity – not an easy task. I love Box’s ability to create a very real sense of place, skillfully transcending imagination to reality. As I’ve read the Pickett series there’s often that “ah-ha” moment of knowing I’ve been in exactly that location, whether it’s a lonely Wyoming back road or a steaming Yellowstone fumarole. A gentleman at the book signing tonight commented to a friend, “When I read his books I want to get in the car and drive to Wyoming.”

cj-box-21 Box’s last stand-alone novel, Blue Heaven, was a New York Times bestseller. Retired LA cops and missing children in the woods of Northern Idaho – the spellbinding story has been optioned for a film. Blue Heaven has recently been released in paperback.

After initial signings in Cheyenne and Laramie, Wyoming, Box came to Denver to introduce Three Weeks to Say Goodbye. A Western book swing will take him through Texas, Arizona, California, Montana and Wyoming. We saw him at Murder By the Book on South Pearl in Denver before he appeared at Tattered Cover. Guess what my next read will be.

2008 Travel Favorites, Picks, Best of… Part 1

Wrapping Up 2008

Everyone seems to be making lists this week. I’ve looked back over this year’s travel experiences and put together highlights and favorites. We didn’t travel as much as usual in 2008 but many fine memories were made along the way.

Best Historic Inn – Elk Mountain Hotel in Elk Mountain, Wyoming — A superbly restored 1905 historic hotel combining the elegance of a by-gone era with the comforts and amenities of the 21st century. Three miles from Interstate 80 but a world away, surrounded by ranchland, this was the best escape we could have imagined. A graduate of l’Ecole de Cordon Bleu in Paris, Owner/Chef Susan Prescott-Havers, presents an incredible fine dining experience. Susan and husband Arthur are congenial hosts with fascinating backgrounds. An amazing retreat we plan to repeat.
Dream Room – Water Street Inn, Santa Fe, New Mexico – Room 4—We’ve slept around at this Inn for years, staying in many different rooms. This year we found the one I’ll want on every future visit. All the best features we’ve come to expect at our favorite Santa Fe lodging plus spacious room, kiva fireplace, king four-poster bed, sleeping banco, and chaise lounge create my idea of perfection.

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