In which I spend the week in the Spam capitol of the world and then go on vacation
My work sent me to Austin, MN in June (and I'll be back for two weeks in July) which is the home of Hormel, the maker of Spam. That's the pseudo-food product, not the incessant advertising that fills up your in box.
Austin is a small mid-western town, and that's about the best that one can say about it. It seems that the town lives and dies on Spam - if not the manufacturing of the stuff, the tourism surrounding the phenomenon. Valiantly maintaining my "no Spam" position, I did manage to get out of there without visiting the Spam museum, but it was too close for comfort.
The local watering hole that seemed the friendliest to the non-native was the Applebee's, which I'm sure got a significant revenue boost that week due to our presence in town. This is Dayton-Hudson territory, so the Target was just a nice walk from the hotel, which was good since I was far from home while Chris was holding down the fort in Denver with a huge task on his hands - he was singly packing for Yellowstone.
When I left for Austin, I owned one pair of jeans. As the Yellowstone departure date drew closer, I determined that I was in danger of being hosed in the clothing department. I spent two nights perusing Target; the second with a clarified mission - to find something not too hideous to put on my behind in the wilds of Wyoming. In short I failed. Having gained 30 pounds, I'm not too keen on anyone seeing much of my behind, nor what's between it and my ankles. Target seems to think that we all look great in Capris, and they were awash in the things. I look hideous in them. I realized about an hour too late on Thursday that there was a Sears between Target and the hotel. I left the station late on Friday feeling the doom of too few pants creeping upon me.
Through the miracle of cell phones, the internet, and an hour's difference in time, I was able to direct Chris to the correct style, size and color of jeans in the Park Meadows JC Penney from 1500 miles away. Hurray! I have pants! Not only that, but I have shorts, too! Much relief and gratitude.
But wait, there's more!
Chris posted a spreadsheet that we could both access through Google, and with a packing list, he was able to pack everything we needed to camp, and to purchase other last-minute necessities for both our households (Perry's and Bays') on Friday night. I have to hand it to him - he did a beautiful job of pulling it all together, even without my help. I admit I was worried - not being in charge, not pulling my weight on this project.
I got home at about 11:30 Friday night; I had to pack my duffel before going to bed. We got a late start (no surprises there) on Saturday morning, but I was surprised that the drive took 14 hours. I thought it was 8 or 9.... We didn't have to pitch tents in the dark after all (a relief), and other than leaving the camp late every morning, we had a totally wonderful and relaxing time. We got to see some new things, but mostly took the Perrys to our favorite places.
I'll not write a travelogue, since Chris has and most of the gentle readers of the Out Basket already read Born Too Late, but allow me to mention a highlight or two.
Upper Geyser Basin, although well-known and frequently overwhelmed with people, was a delightful (if long and tiring) walk. Meeting our old friend Ron St. Amand on the boardwalk was very cool. Grand geyser performed beautifully for us - I'd never seen it play before. I wish I'd had more energy to see Black Sand Basin that day, but it will be there next time.
Mammoth Hot Springs is always a feature of our trips, because one can really see geologic change on a human scale there. The terraces are always different from year to year, and it's fun to see how the boardwalks have been moved by the Parks service to provide access. This year we took the Upper Terrace Loop Drive which we had not done before. I highly recommend it; some real gems lurk back there, notably Orange Dome.
For the first time, this year we went to Norris Geyser Basin, perhaps the hottest area in the park. In contrast to the relitive constancy of Upper Geyser Basin, Norris is highly variable. The springs change position and activity almost overnight; the colors of the thermophiles change; the geyser play starts and stops without warning. It's positively primeval. We didn't get a chance to walk the back loop as a storm moved in on us. We adjourned to Whisky Flats for lunch and then to the Firehole Lake Drive which we have done in year's past. Firehole Lake Drive is a much-overlooked side trip. The geysers are spectacular - not necessarily in size - and the lake and cascades are beautiful and fascinating. The iconic White Dome geyser is on the Drive, as is Great Fountain, with 100-200 feet eruptions and one of the most beautiful terrace structures in the park. White Dome erupts frequently and so we got to see it play, but Great Fountain requires more patience than we had that day.
Chris has already proposed another trip to Yellowstone, with the specific intent to see wolves. He figures that we should get a cabin for that trip, which would eliminate a lot of the housekeeping that is required camping in bear country. It would mean a dedication to getting up early and being in the Lamar valley at dusk instead of dinner. Of course there will be optics to purchase, and the means to eat out a lot more than we normally do, so this is something that we'll really need to plan financially.
Other than holding an endless fascination, Yellowstone is one of those places where there's always something more to see and more to do. It is one of our favorite vacations, and I'm hoping to return next year.
Austin is a small mid-western town, and that's about the best that one can say about it. It seems that the town lives and dies on Spam - if not the manufacturing of the stuff, the tourism surrounding the phenomenon. Valiantly maintaining my "no Spam" position, I did manage to get out of there without visiting the Spam museum, but it was too close for comfort.
The local watering hole that seemed the friendliest to the non-native was the Applebee's, which I'm sure got a significant revenue boost that week due to our presence in town. This is Dayton-Hudson territory, so the Target was just a nice walk from the hotel, which was good since I was far from home while Chris was holding down the fort in Denver with a huge task on his hands - he was singly packing for Yellowstone.
When I left for Austin, I owned one pair of jeans. As the Yellowstone departure date drew closer, I determined that I was in danger of being hosed in the clothing department. I spent two nights perusing Target; the second with a clarified mission - to find something not too hideous to put on my behind in the wilds of Wyoming. In short I failed. Having gained 30 pounds, I'm not too keen on anyone seeing much of my behind, nor what's between it and my ankles. Target seems to think that we all look great in Capris, and they were awash in the things. I look hideous in them. I realized about an hour too late on Thursday that there was a Sears between Target and the hotel. I left the station late on Friday feeling the doom of too few pants creeping upon me.
Through the miracle of cell phones, the internet, and an hour's difference in time, I was able to direct Chris to the correct style, size and color of jeans in the Park Meadows JC Penney from 1500 miles away. Hurray! I have pants! Not only that, but I have shorts, too! Much relief and gratitude.
But wait, there's more!
Chris posted a spreadsheet that we could both access through Google, and with a packing list, he was able to pack everything we needed to camp, and to purchase other last-minute necessities for both our households (Perry's and Bays') on Friday night. I have to hand it to him - he did a beautiful job of pulling it all together, even without my help. I admit I was worried - not being in charge, not pulling my weight on this project.
I got home at about 11:30 Friday night; I had to pack my duffel before going to bed. We got a late start (no surprises there) on Saturday morning, but I was surprised that the drive took 14 hours. I thought it was 8 or 9.... We didn't have to pitch tents in the dark after all (a relief), and other than leaving the camp late every morning, we had a totally wonderful and relaxing time. We got to see some new things, but mostly took the Perrys to our favorite places.
I'll not write a travelogue, since Chris has and most of the gentle readers of the Out Basket already read Born Too Late, but allow me to mention a highlight or two.
Upper Geyser Basin, although well-known and frequently overwhelmed with people, was a delightful (if long and tiring) walk. Meeting our old friend Ron St. Amand on the boardwalk was very cool. Grand geyser performed beautifully for us - I'd never seen it play before. I wish I'd had more energy to see Black Sand Basin that day, but it will be there next time.
Mammoth Hot Springs is always a feature of our trips, because one can really see geologic change on a human scale there. The terraces are always different from year to year, and it's fun to see how the boardwalks have been moved by the Parks service to provide access. This year we took the Upper Terrace Loop Drive which we had not done before. I highly recommend it; some real gems lurk back there, notably Orange Dome.
For the first time, this year we went to Norris Geyser Basin, perhaps the hottest area in the park. In contrast to the relitive constancy of Upper Geyser Basin, Norris is highly variable. The springs change position and activity almost overnight; the colors of the thermophiles change; the geyser play starts and stops without warning. It's positively primeval. We didn't get a chance to walk the back loop as a storm moved in on us. We adjourned to Whisky Flats for lunch and then to the Firehole Lake Drive which we have done in year's past. Firehole Lake Drive is a much-overlooked side trip. The geysers are spectacular - not necessarily in size - and the lake and cascades are beautiful and fascinating. The iconic White Dome geyser is on the Drive, as is Great Fountain, with 100-200 feet eruptions and one of the most beautiful terrace structures in the park. White Dome erupts frequently and so we got to see it play, but Great Fountain requires more patience than we had that day.
Chris has already proposed another trip to Yellowstone, with the specific intent to see wolves. He figures that we should get a cabin for that trip, which would eliminate a lot of the housekeeping that is required camping in bear country. It would mean a dedication to getting up early and being in the Lamar valley at dusk instead of dinner. Of course there will be optics to purchase, and the means to eat out a lot more than we normally do, so this is something that we'll really need to plan financially.
Other than holding an endless fascination, Yellowstone is one of those places where there's always something more to see and more to do. It is one of our favorite vacations, and I'm hoping to return next year.
posted by Melanie Unruh-Bays at
4:44 PM
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