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SUNDAY JUNE 6, 2010
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Ohio mom part of expert panel for Disney trips Travelers who are daunted by the prospect of planning a visit to the vast Disney universe can find a little help close to home. Portia Gadson of Cleveland is one of the latest additions to the Walt Disney World Moms Panel, a group of 43 ordinary folk with an extraordinary love of Disney World. The panel (which also includes a few dads) answers online questions about Disney vacations. Panelists are
STEVE STEPHENS
rewarded with free Disney travel. The panel has answered more than 45,000 questions at the website www.disneyworldmoms.com since its inception two years ago. Gadson said she has loved Disney World since her first trip there at age 6. She began taking her own family, which includes seven children and stepchildren ranging in age from 5 to 20, in 2006 after finding ways to cut
costs and make the trip affordable, she said. Gadson, 39, a former air traffic controller and now a stay-at-home mom and co-owner of a trucking company, was named a panelist in January after a lengthy audition. “It’s a three-tier process,” she explained. “First you have to answer a series of essay questions about yourself and your Disney experience. By the time you get to the third level, it’s
a phone interview and the most nerve-racking thing ever. “It’s such a privilege because they chose 23 of us this year out of 20,000 applicants.” Travelers can submit any kind of question “from what to wear to what kind of handicapped facilities are in the rooms, to show times, amenities, kids’ services, whatever,” Gadson said. See STEPHENS Page F4
ISTOCKPHOTO
Mountains, valleys, blue sky and bison draw visitors to Yellowstone National Park.
ENDLESS MARVELS With its array of landscapes and wildlife, Yellowstone National Park is no one-trip wonder
Wolves have returned to Yellowstone, helping re-establish the natural balance of the ecosystem.
By Lisa Reuter | FOR THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
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wo hundred years ago, when stories of Yellowstone’s wonders first trickled out from mountain men to the rest of the world, no one believed the tales. But the smoking mountains, wide valleys and bison herds were real. And they were so wonderful that they forced Americans to conceive a new concept to protect them: a national park. Today, Yellowstone National Park has been explored in countless books, movies and TV programs, the latest being Ken Burns’ The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. But despite the wealth of information, Yellowstone’s vastness still overwhelms visitors.
“I suspect that most people think of it as a few natural wonders strung together by a roadway rather than 3,000 miles of wilderness,” said Paul Schullery, author of more than a dozen books and a retired park ranger. “If I live to be a hundred, I am sure I still won’t have done (YelSee YELLOWSTONE Page F2
JOEL SARTORE
Ten monuments reflect vast nature of U.S. history By Deborah Netburn and Kelsey Ramos LOS ANGELES TIMES
With ancient petroglyphs and eerie cave dwellings, war-scarred memorials and islands reachable only by boat, our nation’s historical sites give travelers a taste of our rich past. Here’s a list of the five most- and least-visited monuments last year, according to National Park Service data.
Most visited Castle Clinton, N.Y.: Built for defense in the War of 1812, the fort later became an immigration station and after that an aquarium. Located in Manhattan’s Battery Park, it is now a museum with ranger-guided tours and
FILE PHOTO
A Navy musician salutes at the start of a ceremony commemorating the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
06-06-2010
a ticket office for the Statue of Liberty ferry. Visitors in 2009: 4.08 million Info: www.nps.gov/cacl
underwater remains of the battleship USS Arizona. Visitors in 2009: 1.28 million Info: www.nps.gov/valr
Statue of Liberty, N.Y., N.J.: In July 2009, visitors were again permitted to visit the statue’s crown, which had been closed to the public since Sept. 11, 2001. Visitors in 2009: 3.83 million Info: www.nps.gov/stli
Canyon de Chelly, Ariz.: The ruins of Anasazi and Navajo tribes sit among rock formations in Canyon de Chelly in Chinle. The taller spire of the 800-foot Spider Rock is believed to be the home of Spider Grandmother, the creator of the world. Visitors in 2009: 826,425 Info: www.nps.gov/cach
World War II Valor in the Pacific, Hawaii: The reverent memorial educates visitors about the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor through survivors’ accounts, museum exhibits and the opportunity to reflect on the
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Fort Matanzas, Fla.: Matanzas, the Spanish word for See MONUMENTS Page F3
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THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
If you go YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK What you plan to do at Yellowstone will help determine your gateway city. Gardiner, Mont., provides easy access to the park’s northern and western areas. (Fly into Bozeman, Mont.) Gardiner’s website is www.aroundyellow stone.com. Cody, Wyo., 50 miles from the park, has great attractions and a convenient airport (www.yellowstonecountry.org). West Yellowstone, Mont., has good attractions and easy access to Yellowstone’s geyser basins (www. destinationyellowstone.com).
walk to what caught your eye. Motorists stopping in the road are a major cause of accidents.
purchase the Deluxe Trip Planner collection for $29.95 or the Premium Trip Planner for $45.95.
PLANNING The Yellowstone website is www.nps.gov/yell. For Xanterra information, visit www.yellow stonenationalparklodges.com. The nonprofit Yellowstone Association offers award-winning programs and tours led by naturalists, historians and others. Check its website, www.yellowstoneassociation. org, to learn about the Lodging and Learning programs of three to five days ($609 to $2,149) multiday field seminars or a day with a private naturalist guide (starting at $495). For the best assortment of guides, maps and books, choose “Go Shopping” on the association website. Then
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FOR KIDS The park website offers games, puzzles and quizzes to get young people excited before they visit. There’s also information on the Junior Ranger and Young Scientist programs in the park. Visit www.nps.gov/yell/ forkids/index.htm.
SAFETY When you drive into the park, you’ll receive Yellowstone Today, the park newspaper. Read it. It outlines all park services, activities, road closures and safety tips. Pay special attention to two safety tips. No. 1: Stay at least 100 yards away from wolves and bears and 25 yards from all other animals. This protects you, obviously, and it protects the wildlife. No. 2: Don’t stop on roadways when you see something interesting; look for a pullout, park your vehicle, then
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HIRING A GUIDE Nathan Varley and his wife and fellow wolf biologist Linda Thurston offer wildlife tours through their Gardiner-based company the Wild Side. Reach them at 406-223-2152 or www.wolftracker.com.
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late, late dinner times. Stop by a park visitor center each morning to ask the rangers where wildlife has been spotted, or about the best trail options for your abilities and desires. Read the Xanterra magazine, available before you arrive or in lodges and shops in the park. Also consider buying a guidebook, either the Official National Park Handbook or the picture-filled Official Guide, from www.yellowstoneassociation.org or at one of the stores in the park. Xanterra also offers park tours and experiences. They range from trail rides to bus tours. The most popular is the Old West dinner cookout at Roosevelt Lodge. Guests can ride a horse or a covered wagon to the site, where a campfire, steaks cooked to order and a singing cowboy make for a memorable night. Among the options that don’t fill as fast are the stagecoach rides, Hoeninghausen said. “The coaches are authentic, but the safety features are modern, and you can really learn the history of stagecoach travel in the park.” If you choose that, try to be in the first few coaches, advised Varley. “Otherwise, just like 100 years ago, the folks in the back see a lot of dust.” Varley’s favorite Xanterra activity is the hourlong boat ride on Yellowstone Lake. It departs from Bridge Bay Marina and offers great opportunities to spot waterfowl, eagles and ospreys. “You get to tool around the lake, get
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Bull elk are among the most dangerous of the park’s animals.
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lowstone) justice. That’s part of Yellowstone’s glory: It doesn’t run out.” What does run out is a visitor’s time, money, energy and perhaps even imagination. How do you see 3,000 miles of wilderness for the first time? First, decide what you want to get out of the trip and plan accordingly. Think of the park as having three highlight zones to make things easier. Do you want to see the geothermal highlights? You can start with Old Faithful. But make sure you walk farther along the trail to see Riverside and Castle geysers and Beauty Pool. At Norris Geyser Basin, take in Echinus Geyser to watch how geyser plumbing works. Hit the Midway Geyser Basin early in the morning, when the geothermal features along the Firehole River look like a fog gone askew. At Fountain Paint Pot, between Old Faithful and Madison, watch the mud pots burp. Do you prefer stunning waterfalls? Yellowstone has many, and the best, the Upper and Lower falls of the Yellowstone River, are conveniently located along the northern loop of the Figure 8 of the park’s main roadway. Are you more interested in watching the big herd animals, the elk and bison, or looking for a wolf or bear? If so, head for the valleys, Hayden and Lamar. Out-of-the-way Lamar, along the park’s northern road toward Cooke City, Mont., is now the greatest spot in the world to watch wolves in the wild. Hayden Valley is smaller and closer to the rest of the park’s action, on the east side of the southern loop of Yellowstone’s Figure 8 roadway. It is a beautiful valley of rolling hills and creeks. Plan to spend one day in each valley, with a picnic lunch and a guide to the hiking trails in tow. “If all you do is drive through the park, you’re going to see a lodgepole pine forest, Old Faithful, Yellowstone Lake, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and lots of cars,” advised Nathan Varley, a park guide. “Folks who do that are often disappointed.” Varley has just described the average Yellowstone visitor, who spends 1.5 days in the park, most of it in the car. “I tell first-time visitors to settle down and get to know one part of the park,” Schullery said. “Spend three or four days if possible. Take the local hikes, talk to the local rangers, sit down in some nice spot — adopt a favorite tree to sit under or a favorite chair on the veranda — and soak it up. Next time you come back, do the same thing in another area.” Jeff Brown, education director for the Yellowstone Association, recommends hiking and association programs as ways to explore the park. The No. 1 fear of most first-time Yellowstone visitors should be the wildlife, but it’s usually the crowds. Forget that, said Rick Hoeninghausen, sales and marketing director for Xanterra Parks and Resorts in the park. “The only reason to be in a crowd is because you’ve chosen to,” he insisted. “The best secret for missing the crowds is to get up early and go out and watch wildlife. Not many people do. Most don’t get moving until 10 or 11 a.m. If you don’t mind getting out of the car and walking on a trail a quarter mile off the road, you’ll hardly see anyone — even on a boardwalk trail.” Other Hoeninghausen tips for making the most of a visit: Don’t be at Old Faithful at midday. That’s where all the day-trippers are. Instead, be there in the early morning or late afternoon. Reserve your nighttime meal times when you book your in-park rooms. Walk-up dinner guests will end up with
the history and watch the weather build up on the southwest horizon. That trip is a real steal.” The easiest, cheapest way to experience Yellowstone is to take a hike. Here are some recommendations: From Varley: Any hike in the northern part of the park, where the habitat is more diverse — especially in the Lamar Valley because of the amount of wildlife. And a hike up Mount Washburn. “There are two great trails, and neither is terribly hard for anyone with a bit of fitness. There’s tons of wildlife, weather and wildflowers, and the view from the top gives a real sense of the huge, flat caldera plateau that Yellowstone is.” From Schullery: “There’s no better 3-mile walk than along the paved path of the Upper Geyser Basin by Old Faithful. You will be in the best of the best when it comes to the world’s geyser basins.” From Brown: The 5-mile Beaver Ponds Trail at Mammoth Hot Springs and the 5-mile, round-trip hike to Lone Star Geyser at Old Faithful. “Old Faithful Geyser can get so busy, but right next door is this hike to a really cool geyser that you can experience without all the people.” Now, back to the beginning and that question about how many days to spend in Yellowstone. The experts recommend three to five minimum. But the best answer is: as many as you can, again and again.
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