Yellowstone Survey Results Released

Above, the tour bus we took in 2015 to see Yellowstone National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Survey results of visitors to Yellowstone National Park has been released.

The general consensus, it's crowded!

KIFI Local News 8 reported:

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK (KIFI/KIDK) - Most visitors say their recent trip to Yellowstone National Park was good or excellent.   That was one of the findings from a survey of more than 4,000 people who visited the park in 2018.   The study was conducted by Otak Inc., RRC Associates and the University of Montana Institute for Tourism Recreation Research. 

The park released a peer-reviewed report of Yellowstone's 2018 Visitor Use Study Thursday.  Over 4,000 people were surveyed, one of the largest returns in the history of the park service.  It was conducted during one week of each month from May to September, 2018. 

Visitation has increased significantly over the past 10 years, ranging from 3.2 million in 2009 to 4.1 million in 2018.  The survey indicates 85% of those interviewed thought their experience was good or excellent.  Most said their main reason for visiting were the scenery, wildlife, and thermal features.  

Most first-time visitors could deal with the traffic, but that patience wore thin for return visitors or people spending several days there.   Over half of those visitors think there were too many people. 

During our 2015 trip to Yellowstone, I planned on being there in mid-June, before kids are in their summer vacations. That, plus taking tours through the park with a tour company (Buffalo Bus Touring Co.) so I wouldn't have to contend with traffic, made our stress levels very low to non-existent. I knew ahead of time how crowded Yellowstone gets during the peak summer months. The expense of the tours (two tours) was well worth it and they picked us up at our campground in West Yellowstone, Montana.

Above, a crowd gathers for an eruption of Old Faithful Geyser last July. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I was reluctant about going there last July due to the crowds, but we entered the park and went as far as Old Faithful Geyser. Yes, the traffic was pretty heavy and I was constantly in fear of having the motorhome hit by some bozo not paying any attention to the road.

In contrast, our experience in neighboring Grand Teton National Park on the same trip was far less stressful as there were no crowds in the park. It was actually very enjoyable.

To read the survey results, go here.

Yellowstone Traffic Problem May Force Changes

Above, a mother bear and her two cubs caused a "wildlife jam" during one of our Yellowstone tours. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When my daughter and I visited Yellowstone National Park two years ago, our park visits consisted of two tours and one early-morning drive-through to get to Grand Teton National Park on our way home. We got to see more of the park during the tours than we would have if we drove ourselves in The Beast, and without the headaches of driving.

A new study reveals that the average visitor spends 60 to 80 percent of their time in Yellowstone behind other vehicles. This may prompt a change.

Condé Nast Traveler has posted an article on this problem.

They begin with:

When visitors roaming Yellowstone National Park in cars see a grizzly bear and her cubs, or a herd of bison, they stop. And so do the cars behind them, every window open as cameras lurch to get that perfect shot. The National Park Service (NPS) calls these stoppages "wildlife jams," and a new NPS report reveals each one results in a 30- to 120-minute traffic backup. The study, one of two released Thursday, examines the way swelling crowds, especially during peak season, threaten not only the environment, but the visitor experience, and come to a bleak conclusion: In July, the roadways near popular attractions such as Old Faithful are 29 percent over capacity, and if action isn't taken, the entire park could hit its traffic capacity in just four to six years. If nothing changes, and visitor numbers increase with current year-over-year trends, it could lead to backups at popular sites and unsustainable degradation to the road system and the natural environment.

Above one of the tour buses we took with a private tour company to see Yellowstone. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Possible changes may include shuttle buses and reservation systems.

To read more, go here. 

How To Avoid National Park Crowds This Summer

Above, Buffalo Bus Touring Co. in West Yellowstone, Montana. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

If you are planning to visit one or more of our national parks this summer, but are reluctant because of possible crowds, Fox News has an article with five tips on avoiding crowds at the national parks.

They begin with:

A record 330 million people visited a U.S. National Park in 2016, and while it’s great news that people want to explore the outdoors, it means that hiking trails and scenic drives are likely to reach capacity this year-- especially during the peak summer months. 

If you're planning a trip to one of America's national parks, here are five tips to help you make the most of your visit and even enjoy some measure of solitude during your vacation. 

One of their tips is to tour a national park with a touring company.

To read more and see what the other four tips are, go here. 

Yellowstone Set New Visitor Record In 2016

Above, an eruption of Old Faithful Geyser. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Yellowstone National Park visitor totals for 2016 beat the previous year's record, according to Explore Big Sky. This is understandable as 2016 was the centennial year for the National Park Service.

Explore Big Sky wrote:

2016 was another record-breaking year for visitation in Yellowstone National Park. The park tallied a total of 4.25 million visits this past year, a 3.9 percent increase from 2015 when nearly 4.1 million people visited the park and a whopping 21 percent increase over 2014 numbers. 

National park visitation was strong in Montana and Wyoming throughout the National Park Service’s centennial. Glacier National Park to the north of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park to its south also posted record years. 2016 was the third consecutive year that both parks set visitation records. 

One of the most notable trends in recent years is the marked increase of commercial tour buses entering Yellowstone’s gates. In 2016, nearly 13,000 commercial bus tours were counted, a 21 percent increase over 2015 entries and a 46.5 percent increase from 2014 figures. Park management is currently considering options for commercial tour bus management.

Above, a Buffalo Touring Bus Co. bus in West Yellowstone. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

My daughter Amber and I visited Yellowstone in 2015 and took two tours of the park with Buffalo Bus Touring Co., an outside commercial tour company from West Yellowstone.

To read more, go here. 

2015 In Review

Above, the big purchase of the year, The Beast. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The year is almost over and, for the most part, I has been a great year. Here's my annual recap of the highlights of the year.

The year began with a major decision. It didn't come easy, but the economics were such that I had to make a move. I decided to sell the farm in Nebraska as property taxes have doubled since I inherited it five years ago. On top of that, corn prices have been mired around $3.00/bushel. The return for such low crop prices were such that paying the farm's property taxes didn't leave me with much left.

Once I made my decision, I did some research on farmland prices and contacted my tenant to let him know. Besides being the proper thing to do, it is also a requirement to notify tenants of the land being put up on the market.

His reaction was unexpected. He essentially said, "I'll buy it!" So we negotiated a very fair price and made the deal. I am glad that he has it now. It is in good hands!

Once the sale was completed, I made a second decision. I decided to buy an RV. Again, I did some research. I originally was going to buy a Class B (a campervan), but I found that the prices for those were much more than what I was willing to fork out.

Above, with my aunt Rose in Mission Viejo.

Then in February, I started looking at Class C motorhomes. I had a micro-mini Class C 25 years ago, so I am familiar with them. I checked out different makes and models and settled on Winnebago's Mini Winnie 22R. It is a 23 footer and is the right size for me and my parking space. Since I have a double parking space, I can park the motorhome and the car in it. There was just enough room. If I bought anything bigger, I would have had to find a RV storage facility to store it. Amber named it "The Beast" and the name stuck. Most of my friends and family now refer to it as The Beast. I bought it from La Mesa RV in San Diego. The local Winnebago dealers didn't have what I wanted and La Mesa had several models to choose from. We came to a great deal (it helps to pay cash) and I flew down to pick it up. La Mesa sent a representative to pick me up at the airport.

Once all transactions were completed, I drove The Beast home. Along the way, I stopped in Mission Viejo to visit my aunt Rose and cousins. I gave them a tour of The Beast.

Also in February, I bought myself a Canon Rebel camera. I am very pleased with it. I later bought a telephoto lens.

In April, I flew to San Francisco (photo, left) to give a presentation before the Japan Society of Northern California at the Roxie Theater, "In The Footsteps of Godzilla". My presentation was on Godzilla and other kaiju movie locations. The event included a screening of the original Japanese version of Godzilla (1954).

April saw some changes in my personal life. My longtime roommate, Jessica, announced that her father sold his Orange County condo and moved to Canoga Park and that she would be moving in with him. This came as a surprise, but her father would be able to provide for her care better when she receives a liver transplant. She moved out that month. We are still friends and we get together generally every week and I am her back-up for getting her to her doctor appointments. A few days after Jes moved out, I met Denise Santos. We seem to click together, despite our age difference. We've been hanging out together quite a bit since meeting.

Since I bought The Beast in February, I spent the next several weeks equipping it.

Above, Amber and Armand at
 The Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas.

Also in April, Amber and I took The Beast for its "shake-out cruise" to Las Vegas for her to interview and take a swimming test for The Mirage Hotel's dolphin show as an intern. She didn't make it, but it was a fun trek and we visited with Barb and Jerry Weiler and my cousin Antoinette.

Memorial Day was a mixed bag of good and bad. The bad was that Amber was in a traffic collision in Santa Monica, which totaled her 2000 Mustang. (We later got her a newer Mustang. A convertible.) After picking up Amber from Santa Monica at the wrecking yard, I headed home. But, luckily, the day was salvaged (the good) when Denise called and asked me to join her, son Aiden and her cousin at Universal Studios Hollywood. We had a great time. I still marvel that she managed to talk me into going on "The Revenge of the Mummy" ride, a roller-coaster. I haven't been on a roller-coaster since I was a kid. It actually was fun, surprisingly.

In June, Amber and I took The Beast to Yellowstone National Park. It was her first vacation in ages and she was last there at age three, so she remembered nothing about it. We had a wonderful time. We stopped along the way in Beaver, Utah and spent one night at the KOA Kampground there. We also stopped at a roadside attraction, Yellowstone Bear World in Idaho. That was fun.

We stayed at the KOA in West Yellowstone and took two days of tours into the park with Yellowstone Buffalo Tours. Instead of fighting traffic in the park and trying to find parking, we let someone else do the driving and we concentrated on the wonders of Yellowstone. One the first day (on the Upper Loop Tour), we managed to see some bears.

After leaving Yellowstone for home, we took the route that goes through Grand Teton National Park. From there, we headed into Utah and spent one night at the Richfield KOA. After leaving Richfield, we drove through Zion National Park for the last leg of our return home. It was a great trip.

Above, Denise and I at Universal Studios.

In July, I went to Lake Havasu with Denise and Aiden, Arizona to do some jet-skiing. I always wanted to try a jet ski (it was on my "bucket list"). We camped at the Lake and on the first day, we rented a pontoon boat for a couple of hours and rented a jet ski the next day. It was a great little trip and we plan on doing it again next year.

In August, my cat Siren became ill and very frail. We took her to the vet and he thought it was something that could be cured. For the next month, Amber and I administered medications to Siren. At first, she seemed to show improvement, but towards the end of September, she began to decline again. She passed away on September 29. Amber and I took her loss very hard. She was 18 years old. One could not have asked for a better cat for a companion.

Also in August, my great-uncle Alexander Charleston passed away from cancer in Alabama. He was a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army.

Shocking news came in September. Actor Jack Larson suddenly passed away at home. Even though he was 86, he seemed in robust health and we last saw him the year before at the Superman Celebration. Many of us attended his memorial service at the James Bridges Theater at UCLA in December. He was always there for us at different events, so we were there for him.

In October, I needed to go to Japan for more material for my planned updated edition of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan. So Denise, Aiden and I headed off. We spent time in Tokyo, Atami, Osaka and Kyoto. While in Tokyo, I hosted a dinner at the Imperial Hotel for friends from Toho. We had a great time.

Above, Amber and Armand at Gibbon Falls in Yellowstone National Park.

In November, Amber and I went to my cousin Julianne's in Lake Forest for Thanksgiving dinner.
Also in November, I retired from my "parachute" job at Lakeside Golf Club. So now, my time belongs to me. Good thing too. The calendar was against me again this year as I would have had to work during Christmas had I not retired. Since I did, we spent Christmas at my cousin Maria's in Wildomar.

Above, Sierra.

After Siren died, I was debating on whether or not I would get another cat. But, that decision was made easier as Amber spotted a kitten named Claire at the South Bay Adoption Center's posting on Facebook. She passed it on to me. After repeated looks at the posting, I took a chance and called the Adoption Center to see if she was still available. She was. I went down to the center in Hawthorne and adopted her. She has been renamed Sierra Claire. Her personality is like Siren's.

In late November, I went on a weekend jaunt to the Gen. Patton Memorial Museum in Chiriaco Summit to locate my dad's brick (found it, with some help) and to Joshua Tree National Park. I went solo this time as everyone else had to work or had other things to do. I still had a good time camping at Joshua Tree, although it was very cold.

Already, plans are being made for 2016, including a trek to Yosemite National Park. Stay tuned!

Review: Touring Yellowstone With The Buffalo Bus Touring Company

Above, before heading into Yellowstone National Park, the tour bus made a
restroom stop near the Imax Theater in West Yellowstone. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When planning for our Yellowstone National Park vacation, I decided that it would be too much to unhook and rehook up the sewer, electric and water connections to the motorhome and then deal with traffic in the park and, quite possibly, a rampaging animal that could damage the motorhome.

So, I checked for Yellowstone tours in the park and in West Yellowstone (where we were staying) and settled on the Buffalo Bus Touring Company.

I figured that I did enough driving when we drove over one thousand miles from Los Angeles to West Yellowstone in two days (and repeat the process in going back home), so I elected to let someone else do the driving.

I remembered driving through Yellowstone 25 years ago and had to keep my eyes on the road instead of taking in the wonders of the park. By letting someone else do the driving, I would be able to enjoy the park so much more.

Above, the Buffalo Bus Touring Company bus. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Buffalo Bus Touring Company is located in West Yellowstone and they provide free pick-up from the area hotels, motels and campgrounds. The West Entrance KOA, where we were staying, was one of the first pick-up stops by the tour company. We had to be at the KOA's office building at 8:00 a.m. to be picked up. The tour bus was prompt both days.

The first tour we took was of the Upper Loop of Yellowstone National Park. The tour driver for that day was Graham. Besides being knowledgeable about the park, he had a great sense of humor and had plenty of bad jokes to share with the tour group. [Example: What do you call a bear with no teeth? Answer: A gummy bear.]

The second tour was of the Lower Loop of the park. This tour was led by Jay. He, too, had plenty of bad jokes to share.

Both tours ended around 5:30 p.m.

They recommend ordering box lunches through them for $10 each. Unfortunately, they goofed up our box lunch order on the Lower Loop tour (they also did on the Upper Loop tour, but we said something in time to get them before leaving West Yellowstone to tour the park), so we ended up going to the snack bar at the Old Faithful Inn for lunch.

The tour fees are:

• One Loop: $74.95
• Both Loops: $139.90
• Seniors: $5.00 Discount Per Ticket
• 15 & Under: $64.95
• 15 & Under: $124.90

Additionally, if one doesn't have passes into Yellowstone, the Buffalo Bus Touring Company can obtain them for you. These are necessary to enter the park. The good thing is, the passes are good for seven days and you can use them to enter the park on your own.

The tour stops at most of  the major attractions of Yellowstone National Park. Their website provides and overview on what places they generally stop at. They are pretty laid back tours with plenty of stops for sightseeing and photography.

We enjoyed both tours and felt we got our money's worth. On the first day, we managed to see bears, bighorn sheep, bison, elk, deer and other wildlife. On the second day's tour, no bears were seen, but we did see the other animals. We were able to spend nearly two hours at the Old Faithful Inn and geyser. We departed after Old Faithful Geyser erupted.

If you prefer to just enjoy the ride by letting someone else do the driving, you should consider using the Buffalo Bus Touring Company. Their website is at: http://www.yellowstonevacations.com/. I thought the prices were reasonable.

My grade: A.

West Entrance KOA, West Yellowstone, Montana

Above, the store and office of the West Entrance KOA. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

25 years ago, we took a vacation trip to Mount Rushmore and Yellowstone National Park. My daughter Amber was just three at the time and has very few memories of that trip. We decided to go to Yellowstone for the first real vacation in our new Winnebago. We stayed at the West Entrance KOA in West Yellowstone, Montana.

Above, the bicycle rental kiosk. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

We decided to stay again at the West Entrance KOA on this trip. We weren't disappointed.

The KOA is one of the biggest I've seen and the 3-4-foot tall pine trees in 1990 were fully grown 25 years later and provided a lot of shade. The campground is located 6 miles from Yellowstone National Park's West Entrance. It is also a stop for the Buffalo Tour Company.

The campsite we were assigned was a large grassy back-up site with its own wooden border fence. We did not feel at all claustrophobic there.

Above, our campsite at West Entrance KOA. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The campground has a pool, playground, and latte booth (open in the mornings) and bike rentals. If one doesn't feel like cooking, the campground has breakfast and dinner service. There is also a big (by KOA standards) gift store and convenience market. Nearby, there is a horseback riding stable (a 13 min. walk). The campground also has clean restrooms and showers.

The campground is owned and operated by the Steve Linde family. They also own the nearby Mountainside KOA. They have owned the campground since 1982.

When I was making my reservations for this year's stay, I mentioned to Steve Linde that we stayed there 25 years ago. He asked if I had any photos of the campground from that visit. I did and sent him some.

Above, a well maintained road. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The West Entrance KOA is located at 3305 Targhee Pass Highway. West Yellowstone, MT 59758. For more information, go here.

This KOA is my favorite of all the KOAs I've stayed at over the years.

My grade: A+.