Entering the Caldera

A quick exit, a left turn at the oil derrick and a mile or so down the road led us to G-Ma's diner relatively early in the morning.  The AirBnB did not serve breakfast, which continues to be a point of discontent.  How can one advertise as a "Bed and Breakfast," if there is no breakfast?  Regardless, G-Ma's fit the bill perfectly, serving up what was probably the finest ever consumed west of the Missouri River.  Their sausage gravy captured the imagination, reflecting back to the appropriate level of spice by which Grandma peppered her sauce.

The road west unfurled quickly after that, under partly cloudy skies and temperatures that would likely spike into the lower 30's Celsius.  It would not end that way for us.  Steadily increasing altitude would move the needle in the opposite direction but only down to around 20.

The landscape remained largely unchanged from the eastern half of the state for a good portion of the journey.  Language proved quite the contrary as we discovered multiple in use at any given moment at the Exxon City Square of Shoshoni.  The disorderly conduct demonstrated an intolerable level of confusion, and we disembarked as quickly as possible, quickly crossing into the relative safety of territory controlled by the Shoshone and Arapahoe. Deep scars on the land emerged from the constant raids on their land from the meltwaters of our general destination, the adjacent Teton range of mountains.

Prior to assaulting this formidable opponent, we paused for a bit of refreshment.  Breakfast had been entirely too good and inexpensive.  We needed to moderate that with a poorly done and overpriced meal in Dubois so as to ensure that our expectations did not remain high for the remainder of the journey. The Cowboy Cafe fit the bill, though it felt as though just about any establishment in town might have done equally well.  As the last outpost on the trail to the Tetons, this bustling metropolis appeared poised ready to lighten as many tourists of their burdensome cash as possible; particularly, as it related to petroleum products.

Some of the most breathtaking scenery known to man rise along both sides of the roadway beyond Dubois. The Pinnacle Buttes, North Breccia Cliffs, Lava Mountain, and Angle Mountain fully engage the mind, drawing the motorist deeper towards the cruel and jagged edges of the Tetons.  There is no harm here though, only nature and its unrelenting, though failed, attempts to lift itself up to the sky.

We were relieved to finally be standing at the base of the Grand Tetons, across Colter Bay.  Many others were equally gratified at the scene, which included facilities that had been nonexistent in the past 100 km. After an hour or so waiting for the Grand Tetons to do something more spectacular than just stand there, we gave up and began to purse the path named after the infamous philanthropist, John D. Rockefeller to complete our quest to reach The Yellow Stone.

map image borrowed from National Geographic

Entering the caldera of this massive super volcano, multiple stops interfered with progress more than any of the wildlife.  We fully expected it to be the other way around.  The lateness of the hour limited our hesitations to three or four or five.  The beauty of the terrain was positively addictive when it broke from between the pines, and almost too much to leave behind.  

We were not required to leave it all behind after all.  Indeed, it was right off the front porch of our final resting place, nestled against the pines.  

We quickly discovered that Xanterra had attempted to exact some revenge upon us for not booking directly through them by placing us right next to a rather boisterous ice maker.  Their attempt failed though, as the noise could not get past the barricade to our chambers.  It did make lingering out of doors out of the question, excepting when the beast slept.  

The only thing left to do for the day was to wander over to the Canyon Village space for a meal that turned out as mediocre and overpriced as previously enjoyed outside the park.  There were three hopelessly generic choices overall, sealing our dining fate for the next several days.

The journey for the day had not been long.  Planning had anticipated actual road of around 6 hours.  Forward progress had lasted nearly 10 hours.  That was not much different than the previous day, or really any other exploratory adventure in the past.  We crashed hard and slept well, after making a choice between one bed with clean sheets and another deeply scarred with road dirt from being dragged in a bag across the parking lot (a practice noted in passing related to another resident as we arrived earlier).  If the volcano were to go this night, not a soul would care.

. . .

Further Reading

AirBNB

G-Ma's Diner

Casper, WY

Exxon Fast Lane Inc

Shoshoni, WY

The Cowboy Cafe

Dubois, WY

Grand Teton National Park

National Park Service

Yellowstone Caldera Map

National Geographic Education

Canyon Lodge & Cabins

by Xanterra

Canyon Lodge Eatery

also by Xanterra

Yellowstone National Park

National Park Service

Kong to Casper

An unexpected surprised greeted us in the morning at hotel the next morning.  The supplied breakfast consisted of much more than the heartbreaking "continental" variety.  A wealth of eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy, and waffles joined in the fray and in no time, with a fully belly, we bid farewell to our neighbor King Kong.

Rocketing down the ramp at Little Salt Creek, the interstate rolled out across the Platte River valley under blue skies and temperatures that would reach in the low 30s Celsius.  In as much time as it took to take a breath, it was clogged with high-speed traffic.  Everyone seemingly raced for the same destination, hoping to arrive first.  Construction threatened to foul the pace for all involved.  It certainly made for a more intense experience, if nothing else.  Side-by-side with unrelenting truck traffic at 120 kph can be quite daunting. Collapsing all of that into one lane, between concrete barriers can be disheartening.  One forgets about everything beyond self-preservation.

Ogallala offered two lanes and substantial relief, aiming straight for Lake McConaughy, as if this were the path of choice with many before.  It enabled a more windows down and music environment, skirting along the southern-most extent of the Nebraska Sand Hills without missing a beat The oppression and monotony of the interstate quickly faded from memory.

A miscalculation caused us to miss a return visit to Scottsbluff. Plans to take a quick tour to the top and break there for lunch went down in a fiery crash when a missed left turn found us on the north side of town.  While the view felt every bit worth taking the time to diverge, something told us to press on.  

Wyoming arrived shortly thereafter, unassuming and unannounced.  We hardly realized its presence until we were already well into the argument.  Fort Laramie, and our proximity to having join with the interstate again, turned the conversation towards taking a break.  It went flying by, though our maps indicated were barreling fast towards other points of interest noted during the planning process.  

Over last two hundred years or so, everyone passing through took some time to register themselves upon the nearby soft and chalky limestone formations that rise above the North Platte River Valley.  We arrived at Register Cliff State Historic Site to ensure we were properly registered but found no place left to make our mark.  Prior trappers and pioneers had consumed nearly every square inch of space available, leaving only enough room for folks through to the 1980's.  There had been a lot of traffic.

Most of that traffic occurred between 1841 and 1869, as the masses migrated along the Oregon Trail, searching for that promised land in America.  Their wagons etched an impression on the surrounding limestone cutting deeper than any of their signatures.

It is a quiet place now, atop a hill overlooking the North Platte River.  It seems odd finding these old wagon tracks up high, when a wide and flat river valley lie just below.  They were either missing the mark completely, avoiding something down there, or the landscape must have been decidedly different.

Lucindy Rollins might have been able to explain the situation, except that she passed on earlier than anticipated on these bluffs.  Her name is forever immortalized upon an obelisk dedicated to her memory here.   She never made it her appointment or to whatever it was that coerced her into making the long trek across the forbidding outback of the United States at that time.  

Intent on making our appointment to arrive in Casper prior to dusk, we turned our full attention to that task. I-25 assisted in that process, as well as a speed limit suitable to crossing distances in a short amount of time.  They should post these signs everywhere!  

We were successful in our goal.  Our camp host greeted us under a quickly darkening sky, and by the time we arrived at the recommended J's Pub & Grill, darkness had consumed what was left of it.  We survived a mediocre meal there and returned to collapse into bed without further incident.  Tomorrow would be a bit less harried, undoubtedly.

Sunset and Cookies

"The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry," and the start of the expedition out to the Yellow Stone proved no exception.  Plans to arrive in Lincoln for sunset were quickly derailed by a need for sustenance.  We could have forged ahead but maintaining amicable relations among our crew felt more important.

Approaching Tracy, a prior recommendation came to mind, and the Country Cafe happily supported the previously mentioned effort with a quick and delicious meal that surpassed expectations.  Fat and happy, nobody cared that the last 100 or so kilometers of the day would be under cover of darkness.

A pause for fuel on a bluff near Rock Port in Missouri enabled an opportunity to momentarily admire the ongoing descent of the great ball of fire in the sky.  The situation left little time for any other diversions, though that was understood to be a facet of this leg of the journey.  Indeed, we hardly even noticed passing through Iowa.

Lincoln appeared shortly after without incident, and any concerns related to our first host quickly evaporated.  Bridgepoint Inn & Suites offered a friendly, clean and well-kept establishment.  While nothing fancy, those three points go a long way towards supporting the proper state of mind on any expedition.   

Dusting ourselves off and settling in, a celebratory walk across the street enabled acquisition of a dose of hot chocolate and cookies.  That put the day in perspective, readying the soul for the coming stretch across Nebraska and Wyoming in our quest to reach Yellowstone.

Power BI Report Chart Visual - Snack 15

That last visual proved interesting.  Let's add something a bit more interactive.

Jump into EDIT mode on your report.

Ensure you do not have anything select by clicking in the blank space.

A quick double-check is to look at the "Build Visual" section of the Visualizations pane.  "Values" should display nothing more than "Add data fields here."

Let's do that.

1. Drag-and-Drop the date field to that little box.
1. A new visual should appear with the date
2. It is broken out by Year, Month, Quarter, Day.
1. That is good.
2. Do the same and Add Sales.
1. You should be able to Drag-and-Drop it just below the Date portion.
3. Add Gross Sales.
4. Add Profit.
1. We are back to a boring table.
5. Under the Visualizations pane, 
1. click on the icon for "Line and clustered column chart."
1. The boring table should change to a fancy bar chart.
1. If it does, great!
2. If it does not, and only a new blank visualization appears, that means your table was not selected when you clicked that icon.  Select your table visual and try again.
1. You can also select the other blank visual, hit that little ". . ." menu and choose to remove it.
6. Stretch out your new visual so you can see more of it.
1. It is probably only displaying 2 years columns, and how come there is a line on the icon and none on the chart?
7. Return to the Visualizations pane,
1. click and drag "Sum of Profit" down to where it says, "Add data fields here" in the section beneath that for "Line-y axis."
1. Ta-Da!  We have a line!
2. Still a little boring though.
8. Hover over the visual.
1. Click the icon that looks like two down arrows that split into two.
9. Save.

That's better.  Your screen should look relatively similar to the screenshot.

Make absolutely sure you saved before reading on.

Did you SAVE?

Are you sure?

You should probably exit and come back into the report to ensure you do not muss anything.

There is no exit.  I am not sure why.  Close the tab.

Access the report again.

Now, about the arrows ... 

The arrows enable you to interact with the visual, as well as set the default appearance.

When I first started helping folks out with using Power BI, I made a little cheat sheet for these little icons that shows up below.

Play around with the arrows to better understand how they work.

Planning for the Yellow Stone - Phase 5

Just when you thought there was nothing left to plan for, guess again.

Things need piled up.  Plans need distributed to those with concern. New hiking shoes need broken in. 

It would be a little ridiculous to get on the trail with a stiff pair of shoes.  

I cannot think of a better way to get blisters.  

Beating up the new foot cushions on local trails are good insurance against that, especially if they are an entirely new model, with different traction and balance considerations dynamics.

There is a distinct difference the new set and my old pair of Columbia Redmond III.  Discovering that they were no longer made proved extremely disappointing.  I have been using that model for years.  They are heavier than most, with a much thicker tread that just seems to grip better.

Replacement tires are Merrell Accentor 3.  They are definitely lighter, though lack the same grip, leaving me stumbling about a little more than anticipated.  There will definitely be a period of adaptation.