Yellowstone

How I Spent My Summer Vacation: Montana!

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When Jane Porter, my publisher at Tule Publishing asked me to switch settings and write sweet, small-town romance in Marietta, Montana, I have to confess, I was more than a little apprehensive. Right off, leaving safe, familiar River’s Edge, where “everybody knew my name…” was a little sad, although I’m not sure I’m done with RE forever. Also, it was daunting to come to a setting that was already created, and by amazing writers who are way more experienced in the ways of the West and cowboys than me. Frankly, I’d never been to the West before and I knew nothing about cowboys. Oh, I’d spent lots of time in California and I’d been Oregon, but those were family and vineyard vacations. I was intrigued with the whole idea of moving to Montana, though, and joining authors I love in Marietta.

The first order of business was to read—I was already a Marietta fan, so I knew some about that little fictional town in Crawford County, Montana. With the help of my amazing editor, Sinclair Jayne, and all the great online information available at Tule, I began to know the town even better. But it occurred to me that if I was going to write more than one book in Montana, maybe I’d better go see it for myself.

I called my friend and fellow Tule author, Carol Light, and said, “Hey, wanna go to Montana?” Carol was an immediate, “You bet, when do we leave?” We picked Big Sky country because it was not too far from Bozeman (neither is Marietta), and the VRBOs there were out-of-season, so fairly reasonable. To be honest, Big Sky, the town, is a winter playground for snow skiers and snow boarders, but all around the area are ranches and not far away is Virginia City and Ennis and other towns that reeked of cowboys and Western life.

In late July, I left my local airport at 8:30 a.m.; Carol left her local airport 10:15 a.m. and we met up in the Denver Airport. Then we flew together to Bozeman–one of the cutest airports I’ve ever seen! There are bears and moose everywhere and some crazy huge bird hanging from the ceiling! The whole airport was mountain stone and cedar beams–really pretty and lodge-y (If that’s not a word, it should be). We also saw the coolest ad for a fishing outfitters that felt like the universe was telling me that moving from River’s Edge to Montana is a capital idea! Take a look!

There are 64 mountain ranges in Montana and our condo was nestled right in the middle of the Madison Range at an altitude of 7000 feet. Lone Mountain was visible from Big Sky as well as several other mountain ranges, including the Gallatin Range and the Absaroka Range, which are part of Marietta lore.

We spent two days of our week at Yellowstone National Park, which is just overwhelming and spectacular! Carol used the term “moonscape of boiling mud and geysers” to describe the Fountain Paint Pot thermal field and Old Faithful. I can’t think of a better way to say it. It was awe-inspiring and this little Midwestern gal couldn’t stop saying, “Wow!” What a spectacular experience that national park was!

When we drove west to Virginia City the first thing I noticed was that the landscape was so very different from Big Sky. In Big Sky, it’s all huge mountains and pines. As we headed west, the terrain changed to rolling hills and pastures and wheat and hayfields. Junipers dotted the landscape and there were lots of ranches and fences and sagebrush. I absorbed it all–even-saw a ranch that reminded me of what I imagined Del Foster’s ranch to be–and oh, the cows and horses! Virginia City and Ennis were real Old West towns and just steeped in history!

I think the most important thing that we discovered there is how big the world is–Big Sky indeed! The mountains overwhelmed us every time we went outside even though we were only halfway up. We loved tramping to Ousel Falls, so I would have a picture in my head (and on my phone) of what I imagined Juniper Falls to look like. I absorbed Montana and imagined the little town of Marietta in each place we visited. We saw enough cattle ranches and guest dude ranches that I can add some authenticity to my Juniper Falls Ranch stories. The Big Sky area wasn’t as cowboy-centric as I imagined it would be, but the vibe was definitely Western.

All in all, this move to Marietta is going to be a fun journey. I can’t wait to share my cowboy/Western romances with you! Hope y’all will come along with me to Marietta and Juniper Falls Ranch!

All My Best,

Question: Have you ever had to change course and do something entirely different? How’d it go?

Trips Out West I’d Love to Take

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Ahh, vacations. What is it about July and August that screams, road trip? We recently enjoyed a week in northern Michigan with my mom and my sister’s family. What a great time!

As much as I love visiting destinations we can drive to in half a day, there are several trips out West I’d love to take, too.

In no particular order:

These are the big three. The ones I will prioritize. And, yes, I’m seeing a theme. They’re all national parks!

I grew up awed by nature. I spent a lot of time outdoors, and we were surrounded by farm fields and forests. Very beautiful. But mountains? Waterfalls? Hot Springs? Giant red rock formations? We didn’t have those.

Why haven’t I gotten out to these fabulous parks yet? Well, I don’t have a good excuse. Just the usual. It’s not cheap to fly out there, rent a car, and pay for lodging. Plus, we prioritized vacations with our kids and close family. Now that it’s just my husband and I, these big trips become more doable.

Let’s start with Yellowstone. Ideally, I’d like to stay in one of the lodge’s within the park. Besides oohing and ahhing over the mountains, I want to tour Historic Fort Yellowstone. What can I say? I brake for forts! American history fascinates me. Mammoth Hot Springs,  Fountain Paint Pot, Grand Prismatic Spring, and any hypothermal spot I can find are next on my list. Beyond that, I’d enjoy seeing waterfalls and hiking in general.

hot spring in Yellowstone National Park

As far as Zion National Park goes, I’m mainly there for the geology. I just want to let my jaw drop and gaze in wonder at God’s splendor. Since I love bird-watching, I’d be on the lookout for birds I don’t see in the Midwest.

Sign at entrance to Zion National Park

Mount Rushmore has an information center and BOOKSTORE. That would be our first stop–and our last stop. I love books! I’m not sure what all there is to see besides the national memorial, so anything besides that will be a welcome surprise.

Have you been to any of these national parks? Where do you want to go? Any recommendations for me?

Enjoy your day!

 

Summer Vacation Tip: Don’t Hit the Bison

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Mountain backdrop with bison crossing a two-land road. Text, "Summer Vacation Tip: Don't Hit the Bison. Petticoats & Pistols"

June is here! Let the summer vacations commence!

I have a list of vacation spots I’d love to visit, and near the tippy-top is Yellowstone National Park. With over 2.2 million acres, Yellowstone boasts geographical features like geysers, canyons, waterfalls, hot springs, basins, meadows, mountains, and of course, Old Faithful. Since my surroundings are generally flat, wooded, or farm-filled, Yellowstone sounds like a magnificent adventure.

Did you know Yellowstone was designated as the first national park in 1872? It contains wildlife and lots of it. You can spot bighorn sheep, elk, deer, moose, bears, coyotes, mountain lions, wolverines, wolves, and bison, among other animals. According to the Yellowstone National Park website, there were approximately 5,400 bison as of August 2024. With the bison come traffic jams.

Here’s my summer vacation tip: Don’t hit the bison!

How comfortable are bison around moving vehicles? In “Is it Okay to Drive Next to Bison on the Road in Yellowstone,” J. Scott Donahue states, “In Yellowstone, bison are so accustomed to cars and asphalt roads that they seem to know the right-of-way. Driving slowly behind a group of bison plodding along a two-lane road, you can certainly maneuver around them whenever it’s safe. Bison, when they do travel on the Grand Loop or other roads, usually don’t stop in the middle of the road, either.”

Okay, so what happens when the bison aren’t walking with traffic on the two-lane road? When they’re walking across the road? Or blocking it altogether?

In “Exploring Wyoming: How To Navigate Through Yellowstone’s Bison Jams” by Andrew Rossi at Cowboy State Daily, wildlife photographer, Max Waugh, shares his tips to avoid a traffic jam caused by bison. He cautions that while the park is their home, human concerns need to be considered when the roads are blocked. Locals might be trying to navigate the roads through the park or emergency vehicles might need to get through.

Here are some of Max Waugh’s tips when driving through Yellowstone.

  • Wait to see if bison will cross
  • Ease your way through a slow-moving herd that’s occupying the entire road
  • Avoid gaps between you and the vehicle in front of you to discourage bison from filling in the gap and slowing traffic
  • Pass bison if they aren’t moving or are on the other side of the road
  • Don’t block traffic to get a picture

Pretty straightforward if you ask me.

One of the most important tips about bison I’ve picked up? Never get physically near one if you can help it. They’re fast, and they’re aggressive. They can toss you in the air like a ragdoll and gore you with their horns. No thanks!

Keeping all the above in mind, I’m still eagerly anticipating the day when I can drive through Yellowstone National Park and see the bison for myself. Until then? I’ll continue dreaming about it.

Have you been to Yellowstone National Park? Did you see bison? Have you been around bison somewhere else?

I’d love to hear about it!

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So I Watched This Series – by Pam Crooks

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Yellowstone to Yosemite, narrated by Kevin Costner. 

It’s a beautiful three-part series with breathtaking scenery and a fascinating look into the working relationship Teddy Roosevelt had with naturalist John Muir. Together, they devised a plan to appeal to Congress to preserve the national parks in our country–and much more.

Born in 1838 in Scotland, John Muir moved with his family to Wisconsin at the age of 11. His father was a harsh taskmaster, and John fled home in his 20s, roaming the state, then escaping the Civil War draft in Canada until finally settling in Indianapolis to work in a wagon wheel factory. He had a flair for inventing machinery, and when an industrial accident nearly blinded him, he believed he’d been given a second chance to pursue his dreams. He headed west to wander throughout California. He lived three years in Yosemite Valley and longer in the Sierra Nevadas, supporting himself with his writings about nature.

At the age of 42, he decided to settle down and raise a family. He married, had two daughters, and managed his wife’s family’s orchard in California. As the years rolled by, the wandering urge returned, and he felt compelled to see his parents and siblings in Wisconsin. It’d been 20 years, and he reached his father just in time for his passing.

The trip had been grueling, but he withstood the pain to remain in commune with nature and to become closer to God. Through his essays, he acquired fame and respectability, which eventually inspired President Theodore Roosevelt, a conservationist as well, to arrange a meeting with him in 1903. With Muir as his guide, the president spent three days camping in the California wilderness, avoiding the comforts of hotels to experience the wilderness first hand, including a ferocious blizzard. Their intense discussions revolved around the importance of protecting wild areas like Yosemite and cemented Roosevelt’s growing desire to expand the national park systems.

In the end, due to Roosevelt’s actions, that three-day camping trip resulted in five more national parks being established, along with 18 national monuments, 55 bird sanctuaries and wildlife refuges, as well as 148 million acres into 150 national forests.

Those numbers are even higher today as our leaders secured strong protections on federal lands.

Pretty cool, huh? Of course, the whole evolvement of national parks in the United States was much more fascinating in the series rather than my little summary here, and Kevin Costner does a superior job narrating.

I invite you to settle in and watch the three episodes if you can. I found it immensely informative. We watched the series on Fox Nation, but it’s also available on Roku and YouTube.

Have you seen Yellowstone to Yosemite yet?

Have you been to any national parks or national monuments?

Do you love to spend time in nature, camping or hiking?  Or even just sitting by a lake or a river?

To stay up on our latest releases and have some fun, too, join our Facebook Reader Group HERE!

A Legacy of Preservation by Robin Lee Hatcher

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The last time I visited with Petticoats & Pistols, I shared about “The British Are Coming” series and my latest release in that series, To Marry an English Lord. When I planned to return in December, I thought the next book in the series would be out. However, the writing of another biblical novel for Guideposts and a contemporary Christmas romance pushed back my schedule a bit. While that next book, To Capture a Mountain Man, won’t release until February, I am pleased to say it is written and on its way through the editorial and publishing process.

Isaiah, the hero of To Capture a Mountain Man, is a game scout in Yellowstone National Park in 1895, and he and my British heroine, Lady Amanda, meet after she is shot at by poachers in the park. Thus, I thought I would share a little information about the first national park in the world.

Yellowstone National Park’s story is one of awe-inspiring natural beauty, scientific discovery, and a pioneering spirit of conservation that shaped the future of protected lands globally.

Long before Yellowstone was known to explorers or tourists, it was home to Native American tribes who lived in and around the area for thousands of years. Tribes such as the Shoshone, Crow, and Nez Perce recognized the land’s unique geothermal features and its abundance of wildlife. They considered it a sacred space, rich in resources and spiritual significance.

The first written accounts of Yellowstone’s wonders came from mountain men and trappers in the early 1800s. Tales of “boiling mud,” “fire and brimstone,” and geysers were initially dismissed as exaggerated. It wasn’t until organized expeditions in the mid-19th century that the true scope of Yellowstone’s geothermal phenomena and scenic beauty was documented.

On March 1, 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant signed the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act into law, designating Yellowstone as the world’s first national park. This groundbreaking legislation aimed to preserve its unique features “for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.” It marked the beginning of a global movement to protect natural spaces from exploitation.

In its early years, Yellowstone faced significant challenges. Poaching, illegal mining, and logging threatened its fragile ecosystems. Lacking a formal management structure, the park struggled to enforce its protection policies. In 1886, the U.S. Army stepped in to manage Yellowstone, building infrastructure and curbing illegal activities. The military’s stewardship laid the groundwork for the establishment of the National Park Service in 1916, which took over management and continues to oversee Yellowstone today.

The park is a haven for wildlife, home to bison, elk, grizzly bears, wolves, and numerous bird species. Efforts to reintroduce wolves in the 1990s successfully restored balance to the ecosystem, a testament to the park’s ongoing commitment to conservation. Note: At the time of To Capture a Mountain Man, the buffalo had been reduced from the tens of millions to less than 1,000. There is something grand about seeing the herds of American Bison in the park today. But don’t get out of your car. They are a wild animal!!


Yellowstone National Park is more than a protected area; it is a symbol of the human capacity to recognize and safeguard the extraordinary. Its history reminds us of our responsibility to cherish and preserve the natural world.

 

 

 


If you want to be ready for To Capture a Mountain Man, here are the links to the first books in the series:

To Enchant a Lady’s Heart 
To Marry an English Lord 

Since it’s December, I’m giving away an autographed copy of my new release, a contemporary Christmas romance,

Wishing for Mistletoe.

AMAZON

To be entered into the drawing, just tell me

what Christmas books are in your TBR this year?

Yellowstone Calls in the Cavalry

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By Regina Scott

             Regina Scott   http://www.reginascott.com

My father was a big John Wayne fan, so I grew up watching Westerns that featured the iconic actor. In them, the US Cavalry always rides to the rescue, no matter the odds. When I was researching for my second book in the American Wonders Collection, Nothing Short of Wondrous, I was delighted to learn that the Cavalry really did ride to the rescue of our first national park, Yellowstone.

When Yellowstone was first created, there was no National Park Service. No one had any idea how to manage the millions of acres that encompass the park and range from snow-capped mountains to steaming hot pools.

Congress appointed a superintendent, but some of the first tried to manage things from Washington, D.C.! Others that followed moved out to the park, at least when it wasn’t covered by snow, but even they struggled to protect the natural wonders and the species who called Yellowstone home.

By 1886, Yellowstone was in real danger. Commercial interests were lobbying to build railroads into the park, erect businesses, even log and mine. The number of visitors was swelling, and many had no idea how to behave.

   Albert Bierstadt Painting of Old Faithful

They carved their names into the geological formations, chipped off chunks to take home as souvenirs, and even plugged up the geysers to see how high the debris would shoot.

Postcard #157 – The Buffalo Herd;
Frank J Haynes

Worse, poachers traveled brazenly through the park, picking off game. The buffalo herd, the last truly wild herd in the country, dwindled to less than 30.

Captain Moses Harris

Something had to be done. Congress used a clause in an earlier law to send the Army to manage the park. Captain Moses Harris and Troop M of the 1st Cavalry rode into Yellowstone on August 20, 1886, to take control.

     Troop M of the 1st Cavalry in Yellowstone

Their first task? To fight the wildfires that were raging throughout the park, at least some set by poachers intent on driving the game onto unprotected lands for slaughter. There was no fire wagon, no hoses, and no money to allocate for them. But they fought the fires nonetheless. They also stationed detachments at all the major tourist attractions to safeguard the park.

The men expected their work in the park to be temporary, until Congress could determine a better way to manage Yellowstone, but the Cavalry remained in charge for 32 years. Their zeal to protect the land and its animals lay the foundation for the conservation mindset still prevalent in the National Park Service today.

What else would you expect from those trained to ride to the rescue?

Have you ever been to Yellowstone? Which attraction was your favorite? If you haven’t been, which have you heard about you’re longing to see? Comment below for a chance to win an autographed print copy of Nothing Short of Wondrous, a set of vintage-style postcards, and huckleberry lip balm straight from Montana.

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Regina Scott is the award-winning author of more than fifty works of warm, witty historical romance. She and her husband live in the Puget Sound area of Washington State on the way to Mt. Rainier. Her fascination with history has led her to dress as a Regency dandy, drive a carriage four-in-hand, learn to fence, and sail on a tall ship, all in the name of research. You can learn more about her at http://www.reginascott.com or connect with her on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/authorreginascott) or Pinterest (http://www.pinterest.com/reginascottpins).