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Posted by GA Tim (66.168.208.179) on 16:21:23 06/29/12
Day 11 June 18, 2012 Monday:
Our last night at Canyon passed and we awoke early at 4AM hoping to catch a better sunrise at Alum Creek. We made hot chocolate before leaving instead of coffee because we expected to have coffee later at the buffet (big mistake). This morning the temperature was the same as our last sunrise here but there was absolutely no fog, not even much mist coming up from the river. We took a few photos as the sun came up and then drove around looking for anything in Hayden Valley. All was quiet this morning except for the usual geese and ducks. We returned to the cabin to find that all power was out in Canyon. Good thing we were already showered and ready to go. We cleaned out the cabin and dropped off the key. We had hoped for another breakfast buffet but due to the power outage there was no buffet offered. I work in the backup power industry maybe I need to get them a good deal on a generator or two! This can t be an uncommon occurrence and they definitely need to keep those kitchens going. They only offered a few pre-prepared hot breakfast plates but why pay almost the same as the buffet for a single plate? These should have been offered at a discount. We went over to the cafeteria looking for coffee and they didn t even have any. We got some hot water for free and went back to the car to make our Starbucks instant coffee.
We left Canyon in slightly sour moods and made a stop at the brink of the upper falls (since we had not been there yet). It was still pretty early and we were the only ones there. We made sandwiches and walked down the short trail to the edge of the falls. The upper falls, while not as large as the lower falls, seem to run much faster as all the water is being squeezed through a narrower opening. It was too early for good photos, it would probably be much better in the afternoon.
We drove back out to Sedge Bay and back but nothing was happening. After the disappointment of not getting our breakfast buffet we were in the mood for some good food. We went to the Lake Hotel to have lunch. We were impressed from the moment we walked into the dining room. This is more like a fine dining restaurant where the tables are set elegantly and the staff is attentive to your every need. We had a nice view of the lake as we watched the wind whip the trees around and stir up clouds of dust. We started with the bison carpaccio appetizer which was good but a very small portion for the price. I had the beef sliders and my wife had the smoked salmon wrap. Both were excellent! My sliders were perfectly cooked, pink in the center and very juicy. The meat was seasoned just right. My wife s wrap was very flavorful and a good portion for the price. We took our time eating since it was not pleasant to be outside.
We asked about our cabin but they were in a real mess due to the power outage earlier. Though they had power, the phone lines were out and all the computers were down. No check in was possible at the time. We headed over to the general store for yet another pint of huckleberry ice cream and returned to the Lake Hotel to sit in the lobby looking out over the lake while eating our dessert. I kept checking with the front desk about our cabin and they kept telling me another 30 minutes. Eventually they started only checking in people with multiple-night reservations. Apparently those were easier since the rooms were already assigned but single-night reservations were not pre-assigned. That made no sense and made us feel like our reservations were less important than everyone else. They finally got our name on a list and by 5PM they called our name to check in. Everything had to be done manually and was a very slow, confusing process. What would we do without computers? Our cabin was just a short distance from the hotel and it was the nicest lodging anywhere during our vacation. The cabin had obviously been recently updated with modern furnishing and fixtures. It even had a Keurig coffee maker but they only supplied decaf coffee (what s up with that?). After getting settled in we drove back out to Sedge Bay and back but there was not much to see. We stopped at Fishing Bridge and got some pelican photos. We returned to the cabin early, hoping the winds would eventually die down.
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