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Here are some tidbits I gave Roger Ramsey and his ten-year-old daughter Cleo last summer as we sat in a ninety-minute, two-mile bear jam near Sheep-eater Cliff in Yellowstone: The first automobile—a Winton, whatever that is—entered Yellowstone Park in 1897, but by 1902 cars were considered so obnoxious they were banned. From then until July 31, 1915, cars were illegal; in 1916, cars and horse-drawn vehicles shared the roads; in 1917, horse-drawn vehicles were outlawed. That’s how fast high-tech change comes to America.
The speed limit in 1921 was fifteen miles per hour—seven mph on the curves and hills. Drivers were required to honk before going around a curve. Most Yellowstone roads were one-way in the morning and then they reversed and were one-way the other way in the afternoon. Motorcycle rangers could go both ways, but on Dunraven Pass, if they met a car, they had to dismount and lean their Harleys against the inside wall.
Roger said what people always say when I enlighten them with Yellowstone auto trivia.
“So, it was quicker to get around Yellowstone in 1921 than it is now.”
He said this because we weren’t even in sight of the mother grizzly and four cubs that we knew were gamboling in a meadow two miles ahead. We knew on account of that mama and cubs had been creating the greatest bear jam in park history for over a week and we’d decided to drive to Mammoth for an ice cream cone anyway. You almost have to be from Wyoming to understand why driving four hours for an ice cream cone isn’t weird.
Cleo said, “My summer camp teacher says that not all four of those cubs belong to the mother by birth. She’s babysitting one or two.”
“Grizzly bears don’t babysit,” I said.
“Are you saying Miss Crabapple is a liar?”
