OK!  This is a long one.  The weather in the UK is so darn awful, I have lots of indoor time!  So, prepare for an even more European Blog than you might have expected!

Why my habit of pushing unknown numbers to voicemail failed, I don’t know, but following a curt “This is Cindy”, a foreign accent innocently asked “Is this Cindy?”  A nanosecond away from a bad-tempered verbal trifecta explaining that I didn’t want to buy anything, that I was on the ‘do not call’ list and that I would call the ‘do not call’ police, I virtuously repeated “This is Cindy”.  To my amazement the caller was from a French Television Travel series looking for a Yellowstone guide.  The crew’s permit enabled them to film between 8:30am and 3:30pm on October 3; they wanted to film Grand Prismatic Spring; and they had an official tour of the Old Faithful Inn scheduled for 11:30am. 

Seven hours to show French viewers Yellowstone?  Some challenge! 

The crew was entering the park from the East entrance, so we agreed to meet at 8:30am sharp at the Mud Volcano parking lot.  My plan was to head through Hayden Valley and on to Lower Falls to show them the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, but with the added bonus of the rainbow that appears at the base of Lower Falls at precisely 9:40am, and disappears five minutes later. 

The crew did not show up until 9:10am, so I was ready to jump into their van and make introductions as we motored towards Canyon Village.  However, it turns out that a NPS Ranger comes tightly attached to any permit and, as she took out reams of paperwork for the crew to sign, she recited the 100 commandments that must be obeyed.  As patiently as I was able, I pointed out that rainbows don’t wait for anyone, could we perhaps dispense with the paperwork until, say 9:45pm.  I jumped into the mini-van and we headed North with a police escort.

L’equipage francais comprised a camera, sound and logistics man, along with the ‘talent’ – Sacha.  I had heard about the French, but even I was a little surprised by the soundman’s request for me to remove my jacket and unbutton my shirt!  After the microphone was fitted, the cameraman told me to act as though Sacha and I were friends and I was showing her Yellowstone.  Flustered, I stammered I had signed up as a guide, not a personality, and surely they were making a huge mistake considering my voice and lack of acting talent.  Undeterred by my hoarse protests, we arrived at Artist’s Point at 9:40am, where we spilled out of the van into the parking lot and were confronted by the Ranger clasping her clipboard.  It was 9:42am.  As a weak sun was threatening to sulk behind an immense cloud, in an act of sheer desperation, I grabbed Sacha and we ran to view the Lower Falls.  Sacha, the soundman and I saw the rainbow for nearly 60 seconds; but at least we saw it, which was more than the cameraman did!  He arrived and filmed Sacha asking me questions, first in French and then in English, and although I’d been skeptical of their assurances that I would forget the microphone attached to my chest and the video camera several inches from my head, I found I did.  Then the cameraman directed Sacha and me to return to the parking lot and recreate the run to the rainbow whilst being filmed. 

Out of breath, we headed South-west towards our midday appointment at the Old Faithful Inn, stopping to photograph three frosty Bull Bison along the Madison River.  Having been asked if I ever took my photographic clients to the Inn, I explained that if it was a long tour, we happened to be in the area on the last day and the light was bad, I might make a quick stop.  At 2.2 million acres and virtually all the fauna still present at the time that Europeans arrived on the scene, I just felt there was far more to experience outside than Inn. 

I continued to explain, completely forgetting that I was wired for sound, that what was notable about the Inn was the young architect Robert Renner’s intention to build a Victorian-style hotel like all the others of the time, as a refuge from the wilds of nature so that guests would feel that they were safe and snug with all the comforts of civilization.  But once Renner stood on the site, his whole attitude changed.  He decided that his original idea would be so out of place in such a beautiful setting, and set about creating an Inn at harmony with its surroundings, the first example of what became known a ‘Parkitecture’. 

It turns out it was the producer in France who decided the Inn was the spot to film and I was determined to take as little time as possible.  En route, I called the geyser hotline to discover that Old Faithful was due to erupt about the same time I thought we would get there.  We pulled into the parking lot, ran to the viewing area, filming of Sacha and me began and Old Faithful erupted on cue.  Once inside, a young, beautifully turned out Ranger was anxiously awaiting the French crew and looking forward to her TV debut.  Her script of the wonders of the Inn delivered, and the French thanks given, I was keen to head for Grand Prismatic.

I was hoping to get there as soon as possible, and was heading for the door when the cameraman caught me up and said he had had another idea for filming the Inn.  I must have looked shocked until he explained that he wanted Sacha and me to enter the Inn together and to talk about all the things I had shared in the car.  At least this time there was no need to run and we also enjoyed a Cappuccino whilst sitting, chatting and being filmed.

The best time to photograph Grand Prismatic Spring is at high noon on a clear, warm day.  The forecast was for snow, so I was very happy with the partially sunny sky and the moderate temperature.  The plan was to start from the Fairy Falls trailhead and then climb up the social trail to the hilltop overlooking the Spring, but whilst gearing up in the parking lot, I looked up to see a Grizzly Bear!  He was just 100 yards or so from the trailhead, busily turning over logs and intently searching for morsels.  Unbelievable!  Such an unlikely location for a Grizzly, and much French appreciation for the shots of us being filmed discussing Grizzlies, as one foraged in the background. 

The cameraman was now the one in a rush to get on and film Grand Prismatic; I was more interested in watching and photographing the Grizzly – I can't bear leaving a bear still in close view but, as I was being paid to guide, I relented.  After crossing the old stock bridge we trudged along the trail, working our way up the steep hill to the knob overlooking the Grand Spring.  The glorious colors were captured for French consumption and we headed back down.  I was later told that about 45 minutes after we left the parking lot, the Grizzly had crossed the stock bridge and the parking lot and set off towards Old Faithful, now that would have been a rare photograph!

By the time we returned to the Grizzly parking lot at 4:00pm, the permit had expired.  Our friendly Ranger said goodbye after letting the crew know that they could still film wildlife, but could no longer film anything that included ‘talent’, such as Sacha, or even a hoarse Yellowstone photography guide.  Not wishing to miss an opportunity, the cameraman asked for a bugling elk – some people are never satisfied!  So we headed towards Madison Junction, where 1 mile West we found a large Bull Elk, with an impressive harem, who promptly bugled within 10 minutes of our arrival!

When we parted in the fading light, Sacha thanked me and said she’d be mailing me a DVD of the episode – watch this space.  It was a great day, we had seen so much of what makes Yellowstone so special, and I know that the French are going to love it.  Just don’t blame me if the Park is full of them next year!