Yellowstone - Days 104 - 105

Yellowstone National Park - WOW!!! Huge Wow. To quote myself, this is another "words can't do it justice, and you just have to go there" place. It's an immediate top 5 place for me, and the only question is whether it is number one. With just a half day's perspective, I think it is number one.

The thing that makes this the best place I have been has to do with the complexity and diversity of the enormous 2.2 million acre park. This is the worlds first national park. It was mostly formed when it erupted as a volcano 600K years ago. If it erupts again like it did then, it would likely wipe out the planet.

The volcano is active and you get to experience it through the geysers and hot springs that are prevalent, the most famous of which is, of course, Old Faithful. We entered through the East entrance and spent a couple of hours winding around the beautiful Yellowstone Lake. Pretty, but nothing amazing.

This was followed by a stop at West Thumb Geyser Basin where we strolled around a dozen or so sulfur pools. They were a softer, kinder version of the dramatic Bumpass Hell at Lassen, and their location bordering the lake made them much more appealing. Plus they only had half the rotten egg aroma, making them less threatening. Some looked inviting as swimming holes with crystal clear water, but they were really boiling cauldrons.

From there, we headed into the wilderness and started scanning the scenery to catch sight of any of the abundant wildlife hidden within. We saw none and just continued on to Old Faithful, with brief stops at the Cascades Waterfalls and a beautiful lily pond sporting the best wild flowers I have seen yet on the Road Trip. Old Faithful steamed and sputtered for a while, before erupting almost on schedule. It put on a truly impressive show for nearly 4 minutes. The huge crowd of perhaps 5,000 then dispersed to explore the rest of the park.

We resumed hunting for fauna through the flora and over the next seven hours we were generously rewarded. We spotted hawks overhead, and black ravens all over. We saw herds of female and baby elk, as well as one huge bull elk resting in a meadow by the side of the road with (I'd guess) 30 pounds of antlers balanced on his head. We saw buffalo and antelope, who prefer to be called by their proper names bison and pronghorn. A coyote led us down the road for a while, and we slammed on the breaks to let a wild turkey cross the road (we don't know why he did it). We watched as the rangers shooed a black bear away from their station and a stranger lent us his binoculars so that we could spy a grizzly bear and her three cubs lope across a hilly pasture. We were disappointed we didn't see a longhorn sheep or moose; I guess there must be some limit to my good fortune.

We continued stopping at some of the abundant scenic sights. We went to Inspiration Point to see the "Grand Canyon of Yellowstone" which really was a smaller representation of its namesake. Their were a handful more geysers that erupt less frequently than Old Faithful, but are still well worth dropping in on. We hiked down less than half a mile to perch over the Lower Falls and feel its power. All of these were beautiful and awesome, and again, you just have to be there to fully appreciate the majesty.

Toward the end of the day we were laughing at just how amazing the park was, and how it was revealing itself to us turn by turn. At one bend there would be a spacious pasture that leads up to the base of mountain. Around the next bend you would come across a crystal pond. The next bend would reveal a babbling river. This would immediately be followed by 500 foot canyon or crevice. It became almost unbelievable that all these and many more were hiding just around the corners, each unique and diverse and amazing and also holding the possibility of containing another of beautiful creatures that inhabit the park.

I had never been on a horse before, so after our night's stay just outside the park (see Battlestar's Corner), we slipped back into the park for an hour-long guided horseback ride (only $35). My horse, Snickers, casually strolled past the enormous bison about 20 yards away that rolled around in the dust for a while just to give us a show. It was just barely more than scratching the surface of the park, and proved that this place really needs to be camped at. Next time I drop in I'll be sure to bring the tent.

As we headed back across the Northern Range, we practically slowed to a crawl. Yellowstone, oh stunning Yellowstone, had so entranced us that we wanted to delay our exit as long as possible. At the final turn at Mammoth Falls, a small park town, we were ushered out by a final herd of elk that were lunching on the plush groomed grasses.

I'm exhausted as BS and I rest up in Missoula, Montana. (BTW, The Big Sky state is perhaps the most aesthetically beautiful state I have driven across.) Words just can't do Yellowstone justice...start planning your trip now. I'm sure I will return someday and make a fuller vacation out of it, perhaps in the spring or fall when the wildlife is even more abundant and the crowds less so.
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Battlestar's Corner:

DAY 4-5: Today RT is burned out after writing his description of our jaunt through Yellowstone (YS), so I'll fill in some details of the evening's events. Upon leaving the park at around 8PM, we were readying ourselves for a 2-hour push to Bozeman, MT. However, as we passed through Gardiner, MT, the town at the North Entrance of YS, we spotted a gleaming beacon in the form of a VACANCY sign at the Best Western. After securing the last room--RT's road luck continues--we unpacked the car and went into the room. We were shocked to find that our view out the window was of a rushing river below and the mountains of Yellowstone forming the backdrop. Finding this room allowed us to spend another half day in the park as described by RT. It also afforded us the chance to meet our new friend Phil. After a couple of great steaks at a nearby restaurant, we ran into Phil at the bar after dinner. He is a native Montanan who grew up training horses. In return for a couple of beers, Phil regaled us with his stories of Vietnam, his dental problems, a wonderful rhyme about the joys of burping which I wish I could remember, the proper way to order a steak (blue), and the joys of a well-worn cowboy hat. Truly one of the most colorful individuals that RT or I have met. We also hung out with a few of the restaurant staff, several of whom were from Bulgaria. Go figure.

TP has asked for a recap of my trip prior to meeting up with RT in Minneapolis. See the bottom of the BS Corner as I've updated it with the "Precap".