Day 29 - Yellowstone - Wow !!

We had spent the night in West Yellowstone, which was a 6 mile jaunt to the entrance of Yellowstone National Park. This allowed us to get to the park and enjoy a full day with nature. We decided to target our sights on Old Faithful before the crowds picked up. After a short drive in the park, we hit bumper to bumper traffic. Chris had read in the paper that Obama was bringing his family to Yellowstone this weekend and was speculating that Obama’s crew was the cause of delay. However, no sporadic town hall meetings broke out so we pressed on. We took advantage of the slow pace to enjoy the beautiful scenery. Torey spotted the first highlight – an elk enjoying the river water. It wasn’t until he crossed the river and emerged from the water that we could truly appreciate the enormity of this animal. It definitely fueled our fire to seek out more treasures.

From the initial outset of this trip, the girls knew that my number # 1 wish was to see a bison. As we drove through beautiful meadows and flowing creeks, I wondered if my wish would ever come true. Suddenly, my eyes caught our first small geyser. As Lea looked in the same direction, she saw a bison near the geyser washing himself in the steam. Holy cow!! Chris pulled the car to the side of the road and suggested that we walk back. We were all whooping and hollering! As we approached the area, we noticed that he had moved away from the geyser. We could scarcely see him through the trees. Frustration was building…and then we noticed that he was walking directly TOWARDS us. As he emerged from the brush, he was only 6 feet from us. MY WISH CAME TRUE! This was an unforgettable moment. We were all in shock. We stood absolutely still and watched as he entered the road. Let me tell you, this beast could pass any sobriety test. He had the option to reenter the forest on either side of the road but choose to walk the double yellow line, much like a trapeze artist, for the next ¼ mile. Cool, so cool.

Our next stop allowed us to see several colorful boiling springs and delicate formations of geyserites, a silicate mineral deposited by hot water. The multitude of colors at these springs made them enjoyable to gaze at. Fountain Paint Pot, a cauldron of hot reddish-pinkish mud, bubblingand spitting gave us the feeling we were on the moon or some foreign planet. At noon, we pulled into Old Faithful. She erupts every 90 minutes and by just pure luck and happenstance we perfectly timed this exhibit. She was scheduled (if Mother Nature actually has a schedule) to erupt at 12:10 pm. And we weren’t disappointed. Hundreds of people had been sitting on hard benches, similar to waiting for a football game to begin, for likely an hour.
The rest of the afternoon was spent driving down offshoots of the main road in search of the unknown. One stop was at a beautiful waterfall that intrigued us enough to want to hike down the side of a mountain for a closer view. “Nature boy” took the lead while I whipped out the camera for several family photos and cameos. The river was powerful and gained our respect quickly. Up the river it was calmer and we watched people enjoy a swim. The last “must do” was to visit the Yellowstone River’s 308-foot Lower Falls, which is nearly twice as high as Niagara. Rather than observe this wonder from an outlook point, we decided to descend 600 feet, in a switch back manner, through steep forest. Standing beside the green river where it suddenly drops into space is one of the most exciting experiences in the park. It was amazing and words cannot do it justice. The 600 foot hike back up the mountain was energized by the adrenaline of what we just witnessed.

Early evening was approaching and we were focused on getting to the east exit of the park. We were enjoying the beautiful open fields when we noticed 150+ bison grazing in the meadows. I couldn’t get enough photos of these incredible animals. At one point, my head was sticking out of the sunroof taking photos of a bison sleeping on the side of the road and another one tending to her young.
The sights didn’t stop even after we left the park. On our way to Cody, Wyoming – home of Buffalo Bill - we drive through numerous national forests, parks and enjoyed more spectacular mountain views. We had planned to take in the Rodeo that night but the Cowboys were already busting bronco when we arrived. Instead, we settled in our cabin by the river and were fast off to sleep.
Nighty, night Yellowstone….thanks for the thrills.

Miss Y’all, Debbi