Yikes! We hit a buffalo.....

Day 18 - Sunday, June 30

...a buffalo chip that is!   (Did that get your attention?)

Today was our last day at Yellowstone.  After church at St. William, and after watching the race (gosh, I was hoping Jeff Gordon was going to get his Kentucky win), we headed to the park to take in the final sights.



Roosevelt Arch

A park landmark is the Roosevelt Arch at the North entrance.  The North entrance was the first major gateway to the park, and the only entrance that stays open year-round.  The inscription on the top of the arch is very appropriate:  "For the benefit and enjoyment of the people."

Sheep grazing on the hillside

We rounded out our wildlife portfolio by spotting sheep grazing on the hillside.

 

We visited Boiling  River which was really fun.  The geyser runoff spills into Gardiner River, and creates a "hot tub".  You had to hike about 1/4 mile to get to the swimming hole, but it was well worth it!  I was surprised at how hot the water was that was cascading down the hill to the river.

While we were there, an elk wandered across the river, from one bank to the other, as if she was trying to see if there was a good party going on!

 

The elk must have been as hot as the humans, because they showed up all over the place.  They were laying around the yard at the visitor's center. Several park rangers were standing by to make sure that the paparazzi didn't get too close.

 

We saw more travertine terraces, and billions more thermophiles :)--so impressive!  It is so white it looks like snow and ice.  It seems like it would be slick, but we heard that earlier in the day, the elk were climbing and laying on the terrace steps!

Pallatte Spring and Cleopatra Terrace

A landmark near Mammoth Springs is the Liberty Cap which is a dormant hot springs cone, and towers above the visitor boardwalk to the terraces.

 

Spot got his own souvenir--a buffalo that has been keeping him company this evening!
 

The Rv park hosted a campfire tonight, and we stayed up late enough to enjoy good company and an evening under the stars.

Our visit to Yellowstone has been spectacular!  It is a true treasure of our country, and we are awestruck and feel very privileged to have been able to experience some of its natural wonders!  Until the next time.....

Lets go on a Bearhunt.....

Day 17 - Saturday, June 29

While growing up, we used to play a game called "Lets go on a bearhunt!"  Well, today, that's what Jim & I did, because we hadn't yet seen a bear in Yellowstone.   We took the northern part of the grand loop and said "ok, lets go!"  It's an area we hadn't traveled yet, and veered off on a side road, called Blacktail Plateau.   It was a 6 mile stretch of narrow one-way dirt road--rocky, bumpy, dusty dirt road.  About 1/2 way through, we wondered if it was really worth it. 

But, then Jim saw it--"it IS a bear!!!"  We saw it in the distance, meandering through the hillside.  How exciting!  And, the best part was, it was in a remote area, so we pretty much had the "viewing" to ourselves!

After we exited the bumpy dirt road, we came upon another bear sighting.  This time, it was a mama and her cub, frolicking around a tree.  The cub would run up the tree and come down, and the mom would roll over and play.  What a terrific experience to see the bears in action!   Thanks to a borrowed camera from Jennifer and Kurtis with a zoom lens, we were able to capture a shot of the duo. 

In addition to the bear hunt, we came across some other remarkable sights:

This petrified tree is an ancient redwood, preserved by volcanic ash left over from a volcanic eruption thousands and thousands (maybe millions) of years ago.

The Golden Gate falls are next to an area where a wooden bridge was built to save a half day of travel for early pioneers.  The wood bridge has since been replaced by a paved bridge, and was part of our harrowing drive yesterday.

We visited the Mammoth Hot Springs area and saw an amazing display of travertine terraces.  Travertine is created from the hot acidic water on the limestone, which dissolves it, and it reforms as a solid mineral.  The water trickles over the surfaces and produces a fountain effect.  Because of the white color and sparse surroundings, it looks like it should be cold, but it is actually hot.  There are signs around that provide warnings that the water can scald. 

We learned a new word today:  thermophiles.  They are heat-loving organisms that live in the springs.  They thrive on the hydrogen sulphur gas (rotten egg smell) that comes up through the steam vents. Billions of these organisms chain together to form spongy-looking blankets around the springs.  I wish my science-teacher-sister was here to explain some of this stuff.

  My science-teacher-sister would also like to know that we stopped at the 45th parallel.  This imaginary line marks the halfway point between the North Pole and Equator.   In just a month or so, we'll be close to the North Pole..so I guess it's accurate to say, this is truely the halfway point!

Moose Drool

Day 16 - Friday, June 28

Today we packed up to move to our next location at the north entrance of the park in Gardiner, MT.  Jim washed the Motorhome and I cleaned inside.  Each time we move, we try to give a good cleaning.  (The bathroom in the Motorhome gets cleaned more than my bathrooms at home!)

Ahhhhhhh!

 

We really liked Grizzly RV park and Spot especially liked the fire hydrants.



 

We've discovered that each entrance of the park is very very different, not only the landscape,but the surroundings.  The east entrance is scenic and remote.  The closest town is 30 miles from the entrance.  Contrast that to the North side of the park where people are living in housing inside the park, along with a post office, medical center, etc.  Just like the west entrance, there is a town right at the north entrance, with shopping, restaurants, etc.  This adds to the diversity of this wonderful Yellowstone Park.  Neither of us can believe we've never been here.  The North entrance is warmer (hot) and reminds us of Arizona, with the mountains, and hills, and less green than you see in the east and west sections.   Here is a shot of the rv park from the Gallatin National Forest above.

Rocky Mountain RV Park, Gardiner, MT - The Lundcruiser is in there...somewhere!

The drive from the west entrance to the north entrance was about 54 miles.  It was more harrowing than the drive to Grizzly.
The roads were very narrow, and twisty.   It was a 7 1/2 % grade for the last 5 miles, with a lot of twisty road.....whew, we made it, but I was holding on to my seat the entire time! 

 I thought we were done with Bison pictures, but this one I couldn't resist.  This guy was on the side of the road...you can see how close he was with this pic from the window--notice the rv mirror on the side...The paparazzi added to the harrowing drive because people pulled off on both sides of the road, leaving a very narrow space to drive through.  There were two park rangers directing traffic--trying to get a bus and the Lundcruiser through the crowd that had gathered!

We finished off the night with dinner at a place overlooking the Yellowstone River, and enjoyed some of the local fare...including Moose Drool!  :)

 

OMG...we almost missed it!

Day 15 - Thursday, June 27

Today was one of the best weather days yet.  The sky was bright blue, and the angry clouds were gone.  The temps were warm, with a light breeze.  A perfect day for another day in the park.



We thought we had pretty well covered the southwest quadrant of the park yesterday, but two different individuals asked if we had stopped by certain places.  So, we went back today to visit those places, and OMG...we almost missed some very impressive sights!!

OMG #1:  Our daughter asked if we had seen the Grand Prismatic Spring.  It is the largest of the hot springs in the park.  We went back today and couldn't believe we almost passed the opportunity to see it.   There is a long boardwalk to get to the pool, due to the unstable ground below.  As you approach the pool, there is steam rising, but you can see a turquoise glow shimmering from the pool.  Then, once you see it, it almost takes your breath away...it was just plain beautiful!   Surrounding the pool are multicolored rings of algae that really make it look like a prism!   The pool itself was large--300 feet in diameter.     

Adjacent to it was the   Excelsior Geyser Crater.  It was enormous.  It too, was a deep beautiful color, and quite impressive. You could feel the heat from the steam as you walked around it.  It last erupted in 1985.



OMG #2:  Jim's sister's husband told us we should take the Firehole Canyon Drive.  It is a side road that we opted not to take yesterday.  But, we did make the turn today, and it was unbelievable. There were all kinds of hidden surprises along the way.

Canyon walls

The Firehole Falls drop 40 feet, then cascade over black lava steps...another beautiful sight!


 The canyon, created by a huge eruption 600,000 years ago, has walls are 800 feet high!

 It was a very neat area because further down the stream, people were swimming!  In fact, it was jam packed with people enjoying the water, and there couldn't be a better setting for an afternoon dip.

We also saw the Gibbon Falls...you can see it from many different places, but the real view was to walk to the end of the observation trail (which most people didn't want to do because it was a lot of extra steps). But it was well worth it because you could get the entire view of the wide falls. 
As you can tell, we really enjoyed seeing the waterfalls.  You see falls all over the place, but these were some of the most impressive.






We just "happened upon" another geyser in the Fountain Paint Pot area.  It was Spasm Geyser--named either because it is very unpredictable, or it had several plumes of water gushing at various intervals.  Nonetheless, it was a fun sight to watch.  














As the July 4 holiday approaches, we've noticed more and more people filling the park.  In some places, it is downright crowded.  There are also a lot more people on the internet because it is taking longer and longer to load pictures.  I spend about 2 hours a night just trying to get pictures added to the blog, and am having problems trying to size them.  Ok...no more complaining...I promise!

Today is our last day at Grizzly RV park.  Spot tried out the doggie shower to get spiffed up for the next leg of the journey.  We're headed to the North entrance tomorrow.

 

Geysers, Otters and Bison, Oh My!

Day 14 - Wednesday, June 26

It was another day in the park, and we headed to the Southwest section to see Old Faithful. 
She didn't disappoint--it was magnificent! 



Gotta love an otter!

We hiked to the lookout post, which is 200 ft above the site of Old Faithful.  You get there by following a 1/2 mile trail through a wooded area, which had some steep incline to it. (I'm sure our legs will be feeling it tomorrow.)  During the hike we saw an otter, and also a bison in the woods. 
We waited at the lookout point for about 15 minutes and then we saw it!  It got very quiet, a strong wind came through, then small gushes of water came up, and then the big geyser spewed forth.

The view from the side
 

 The views were spectacular!
 From above, it was amazing to see the display of steam and water.  Even from afar, you could hear the cheers and shouts from the crowds of people 200 ft. below as the geyser appeared. The wind caused the steam to block part of our view of the water spewing, but still made it quite a sight.  We decided to hang around for the next eruption, so that we could see it from a different view.   It is about 90 minutes between the eruptions.  We did a little shopping, visited the visitors center, and had a "picnic lunch" of peanut butter crackers and coke while we waited for the next appearance of the geyser.  We were glad we waited to see it.

This is the view from the lookout 200 ft above

 Then, we traveled to Craig Pass and Lake Isa which is on the continental divide.  This separates the watersheds of the oceans.  Yellowstone's Isa Lake is an unusual phenomenon because it contains both Atlantic and Pacific Ocean drainages.  The lake's west side feeds into the Atlantic Ocean through the Firehole River, and the other side feeds into the Pacific, through the Snake River. Confusing????

Obviously, I didn't pay attention in my geology classes either.  I don't remember much about the continental divide, so this was all new.  I also have learned new words, like fumerole, and caldera.






Later,we visited the Kepler Cascades, and viewed these awesome falls, which drop 150 feet!

This elk walked across the road right in front of us!  Spot was with us and went crazy...growling at the big thing. It just wandered to the other side of the road and into the woods.

The bison were also out.

 

Then, as we left the park, the female elk were out to send us on our way.  We ended the evening watching an IMAX movie on Yellowstone, and learned even more about the history and early explorers of Yellowstone Park.  What an amazing story. 

And...what an amazing place to visit.

 

 

 

Grizzly drive to Grizzly

Day 13 - Tuesday, June 25

Our new adventures today included driving the motorhome through the park.  It was the first venture into the park with the Lundcruiser, and was a grizzly drive from the east entrance to the west entrance across the center of the park.  It was a total of 83 miles, and took a little over 3 hours. Temps were at a pleasant 70 degrees when we left, but winds were out again big time, and by the time we got to the west side of the park, the temp was 55 degrees!  
It was similar to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where it can be raining in one turn, and sunny in the other.  We drove through light rain in the park, and then encountered dry roads in another section.

The Lundcruiser did very well, although it was a white knuckle experience in some areas, when going uphill, then steep downhill with a hairpin turn at the end!  Picture that with few guardrails and a dropoff over the side!  Add to the picture, cars braking quickly or pulling over for a photo. Good thing the driver was in full control at all times.  (?..wonder what the brake pads look like?)


Spot seemed to enjoy the trip too!

We landed at Grizzly RV Park in West Yellowstone, MT, less than a mile from the west park entrance where we will be for the next 3 days.  This is a park that was suggested by Max, one of our RV buddies. (Great recommendation Max!)  It's a beautiful RV park--They even have a place for a doggie bath...Spot can't wait!

While traversing the park today, we saw a herd of our elk friends grazing on the hillside.  (I wonder if they would still consider us friends if they knew we had elk burgers for dinner last night?)

 We saw more beautiful views, and a different side of the park.

We took a brief drive around the town of West Yellowstone, and found there are a lot of activities and shopping opportunities. (YAY!! :)  We will catch up on laundry tonight and put together our plan of attack for tomorrow.   By the time we leave the area, we want to say we have driven on every piece of road in Yellowstone! 

The only downside is that I have not turned one page in one book...we've been too busy!  

Eek, it's an Elk!

Day 12 - Monday, June 24

Today we headed back to Yellowstone to explore the southeast section of the park.  To give you an idea of the size of the park, once you enter the east gate, it is 70 miles to the south gate!  It continues to be an awesome experience to view the scenery and unusual things the park has to offer.

On our way to see the West Geyser Area, we came upon an Elk, just standing by the side of the road, chomping away.  It is funny because once somebody spots an animal, cars start pulling over, and people literally run to the scene with their cameras.   This guy didn't mind the activity, and even seemed to pose for the paparazzi.  These are huge, impressive creatures, with fuzzy horns.  I found out the horns are fuzzy as they grow, but the elk will scrape off the fuzz in the spring when the antlers quit growing.  (Because of the fuzz, I thought these might be reindeer.)



See if you can find him behind the branches

 

We saw three additional elk today.  They were further away, but were even bigger than the first one we saw.  They were laying down, resting in the afternoon breeze.  We knew something was up because of a traffic jam where all of the cars pulled over...it was really funny to watch people try to get their photo.

We headed south toward the West Geyser basin and saw some bubbling pools, very similar to yesterday, but these were different because they were very colorful!  Supposedly this effect is caused by microorganisms in the pools.  They were quite impressive, and because of the color, looked peaceful and mysterious--not quite as eerie as the mud pots and cauldrons from yesterday.  It is so unusual, and you wonder why these things don't erupt because they seem to have so much energy.  They emit bubbles and steam and all kinds of sounds.
 

Check out this video that Jim did of the mud pots we saw in the mud volcano area on Sunday:

http://youtu.be/LWA_JsWDfrY

(I hope this link works...another new skill for both Jim and I)

 

 

On the way back, we were not very far from the campground when we passed a huge buffalo running down the berm of the highway, like he was out for an afternoon jog.  We were going 65 miles an hour, so I wasn't able to get a picture.  It was just quite strange to see him outside the park, however the locals say it happens all the time.

 

We went into Cody to watch the Cody gunfighters do a reenactment of a gun fight.  It was pretty cute, and we met some interesting people...a lady that just moved here from Alaska, and a couple from Charlotte who are on an RV trip through the west. 

For dinner we came back and had Elk Burgers....figured it was an appropriate way to close out the day!  (They weren't bad--tasted like a spicy hamburger)