It was 38 degrees when we woke up on Saturday morning to begin our day in Yellowstone National Park, much colder than we expected. The weather had been mixed and a bit rainy for the last couple days, and we were hoping for a good day to see the wonders of the Yellowstone ...
We started out early (5:45 AM) to get a jump on the anticipated crowds. This turned out to be a good idea, but that makes for an early wake up and a well thought out plan - and no breakfast. But since this was a major destination, we took things seriously, and were ready for a long day.
Entering the Park through West Yellowstone, you immediately encounter the park entrance gate, and because of the early hour, there was no one there. We had been advised of this, and addressed the admission fee and charged ahead. At that early hour, even on a Saturday of the upcoming 4th of July week, there was almost no one on the road. Traffic can be a real bummer in many National Parks, and for visitors to Yellowstone, I would recommend this early morning approach.
There is so much to see and do, and around every corner there are spectacular views, geologic wonders, amazing animals, waterfalls, geysers, and eye popping natural beauty.
One of our first activities was traveling along the Firehole River, so called because the hot steamy water from the thermal springs flows into the river and it looks like ... it's on fire.
Waterfalls are almost too numerous to count, and are almost without compare. The frequent winter snows were melting, providing peak flows to the rivers that criss-cross the park
No trip to Yellowstone is complete without seeing the abundant wildlife. And we got lucky, following a good sized herd of Buffalo along a hillside, and then watching them cross river near us and travel up into the nearby woods. Fantastic!
And - of course! - there are geysers and thermal hot springs everywhere, and these are some of the best known features of the park. Such as Old Faithful, shown below. This grand water spout goes off every hour or so, and we were lucky enough to see it erupt twice.
And across the Geyser Basin (or was it Geyser Hill?) there was this glorious relative, known as Lion Geyser. It was about half a mile away and went on for a long time ... very photogenic.
Although we were warned constantly about Bears, with advice on how to avoid getting eaten, the closest we got was this stuffed example in one of the numerous lodges. It was about seven feet tall, with big teeth ...
And speaking of warnings; we were reminded regularly about not straying off the path and goofing around on top of a potential geyser. They look harmless, but can shoot out with surprising power and heat at unpredictable times! Don't try this at home!
I couldn't resist including this picture below, of a thermal hot springs that comes up under water in the Yellowstone Lake, with the snow capped Wind River range of Wyoming in the background.
Probably the most spectacular spot of all
The Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River as it enters the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is simply astonishing! The colors are so vivid and the contrast to the green forest and blue sky make for a very dramatic scene. I guess that's where the name for this place comes from.
On our way out of the park, we took the exit at the far north east corner which crosses from Wyoming into Montana. There was no shortage of amazing sights and scenery. Not included in this set of photos were the growing herds of buffalo. We probably saw maybe four to five hundred roaming the high meadows of Yellowstone.
We passed the aptly named Tower Falls shown below, and eventually made our way out of the park and up into the vast Rocky Mountains, and breathtaking high peaks.
In fact, it took your breath away in more ways than one. Not only were the scenes amazing, but so was very high altitude. When this picture below was taken, we had just come over the Beartooth Pass - which is 11,000 feet high! Talk about thin air!
I had the distinct pleasure to spend the last few days with my son Lewis who - although having been to Yellowstone many years ago as a small child - got to experience this visit like a very first time.
As a nation (and citizens of this planet) we owe a debt to those who came before us and had the foresight and vision to set aside and preserve this unique place for future generations.
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