Yellowstone!!!

“It is easy to comprehend my own littleness when I set my gaze upon the mighty architecture of Nature.” –Frederick V. Hayden, U.S. Geologist surveying the Yellowstone area in late 1860s

I think this quote best summarizes how I have felt each time I visit the world’s first and still most grand National Park. Our visit this time was no exception. We had a wonderful four days filled with geysers, vistas, wildlife, and wonderment.
Our visit started last Wednesday when we drove in through West Yellowstone, MT. We stopped for a couple of hours to watch Old Faithful and get the kids their Junior Ranger booklets and then drove on to our campground at Fishing Bridge RV Park. TheRV campground has seen better days as the electrical system burnt out a couple years ago and they are still working on getting it fixed. So we only had water hookups, but we were in Yellowstone so who really cares right? That night we went to a fascinating Ranger-led program about the wildfires in Yellowstone and how vital they are to the diversity of the ecosystem. He had some great photos of how much growth is coming back into the areas that were completely burned through in the devastating fires of 1988.
The next day, since Janelle’s Mom was with us to help with the kids, Janelle was kind enough to let me take an entire day and go fly-fishing! It was amazing. I left right after breakfast and drove about an hour up into the Lamar River Valley in the northeastern section of the park. This valley is famous for being a hot-bed of wildlife and it did not dissappoint. As I waded around Soda Butte Creek trying in vain to entice the trout I saw Elk, Bison, Coyotes, Eagles, Herons, Ospreys, Pronghorn, and even a Black Bear. I did not even mind so much that I did not catch any fish!
While I was out trying to catch fish, Janelle took the kids to the visitor center right near our camp and they were sworn in as official Yellowstone Junior Rangers. I think that makes something like eight badges for the trip, and we’re not done yet!
After dinner we went down to the lake so the girls could fish as well. When we got to the parking area there was a HUGE bison resting in the dirt about ten feet from the road. He paid us no mind as we got our gear and went across the road to toss a line in the lake. He did however mind when the black bear came ambling along munching grasses. The bison got up and started pawing the ground, the bear kept munching and ambling by, the bison walked down the road, and the bear went on his way. No big deal right? Except that we were only about 30 yds from the whole thing happening right in front of us! What was the lesson from all this? NEVER get in the car in Yellowstone without your camera!!
The next day we got and early start after breakfast and drove through Hayden Valley to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. We would have made better time except we had a traffic jam, or should I say a bison jam. Seems the herd was hanging out along the road and did not seem to care that cars were trying to get by. Fine by us, we have no set timeline! Once we got there the canyon was of course breathtaking and we even got the chance to take a short hike along the north rim. On the way home we saw a Brown Bear and this time we even had our camera with us. We came home from the Canyon and decided to spend a quiet evening playing games and relaxing at the campground.
The next morning was cloudy as we drove over to the West Thumb Geyser Basin along Yellowstone Lake to look at some of the more colorful and interesting geysers and other thermal formations in the park. The clouds stuck around all day and made for some beautiful skylines during the day, but the rain put a damper on our explorations. That afternoon we ventured over to the famous Yellowstone Lake Hotel to look at the historical building and have a cocktail in their lounge. We had made some dinner reservations earlier in the day so we sat down to a scrumptious meal with a terriffic view of the lake. We drove back to camp and then decided to give the fish one last chance to cooperate. We drove over to Gull Point on the advice of one of the rangers and I finally caught a Yellowstone Cutthroat trout. A truly beautiful fish and one that I am sure will keep me longing to return here and try to catch some more.
Tonight we are in Bozeman again as we take a break to do laundry, re-supply and clean up the RV. We also got the chance to go have a beer with an old squadron-mate of mine who lives in Bozeman and runs a beer/soda distribution company. Tomorrow we drop Grandma off for her return flight and then it’s on to Couer d’Alene, ID and Seattle, WA!
Here are some photos and stay tuned for more updates!