Yellowstone Day 1 and 2

First of all, the place is magnificant. I am so sorry we did not visit here before. There is so much to see and we're only going to scratch the surface during our time here. On our first full day we did some driving to check things out. We entered the West Entrance, about 2 blocks from the campground, about 8:30 am and headed towards Old Faithful. There is so much to see and we made frequent stops to gawk. Our first wildlife encounter was with Rocky Mountain Elk - 4 cows and a young bull were a distance from the road but close enough to get us excited.

The Madison River runs along the road from the West Entrance and apparently it is a good fishing spot, as we saw numerous people with rod and reel. All fishing is catch and release in the park, by the way. It is swift moving with a lot of riffles and rocks. Water is still somewhat high from the snowmelt. There was a 4 inch snowfall in West Yellowstone two weeks ago and we hope that was the last until fall. But the temperatures are cool and we both appreciated sweatshirts and jackets BOTH!

A short distance up the road, we saw cars stopping so figured there was something to see. I was concentrating so much on the cars ahead, I failed to see the bison step out onto the road almost beside the car. Luckily it wasn't going very fast and gave us a good photo opp. This was part of a small group of bulls.


A little later up the road we saw a group of cows and calves. The young still have their reddish hair and are about the size of a holstein heiffer. The older bison are in the process of shedding their winter coat so they are quite mangy looking.











Our first major stop was at Fountain Paint Pots, an area of hot springs, fumeroles (Icelandic for vent) and mud pots - and hydrogen sulfide! The park has walkways that allow you to get closer to some of the areas to view (and smell) the interesting item. The wooden walkways are slowly being replaced with plastic boards (from recycled soda bottles). At one site, the walkways are a partnership with Unilever.









We observed this raven attempting to open a pack on the back of a pickup truck. Later someone showed us pictures of one that had opened a pack and stolen granola bars. These birds have learned where their next meal may be coming from.












The Firehole Lake Geyser area had what was called the Young Hopeful Geyser. Maybe in hundreds or thousands of years, this one will be impressive but right now it looks like a wannabee. There were mudpots and geysers at this area and also that distinct rotten egg smell. It is funny to watch some of the visitors when they first step out of their car and the smell hits them. And its is also a great area to pass gas - no one would ever be able to tell it wasn't a geyser!







Midway Geyser Basin had some beautiful pools. Such intense blue indicates the water temperature is around 190F. This one is called Opal Pool and it is beside the Torquoise Pool. It is interesting to see the hoof prints of the bison around these areas. During late winter, the warmth of the geyser areas attracts the bison and helps them make it through the harsh winters. I had heard a lot die when they get into the pools but was told later that is not true. So much for programming on the Travel Channel.







By the time we reached Old Faithful it was 12:30 pm. Parking is plentiful but it is a good idea to take the first spot you find. Otherwise, you will drive around the lot and try again. The geyser was not "performing" when we arrived but the size of the crowd lead us to believe that the time for eruption was soon. And sure enough, after several false starts, it erupted. It was so much better to see it in person that in books and on TV. Because of the cool temperatures, there was a tremendous amount of steam and the water was quickly concealed. Then it died back down and everyone headed to their cars to create a traffic jam. We shopped a bit and avoided the issue.
















On this day we thought the lower loop would be OK so after Old Faithful, we set out to drive the remainder of the loop. We crossed the Continental Divide 2 times when driving over Craig Pass (elev 8262 ft). We didn't intend to stop at many sites but since we didn't want to drive 45 mph, we pulled over numerous times to let people pass. Why is everyone in a hurry? Yellowstone Lake is the largest lake in the park and is quite impressive.










We saw more bison, more elk and finally a coyote. The cluster of cars warned us of something in the area and sure enough, on the hill above the road, this lone coyote was crossing the downed trees. Several people were sure it was a wolf but the long snout and fluffy tail, combined with the color and size, made us positive it was a coyote. Regardless it was a pleasant sighting.










There is one area close to the West Entrance that is clearly marked "No stopping, parking or standing" because of a Bald Eagle nest near the road. Of course, there were numerous cars stopped and people out to the cars taking pictures of the one adult in the nest. As we slowly made our way through the traffic jam, I was able to snap this picture. Oh, and as we got through the area we saw the ranger coming to break up the party. It was a long day and we drove about 140 miles. But it was worth it.







Day 2 at Yellowstone was set aside to take a tour on a bus. We actually bought tickets for two tours - upper and lower loops. We were picked up at the campground by this bright yellow bus driven by a great tour guide. We were heading to Canyon Village, then north to Tower-Roosevelt and then to Mammoth Hot Springs, near the north entrance. Of course, we saw bison (lots of bison), and elk, and the Bald Eagle nest. The traffic jam was bad again this morning and the driver actually told several people no stopping or standing. And they, of course, ignored him.








Bison, possibly the same herd we saw yesterday, were along the road and then we came upon a cow elk crossing the river. She had a young calf with her and was encouraging it to cross also. The cow has legs long enough to walk across the river but the little calf had to swim. They made it part way and we had to move on but it was an interesting event to observe.









The bus stopped at the upper falls of the Yellowstone River and after a short walk we were able to observe a most impressive gorge and water fall. The amount of water cascading over the falls was a bit more than normal but this falls is beautiful. Upper Falls is, however, the smaller of the falls - at only 109 ft. The Lower Falls, a short distance down the road, is a whopping 308 ft. - almost twice as high as Niagara. It has the largest volume of water in the Rockies. An osprey was sitting on a nest below the falls but blended in so well with the rocks that it was hard to photograph.


















The two falls are at the end of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. This is not a viewpoint for the faint of heart. This gorge is 900 ft deep and half a mile wide. Of course the sides of the canyon appear to go straight down. And at the bottom, the Yellowstone River continues on its course.










After a brief stop at the Canyon Village visitors center (and restrooms), we climbed to Dunraven Pass - elevation 8859 ft. The road had no guardrails! Just rocks that were, at the most, 2 ft high. and of course the mountain dropped off sharply a few feet from the edge of the road. The view was great (if you looked straight out). The original ranger station is located at Mount Washburn, just beyond the pass. With an elevation over 10,200 ft, it is perfect for spotting wildfires.








By this time we were starting to think of lunch so the stops were fewer and fewer. But, at one point we did see some mountain sheep on the far hillside. These are supposed to be the bighorn sheep but we couldn't see any big horns. Maybe they are young? There were several people on the hill very near the sheep and they certainly didn't appear to be nervous - the sheep that is!









And then, on what seemed to be a very narrow portion of the road, we came upon a traffic jam. BEAR! A small black bear was running across the hill below the road. Poor thing was probably scared to death. I managed to grab a quick shot as the bear headed between two trees but we moved on and we never did see much more of the bear. Interestingly enough, there were two park rangers at that spot. Were they there by coincidence or to protect the bear from the visitors?







Finally we reached Mammoth Hot Springs and lunch. Two cheesburgers, fries and sodas - $17! McDonalds it wasn't but it also wasn't cheap. There were elk on the lawn at the stop and the guild told us they are the "town elk". On our way out of the stop, we saw a man taking a picture of a mature bull bison from a distance of about 12 feet. Just goes to show you there are idiots everywhere. Our next stop, with an escorted walk, was the Mammoth Hot Springs Terrace. This was so different than the hot springs we had seen so far. They are referred to as travertine but certainly not made from marble. The substance in the water that creates the terraces is akin to Tums. The beautiful blue sky contrasted nicely with the white and orange discharge.





The guide offered to stop several times after this but didn't have many takers. Lunch and the 3/4 mi hike to the hot springs must have worn everyone out. We passed a large area of vents and geysers that is called Roaring Mountain. It was named this by early explorers because of the hissing and rumbling sound it makes. We cannot imagine being the first white man, or EuroAmerican as the guide called them, to see Yellowstone. It would be mind-boggling! Tomorrow's tour will retrace much of the area we saw yesterday but this time someone else will be doing the driving and narrating the tour. We're looking forward to it.