Day 5 was just as busy as the previous days, which was not a surprise. There is just so much to see and do here at Yellowstone, and we only had the four days to try and fit everything in. So we needed to crowd everything in.
We awoke after both of us had a decent night's sleep. For such limited time here, I felt like we had already seen and done much. On the first day, when we arrived at the park, we had stopped at the Hell's Half Acre on the long drive from Cheyenne to Casper (where we picked up a small tent) and through the Grand Tetons just as the sun was setting, before finally arriving at Yellowstone National Park.
On our second day, we tried a more thorough visit of the Grand Tetons, and then took a side trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in hopes that it might be a bit cheaper than Yellowstone National Park in terms of places to eat, gas prices, and souvenirs. Instead, it proved at least as expensive, if not more so. Don't get me wrong, it's beautiful. But not as beautiful as either of the major parks that it is close to, and so there seemed no real reason to prolong our stay. So we went back to the Tetons, and then back to Yellowstone, where we visited Old Faithful, and the Upper Geyser Basin. On this day, we had seen a coyote, as well as elk.
On our third day at Yellowstone, we visited The Sulphur Cauldron first, on our way to Hayden Valley, which is where most of the top attraction wildlife can be found. When we got there, we were both awestruck to see literally hundreds of bison grazing. We saw babies, we saw them rolling around in the dirt, drinking, eating and resting. Such privilege! If there was one animal that I had wanted to see the most, it was buffalo. Seeing hundreds across the grassy plains, it suddenly became easier to imagine how the center of the country once was dominated by these beautiful, majestic creatures. Pp I feel so grateful to have shared this experience with my son.
Feeling very satisfied, we then headed to Norris Geyser Basin. This was perhaps the most amazing and striking landscape yet, just completely unlike anything that I had ever before seen or experienced. There were pools of stunning blue that, at least at first glance, looked so inviting. But the water inside is boiling and filled with gases, and so those appearances are obviously deceiving. There were also so many different colors on display on the ground, caused by all of the microorganisms that reside there. And there was the Rainbow Geyser, which is (or can be) the tallest geyser in the world. The ranger giving a talk mentioned that just the day prior, unexpectedly, it had a major eruption that sprouted water 400 feet in the air.
After that, I thought it would be best to head up north to Mammoth Spring Junction, which is an astonishing cliff of almost steps of rock that change color due to the sulphuric water pouring down. White seems to be the dominant color, to the point where the top cliff looked almost covered in snow.
Before that, we first went to nearby Montana, which was just five miles away. We visited the town of Gardiner, which actually had a bit of charm, and was not so cost prohibitive as Jackson Hole had been. We found gas was far cheaper, and got some food and supplies at the local market for much cheaper than we could have inside of the park proper. We drove a few miles in, and saw some elk again, although they were behind fences. And, of course, we saw and took pictures of the Roosevelt Arch.
We drove back to camp satisfied, feeling that this had been as perfect and idyllic a day as we could have asked for. Yet, it was not done. We were looking forward to a campfire with toasted marshmallows, to end the night on a great note. But first, we saw a buffalo on the side of the road, just walking casually. Obviously, we slowed to a crawl, and took pictures. My son took an amazing video, which I will try to post here when I get back.
Again, simply amazing! We both were on a high, and enjoying the trip immensely, falling in love with Yellowstone.
So, how could we follow up on such an amazing day?
Well, it would be tough, for sure . But there was still plenty that we had not yet seen. And we had to make the most of the time that we still had, with only one full day left. We would be leaving on Saturday, but likely would not have much time for visiting on that morning, as the drive from our campground for the last night (Canyon campground) was over 600 miles away from our next destination of Denver.
We got a decent night's rest, and took the tent down. We were able to get going by roughly 9:30 or so. We really wanted to swim in the hot springs, and had been told by one of the campground employees that Firehole Road offered one, and that it was the only one which she knew about, although she herself had never actually been in there.
So, that became our first destination. We drove down Firehole Canyon Drive, where she had told us that we could find the hot springs. But the road itself offered some incredibly picturesque views. We kept stopping to take pictures and soak it all in. Just incredible!
As it turns out, there were no hot springs that we could swim in. Not there, nor anywhere in Yellowstone, which kind of surprise me. But that is what the rangers at nearby Madison visitor center informed us of. It was a bit disappointing, but that drive had been so beautiful, that we could hardly could feel let down.
We then went to West Yellowstone, Montana. I needed to call Enterprise regarding some issues with the rental car, but had almost no reception anywhere in Yellowstone, so it was important. Also, we hoped that it might be like Gardiner had been, with more affordable options for food, gas, and souvenirs than inside of the park.
We ate at a place that felt like a slice of the old West, and my son tried buffalo meat for the first time. It was fun, and the town was a much needed respite. We (mostly I)got carried away and spent just way too much time there. After roughly two hours, it was time to go.
And so we went back to Yellowstone, passed Madison, and went to the Fountain Paint Pot, which was short, but spectacular. More colorful landscapes and pools, and with awesome and intensely blue pools that almost looked inviting.
Midway Geyser Basin was next. This had a kind of waterfall of boiling water going into the river, and different colored rocks underneath. On top was a huge pool of the same, also with an assortment of colors underneath steam that provided that now familiar smell of rotten eggs.
Then, we went to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, which is a major site in the park. I had long wanted to see it. But it was worth the wait. Indeed, it reminded my son and I of the actual Grand Canyon. Obviously, the Grand Canyon is more wide open and overwhelms you with its sheer enormity. This one is not nearly as spacious, but it is long and deep and extremely colorful. It is especially colorful within the first couple of miles of the waterfall.
The famous Uncle Tom's Trail on the southern rim was closed, as was Inspiration Point on the northern rim. But we still got some amazing views, and headed to our nearby camp feeling happy with our trip to Yellowstone National Park.
It was time to end the night on a positive note, with another campfire and some Smores.
No comments:
Post a Comment