Big Sky Country - 2016
Glacier National Park, MT to
Yellowstone National Park, WY
Day 11 - August 28
Time to leave Glacier. But before we did, we had to return to the Wild Goose Island viewpoint. Still beautiful! It probably deserves a couple more pictures - well, ok
A panorama…
And a selfie…
Montana countryside. The Rockies in the background
Montana Big Sky
Red barn - Kathy’s fave
Straight road
Near the Missouri River headwaters
The Roosevelt Arch at the northern entrance to Yellowstone Park. As you may be able to see, it is quite hazy - from 4 forest fires in the park
From our motel balcony in Gardiner, MT - the Yellowstone River
Day 11 - August 28
Glacier National Park to Yellowstone National Park
Sadly, we leave Glacier National Park today. What incredible beauty! We will never forget it.
Before we leave, we decide to return up Going To the Sun Road one last time to the Wild Goose Island viewpoint. We are hoping the lake will be calm, and we can capture a reflection picture or two. The lake was not calm, but (as you see) it was still beautiful. As soon as we returned to the hotel to check out, the fog rolled in.
It was a long road trip today - about 375 miles to Gardiner, Montana, at the northern entrance to Yellowstone National Park. We drove to the Visitors Center. The park is very hazy, due to many forest fires in the park. One of them has closed the southern entrance. which we intend to take as we leave Yellowstone 8 days from now.
We will stay 3 days in Gardiner, then stay in the middle of the park for 5 more days. It will likely be hazy the entire time, but the ranger told us she didn’t think it would impact our activities.
Yellowstone National Park
Day 12 - August 29
The Travertine Steps at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone. These are created by magma that sits just 5-6 miles below the surface. It comes in contact with water, making a carbonic acid solution and pushes up. When it reaches the air, calcium carbonate leaches out of the water and creates these formations made of travertine. You could make a kitchen counter out of this stuff. Fascinating
Hot water is falling down this cascade
Less active - as it dries and weather gets to it, the colors change
Pools of hot but cooling water, forming travertine
The National Park was commissioned in 1872. It was the first park, although Yosemite had earlier been “set aside” for protection. In 1883, 31-year-old Dan Kingman, an Army man, was commissioned by General Philip Sheridan to construct and maintain roads and bridges in Yellowstone. He designed the Grand Loop, a figure-8 double track wagon road. That route still exists today and is the main access to Yellowstone’s extraordinary sights. Obviously, the wagon road has been upgraded over time.
Sheepeater’s Cliff. The Sheepeater were a local Indian tribe. The column formations are a lot like Devils Postpile and Devils Tower
Roaring Mountain. A lot of geothermal activity here, as you can see from the innumerable steam vents. You can hear its steaming from 4 miles away
Norris Geyser Basin - there are two basins here: Porcelain Basin and Back Basin. This is the smaller, Porcelain. Stay on the boardwalk!
Porcelain Basin, Ledge Geyser. Cute little fella
Porcelain Basin
Porcelain Basin runoff
Porcelain Basin - Black Bart Geyser. It was only spewing steam, no water. But it was constant, about 40 feet high
Porcelain Basin. The colors are dramatic, and are primarily created by microscopic thermophiles, heat-loving microorganisms. Different thermophiles thrive in different temperatures (all hot!) and emit different hues. Beautiful, and smelly
On to Back Basin, the larger of the two geothermal fields. This is runoff - brown and weedy
Back Basin - Vixen Geyser. This was a cute little geyser. It erupts water most of the time, here about 20 feet. Every so often, it would stop, take a minute or two to collect more energy, then erupt again. Fun to watch. Although the water it spews is hot, we were lightly sprayed (this geyser is 6 feet from the boardwalk), and the water felt cool
Back Basin. Bleak
Back Basin. So many of these beautiful turquoise pools
Back Basin - Echinus Geyser. One of the more well-known geysers in Norris Basin. It erupts very irregularly - I think they said the last time was 2 years ago - so we didn’t wait around. This pool illustrates the many different organisms living here, each in different temperature zones of the pool.
Back Basin - Steamboat Geyser
Back Basin - Emerald Spring
You can see the trees around this pool are not too healthy
Canyon Village, where we will stay in a couple of days. It is a fairly large shopping area, and considered the center of Yellowstone. The deer are not afraid of crowds
The buffalo are not too afraid of crowds either - this guy was all by himself, about ½ block away from the village. Obviously a male. For two reasons: one, just look at him; two, males are loners
A forest fire cloud, taken from Canyon Village, off quite a ways toward the southern entrance to the park. There have been many fires in Yellowstone this summer, caused by lightning, careless campers, and perhaps arson. We thought today would be very hazy (it was when we arrived yesterday), but as you see from most of the pictures, we had beautiful blue skies. It was probably wind direction - the haze did come in later in the day
Upper Yellowstone Falls
The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, just below Lower Yellowstone Falls
Lower Yellowstone Falls. We will be back to see more in a few days
The brink of Upper Yellowstone Falls
Tower Fall, on Tower Creek, which feeds the Yellowstone River about 30 miles downstream from Upper and Lower Yellowstone Falls
Such an interesting rock formation - rock columns like Sheepeater’s Cliff. These columns are maybe 30 feet tall, and sit perhaps 300 feet above the Yellowstone River canyon floor, and extend for a few miles
Petrified Tree. Fenced off, to keep souvenir hunters away. Probably 15 feet in diameter
Small buffalo heard, about 200 yards off the road
Day 12 - August 29
Yellowstone National Park
A full day. On the road by 8 am, we hit the Grand Loop Road, a figure-8 road that covers most of the park. Today we spent our time on the northern part of the 8, about a 70-mile trip. We will do the lower when we move from Gardiner to the middle of the park in a couple of days.
So much geothermal activity, especially on the western side of the loop. We stopped at Mammoth Hot Spring/Travertine Steps, and Norris Geyser Basin. Yellowstone is the most geothermally active area in the world. A very active volcanic area, it has frequent ground movement (earthquakes) which alters the regularity of many of the geysers.
We stopped quickly at Upper and Lower Yellowstone Falls, mainly to scope out the area for when we stop by later. The Falls are less than a mile from where we will stay next; we’ll devote more time to them then.
On to the eastern side of the loop, which climbs to an elevation of 8,800 feet at the pass, with mountain peaks over 10,000 on either side. Tower Fall, the Petrified Tree and a few more buffalo meet us on this side of Grand Loop.
Made it back to the hotel by about 4 pm - so an 8-hour trip. We ate an early dinner at the Cowboy Lodge and Grill. Kathy had a regular burger. I tried an elk burger - so good!
Beartooth Scenic Byway
Day 13 - August 30
The road to the Northeast Entrance to Yellowstone - Lamar River Valley. The largest heard of buffalo we have seen
Soda Butte - a remnant hot spring cone. We didn’t see any other signs of geothermal activity - new or old - in this part of the park
Just past exiting Yellowstone National Park, we enter Beartooth Scenic Byway. It is known to be one of the most beautiful drives in America
Cooke City, at the start of the Beartooth Highway. It calls itself “the coolest small town in America.” Probably means it’s the coldest; not sure. A ranger we talked to in Yellowstone told us he lives here
This is one narrow - and beautiful - highway. Not too many places to pull over and enjoy the view. The dropoff on the right is precipitous - most of the way.
Beartooth Lake. One of so many lakes at the top of Beartooth Highway
Top of the World Store, at the Beartooth Pass - elevation 10,947. Cute!
Island Lake. We had lunch here, and just stared
Looking at Beartooth Pass
Beartooth Pass
Pilot & Index Mountains, from Beartooth Highway.
Re-entering Yellowstone. East Entrance
One of the many fires in Yellowstone
Day 13 - August 30
Beartooth Scenic Byway
A road trip today - no hiking. We headed toward the northeastern entrance to the park. Most of this park drive is through Lamar River Valley, a gorgeous valley. Many buffalo herds. We talked to a few folks who said the buffalo were blocking the road yesterday. Today, they are visible but off in the distance.
On exiting Yellowstone, we enter Beartooth Highway, a 69-mile road that has been called “the most beautiful drive in America.” We take about half of it, to Island Lake and the Beartooth Pass. It is truly beautiful; a narrow, winding road is cut into the side of the mountain. We stop at Top of the World store, and I buy a Beartooth Highway t-shirt. Now how many people have one of those?
At the pass are innumerable lakes. We see two of them: Beartooth Lake, and Island Lake, where we stop for lunch. It was hard to leave.
Once back in Gardiner, we walk to Yellowstone Pizza Company for a nice pesto pizza. Then to the ice cream store for a cup of huckleberry ice cream. Can’t get enough of that huckleberry! We almost bought some huckleberry tea, but relented.
Yellowstone National Park
Day 14 - August 31
Speaks for itself, Just inside the North Entrance to Yellowstone
This sleepy fella was early morning napping at the North Entrance complex of Yellowstone. There was no way our elk buddy was going to raise his head. What a rack!
Old Faithful Geyser. The park had predicted it would erupt at 10:45 am. After a series of earthquakes in the 80s and 90s, the geyser’s faithfulness had wandered. But the park said it was making a comeback in an attempt to live up to its name. Let’s see what happens…
On the MINUTE! At 10:45, it began its show. The geyser is spouting about 150-175 feet into the air. There are a series of benches probably the length of a football field, and two deep. We were there early, and got a front row seat.
Old Faithful lies in what is called Upper Geyser Basin, which contains the highest concentration of surface-level geothermal activity in the world. The Firehole River runs through the basin, and all runoff from the geysers, steam vents, fumeroles, and springs empties into it. You would think the river would be terribly hot and toxic. But just a few miles downstream, fly fishermen are plying their trade. The volume of cold and pure water from the mountains overwhelms the nasty.
There will be a few pictures of runoff, showing the tremendous amount of color, all generated by microscopic bacteria living in different temperature zones
Beautiful turquoise spring
This one is called Spasmodic Geyser.
Crested Pool
Looks cool, doesn’t it? Nope
More runoff color. Breakfast
Chromatic Geyser.
Many of these geysers are so unpredictable…
Beauty Pool. This is a spring - it doesn’t erupt
Grotto Geyser.
Some geysers are constantly spewing, like this one
This is Riverside Geyser. Our favorite geyser, even over Old Faithful. You will see why
It too is very predictable, and in fact started erupting about 5 minutes after its prediction. Just getting started
Now we’re talking! Beautiful, along the river, spouting about 120 feet in the air
The best part? She probably spouted for 25-30 minutes! What a show!
This was the end of the trail in Upper Geyser Basin (for us, anyway - there is more, but you can drive to those, and we are running out of time).
Morning Glory Pool, one of the most vibrant sights we have seen.
Morning Glory Pool - probably about 25 feet deep
Grand Geyser. When it erupts, it is the tallest predictable geyser in the world. It was predicted to erupt at 4:15 pm that day, with a 2-hour variance on either side. We left the area at 2 pm, so were’t about to wait around until maybe 6. We heard it erupted about 3:30!
Ear Pool. Can anyone guess where it got its name?
More color
These last few pictures in Upper Geyser Basin are in a section called Geyser Hill, overlooking Old Faithful
Beehive Geyser. This little guy is very unpredictable. When it erupts, it spouts over 200 feet in the air
Castle Geyser. The park predicts eruptions for 5 of the geysers in this basin, and this is one of them. But its time will come tomorrow
Just before leaving Upper Geyser Basin, Old Faithful did its thing again. This was its 3rd eruption in the time we were there, as it erupts about every 90 minutes. No front row seat for us this time.
The park really has done a great job of staging this wonderful natural spectacle, so everyone can easily see it.
Checking into our cabin in the woods,
at Canyon Village in central Yellowstone
This is our backyard
Day 14 - August 31
Yellowstone National Park
Today we leave Gardiner and the northern portion of Yellowstone National Park. Our next stop is Canyon Lodge, in the middle of the park. We depart Gardiner early, and plan to spend most of the day at Upper Geyser Basin, which is where Old Faithful performs. I promise Kathy that I won’t stop at every turnout along the way – only for wildlife.
We don’t go five minutes and we stop – our first elk sighting! We continue on for another 5 minutes then see some more – this time in Mammoth on the hotel lawn. One of them is huge, with a huge rack!
On to Upper Geyser. We are thankful to get there early; the crowds haven’t arrived, although still plenty of folks around. Side note: Yellowstone has done a wonderful job of accommodating large crowds. I thought we would have to stand 10-deep to see some of the more popular sights. Not so. Old Faithful is set to erupt next at 10:45 am, about 30 minutes from when we arrive. And sure enough, on the minute, it hit. Just amazing. It shoots about 150 feet in the air and lasts for about 5-8 minutes.
There’s more – Upper Geyser has the densest concentration of geysers in the world. We took a 5-mile roundtrip trail (mostly boardwalk), viewing geysers and spring pools aplenty. The park predicts eruptions for 5 of the geysers. We saw one more – Riverside Geyser. It was spectacular – I think we liked it better than Old Faithful. Along the Firehole River, it spouted about 120 feet in the air, and went on for close to 30 minutes!
There were other amazing sights and colors. The pictures speak for themselves.
We left the area about 2 pm, and checked into our cabin at Canyon Lodge. The girl who checked us in said we got her favorite cabin! It sits at the back of the area, with its back to the forest. There is a trail that starts 10 feet from our door, and leads to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River. So quiet; this will be fun!
Yellowstone National Park
Day 15 - September 1
Isa Lake, on the Continental Divide at the southernmost point of Yellowstone’s Grand Loop. A fascinating little lake, as you will read next…
Wha?
On the Grand Loop south road, the Continental Divide crosses twice
West Thumb Geyser Basin. This is Abyss Pool. In the background is the huge Yellowstone Lake. As you will see, the lake is in the near background
Abyss Pool is 53 feet deep, the deepest pool in the park
Runoff from Abyss Pool, which all heads to the lake
Fishing Cone Geyser. West Thumb Geyser Basin sits on the shore of Yellowstone Lake. West Thumb is a mere bay of this massive lake
Lakeshore Geyser
Kayakers making their way toward
West Thumb Geyser Basin
This young elk, along with the rest of his family, was found along a narrow spit of land - probably ½ mile long and 20 feet wide - in Yellowstone Lake
We veered off Grand Loop Road, taking Gulf Point Road, which follows Yellowstone Lake’s shore for about 3 miles between the West Thumb and Fishing Village communities. Our typical lunch - salami, cheese, crackers and water
Caught this guy racing across the rock at our picnic site
Looking across Yellowstone Lake at the Absaroka Mountain range. Some of the haze is smoke from the forest fires. We have been blessed - not much smoke in the air this week
Fishing Bridge. The Yellowstone River feeds Yellowstone Lake at its south, then exits here in the north. The river is on its way toward creating a couple of beautiful falls and a gorgeous deep canyon
LeHardy Rapids, Yellowstone River
Churning Caldron at Mud Volcano Basin. Its churning was constant. This was the smelliest basin of all
Black Dragon’s Caldron at Mud Volcano Basin, which is about 7 miles from Fishing Bridge
The runoff from Black Dragon’s Caldon, off camera to the left, creates Sour Lake
Mud Volcano. Up until 1958, this volcano would constantly spout as high as the trees. An intervening earthquake changed formations under the surface, and it now just bubbles and boils
Hayden Valley, between Mud Volcano and Canyon Village. A beautiful, ardent valley loved by wildlife. We hoped to see bear, maybe moose. No luck. But buffalo aplenty
Hayden Valley panorama.
The Yellowstone River runs through it
The trail that begins just outside our cabin
And this is the reward you get at the end of the ½ mile trail. The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone River
Grand Canyon of Yellowstone River, zoomed in
There will be many more pictures of this wonderful surprise tomorrow, when we devote our day to the area
A robin on the trail back to the cabin
On the trail back to the cabin, a couple was stopped with a camera pointing toward a tree in the forest. When that happens, you always stop and ask what they see. This owl was very effectively camouflaged. “How did you see him?” we asked. “We saw him fly there.”
We have returned. Our cabin. There are 4 cabins for each structure. Our cabin the nearest to the trail
Day 15 - September 1
Yellowstone National Park
Today we travel the southern portion of the figure-8 Grand Loop Road. We see Kepler Cascades, beautiful falls on the Firehole River, just before it enters the Upper Geyser Basin.
The strangest sight we see is Isa Lake. Very small, it straddles the Continental Divide. When the snowmelt is big enough, and overfills the lake, it spills over – the west side of the lake ultimately empties into the Gulf of Mexico, the east side into the Pacific Ocean (this is not a misprint).
On to West Thumb Geyser Basin. West Thumb is the western bay of the huge Yellowstone Lake. Another amazing display of sights, colors and odors. We picnic on Gulf Point Drive on the lake shore.
Our final stop is Mud Volcano and Sulfur Cauldron, which are within 1/8 mile of each other. Here are angry, bubbling mud holes. This is the smelliest place yet! The drive from here back to our cabin is through gorgeous Hayden Valley. Plenty of buffalo here! We have seen so many buffalo, we don’t stop anymore. However, if they decide to block the highway, well, we might slow down.
Once back at our cabin, we take the trail that starts right outside our door, ½ mile to Grand View. What an incredible overlook of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone River. This canyon is about 24 miles long, 1,000 feet deep and up to 4,000 feet across. The colors of the cliffs and of the river water are so rich!
Yellowstone National Park
Day 16 - September 2
Warning - you will get many different views of Lower Falls and the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone River today, as Kathy and I take in a few trails and viewpoints on both sides of the canyon. This is from Artist Point at the end of the Southern Rim Road. it is perhaps the most popular viewpoint
Again, from Artist Point, zoomed out. It was about 9 am, and the lighting was superb
Uncle Tom’s Trail is at the beginning of the Southern Rim Road, but it is a walk down many steps. The brink of Lower Falls
Lower Falls, from the bottom of Uncle Tom’s Trail
What goes down 328 steps, in 8,000 foot altitude, must go back up
Grand Canyon of Yellowstone River,
from Uncle Tom’s Trail
Upper Yellowstone Falls, from the top of Uncle Tom’s Trail
Lower Falls from Lookout Point, at the beginning of the Northern Rim Road
And again from Lookout Point. In the fore ground you see the steps of Red Rock Trail. Coming up
Once more from Lookout Point.
Each perspective brings wonder
Red Rock Trail, which begins paved, and ends in stairs. Not a long trail, but steep
Lookout Point.
Kathy is up there somewhere…
There she is!
Lower Falls from the end of Red Rock Trail
A zoomout from the bottom of Red Rock Trail
Almost back! Wiped
Kathy at Lookout Point
Turn around at Lookout Point, and it’s Kathy and The Canyon
How about both of us and The Canyon?
Another steep hike down to the brink of Lower Falls
The brink
So much water. And so much noise, a beautiful noise
I don’t like the brink viewpoints as much as those where you see the full face of the falls, but the view of the canyon here is outstanding
I tried a little hokey experiment with a turning, twisting panorama. The sky is sideways
Day 16 - September 2
Yellowstone National Park
We spend the day near Upper and Lower Yellowstone Falls, and the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone River. These sights are all within about 3 miles of our cabin. The day starts out without a cloud in the sky; then, as usual, puffy white clouds arrive. We are fortunate to have great light on our subjects!
There are southern and northern rim drives along the falls and canyon, each 2-3 miles long, and each affording many lookout points – Artist Point, Lower Falls Lookout, Lookout Point and Grand View. There are also 3 steep trails that lead down into the canyon (all with great views of Lower Falls, the taller falls of the two, by 3 times): Uncle Tom’s Trail, which includes 328 stair steps, Red Rock Trail and Lower Falls Brink Trail, which both have many switchbacks. Each trail drops 400-600 feet in less than ½ mile, in 8,000 foot altitude! I take these trails, while Kathy waits at the top. She has tweeked a bad knee, so it’s better she doesn’t test it. I am one pooped dude when I finish! But all three are well worth it.
We make it back to our cabin by 1:30 pm, and relax the rest of the day.
Yellowstone National Park
Day 17 - September 3
Mushroom rock in the Firehole River
Midway Geyser Basin, Excelsior Geyser. This geyser was so steamy you could barely get a picture of it
Grand Prismatic Spring, which feeds Excelsior Geyser
Grand Prismatic Spring. A good portion of Yellowstone National Park is officially a caldera; the Latin root means “cooking pot.” A caldera is typically the large caldron-like depression at the heart of a volcano. In Yellowstone, it’s not so much a depression, but a caldera and a volcano all the same
Moving on to Biscuit Geyser Basin. This basin sits at the end of the Upper Geyser Basin, where Old Faithful is, and is a portion we didn’t have the time to catch the other day. These guys - and his friends - were just along the parking lot. Two rangers were there to make sure both buffalo and humans kept their distance
There was a little back and forth going on here. The males on the left were testing out the dominant male on the right. “We would like a piece of the action, sir.” The guy on the right never moved a muscle. We finally went on our way into the geyser basin; by the time we returned, they had moved on. But we would see the big guy again
Hadn’t seen a formation quite like this before. Almost like honeycomb. It does seem every basin has a little something different to offer
Colorful runoff
Sapphire Pool in Biscuit Geyser Basin. Overheard one gentleman, who visits Yellowstone often, say this is his favorite pool. Such a deep blue
Petrified Daffy Duck
Black Sand Geyser Basin, also part of the larger Upper Geyser Basin. Cliff Geyser was spouting his stuff
Emerald Pool in Black Sand Geyser Basin
Opalescent Pool at Black Sand. It was a cloudy day - I betcha this is really vibrant against clear blue skies
Heading back by Biscuit Geyser basin, we run into our old friend. This alpha male needs even humans to know whose world it is. He stayed in the road for about 10 minutes, not moving. Then, ever so slowly, he made his way off the road. We get the message, big fella
Lower Geyser Basin. Dead lodgepole pines - the kind you might find in Sequoia National Park
Lower Geyser Basin - weird runoff patterns
Now performing, Clepsydra Geyser in Lower Geyser Basin
Red Spouter steam vent. I think this was the loudest thing we’ve heard
Fountain Paint Pot in Lower Geyser Basin. A hot, bubbling mess. Great pink and white colors surround it
Silex Spring, which runs off to…
…what is called the Bacteria Mat
Even the electric meters and trash bins are covered!
Along the 2-mile Firehole Lake Drive, this is White Dome Geyser. It doesn’t erupt all that often. We were at the turnout just before it, and could see it go off in the close distance. Thankful for a zoom lens! By the time we got to it, it had gone back to sleep
Firehole Lake Drive - Steady Geyser. Steady - and small
At the far end of Firehole Lake Drive are three small lakes - Firehole, Black Warrior and Hot Lake. Two hot cascades - the only hot cascades in the park - feed Hot Lake from Black Warrior Lake
Day 17 - September 3
Yellowstone National Park
Visits to geysers again. This time to Middle Geyser Basin, Biscuit Basin, Black Sand Basin, Lower Geyser Basin and Firehole Lake Geyser Basin – all near Old Faithful. A huge middle portion of Yellowstone National Park is considered a caldera; this is the center of a volcano. There is so much geothermal activity here!
It is Saturday, the weekend of Labor Day. Not sure how much of a difference that makes for traffic, but there are tons of folks around. Parking was at a premium. We did our sightseeing early in the morning, so found parking everywhere we went. Can’t imagine what it will be like later in the day.
Back early in the afternoon, we did our laundry; the campground has a huge laundromat. Then on to our typical afternoon/evening routine: early dinner, back to the cabin to enjoy the forest outside our back door. I also take a late evening hike down the trail outside our cabin door to Grand View, overlooking Grand Canyon of Yellowstone River. Can’t get enough!
Yellowstone National Park
Day 18 - September 4
Yellowstone River, upstream of the falls, on a cloudy morning. You couldn’t perceive any current movement in the river here
Indian Pond, just east of Fishing Bridge, heading toward the East Entrance of the park. We had seen a picture of this lake and thought it might be a great place to relax. But it was cold and there really wasn’t any place to hang, so we moved on. Pretty, nonetheless. This picture doesn’t show it, but there is a very narrow piece of land - maybe 100 feet - that separates this small pond from Yellowstone Lake
Yo, Kathy!
The shore of Yellowstone Lake. We like collecting sand, so collect we did. Just a small baggie - don’t tell the rangers
Yellowstone Lake panorama. Storm approaching
Steamboat Point - a small steam vent
We were about 40 feet from this guy. He was making me a little nervous - giving us the evil eye. That straw in his mouth gave him a little bit of coolness
Who’s that photobombing us?
What’s wrong with this picture?
The Lake Hotel in Fishing Bridge, the oldest hotel in the park (built in 1871)
The view of the lake right outside the Lake Hotel
And the view from inside. We loved this place - so relaxing. Spent about 2 hours here, reading and watching the storm come in
And had lunch here. Straight outta the 1800s. Felt like Kathy should be wearing a long, frilly dress
Just as we were ready to leave, it dumped. A hailstorm - but only for about 15 minutes, and the cell passed
Back on the road, looks ominous, and heading north, where we want to go. So we take a side trip, and let the storm move on its way
Look what comes in behind the storm!
Panorama of Yellowstone Lake after the storm. See the crow?
Day 18 - September 4
Yellowstone National Park
Kind of a free day today. We had seen everything on our list. We didn’t want to drive a bunch, so we decide to drive south about 20 miles to Fishing Bridge. Our first stop is Indian Pond. We thought we could spend some time there, just enjoying the scenery. But it was cold, so we decide to check out Lake Hotel, the oldest hotel in the park, built in 1871, a year before the area was designated the nation’s first National Park.
The hotel is beautiful, with an amazing panoramic view of Yellowstone Lake out its windows. When we arrived, the weather was chilly – in the low 50s – with puffy white clouds. We sat in their Sun Room and read for a couple of hours, then had lunch in their dining room – both with excellent views of the lake. And with an excellent view of an approaching storm.
Just as we were ready to walk out the door and make the return drive to our cabin, it dumped – rain and hail. It only lasted about 15 minutes – we have bigger desert storms!
Once the storm had passed, we made our way to the cabin. We will relax the rest of the afternoon and evening. This is our last night in Yellowstone – what a glorious stay it has been! So much beauty, so much diversity – canyons, falls, steamy geysers. And lots of wildlife – buffalo, deer, elk, owls, smaller creatures. We never did see a bear or moose – too bad!