Wow, things are going fast. It's the 23rd and we haven't done a blog update in days. It turns out that Yellowstone apparently has a wifi-free policy! Not sure if this is a dictate from the federal government, but I asked in the lobby of our hotel and was told that no lodges within park boundaries offered wifi for either guests or employees! And, we didn't have cell phone reception from our hotel either. And, much to Matthew's dismay, no TV in the room! Maybe all of this is an effort to sever the tie with the 21st century and get back to basics.
So, we spent three nights in Yellowstone, staying at the Lake Yellowstone Hotel, a very historic (they say it was the first in the park) and stately hotel. It is not the kind where there are lots of exposed log beams. If you want that kind of hotel, you have to go up to Old Faithful.
We are currently in the Grand Tetons and there is wifi in the lobby, so I'll try to give a quick update of our time in Yellowstone.
On Saturday morning we left Cody and headed to Yellowstone Park, about 50 miles to the west. But on we way out we had to do our best Buffalo Bill impressions.
Well, now it's days later and those pictures don't seem so fun. But when in Cody you have to take on a cowboy state of mind. And Buffalo Bill is really BIG in Cody.
As we drove, Beth mentioned that she had read that Teddy Roosevelt thought that the drive from Cody into the east gate of Yellowstone was the most beautiful on earth and we were blown away with the scenery. Once again we had snow-capped mountains and the snow was not just on the top of the mountains! It was by the side of the road and we stopped for a quick snowball fight. We don't usually get to do that in June.
As with our drives through parks in North and South Dakota, we were just overwhelmed with the beauty of the drive.
The first evening in Yellowstone we saw two bears. It seems that wildlife of almost any kind can cause traffic jams. Here is an example of our first jam and second bear. This bear walked across the highway right in front of our car and went over to a river for a swim!
The first evening in Yellowstone we saw two bears. It seems that wildlife of almost any kind can cause traffic jams. Here is an example of our first jam and second bear. This bear walked across the highway right in front of our car and went over to a river for a swim!
The rangers are quick to show up and make sure that people don't get too close.
Here's a family shot, overlooking Yellowstone Lake, right outside our hotel. It is a beautiful setting, surrounded by mountains. Actually, most of Yellowstone is surrounded by mountains because millions of years this was all a mountain range but a huge section of it exploded in multiple volcanoes. Over the years the caldera filled up and that is most of Yellowstone. Over the years the terrain has been shaped by glaciers (the whole area was covered by over 2,000 feet of ice) and other erosion.
Day One.
Our first full day was Sunday. There was a multi-denominational service in the hotel that was conducted by hotel employees who also volunteer for this program called A Christian Mission in the National Parks. The message was about how fire is important to renew the forest (some seeds are not released unless there is a fire) and how we also go through "fire times" in our lives.
We drove north to the "mud volcano" area - lots of geothermal goodies. Matthew didn't care for the sulfur odor in the air. You can see that a bison also joined the sight-seers. These guys have no fear. They own the park!
In driving around we were again impressed with the beauty and variety - the roaring Yellowstone River, the meadows, the mountains, and the steam rising from the ground. We ran across occasional herds of bison.
We had dinner at the Old Faithful lodge and shortly after that there was a severe thunderstorm. We weren't sure if OF would arrive on time, given the rain, but she did. Here is the lobby of the lodge, and Matthew waiting in the rain.
Right on schedule (as predicted by the park rangers), the rain stopped and OF blew. What a magnificent sight. This has thrilled people for hundreds of years.
On the way back to the hotel we had more rain and a wonderful rainbow. Bill got out of the car to attempt to capture the rainbow and it started to hail! It seems that the weather is as varied as the scenery! But the weather quickly cleared and we had beautiful skies over the lake.
Day Two
This was the day for the "Grand Canyon of Yellowstone" - a specular canyon and two waterfalls on the Yellowstone River.
This was a day with a little hiking and we saw signs that some of our relatives had been there before us...
We drove to the North Gate (Mammoth Hot Springs) where we attended a ranger talk and saw lots of wildlife - goats, a moose, and a herd of elk. The elk were near the top of the highest mountains in the park, Mt Washburn. The road went very close to the peak, with many pull-offs and bathrooms along the way. We also saw a wolf off in the distance.
Beth wouldn't take any panoramic pictures as we were driving across that mountain and Bill was too busy with white knuckles on the steering wheel.
Day Three
We left Yellowstone Park the next day (Tuesday?) and drove south to Grand Tetons National Park. I'll write a little about that later.
Here's a family shot, overlooking Yellowstone Lake, right outside our hotel. It is a beautiful setting, surrounded by mountains. Actually, most of Yellowstone is surrounded by mountains because millions of years this was all a mountain range but a huge section of it exploded in multiple volcanoes. Over the years the caldera filled up and that is most of Yellowstone. Over the years the terrain has been shaped by glaciers (the whole area was covered by over 2,000 feet of ice) and other erosion.
Day One.
Our first full day was Sunday. There was a multi-denominational service in the hotel that was conducted by hotel employees who also volunteer for this program called A Christian Mission in the National Parks. The message was about how fire is important to renew the forest (some seeds are not released unless there is a fire) and how we also go through "fire times" in our lives.
We drove north to the "mud volcano" area - lots of geothermal goodies. Matthew didn't care for the sulfur odor in the air. You can see that a bison also joined the sight-seers. These guys have no fear. They own the park!
In driving around we were again impressed with the beauty and variety - the roaring Yellowstone River, the meadows, the mountains, and the steam rising from the ground. We ran across occasional herds of bison.
We had dinner at the Old Faithful lodge and shortly after that there was a severe thunderstorm. We weren't sure if OF would arrive on time, given the rain, but she did. Here is the lobby of the lodge, and Matthew waiting in the rain.
Right on schedule (as predicted by the park rangers), the rain stopped and OF blew. What a magnificent sight. This has thrilled people for hundreds of years.
On the way back to the hotel we had more rain and a wonderful rainbow. Bill got out of the car to attempt to capture the rainbow and it started to hail! It seems that the weather is as varied as the scenery! But the weather quickly cleared and we had beautiful skies over the lake.
Day Two
This was the day for the "Grand Canyon of Yellowstone" - a specular canyon and two waterfalls on the Yellowstone River.
This was a day with a little hiking and we saw signs that some of our relatives had been there before us...
We drove to the North Gate (Mammoth Hot Springs) where we attended a ranger talk and saw lots of wildlife - goats, a moose, and a herd of elk. The elk were near the top of the highest mountains in the park, Mt Washburn. The road went very close to the peak, with many pull-offs and bathrooms along the way. We also saw a wolf off in the distance.
Beth wouldn't take any panoramic pictures as we were driving across that mountain and Bill was too busy with white knuckles on the steering wheel.
Day Three
We left Yellowstone Park the next day (Tuesday?) and drove south to Grand Tetons National Park. I'll write a little about that later.
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