Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park is a pretty amazing place, and probably our favorite part of our visit there was watching for wildlife wherever we went. We saw hundreds of buffalo, grazing in fields and lumbering across or down the middle of the road, sometimes between our car and another on the opposite side. They look so docile, much like cows, but we were constantly warned not to get near them because they are quite dangerous. 

(Click photos to enlarge, then click to return.)

 

We also saw lots of elk, and hearing the “bugling” done by the bulls in rut was very exciting. It almost sounds like the song of blue whales in the oceans. 

We did hear some people say they had seen a few moose one morning, but we were never so lucky. And although we constantly feared meeting up with a grizzly bear (having heard that 3 people were attacked so far this year in the park), and we did see scratches on trees (their method of marking their territory), we never saw one, even from a distance. But, when we returned to our village for dinner, after a full day of sightseeing, the bartender at the restaurant, told us that a grizzly had actually walked right through our village only two hours before we returned! You can bet that knowledge made us a bit more nervous as we walked to our lodge in the dark that night!

Of course, in addition to wildlife, a big attraction at Yellowstone NP is the Old Faithful geyser, and numerous other geysers and thermal features. We went on a 90 minute walk with a ranger, through the geyser field that Old Faithful is part of. On that walk, we learned that a good portion of the park is actually a gigantic caldera, formed as a result of three volcanic supereruptions 2.1 million, 1.3 million, and 640,000 years ago. (Do the math, that means we're about due for another eruption!) 

Old Faithful Geyser

We also toured the canyon area of the park with another ranger, which we really enjoyed. The Yellowstone Canyon is incredibly beautiful! There are gorgeous waterfalls and interesting rock formations. When the tour was over, everyone went their separate ways, but we happened to be walking in the same direction as the ranger was, so she walked and chatted with us. She then offered to show us her favorite part of the trail, where we got a different view of the Upper Falls and rainbows glistening in the mist from the falling water. It was quite lovely and made us feel special. We have met so many nice people on this journey!

Upper Falls, Yellowstone Canyon

A Few More Photos

I got the website to cooperate so that I can post the photos I had wanted to send with the last post...

Deadwood, SD, resting place of Wild Bill Hickok.

Deadwood Decor & Antiques

South Dakota Plains (from a speeding car on I-90)

Missouri River, Chamberlain, SD

Sam had to have an Idaho baked potato at Smitty's Pancake & Steak House,  Idaho Falls.

Trip of a Lifetime

A few days ago, Sam and I embarked on what he calls, our USRT (US Road Trip). We have driven through five states, several national forests, visited one national park (Yellowstone) and one national monument (Mt. Rushmore), and we are currently on our way to the St. Paul, Minnesota area to visit my Dad's side of the family.

So far, the weather has been incredibly nice, and the scenery even more so. We haven't killed each other yet, our Camry is a pretty comfortable ride, and we are getting really good gas mileage, 36-45 mpg! What more could one ask for?

As I write this, we are driving along I-90 through the very flat plains of grazing and farm lands of South Dakota, that stretch as far as the eye can see – and that's pretty far, because it's really windy today! At night, out here in the middle of nowhere, the sky is filled with more stars than I have ever seen, except maybe in Death Valley. When we left Yellowstone National Park two days ago, we were marveling at the beauty of our surroundings, and Sam made a remark that cracked me up. He said, “We sure have some beautiful places in this country! It makes me proud. I'm glad our forefathers took it all away from the Indians – brilliant move!” Well, I thought it was funny, but I'm used to his smart-alecky sense of humor! Good thing, since I have to spend four more weeks in the car with him!

Northern Nevada on our first day.

Black Hills of South Dakota

OK, I was going to send some more pix with this blog post, but I'm having trouble with the website, so they will have to wait. Hopefully, I will be able to write and send more pix soon!