Yellowstone National Park

Can't believe we have been on the road for over a month....the time has flown by quickly. Fortunately, we still have another two weeks ahead! We left the Grand Tetons early and arrived in Yellowstone National Park early afternoon. Once again, bluebird skies and temps in the high 70's. Perfect! The park encompasses 2.2 million acres. 96% is in Wyoming, 3% in Montana and 1% in Idaho. Wildlife is abundant and the grizzlies have made this their home. First stop, Old Faithful Gyser....just in time to see her spout her glory.

The thermal areas that surround this part of the park are amazing.....the different colors, sizes, shapes and water temps make for a variety of beauty. Some of the water temps are as high as 263 degrees! We enjoyed strolling around the boardwalk which brings you to each gyeser to enjoy. Some spout regularly.....others haven't gone off for years. Resting on a volcanic plateau, it is just a matter of time before this whole place erupts.....not in our lifetime though. The evening was spent exploring the Lake Area. Yellowstone Lake is the largest lake in North America at 7733 altitude. The lake encompasses Fishing Bridge, Bridge Bay and Grant Village area. We biked the hills and took in the scenery. Since our campground was more like a parking lot, we decided to park the RV along a secluded part of the lake for a very romantic dinner as we watched the sunset....the ending to a perfect day.
We awoke early and after a hearty breakfast, headed to The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone to Uncle Tom's Trail on the North Rim to see Lower Falls and Artist Point. This is the sight of some of the most photographed areas in the park. The scenery was breathtaking and the 332 stair climb back up was quite strenous in the thin air. The lower falls are almost twice as high as Niagra Falls at 308 feet! After a quick lunch, we headed to Hayden Valley for some wildlife sightings. Many Bison were seen along with a pretty large black bear. We felt very comfortable viewing from the comfort and safety of the RV.
Later in the afternoon, we decided to hike Mount Washburn, elevation 10,243 feet! (of course, we are already at 7900 feet) The 90 minute climb took us to some of the most beautiful and scerene places in the park. The wildflowers were abudant and adorned most of the hillside. We spotted several big horn sheep as well as yellow bellied marmot; a friendly mamal that resembles the ground hog. No bear were to be seen, but I had my bells on my backpack and pepper spray in hand! By nightfall, we were exhausted after a total hike of about 10 miles throughout the day.
We camped in Canyonland and heard the call of the wolves during the night. Spectacular! Today we head to the northern area of the park......grizzly territory!!