We had our first rain last night but we were glad that it was in the evening/night. This morning we got up to fog and low hanging clouds but that was not going to stop us from going into Yellowstone. We spent the morning driving from the Madison Entrance on the west side of the park to Old Faithful. We pulled off the main road to take several boardwalk-type trails around several geysers.
There were geysers, hot springs and steam vents everywhere and the clouds and fog hung low so it was hard to see where the steam stopped and clouds began. We were able to see several geysers erupt as we were on the trails. I tried to take pictures, but again, with the fog and low clouds, it was hard to distinguish what was what.
The sun finally came out as we waited for Old Faithful to erupt. I gave Carol the camera so he could take pictures and I video taped the eruption. Sorry, there were no pictures to show you! Enough said!
At 4:00 pm we headed back the Yellowstone to Hayden Valley where animals can usually be found. It is about 45 miles to get to Hayden Valley. As we traveled the roads, you can always tell when an animal has been spotted because cars are pulled off on both sides of the road and people with cameras and lens 2 feet long are clustered together trying to get the perfect shot. We saw herds of elk and buffalo. We were not able to find a spot to pull over so the shot of the herd of buffalo is at a distance. We did come up on a single elk with a huge rack of antlers but it was too dark to get a picture.
During this animal safari, a storm came up complete with lightening, thunder, hail, and some rain. It didn't last long and was followed by a beautiful rainbow. The really fun (NOT) part of the trip was returning to camp in the dark on the twisting, turning roads. The speed limit was never higher than 45 and on some curves, it was 25. Usually, I am trying to speed Carol up but not this trip. There were a couple of curves that I was telling him to slow down. We finally made it and are back in camp safe and sound. The rain has passed and it should be a quiet night. Tomorrow it begins again. There is so much to see.
We returned to camp around 2:00pm and had lunch/supper. The camper across the street from us travels with two huge cats...one black and one white. The lady ties them out with long leads and harnesses staked to a dog tie out stake. There are always all kinds of dogs in the campground but two cats is a first for me.
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| Buffalo - a Yellowstone local |
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| One of the many, many geysers for which Yellowstone is famous. |
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| The geysers blend into the surrounding landscape. |
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| Another view of the Morning Glory Pool. |
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