Day 70 West Yellowstone 23.06.12
So excited this morning, we’re spending the day going around
the lower loop of YELLOWSTONE PARK! The sun is shining & the sky is blue
& I’m back in shorts & vest top so am very happy.
We drove in at the West entrance & almost straight away
there was a traffic jam. This either means road works or wildlife. By the time
we got to the cause of it the Park Rangers were waving everyone on & we had
to make do with watching the herd of Buffalo at the river’s edge – magic.
However fairly soon after we saw another herd & had the chance to pull in
& film them. There were lots of young ones too.
Our first stop was Gibbon Falls which were very dramatic
& the Hot Springs which smelled very strongly of sulphur. Next the Artists
paint pots & we had to walk along a boardwalk so as not to damage the
fragile environment & also so as not to get scalded by all of the hot water
& steam.
They are called the Artists paint pots because of the
colours that are formed by bacteria growing because of the salts & the
heat, very pretty.
As we drove along we saw 2 Elks & hope I got them on
video. We went to the Norris geyser basin next & they were absolutely amazing.
Even knowing almost nothing about geology I can see how interesting these
features are. We stopped in Canyon Village for a hot dog & drink then drove
along the Yellowstone River to Canyon Falls. Now we’ve seen many Falls on this
trip but these were really eye popping!
Yellowstone Lake was the next place & I have never seen
such a big lake, it was like a sea. It’s so big that it makes its own weather!
That is a fact. We had to sit by it with an enormous double ice cream.
Next was the West Thumb geyser basin which actually goes
into the lake. Some of the hot springs were very deep, bubbling & boiling away, it was just like
having a sauna as you walked past them.
Finally the time had come to go to see ‘Old Faithful!’ We
got there at 6.30pm & it was due to perform at 6.50pm so that was a stroke
of luck. We even managed to get good seats on the benches even though there
were loads of others there. It started off with spurts of steam & a bit of
water & then up it went but so quietly. I was surprised as I expected it to
make a loud noise. Afterwards we carried on around the boardwalk looking at
several other geysers, hot springs, boiling water, steam coming out of the
ground, very dangerous & there was a little girl of about 4 running on her
own! One trip or slip & she could have been badly hurt. Some people have no
idea how dangerous things can be!
On the last part of today’s drive we stopped by a massive
glacial boulder to take photos & also filmed some deer & buffalo. What
a long but brilliant day, roll on tomorrow!
Day 71 West Yellowstone 24.06.12
Sunday again so called home then got ready for our 2nd
day in Yellowstone Park doing the upper loop this time. This is shorter than
the lower loop but we do take lots of detours to see things.
First stop was Canary Spring, named because of the colour of
the bacteria in the 1800s. It’s a boiling hot waterfall & is now blue &
orange, an amazing sight. Then we drove to another spring & there was a
herd of buffalo by the pond so we went to film them. I could never get fed up
with this & would happily watch wildlife all day. Driving away we spotted a
man by some trees with his camera so stopped & there was a huge elk with
really big antlers just grazing on his own.
A little while later there was a big crowd & some
rangers & again we stopped but apparently it was a bear asleep by a tree
& you couldn’t see anything. We’ve seen bears close up so we moved on. Our
next call was to Mammoth, a nice little place & we had lunch outside &
there were deer grazing on people’s front lawns. A lady walked by with a big
dog & a large deer was clearly unhappy about this & followed them until
they moved off. It was quite intimidating.
We had a little walk by the river then to the Roosevelt
lodge where we had a lovely meal before driving home via Mount Washburn, which
was very high with snow still in places. Another fab day.
Day 72 West Yellowstone to Jackson, Wyoming 25.06.12
Sad to be leaving West Yellowstone as it’s a lovely town. Before
we left we went to the museum & saw lots about the history of the railroad
& how the park became popular & accessible to the public because of it.
We’ve got to drive down through the park to get to Teton NP & Jackson so
will be stopping off at a couple of places on the way. The Midway geyser basin
was one of these & certainly didn’t disappoint. It was basically large,
deep ponds of boiling water with different colours around them & rivulets
running into the river. Very colourful & hot.
We couldn’t leave without popping to see ‘Old Faithful’
again & had an hour to spare so went for some lunch then took our places
again. No 2 eruptions are the same so this one seemed a bit longer & a bit
lower than the last. We drove past the continental divide where the water in
the area goes 2 ways to different oceans. We’ve both loved Yellowstone Park so
much, it is so diverse with the landscape, wildlife & all of the different
features in it that every minute is an adventure as you don’t know what’s
coming next.
We’d entered Teton NP & stopped at the Snake River
Overlook. There were signs all around about bears & bison but we didn’t see
either worse luck. Finally checked into the Motel 6 in Jackson, the town seems
great, very busy. Reading the reviews on this hotel we knew it was a budget
one, Jackson is a very expensive place to stay. Our room is spacious, clean,
fridge & microwave & nice bathroom. A sign in the room said you could
get iron & ironing board from the lobby & also a coffee maker so I
asked & got one! The fridge is so noisy we put it in the bathroom for the
night otherwise there was no way we would sleep!
Day 73 Jackson 26.06.12
Well, it worked, we didn’t hear the fridge! Moved it back
before we went out though. Also left a note requesting an extra pillow, will
let you know if we get one when we come in.
Got ready & left about 11 for Teton Village in the park.
Part of it was closed off as there was a bad gas leak, the bit we did see was
lovely & we’ll pop back tomorrow. It’s a bit like Whistler & seems
geared up to skiing & horse riding.
We drove on to Jenny Lake where we had some lunch & a
walk around part of the lake. This park is very different to any other, with
the Teton mountains towering over everything it’s all about the scenery here
& not the wildlife or features, but still lovely in its own right.
Jackson was our destination after driving around, we even
managed to be there in time for the ‘shoot out’ in the street! Done by the
local actors & using blanks it was still very impressive &
entertaining.
Hope you’ve enjoyed this part of the journey. Photos coming
separately. By the way we got the pillow!
TTFN xxx
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