Yellowstone, part 1

Yes, we knew from the beginning that two days in Yellowstone wouldn't be enough.  But it was sitting right there, in the middle of the road, so to speak, so we couldn't very well just ignore it.

Even our barnstorming tour was worth it.  We arrived through the Eastern entrance, which led us to Sylvan Lake as one of the first "Oh, wow!" moments.  Though the ride from Cody, WY had been quite short, it was still well worth a quick stop to stretch the legs and some big gulps of fresh Yellowstone air.





Yellowstone Post Fire

In 1988, 36% of Yellowstone forest burned.  Today, thirty years later, you can see both the burned forest remains, and the beginnings of new forest. The once-blackened trees have been bleached by 30 years of weather.  Driving through this recovering area now feels somewhat like driving through an area that is experiencing winter and summer simultaneously.

Steamboat Point, Yellowstone Lake

"Oh, wow!" moments abound, from thermal features to wildlife.  It's hard to keep track, since virtually every bend in the road brings another breathtaking scene.

Bison by the side of the road. Cool.

Bridge Bay campground is huge.  The campground was completely full, but our site at the end of loop D still retained a good bit of privacy.  The kids were quite ambitious about searching the woods just around our site for signs of wildlife.  Tree rubbings and scat were proud finds, indeed, and an excellent reminder to use the bear locker provided.  (Note: in Yosemite NP you must take everything out of car.  In Yellowstone, you can leave smelly stuff in the car.  Guess the Yosemite bears attended some kind of how-to-rip-open-a-car seminar.)

Immediately after we had our site set, a thunderstorm rolled in.  We weren't sure what to expect, so we headed over to the shelter of Fishing Bridge.  The diner at the back of the enormous gift shop was awesome.  And we were greated with a rainbow over Yellowstone lake on our way back home.  The rest of the night was dry, but COLD!