Yellowstone

I’ve fallen behind blogging because I’ve stayed at several campgrounds and KOA’s where Wi-Fi was slow and unpredictable making uploading blogs and pictures in particular difficult.

The first impression of Yellowstone is one of its sheer size. Driving from place to place even in the absence of traffic jams caused by drivers gawking at wildlife on the roadway takes considerable time. I started out early and passed the park ranger gatehouse before it opened for the day. I got to the Old Faithful Visitor Centre 45 minutes before the geyser erupted on schedule at 8:47. The Centre has a great view of the geyser but being up close seems important. I had time to tour the centre, visit the bookshop, and watch the Welcome movie which seemed to be mostly about cautions that visitors seem to manage to ignore. 

 

Old Faithful performed a 5 minute show spectacularly. I did not hang around for a second showing. 

 

The hot springs proved to be providing a free sauna as the wind blew the steam over the observers. One has to take a major hike to get a good view of the Prismatic Spring. 

The water running into the nearby river left the yellow deposits that give the park its name. 

 

 

On the way out of the park I passed a bison walking down the left-hand lane leading a group of impatient drivers and a bit later an entire herd whose audience had traffic coming in backed up for 5 miles. People!

Yellowstone West KOA is the better equipped of two such parks barely a mile apart. Just outside the National Park is a small intersection crowded with gas stations and other services. 

The KOA had slow to no Wi-Fi and campers who seemed to think my campsite was a shortcut along their way. The park has an indoor pool and copious numbers of bicycles built for four, even with canopies. The luxury campsites have paved patios and lawn swings. The view of mountains at the back is marred by high tension wires. I did get some spectacular cloud shots. 

 

Left at dawn for a return to the park again finding the gatehouse unmanned. 

Drove up to Mammoth Basin and admired the travertine marble housing built originally for the Buffalo Soldiers who monitored the park and now home to employees. 

The area has a large Post Office and the original mail carrier’s cottage along with the park administration centre. 

 

The visitor’s centre has a smallish bookstore and displays, washrooms in the basement. A nearby general store opens much earlier and has an extensive collection of memorabilia. Travetine Marble is formed when dissolved limestone precipitates during run-off from the springs. 

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone was cut through limestone formations by the river and must be seen to be believed. 

The lower falls thunder away at a distance, an osprey nesting on a rock tower having a unique view. I opted not to walk down to see the falls up close. 

 

Getting out of the park involved another pass and descent. Good views of snow capped mountains. I decamped ahead of overnight lows of 23 and snow.