Thursday September 24: Yellowstone National Park

First goal of the morning - find the buffalo, elk, bear and any other wildlife hanging around!

Up at 6 am to drive to where we were told we would likely see at least buffalo on the open fields of the valley nearby.

The fog was so thick that we almost missed the herd that was right along the road!!

Spotted a male elk (the antlers are hard to miss) in the fog but really didn't see it very clearly until it crossed the road in front of us! Slow camera ....

The buffalo it seems are EVERYWHERE!! From a herd reduced to less than 50 (due to poaching when the park first opened) there are now between 2,500 and 4,000 that roam the park.

We discovered buffalo on the roadway to actually be a pretty common thing. Who knew? We could have slept in .....





We even encountered a lone male buffalo as he calmly walked down the middle of the road on a highway sided by rock cliffs and guard rails for miles. Just minding his own business!

And of course the cars were quick to avoid him :-)

There is so much to see in this park it's crazy. And I thought the claim of a "grand canyon" of Yellowstone must be a bit of a stretch given that we've seen the REAL Grand Canyon.

I had to take back my thoughts when rounding the bend and seeing this canyon!

It is amazing. But then one or the other of us uses that descriptive word many time throughout the day it seems.

The weather has been perfect. I thought it would be too cold but with the sun out, jeans and short sleeve shirt works great.

Except when the wind is blowing and then a jacket is in order. Lots of picnic area throughout the park for an enjoyable picnic lunch.

The historical aspect of the park is one of it's draws as well. With it being the first ever National Park of any kind, it seems the Park Service has worked hard to keep this history intact.

Steve is standing in front of the same structure that was built here in 1931!

Next stop was Mammoth Hot Springs and it's structures that look like they belong in a cave (my opinion).

All due to the continued volcanic activity that is relatively close to the surface under the park.

This is what I imagine the landscape of Mars to look like!!

The trees just die as the soil becomes too hot for the roots or the sulfur and mineral laden water overcomes the area.








Last stop of the day was at one of the several waterfalls in the area. This one was interesting because of the towers it formed over the years.








The original plan was to continue driving to the Larmar Valley in hopes of seeing more wildlife at dusk - until we figured out that sunset wasn't until 7:15 and we would be an hour and a half from our little cabin.

Change of plans was in order!!! Skip the Lamar Valley and head back.

It was a good decision - and a great first day at Yellowstone :-)