We were excited to visit Yellowstone the morning we awoke in Moran. Yellowstone was never on our list of places to visit on this trip, but since we were so close we made the decision to at least drive through on our way eastward. This made our destination Cody, Wyoming for the evening. We got out of camp early, having filled the tank upon arrival at the RV park in Moran yesterday, we were set for the day.
Our campsite in Moran just outside Grand Tetons
We rolled out early and were driving the upper Grand Tetons within minutes. Just when we made our turn north we spotted a heard of elk feeding in a meadow. We turned around and stopped and took pictures. This is a site you just don’t see in New England. We continued north trough the Tetons and arrived at one of the Grand Teton Lodges on the lake .
Herd of Elk feeding in Grand Tetons, early morning.
Harper, Carol and I hiked down to the marina and the waters edge to see a mirrored lake and the Tetons reflecting nicely. It was just one of those perfect mornings. As we hiked back to the Doodle we passed the ranger station - it was exactly 8:00 am and the ranger was raising the flag. What a nice start to the day.
Morning flag raising
Soon we were rolling through the entrance booth of Yellowstone where the senior pass did its work once again. We were given a map and off we went. This is such an unusual place, filled with boiling vents of water heated by the magma below. This trip through Yellowstone is a completely different route than we have taken in the past, all new territory. We were both very excited, it has been a while since we were here.
Beautiful waterfall just a short hike from the road
The landscape immediately had a different feel. More wilderness, at least the wilderness seem closer to the road. The first stop was minutes into the park, a fantastic waterfall just a couple hundred yards or so from the road.
West Thumb Geyser Field, lots of these here!
Then we came upon West Thumb Geyser Basin which sits on the edge of Lake Yellowstone which is the largest lake above 8000 feet in the USA. What an amazing bit of geography Yellowstone is. In the area of West Thumb there is an active caldera below the surface which heats the water to make all these bubbling pools, and from time to time the erupt as geysers.
Kayakers passing a geyser vent in Lake Yellowstone
Although they haven’t erupted in a few years they are still active as they are bubbling from the heat below. In earlier times people fished on the banks of one of these geyser pots that sits in the lake and catch fish from the lake, leave them on the line and dip them into the boiling geyser and cook them on the spot. I guess you can’t get cooked fish any fresher than that.
You just cannot believe the colors these geysers create, minerals I guess. . .
We hiked the perimeter of the geyser field and then criss crossed back over it, all on a boardwalk mind you, as the crust of the land here can be unstable and is apparently very hot and could melt you shoes, and likely your feet as well.
Just amazing!
As we traveled we found gift shops of course - we continued our way around the lake. We also stopped and hiked a while where Harper was legal to be on the trail. As we worked our way through the park we found several place to walk where we could legally take Harper. In one spot we walked down to a river’s edge and stuck our feet in the melt water from the snow above. We also saw the devastation left from a fire several years ago. Acres and acres of land still had the bare and blackened trees standing. The was young growth happening, so it will come back.
Icy river, coming down from the snow above.
By mid afternoon we were approaching the end of our time in Yellowstone and as we exited the park we headed for Cody. We like Cody, it is a nice town we have visited in the past, but today we are just there for an overnight and dinner.
Driving toward Cody in Yellowstone
We ate at the Irma Hotel, once owned by Buffalo Bill, it is a must see by anyone visiting Cody. Visit the Buffalo Bill Museum too. It is one of the finest western museums we have visited. The RV park we stayed at filled the bill for an overnight stop.
Outside the Irma where we had supper… I had a buffalo burger…
After supper at the Irma, we set up camp, ran the air-conditioning and I lost at cribbage once more. We turned in early as we have a long day of driving tomorrow. Off to the Bighorn Mountains.
Below is a gallery of images from the day, in no particular order, taken by Carol and I.
Click any image for a larger view
