After a short morning walk around West Yellowstone - a town with every type of western souvenir anyone could ever want - we headed back into Yellowstone Park. Am I ever glad we went to see Old Faithful the evening before! Yellowstone is a crowded place. We waited in a short line to get in the gate then about ten minutes later we were stuck in a small traffic jam - an elk was swimming in a pond next to the road. All day trying to find parking required some patience, but nothing was impossible. We headed towards the north of the park today to see the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. Before getting there, we decided to stop and see more geysers because how can one ever have enough geysers? First, we stopped at Gibson's Falls, Artists Paint Pots, and the Norris Basin where the Steamboat Geyser, Emerald Pool, and Porcelain Basin are. Definitely, not great to have a dog in Yellowstone in the summer. Since we couldn't bring her on any trails and we couldn't leave her in the car, we had to take turns seeing the attractions, which took twice as long. There were many short trails (1-1.5 miles) around the geyser basins that we would have liked to hike on, but since we were going separately, it was not possible. We saw a glimpse of what there is to see in the north part of the park, but we definitely have to go back sans pooch.
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| Gibson's Falls |
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| Artist's Paint Pots |
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| Porcelain Basin |
The real attraction of the day was the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. It was amazing. I have never seen the Grand Canyon, so probably this canyon would not have seen as amazing if I had. However, it was the most beautiful canyon I ever saw. The walls made a huge V shape down to a turquoise river. The walls also had many varied browns, reds, and oranges due to the thermal activity. It was quite the sight.
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| Upper Falls at Canyon |
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| River in Canyon |
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| Canyon Walls |
On the way to the northeast exit of the park, we had a nice hour long drive through some very different terrain. This area of the park was more mountainous with sections of forest and alpine meadows. We did not catch a glimpse of any big horn sheep, but we did see hundreds of bison lounging in a meadow along a river. We also saw a very ornery bison walking down the middle of a lane with many cars behind it. No one seemed to mind though - it is the bison's territory after all - and it was a good thing no one minded because that bison was in no hurry to get off the road.
Once we exited the park, we entered back into Montana then back into Wyoming then back into Montana. We traveled along the Beartooth Scenic Byway, which may have not been as quick as the interstate but was certainly beautiful. Very soon after entering into Montana for the last time, we began to climb Bearclaw pass. This 10,900 foot pass was at the same time a glorious and terrifying ride. And of course, we drove into a huge thunder/hail storm just as we approached the top of the mountain. I don't even know why/how they ever built this highway. We were basically dangling off a cliff. The view was spectacular though - alpine meadows, snowcapped rocky mountains - it was worth the fear and extra driving time. By the end of the treacherous stretch, I was ready to be done driving, but we were still 59 miles from Billings, our stop for the night. Luckily, Montana's speed limit is 70 mph on two lane back roads. When in Rome! We sped along north and arrived in Billings safe and sound. Now I need a good night sleep for tomorrow's long drive to South Dakota.
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