Yellowstone – Part 1

Yellowstone is the oldest national park in the U.S. and spans nearly 3,500 square miles. Interestingly, it sits on top of a supervolcano which still powers the geothermal activity in the park. The park has been high on my list of “must-sees” during this trip – i.e. I was not about to leave Montana and Wyoming before getting to see Yellowstone. I have had my heart set on seeing a buffalo (American bison) since we decided to come out here. With only one day to see the sights of Yellowstone,, my plan was:

1. Mammoth Hot Springs
2. See a buffalo
3. Old Faithful
4. Spot a grizzly bear
5. See more buffalo

Knowing my time limits, I wanted to leave super early in the morning to make the most of the day.

So, naturally, we left around 10:00.

Yellowstone is about an hour away from Livingston, but we still stopped a few times for gas (at the Sinclair station – their mascot is a cartoon dinosaur… get it? Dino juice.) and milkshakes. Taking the toad felt INCREDIBLE after hauling Kevin for the past few days. Nothing feels as free as flying down open road in sport mode with nothing but mountains and blue sky before you.

Driving along, we admired the scenery. Traffic was jamming on the Yellowstone with rafters, kayakers, and fly fishermen. Of course, cows dotted the pastures and we spotted the occasional horse… and then… BUFFALO. OK, they were behind a fence, clearly part of a ranch’s herd, but still buffalo. Not quite what I expected. Smaller, less shaggy. Nevertheless, we pulled a u-turn and snapped a few pictures before moving on.

To get to the North entrance of Yellowstone, you must drive through Gardiner, Montana, a quaint little town with various shops and restaurants (none of which are open at regular times – ugh). The town is a throwback to the Old West with locales with names like The Iron Horse Bar & Grill and the Tumbleweed Bookstore and Cafe. Charming and teeming with tourists.

Entering Yellowstone on a seven-day pass it’s the smallest pass you can buy), we headed right for Mammoth Hot Springs, stopping along the route to jump out of the car to snap a few photos or to touch the water – really not sure if that’s allowed, but you are pretty much permitted to go anywhere in the park unless a sign specifically tells you NOT to go there. It is an “at-your-own-risk” kind of a situation. Hikers are recommended (rather, commanded) to carry bear spray. I always wonder what kind of fools think they can get really close to wild animals and remain out of danger. Today, I saw them. Lots of them. I understand why the National Park Service puts out these warnings. There are a LOT of animals in the park and not a lot of people with common sense.

Mammoth Hot Springs are one of Yellowstone’s most famous attractions. You can smell them before you can see them (sulfur wafts through the air). Sometimes described as an “inside out cave” they are bizarre looking, almost like what you would imagine seeing on Mars. The hot springs were formed (very basic explanation coming here) from volcanic acids dissolving limestone as they push up to the earth’s surface. When the solution reaches the surface, some gasses are released into the air, leaving the limestone to create deposits called travertines. Since limestone is soft, the formations change rapidly (in geological terms).

Below you can see many of the different formations that make up the hot springs. You can actually see steam escaping from holes in the ground and the water that runs in rivulets is warm to the touch. Geothermal energy is cool (or hot – lol). When you think about it, the earth is turning itself inside out. We have no less than 400 photos of Mammoth Hot Springs taken at various points along the boardwalk. There are a LOT of steps, to climb up (thanks Peloton, for the quad and hamstring strength) but the almost alien landscape makes the effort worth it.

While Mammoth Hot Springs were a hit, the best was yet to come.

I. SAW. THREE. BUFFALO.

These were actual, wild buffalo, not the fenced in tiny-headed domesticated buffalo along the highway outside Livingston. The Yellowstone kind: big, beefy, hairy, loping buffalo (OK, American bison)

Just wandering in and out of the woods along the road that cuts through the park, they began grazing and rolling around in the dirt to cool off.

These animals are majestic. To think they were nearly hunted to extinction is unfathomable. Still losing some of their winter coats, they were shaggy and sort of adorable (for a 2,000 pound beast). I probably could have watched them for hours as they meandered through the field. We were incredibly close (more than 25 meters away, as directed by the National Park Service) and all of us stood silently in awe. The feeling I had seeing these animals in person is indescribable.

Everything else in Yellowstone was a complete let down.

Just kidding. We had an amazing day! There are geothermal springs all over the park and we pulled over to see most of them. I mean, who doesn’t marvel at steam hissing out of the earth?

Besides the wildlife and the hot springs, the scenery was absolute perfection. Even within the 40 miles of the park that we traveled, the landscape changed at least a dozen times. From sheer cliffs, to roaring brooks, open plains, to dense forests. The kids were game to stop and see it all! The number of times we stopped the car and hopped out, could have frustrated even the most seasoned traveler, but Amaya, Kai, Alyssa, and Marlie were thrilled to take it all in, to gawk at the beauty surrounding them, and to take ALL the pictures.

And so ended our first day in Yellowstone.

You may be thinking, but, Jenn, you didn’t make it to Old Faithful. Wasn’t that on your Yellowstone “to-do” list?

Nope. We did not.

We had such an amazing time that we decided to take the route all the way through Yellowstone out the Southern entrance and into the Grand Tetons to our next destination in DuBois, Wyoming. We will be back tomorrow, trying to see more wildlife, and more breathtaking vistas. and Old Faithful But tomorrow, instead of driving the toad, we will be taking Kevin.

Yikes!

“Once a year, go somewhere you’ve never been.”

~Anonymous