Flagg Ranch, WY —>Yellowstone National Park —> West Yellowstone, MT

Another early morning, we were eager to get into Yellowstone National Park. This was the first day we left earlier than planned! (not to mention one of the only times we stayed on schedule during the trip). Our drive into Yellowstone was much quicker than we had expected. We stopped to get pics of sign, then took the first pullout we came across that had views of the snake river and gorge down to it, pine trees everywhere and mountain backdrop. Everywhere is so beautiful. We made a quick stop at Lewis Falls, where a look down the Lewis river twisting and turning creates the foreground for snow-capped mountains in the background- they might actually be the Tetons, but I’m not sure. We were surrounded by pine trees all over in each direction off the road, noticing variations within the types of pines as we drove along. Some were packed in really tight and tall without any branches at the bottom, trying to reach the sky (we later learned that these were lodgepole pine trees). New forest growth with the trees more spaced out with wider branches, and dead trees posts reaching up 10 feet above them. Dead fallen pine trees sprawled out along the forest floor with new forest growing along the littered ground. We saw burnt forests with noticeable char along trunks, with a lone pine that survived. Who knew there were so many types of pine trees, stages of growth, and variations!

We made our way northwest to Old Faithful, where Billy saw the eruption from inside the Visitor Center, and I just missed it (it erupted 5 minutes early) and next predicted one was in about 90 minutes. We decided to stay close to check that off the list first before it got too crowded, so we explored the Old Faithful Inn and its rustic beauty. The scent of old wood lingered in the air, both warm lighting within and bright sunlight flooding in, an interesting mixture of warm and cool tones. The main lodge area was welcoming with 3 floors of rocking chairs centering around a large fireplace and clock, it feels like a cathedral. It’s strange how a place you have never been before can feel so homey. The Crow’s nest that raises another 3 stories was closed to public due to an earthquake that shifted the support beams. In the early days of the park, they would have orchestra play above from the Crow’s Nest and guests would dance in the bottom floor- that must have been an unreal experience. The Inn is a place that makes you feel like you should whisper, just like when you are in the natural silence of nature.

We explored the visitor center and got our stamp and postcards, and went to the grocery area to obtain Gatorade to stay on top of our hydration, since it seemed like it was going to be another hot day. We made our way to Old Faithful viewing area and eventually joined the crowds on the boardwalk area and patiently waited for the geyser to blow. It’s crazy to think that we can relatively accurately predict when that will happen. It was predicted to go off at 11:34, it started at 11:36! It was a strange experience to look at your watch and think that this natural phenomenon is late- a family that was waiting next to us had some smaller children and they were counting down the minutes until when it would make its appearance. I couldn’t help but think about how strange it is to think that nature follows our way of measuring time. That we were peering at our watches the same way you wait for a friend to meet up with you! They geyser faked us out a few times before the water majestically shot up in the air, probably about 30 feet, for about 2 minutes, and just like that, it was back to a steaming mound in the ground.

We then made our way over to the midway geyser basin where we hiked to the Grand Prismatic Spring overlook. We could tell we were at the right spot due to the cars parked along the roadway for a few hundred feet. As we walked out of the parking lot, we reached our first geothermal spring. Various colors of burnt orangey rust, yellow, turquoise, and light blue moved from the outside of the spring to the center. Steam rises above the spring, like nothing I’ve ever seen before. A couple had walked around in between 2 pools to get a closer picture despite the multiple signs posted to avoid the fragile ground. A family from maybe Germany yelled out “I hope you burn!” I can’t help but agree, that is just foolish and disrespectful.
As we walked downwind from the pool, you could feel the cool breeze, as well as a slight sulfur smell in the air and the strange sensation of feeling the warm steam hit various parts of your body. It was like you were cool and warm at the same time. We crossed a bridge over the Firehole River, with birds gliding around us in the strong breeze- my hat even got blown off my head, not quite sure how I caught it! We saw many natural springs emptying down the sides of the riverbank, the water staining the rocks a bright rusty orange. We passed a few more small thermal springs with various colors and depths until we came upon the Great Prismatic Spring. Something about the springs makes you want to throw something in them, either to see what would happen and how deep they are! Of course, I believe you need to respect the nature and not do it, but the urge is there. Other people clearly have not restrained themselves, some of the springs had coins in them. The National Parks documentary said that they had pulled out all sorts of things from the springs before it was protected before the national park service. We approached the Prismatic Spring- expansive, it stretched wide across the desert-like landscape. We ascended up to the viewpoint from atop the hill across the way, where we could see the entirety of the spring from up above. It was amazing to see the diverse colors fade into each other- with a deep cerulean blue in the center, fading to a light blue, turquoise, green, yellow, tan, and orange. Even the steam coming off has tints of orangish-red on the edges that rose off the spring and faded away into the air. It felt like we were inside the cover of a middle school science textbook. It is such a weird experience to actually be surrounded by the things you thought you would only see in pictures.

After we saw the prismatic spring, we hiked back downhill and toward the car. The sun getting hotter as we approached mid-day. As we headed north, I yelled to Billy to pull over, I thought I saw an elk alongside the river. We excitedly got out of the car, but it was and a false alarm, it was just a deer. It pranced back into the woods, but it wasn’t completely a lost cause, it was a beautiful spot, just like everywhere in Yellowstone. We took advantage of the stop and took some photos and explored for a few minutes. Our next stop along the road was at Gibbon Falls, which was crowded right around the parking lot overlook, but we walked down the walkway to the end, which did not have hardly anyone on the path. That seems to be the trend in the more crowded parks, the really popular places get super busy, but a little past them, only a small percentage go there. The Gibbon waterfall only drops a gradual 84 feet, but it is in a valley of pine trees that expand as far as the eye can see.

We continued on our way north, to the Artist Paint Pots. I said this about a few places in Yellowstone, but this place really makes you feel like you are on another planet! We walked through a flat forest that seemed to be in the sand, until it cleared into what looked like a barren wasteland, with minimal plants and trees, as well as different colored pools of orange and red, the ground steaming in various places. The area was more of a hike than we thought it would be, but there were elevated boardwalks that went through the landscape, and it was well worth it. We saw additional hot springs and geysers along the route, with small geysers, boiling pools of water, steam vents, and bubbling and spurting pools of mud. One of the small hot spring geysers was called Blood Geyser due to its red coloring, and another large one was called Flash Spring, which was a clear pool of what looked like water at a constant rolling boil. We traveled up the trail and stairs that gave us an expansive panorama of the clearing and thermal features with a wide array of colors. At the far end of the trail we came upon the mud pots, which was a gray chalky color of thick mud that would bubble and spurt mud up into the air, even close to the rails of the viewing platform. We went down the trail onto another platform that featured a few more steam vents, and some more geothermal springs. You would get the occasional wafting smell of sulfur in the air if the wind moved it just right. We passed a little pool of what looked like chalky white water that would occasionally let out a little bubble, then all of a sudden, it started to violently boil and splash in the air. It lasted for about 15 seconds before it completely stopped, and resumed its occasional bubble here and there. Of all the geothermal features we saw on our visit, I think this place had the most diversity of the features, and showed the most range of the thermal features. From the occasional small geyser, to the rolling boils of the pools, constant spurting of mud pots, to the spontaneous violent outbursts of pools, it showed both the danger and intrigue of the volcanic nature of the park. Our key phrase from the trip definitely holds true in this place- “It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before!”

We then headed toward Canyon Village where we decided it was time for a real meal. We looked around the area, and finally decided on a bison burger to share from the Fountain Grill. A bison burger with cheese, crispy onions, and fries tasted delicious as we sat on a picnic bench in the shade. For some reason, our car locks decided to go haywire on the ride from the paint pots, and were constantly trying to lock the doors (that were already locked). We were extremely perplexed by the situation, and each time we tried to unlock the doors, it would relock them. I went back to the car when I was done eating to look through the owner manual to see if I could reset the locks, however I was unsuccessful despite trying everything in the manual. While I was sitting in the car, a family with a little girl about maybe 5 years old stopped in front of the car, she pointed and excitedly yelled “West Virginia!” The family walked around my car (while I was sitting in the passenger seat) to look at the back license plate. The dad realized I was sitting in the car and told me that in all their trips to Yellowstone, they had never seen a West Virginia license plate. He said last year they saw every place, including Alaska and Hawaii on their trip and WV was the only one they did not see. He then congratulated his little girl for being so observant, and said she won some ice cream!

Making sure the lock situation was not going to ruin the rest of the day, we went into the Visitor’s Center, explored a few of the exhibits, and spoke with a park ranger about possible hike options in the canyon area. We followed his advice and proceeded to Artist’s Point to see the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. On our way there, we spotted a group of people along the road pulling over cars and staring in the same direction, a telltale sign that there is some wildlife around. On the hillside were two large elk eating some grass and enjoying the sun. I luckily had the camera out and was able to snap a few quick photos before we continued on our way. We parked the car, making sure that the locks were indeed going to stay locked and not unlock themselves, and tried to put that out of our mind for the time being as we headed over to Artist’s Point.

Another tourist area, Artist’s Point was overrun by tourists in every direction. We were able to see the Lower Falls from the viewpoint through the crowds, that then snaked into the Yellowstone River hundreds of feet below in the canyon. The waterfall stands tall at 308 feet tall (twice the height of Niagara Falls), with its white rush of water standing out among the canyon walls of shades of yellow, red, tan, and pink. Pine trees line the top and dot the sides of the canyon, giving a sense of scale to the massive vista set out in front of you. You can see the occasional bird gliding down in the canyon, probably hundreds of feet above the ground, but appearing as a disappearing speck. Another one of those moments that you can almost get lost in the expansive nature around you, even though you are completely surrounded by tourists.

We walked down the paved area that extended past Artist’s Point, coming to the “trailhead” of our walk out toward Point Sublime. Bear bells and bear spray at the ready, we walked past the signs stating we were entering the Yellowstone backcountry and a bear frequenting area. Although we were worried about the car locks still going crazy and debated going out for this walk, it was well worth it. A little more tense and on edge thinking there might be a grizzly bear around the corner or that you could easily lose your footing and fall 100+ feet to our death, I eventually relaxed enough to truly enjoy the scenery. Another one of those hikes of “only 15 minutes out” turned into more like 45 minutes to an hour, stopped to take lots of photos and just take in the scenery. The colors of the canyon range from yellow, pinkish red, orange, tan, and almost white. Our “bear bells,” that were actually small cowbells giveaways from one of Billy’s races, created an almost peaceful windchime to our walk while we wandered the trail with some tranquility and peacefulness compared to the rest of the day. We only encountered one other hiker along the trail on our way back, and we could take in the quiet serenity as the sun started to descend and warming the lighting through the canyon. It felt as though we were standing inside one of Thomas Moran’s paintings, it is indescribable.

We got back to the car and spoke with my dad about the car. Luckily, everything seemed to be working ok to get the car started to head out of the park. We started our way out toward the west exit of the park as the sun began to set. As we drove down the road, we were surprised to see a bison standing right next to the road (on the other side), causing a bit of a backup since everyone wanted to get a glimpse. As we drove past, down the road a little there was a couple on a bicycle going the way of the bison. That may be awesome, but I’m not sure that I would be able to keep my cool riding a bike past a bison that weights >2,000 pounds! I will definitely keep to my mode of transport inside an enclosed vehicle, thank you very much! You never know what kind of wildlife you might encounter! We continued our drive out of the park, getting stuck in a good amount of delays since it is a one lane road, plus the possibility of some animal crossings, and everyone else was probably leaving the park at the same time. We had a nice view of the sunset illuminating the sky and the Madison River as we headed toward West Yellowstone.

Another night where we pulled up to the hotel when the office was closed, thinking we were sleeping in our car again. Luckily, there was a note on the door with our names on it, stating that our cabin was unlocked and the key was on the table inside. Still a strange concept to these east-coasters. Yellowstone Cabins and RV was a cute little log cabin that was cozy, but was also very close to a relatively busy road. We had a little bird house outside that a family of little birds were there to greet us in the morning.

~GW