Yellowstone

Yellowstone is beautiful.  There are so many examples of unique American scenery.  From scenic waterfalls to hot springs and geysers, Yellowstone seems to change every two miles.

The wildlife is incredible.  In just two days we saw wolves, bison, antelope and a coyote playing with a snake.  Unfortunately we didn’t see any bears or rattlesnakes.

It cost $25 to get into the park, and the admission is good for 7 days.  It’s a lot to spend on a park, but it’s definitely worth it, especially for a multi-day trip.

It really surprised me that there are hotels and convenience stores inside of the national park.  It makes sense given the size and popularity of the area, but it’s certainly unlike most national parks in that respect.

The tourism in the park can be annoying.  Fortunately, the crowds are centered around a few easily accessible sites like Old Faithful and Mammoth Springs.  There are nicer places off the path a bit, but even these can get bursts of tourists.

Melissa and I parked our car in a pull-off to eat lunch the first day we were there.  We sat on a stone wall overlooking a cliff, maybe 70 or 80 feet high.  100 yards to our right was a gorgeous waterfall, the stream snaked around beneath us.

It was an amazing site and in the quiet we could hear the wildlife and the waterfall, an outstanding compliment to bread and cheese.

Unfortunately, as soon as we sat down another tourist saw our car, decided there must be something worth seeing and pulled off as well.  Moments later another car saw two cars parked and pulled off to look.  Within ten minutes there were 6 cars there, all following our lead.

The last one was a minivan full of Indian people, their vehicle blared Indian dance music as they wandered around for a few minutes.

It wasn’t long before they all lost interest and left.  It was sad that our private picnic spot had been spoiled.

But that’s Yellowstone, it’s popular for a reason.

I’ve never seen anything like hot springs and geysers before. Seeing a puddle of boiling water in the dirt along the side of the road was fantastic.  It blew my mind a little.

Geysers are also something to see.  Things explode, I don’t care who you are that’s just cool.

Comments

We are heading to Yellowstone on Friday.  I grew up near there and think it is one of the best places on the face of the earth!  Since you are in Iowa, you should swing over to Nauvoo, Ill.  It is something to see too.