Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone is a special place. Ethereal at times, but so much variety of landscape: thermal areas that look like another planet, but also forests , Rocky cliffs, grassy plains, serene lakes, narrow shallow rivers, waterfalls and canyons...spectacular!!!! I struggled to breathe here it actually started in Glacier. The altitude is so high. We learned a lot: about the volcano under our feet, benefits of forest fire, history of Yellowstone and bears. 

My expectations for Yellowstone were very low. I heard about the crowds and animal jams that tied people up for hours. Our trip was so enjoyable for two reasons 1) my mother has been here many times so she had a solid plan of where to go and what to see; 2) I had everyone up at 5:00 AM on Day 1. We literally had the park to ourselves. We finished the upper loop by 8:30 AM which we had planned all day for. We saw tons of animals (see below). So after NPS exhibits and films at a visitors center and the best ice cream in the Park (Canyon) at 10:30am we then headed to the southern loop. We did the whole loop but couldn’t find parking to do the Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook.

Day 2: We planned to hike up the overlook above Grand Prismatic Spring and then do a ranger-led boat cruise on Yellowstone Lake. We were able to do both with only two minor delays. In the first jam we never saw the animal but we suspected it was an animal jam because when traffic cleared there was nothing including vehicles-they just disappeared. The second jam was because of stupid people-way to close a mana black bear and two cubs along side the road. I wanted to yell at them, but my mother wouldn’t let me. That’s what people don’t understand about wild animals in a park: If they have a close encounter with humans they get put down. Those people who were way to close to that mama bear were actually threatening her life. 

Day three: We drove from the west Entrance to the south entrance on our way to the Grand Tetons stopping at fountain paint pots, Where we saw 4-6 geysers erupting and mud boiling out of the ground. 

Wildlife:

In Route:

1 deer 

2 eagles

flock of Swans

1 heron

Day 1 In Park

4 Grizzly bear( 1 single, a mom & 2 Cubs)

Herd of elk

Many bison (no herds of mom’s & babies)

2 Swans

Day 2 in park

3 black bear (mom & 2 cubs)

Herd of elk

Many bison (still no herds of mom’s & babies)

many Canada Geese and ducks

1 grouse

2 swans

Day 3 in park

2 pronghorns

1 elk

4 Roadkill en route

1 Roadkill in Park

Gree’s senior park pass savings to date $445.50