Hayden Valley

On Friday I dragged myself out of bed at 4:30 a.m. so that we could head to Hayden Valley at dawn. Apparently, that is the best time to see the wildlife.

We were very quickly overtaken by fog on our way to Hayden Valley. The air was below 30°, but the land and rivers were still warm.

At one point, five elk darted across the road in front of us. This beauty stopped to give me a look.

Greg was lucky enough to capture a photo of the buck. My phone was having trouble focusing because of the fog.

When we drew alongside this guy, we saw that he had a pine branch stuck to his forehead! He seemed completely unbothered by it.

There were plenty of wolf spotters pulled over on the road in Hayden Valley, but Greg and I decided to move on. We were pretty sure it would be nearly impossible to see anything due to the thickness of the fog. We will try to return another day at dusk and see if we have better luck viewing wildlife.

Fishing Bridge Visitor Center

We kept driving and eventually crossed Fishing Bridge and arrived at the visitor center. The exhibits there focused on all of the varieties of birds that live in Yellowstone or pass through during their migrations.

The visitor center is right on the edge of Yellowstone Lake, so we stepped outside to take a look.

Bay Bridge Marina

We kept driving and eventually arrived at the Bay Bridge Marina. We went into the office to ask for information about fishing, boat inspections, and boat tours. (If we want to do any kayaking while we are here, we need to get the kayak inspected first.)

I’m hoping that we can take a boat tour of Yellowstone Lake sometime in the coming week.

We were going to hike the Natural Bridge Trail, but we were the only ones there, and we were in grizzly country at this point. I chickened out.

The sign warning about bears recommended traveling in groups of three or more. That was enough for me!

But while we were standing at the trailhead and debating on the hike, we saw this little fellow. I have no idea what kind of bird it is, but it was beautiful.

West Thumb Geyer Basin

We kept driving and arrived at West Thumb Geyser Basin. This is another thermally active spot in Yellowstone, right on the edge of Yellowstone Lake. In fact, some of the steam vents and geysers are under the water.

On our way out of this area, we stopped at the Grant Village General Store to pick up some lunch. I had made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for us, but I forgot them in the refrigerator in my rush to get out in the morning.

Continental Divide

As we headed in the direction of Old Faithful, we crossed the Continental Divide. Twice.

There were a bunch of people stopped here to take pictures. Everyone was taking pictures of each other.

One of the fun things about being here has been meeting folks from all over the country.

Interestingly, we have met no one else from Pennsylvania. Most of the people seem to be from west of the Mississippi. We have seen more Canadian license plates than East Coast ones!

Kepler Cascades

Next up was the Kepler Cascades. This is another location where the photos will not do it justice.

Black Sand Basin

Black Sand Basin was a delight. I think it may have been the most active thermal location we’ve seen so far, and one of my favorites, second only to Porcelain Basin.

Between the hot springs with their boiling water and the constant geyser eruptions, it was awesome.

The smell of sulfur permeates the air here. Even when there is no evidence of thermal activity, you can still smell the sulfur. At times, it is so strong that I get nauseated.

Grand Prismatic

We arrived at Grand Prismatic in the afternoon, which is the best time to view it. Any earlier, and the steam rising off the surface obscures the colors. We walked the Grand Prismatic Overlook Trail so that we could see it from above.

Needless to say, it did not disappoint! Looking at all of the people standing around its edge gives you a good idea of how giant it is.

Fairy Falls

The Grand Prismatic Overlook Trail led us to the Fairy Falls Trail.

By this point, Greg and I had already done a lot of walking that day, and we were tired (an understatement if ever there was one!).

The Fairy Falls Trail was long and boring. It also made me nervous because I did not want to encounter a bear.

But this lovely falls was the reward!

Greg and I walked over 8 miles this day. By the time we got back to the campground, we were zombies. By mutual agreement, we decided to give ourselves the weekend to rest.