Tuesday didn’t go quite as planned, but we still had fun. Greg was interested in fishing on Yellowstone Lake, and I was interested in taking a boat tour of the lake.
We had hoped that we could do our various activities at the same time, but the schedules did not align. I ended up hanging out at the campground reading my book while Greg went fishing.
Look at that smile! Someone is having a wonderful time.
Lake trout are an invasive species at Yellowstone Lake. Consequently, if you catch one, you are required by law to kill it. In contrast, cutthroat trout are native to the lake. If you catch one of those, you are required to throw it back.
The first trout Greg caught was a lake trout. All the others were cutthroat trout.
Apparently, cutthroat trout are feisty little buggers.
This one managed to wriggle out of his hands.He was able to get it overboard before too much damage was done.
On Monday, we headed to Mammoth Hot Springs. Since it is a good distance from where we are staying in West Yellowstone, we had another early start.
That meant I got to enjoy another foggy morning! Who knew I would find fog so enthralling?
I’m pretty sure that this is fog, but it may have been drifting steam from one of the hot springs in the area.
By the time we arrived in Mammoth Hot Springs, the geography had changed dramatically! It was no less beautiful, though.
Our first stop was the visitor center. This bull elk was hanging out on the lawn in front of the visitor center, bugling for his does.
When we first arrived, he was lying down. I think he finally got tired of waiting for the does to show up, so he stood up and started hollering for them.
The photo below shows Mammoth Hot Springs from a distance. All that white is siliceous sinter, otherwise known as geyserite. To me, it looks like a mound of dirty snow.
And this is what it looks like close up.
We started by driving through the Upper Terrace before parking the car and walking the boardwalk of the Lower Terrace.
This pile of geyserite is still venting steam, although it is a little hard to see from this photo.
The formation shown in the photo below is what makes Mammoth Hot Springs unique. These are called travertine terraces.
This is what they look like close up.
And from further away.
After leaving Mammoth Hot Springs
We did so much after leaving Mammoth Hot Springs that I’m going to post the photos with captions and leave it at that.
Undine Falls Another picnic lunch A hike to Wraith Falls. I enjoyed the 1/2-mile hike significantly more than I enjoyed the falls!Wraith Falls The Golden Gate (the names for things here are really weird)Obsidian Cliff. I have a close-up of the cliff, but I liked this photo better.Roaring Mountain. I will never get over geysers and steam vents coming out of mountains.Terrace Springs. In the morning, the steam rising off the water is an impressive sight.Firehole Falls, accessed via Firehole Canyon Drive.Looking in the other direction from Firehole Falls. (Firehole Canyon Drive had some truly impressive views. Unfortunately, there was no place to pull over and take photos.)
Fountain Paintpots. This geyser was the most active one I’ve seen so far.This is what happens to lodgepole pines when they are immersed in the runoff from geysers.
On our way back to the campground, we experienced our first true bison traffic jam. The park rangers eventually showed up to scare the bison off the road.
There’s always at least one idiot in the crowd…
It was a great day, at least for me.
By the time we arrived back at our campsite, Greg’s normal equanimity was experiencing some tatters around the edges. Between the stress of driving on winding narrow mountain roads, walking thousands of steps, and sightseeing, he was exhausted. (I think he has also had his fill of geysers, hot springs, and steam vents to last a lifetime.)
We spent Saturday morning relaxing around our campsite. The weather was picture perfect.
After lunch we headed out to do a little sightseeing. We stopped at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center, since I’m pretty sure we won’t get to see any grizzlies (God, I hope not!) or wolves in Yellowstone National Park.
I asked a staff person what kind of birds these were. They seemed too large to be crows. They are ravens, and they are everywhere. They kept surrounding the grizzly, hoping for some leftovers.This wolf was quite obliging. Greg got some great pictures of him.
In addition to the grizzlies and wolves, the Discovery Center also had a number of raptors and reptiles. However, it was difficult to get good pictures of them. This photo of a bald eagle taken by Greg is the best of the lot.
Then it was back to the campground for more rest!
Sunday was also a rest day. We did laundry, had a video call with Erin and her family, and had the water pump on the RV replaced.
Hopefully, a little rest will rejuvenate us, and we will be raring to go on Monday!
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.
Oh, my, those colors!I will never get over all of the steam vents everywhere you go here.
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.
I love the way the bison own the road.
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.
The view of the lake from the visitor center is rather boring, so I used this one instead. This photo was taken a little later in the morning from a different location. Yellowstone Lake is the largest lake above 7,000 ft in the country.
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.
Yellowstone Lake is extremely cold, but this is one area where the water is warm.It was weird to be walking along the edge of the lake with the lake on one side and hot springs and steam vents on the other.
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.
That geyser in the distance erupted every few minutes. And look at those gorgeous bacterial mats flowing into the creek!Looking into the depths of a hot spring pool was an eerie experience. You could see the stone walls, but the pool seemed to have no bottom.Sometimes the bacterial mats were so colorful that they reminded me of an abstract painting.
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.
On Thursday, we started our day at Norris Geyser Basin. First, we did the Porcelain Basin Loop, which was incredible. The landscape was like something out of a science fiction movie. Everywhere you looked, there was steam rising from the ground.
Boiling water from the steam vents and geysers runs along the ground. Bacteria that is able to survive in high temperatures grow in the water, creating colorful rivers of orange, rust, blue, and bright green. These are called bacterial mats.
Hot Springs are everywhere. The water is blue or green, but the outer edges are often bright red or orange from the bacteria that grows there.
A white crust forms around the edges of the steam vents and geysers. It is called siliceous sinter (although every time I tried to recall the name at first, all I could come up with was “seditious sphincter”).
Before we came, I knew that Yellowstone National Park was basically a dormant super volcano, but I didn’t realize how much of the park is still thermally active.
As we’ve traveled around the park, I’ve come to appreciate the fact that several miles below my feet, a giant volcano lies waiting.
Norris Geyser Basin – Back Basin
The Back Basin Loop was a bit of a disappointment after the Porcelain Loop. There were still plenty of geysers (like the one below) steam vents, and bacterial mats, but it didn’t have the same science fiction feel.
After we finished at Norris Geyser Basin, we found a picnic spot and had lunch sitting by the Gibbon River.
One of the great things I’ve discovered about Yellowstone National Park is all of the truly lovely picnic spots.
Artists Paintpots
After lunch, we headed to Artists Paintpots, another area with geysers, steam vents, and even some mudpots.
Gibbon Falls
On our way back to the campground, we stopped at Gibbon Falls. Again, this is another site where pictures simply cannot do it justice.
Greg decided that today we would tour the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, thinking that it would involve more driving than walking.
Ha!
We have since come to the conclusion that you can’t really do Yellowstone without a lot of walking.
Pictures can’t begin to communicate the impact of seeing the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone in person. It really takes your breath away.
Imagine standing on top of a cliff, looking down 1200 ft to a winding river that looks hardly wider than a piece of thin ribbon. The sides of the gorge walls are beautiful creams, yellows, pinks, and oranges with deep greens and browns delineating the dramatic downward slope of the canyon walls.
We began our day at Artist’s Point on the South Rim.
Photo taken at Artist’s Point of the Lower Falls.Photo taken at Artist’s Point looking in the opposite direction. This was actually my favorite view. The soft pastel colors were so gorgeous.
Next, we headed to the Upper Falls Viewpoint. We arrived just as a park ranger was about to begin a tour, so we ended up joining it.
He talked about the creation of the canyon, the lodgepole pines and subalpine fir common to the area, and the importance of fires to the ecology of the forest. It was quite interesting.
The Upper Falls The park ranger
After touring the South Rim of the canyon, we moved to the North Rim.
One of the more grueling hikes of the day was the one we took to Red Rock Point. It involved hiking down the side of the gorge.
No handrails to keep you from plunging down the side of the gorge made this hike particularly…um, interesting.The hike ended with a series of staircases down to the viewpoint.Our reward for that hike. Was it worth it? Eh. I’m not sure.
If I had to name one thing that I loved most about the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, it was probably the color of the rock. In person, the rock pictured below had an alabaster glow that was absolutely beautiful. It looked like white marble.
Of course, what goes down must come up! The slog back up the gorge really tested our stamina.
Of all the pictures I took, this one probably best captures the switchbacks of this hike.More gorgeous color!This big fellow alighted on the tree branch above my head. I think he decided to keep an eye on me, as I was a little too close to his mate and nest for his comfort. The nest was about a quarter way down the gorge in front of me.One last photo of the canyon just for the hell of it.
Before heading back to West Yellowstone, we stopped at The Visitor Center to learn about the supervolcano and the caldera that make up much of Yellowstone National Park. I didn’t know this, but the caldera is moving! Someday it may not even be in Yellowstone National Park anymore.
On our way back to camp, we stopped to get a video and photos of this steam vent. It was loud!
And, of course, there was the expected traffic jam on the road out of the park. Only this time, it was caused by elk rather than bison.
Ever since this trip started, Greg’s dream has been to see an elk. Every time we passed a sign for an elk, he would say, “Look! There’s an elk!” But the elk we saw today did not do it for him. I think he’s hoping to see one with a giant set of antlers, and he won’t be satisfied until he does.
We got a somewhat late start this morning because we had a late night.
We had gone into Yellowstone National Park last night to see if we could find an open area to take pictures of the night sky and hopefully the Aurora Borealis.
Greg’s research (I did no research on what to do in Yellowstone before getting here, so our itinerary while here is up to Greg) indicated that the Madison Amphitheater might be a good spot. However, when we got there, we found that we would have to hike through the woods in the dark to get to the amphitheater.
We both decided that we didn’t want to be eaten by bears on our first day at Yellowstone, so we turned around and went back to the campground.
(Just FYI. We picked up bear spray before we headed out, but I wasn’t willing to risk it. Interestingly, we rented the bear spray at the same place we had dinner last night, a pub and restaurant called Madison Crossing.)
Our first stop this morning was the Upper Geyser Basin area, which includes Old Faithful. (It was also our last stop, since it took most of the day to tour.)
As we were headed there this morning, I couldn’t resist taking a photo of the steam vents in the distance with a herd of bison in the foreground. So cool!
We got there shortly before Old Faithful was about to blow, so we joined the horde, cameras at the ready.
It did not disappoint. (This is actually a photo from later in the day from a different angle.)
Then we walked along the boardwalk to see all of the other steam vents and geysers. In all, we walked almost 6 miles today.
I just love the juxtaposition of the thermal activity with the trees and mountains. So much going on under the surface while life continues relatively undisturbed above.
I wondered why Greg was so gung-ho this morning, whereas I felt like a dehydrated slug. Every step was an effort. Later, I remembered that Greg had sat in the shade and relaxed while I hiked the Cathedral Spires Trail and the Sylvan Lake trail, so maybe he was experiencing less muscle fatigue.
But then, it could have been the altitude, too. West Yellowstone is at 6700 ft above sea level. Where we live is about 250 ft above sea level.
All those minerals build up over time, creating interesting formations around the geyser.Sometimes it looked like snow coated the landscape, but it was just minerals from the water being released by the geysers.Morning Glory Pool. Apparently, it used to be even more colorful, but people have been throwing things in there, which has been changing the chemical and bacterial makeup of the water.Greg and I stopped to get a snack. While we were sitting on the bench, this little fellow came over looking for a handout. At one point, he even jumped up onto the bench between Greg and me. Bold little bugger!And, of course, there was the obligatory bison backup. This fellow was just meandering down the road as if he were one of the tourists.Greg got an especially good photo of him.As usual, I was completely captivated by the landscape.
I told Greg that we should do something that did not involve hiking tomorrow (something like driving through Hayden Valley. Hint, hint.), since I’m not sure I can muster up the energy.
Are we doing something tomorrow that doesn’t involve hiking? Of course not.
Greg and I had a bit of a tussle this morning over what we were going to do today. He wanted to go kayaking on Lake Elmo, and I wanted to take the bike trail along the Yellowstone River.
Guess who won the tussle? Yep.
We went kayaking on Lake Elmo.
Thankfully, the water was a comfortable temperature, and there was a light breeze that kept us from getting too hot.
This little fellow hitched a ride on my shoe. I wonder if he was drawn to the color, which was not unlike his own.
After our kayaking lap around the lake and lunch in the car with the air conditioning on, Greg condescended to take me to a park where we might be able to see the Rimrocks with the Yellowstone River flowing at their base.
We discovered that the bike path was within biking distance of the campground. If only we had known sooner!
Bees and grasshoppers
Just a quick side note. We have been amazed at the number of bees buzzing about Billings. (See what I did there?)
We hardly have any in Pennsylvania anymore, but it seems like everywhere we went in Billings, there they were.
Knock on wood that I get out of this city without getting stung!
I also loved all of the flying grasshoppers. You couldn’t walk anywhere without encountering one every few feet.
This little guy was giving me the evil eye.
Billings
I have not been impressed with Billings as a vacation destination. It is not a pretty city, and it doesn’t seem to have much in the way of cultural or recreational opportunities.
Weirdly, the KOA (i.e. campground) was packed. A lot of the older folks were on their way to or from somewhere, but there were also lots of families.
Of all the campgrounds we’ve been to, this one was the busiest and seemed to have the least reason for it.
After a leisurely morning and a visit with our next-door neighbors, who asked to have a tour of our trailer, we headed to Pictograph State Park.
I have to confess that this state park was a bit of a disappointment.
After touring the visitor’s center, which was pretty informative, we headed down the trail to take a look at the caves where the pictographs were.
The pictographs were almost impossible to identify. In fact, I really only saw two in the first cave and none in the other two caves.
This is the largest pictograph I was able to identify. What does it depict? I have no idea.
The scenery was amazing, though. I thoroughly enjoyed that.
Four Dances Natural Area
Billings seems to be ringed by a series of cliffs called the Rimrocks. There are a couple of parks along the top of the Rimrocks. Four Dances Natural Area is one.
Since it was just down the street from Pictograph State Park, we decided to stop there and take the trail up to the scenic overlook.
This was another disappointment, but one I was expecting (based on my research before we began our trip).
The scenic overlook overlooks a refinery. Not exactly the most beautiful view!
Next, we headed to Lake Elmo State Park to check it out. Greg is interested in possibly kayaking there tomorrow.
It’s a small lake right within the city limits and should be perfect for kayaking, assuming we get there early enough to beat the heat.
105 Brewery
Then we headed to 105 Brewery, where I had my first ever beer. 🤢 🤮
Two Moons Park
There is a bike path that goes along the Yellowstone River right below the Rimrocks. We decided to see if we could figure out how to get on that bike path.
Greg thought we might have access from a tiny county park called Two Moons Park, so we headed there after our beers to check it out.
It does, indeed, provide access to the bike path, so maybe we will give that a try tomorrow as well.
The Black Hills area has two highways that are impassable to RVs and large vehicles. They are Needles Highway and Iron Mountain Road, both part of Custer State Park.
I had decided before this trip began that we would not risk driving either of them. Greg decided he had different ideas.
So Wednesday we headed for Needles Highway. Needles Highway has numerous sharp switchbacks and three narrow tunnels, the narrowest of which is 8 ft wide. Our truck is a little over 7 ft wide.
Possibly thanks to the lorazepam and Propranolol I took before we headed out, I had a blast. It was a great day.
And the pictures!
Waiting to go through our first tunnel on Needles Highway, Iron Creek Tunnel
The first thing we did was stop at the Cathedral Spires Trail. This trail is a little over two miles round trip, but before you get to the cathedral spires, you have to climb over quite a few boulders.
Greg got as far as the boulders and decided not to risk going any further. I ventured on, mostly because the trail was strenuous, and I was damned if I was going to give up before we got to the good stuff!
The good stuff
Next up was the Needles Eye Tunnel. Greg had nerves of steel, and we emerged unscathed. Phew!
The rock formation that gave Needles Highway its nameThere’s nothing more exciting than making a sharp curve between two narrow rock formations, hoping no other trucks are heading toward you.
Sylvan Lake
Needles Highway took us to Sylvan Lake, the most popular lake in Custer State Park.
This is not surprising. Sylvan Lake is really beautiful.
Greg and I started down the Sylvan Lake Trail, but again, Greg decided not to climb over the rocks. He waited for me at a shaded picnic table while I continued on.
Once I got as far as I could go on the trail (it was closed halfway around), I headed back to Greg. Then we enjoyed some drinks at the Sylvan Lake Lodge before walking the trail along the other side of the lake.
On to Billings, Montana!
Wyoming
I can’t resist posting just a little bit about our drive through Wyoming.
Good grief, this state is gorgeous!
I can’t get enough of the scenery.
Here are some of my favorite photos that I took while driving to Billings.
Meanderings & Mind Munchies 