|
Aug. 31 - Sept. 2, 2001 |
|
|
| We drove to Yellowstone from Cody to the east entrance. This is a beautiful drive as the road passes a water reservoir and through the Shoshone Mountains. The road cuts right into the valley of the canyon and it follows a river as the road passes back and forth over it. We entered Yellowstone and saw the large mountains rising up around us. The view was great. We drove through the mountain area and then we saw Yellowstone Lake. It is a large lake and it was still a little foggy that day so it made it hard to see all the way across. It was nearing lunch time so we stopped for a bite to eat at the Fishing Bridge Store. After lunch, we drove to our campsite at the Bridge Bay Campground and set up camp. After we set up camp we headed out for some more adventure. |
| We headed towards Old Faithful and the Geyser Basin area for a moderate hike that afternoon. We arrived at the Biscuit Basin parking lot and we packed up our backpacks with water and we headed out. The geysers in this area are marked by their noises or their color and while we were standing there, several of the erupted. Then we headed down the Biscuit Basin Loop Trail towards Mystic Falls. The trail followed the river as we walked uphill. As we rounded a bend we saw a chipmunk playing with this strange looking animal. After further investigation it turned out to be a weasel. We stopped and watched them play before we moved on. (Interesting fact: the weasel needs to eat every 24 hours or it will die). As we came upon the falls, we could hear it thundering through the rocks and trees that had fallen in the river's path. Mystic Falls drops 70 feet as it passes through the rocks. This area was burned during the 1988 Yellowstone fire, but there were many new pine trees that were 4-10 feet tall. As we photographed the falls, the sky started to thunder and sprinkle. We decided to put our raincoats on, but by the time we got them on, the rain subsided. Thus we continued to the Madison Plateau overlook. The hiking in several of these areas is difficult where there are quick elevation changes, especially the path that leads down from the overlook to the bottom. We made it to the overlook and we saw Old Faithful erupt from up there along with several other geysers in the geyser basin. From this vantagepoint you could see the entire valley. After a brief rest, we hiked down the mountain to the car. As we walked by the geysers several more erupted. We got in the car and drove to Old Faithful. We only waited about 10 minutes and Old Faithful erupted. It was neat, however, it did not last real long and it was not as high as it had been when we were there ten years ago. After the eruption we drove back to the campsite, but not before we took a picture of the Continental Divide sign on the way. |
| Dinner consisted of grilled hot dogs. It was delicious. That night we watched the full moon come up over the mountains and it was reflecting on Yellowstone Lake. This view was really awesome. Meanwhile, our neighbors were busy partying and oblivious to notice the beautiful moonrise and the two deer that walked through our campsite. We were not allowed to have a fire in Yellowstone due to the high fire danger, so we watched the moon some more and then we went to bed. During the night we could hear elk bugling off in the distance. We woke up at 6:00 am (before sunrise) and we drove down the road. On the way we saw some buffalo in the campground and a female moose just up the road from the campground. Then we drove towards Hayden Valley, only the mist was so heavy that we could only see about ten yards from the car. The mist was neat though because you could see it in the lower valley areas before you drove down in the valley. The sun was out, but it would take some time before it burned the fog off. As a result, we stopped at the Canyon village for some breakfast and then took off to look at the Grand Canyon and Lower Falls. We stopped at the first viewpoint for the falls and got several good pictures of the falls, the river, and the canyon. The sun was in the perfect spot for taking pictures. Afterwards, we hiked down a trail to a lower vantagepoint of the falls. This trail was steep, but it offered a better and closer view of the falls. Then we drove north to the Mt. Washburn trailhead. |
| The Mt. Washburn trail is one of the best trails in Yellowstone because it is a wide trail, there is abundant wildlife, and the view at the top is amazing (this is why it is so popular). We started our hike at about 10:00 in the morning. It is a six-mile round trip hike, but it is worth it (note: it is not a loop trail). We hiked uphill on the trail and it seemed like we could see forever. As we walked by a cliff side we saw three bighorn sheep and a pika. As we were getting closer to the top we saw a yellow-bellied marmot on the rocky cliffs. We finally reached the top of Mt. Washburn (10,243 ft.). There is a fire tower that is still active on top of the mountain so we were able to get in from the extreme wind to view the sites. You can see Yellowstone Lake, Montana, Idaho, the Bitterroot Mountains and much more from up there. The view is amazing. After we soaked up the view we started back down the mountain. It was a nice sunny day, but the winds near the top made us keep our jackets on until we got down into the treeline. Once we made it to our car we were ready for our next destination. |
| Our next destination was Tower Falls. We hiked down to the base of the falls and took several pictures. The Yellowstone River connects to the river from the falls and it creates a colorful riverbank down river. Afterwards, we drove to Lamar Valley in search of more views and wildlife. We only drove about half way into the valley when we saw a herd of buffalo across the Yellowstone River. This valley is unique because there are few trees, but there is an abundance of sagebushes. We then turned around and headed back towards Tower-Roosevelt. From there we drove to the Mammoth Hot Springs. The drive was pleasant, but uneventful. We did not see any more wildlife in this area, partly because most of the water had dried up. The scenery here is also different than other areas of the park. There are cool looking ridges with a moderately forested area. The drive through this area was nice as we entered the Mammoth Hot Springs. Unfortunately, the water level is down, causing the hot springs to have hardly any water. There was one area up near the top of the springs that had water with a bluish tint to the spring. Other than that, most of the hot springs were almost a bleach white color. After checking out the hot springs we drove north into Montana, which was only two miles away. We stopped for a picture at the 45th parallel which was half way between the Equator and the North Pole. Then we drove back into Wyoming and continued on our Yellowstone loop drive towards the Norris Geyser Basin. |
| The drive between the Mammoth Hot Springs and the Norris Geyser Basin is scenic and can offer opportunities for wildlife sightings. We saw several interesting rock formations and cliffs as we drove south. Half way through the drive we entered a meadow area (part of which was burned in the 1988 fire). We did not see any wildlife, but it was still scenic. After we passed the Norris Geyser Basin we drove to the Virginia Cascades. The water flows over the rocks which creates a neat looking cascade. Finally we drove back to our campsite with only spotting a few buffalo along the way. Dinner consisted of the rest of the hot dogs, which were still delicious and a welcome change from dried food and crackers. We watched the moon come up over Yellowstone Lake again, and as luck would have it, several more deer walked through our campsite once more. |
| The next morning we woke up and pack up our gear and headed towards the Grand Tetons. On the road between Grant Village and the south entrance we saw many bull elk. Although, every time we stopped to take a picture the elk would run into the woods. We never did get a picture of any of the elk in Yellowstone, they were too elusive. We stopped at Lewis Falls for a couple of quick pictures and we continued south. The road follows a cliff side here for a while with the Lewis River down below. Parts of this forest were also burned some years ago. Finally, we reached the exit to Yellowstone and the entrance of the Grand Tetons. |
