Thursday morning we left my sister’s house and headed for Yellowstone National Park. Nine years ago when we were out west we had gone to Yellowstone. We had really looked forward to see the park as we knew there was lots to see. But…no one had told us that you need a full day or more to see and experience the park. We had entered at noon and had to be out in the evening as the campgrounds were full. So we had decided that some day we would go back and see more sights.

We arrived late afternoon and our first stop was lower geyser basin which had a large fountain paint pot and some other boiling pots. It was a short walk and the weather was lovely and just in the seventies.

We headed for Old Faithful and when we arrived it was over an hour until it was going to blow. The rest of the bunch went shopping and I made supper. We thought we had lots of time so we enjoyed our meal of chicken enchiladas. We were almost done and I said that we should hurry over to the geyser. Just then it started going and we could watch it as we walked. It was very windy and with the crowds it was not very beautiful.

We had reserved a spot at Grant Village. A very nice campground but if you plan to camp you should reserve ahead or arrive before 10 AM to get a spot. We ate supper then as the sun was setting we walked to the lake.

In the morning no one wanted to get up as it was cold (in the 30’s). So I went to turn on the heat only to find out that it didn’t work. So I lit the oven and it soon was warm.

After breakfast mountain pies we headed out. We had already seen lots of elk and soon we were able to see lots of bison too.

Our first stop was at the mud volcanos which were a lot of fun to watch but no one enjoyed the smell. It was fun hiking as the weather was beautiful.

The falls in canyon village at Artist point were awesome as they are 308 feet tall. You see it at a distance but it still is lovely.

 

 

We hiked in to Tower Falls and someone pointed out to us a big horned sheep and her baby that were climbing the mountainside.

 

Mammoth hot springs was crowded and a long hike to the top so we decided to skip it. Then as we drove around we realized that we could see it from the top so we stopped and got out and hiked in. Interesting but not a favorite spot.

 

The view from the the northern range was lovely as we were 6000 feet up winding around and enjoying the wild flowers. I was driving so I didn’t get to enjoy the view quite as much as the rest.

We hiked in to the Painted pots which were not as beautiful as last time. They are always changing and their colors were not so nice. But we did get some exercise as it was about two miles.

 

Our last stop was the Grand Prismatic spring. A very beautiful colored spring and a hike you shouldn’t miss. It was very windy and sometimes we felt like we would be blown off the boardwalk. Not sure why they did not build railings to hold on to.

 

We then headed back to the same campground as we had reserved another site before we pulled out in the morning. We felt like we had experienced the park as we saw lots of wildlife. We were disappointed that we didn’t see a bear, wolf, or coyote but we enjoyed the animals and sights that we did see.

So if you are headed west make sure you stop at Yellowstone. I would advise that you would go before July as we found that it was less crowded and the weather was much cooler.