Yellowstone National Park

Yay! Pancakes were delicious. And I got to recharge my camera and computer batteries. The internet was slower than I liked it to be, and at one point it stopped working. So I only posted three of the four entries. I wanted to post more and perhaps post some more pictures as well. But I would like to get into the park and find a site, so I packed up and headed to Yellowstone. It was recommended to go through the northeast side, through Cooke City, MT (another cute town). Stopped there, stalked up on ice and filled gas at $4.35. Yikes! The grades they had were 85.5, 88, and… I forgot what the last one was, but the first two were odd enough.

Yellowstone National Park, finally! These campsites fill up fast, going from one campsite to another, got the last spot at Indian Creek. It’ll do. Headed over to Sheepeater Cliff. It was interesting. The rocks had broken off into columns. Climbed over to the top, which wasn’t too bad, it’s not that high. What I didn’t consider is the way down. I’m like a cat in a way, I can climb up a tree, but climbing down scares the day lights out of me. The drive up to Mammoth Springs was very windy, as the road tended to be entering the Yellowstone area. Around one curve, there was a beautiful waterfall that cascaded in a way to look like a wedding cake. Of course I took a picture. This one wasn’t even labeled on the map. I had a feeling I’d like Yellowstone.

Mammoth Springs. Now Yellowstone is full of hot springs and geysers. They are everywhere. But Mammoth Springs are the most famous, and for a reason. They were beautiful. At first, I thought it was a pile of snow. But it was just a lot of springs, bubbling, making noises, flowing, there was even a little hot spring waterfall. Sorry, I don’t get over waterfalls. They’re my favorites. Anyway, I see all these people taking pictures. Some with super duty cameras and lenses and things I don’t even understand about cameras. And all I can think is FOOLS! You can’t put this in a picture. Pictures never do justice, no matter how good your camera is. You can’t capture the feel of the sun beating down on you, or the breeze that blows bringing that disgusting sulfur smell towards you. Ewwww. You just can’t get it. Doesn’t matter though, it doesn’t stop me from taking endless pictures. I feel like I’ve had this thought before and I’ve mentioned it. Perhaps. But it’s true. You just need to experience something as beautiful as nature for yourself.

Went into Mammoth Spring Inn too use their facilities. On the way, there were elk and bison, and all kinds of fun animals. I like being able to see wildlife in their true environment. It’s not like the zoo. Of course I took pictures, but one elk with huge antlers started moving towards my car so casually sped away from it. I’m not messing with any of that.

On the way back to the campsite, I had to stop at a couple of falls, of course. Undine Falls and Wraith Falls. There was a short hike to Wraith Falls whereas Undine Falls was a lookout from the road. They were both cute. I love how all waterfalls are different. I hope to see better falls in the park. But I’m satisfied with today. Tomorrow is dedicated to seeing more Yellowstone and going on hikes.

07/29/11