Part IV of the epic road trip series is about Yellowstone, Yellowstone, and more Yellowstone. We spent two full days in the park and still did not see everything. I have no words to do Yellowstone justice, so this installment in the series is pictorial (with limited commentary in the captions).
Days 5 & 6 Starting Point: Ashton, Idaho Destination: Yellowstone
Distance: No clue. I was too busy checking out Mother Nature.
Much of the park is eerily alien-looking, as if you stepped onto a different planet.Sapphire Pool, where the clear water provides an astonishingly-deep view.Old Faithful! We were lucky and witnessed a strong showing.If you want to see Old Faithful, your best bet is to grab a seat early.Admiring the pure beauty of Yellowstone Lake and the Tetons in the distance.Bison!More bison!Even more bison!You guessed it… more bison! This guy slept right beside the women’s restroom.Still even more bison… tasty bison!One of Yellowstone’s many, many waterfalls (cue the TLC song that will now be stuck in your head the rest of the day).The rock formations are breathtaking.This looks like your typical forest…..…..until you realize you’re looking at the heart of the bulging supervolcano located beneath you.Near the top of Mount Washburn, named after the leader of an 1870 expedition that named Old Faithful.Elk chillin’ around Fort Yellowstone.Do not approach elk… it’s like a “no solicitors” sign on your front door: sure, it’s good advice, but some people are either illiterate or asking for trouble.The grand Roosevelt Arch, located at the north entrance. In the early 1900’s, people traveled here by train, then transferred to horse-drawn coaches at the arch to tour the park.Theodore Roosevelt helped lay the arch’s cornerstone during the dedication back in 1903. So naturally, I had to touch it.Mammoth Hot Springs, with a storm a-brewin’.Norris Geyser Basin, which sits on the intersection of three major faults.Somebody tell Pharrell we found his hat.Best. Illustrated. Warning. Ever. This dumb kid has been stepping on the same geyser for at least the past decade. But don’t worry; he’s wearing thick tube socks that are probably protecting him from the immense heat.Yellowstone, I give you two big thumbs up. See ya next time.
Stay tuned for the final installment in my series. Part V will take us to a pair of spectacular sights, the Grand Tetons and Rocky Mountain National Park. But before we see the mountains, we’ll head to Mesa Falls and an encounter with a big four-legged creature.
coughingbison.com 