In the morning, we rose early,
determined to beat the crowds into the park.
The Cody Cowboy Village served a complementary breakfast. John discovered that the biscuits and gravy were awful; I had some kind of cereal coated with enough sugar to induce diabetes. We did not linger. We drove through the stunning scenery of the Wapiti Valley.
And we saw the famous Smith Mansion, one man’s endless house construction project.
As we approached the park, we could still see the results of the horrifying 1998 fire.
As we came to the gate of the park, we learned that being old has its perks. John now had a lifetime pass to the U.S. national parks, all for the outrageous price of 10 dollars. It would have cost 25 dollars for a mere seven days only a couple years ago. This blog may be featuring a number of national parks in the future.
The first geothermal feature you see when you come from the eastern entrance is Steamboat Springs. The dark clouds, the sulfurous smell, and these large aggressive birds gave an ominous tone to our first view of the park.
It had started raining about now, and we stopped at the first ranger station, hoping that it would pass while we looked at the exhibits. After it had let up a bit, we walked down towards Yellowstone Lake.
From the lake, we drove up along the Yellowstone River.
Along the road, the tourists saw had to stop
to see the bison.
And then we came to the famed Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
and the gorgeous colors of Artist Point.
John was fascinated by the number of Asian tourists, mostly from China.
At times the park seemed crowded, but we discovered that you only had to walk about 20 feet from the parking lot to find yourself alone.
From the Grand Canyon area, we headed back down along the river towards Grant Village. We admired the waterfalls
and, despite the drizzle, had a picnic on the shores of Lake Yellowstone.
We look at Lake Lodge, one of the smaller of the National Park accommodations.
Unfortunately, none of the great old places had openings for the night, so we are staying in the modern and not particularly attractive Grant Village. Tomorrow, we will be off to see the Old Faithful and all the other iconic sights of Yellowstone.
