Awake at 5:45. 45 mins before the alarm. Yes that’s right. We set an alarm on holiday!!
We decided that we had to make an effort to see all the things we wanted to. The 45 mins I had spare I used to finish writing yesterday’s post.
Today we started in – Yellowstone’s Canyon Village
We finished in – Yellowstone’s Canyon Village
Miles travelled today – 172
Miles so far this trip – 1,379
Tonight we are staying at – Canyon Lodge & Cabins, Yellowstone
The 70 minute drive goes without excitement or incident.
We arrive at Old Faithful visitor centre just after 9am. Next eruption…..10:36. Annoyingly that means we have literally just missed one.
The upside of that is we have the pick of the seats and we kill time chatting to a couple ( I am guessing in their late 60’s) that took the seat next to us.
Initially from California, now based out of Colorado, they are travelling around in their Ford Transit full time, seeing America.
They are heading east to Idaho to among other things to see Bob Dylan in concert. I hope when I’m in my 60s I can be as free as that
The eruption predicted at 10:36 came at pretty much exactly 10:36. The seats that stood empty for the best part of the last 90 minutes are now obviously full. Most pointing some kind of recording device at the ever increasing spews emanating from the hole.
The many false dawns finally explode in a rocket of water and steam shooting 3 or 4 stories into the air.
I have to admit, after all the hype it was a little underwhelming but we would have regretted not seeing it.
While we were there temperature rose from 60 to 80+ degrees and we welcomed the air conditioning in the car as we retraced our steps from last night to West Thumb Geyser.
Now at West Thumb, we park.
A note on parking. If you visit in July/August or any other peak time of the year, expect to wait to park. However, people come and go and so, therefore, do their cars.
A space becomes free and we park. It’s an easy walk around, the summer heat sometimes made cooler from the wind blowing off the lake. Unless that wind catches the steam and heat from the springs. Then it becomes even warmer (and smellier!)
A girl trying to get ‘the shot’ drops her phone onto the crust around the springs. She decides her smart phone is worth the climb down.
We are now heading north towards the area our hotel is in, and to catch up on some things missed from a couple of days ago.
However, a few families swimming along the shore of Lake Yellowstone tempts Max.
10 minutes, then a slip, and now cold and wet in normal clothes brings the paddle to an end.
Off we set, making a beeline for Brink of the Upper falls. A lookout over one of the waterfalls in the Yellowstone Canyon.
Admittedly, this view is not the greatest but you do get a great sense of the thunderous river and the water barrels past.
Uncle Toms lookout is apparently a better view point from the other side of the canyon, but involves several hundred steps and I am still nursing a recovering knee.
Inspiration point is our next and virtually last stop off in our Yellowstone journey.
This is a great lookout if you want to experience the beauty and the chasm that is the Yellowstone Canyon.
Our final excursion here in Yellowstone is an evening drive out to Lamar valley in the hope of seeing a bear.
It is the best part of a 45 minute drive one way. A drive that takes us along a road that twists and turns, and in some places has no barriers shielding us from a sheer drop and certain death. Add that to the loss of a security deposit on the car and it would be a costly drive.
We enter Lamar valley and the fields and grass stretch out on either side. Black dots nestle in clusters in the hillside. Buffalo and not the bear we are after.
We pull into a lay-by near a stream for about an hour. Other cars are alongside us, hoping for the same I am sure. One gives up before us. We will be giving up in soon, leaving the one vehicle that was there when we arrived.
We have been talking to them. They saw a bear at Fishing Bridge only this morning, and showed Max on their camera.
Before we even came out, we were torn. Drive up and down the road and take our chances, or park up and take our chances.
As dusk was setting in, the sun setting over the trees and mountains to our right, we decided that it would be too dark to see anything in the distance, so we ventured along the road.
We saw nothing. All that was left was to conquer the twisty mountain road in the dark, which we did (otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this I guess!!)
We fall into our non air conditioned room at the Canyon Lodge and Cabins hotel, bracing ourselves for another full on day tomorrow.
