Yellowstone NP - It's Always Better...the Fifth Time Around

We were about to enter Yellowstone National Park for the fifth time. 

There's something about this park that draws us back to Wyoming.  We decided that because the summer tourist season was in full swing, that we would try to do things that would keep us away from the crowds.  We would avoid all the obvious highlights of the park, like the geyser basins that we have strolled in all seasons.  First order of business was to figure where and when we would play in the park.  We were staying in West Yellowstone...which happens to be in Montana!

First thing learned was that summer visitors tend to inhabit Yellowstone after 10:30 a.m.  We started waking early enough to be in the park between 7:00 and 7:30 a.m.  The roads were ours, the air brisk, and we could get to our destination with no traffic jams. 

We headed up to the northern part of the park to visit Roosevelt Lodge and see the landscape in that area.  This is the scenery we encountered.  No wildlife but we had already been rewarded for getting there early.  We had been greeted by a bald eagle enjoying the morning sun and a group of elk having breakfast in the Madison area along the river just after going through the park gate.

Roosevelt Lodge is a small rustic building that got its name because Teddy Roosevelt visited there in 1903.  The main building is surrounded by cabins and there are horses (for rent) on the property.

From Roosevelt Lodge we stopped at Mammoth Hot Springs for old time sake.  We had stayed there during our winter program in 2011.  We found this elk across from the hotel enjoying the grass with people all around mutually ignoring each other.

The hotel with a flower basket in front.  The flowers are covered with chicken wire. 

Elk must like flowers.

Next to the hotel is the dining room.

This is how it looked last time we were here.

The elk had moved across the road to be with her companions.  What the photo does not show is the rangers and the barriers on the sidewalk and the signs saying "Keep away from the elk." 
Animals rule here!

A day is not complete without buffalo. 
The  big guy was waiting for us as we exited the park for the day.

Ed was a happy man...he loves the buffalo.  Me too.

The next day began with more buffalo.  Mothers and babies...

...while the men relaxed a short distance away.  No comment  ;-)

Driving to Fishing Bridge we encountered someone doing his own thing - painting the park in the morning mist.

We began a ranger walk around the back of Old Faithful and up into the back country.  Seeing it erupt from the backside was a new angle for us.

Old Faithful Inn, our favorite of the lodges in Yellowstone with the more elegant

Lake Hotel taking second place. 

Leaving the ranger group we began hiking up the hill for an overview of the Old Faithful area.

This sparkling blue pool sits about halfway up the hill.

Here's the view of the lodge in the center, the visitor center on the left and part of

the geyser field around Old Faithful, from the top of the overlook trail.

And here's the next eruption.  Old Faithful goes off about every 90 minutes.

Descending the hill we crossed the bridge.  That's Ed waving from the bridge.

I had packed us a picnic lunch to enjoy before we left the park for the day.  We settled into a picnic area right along the river.  Beautiful.

The Playmill Theater has been in West Yellowstone for a gazillion years.  They do a repertory of three shows.  We decided to see The Drowsy Chaperon.  It was lots of fun and very high spirited.

I'm guessing most of the players are college students.

We decided to hike the next day. After describing ourselves as more strollers than climbers, the park ranger suggested we take the Storm Point trail from Fishing Bridge.

Just under 3 miles and rated "easy" - just our speed.

We drove through Hayden Valley on the way to our trail and encountered a huge herd of "buffs" that live there.  Males, females, babies.  All snorting and grunting.

Storm Point trail began crossing this meadow...

...and took us to the shore of Yellowstone Lake.

We meandered along the coast for awhile through a forest...

...until we were rewarded with a view of the lake and the surrounding mountains.

The sun was glistening on the water and the ducks were having a morning swim.

We climbed this little rock cliff for another view of the lake.

The trail then took us along the water...

...and into an old growth forest.  There has been enormous beetle damage here.

 And then back through the meadow.  What a joyous walk!!

We returned through Hayden Valley once again and got to visit the herd one more time.

 They can really cause a traffic jam!  They big guy just walked across the road.  He seemed to like that

yellow line because he stayed on it for a bit while we all just waited.

 A wolf!!  He seemed to be lost.  He darted around, then crossed the road, and disappeared.

 Another picnic along the water before leaving the park.  Ed called it "memorable."

Last day in the park and we decided to take another trail - this time on our bikes.

The path to Lonestar Geyser was completely empty.  We had it all to ourselves.

Part gravel and mostly blacktop, the trail paralleled a river. 



 Could it even be more beautiful...

 Mostly flat with some hills making for a long coasting on the return.

 The end of the almost 2 1/2 mile trail is at Lonestar Geyser - then you turn around

and ride 2 1/2 miles back.

This geyser erupts about every three hours.  It didn't give us a show.  If you are lucky enough to be there when it goes off, the rangers want you to note the time and report it to them.

The cone is one of the largest in the park.

 We had to continue our tradition, so we stopped at the Old Faithful Inn to watch

Old Faithful from the outside deck on the second floor.

 She didn't disappoint!

There are a couple of short drives off the main road that we had not taken before.

First:  Firehole Lake.

 There are a couple of geysers right in the lake, and when the wind blew, the hot hot steam

made us glisten.

 Second:  Firehole Canyon...

 ...to Firehole Falls.

 What we didn't expect to find was this swimming hole.  Looked like fun.  Lots of cars and groups of people who knew the little beach was there.

We ate a picnic lunch once again...and left the park.

West Yellowstone is a neat little town.  Very small, kinda tacky, but lots to see and do - and

an endless bunch of t-shirt stores.  The old airport is now used for snowmobiling and as a place

for dogs to run free.  Finn loved it!

There is the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center

which takes in grizzly bears and wolves, and birds who are not

equipped to live in the wild.  It's a non-profit and staffed with naturalists

and part of the zoo association.

 How cute is this!?!?  It was early afternoon siesta time for this wolf.

 And here he is awake.

 The animals here are well cared for.  These three are fishing.

 Fish caught!

Meet Isis.  She's a 31 year old bald eagle with neurological damage.  She's well cared for here.

 Nahani, the Rough Legged Hawk

 Tegan, the sleeping Horned Owl

 Ulysses - one of a pair of Golden Eagles

 Drake is a grizzly.  He's eating an ice ball with frozen dog food in it.  A glorious treat for a grizzly.

 Roosevelt - emerging from a pond where he cooled off.

 Bears stay with their mothers for 2 1/2 years during which she teaches them everything they need to know to survive in the wild.  Drake and Roosevelt lost their mother and never learned the needed skills.

I love his blond ears and mohawk.

 This is known as the "graveyard of bear proof containers."  Enuf said.

Our visit to Yellowstone has been a wonderful one.  We did new things, got a fresh look at our favorite park, and discovered the town of West Yellowstone.

We're moving down to the Grand Tetons and Jackson!