Adam's Blog July 30th, Day 25
Today we plan to visit Yellowstone again on our way out to Billings, Montana and we want to get a picture in front of the different entering signs for the two parks that were here. The beginning of the morning goes pretty normally and we stop at the common to get a picture with the kids in front of the archways. Thank goodness it isn't nearly as busy here this morning as it was last afternoon and evening. We easily grab a parking space, get our picture and even have some time to look around at some of the other statues in the commons before getting back into the car to head out to Yellowstone. As we approach the sign for the Grand Tetons we see a huge coach bus is parked there and everyone is out of it doing different rotations and combinations of people in front of the sign. We decide that we will get the entering park sign from the north entrance and drive on. This proved to be the right call because the only thing at the north entrance with a line was the bathroom. We get our pictures and head to a similar situation at the Yellowstone sign before entering the park again.
Yesterday had been a great day for geothermal stuff at Yellowstone but not so much with wildlife. The first part of the drive proved to be pretty much the same. Some elk eating in the fields as we drove in and that's about it. We stopped to mail some post cards and headed back out towards an area where there are frequently bears according to some stuff that I read online but didn't find any bears today. As we approach the first geologic thing we were planning on seeing today, we see a ton of traffic again and I begin to dread dealing with this thinking back to things at the Grand Prismatic Spring yesterday. We soon realize that the traffic is because bison are all over the road between us and the formations! After getting yelled at by a ranger because I had my camera out and apparently Courtney was driving too slow for her liking, we get to the parking area for the mud volcano. Gideon has had a thing recently where he has been extra sensitive to smells. I think personally that it's a ploy but regardless he complains a lot. Here is a place that we know he is going to have a legitimate excuse to complain and within no time he says "Okay, who farted out here" while holding his nose. The whole visit to the area is so amusing with Gideon making comments about the smell. There are also some really cool things here. Check out our videos for some of them, I can't do them justice in words. As we leave the area there is a long line of traffic on the other side of the road waiting behind a bison that is just strolling down the street.
The next stopping point is Yellowstone Falls which are cool, don't get me wrong but aren't really the kind of amazing that I was hoping for. Or maybe it was just the volume of people again that had me put off, not sure. We were getting ready to drive down the North Rim Road when we saw that there was traffic backed up just to go down there and after seeing the upper falls, I was not inclined to deal with that to see the lower. We drove on by and up to Tower Falls. Again it is crazy busy here but part of this is because there's a general store here as well. This waterfall is a bit more like what I like personally and wasn't nearly as crowded at the vista point.
From here we start our exit of the park towards Beartooth Pass. This part of the park is known for having a lot of wildlife so I am super excited for this and we are quickly rewarded with a few bison. We turn some corners and there are hundreds of bison all through a flood plain for the river. They are everywhere and they are amazing. At one point there are cars stopping in the road to take pictures of the bison when I look up in a tree nearby and see a Bald Eagle watching us all! There are also some Pronghorn playing around in the fields. This area is truly amazing. Then the traffic hits. One of the herds of bison decide that they want to walk down the road. Two full hours of bison walking along the car, grunting, rolling around on the ground, pooping, scratching themselves on the trees and generally being bison, we are free to move again. This normally wouldn't have been a big deal other than being a bit frustrating for the time delay if it weren't for the fact that the people in front and behind us were so incredibly impatient that it was infuriating. Every time that the traffic started moving, they would both move over into oncoming lane like they were going to pass people only to realize we were all there because there was bison in the road and come back. Oh well I guess.
Beartooth Pass out of Wyoming and in to Montana was amazing. I have never been so physically close to glaciers before. There were great views and lots of beautiful wildflowers and vistas again. Not to mention a very curvy road that I know Courtney loves to drive. After stopping at Arby's for a quick dinner we arrive at the hotel ready for a good rest.
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