Day 15 Friday and Day 16 Saturday- Yellowstone!
KOA Livingston is right outside Yellowstone. The original plan was to do a load of laundry and then head into Yellowstone. Friday breaks sunny but quickly clouds up. One thing I like and have really looked forward to is being able to watch weather in the wide open western skies, so the clouds don’t bother me at all. It’s a little chilly though and a sprinkle of rain blows through occasionally. We’ve got a tent site in Grant Village Campground reserved for Friday and Saturday nights. Grant Village is on the western shore of Yellowstone Lake at 7000+ feet. From the comfort of our cabin I keep checking the weather forecast for Yellowstone Lake- scattered showers, lows in the 30s, 20-30mph winds. I ask the desk if our cabin is available for the next two nights, kind of hoping that it isn’t $$$$. The clerk says yes, the plastic comes out. When I call to cancel the campground reservations I’m surprised that the vendor says they will refund my fee. I second guess my decision for the next couple days. Wimping out means seeing a little less of Yellowstone. Two things make me think we made the right call though. The temp at Yellowstone Lake Sunday morning is 28, without the windchill. When we get home we find in our email, from the park service: “
Our records indicate that you're scheduled to stay at the Grant Campground within the next week. We wanted to advise you that due to the exceptionally heavy snow fall this winter, and the 7,800 foot altitude of the campground, we're still working hard to clear snow from much of the campground. Warmer temperatures should help us with this process, but there remains a possibility that many sites will still have snow while you're here (see campsite images below).We ask you to be prepared for cooler temperatures and snow in and around the campsites. Some tenting guests may need to set up on top of the snow. Lingering snow in RV-compatible sites might make for a tighter fit for the RV itself.Please be advised that there is very limited availability at the other Xanterra-operated campgrounds in Yellowstone. While we don't want to discourage you from coming, if you chose to cancel your Grant Campground reservation due to this snow situation, we will gladly waive the cancellation fee and fully refund the Grant Campground portion of your reservation.” Two extra nights in the cabin-priceless.
So Friday morning we head into Yellowstone, from the north entrance, and head down the western side of the Grand loop. Once again words and pics are insufficient.
The traffic is a little heavy and progress slow, as expected, and not a big deal because we are sightseeing too. Let so much as a ground squirrel pop up and everybody has to stop to take a picture. It’s not as bad as some friends and family have reported though. We get to Old Faithful at the end of an eruption, so we go to the store to kill 90 minutes. We grab a bite to eat and watch some docu/info stuff on the TV, including video intended to discourage dummies from approaching wild animals. Stuff like elk destroying cars and bison goring and tossing people around like rag dolls. Remember that bison part, we’ll need it later. We catch Old Faithful and a little more scenery and then exit through the west entrance.
Even outside the park I stop to capture the views and weather.
Right up to the road into the KOA.
Saturday we head back into Yellowstone, almost with a little dread, expecting the crowds and traffic to be even worse. One of the Rangers working traffic at admission asks if we have our pass already and we show it with enthusiasm. She tells us to bypass the rest of the traffic on the shoulder and move to the front of the line
When we finally get over to the east side of the Grand Loop there is hardly ANY traffic. Our progress is exactly what WE decide it will be, with plenty of photo stops.
I can’t believe it when we catch a horseback tour heading out among the bison and the whole picture taking traffic jam is exactly one FJR long.
We stop for lunch at a pullout that isn’t too crowded. We eat and walk around a little, ending up on the northern end of what a little farther south is called The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.
This focus of video clip passes right over some wildlife.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/151982254 ... 981126506/
And this fellow has a bunch of people (not me of course) thinking they are capturing eagle antics.
It’s getting a little late and I want to see Yellowstone Lake. I ask some visitors that have come the opposite way about directions, distance, time. They tell us to go across Dunraven Pass
https://www.flickr.com/photos/151982254 ... 800935072/
where we catch a few flakes of snow in the air
https://www.flickr.com/photos/151982254 ... 800935072/
and turn left at the fourth buffalo.
Yellowstone Lake-WOW.
If you concentrate hard enough on the chop on the water and the clouds over the mountains, you can almost feel how glad I am that we are sleeping indoors tonight.
It’s getting late enough that Mrs1911 reminds me that if I don’t quit stopping to take pics of mountains and blowing snow
https://www.flickr.com/photos/151982254 ... 981126506/
we’re going to be out way past dark.
So I put the cameras up and we head to the exit. We are in “back to the barn” mode when the last big “scare” of the trip happens. We notice the oncoming cars flashing their headlights at us then we come to a stop in a curve behind a camper. When the camper ahead of us pulls off we are face to face with a group of bison and recalling the goring/tossing video from the day before. They are walking toward us four abreast in the oncoming lane just like it is the most natural thing in the world to them. Closest to the center line is an adult. Next to the nearest adult is a calf and next to the calf two more adults. I want to dig out a camera but there is no way I’m taking my hand off the clutch and throttle. The centerliner passes by so close that I could reach out and poke him in the eye. I see nothing in that big black eye that indicates fear, excitement or any real interest at all in us. That the GoPro battery is dead and the cameras are put away is one of the three moments of great sorrow on this trip. The other two are when the last of Mrs1911’s homemade brownies is eaten and when
Little Feat’s Bottle Rockets “I Love my Dog” plays on the radio. We do miss our dog so.
We get back to the cabin shortly before dark having enjoyed immensely a day that started out with a little reservation, and getting a few more weather pics outside the park.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1vfWjRxo1Y
