2014-19 Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Hello All,
After spending the night in our home away from home in Gardiner, Montana, we were anxious to start our adventures in Yellowstone National Park. Gardiner was officially founded in 1880, but the area has served as the main entrance to Yellowstone National Park since its creation in 1872. It is known as the “north entrance” and is the only entrance open to wheeled vehicles year round.
President Theodore Roosevelt laid the cornerstone for the Roosevelt Arch at the north entrance of the park in 1903. It has been welcoming guests into the world’s first national park ever since. The arch is built from basaltic rock taken from within the park.
After spending the night in our home away from home in Gardiner, Montana, we were anxious to start our adventures in Yellowstone National Park. Gardiner was officially founded in 1880, but the area has served as the main entrance to Yellowstone National Park since its creation in 1872. It is known as the “north entrance” and is the only entrance open to wheeled vehicles year round.
President Theodore Roosevelt laid the cornerstone for the Roosevelt Arch at the north entrance of the park in 1903. It has been welcoming guests into the world’s first national park ever since. The arch is built from basaltic rock taken from within the park.
To thoroughly explore the park would require a visit of two weeks or more. It is vast and quite diverse. However, you can get a good overview of the park in four days if you are willing to put in some long days. We will share some of the highlights of our four-day visit in our next few write-ups.
Yellowstone is home to the largest concentration of mammals in the lower 48 states. In addition to having a diversity of small animals, Yellowstone is notable for its predator–prey complex of large mammals. There are eight species of prey animals within the park (bighorn sheep, bison, elk, moose, mountain goats, mule deer, pronghorn, and white-tailed deer) and seven large predators (black bears, lynx, coyotes, grizzly bears, mountain lions, wolverines, and wolves).
Wild animals roam freely throughout the park. You just need to keep a watchful eye out for them. Remember, they are not on a time schedule to appear just because you are visiting the park. You need to do your due diligence and with a little luck you will see your fair share of them. Here is a group of bighorn sheep we spotted on a hilltop.
Yellowstone is home to the largest concentration of mammals in the lower 48 states. In addition to having a diversity of small animals, Yellowstone is notable for its predator–prey complex of large mammals. There are eight species of prey animals within the park (bighorn sheep, bison, elk, moose, mountain goats, mule deer, pronghorn, and white-tailed deer) and seven large predators (black bears, lynx, coyotes, grizzly bears, mountain lions, wolverines, and wolves).
Wild animals roam freely throughout the park. You just need to keep a watchful eye out for them. Remember, they are not on a time schedule to appear just because you are visiting the park. You need to do your due diligence and with a little luck you will see your fair share of them. Here is a group of bighorn sheep we spotted on a hilltop.
There were some nice young rams mixed in with the ewes.
If you don’t see bison while driving in Yellowstone you must have been taking a nap! There are nearly 5,000 of them roaming the park. Yellowstone is the only place in the United States where bison have lived continuously since prehistoric times. Lamar Valley and Hayden Valley are the two hotspots for seeing these magnificent animals--although you can run across them almost anywhere.
Bison go pretty much where they want to go when they want to go there. As a driver it is your responsibility to give them an appropriate amount of space. In this photo they decided to stop and hold a meeting in the middle of the road!
Bison go pretty much where they want to go when they want to go there. As a driver it is your responsibility to give them an appropriate amount of space. In this photo they decided to stop and hold a meeting in the middle of the road!
And, here they decided to cross a bridge. The big old boy leading the herd is taking his half out of the middle!
We find them to be a majestic animal which are unique to North America.
We had to laugh at this bull. Guess he didn’t want his photo taken as he stuck his tongue out at us!
In the following photo a bison is rolling in a wallow. This rolling, also called wallowing, deters biting flies and removes tufts of molted fur. Bison also leave their scent in the wallow. And during the rut, bull bison wallow to display their strength and vigor.
While bison look slow and docile they can be aggressive. They are very agile and can be easily agitated, and can run up to 30 miles per hour. A bull can weigh up to 2,000 pounds and a cow up to 1,000 pounds. A bison’s shoulder hump can peak at 6 feet tall. They can swim well and can jump over objects up to 5 feet tall. Their hearing, vision, and sense of smell are keen. Bottom line, they can be dangerous, so give them their due respect. For this reason the Park Service publishes this warning: “Stay at least 100 yards away from bears and wolves and at least 25 yards away from other large mammals such as bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose and coyotes.”
This bull turned and lifted his tail which was our que to move on down the road. Don’t think our little thin sided vehicle would be much protection against a charging bull. And, it would be hard to explain the damage to an insurance adjuster!
This bull turned and lifted his tail which was our que to move on down the road. Don’t think our little thin sided vehicle would be much protection against a charging bull. And, it would be hard to explain the damage to an insurance adjuster!
The following photos are Dragon’s Mouth Spring. An unknown visitor named this feature around 1912, perhaps due to the water that frequently belches out of the cave-like opening. The rumbling sounds are caused by steam and other gases exploding through the water causing it to crash against the walls of the hidden cavern.
Yellowstone is the crown jewel of all our national parks. It has many varied landscapes including mountains, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, thermal areas, geyser basins, grass lands, beautiful valleys, and deep rugged canyons. That combined with the wild animals make it a truly remarkable destination.
This is one of the many thermal areas in the park. You don’t want to walk out on such areas as the thin crust can give way to hot scalding water below.
This is one of the many thermal areas in the park. You don’t want to walk out on such areas as the thin crust can give way to hot scalding water below.
You can see evidence of thermal activity beside the stream in the following photo. We find it to be quite fascinating.
Look closely along the edge of this stream. You can see the water boiling in it.
You can also see how the thermal activity changes the color of the grasses.
The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River is truly spectacular. Here are some examples of some of the amazing rock formations.
This scenic canyon varies from 800 to 1200 feet in depth and from 1500 to 4000 feet in width. Its length is about 24 miles.
The upper 2½ miles of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is the most colorful section. Hot spring activity has continued through the ages altering the lava rock to produce lovely colors which are largely due to various iron compounds. Steam vents and geysers are still at work on the canyon walls.
In our eyes it is really a truly beautiful area that we highly recommend visiting.
Our next target within the park was Lower Yellowstone Falls. On the trail walking in Dave came upon this young lady lying down on a bench resting. He stopped and talked with her. She was very pleasant, spoke freely and was enjoying the day. We have no idea about the mask—nor did he ask. It was maybe covering a disfigurement or somebody exercising their creative expressions--we will probably never know.
We will continue with our adventures within Yellowstone National Park in our next little blurb. It would be our pleasure to have you tag along with us.
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns