6,500 Miles With the Crazies - A National Parks Road Trip Extravaganza

[HouCuseChickie]

The kids went off up ahead of us. They had decided that the adults were really annoying today and that they were bored with the trip. The adults decided that they may not need to join us on future vacations. See how that works. David mentioned leaving them with my parents. Maybe it's because my parents don't live near us and they've never had many experiences being watched by them, but they thought that was a great idea. If they think I'm overbearing and protective...wait until they spend 24 hours with Grandma! We actually came up with a really good solution to this, but I'll get to that at the end of the report...assuming I remember. Almost at the top...

When we finally did get up to the top, we got that lovely view of Grand Prismatic where you can see the full pool.

The view up here was just absolutely spectacular, but I also missed seeing all of the details when walking along the boardwalk on that section of its perimeter.

I tried getting pics of David with the girls, but Sam has been a real pain about pictures of late.

There was a lot of jockeying for position at the overlook as well. Most people were pretty good about taking turns, but there was this one guy with some really serious gear that was being a real space hog. His wife or girlfriend was also taking up a spot, handing him different cameras with different lenses. Maybe this is the best light of the day for pictures, but we hung around this area for a good 15-20 minutes and he never budged from his front and center spot. I got what I could.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Sam also had on one of the hydration vests (as you can see in her cranky pics). This one has a 2L bladder and two 10oz bottles. We all got some water and then David had the kids trade-off. I got the hydration pack and the kids carried the heavy pack.

On the way down, we also saw a golden mantled ground squirrel. As usual, these guys are pretty fearless...and most people incorrectly assume they're looking at a big fat chipmunk. Ugh.

I took pics the rest of the way down.

David at least drove on the way back to our lodging. So, just some pics on the way out of thermal features, bobby socks trees, and a bison hanging out in a parking lot.

We also spotted this elk herd on the way out. What's funny...we'll also see them in a similar area as we enter the park the next day.

This got David going off on a long tangent about how Yellowstone never disappoints. He's not really wrong. In about the course of 2 hours, we saw a lot of pretty natural scenery in the park...including rivers and mountains, we saw a couple of bison, a herd of elk, and some of the most impressive thermal features on the planet.

Aaaaaaand we're back in West Yellowstone...

Once we got back, we packed up our laundry and went out to the second laundry spot on my list. Spot 1 looked MUCH nicer and had better reviews, but they close early and I wasn't optimistic that we'd finish in time. We drove by spot 2, but it was just too creepy looking. I'm sure it was fine and intended for tent campers, since they also had showers, but booked it over to spot 1 and did our laundry as quickly as possible. In fact, so quickly that I didn't realize that there were already clothes in the washer I was starting to load up. So, an awkward start sorting out our stuff from his. He was at least a nice guy.

The facilities were crazy hot, but I didn't want to go off and leave our stuff unattended. So, we sat at a front table, watching opening ceremonies for the Olympics while the girls sat outside discussing how annoying we both are. Fun times. I know my older one was kind of horrified about using a laundromat. I'm guessing some of the stupid shows she watches depict laundromat usage in a less than favorable light. I guess she needs to watch different shows, because when I think of laundromats, I tend to think of the Friends episode where Ross and Rachel take on the laundromat bully.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

The dryers worked on time vs. cycle, and there were a few that just ate $, so it took a little bit to fine tune the process. Still, all of these machines were industrial models, so everything went much faster than normal and we were out of there before their 8pm closing...when apparently all of the machines shut down.

After we finished up with our laundry and said our good-byes to some of our new laundry friends also rushing to finish, we went in search of dinner. I was surprised by how many places shut down early...especially since this is such a tourist trap kind of town. David found us a 50s style diner and I lucked out with a parking space on the street right up front. So, we were good. And both the food and decor at this diner was better than the one on our way to Glacier.

In fact, the only oddball thing was the shakes. They had all kinds of flavors on the menu, but were out of a lot of things. I guess they were missing a number of their base flavor ice creams, so I think everything was starting with Cookies & Cream as a base. The chocolate version was just cookies and cream blended with extra chocolate syrup. I hate Cookies & Cream, so I didn't even bother.

I will also say that my stomach was a wreck. Not sure how to describe it, at least not without being gross and graphic, but I felt like there as a lead weight in there and just the simple act of trying to bend over to get things out of the toiletries suitcase was taking my breath away. It kind of reminded me of being very pregnant...which I am not. Between this and the hiking struggles...it was even more of a sign that I needed to get back on my previous health kick. It also didn't help that I needed to repack all of my newly cleaned clothes and struggle bending over that suitcase as well. I did, however, like the plan I devised. I wasn't sure the best approach for a road trip like this, but I decided to pack three backpacks inside my suitcase and keep my Vera Disney duffle for dirty laundry. I even ran the duffle through with my laundry so I was loading everything up into a clean laundry bag. As for the backpacks...pack 1 had pants/shorts/regular socks. Pack 2 had tanks, tees, and long-sleeved tops and undergarments. Pack 3 had pajamas and big hiking socks. It was like having traveling drawers.

While the room was irritating my allergies, I remember sleeping well...I think it was a mix of doing everything we set out to do and needed to get done as well as having the park deliver in a way that it always does. I'm really not trying to bash Glacier or any of the other parks visited on this trip, but kind of like how Disney fans keep returning to Disney parks...it's nice to return to your favorite national park and have it continue to be magical.


Coming up...We hit Yellowstone early for Roaring Mountain and Lamar Valley, and then plan out a very ambitious rest of the day.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I am really enjoying your trip report! Our family drive from the Chicago area to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons last summer during your same dates. Interested to see if your animal sightings increased. We saw everything on our list-including a bear walking to a lake in the Tetons that was a little too close!

Thanks! You're lucky with your sightings in Grand Teton. Not that you want to be close to a bear, but we rarely see wildlife in that park. Yellowstone is usually a given, but I think the only animals we saw in GTNP were back in 2005 and they were one bison and a few pronghorn. It's still a very pretty park, but you really benefit if things are clear. We had beautiful conditions back in 2005 and I got some great pics of the Cathedral Group and Mt. Moran. They're a bit grainy because these were shot with real film and converted to digital, but it's my only time seeing the Teton range without a ton of smoke. Cool clouds on those last two from early morning snow, but no smoke

 

[Songbird76]

Sam also had on one of the hydration vests (as you can see in her cranky pics). This one has a 2L bladder and two 10oz bottles. We all got some water and then David had the kids trade-off. I got the hydration pack and the kids carried the heavy pack.

On the way down, we also saw a golden mantled ground squirrel. As usual, these guys are pretty fearless...and most people incorrectly assume they're looking at a big fat chipmunk. Ugh.

I took pics the rest of the way down.

David at least drove on the way back to our lodging. So, just some pics on the way out of thermal features, bobby socks trees, and a bison hanging out in a parking lot.

We also spotted this elk herd on the way out. What's funny...we'll also see them in a similar area as we enter the park the next day.

This got David going off on a long tangent about how Yellowstone never disappoints. He's not really wrong. In about the course of 2 hours, we saw a lot of pretty natural scenery in the park...including rivers and mountains, we saw a couple of bison, a herd of elk, and some of the most impressive thermal features on the planet.

Aaaaaaand we're back in West Yellowstone...

Once we got back, we packed up our laundry and went out to the second laundry spot on my list. Spot 1 looked MUCH nicer and had better reviews, but they close early and I wasn't optimistic that we'd finish in time. We drove by spot 2, but it was just too creepy looking. I'm sure it was fine and intended for tent campers, since they also had showers, but booked it over to spot 1 and did our laundry as quickly as possible. In fact, so quickly that I didn't realize that there were already clothes in the washer I was starting to load up. So, an awkward start sorting out our stuff from his. He was at least a nice guy.

The facilities were crazy hot, but I didn't want to go off and leave our stuff unattended. So, we sat at a front table, watching opening ceremonies for the Olympics while the girls sat outside discussing how annoying we both are. Fun times. I know my older one was kind of horrified about using a laundromat. I'm guessing some of the stupid shows she watches depict laundromat usage in a less than favorable light. I guess she needs to watch different shows, because when I think of laundromats, I tend to think of the Friends episode where Ross and Rachel take on the laundromat bully.

Wow, that looks like a really nice laundromat!! I don't think I've ever been in one that nice! So how long did you have to drive from the hotel to actually get into Yellowstone? I didn't realize West Yellowstone was a town name, and I have been having a really hard time trying to look up lodging on that side of the park that isn't actually IN Yellowstone. Everything seems like a huge long drive.

 

[Songbird76]

I guess while you know you're kind of stuck with him until he chooses to move on, it's proof of the job security where you are. At least they have options for moving more challenging people to different areas to help with the work environment.

I was just thinking since you went through the Lake Hotel, it might have been the Lake Lodge right behind it since I know they serve food in this manner. I think the only other place we've eaten in the park that offers this kind of cafeteria style meal is over near Old Faithful. Canyon did for our 2018 trip, but it wasn't like that for our 2005 visit, and I don't remember covered food at Canyon. Oh well. If you are trying to stay in the park, I'd look and book ASAP. Unlike Glacier, that opens up once a month, the entire next season of Yellowstone opens up around Memorial Day. So, not sure what it looks like after being open for booking 3 months. That being said, I don't think we've ever booked Yellowstone right on the dot. You also have options outside of the park as well. Jackson Hole and Cody are a bit far IMO, but Gardiner and West Yellowstone are good options if you stay outside of the park. Maybe it's because bikers were looking for different kinds of lodging options, but we didn't have many issues with lodging and planning around Sturgis. Yes, it added to crowds on the roads and attractions, but it wasn't awful either. We drove through Cheyenne during Frontier Days in 2019, but it was a Sunday morning, so I don't think we really saw the big picture of what it does to traffic and crowds. I can understand the dread if you had it all worked out and it fell apart due to the stupid pandemic.

Gardiner is where we are looking for one night. There is a place just a couple of miles from the East Gate...it's a really small place with cabins, and it's affordable and the closest thing we can find to the park without actually staying in the park. Cody/Powell are just too far. So we'd stay the one night in those cabins, get going the next morning and head up North, hitting all the major sites along the way, then staying in Gardiner for that night, then drive SouthWest and see the other half, then I was looking for something near the West entrance. I agree Jackson is too far, not to mention Jackson is pretty expensive. A lot of celebrities have homes there, and it's a tourist trap town, so it's more expensive than other places. Anyway, the plan is to stay somewhere on that side of the park, then drive further South to Jackson area the next day. I have some cousins in Pinedale, and I haven't seen them in YEARS....the last time I actually remember was in 1998 when we were all in Illinois visiting the rest of the family and we were driving to New York because my choir was singing in Carnegie. So it would be great to see them, and I imagine we can find lodgine somewhere in the vicinity.

I think the traffic thing around Cheyenne Frontier Days is relative. When you're from the least populated state and there are usually more Antelope on the road than people, any influx of people seems like a lot. I get nervous in a lot of traffic, especially if I don't know the area well, because I'm afraid I'm going to miss a turn, or rear end somebody because I'm looking for a street sign and don't see the person in front of me stop. My husband is not always the best at watching for other traffic and he tends to be pretty impatient. But if all goes well, I'll have my drivers license tomorrow and then I'll be able to help with the driving...or....well, I'll be EXPECTED to help with the driving. So a lot of extra traffic does not make me happy. Either I have to navigate it myself, or be nervous because he is tailgaiting, etc.

 

[MinnieM123]

The kids went off up ahead of us. They had decided that the adults were really annoying today and that they were bored with the trip. The adults decided that they may not need to join us on future vacations. See how that works. David mentioned leaving them with my parents. Maybe it's because my parents don't live near us and they've never had many experiences being watched by them, but they thought that was a great idea. If they think I'm overbearing and protective...wait until they spend 24 hours with Grandma! We actually came up with a really good solution to this, but I'll get to that at the end of the report...assuming I remember.

I understand the age difference dynamic between teens and adults. But, they were bored?! They were given this wonderful opportunity to go places that many of us here would love to experience, but budget prohibits for some of us. (Wait until they get out in the real world on their own. That may adjust some of their perceptions. )

Glad that you and your husband enjoyed and appreciated the wonderful sights and experiences on your trip. I like all your photos and am learning new information about the various places you visited.

 

[cgersic]

The photos of Grand Prismatic are just gorgeous!!! It's such a beautiful, amazing park and I feel bad for the people that will never get to experience it. It's so crazy to read about the smoke and think of it being such a presence. I was born and raised in Colorado and I just don't remember ever hearing about fires like you do these days. Now I'm going to have to go research to see if it's just that I was unaware of the fire presence or if it's getting worse... I have been a camper and hiker since I was old enough to walk and I remember flash floods being the big worry and not fires. And I do have to say, the girls do look cranky and bored, and your responses to their attitude is making me laugh out loud! Sorry girls!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I understand the age difference dynamic between teens and adults. But, they were bored?! They were given this wonderful opportunity to go places that many of us here would love to experience, but budget prohibits for some of us. (Wait until they get out in the real world on their own. That may adjust some of their perceptions. )

Glad that you and your husband enjoyed and appreciated the wonderful sights and experiences on your trip. I like all your photos and am learning new information about the various places you visited.

I think it comes with the age. A number of friends and family responded saying a) they were this way on trips at this age b) their kids are just like this c) a&b. We have a fun trip planned for next summer, and while David thought about just dumping them off on my parents, I remembered my dad wanting to do something special for their 50th anniversary. I don't want to ruin it for my parents either, so I won't be pawning the kids off on them for everything, but if they're not getting grandma and grandpa time...they may be pushed into kids' club stuff...which at this point sounds completely cringe-worthy to them. David mentioned to them several times about never getting to travel like this when he was a kid and it won't be long before they're finding out just how limited they may be with travel once they're out on their own and budgeting their own $.

Thanks! Yellowstone was a really bizarre feeling this time. We've now been there enough that there are times where I feel like I could be looking at any of our trips from the pictures. As much as I love YNP, I am kind of excited to get to all of the "new to us" stuff after Yellowstone.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

The photos of Grand Prismatic are just gorgeous!!! It's such a beautiful, amazing park and I feel bad for the people that will never get to experience it. It's so crazy to read about the smoke and think of it being such a presence. I was born and raised in Colorado and I just don't remember ever hearing about fires like you do these days. Now I'm going to have to go research to see if it's just that I was unaware of the fire presence or if it's getting worse... I have been a camper and hiker since I was old enough to walk and I remember flash floods being the big worry and not fires. And I do have to say, the girls do look cranky and bored, and your responses to their attitude is making me laugh out loud! Sorry girls!

I'm so happy we hiked up to that viewpoint. I want to say it was about 1-1.5 miles each way...so not too bad. Our first trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton was early to mid September, so we were past some of the fire issues at that point. It snowed on us 3x during that trip. I know the news is constantly covering the wildfires each year. The west has a long history of fires, so I'm not sure if it's truly getting that much worse or if it's just all of the media coverage we have these days. Flash flooding became a concern for us not too long after the Yellowstone part of this trip. As for the kids, they'll learn. They may be in their 20s by the time the lesson sinks in, but they will one day get it.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Wow, that looks like a really nice laundromat!! I don't think I've ever been in one that nice! So how long did you have to drive from the hotel to actually get into Yellowstone? I didn't realize West Yellowstone was a town name, and I have been having a really hard time trying to look up lodging on that side of the park that isn't actually IN Yellowstone. Everything seems like a huge long drive.

David thought I was crazy for doing pre-trip laundromat research, but the reviews were right...it was a really nice laundromat. West Yellowstone, MT is literally right outside of the west entrance to the park. Our hotel was a 0.5 mile drive to the gate and maybe about 0.4 miles to the YNP sign. I want to say it was about 35 minutes from the hotel to Grand Prismatic, maybe about 45 minutes from the hotel to Old Faithful or Mammoth. Of course, traffic and animal jams can make a difference too.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Gardiner is where we are looking for one night. There is a place just a couple of miles from the East Gate...it's a really small place with cabins, and it's affordable and the closest thing we can find to the park without actually staying in the park. Cody/Powell are just too far. So we'd stay the one night in those cabins, get going the next morning and head up North, hitting all the major sites along the way, then staying in Gardiner for that night, then drive SouthWest and see the other half, then I was looking for something near the West entrance. I agree Jackson is too far, not to mention Jackson is pretty expensive. A lot of celebrities have homes there, and it's a tourist trap town, so it's more expensive than other places. Anyway, the plan is to stay somewhere on that side of the park, then drive further South to Jackson area the next day. I have some cousins in Pinedale, and I haven't seen them in YEARS....the last time I actually remember was in 1998 when we were all in Illinois visiting the rest of the family and we were driving to New York because my choir was singing in Carnegie. So it would be great to see them, and I imagine we can find lodgine somewhere in the vicinity.

I think the traffic thing around Cheyenne Frontier Days is relative. When you're from the least populated state and there are usually more Antelope on the road than people, any influx of people seems like a lot. I get nervous in a lot of traffic, especially if I don't know the area well, because I'm afraid I'm going to miss a turn, or rear end somebody because I'm looking for a street sign and don't see the person in front of me stop. My husband is not always the best at watching for other traffic and he tends to be pretty impatient. But if all goes well, I'll have my drivers license tomorrow and then I'll be able to help with the driving...or....well, I'll be EXPECTED to help with the driving. So a lot of extra traffic does not make me happy. Either I have to navigate it myself, or be nervous because he is tailgaiting, etc.

After this trip, we decided we prefer Gardiner. There was just something that felt ultra touristy with West Yellowstone. Not that Gardiner doesn't depend on tourists as well, but I just liked the vibe better. Agreed that Cody is too far. We rented a cabin on the western outskirts of Cody for a night with our 2018 trip and it felt far. I want to say it was at least 30-40 minutes to the east entrance from our cabin and it would have been closer to an hour had we been in the touristy center of Cody. Once inside the park, you're closest to Lake...which is still a bit of a drive if you're wanting to get anywhere else. While I like Jackson, it is pricey and definitely attracts a crowd that wants to be seen.

It's funny you say that, because a coworker asked for Yellowstone info. She mentioned feeling isolated if she stayed inside the park, but coming from a large city, I think she may realize that the whole area is kind of isolated. Good luck with your license!!! Having two drivers for these kinds of trips really helps. Even if you each have issues with how the other one drives, you can always nap when it's not your turn. Traffic is a funny thing. I can handle it, but it's always more stressful when it's not in a place where you're used to driving. On our first day on the road, we hit traffic from an accident on the highway in the Dallas area. I don't know Dallas, so it really heightened my stress level. Coming back into Texas and approaching San Antonio also amped up my stress. I've been there a number of times, but I'm not a fan of the highways in that area and there was a lot of construction that navigation wasn't seeing, so more road stress. I just try and keep a cool head in it, because with all of the road rage issues these days, I can't be losing it in traffic.

 

[Songbird76]

The photos of Grand Prismatic are just gorgeous!!! It's such a beautiful, amazing park and I feel bad for the people that will never get to experience it. It's so crazy to read about the smoke and think of it being such a presence. I was born and raised in Colorado and I just don't remember ever hearing about fires like you do these days. Now I'm going to have to go research to see if it's just that I was unaware of the fire presence or if it's getting worse... I have been a camper and hiker since I was old enough to walk and I remember flash floods being the big worry and not fires. And I do have to say, the girls do look cranky and bored, and your responses to their attitude is making me laugh out loud! Sorry girls!

I think the fires happened....I remember a big fire in Yellowstone when I was around 9 or 10 I think...so probably around 86? There was a lot of controversy because they wouldn't "fight" the fire, because as long as it's a naturally occurring fire (not someone's campfire that spread, arson, etc) it's good....it serves a purpose. It gets rid of the dead stuff and fertilizes the ground for new growth. But of course, a lot of acreage burned. We went the year after it burned, and I remember large sections of just blackened tree remains. It was so sad. Then when I was in high school, there was a fire in the Black Hills of South Dakota. We went and visited a friend in Custer and it came so close to their property line they could see the flames. I don't remember if they were evacuated, but I remember roads where both sides were just charred forest...it had just jumped across the road in some places and then kept going. So I think the fires happened, but there was no social media to spread news. You had to wait until someone could call you to tell you they were alright and where they were.

 

[Songbird76]

After this trip, we decided we prefer Gardiner. There was just something that felt ultra touristy with West Yellowstone. Not that Gardiner doesn't depend on tourists as well, but I just liked the vibe better. Agreed that Cody is too far. We rented a cabin on the western outskirts of Cody for a night with our 2018 trip and it felt far. I want to say it was at least 30-40 minutes to the east entrance from our cabin and it would have been closer to an hour had we been in the touristy center of Cody. Once inside the park, you're closest to Lake...which is still a bit of a drive if you're wanting to get anywhere else. While I like Jackson, it is pricey and definitely attracts a crowd that wants to be seen.

It's funny you say that, because a coworker asked for Yellowstone info. She mentioned feeling isolated if she stayed inside the park, but coming from a large city, I think she may realize that the whole area is kind of isolated. Good luck with your license!!! Having two drivers for these kinds of trips really helps. Even if you each have issues with how the other one drives, you can always nap when it's not your turn. Traffic is a funny thing. I can handle it, but it's always more stressful when it's not in a place where you're used to driving. On our first day on the road, we hit traffic from an accident on the highway in the Dallas area. I don't know Dallas, so it really heightened my stress level. Coming back into Texas and approaching San Antonio also amped up my stress. I've been there a number of times, but I'm not a fan of the highways in that area and there was a lot of construction that navigation wasn't seeing, so more road stress. I just try and keep a cool head in it, because with all of the road rage issues these days, I can't be losing it in traffic.

Yeah, I think when I looked at the map, Cody was like 2 hours from Old Faithful or something. You enter the park long before there's anything really to see. So when you are competing for parking with all the other tourists, we'd have to get up REALLY early to get anywhere in time to find parking. I really don't remember how much time it took us to drive around and see what we saw. I remember 3 trips....one when I was 9 or 10, one a year later with my cousin, and one when I was 12 or 13 that was supposed to be a joint trip with my girl scout troop and our pen pal girl scout troop from Minnesota. In the end, there was a big blow up because my mom was the leader and a single mom, and she couldn't leave my brother home alone for a week, so she was just going to pay his way herself, but one mom threw a hissy fit that a BOY was going on the girl scout trip and they hadn't raised money for our family vacation, it was supposed to be for the GIRLS. So it fell through, but my mom had been to Yellowstone so many times, the Minnesota troop leader asked my mom to play tour guide, and none of them had a problem with my brother coming along. Then my brother ended up at Church camp instead, so he didn't go, and it was just my mom and I and the girl scouts from MN. But I wasn't really paying attention to how long it took us to get places. I'm torn....do I pick one place to stay for several nights and use that as a base? Or do we drive a length each day and spend the night somewhere near the next gate? East gate to North Gate, North Gate to West Gate, West Gate to Jackson?

Thanks....I'm experiencing anxiety about the driving test. Crazy dreams last night, stomach ache for the last 2 days, and it's now midnight:25 and I can't sleep. I just kept thinking about a traffic situation in my lesson today and freaked out whether I did it right or not. I should have known my instructor never would have let me do it wrong, but I just couldn't get it out of my head, so I got up and searched through my text book, couldn't find the exact situation, so I asked my husband, and I was right. Whew. But I just can't get to sleep because all the possible issues keep going through my head. "What if THIS happens during my test?" I'll be so glad when this is over with!!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

July 22nd

I remember waking up and thinking about how lucky we were to be here. I was trying to do the travel math and if my math was correct, this would be the 21st day of both mine and David's lives where we get the privilege to be in Yellowstone. I know the kids don't understand this, so many that's why it crossed my mind. I know a lot of these places are on people's bucket lists and many never get to go. It's easier if you live closer, but growing up in NY Metro NJ...Yellowstone certainly wasn't something I ever heard about with my friends' summer travels. Travel has changed quite a bit since I was a kid, but even as a younger adult, I remember having to do a considerable amount of research on Yellowstone...because I didn't even have a good idea on how to get there. I guess that's true of a lot of the parks, but still...it's not like flying to Orlando and getting a bus to WDW. So, we decided to take this gratitude and knowledge of the park and get in as much as we could in what little time we had.

We arrived at the west entrance and every single lane was open, but I picked the wrong lane. I got behind two motorcyclists that initially seemed like they knew what they were doing. I kid you not...we waited nearly 10 minutes because they were so unprepared. Neither one bought park passes in advance, so they had to pay at the gate, but they are also separate vehicles. Neither had their wallets accessible, so they each had to go into their travel compartments on their bikes to get their respective wallets. Rather than do this at the same time or keep everything in one place...the guy did this first for himself and his bike and the woman didn't even lift a finger to get her wallet and prep for payment until he was done. And I'm guessing things shifted around for both of them and they forgot which side of the bike they stored things...so they each were digging a big to just find their stuff. Seriously people...BE PREPARED! And then once they both paid...someone wanted another map and some kind of brochure...so they still weren't moving. Once they passed, I think we were done in less than 20 seconds and inside the park. Yes, I have an annual pass...but I had it out of my wallet along with my ID and was ready before ever pulling up. My annoyances with them quickly shifted to anger with others. Yeah...they were unprepared, but my tolerance flies out the window for people who obviously put the wildlife at risk.

The speed limit in this area is between 35-45mph, depending on where you are. I may speed on highways outside of the park, but once inside, I'm following the limits and being really cautious around animals. This jerk in a Range Rover was tailing me for a bit before flying around me...annoying...but I got a good chuckle when we ended up right behind him in an animal jam. There were elk off to our right...

(Can you see them??)

...but we were stopped and then were going super super slow. There wasn't much in the way of oncoming traffic, so my mind immediately thought "bison in the road." This normally isn't a big deal aside from it slowing down traffic. I finally saw a few cars coming towards me in oncoming traffic, which didn't register as anything off at first. Then I see this large bull bison galloping at full speed on the very edge of that lane...and the next few cars went flying past him. Even if there hadn't been a bison, I would have been like "whoa buddy, slow down." Essentially, he was running FROM them and they weren't giving him even the slightest courtesy to slow down. Bison can run as fast as 35-45mph and most couldn't care less about vehicles, but I've only seen bison run like this in videos where they're trying to evade attacks from wolves. When you're driving 45mph+ and coming close to sideswiping a 2,000 lb animal because you refuse to yield to him...while you're in a national park known for these animals and he has the right of way... ugh, it just really makes me mad. Like, why bother going to Yellowstone if you're going to endanger the wildlife like this? I don't care if they were running late for their ATV or fly fishing adventure outside of the park. If they hit that animal, it will likely be a death sentence for him and will almost definitely total their vehicle. The week before we were there, some people in a Nissan Armada slammed into a bison in the same area...killed the bison and their vehicle. OK...I'll get off my soap box, but it still makes me angry. Meanwhile, the Range Rover that passed me was still right in front of me.

Today we turned left when we got to the Madison Junction. I had thought about stopping in Norris, since we didn't do that last trip, but everyone seemed more interested in just heading to Lamar Valley, so I kept driving. We also had to go a slightly longer way. If you know Yellowstone, you know there's a grand loop, but also some connecting areas that turn it into more of a figure 8. Normally, I would have cut over to the Canyon area and taken the road between Canyon and Tower to access Lamar Valley, but this connecting road is closed for the entire summer 2021 season. So, I had to head towards Mammoth instead. We passed Artist Paint Pots along the way and I asked if anyone was interested, since we couldn't get parking there in 2018, but David reminded me that the paint pots we saw down in West Thumb that trip were more impressive than what we saw at Artist Paint Pots back in 2005. So, we skipped that too. I did have both cameras going on the drive, so I captured a few things along the way...including a blurry less stressed out bison walking along the road.

It's just amazing all of the steam escaping through all of the little thermal features.

We also went by Gibbon Falls, but we explored more there last time...so didn't feel the need again. It then hit me that it was early morning and maybe I could finally get some good Roaring Mountain pictures. We NEVER stop here...probably because we're never here at the right time of day, but in the morning...it's pretty impressive. So, we stopped!

*I think this was taken inside the car, and that interesting streak is a dead bug. My vehicle was becoming a bug graveyard and I was having to clean the windshield of bug guts literally every single time we stopped for gas.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

And if this area sounds familiar, there's a woman who has been in the news that is being charged for her treatment of a grizzly bear sow that was in this area back in the spring. I guess someone got her bad behavior on video, so there was enough evidence to go after her.

David seems to like driving in Yellowstone and promised to take it easy in places with drop offs, so I was able to take some pics while he drove. It's just hard to get some things from the road. For example, I could see a single trumpeter swan off in Swan Lake Flats as we drove by, but I'm not getting that from the passenger side while going 40mph. Just like we also went by Sheepeater Cliffs, but from the road, it goes by so fast to really get any kind of photo. I was able to get some OK pics as we were coming into Mammoth.

As scared as I get driving in this area, it is just such a breathtaking entrance...coming in at that height, the waterfall, the sheer drop offs, the hoodoos...and then seeing the terraces to your left and the hotel and "village" below.

Everyone needed a bathroom break, we'd missed the potties and Sheepeater, and I knew it would be utter madness if we tried parking around the hotel. Thankfully, there were some restrooms right by the upper terrace parking. WHEW!

On our drive through the Mammoth area, I noticed something I hadn't even considered...picnics...lots of them. It occurred to me that with the in-park dining closed due to Covid and everything being take-out, picnic spots would be hard to come by in this area.

We also saw some of the Mammoth elk herd before heading out of the area towards Lamar Valley.

So, I guess I also got a bit too ambitious with what I wrote for the evening with regards to the time I'd have with the computer. I thought I'd be able to post all the way through Lamar Valley, but I forgot how many pics I took...so, coming up, Lamar Valley and lunch plans.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I think the fires happened....I remember a big fire in Yellowstone when I was around 9 or 10 I think...so probably around 86? There was a lot of controversy because they wouldn't "fight" the fire, because as long as it's a naturally occurring fire (not someone's campfire that spread, arson, etc) it's good....it serves a purpose. It gets rid of the dead stuff and fertilizes the ground for new growth. But of course, a lot of acreage burned. We went the year after it burned, and I remember large sections of just blackened tree remains. It was so sad. Then when I was in high school, there was a fire in the Black Hills of South Dakota. We went and visited a friend in Custer and it came so close to their property line they could see the flames. I don't remember if they were evacuated, but I remember roads where both sides were just charred forest...it had just jumped across the road in some places and then kept going. So I think the fires happened, but there was no social media to spread news. You had to wait until someone could call you to tell you they were alright and where they were.

You may be thinking of the big 1988 fire. It was the largest fire in YNP history. I think too many of the smaller fires had combined and got out of control when they finally decided to start trying to fight them. I know the lodges got special protection, but the fire also taught them about lodgepole pines and how the pine cones need extreme heat to explode and reseed the forest. So, this also started the practice of periodic controlled burns in the park. When we first visited in 2005, you could still really tell what was new growth from that 1988 fire, but now, it looks more mature and blends. We also saw a controlled burn during that trip. I had a pic of it because there were signs up to not report it, but I lost one of the CDs with the converted pics from that trip and I guess it was on that one. The fires causing all of the smoke now are much farther west, but even cities on the east coast of the US have seen smoke from those west coast fires. But yea... I think modern media is definitely a big factor in the coverage and knowledge.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Yeah, I think when I looked at the map, Cody was like 2 hours from Old Faithful or something. You enter the park long before there's anything really to see. So when you are competing for parking with all the other tourists, we'd have to get up REALLY early to get anywhere in time to find parking. I really don't remember how much time it took us to drive around and see what we saw. I remember 3 trips....one when I was 9 or 10, one a year later with my cousin, and one when I was 12 or 13 that was supposed to be a joint trip with my girl scout troop and our pen pal girl scout troop from Minnesota. In the end, there was a big blow up because my mom was the leader and a single mom, and she couldn't leave my brother home alone for a week, so she was just going to pay his way herself, but one mom threw a hissy fit that a BOY was going on the girl scout trip and they hadn't raised money for our family vacation, it was supposed to be for the GIRLS. So it fell through, but my mom had been to Yellowstone so many times, the Minnesota troop leader asked my mom to play tour guide, and none of them had a problem with my brother coming along. Then my brother ended up at Church camp instead, so he didn't go, and it was just my mom and I and the girl scouts from MN. But I wasn't really paying attention to how long it took us to get places. I'm torn....do I pick one place to stay for several nights and use that as a base? Or do we drive a length each day and spend the night somewhere near the next gate? East gate to North Gate, North Gate to West Gate, West Gate to Jackson?

Thanks....I'm experiencing anxiety about the driving test. Crazy dreams last night, stomach ache for the last 2 days, and it's now midnight:25 and I can't sleep. I just kept thinking about a traffic situation in my lesson today and freaked out whether I did it right or not. I should have known my instructor never would have let me do it wrong, but I just couldn't get it out of my head, so I got up and searched through my text book, couldn't find the exact situation, so I asked my husband, and I was right. Whew. But I just can't get to sleep because all the possible issues keep going through my head. "What if THIS happens during my test?" I'll be so glad when this is over with!!

I have mixed feelings on the eastern side of the park. I think the Lake is really impressive and there are some beautiful pull out areas as well as some pretty smaller lakes, like Sylvan Lake...

...still, I feel like the eastern side and the Lake area are more focused on people who want to go fishing on the lake. There are some really neat thermal features at West Thumb, west of the Lake area, but it's still a hefty drive from Cody. Although, the area makes for some amazing sunrise pics if you want to be closer to this area for sunrise.

Personally, I liked the approach we took during that 2005 trip. This visit was too short for it and we were limited with options by the time I booked the 2018 trip. Still, if you spend a few days here and a few days there, it makes it so much easier to see the park. So, you could stay in Mammoth for the days where you're focusing on Mammoth, Lamar Valley, and probably Canyon. Then you could stay in West Yellowstone for days where you're focusing on Old Faithful, Norris, and Lake. I still think the other gates are too much of a drive to do this, but maybe some of the cabins inside the park are in the budget? That would help tremendously. I will also say that popular places like Old Faithful are super busy in the morning, but by later afternoon, it's much more accessible. So, it could also be how to plan your days to make it all work too.

I hate that kind of stress. And it's not going to go away until you've taken the test. I still think it's interesting how different driving is over there. Just the difference in perspective is so interesting...and the irony, you're wanting this (well, in part) for a trip over here...where you'd be driving around more people with American driving styles. Either way, just have confidence in yourself. You've done the training...you just have to go take the test. You can do it!

 

[Songbird76]

You may be thinking of the big 1988 fire. It was the largest fire in YNP history. I think too many of the smaller fires had combined and got out of control when they finally decided to start trying to fight them. I know the lodges got special protection, but the fire also taught them about lodgepole pines and how the pine cones need extreme heat to explode and reseed the forest. So, this also started the practice of periodic controlled burns in the park. When we first visited in 2005, you could still really tell what was new growth from that 1988 fire, but now, it looks more mature and blends. We also saw a controlled burn during that trip. I had a pic of it because there were signs up to not report it, but I lost one of the CDs with the converted pics from that trip and I guess it was on that one. The fires causing all of the smoke now are much farther west, but even cities on the east coast of the US have seen smoke from those west coast fires. But yea... I think modern media is definitely a big factor in the coverage and knowledge.

Yep, that must have been it. So I would have been 11 I guess. I knew it was somewhere around in there, but I didn't remember the exact year. So that must have been the year before I went with the Girl Scouts, and it must have been the girl scout trip where we saw all the scorched trees. I remember seeing a coyote on our trip with my cousin and he was unimpressed. We had traveled to Illinois and brought him back with us to do Yellowstone, but he was too cool for school and really just didn't understand what we thought was so cool about wildlife, trees, mountains, etc.
I'll be really interested to see everything again next Summer. The Mammoth Hot Springs area is one of my favorite spots. I hope we get to go!

 

[Songbird76]

I have mixed feelings on the eastern side of the park. I think the Lake is really impressive and there are some beautiful pull out areas as well as some pretty smaller lakes, like Sylvan Lake...

...still, I feel like the eastern side and the Lake area are more focused on people who want to go fishing on the lake. There are some really neat thermal features at West Thumb, west of the Lake area, but it's still a hefty drive from Cody. Although, the area makes for some amazing sunrise pics if you want to be closer to this area for sunrise.

Personally, I liked the approach we took during that 2005 trip. This visit was too short for it and we were limited with options by the time I booked the 2018 trip. Still, if you spend a few days here and a few days there, it makes it so much easier to see the park. So, you could stay in Mammoth for the days where you're focusing on Mammoth, Lamar Valley, and probably Canyon. Then you could stay in West Yellowstone for days where you're focusing on Old Faithful, Norris, and Lake. I still think the other gates are too much of a drive to do this, but maybe some of the cabins inside the park are in the budget? That would help tremendously. I will also say that popular places like Old Faithful are super busy in the morning, but by later afternoon, it's much more accessible. So, it could also be how to plan your days to make it all work too.

I hate that kind of stress. And it's not going to go away until you've taken the test. I still think it's interesting how different driving is over there. Just the difference in perspective is so interesting...and the irony, you're wanting this (well, in part) for a trip over here...where you'd be driving around more people with American driving styles. Either way, just have confidence in yourself. You've done the training...you just have to go take the test. You can do it!

I need to look at my itinerary and see how many days I had planned for Yellowstone. I just don't remember enough about our trips to know where we should stay and how much time we should plan for each thing. I know we spent quite a bit of time at Old Faithful to look around the lodge and go to the giftshop as well as watch the geyser go off. And I remember on one trip we walked to Morning Glory because my mom had always wanted to see it, but had never been with anyone willing to hike out there. And I know we spent a bit of time at one of the viewing points for the falls. I hope my kids will remember more than I do from their trip when we go....they will be 14 and 16 where I was only 12 the last time I went, so hopefully they will.

I'm actually learning the driving isn't quite as different as I thought. My first driving instructor was just on a power trip and had me convinced I was the worst driver ever and that everything I did was wrong. Now that I have a new instructor, I'm much more confident and I'm realizing that yes, there are some differences....like you can't turn right on red here, and of course there are rotondes everywhere, and the right of way is weird...people coming from the right have the right of way, even if you are going straight and they are turning, unless you are on one of the major streets where people already on the street have the right of way. So there are differences, but the major thing was just that the instructor criticized everything and kept telling me if I didn't do things perfectly, I would fail. I thought it was ridiculously strict...like, he told me they could give me a string of 5 instructions all at once, and if I did it wrong, I'd fail. That makes no sense...that has nothing to do with driving. That's remembering instructions, but I'm rarely going to have someone telling me where to go, and if I take a wrong turn, it's not the end of the world. But my driving instructor now says it's not the instructions they are worried about. It's the safety. If they tell you to turn right, do you check your mirrors, use your turn signal, etc, before getting into the turn lane? If you don't get into the turn lane, do you try to turn right anyway, or do you just go straight and find a new place to turn? My first instructor tried to motivate with fear. "If you don't learn, you'll fail." That doesn't work for me, especially with something where you can never tell what the traffic is going to be like....the situation is constantly changing, so you have to adapt. It's not a concrete concept where it will always happen the exact same way, so sometimes you will just have to go with the flow. Yesterday, some idiot decided to pass me within city limits, just on a random street, because I was only going 51 in a 50!! And I was turning left, and he went around me right where I was turning. REALLY stupid and jerk move, but all the examinor wants to see is that I reacted safely. I failed the first time because I was just so confused about what they WANTED and the guy told me I was too "unsure" in my driving. I should be loads better now.