Yellowstone National Park

Although the road from Buffalo to Gardiner Montana took us through very high rolling countryside, it was not nearly as strenuous a drive as we had expected, and we arrived at the Rocky Mountain RV Park early in the afternoon. Once we had set up camp we drove into the village to look around, and the first thing we spotted was a woman on the lawn in front of a house on the main road, taking photos of…an elk! He was lying peacefully near the front door of the house, and when we stopped to take pictures, we saw that his lady friends were also lounging in the garden, totally unperturbed by the attention that they were attracting!

Early the next morning we left camp, armed with maps, cameras and our picnic, and were soon driving through the impressive entrance to the Yellowstone National Park. We had not gone very far when we came across a group of people who had stopped on the roadside, along with a Park Ranger, and as we slowly drove past, to our delight a black bear strolled across the road right in front of our vehicle!

The next few hours were fascinating – it is a surrealistic sight, seeing hot mud bubbling up out of the ground, or steam rising from boiling, turquoise water, and the ever-present smell of sulphur is overwhelming. And of course, the highlight of the day’s exploration was Old Faithful, the geyser that spouts unfailingly at approximately 90-minute intervals day and night. We were fortunate to have ringside seats – we arrived a while before the next spout was due, and had an unobstructed view of this remarkable phenomenon.

 

The drive back from this farthest point from our camp was a pleasant one, with beautiful scenery, a mountain lake, patches of colorful wild flowers, some impressive crags and canyons, and a lone bison grazing next to the road, and it was late in the afternoon before we finally arrived back at our campsite. There was one more treat in store for us – we had no sooner sat down to our supper, than a number of elk moved through the park, grazing on the leaves of the trees between the RVs, intriguing the campers and sending us all running for our cameras!

We left Gardiner early the next morning, heading for Canada, looking forward with eager anticipation to the next exciting adventure  - perhaps the most exciting one of all – that of welcoming our new grandchild into the world in the very near future!!