Stage III: Yellowstone National Park
Our first and only stop between Greybull and Yellowstone was Cody, Wy. We timed it so we'd have enough time to stop at Sierra Trading Post before lunch. Sierra Trading Post, for those who aren't familiar, is an outdoor outlet store. They have everything from casual clothing to high performance gear. So it had something for all of us. And I think all of us ended up leaving with something. it was a good time.
As we checked out we asked the cashier for lunch reccomendations and he provided several. We ended up going to a burger place and it was delightful. Not only did they have great burgers and fries, but a wide selection of regional microbrews to sample. I was driving so I only got to try one, but i got to taste each of fred and abby's beers (two apiece, those lushes).
The town of cody is quite enchanting. It lies in a valley with Mountains surrounding it. It has one main drag with boutique-like shops lining each side of the street. It was nice town. I could settle down there. and I think abby would be willing too :)
With our bellies full of great food and better beer, we set out for Yellowstone which was about an hour away. The drive between these two points is quite spectacular. I believe most of the land lies within Buffalo Bill State Park. Once we arrived in the park we were warned of some road construction which we hit about 5 miles in. They were working on a road that leads up to a pass and it looked like interesting work. One side of the road was a rock face, the other was a cliff. They had cut this road out of the side of a mountain. On the other side of the pass was the park caldera--or the inside of the volcano. this is where most of the fun parts of the park reside--and our hotel for the next two nights.
We were staying at the Lake Hotel which was on the edge of the lake (the largest lake at elevation on the continent, i think). We decided to check in first then head off to the first attraction. The hotel was gorgeous. I think it's the oldest lodge in a national park dating back to 1890ish. The decor, however was reminiscent of the 1920s. It was a terrific break from contemporary styling. The rooms were small but comfortable and had no televisions or air conditioning. but you need neither, so this isn't a bad thing.
After checking in and lugging our luggage to the rooms, we set out for, what else, Old Faithful. The park is huge so getting there wasn't a short trip. I think it was around 45 minutes to an hour to get there. Old Faithful is going off about every 1.5 hours so we had a short wait before we saw it. It was what I expected. Alot of steam, a jet of water and a whole lot of tourists. So once that was done, we went off in search of food, eventually settling on the cafeteria near the geyser. When we were done it was getting close to sunset AND the next erruption, so we stuck around, this time positioning ourselves upwind so we could see more water and less wind. The sun was setting in the background and the whole scene was much more picturesque this time around.
It was after 8PM at this point so we headed back to the hotel, stopping for photos at the continental divide along the way. Instead of paying for booze at the lounge/common area, we uncorked two bottles of wine that we had picked up in cody and capped off the evening that way. Day one in yellowstone was over.
Day two was only full day in the park so we had to make the most of it. There was alot to see and alot of ground in between it all to cover. We first stopped at the mud volcanos which ended up being abby's favorite spot in the park. she's weird like that. It was just a bunch of bubbly mud which reeked of sulfur. interesting, sure. but not a place you'd want to have a picnic.
We continued on towards the canyon which is the area I most wanted to see. But first we had to cross the plains type area which was home to a buffalo herd. Buffalo were so close to the road that we could easily snap photos from the car. Traffic was stopped more than once because the animals were either standing in the road or in the process of crossing it. pretty fun. When we finally made it to the canyon I wasn't disappointed. The sun was out so we could see the beautiful colors in the stone. It was very picturesque. We visited both sides of the canyon and took the time to visit the overlook over the upper (smaller) falls. Very impressive but not so photo conducive since the we were so close that the entirety of the falls couldn't be snapped from the overlook.
Having had our fill of the canyon and its falls, we set off the last major attraction--Mammoth Hot Springs. The scenery along the way to the springs was fantastic. Unfortunately, the sunny skies that we enjoyed at the canyon were no where to be found during the drive so we couldn't stop and take photos. When we arrived at the town we were met with the most chaotic atmosphere that we experienced while in the park. People where everywhere, parking spots were scarce, and lines were long. This could have been because this town was the most livable of the bunch. There were actually houses here that made it feel like an actual town rather than a set of hotel buildings. apparently people actually lived here, probably along with many park rangers. after a good meal at the restaurant we set off towards the springs which were made interesting because of their beautiful mineral deposits that spilt over a mountain side. we only had to climb up the mountain to enjoy it all. we weren't all that thrilled to do this having done just climbed mountains a few days previous (especially abby who's knees and ankles were a bit sore), but at least the rain had mostly stopped.
Once we completed the trek we started the long drive back towards our hotel. The rain decided to cease cooperating and we were again denied the opportunity to photograph the scenery near Mammoth Hot Springs but we were all tired from the climb and were relieved just to sit anyway. The first stop along the way back was at the Norris geyser basin. This was really more similar to the mud volcano than the old faithful geyser basin. There were a few geysers there that we didn't get the chance to see erupt, but abby got to see plenty more mudpots. The last stop we made was to the fountain mud pots. We practically ran threw this area as a thunder storm was fast approaching and we didn't want to get caught in it. it was getting late and we had dinner reservations back at the hotel.
So we ended our night having a few drinks and great dinner at the ritzy hotel restaurant. it was a good cap on the trip. We had seen what we came to see and had a good time doing it (for the most part:). The return drive was fairly uneventful. We stopped only at the Corn Palace in Mitchell (whakachicha-whakachicha-whakachicha) South Dakota which was a totally let down. And instead of taking the same route back, we decided to take I90 through southern Minnesota and Wisconsin. and boy did it suck. maybe it was that I had no energy left, but this path seemed totally devoid of excitement. the trip ended where it started: at abby's mothers house which was a welcome bookend.
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