July 23, 2009. Today is the second day I will be exploring Yellowstone National Park on my own. Yesterday was really fun and exciting. I started the day at 5:22 AM. I have a lot of miles to cover and I also wanted to see as much wildlife as I can. They are usually up very early feeding while humans are still asleep. As soon as I entered the road along the Elk refuge, I saw a bunch of male and female elks on the grass. There was a bunch with one male and 4 females very near the road. I took some pictures and went on. At 6:01, just past Oxbow bend, I spotted a black bear crossing the road. I stopped the car to let him pass and I was able to take a good look at him and a shot. I arrived at the Old Faithful at 8:00 AM. The air smelled of sulfur since the geyser has just erupted. I went to the visitor center to ask what time will be the next eruption and was told it will be at 9:38. I settled in the Lodge, ate breakfast then went around the geyser area and looked at the hotsprings and mudspots. I took a lot of good pictures. At 9:00 I reserved a good spot where I can watch the old geyser spew 6000 to 8000 gallons of water in the air. It went exactly as predicted. The eruption lasted for two minutes. It was a spectacular site. Everybody was quiet. I was even embarrassed to have my picture taken while the geyser was actively spewing hot water. I had my picture taken when it was over.
The next stop was the Fishing bridge but I didn’t stay there because some volunteers were painting the bridge. A little bit further where the Yellowstone River flows, I saw a bunch of chicks on a little island. There were three cranes flying back and forth as if showing off. I figured out they were the parents of those tiny cranes on the little island. I went to the Canyon area and saw the lower falls at the Artist’s point. I then went to the upper falls but I cannot go down to take a good look as an accident just occurred and the rangers were stopping all visitors from proceeding. I continued on higher to what they called the Devil’s Den and saw the most spectacular view of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. It was really amazing.
The road going to Mammoth Spring from the Canyon was treacherous. The view on the right was spectacular and breathtaking. But you have to drive slowly because it was so steep and squiggly. A little bit lower as you go through the pass, the view shifted to the other side. The cliff is now on the left and you have to be very careful especially on the bends because your car might shoot off to the cliff. I stopped at some turnouts looking for wild life. I didn’t count but I saw numerous bisons on the way. And wonders of wonder!!!! I spotted a red wolf. I will tell you more about it on my next blog as I am running out of time. I should be on the road to explore the Mammoth hot springs. I will be hiking today to explore the amazing geology of Yellowstone. See you again next time.
