Dave and I were surprised that the 30 mile trip from West Yellowstone to the Old Faithful area took three hours, and that's with no stops. The traffic was very slow due to bison being seen near the road.
Proof that we were there!
Our entry into the park was uneventful and a nice stranger took our picture. We breezed through the entry station after showing our senior pass. We sailed along, thinking that this part of the park didn't look all that different than the highway that we were on before we entered the park. Then all of a sudden, we started crawling along at about five miles per hour.
Finally we saw why the cars were going so slow--bison along the road. That's the Madison River in the background.
A pretty setting for the bison. Oh give me a home, where the buffalo roam!
We also saw a couple of elk.
We finally made it to Old Faithful. After the three hour car trip, we were more than ready for a potty stop and then to eat the lunch we had brought along. We joined the people flocking towards Old Faithful. At about 1:30, the geyser faithfully "went off".
After seeing that magnificent sight, we took the walk around Old Faithful and were impressed by some of the other thermal features.
Scenery along the Old Faithful walk.
Blue Star Spring
Yellow stone!
We watched Old Faithful go off again at 3 pm after we visited the Education Center. This time we had a front row seat, but we didn't think this time was quite as impressive as our first viewing.
In the midst of all the steam and mud pots, I was delighted to see these wild flowers.
On the way back to West Yellowstone, Dave and I stopped at some of the other geysers in the basin. I'll share those pictures tomorrow. Stay tuned!
Thanks for sharing all the great pictures. Brings back fond memories. Hope you and Dave continue to have an fun time.
ReplyDeleteafter three hours?..my bladder would be bursting like 'old faithful'!!
ReplyDeleteNever expect to go anywhere very quickly in Yellowstone! But, you can't beat the scenery as you slowly crawl along. :)
ReplyDeleteInteresting report! I didn't realize
ReplyDeletethat there was actually yellow stone in them thar hills (mountains), thus the name Yellowstone. I love the bison scenes! and wish Diane could tune in to your travelogue.
Jackie B.
Sounds like it was worth the time see.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pictures. You did not disappoint. Love the shots of the bison along the river, and the Siberian Irises are a very pretty color.
ReplyDeleteLooks like the Old Geyser is very Faithful! It is always fun seeing the buffalo along the roadside... I agree with Judy, you never move very fast in parts of Yellowstone!
ReplyDeleteYou got some really great pics, and we look forward to some more good ones.
It is a great place, but we did spend a lot of time waiting for buffalo and elk to get off the road!
ReplyDeleteLove the pictures of Yosemite and the buffalo - they are such a magnificent animal. Thanks for sharing your trip with us. We were quite disappointed in 2009 when we could not make the trip there due to motor home problems. Keep having fun!!!
ReplyDelete