It's not an adventure unless something goes wrong. Isn't that the saying? Well, it didn't take long. I stopped at the Yellowstone sign to get some pictures and enjoy the sunset. I still had plenty of time to get into the park, find a place to sleep, and maybe make a decent dinner.
Then, my driver window wouldn't roll up, again. I've been having issues with it the past few months and after two services, thought the problem was solved. I guess I thought wrong.
So,like any sane person would do, I took out the tool kit, and popped off the door panel to inspect. Sure enough, the front edge of the window was completely off. I had only removed the plastic from the door, but didn't have the daylight or energy to try to rip the whole door apart. After checking the map, I found the visitor center and hoped it would have some WiFi so I could check Google/YouTube for a fix.
No dice. The visitor center was closed, as I expected at 10pm, and no WiFi. So, that plan was dead, it's now dark, and I need a place to sleep.
The logical, and very dumb, idea was to go not to far as I would need to be at the visitor center in the morning. After a bit of wandering I found a pull off that looked good enough. Too exhausted to cook, I had some ramen and chunks of cheese. Close enough.
It turns out that I was a mere quarter mile away from the Ranger Station, but I my dumb luck kept me safe.
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An early start meant I had time before the visitor center opened and I decided a proper meal was in order. Picnic areas are in plenty supply and offered not only tables but clean water and restrooms. Glorious.
With full water, and a happy stomach, the visitor center gave me a quick overview of the park. The lower loop being 96 miles and deemed a full day. A quick break down said I had 8.5 hours to travel that and see what I wanted before having to jet off to Lander for the evening.
The first stop was lone star geyser, a 3 mile hike along a paved trail, I opted to bust out my bike to make better time. The freeing feeling of rushing down a trail next to a beautiful river in Yellowstone is one that can hardly be conveyed. It just felt....right. Unfortunately, the geyser only erupts every 3 hours and I just missed one 30 minutes prior.
Thankfully, Old Faithful has that name for a reason, and I made it with time to spare. It was just as beautiful as last time, though almost surreal with how many people were there. Like just another part of the herd, I quickly escaped, both on a timetable and not liking the crowd.
Getting off the beaten path a little, I opted to see Firehole Lake Drive. A small off shoot on the west side of the loop, it was a great Escape from the 4th of July crowds and had some great scenery. From there another offshoot can be found called Firehole Canyon Drive, which I would highly recommend to anyone going to Yellowstone. It was a great drive with beautiful scenery and felt very out of place in the park.
From there a quick jaunt north to Norris and through the Virginia Cascades was another well worth it offshoot from the main loop. The drive was serene and almost no one was there. I finally got to break out my zoom lens and wow was it worth it, just being sure to watch my footing and not fall into the canyon.
Next was the Grand Canyon of The Yellowstone (kind of like THE Ohio State, a little dumb). But wow, was it worth it to explore around here. I easily spent 3 hours just in this place alone. Partially because of the tourist traffic, but also because of how astonishing it was. From the Lower Falls to all the lookouts, it was breath taking. If you are even in the area this is the one place to stop and check out.
Finally, a quick shot down the Fishing Bridge and Gull Point Drive yielded a beautiful view of Yellowstone Lake to round off the day. If time permitted I would have stopped at the beach there to soak in the rays (and clean off a bit).
Moseying back to West Thumb was bittersweet, but a great finish to a jam packed and fun filled day. I returned to the visitor center where a (over priced) gas station could be found. With a full tank in the car, and a full stomach thanks to a gas station salad, I took off for Lander to have my first link up with Kari and her father.
As always, you can see all the photos by visiting my
Flickr account here
