So far on the blog the words amazing, great, scenic, beautiful, and spectacular have been used to death. I've struggled to write posts without saying those words over and over again. The problem is, there aren't enough appropriate words to describe the scenery in Yellowstone. Rounding a curve and seeing multiple plumes of steam rising from the ground or out of a mountain, driving along miles of winding crystal clear rivers and streams, walking past gurgling liquid rock and sapphire blue hot springs just leave you speechless at times. Three days in the crater of an ancient volcano with a hotspot still under it is bound to bring countless wonders and surprises. It's not just the lack of words; it's tough for amateur photographers like us to capture it adequately in pictures or video. Sometimes when a photo just wasn't possible, you had to remind yourself that just seeing something like pronghorn butting heads or an eagle perched in a tree or the earth boiling was pretty incredible even if only your memory could preserve the moment.
It's also difficult to cover in words the simple pleasure of sitting on a rocking chair on the porch of a rustic lodge looking out at Yellowstone Lake, or having a picnic lunch on a sunny day while looking out at lush valleys and mountains in the distance. It's impossible (for me) to capture on film a bald eagle swooping down from its nest to grab a fish it saw swimming in a river below or soaring above a valley, enjoying a summer breeze.
We spent three full days in Yellowstone, and in hindsight, we should have planned to stay there longer. I think if we had two more full days, it would have been better. It's easy to drive 200 miles in the park and not see everything. That doesn't account for the numerous trails to walk on and get off the beaten path. In three days, we saw a lot, but I think most of us would agree we didn't see enough. Henry wanted to go swimming in the Firehole River, but we didn't make it back there after driving by on our first day. Henry and I would have liked to hike the trail that would have taken us above the Grand Prismatic Spring so we could see it from above to get a better view. We missed the Black Sands geothermal area because we were looking around and missed the turnoff. If we had a few more days, we could have picked a few spots to pull out our chairs, sit down and wait for wildlife to come through or watch a sunset.
Instead of thinking of the things we missed, I guess it's better to think of the regrets as reasons to return. Henry's already stated he wants to come back in two years.
The challenge with Yellowstone is its size. It's roughly the size of Connecticut. To see the most in a shorter amount of time, it takes a lot of driving. So even though we parked the RV for four nights, we were on the road every day to get to various areas of the park.
The next time we come to Yellowstone, I think we will either stay in various campgrounds in the park or skip camping and stay in lodges throughout the park. While West Yellowstone is just outside the park, it's still a bit far out to be able to get to the eastern and northern areas of the park to view elk and other wildlife at dawn. It's better to look for animals at dawn and dusk, which means either getting up really early or trying to drive back to the campground at night on the park roads, which aren't very illuminated. It would be nice to be near the geyser basins or Yellowstone Lake at sunrise or sunset to see what the early morning or late evening light presents.
When I think of our time in Yellowstone, it reminds me of our trips to Disney World: we always have a great time but we're exhausted at the end of the trip and a bit sad thinking of the things we didn't get to do. This year is especially reminded me of Disney World because it was much more crowded this visit than it was in 2009. Lots of tour buses and more cars at every stop.
After Yellowstone, it's always a good idea to pick a relaxing spot to camp and just take it easy for a few days and unwind. And not drive too much. I'm ready to just camp; to get up in the morning and make bacon and eggs for breakfast in the morning and then sit by a campfire and make s'mores at night. I'm looking forward to a few nights at Red Lodge, Montana, in the mountains northeast of Yellowstone.
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