Yellowstone Day 1

 Monday. God answers prayers!!! I’m on the very front row of this coach as we head into Yellowstone.  Big ol’ windows all around!

Just found out mtn at end of town is Rattlesnake Mtn. Just stopped at another mtn.—-Heart Mtn, thought to look like heart of a buffalo. After Pearl Harbor was bombed, over 100k Japanese Americans were arrested and sent to camps. Several thousand ended up in a relocation camp on the other side of this mountain. It was like a regular city, but surrounded by barbed wire. Two boys there became friends, Norman Mineta and Alan Simpson. Watch their story on YouTube. Also a book about Heart Mtn was written in 1988—Heart Mountain 

Traveling thru Absaroka Mtns  Beautiful lake along this route  

I’m so excited about today!!!

Looking at overland wiring  What a job it was to build the electrical lines   Seeing donkeys in fields with horses  Learned this year that donkeys are used to keep away predators     Seeing houses built on these rocky hills

Entering east entrance of Yellowstone.  Doing whole northern loop of Yellowstone today, circling the caldera. Going up Sylvan Pass, 8530’ high. Curves; slow climb. Lots of fine sedimentary rock. Yellowstone has 3472 sq miles. 1000 miles of hiking trails.  80% of park is forested. 1% is roads.   Yellowstone lake is huge. At 7731’, 110 miles of shoreline.   Lake has hot springs at bottom.   Yellowstone River runs from lake. Flows north. Runs into Grand Canyon of the north.  Stopping at Lake Lodge for lunch, located at top of Yellowstone Lake    Lake Hotel is located here; built in 1889  Still open for business  

Riding Grand Loop Road  Seeing bison, ducks, trumpeter swans    Climbing to Mammoth, 47 miles from where we are now  Seeing Lodge Pole pine trees  Indians used them for tepees since they are straight and tall   Climbing to top of Mt Washburn, over 10k feet high   Beginning to rain a little  Just turned on heater on bus!  

Pulled off to see Grand Canyon of Yellowstone   It’s 51 degrees and wind is blowing hard  Here we see the yellow rock from where Yellowstone gets its name   Bonus:  juvenile Big Horn sheep is right here  Got good photos!!  We are following along the old stagecoach road  Going thru Roosevelt Junction    Cars not allowed at Yellowstone until 1917     Read story about Truman Everette, lost in Yellowstone      Hats park rangers wear are like the Calvary hats the soldiers wore before the park system took over   Headed to Mammoth Hot Springs    Only seeing single bison    Temperature of water at springs can be 200 degrees    Look up travertine terraces. Hot springs are flowing over causing travertine buildup.  Seeing Fort Yellowstone, big community!!  Stopped for break at Mammoth Springs   Again, look up travertine terraces. Elk like it here    Saw a good many laying on the grass  There was one bull and many gals    Talked to a lady in the gift shop  who said they close this area on October 8 this year and open again next May    

Now headed south to Madison  Different scenery  Passing Gallatin (sp) Mtn Range   Seeing patches of snow on mtn  There are some acidic lakes on this side of the park  There are no fish in one of them  Others will bleach the areas around the water  Passing Frying Pan Springs and it was steaming!  Coming into caldera area—-lots of steam vents   

Seeing tree trunks where elk have rubbed off the bark  

307-344-2751 Old Faithful Prediction   Call to hear when it is to blow next

So today we saw bison, elk, ducks, trumpeter swans, ravens, mule deer, bighorn sheep, bald eagle, and rocks that looked like bears!!

Just crossed Montana state line  Staying in West Yellowstone, Montana for two nights   

A wonderful day of sightseeing    So thankful I came on this trip