I was greeted with bright sunshine when I stepped out of my lodge room but it was cold ( 41 F / 5 C ) but fortunately that was about to change for
the better during the day.
After breakfast I headed for the west entry to the park, a short drive just down the road from my lodge. Entry fee is steep ( $ 50 ) but the nice ranger
at the toll booth explained that the ticket is valid for 7 days and does include the Grand Teton National Park ( my next destination of Yellowstone )
as well. With this in mind I happily parted with my dollars and went off.
Despite the fact that since Labour day the kids are back to school and the major holiday traffic is over I was surprised how many people are still
vacationing.
The road follows for a few miles the Madison River and then one has two choices: left or right. I had already decided yesterday evening when
looking at the park map to concentrate today and the meadows and geysers. So I turned right .
Tomorrow will be peaks, canyons and rivers. One has to be organised. Right ? !
Driving through the peaceful, still and serene landscape one doesn’t realise that below the surface a completely different world exists. The
Yellowstone is the result of a gigantic volcanic eruption and most of the park is the crater ( or caldera ). The magma chambers are only a few miles
below the surface and as recent as in 1985 volcanic eruptions have happened and changed the park at places dramatically. Leaves one with
the question when the next one will happen.
These eruptions do occur even daily in much much smaller scale like for example of the Old Faithful Geyser, my first destination point but the traffic came all
over sudden to a complete stop. Traffic jam in the park ? Accident ?
Slowly, stop and go, the traffic moved forward through the forest until part of the plains appeared and the reason for the hold-up: Bisons. A herd of
about 20-30 animals happily grazing right next to the road. Obviously every car almost stopped ( me as well ) to take some pictures. But one had to move
on and soon I reached the geyser area with Old Faithful.
He erupts with a certain predictability every 1 ½ hours ( +/- 10 min ) and as the last one had just happened a little while ago I used the “waiting time"
to go the Visitors Centre. The National Park Service does a fantastic job in explained all the in and outs of the park using various objects and pictures
and does even show some fantastic movies one of which I watched. Fantastic photography so that I decided to visit the souvenir shop and buy the
DVD. At the predicted time I was at the spot and sure, almost on the minute, he erupted. Firstly slowly but then… Gigantic.
Makes one wonder how it looks below.
As mentioned today was geyser and meadows day so I visited a couple of other spots where one can see what nature has in stall in regards of colours,
consistency and smells. I have put some pictures below.
All these places are in one part of the park but not necessarily a few years apart so that a little driving was necessary and if one has fun time flies they
say. So all over sudden in was very late afternoon and time to return.
Not only me I thought but others as well because again: hold-up. A few cars in front of me a herd of bisons crossed the road: gracefully, one
after the other, in almost slow motion not taking notice of the cars at all.
When this “obstacle” was gone traffic moved again but not for long. A lone bison bull walking peacefully and gracefully in the middle of the road, almost
on the yellow line. Driving past him I could look into his eyes. Really !
From now on no more hold-ups and I reached the Three Bear Lodge safely.
Such an eventful day required a great dinner well. The Lodge has a very good restaurant so that I decided to indulge a 10 oz Prime Rib, Wrangler Cut,
medium cooked and washed down with a local beer: Old Faithful Golden Ale from the Grand Teton Brewing Co.
Simply bloody fantastic.
Enjoy the pictures !
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