Yellowstone
Friday saw Helen, Sylvie and myself fly from Virginia to Bozeman, Montana via a very cold and snowy Minneapolis/St Paul. Bozeman was none too balmy but was small enough for us to get in to the car and on the road very quickly. A short while later we rolled into Gardiner, past the local Elk to check into our hotel and then play hunt the restaurant. I know it was out of season, but so many places
were shut and the one place we found had very little to eat for me, even less as the ravioli was off.
We woke the next morning to a wonderful snow covered scene and gingerly headed into Yellowstone National Park where the ranger on the gate, after giving us the peak information pack, told me she didn't want me to run off the road or to hear about me over the park radio. Having European driving skills and common sense we proceeded into the park. The first feature, the cascades, was frozen despite being fed by hot springs as the water forming the steps was very shallow and with the snow still falling it was like strolling though a winter wonderland.
As we pushed on further, stopping occasionally to walk to see geysers, mud pots and sulphur pools the snow eased up and the roads and skies cleared up with only occasional snow and rain. We also saw plenty of elk and so many bison; in fact we stopped in the midst of one herd and were mere feet away from them and were concerned when they sudenly stampeded.
After a lunch stop we moved on to the Yellowstone Grand Canyon before arriving at Old Faithful. Our arrival was well timed as we only had to wait ten minutes for Old Faithful to perform and then minutes later the Beehive Geyser, which was much larger, erupted.
We managed to stop at another couple of geyser basins as the sun started dropping in the sky. Helen and I walked into the Midway Geyser Basin which was very steamy and spooky as we walked through huge clouds of vapour which left me incapacitated when my glasses fogged up.
Eventually and after chatting with a female flagman, being escorted through a very long set of roadworks and avoiding suicidal elk running across the road in the dark we made it to Jackson.
were shut and the one place we found had very little to eat for me, even less as the ravioli was off.
We woke the next morning to a wonderful snow covered scene and gingerly headed into Yellowstone National Park where the ranger on the gate, after giving us the peak information pack, told me she didn't want me to run off the road or to hear about me over the park radio. Having European driving skills and common sense we proceeded into the park. The first feature, the cascades, was frozen despite being fed by hot springs as the water forming the steps was very shallow and with the snow still falling it was like strolling though a winter wonderland.
As we pushed on further, stopping occasionally to walk to see geysers, mud pots and sulphur pools the snow eased up and the roads and skies cleared up with only occasional snow and rain. We also saw plenty of elk and so many bison; in fact we stopped in the midst of one herd and were mere feet away from them and were concerned when they sudenly stampeded.
After a lunch stop we moved on to the Yellowstone Grand Canyon before arriving at Old Faithful. Our arrival was well timed as we only had to wait ten minutes for Old Faithful to perform and then minutes later the Beehive Geyser, which was much larger, erupted.
We managed to stop at another couple of geyser basins as the sun started dropping in the sky. Helen and I walked into the Midway Geyser Basin which was very steamy and spooky as we walked through huge clouds of vapour which left me incapacitated when my glasses fogged up.
Eventually and after chatting with a female flagman, being escorted through a very long set of roadworks and avoiding suicidal elk running across the road in the dark we made it to Jackson.
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