Greetings to all you “Easterners”!
Yesterday we pulled out from Gillette, WY heading for Yellowstone with great expectations of beauty and grandeur… We traveled through some of the most beautiful country composed of rolling hills and the stunning Big Horn Mountains. It seemed every turn revealed another waterfall or canyon composed of craggy stone or painted stratas of earth. We went through Cody, WY where Buffalo Bill is still a major tourist attraction. The Cody National Park was a part of the mountains too.
As we approached Yellowstone from the east all seemed well until we began seeing smoke. The smoke became thicker with each mile. We arrived at the Yellowstone gate where the Ranger informed us that, “You can’t get there from here…” we could not go through the park to get to West Yellowstone as planned. This route would take us about 45 minutes. The fire forced road closings which caused us to have to take another route that took us about 6.5 hours.
The park ride yielded a wonderful journey viewing elk, buffalo, bubbling cauldrons of sulfuric acid and unmatched mountain elevations of Yellowstone beauty. Rather than arriving at 4 PM as planned, it was near midnight instead. Our presidential suite was not quite as impressive as the mountains, being so tired, but it was beautiful and we enjoyed the space and amenities.
This morning we enjoyed breakfast in West Yellowstone and were off to the park. We photographed some stunning views and beautiful areas that only Yellowstone offers. We did not see Old Faithful blow her cool, but we saw her steam just the same. We did see streams teaming with fly rod anglers and elk in the middle of the fast running waters. It seems the park is filled with new growth areas of trees rather than the magnificent vistas we had expected. Tomorrow we will head for the Tetons and Jackson Hole. More tomorrow from wherever we stop.
Yesterday we pulled out from Gillette, WY heading for Yellowstone with great expectations of beauty and grandeur… We traveled through some of the most beautiful country composed of rolling hills and the stunning Big Horn Mountains. It seemed every turn revealed another waterfall or canyon composed of craggy stone or painted stratas of earth. We went through Cody, WY where Buffalo Bill is still a major tourist attraction. The Cody National Park was a part of the mountains too.
As we approached Yellowstone from the east all seemed well until we began seeing smoke. The smoke became thicker with each mile. We arrived at the Yellowstone gate where the Ranger informed us that, “You can’t get there from here…” we could not go through the park to get to West Yellowstone as planned. This route would take us about 45 minutes. The fire forced road closings which caused us to have to take another route that took us about 6.5 hours.
The park ride yielded a wonderful journey viewing elk, buffalo, bubbling cauldrons of sulfuric acid and unmatched mountain elevations of Yellowstone beauty. Rather than arriving at 4 PM as planned, it was near midnight instead. Our presidential suite was not quite as impressive as the mountains, being so tired, but it was beautiful and we enjoyed the space and amenities.
This morning we enjoyed breakfast in West Yellowstone and were off to the park. We photographed some stunning views and beautiful areas that only Yellowstone offers. We did not see Old Faithful blow her cool, but we saw her steam just the same. We did see streams teaming with fly rod anglers and elk in the middle of the fast running waters. It seems the park is filled with new growth areas of trees rather than the magnificent vistas we had expected. Tomorrow we will head for the Tetons and Jackson Hole. More tomorrow from wherever we stop.
Interesting to read your commentary as Ken Burns series on America's national parks runs this week on TV.
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