Lisette awoke not to the pleasant sound of the stream alongside where the RV was parked, but by Michael shaking her awake so we could move from our parking spot. Someone had shown up by 6am to go for a jog, and there'd undoubtedly be more people arriving in the lot. Lisette is definitely the deeper sleeper, and it takes her longer to be alert and up!
But we had to leave, and in the daytime we could better appreciate the flowing stream, dense forest, and gorgeous scenery where we had slept. And of course see the potholes that we had started to drive to in order to get to the original spot, and what a terribly bumpy road it was.
The closest town to us was Big Sky, popular for its ski resorts--and where we stopped to get a few groceries at The Country Market before heading into Yellowstone. Big Sky is clearly a morning person's town, with the grocery store already open at 6.30am. As Lisette entered the store, a customer energetically greeted her with a "good morning!!" followed by an even more exuberant "have a nice day!" And the cashier upon setting foot into the store was just as cheery. Lisette tried to respond in kind, but hadn't had her morning tea yet! Prices at the store were pretty good, and not as overpriced as we were anticipating being in a tourist-trod area.
Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center
On the outskirts of Yellowstone National Park in West Yellowstone, we visited the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center, a nonprofit wildlife park and educational facility that opened in 1993. Tickets cost $16.50 per adult are valid for 2 days.
Initially the center had only 3 bears, and today there are 6 bears that are rotated throughout the day for people to see, so depending on what time you arrive, you'll see 1 or 2 of the bears. We saw Condi and Seeley, two bears that were orphaned after its mother had to be put down after it stopped foraging for food, finding easy ways to access food left carelessly by humans. When that happens, unfortunately they can't unlearn this behavior, and can become more assertive in breaking into homes and places where they can easily get food. Sadly, this then means that there's no other option for the bear but to be put down, which meant that her cubs needed to be taken into the center. It was an important reminder ahead of our visit to Yellowstone to make sure we didn't leave any food out, and dispose of all food waste properly!
While the bears are one of the main attractions of the center, we also saw some majestic-looking wolves roaming in their areas, hanging out by the tall grass, logs, and ponds designed to be as close to a natural home, even though these grey wolves were born in captivity. The wolves in Yellowstone travel in packs, and while there are only several wolves in the center, there's plenty of simulation, including hidden bones, live trout in the summer, and other activities.
Not far from the wolves is an area for ground squirrels, which would pop their heads out of their mounds, and would often stand to attention as visitors wandered by. The squirrels were all incredibly cute, resulting in many coos and smiles from people who looked into their habitat.
There's also an area with otters, as well as a section with various birds of prey--including several bald eagles, a turkey vulture, a red-tailed hawk, a rough-legged hawk and a couple of great horned owls. It was lovely to read more about the different animals as well in the indoor museum, and visit a place that focuses on taking care of these animals that cannot live in the wild. We don't know what animals we will see in Yellowstone National Park, so it was great to also see quite a few of them up close!
It had starting raining while we were at the center, and we debated whether or not we enter the park or hold off until the next day, since it was already early afternoon and there was also quite a bit of driving involved. But we decided to progress, and it turned out to be a great decision!
Entering Yellowstone!
When you think of US national parks, Yellowstone National Park tends to be one of the top parks that spring immediately to mind. And for good reason: it's a huge wilderness area sitting on top of a volcanic hot spot, with dramatic canyons, spectacular waterfalls and rivers, dense forests, hot springs, and active geysers. On these lands live hundreds of animal species, including grizzly bears, black bears, grey wolves, bison, elk, antelope and birds. We had been excited to visit the granddaddy of national parks since the start of this trip, and we were eager to spend the next few days here.
We had barely been in the park for 2 minutes when Lisette saw a small antelope on the grass by the side of the road, casually standing and munching. Any thoughts that we wouldn't be able to see many animals were dispelled in that moment! Our first stop was the Terrace Spring Trailhead, a short, 0.3 km (0.2 mile) paved boardwalk trail to see the thermals there. We smelled them just as much as we saw them--the strong sulfur scent reminded us of when we visited Iceland, with that distinct odor of rotten eggs lingering in the air! Despite the pungent aroma, there are wildflowers growing right alongside the thermals, and it's a pretty and serene walk with the thermals bubbling alongside us.
First Bison Sighting and Obsidian Cliff
Not far from Terrace Springs, we saw our first bison--yay! American bison (also often interchangeably called buffalo in the US), can easily be identified, thanks to their large heads, pronounced humps over their shoulders, curved horns, and thick and shaggy fur. They're also huge: adult males can weigh up to 900 kilograms (2,000 pounds), and stand about 1.8 meters (6 feet) tall at the shoulder. While they can often look relaxed and even docile, there were plenty of reminders to stay a safe distance away, as they can suddenly charge at 56 kms/hour (35 miles/hour). Although every year there's always a news story about how someone got too close to take a photo and was gored by a bison. We were always a safe distance away during our visit.
The Obsidian Cliff is a large, prominent cliff made up of obsidian--a black, volcanic glass. It was grey and overcast when we arrived, so we couldn't see it that well that day, although there's a marker at the stop that shows it in more detail up close.
Norris Basin = A Geyser Paradise
The Norris Geyser Basin is the hottest, oldest, and most active thermal area in the Park, filled with geysers, hot springs, fumaroles and mud pots. Because it sits on several fault lines and above one of Yellowstone's major magma chambers, the landscape is constantly shifting, and temperatures underground can be more than 200 degrees Celsius (400 degrees Fahrenheit)!
Of course, it was absolutely packed with people trying to get into this tourist attraction, with a queue of vehicles waiting to park. Once we got out and started to walk towards the start of the trail, we could hear loud claps of thunder, see bolts of lightning, and it started to rain heavily. Everyone started to race back to their cars, with most folks driving off to try and escape the storm. But we saw that the storm would soon subside, so about half an hour later, we got out, and were able to enjoy Norris Geyser Basin with way less crowds!
Walking along the trail, we were incredibly impressed with how active the geothermal area was--it's literally alive, with all the hissing, growling, and bubbling sounds that the mud pots, vents, and geysers were making. There are literally dozens of different features, with fun and quirky names including Black Pit, Mystic Spring, Puff N' Stuff Geyser, Black Hermit Cauldron, Congress Pool, and many others. It would have been awesome to discover and name one!
Among the highlights of Norris Geyser Basin are Cistern Spring, which has vivid brown, orange and green colors, which are thanks to the algae and bacteria species that live and thrive in these boiling temperatures, as well as the Steamboat Geyser, the world’s tallest active geyser, capable of shooting water more than 91 meters (300 feet) toward the sky.
Walking around, it's almost surreal to see, hear, and smell this incredible landscape, which seemed almost uninhabitable and harsh with the grey backdrop, but was also sprinkled with vivid colors (orange, yellow, baby blue, etc), and highly animated activated all around us. It's definitely worth spending time to walk through the Porcelain and Back Basins, to experience the whole area.
Mammoth Hot Springs and More Animals
After leaving Norris Geyser Basin we saw the back of Mammoth Hot Springs, which stood out because of its massive travertine terraces (a form of limestone deposited by mineral springs). The terraces were formed by hot water flowing from the geothermal vents. It's a unique and stunning sight to see these terraces cascade down like steps on a staircase, with bright white and orange/brown hues spilling all the way down.
Across from this, there was an open plain where we saw, in the distance, a herd of elk! They were wandering around, eating and relaxing in the grass. What an incredible sight; although they were quite a way off that we couldn't help giggling when we heard people excitedly exclaim that they were "moose" or "antelope" (not quite, but they hopefully figured it out as they neared). We couldn't wait to see what else we'd spot the following day.
Parking Above (But Not In) an RV Park
We were near the north entrance of Yellowstone National Park, so as we exited we passed Roosevelt Arch (named after President Theodore Roosevelt), driving through the town of Gardiner to arrive at an RV park, which we could see from the top of the hill. Unsurprisingly, the RV park looked full, with RVs and campers sidled really close to each other along the river. Fortunately, we were able to park atop the hill where we slept for the night.
