After a lazy morning (I do like retirement!) we took off for the park. The locals say be there at 8am. We got there at 10am but we are going to be here all week so no problem. We are just exploring and trying to learn our way around today. Michelle Steward is flying in on Friday and we are going to really get into the park with her.
The park was everything we had hoped for. We leisurely drove around to some of the sites. Yes, there are buffalo all over. Here is a shot of one that was just walking down the highway at his own pace. Could have cared less about the cars. If they get on the road the Rangers park nearby probably to watch for visitors getting too close. They are wild animals and some people get right in their face to get a better photo and sometimes they regret having done so.
Here's little better shot of a buffalo that was grazing just on the other side of the Madison River.
We also saw Elk and a couple of huge Golden Eagles sitting by the river. I did not get a photo of either but hope to do better on that in the next few days.
Of course, as you know, one of the key things to see in Yellowstone is the geyser activity. We are sitting on top of huge volcano but it has not blown in 640,000 years. I'm hoping it will hold off a little longer. If not, we may be back in Pensacola a lot faster than we thought and in a slightly different form. Lib said "cosmic debris."
Old Faithful is one of the most popular sights. We timed our arrival to coincide with a blast.
Old Faithful was about finished when this photo was taken
A young Ranger was out by Old Faithful and I asked for a picture. She was a cute young lady from Boise, Idaho. Kidding, I asked if she was an "official Ranger" and she said, "Yes! They gave me this badge and everything!"
Don't let this photo fool you, there were probably 1,000 people there to see Old Faithful shoot off. And, this is the OFF season! No wonder my friends who've been here in the summer told us to come now. There was one site we wanted to see and we could not find a parking place and there were two huge lots.
As you know I am constantly chitter-chatting with people around us. I am amazed with the people we run into. On our lay day yesterday, we went into town to check out the grocery store (they have two). I saw a guy with an Alabama shirt and I said to Lib, "Look there is a Bama fan." Of course he turned to me and said the customary "Roll Tide." I asked him where he was from and he said "Have you heard of Talledega? I said "I had an Aunt and Uncle who lived in Winterboro. Do you know the Pomeroy's?" He said "I know Jack." I told him "Jack is my cousin!" Jimmy Banks told me to tell Jack "hi." Amazing.
We walked around the Painter's Pot, an area where geysers bubble up through thick mud and the geyser vents look similar to a paint bucket with dried paint on the edges and thick paint in the middle.
Painter's Pot
While we were doing the hike around the area, I heard someone say, "Hey Wake!" I had on a Wake Forest hat I got when we visited Michelle in Winston-Salem last August. The guy had a Wake hat on and struck up a conversation with me wanting to know if I was going to the ballgame this weekend. Wake is playing Utah State. His son, No. 52, is the long snapper. Michelle will get a kick out of this!
Go Demon Deacons! You gotta love that name!
On the same hike, Lib and I get paired up with another couple and we start talking about where we've been, where we're going. We asked "Where ya from?" "Alabama...Birmingham." Turns out Allen McCain (wife Laura) knows Vance Fulkerson, my niece, Laurie's, husband. Allen is an electrical contractor in Birmingham. Amazing small world!
We had lunch in the Old Faithful Lodge. This was built in 1904 and is a beautiful facility.
We saw several of the waterfalls and other beautiful landscapes that abound in Yellowstone.
Gibbon Falls
Keplar Cascades
One of many spectacular landscapes in the Park
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