2018 Transatlantic and Road Trip: Day 27 - Yellowstone 19 September

Early start and soon we saw a bison grazing across the Madison River. First sighting so early! Then there was a fine elk in the distance so we let that go too. However, it was not long before there was a bison-jam!

A small herd including a large bull were alongside the road on our side. We got some good shots.

Continuing on we skipped some of the pull offs to various geysers as we were under a time constraint to get to Old Faithful for the 9am eruption. We made it with some time to spare. Old Faithful erupts so regularly it can be timetabled to within 15-20 minutes.

After a brief look in the visitor centre we continued following the route around the southern loop.

A stop at the Continental Divide was very interesting. At 2518m, Craig Pass is the location of Isa Lake. This insignificant, small lake has a unique feature; it drains both east and west.

Our next stop, West Thumb is now part of Yellowstone Lake. It was formed by a massive volcanic eruption. It was a very interesting walk around the boardwalk with lots of geo-thermal features - mud pools, hot springs, small geysers.

Two more stops

Mud Volcano
Sulphur Cauldron

Then it was on to Canyon Village.

We scored one of two picnic tables to have our lunch and we were entertained by an unruly school group who, it seemed, were on a field trip to learn about Yellowstone and its history. They were not particularly engaged despite their teacher's best efforts.

After lunch we visited the lookouts for the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. This was spectacular. A fitting end to a great day.

However, there was one more treat in store, as we headed back to West Yellowstone. The elk family we saw at the beginning of the day was ranging closer to the road. So there was an elk-jam! The big bull was keeping a close eye on his does.