Got away as early as
we could to see if we could make it to a geyser basin which was full yesterday.
Our five mile
journey into the town was interrupted twice by bison! The second sighting was a
large herd just grazing alongside the road. We are not even in the park!
We made Norris
geyser Basin in good time - before the crowds. Wow! What an amazing geo-thermal
area. Bubbling pools, mud slurping, geysers spouting, emerald pools, white
fragile crust.
We continued our day
travelling on the route we had taken on our return yesterday. Today we were
taking the route to the north east entrance through the Lamar Valley.
The first excitement
came when there was an, as yet, unidentified 'jam'. Soon it was confirmed as a
black bear, which had just gone into the trees alongside the river bank. With a
little scouting I found a group who had it in their sights. Ian was able to
alert the others so they brought the car up.
The bear was in
clear view now, meandering along the river bank.
We continued along
the Lamar Valley and soon we were in an open plain area and there they were -
herds of bison! Hundreds of them. Our lucky day.
But it was not over.
After lunch at a beautiful picnic spot by the Yellowstone River, flanked by
mountains on both sides, we retraced our steps. We knew the bison would still
be where we saw them earlier. We never anticipated what was to come. The bison were
close to the road on both sides, with many still wanting to cross; and they did
- right in front of us. What a treat.
On cue, the elk-jam
occurred again as we neared the West Gate. This time, however, the bull was
across the road (on our side) separated from his does. Park rangers were there
trying to control the flow of traffic and ensure people did not try to get too close
to the animals.
I wonder what
tomorrow will bring when we drive south through Yellowstone to the Grand
Tetons.
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| Sun coming up reflects a lovely colour on the mountains |
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| Local bison herd |
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| Norris Geyser Basin |
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