I won’t say that Yellowstone was a disappointment — it has its own charms, mostly associated with the old wooden lodges and hotels — but it hasn’t the grandeur or visual drama I had come to expect.
The upper reaches of the park, nearest Montana. are the most arresting. You enter at about 6,200 feet (elevation) and cross the continental divide several times close to 8,000. Yellowstone specializes in geysers and wildlife, rather than mountains, and in being just big — over 300 miles to and from Jackson, including the park loop.
We lucked out on timing and arrived just before Old Faithful blew. For about 60 seconds, a torrent of water and steam spewed into the sky — then it was over and hundreds of people melted back into the park afterwards. We bypassed (unfortunately) the giant prismatic spring that you see so often photographed from the air — the lines just to park were painfully long. Our parks may be one of the country’s best ideas (to paraphrase Wallace Stegner) but in July and August, they are simply overrun with people.
Have I mentioned the wildflowers? I don’t recall so much flowering when Frank and I made our road trip from CA to CO in 2012. Crossing through Nevada, Utah and Colorado, we did not see (or notice?) the profuse flowering that apparently happens in WY and MT. Have I mentioned that the birds out west often seem to be flying for the fun of it? Surfing thermals while perhaps out for food?
Did I mention that Yellowstone’s maps and signage have to be among the poorest and most incomplete of any of our national parks? Getting around the perimeter loop and finding a place to eat proved difficult because they aren’t marked on the maps provided by the NPS. Once located however, the wait was an hour at 2:30 pm — so we opted for a general store where you can purchase prepared sandwiches.
A definite highpoint of the tour was the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, a narrow slot carved by an emerald green river in the caldera floor that forms half of Yellowstone. White water rapids and powerful falls also make up the canyon experience. Since there is really only one Grand Canyon, so we decided to call it the “Pretty Great Canyon…”
So we’ve seen Bison, Moose and Bear — we wondered where the infamous wolves were that have been reintroduced to Yellowstone — and Frank observed that they must be in their dens during the heat of the day, watching cable and playing foosball.
Between road work and rogue bison strolling the main roadways, completely impassive and impervious to human contact via car, we didn’t reach Jackson until 7:30 pm (our day began at 8:30 am). On a Friday night, the town was full. Frank wisely made reservations at the Café Genevieve (recommended) for supper and we were seated right away. But afterwards, I felt so very tired and sad to know that Frank would begin his return home the next day…
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