Thoughts Become Things

Friday, August 5, 2016

Yellowstone day 2 8/5/2016

We spent the next day (Tuesday) checking out the geyser areas of Yellowstone with the understanding that we'd have to share the experience with LOTS of other people (I abhor crowds). But we did it anyway, because the geysers and geothermal features and rivers are really what set this park apart. The colors are
startling and not easily found elsewhere in nature. The park service has made it ridiculously easy to walk 5+ miles on the paved roads, walkways and boardwalks that provide access to all the thermal wonders. The big issue here is parking. But if you can parallel park, (Ray is the MASTER of that), then you're in better shape. We saw many places where others passed by parking spots that Ray easily parked the Elantra.

We were thoroughly amazed at Old Faithful, where throngs of people sat in the hot sun for easily 45 minutes or more waiting for the geyser to erupt. The crazy part was that there was plenty of shade only 30-50 yards away. We stopped in to the
The crowd at Old Faithful
Old Faithful Inn, a historic lodge that looks like it was built with Tinker Toys. Built in 1903-4 it is the largest log structure in the world. It's hard to believe it survived a 7.5 earthquake in 1959. It's not one of the biggest park service lodges, but it's definitely one of the most interesting.
Old Faithful Inn

Upon leaving the geyser areas, we headed back north, and took the Firehole Canyon Drive, just south of the Madison junction. The wide river funnels into the narrow canyon and creates rapids and waterfalls that were gorgeous to see. The road was all one-way, and not heavily traveled, so it was easy to take our time to enjoy the views. Until! we rounded a bend, and suddenly hundreds of cars lined the narrow road on both sides. We had been unaware that this
drive gives access to a swimming area crammed with hundreds of people. we thought we had stumbled on Blizzard Beach west. People had parked at least 1/2 mile away and walked on the road to this place. I was glad it was at the end of the road.

More photos here: https://goo.gl/photos/rWMrWMcWn3FqUzQ88

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