Day 42 - Yellowstone

This was Yellowstone day.  By reputation this is one of the greatest, if not the greatest of the National parks.  We had toured some of it yesterday but today we were planning to spend the whole day and see a lot of the park.  While the park did not disappoint us we might have disappointed the park by not seeing whole sections.  This was due to the distracting nature of the park.  Every mile it seems it has something you should spend time seeing.  The variety is astounding between the wildlife, the plant life, the geothermal sights, the rock formations and the waterways with their waterfalls there was no way to get our ADD minds to decide what to do so we just stopped everywhere which kept our sights per mile index high but the miles per day quite low.  As usual there is inadequate vocabulary to describe it and the photos only approximate the entire experience although the sulfurous fumes was a sensation we are glad does not find its way into the pictures.  Just go there and plan to spend a week.

So just to list a few of the things we saw.  We started the day with an American Bison walking up the shoulder of the highway in the opposite direction from us.  He seemed to be a normal huge pedestrian given his nonchalance at us driving by and his apparent understanding of the proper place to walk on the road.  We then saw a large herd of elk grazing a field of wildflowers with a stream.   This was much more picturesque than a bison walking on a road.  It was then off to the geyser areas to inhale some sulfur dioxide, see steam coming from the ground and the oddest color waters.  The colors in the water are mostly due to our ancestral microorganisms who apparently once they spawned multicellular organisms, they got scared by what they created and retreated to areas that none of their evolutionary progeny would ever want to inhabit.   Then we saw whole hills made up of the minerals that come up through the vents.   Of course we saw traffic too but not nearly as bad as we anticipated.  All in all a stellar day

Regular Features

Statistics Corner

States involved:  We skipped across borders like refugees today hitting the same three states we hit yesterday in slightly different order.

Charging

West Yellowstone, MT – We charged the car while we ate breakfast and then again at dinner.  That makes three times at this charger alone and a fourth planned for tomorrow

Church of the Day – No entry today.  West Yellowstone is for tourists not pilgrims.

Coolest car of the Day – The best was a red Ferrari 358 we saw as we were departing the park today but again Larry fumbled with the camera as it cruised by making wonderful noises.

Song of the Day  - Happy Wanderer by the New York Avenue chorus in 1969 with Larry singing a solo.  Michelle was not really happy to hear a reprise of it but it fit the day and the trip.

Coolest Thing of the Day – Larry – The Yellowstone canyon.  Great waterfalls, cool canyon wall and an eagles nest atop a rock spire

Coolest Thing of the Day - Michelle – Geysers and mudpots.  Geology is what she has been teaching.