Day 4: More unexpected adventure

Great Western Desert Inn

West Yellowstone, MT

I knew this would be an incredible day. There was so much I wanted to show Steve. We started east along the Madison River. The mist rose from the warm water into the cold morning. Steve joked that we couldn’t leave before he saw his bear. We saw a big horned sheep yesterday—in the shadows where we would definitely have missed it if there hadn’t been a half dozen vehicles stopped all looking the same direction. But so far no bear or elk. Lots of bison. Bison are sort of like impala in Africa—as awesome as the first sighting is, before long it is “just another...”

At Madison we continued east along the Gibbon River. Stopped at Gibbon Falls, but too long a walk to be worth the effort for Mom. She did get out at Beryl Spring. It’s right on the road. The steam was so thick in the cold it was as if the boardwalk went into some magical fantasyland.

We left her in the car for Artists Paintpots. We remember that being a bit far for her last time we were here, but I wanted Steve to see the colors. The day was often cloudy so the colors weren’t as cool as I remember, but still beautiful. I tried some videos this time.

Turning east at Norris, we took the sideroad to Virginia Cascade. Very narrow, one way, drop off to the right. Not much time to see the falls because there was no place to pull off and another car behind. (Must be way worse in high summer!) But super cool.

At Canyon Village we turned south. Steve was duly impressed with the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

At the Grand View along North Rim Drive, I decided to take the trail to Inspiration Point. Steve and Mom would drive—only the trail was blocked. “Closed for construction.” I dashed back to the road in time to see the back of our car rounding the corner out of sight. I started out walking the road, but when I came to the sign that said “Inspiration Point closed for construction,” I turned back, thinking they would come looking where they dropped me off. But they didn’t. Cell service is terrible in the park. How do you contact someone without a cell phone?!?

I had a couple bars so I sent a text to both Steve and Mom, saying, “I’m where you dropped me off” although I had little faith that they would get it. Then I thought maybe I should start walking after all. This time I got a ride. Sure enough the car was parked at the blocked road to Inspiration Point. Except Steve wasn’t there.

Mom told me he had started down the road to meet me (as he supposed) coming across on the trail. Did I mention that it was threatening rain?

I started walking down the road. It was beautifully isolated, and easy walking since it was paved. Then I saw it ahead of me, crossing the road.

 

And me without my bear spray! (Back home with my zoom camera.) All I could think was poor Steve is missing this! Except he was just around the curve in the road, having found the trail blocked at the Inspiration Point end as well and hoping I had walked the road instead. North Rim Road is one way and it would have taken a long time to go all the way around.)

So the time searching for each other wasn’t wasted, and it never did more than shower during the day.

And later we saw elk. (When a bunch of cars are pulled off the road and people are all looking the same direction, it’s a pretty good clue.) This one was right in the middle of the Gibbon River where it empties into the Madison, but pretty far away for a picture without zoom. Then a little further down the Madison we didn’t need cars and people to show us (although they were there) because the elk were right on the road as easy to spot as bison.

Between the bear and the elk we stopped at Old Faithful. Surprise, surprise! It erupted faithfully. We had a while to wait, so I hiked the trail that goes around that geyser, getting views of lots of other phenomena. There are more than 50 geysers on the hill behind.

 

After Old Faithful, I took another trail and ended up at Castle Geyser. Before I got there, from across the basin, I could see someone in a red jacket out on the thermal crust, clearly trying to take pictures of Castle Geyser from a different angle. Then I heard someone with a Grandpa Hardy voice yelling, "Get outa there!" and “illegal.” Steve had walked a different way and saw it was a Chinese woman. She may not have spoken English, but climbing over a barrier to an area where no one else is walking was dumb even if she couldn’t decipher the elaborately illustrated signs about breaking through the crust to boiling water. Sorry. No pictures of that adventure.

We were ready to head for "home," but couldn't resist exploring Firehole Lake Drive. At Firehole Lake (by no means the only interesting stop along the way) the steam poured over us like a Turkish bath.

Tonight we ate microwaved Completes with raw veggies in the room. Steve just went for a soak in the hot tub. I plan to join him.

One of the features on Geyser Hill with Old Faithful in the background.

Thank you, Lord...
for bear and elk sightings.
that there was no incident with the bear on foot.
that we found each other WITHOUT cell phones!
for this fantasyland of hot springs and geysers.