Geysers are cool, but bison rule!

I couldn't have asked for a better day to visit Yellowstone National Park. The temperature was freezing as I arrived at the park entrance just after 8:00 am. There were already about 20 cars in line. I guess they were as eager as I was for the official opening for the spring season! Today was also the official day that my park annual pass paid for itself. Normally, national park entrance fees are $25 per car, and I had already gone to 3 such parks...Yellowstone would be Number 4. That would have been $100 total for me, except the annual pass only cost me $80. And, even though this is the last national park of my road trip, the pass is good for a year. I may be able to use it next year...I'm planning another road trip in March 2011!

As I drove into the park, it didn't take very long for cars to pull off the side of the road to see something...in this case, elk. I did, too, and snapped a few photos. I continued for only a few more miles before I stopped again. It was the first of many bison sightings that I would have today. These magnificent animals were nothing like the ones I had seen in zoos. It seems like living in the wild makes them bigger and healthier looking. My first destination of the day was Geyser Loop Trail, which included Old Faithful. Contrary to popular belief, Old Faithful is no longer very predictable. When I arrived, I had already decided I wasn't going to waste precious time waiting around for Old Faithful to blow. Instead, I started out on the trail to see what else this wonderful park had to offer. I wasn't disappointed. Geysers, springs, vents and pools. No other park in the United States can compare to Yellowstone when it comes to natural geothermal attractions. About a half hour into my walk, I heard a whooshing noise and looked over to see Old Faithful doing its thing. I snapped some photos from afar, but it didn't bother me that I wasn't seeing it up close. For me, it was just one of many things to see at the park. By the time I saw just about everything along the trails, I was on my way back to the parking lot when Old Faithful started spouting again. Like before, I missed being right there to see it. Oh, well.

By now, the temperature hovered around 60 degrees, it was sunny and breezy...perfect weather for a Pacific Northwesterner! I went to a couple of other locations with loop trails to see more stuff, including something I remember from my childhood... fountain paint pots! A pool of bubbling mud that resembles paint. After a lunch break, I was on the road heading to the Norris Geyser Basin when traffic came to an abrupt halt. Bison! A herd of about 30 bison decided to start walking on the roadway, and they have right-of-way! The animals took their sweet time, seemingly obvious to the vehicles trying to get by them. After about 15 minutes of going nowhere, a couple of guys on bikes seemed to spook them and they quickly ran off the road. Bison can move pretty fast when they want to! Oh, one indicator that this park has a lot of bison, you see their droppings...which I will call bison pies...all over the place! And, I mean ALL OVER! Every place I went today, you can see the pies!

As I was walking along the Norris trail, I soon heard the rather irritating sound of voices...LOUD voices! A small group of what appeared to be college students were talking obnoxiously loud, laughing, even chatting on a cell phone. You would think that just for one day they could leave the city out of the country. Just hearing them destroyed the serenity of anyone within earshot of their raucous conversation. Needless to say, I quickened my pace to get away from them, with success. After this trail, I was ready to call it quits for the day. I think I had walked about 6-7 miles total. I wasn't able to see everything I had planned, but I still had a wonderful time. I'll have to visit Yellowstone again to catch what I missed...there's just too much to see in one day!

Tomorrow, I start heading back home. It will be mostly a travel day, although I might have time for sightseeing. My road trip is almost over...but, I think it's time!