Day39 Flagg Ranch at John D Rockefeller Memorial Parkway – Jun 18
After coming down out of Cascade Canyon, unpacking the essentials, we break camp today and head north into Yellowstone NP. We treated ourselves to breakfast out at the buffet which was a great way to refuel after the overnight.
The big news of the day is that Tracey earned the esteemed rank of ‘Junior Ranger’ of Grand Teton National Park today. I was present during her swearing-in ceremony and got to pin her ‘Junior Ranger’ badge on her sweater. She worked hard on the paperwork and I know you are all smirking inside, but she did learn some new stuff and that is the point after all. Congratulations to Junior Ranger Tracey!!!
And the darndest thing happened on our way into Yellowstone.
We are crossing the bridge near Lewis Falls and slow as there is a great deal of foot traffic. I look ahead to see a gentleman walking in my direction and I quickly realize I recognize that walk, that form and the face. It’s Dr. Holzinger, Pam’s last employer and my dentist!!! Jeff and his family are in Yellowstone for a week. I pull up next to him and yell out his name. It takes him just a second to realize who I am. I get off of the highway and we visit for a few minutes and head on up the road. We will see them just one more time later today.
We moved into Yellowstone and got as far as Grant Village where I had intended on camping, only to discover that the campground was closed due to snow and bear activity, as was the next nearest camp south at Lewis Lake. Between these closings and a big influx of traffic early in the season, many of the campgrounds were filling up by midafternoon. Since we got another late start out the door today, it was going to be tough getting to a Yellowstone CG before they all filled.
So, we were forced to backtrack to the John D Rockefeller Memorial Parkway to camp at Flagg Ranch for a couple of days. The advantage was that we got electric, water and sewer so we could recharge all systems and clean ourselves at the same time. We took advantage of this opportunity and did some laundry on our last day of our stay here too.
Since I am always one to say, ‘told you so’, Tracey had encouraged me early on in our planning stage to make reservations. I had researched and found that the park seldom fills this early in the season. Guess I got burned big time on this one . . .
The plan is to stay at Flagg Ranch and hit the highlights at the south end of Yellowstone, then move out early one morning and head north and camp for a few more days. We will be asking around for information on camps, day hikes and a potential overnight backpack trip in north Yellowstone.
Day40 Old Faithful Village – Jun 19
Today is a tourist day for Tracey and I. Time for us both to act like we are someplace we have never been (we haven’t) and take a thousand pictures. First a little geography lesson for those of you who have not been to Yellowstone NP.
Besides it’s grand size and the fact that it was the very first national park in the world, Yellowstone has many different natural features that make every corner an interesting new adventure. There are five entrances into the park, and although the largest percentage of the park is in Wyoming, three of the entrances are actually in Montana. The park itself is basically shaped like a square, with entrances on the North, Northeast and West (Montana) and also on the East and South (Wyoming). The roads into the park then intersect a road coursing through the center of the park that somewhat forms a rough figure eight.
Within the park and at various points along the figure eight are several ‘Villages’ as the park service calls them, and these are centered around some of the unique natural features of the park. For instance, one of the villages is Old Faithful, which we have all heard about since our Elementary School years. This area has geysers by the dozens including the village’s namesake. Over the years, the park service and others have added buildings and services to support the millions of tourists visiting each year, including an Inn, a Lodge, a cafeteria, restaurants, shops, stores, gas station, ranger station, a winter lodge, visitor’s center, staff housing, viewing stands, post office, etc.
Think Disney World’s Frontier Land, Future Land, etc. only with Mother Nature providing the entertainment . . .
Each of the other villages have many of the same services and such, just maybe not on the same grand scale as Old Faithful Village.
So, we manage to spend the day walking about the area, shooting hundreds of pictures of boiling cauldrons of water consisting of all kinds of interesting shades of color, and some that are just absolutely crystal clear. Of course, we get the obligatory shots of Old Faithful doing her thing. By spending the better part of the day wandering about the park, we get to see it from several different angles as well.
We packed a picnic lunch, and take advantage of the local Ice Cream parlor as well as doing some souvenir shopping. Other than the long drive from camp and back it was fairly relaxing day.
HEY! It says ‘Geyser’, not Geezer. Old Faithful herself and THE Old Faithful Inn
Geysers and Hot Springs in Old Faithful Village
Day41 Fishing Bridge Village – Jun 20
Today we visited Fishing Bridge Village which as you can guess features a short bridge over the Yellowstone River as it enters the northern end of Yellowstone Lake. We take advantage of some of the amenities offered in this area including a quick visit to the Ranger’s Station for some day hiking, backpacking and camping information. The ranger on duty provides us with some good information that we readily take advantage of.
We take our picnic lunch today on the beach directly in front of the Ranger’s Station. The view is spectacular, and we take lots of photos as well as eating our lunches.
Just a mile east of here there is a nature walk that takes you through a stand of pines out onto a point on the lake. We hike around here for an hour or more and take lots more photos.
On the way back to camp, we visit some of the other amenities offered by the park service and especially admire the lodges. You really don’t have to camp to enjoy this park and in fact the lodges are all destinations unto themselves. I could see where you could come here and do little else but travel about the park staying at a different lodge or inn every night. I guess it would just depend on how deep your pockets are. I can say that the campgrounds are a bit on the pricey side at times, so I can imagine the cost of the lodges.
Two different views of Yellowstone Lake and a squirrel