We had a nice drive down from Canyon, with stops at the Sulphur Cauldron and Mud Volcano thermal areas, which were quite spectacular. We also made a lunch stop in one of the turnouts along the Yellowstone River.
After getting checked in here at the campground, where we were assigned a satellite-friendly space in one of the more open loops, we made reservations for a 2:45 scenic boat ride on the lake. The tour was interesting and informative, and at about $12 each, may just be the best kept secret of the park. We had perfect weather and conditions, and were treated to some spectacular vistas, including a view of the Tetons in the distance.
This evening is our last in the park, and so it is fitting that we dined at the nicest restaurant -- the dining room at the historic Yellowstone Lake Hotel. Afterwards we sat for a while in their "sun room" and listened to the string quartet, which plays nightly from 6 to 10. While we were in the neighborhood of the hotel, about a three mile scooter ride from here, we swung by the Lake Lodge and sat for a few minutes on the porch overlooking the lake, and also passed the world's oldest ranger station, which was pointed out to us on the boat tour.
Tomorrow morning will mark one full week in the park, and it has been a wonderful visit. We'll spend a bit more time on the way out seeing the sights along the east entrance road, and, with luck, will find a spot in the national forest east of here for tomorrow night. Reader Doug posted a nice write-up on these campgrounds in the comments section on my last post -- thanks, Doug!
I haven't' checked in for quite a while. Sounds like you are having a great adventure! Glad you're not zooming off to the flood zone to work.
ReplyDeleteMy wife and I worked in Yellowstone park in summer of '72. Enjoyed the park, did not enjoy the employer (concessionaire). Went back a couple years later when we could move at our own pace and really enjoyed Yellowstone, Tetons, Jackson Hole, and everything in the area.
So glad to see you spend enough time there to soak it up (even in the hot tub... that sounds cool!).
Wow, great to see you both ride 2-up on the scoots, with bears onboard. All of our vehicles (2 trucks and a 5W) now have Safety Bears ever since our former TT and truck 'turned turtle' on a windy pass in Wyoming, sliding along I-80, rubber-up. We escaped with scrapes to elbows-only, crawling out of a glass filled truck and write-off trailer...and there was Ted, the Safety Bear, ejected from the TT, sitting on the center line of the highway, as if saying, "What the #@&! just happened?" A month earlier a prescient friend had given us the bear. She said, "You must always keep him with you for good luck." Only later did she reveal that she had a bad feeling about our trip. So now we have a staff of 5 bears, to cover for days-off of course, always wearing seatbelts and always in each vehicle, day and night. Sure, we're crazy...but we're safe. Glad you are too!
ReplyDelete@sf kid: We've actually been feeling guilty about not working the floods, but we'll go back on Red Cross availability in early July. We love the work, but hate the suffering!
ReplyDelete@taylor: Glad to hear your bears have been keeping you safe. We've always had teddy bears on our bikes, and have had no major incidents the entire time we've been together. (Sean had a few bad scrapes before I met him.) Maybe I'll do a feature blog post on them.