Day 170, July 14, Yellowstone

This is my first trip to Yellowstone, and I’d not been looking forward to it much because the number of visitors this place sees is a bit off putting. We spent the day in the Old Faithful neck of the woods but thankfully were not nearly as thronged as I’d dreaded simply because there is so much space available to accommodate the masses. I must give credit to the national parks where due; I was pleasantly surprised to find they have built so many wide and plentiful pathways and have put in enough seating and large parking lots that the masses did not crush me.  

We got a very early start and spent a long day hiking, walking, and biking the Lower, Middle, and Upper Geyser Basins. The sheer amount of hydrothermal activity here is mind boggling. From countless geysers to as many hot springs and from sputterers to full-blown giant sprayers, we were never out of sight of some incredible hot spot. Ulysses S Grant designated this as the country’s first National Park in 1872, and I now understand why Yellowstone has drawn so many visitors these150 years. It’s quite stupendous.

Three amazing things:                                                            #1- Old Faithful Geyser which we viewed during eruptions from three different vantage points,                                      #2- Bike riding along Upper Geyser Basin,                           #3- colorful Grand Prismatic Pool, and                                  #4- The Yellowstone Lodge. Built in 1903-4, it remains the largest log structure in the world. 

Good deeds:  A brief but violent wind and rain storm blew through the campground while folks were off exploring, upending the mosquito-net tents some had placed over their picnic tables. When the wind abated, we went into a couple of camps to set back up the tents. As well, I passed out another couple of flamingo Airstream rocks.