We realized that we forgot to borrow binoculars from one of the many sources available to us. We had to make a decision, buy some for ourselves, or continue to Yellowstone, binocularless.
We decided to get binoculars. It was probably the best decision of the journey. We used them a lot... although...if we didn't have them our Elk and Deer count would be much higher, but we were able to confirm that all we saw were stumps and rocks, not elk or deer.
We arrive at West Yellowstone at about 9:30am. The line for the entry went very quickly and $25 for a week's worth of exploring is an amazing deal. Since it was still early in the morning we made our way to our first hiking adventure at Riddle Lake Trail.
It's a slow drive through the park, you're not only avoiding traffic, but you're watching for animals on or near the road. If you see several cars stopping at a view point, you might as well take the time to see what they see. Only 10 minutes into the park we saw our first group of cars making a quick stop.
We were greeted by some cows! Shortly there after we were driving through a meadow and spotted our first bison!
The meadow had little geysers all over it.
And it was just a beautiful day.
We make it to the trail head just as the Seahawks game was starting. Shawn was a good sport, even though cell service was sporadic, he was able to keep up on the score of the game while out in the woods.
Walking through the woods we hear a thump...thump...thump-thump. Things are falling from the tree, there is no wind, what is going on?
We found our culprit, he was tossing pinecones onto the ground, to later come down from the tree and transfer them all to his nest. He yelled and yelled and yelled at us. We were yelled at by a lot of different squirrels during our stay.
A few more steps down the trail and I caught something move out of the corner of my eye, I stop suddenly and make sure Shawn is seeing what I was seeing. It was a wolf! My heartbeat speeds up, I gasp in disbelief, how could we be so lucky on our very first hike?! This canine was strong and tall, muscular and very healthy looking, and we actually got a picture!
Wait a minute...upon further investigation that was no wolf! That was a coyote! Yellowstone coyotes are much healthier than the city coyotes of Washington. Not as exciting as a wolf, but we at least didn't figure it out until we reviewed the pictures later that night. The excitement of a wolf sighting made Shawn forgive me for missing the Seahawks game.
After our hike, we drove back to the Old Faithful visitors center. We found a bench to sit on with a view of the geyser and we waited...and waited...and waited. After a few teaser "puffs" of water, the geyser unleashed her fury.
If you've never been to Old Faithful, it's like initiation into the park. You have to do it, but there are much more interesting aspects of the park to see.
We arrive at West Yellowstone at about 9:30am. The line for the entry went very quickly and $25 for a week's worth of exploring is an amazing deal. Since it was still early in the morning we made our way to our first hiking adventure at Riddle Lake Trail.
It's a slow drive through the park, you're not only avoiding traffic, but you're watching for animals on or near the road. If you see several cars stopping at a view point, you might as well take the time to see what they see. Only 10 minutes into the park we saw our first group of cars making a quick stop.
We were greeted by some cows! Shortly there after we were driving through a meadow and spotted our first bison!
Walking through the woods we hear a thump...thump...thump-thump. Things are falling from the tree, there is no wind, what is going on?
We found our culprit, he was tossing pinecones onto the ground, to later come down from the tree and transfer them all to his nest. He yelled and yelled and yelled at us. We were yelled at by a lot of different squirrels during our stay.
A few more steps down the trail and I caught something move out of the corner of my eye, I stop suddenly and make sure Shawn is seeing what I was seeing. It was a wolf! My heartbeat speeds up, I gasp in disbelief, how could we be so lucky on our very first hike?! This canine was strong and tall, muscular and very healthy looking, and we actually got a picture!
After our hike, we drove back to the Old Faithful visitors center. We found a bench to sit on with a view of the geyser and we waited...and waited...and waited. After a few teaser "puffs" of water, the geyser unleashed her fury.
If you've never been to Old Faithful, it's like initiation into the park. You have to do it, but there are much more interesting aspects of the park to see.
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