More Yellowstone

We were back in Yellowstone Monday to do more exploring. Having never been to this part of the country we were more than happy to play tourist. So after a nice breakfast at the Trouthunter Lodge we were back on the road to the Park.

We started the day with a stroll around the Norris Geyser Basin (though we did stop at Gibbon Falls on the way).

We didn’t hang around too long as we were a little “geysered” out from the day before (probably not good when in Yellowstone). We were really looking forward to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone so we made our way eastward toward Canyon.

The view of the Canyon and Lower Falls from Artist’s Point was spectacular. It truly was one of the most amazing sights on the trip – maybe even my favorite spot in the Park. I’m a sucker for canyons and waterfalls. So many colors on the walls of the canyon that don’t really stand out in iPhone photos. This was probably the first trip that I really wished I had a DSLR.

We left Canyon and headed north to Tower, our plan was to loop around back to Mammoth. There was so much construction around the Tower area that we just stayed in the car and passed through. We got up close and personal with a buffalo who was ambling down the road. Later in the day we saw one that wasn’t providing any passing room in the opposite lane, which made for the perfect buffalo road block.

If Yellowstone had a capital, Mammoth would be it. It wasn’t as busy as Old Faithful, but it definitely had the most buildings. I liked the small town feel of it. Minerva Terrace was pretty cool, I couldn’t help but think of the back splash in my kitchen though as I gazed upon all that travertine.

Pizza and a pitcher of Moose Drool at the Wild West Pizzeria was just what the doctor ordered as we left the Park for the day. We did about as much as we could with 2.5 days in Yellowstone and it was a lot of fun. A lot of driving too(that Park is huge!), but fun none the less.