Day 8 & 9: Natural wonders and wondering, naturally.

It didn’t take me very long to find out just how amazing my stay in Yellowstone was going to be. Now real quick just to remind everyone, I am from a suburban town. The only animals outside of house pets that I’ve ever seen were in a zoo. So believe me when I say, when I pulled around the corner and was no more than 15 feet away from a bison standing on the side of the road my jaw nearly hit the floor. I was in immediate awe. Never in my life had I seen anything like this before. Not only was I seeing a bison in person, not in a zoo, but I was also so close to him I could almost tell you what his breath smelled like. It was amazing. I grabbed my camera immediately and took pictures. Over the next two days I saw so many bison that I legitimately lost count. At one point I passed a meadow that had at the very least 75 bison grazing or relaxing. A Number of times I was able to get within the allowed 25 yards and take some fantastic pictures. Along with the bison I also got some fantastic pictures of elk congregating on the side of the road. Again at one point I passed a group of at least 5 or 6 of them together and it was one of the cooler things I saw. I tried not to become accustomed to seeing the bison or elk. There were so many of them that seeing them became fairly commonplace but I tried to keep reminding myself of how cool it actually was that I was able to see them and get as close to them as I did. As impressive as the elk and bison were though, it was the pictures I got of an animal about 100 yards away that might be my favorite.

As I was driving back from Old Faithful Geyser I stumbled upon a huge pack of cars pulled off to the side of the road near a meadow. Everyone was getting out of their cars and staring out into the meadow. Naturally I pulled over and grabbed my camera and walked over to the group expecting to see an elk or bison right up close. Nay nay. About 100 yards away was a grizzly bear. I zoomed my camera in as far as it could go and started snapping pictures. I would snap pictures and then watch her for a while. Her you ask? How did I know it was a her? Because after watching for about 10 minutes 2 cubs appeared in the picture walking behind their mamma. I got as many pictures as I could and I tried to get the cubs in focus as best as I could from the distance I was at. Eventually a park ranger came and cleared away what had become a pretty sizeable crowd. All of us wanting to get a look and get a picture of what will probably, for me anyway, be the only grizzly bear we will ever see in person.

Although the wildlife might have been my highlight, Yellowstone offered far more than great animal photo ops. The beautiful landscape and unique geothermal features were impressive as well. I made sure I visited as much as I could. I visited Grand Prismatic Spring and marveled at the gorgeous orange color of the bacteria and the beautiful turquoise of the spring itself. The colors so vibrant they looked like they could have come from a painter’s palette. I visited a number of sulfur caldrons and watched as plumes of steam and sulfur came gushing out of the ground like some movie special effect. I walked a few trails that lead to gorgeous views of rushing rapids or cascading waterfalls. I captured as much as I could on camera, however I was hard to really put into perspective how deep some of the drops were. I approached many a railing with caution as I looked over the edge and saw how high of a drop it really was. It was simply amazing to see such extremes in nature.

One of the last stops I made was to Old Faithful Geyser. I got there and like many other people I came across, had absolutely no idea when it was supposed to erupt. I walked around the area a bit. I was going to wait. Not sure how long I was going to wait, but I was here in Yellowstone and I was going to witness Old Faithful erupt. This was going to be a once in a lifetime opportunity. Soon the crowd started to grow. I readied my camera. I was prepared to try and catch as much of it on camera as I could. The geyser sputtered. It teased the crowd with small, quick eruptions. Then, the steam began to really pour out and it happened. I watched as Old Faithful finally truly erupting. Blasting water and steam high into the air. I got pictures on my camera but then reached for my phone only to find it dead. Excited to have the pictures, I was also somewhat upset that I wasn’t able to get anything on my phone. I looked at my watched and realized it was only 11:30. I went back to my car and plugged in my phone. I went off exploring for a bit and returned to the Old Faithful area about 2 hours later. I grabbed lunch at the Lodge. A BLT wrap and a teriyaki bowl with rice, vegetables, and chicken hit the spot. I finished eating and meandered out to the geyser where the crowd had once again formed. Old Faithful did its thing again. Almost like a showman working the crown and increasing anticipation. Small gusts of steam here, a little expulsion of water there. Everyone was on edge never knowing when exactly it would happen. Then it did. This time, phone in hand I got pictures and videos. And I got wet. This time the wind was blowing just right and covered me, and everyone around me in mist. It was fantastic. I thought that I’d only get to see something like this once in my life and here I was seeing it for the second time in one day and it was just as amazing as the first time. I wiped off my camera and my phone and walked back into the lodge . I grabbed an ice cream and sat down and relaxed in the lobby. I had been going nonstop for two days trying to see as much of Yellowstone as I could. It felt good to sit and relax. I finished my ice cream and headed back to camp. I sat by the fire and reflected on the past two days. The things that I had seen were unbelievable to me. This was again one of those times where I had to tell myself it was really happening. I was actually here. I was actually in Yellowstone National Park. I had been up close with elk and bison. I had seen a grizzly bear and her two cubs. I had seen Old Faithful erupt. I had smelled the sulfur from the numerous caldrons. I had truthfully seen some of the greatest natural wonders that I will probably ever see in my life. I lay down and I was tired, but I was happy. I knew this was going to be a whirlwind trip. I knew I was going to have to cram things, but I was enjoying it and I was seeing things I’ll never see again.

Up early again the next morning I packed up my campsite and hit the road for Spokane. Originally it was going to take about 9 and a half hours, but unfortunately for me a road closure added another 2 hours onto that travel time. 11.5 hours. So I made up my mind. I would stop for gas. That was it. So I nibbled on the almonds, beef jerky, and edamame mix that I had. And with two hours left I cracked open my first Rockstar energy drink of the trip to help me power through. So stopping only twice for gas I busted out the 11.5 hour drive and arrived in Spokane at about 7:10pm. It was easily the hardest drive I’ve had to do so far and I won’t lie I don’t want to do it again anytime soon. Having gained another hour though I was now officially on the west coast. I laid out my sleeping bag and air mattress in the hotel room as they had been damp when I put them away that morning so I wanted to let them air out. I also put in a load of laundry so my car and clothes wouldn’t stink of campfire the rest of the trip. Finally, after all the laundry was done, the sleeping bag repacked, and the air mattress refolded, I showered for the first time in 2 days and then went to get my first meal of the day at approximately 9pm pacific. I ate at 24taps Burgers and Brews. I ordered the Roadhouse Burger. A burger topped with homemade garlic mayo, fresh cut cheddar, smoked pulled pork, fresh applewood smoked bacon, sautéed jalapenos, red onions, and BBQ sauce. It hit the spot. Granted anything after going that long without a real meal probably would have worked but this burger was just awesome. It was quite messy but I didn’t care at all. To accompany the burger, for the first time since day one of the trip, I ordered a drink. I got a Long Island Iced Tea and it was refreshing and just what I needed. So I walked the streets back to my hotel. Spokane seemed like a nice city. Less industrial than what I had experienced in Chicago or Cincy. It had a nice downtown area with an old school theater. I was a bit bummed I didn’t get to experience it more. But hey, sometimes that happens. No time to dwell. I’m on to Portland, Oregon tomorrow. Hopefully well rested and rejuvenated. I wonder what the west coast will have in store for me.