Round Two: Yellowstone

Ever been to Yellowstone? Otherworldly. Bubbling earth, hot mud sputtering and spatting, kick ass storms that come and go, wildlife abound, scenic vistas of the Yellowstone River that invoke serious appreciation for nature. It is awesome -- in the true, not colloquial, definition of the word. Every time I go there -- and I have been fortunate to go there a fair number of times, sometimes because of a bad day or missing home -- I think to myself what it must have been like when it was first discovered -- when Lewis and Clarke stumbled upon it -- or what the Flathead, Crow, Shoshone, Blackfeet thought of it. It is awesome.

We entered the park after heading down Beartooth Pass - the clouds were threatening seriously and it looked like we were going to see some serious weather. We toyed with the idea of staying in the little town just outside (or inside?) the park -- renting a room and enjoying a bed -- but we (I) pushed on. Immediately upon entering the park, we saw a black bear ambling across a field. We stopped with all (and I mean ALL) the others and watched. Then headed on. With the clouds building and a feeling of expectancy in the air, I checked the map for a ranger station that would have a weather report posted. Ha. Yup, chance of quarter sized hail, big storms, etc. The beautiful, cheery ranger, originally from Wisconsin, did tell us that there is always a 20% chance of showers in the park. With that report, we headed into Gardiner , MT to see how much rooms cost. Well, guess what? Way out of our range. So we ambled back to Mammouth Campground, waited in a long line to check in and then landed the campsite below. I made (well, more accurately, I burned) grilled cheese sandwiches in a severe wind that was blowing in the first of several little thunder storms. We ate, washed dishes and then RAN for the tent where we waited out one of the storms. After it passed, I rallied Jim to trudge up (I LOVE up) to Mammouth to check it out. And we did . With the sky gray and ominous, we landed some nice moments. It, of course, rained again and we ran for the tent. We were far from the tent, and actually outlasted the little storm burst and again, were rewarded for being outside with many scenic moments.

Below is a QUICK and BRIEF photo synopsis of a little bit of Yellowstone -- our first National Park. Have you thanked Rockefeller aloud today? If you haven't, you really should. I am raising my glass of Bushmills to him right now.

Can you spy my little silver Honda? If you can, you may be able to spy my little silver and purple tent. Campsites are important to document -- they are your home for a spell. Home sweet home.

uh-huh. You guessed it -- self photo. We walked up a little hill after dinner. By the way, a "little" hill or a "short" distance by eye is often a HUGE misinterpretation. I can't count the number of times during this trip that I have looked at something and severely underestimated both the distance and the vertical gain required to make it to where I looked. And I lived out here for a couple of years -- wow. This little jaunt was not bad, but we did meet this cute couple who had just come up from the river. The guy said to us, while huffing and puffing, "That river is a lot farther away than you would think." I know man, I know.

Luna, catching some zzzzzs in the tent while Jim and I wait out the little thunder storm. She loves, loves, loves her Uncle Jim.

Mammouth -- wow!

This little spot reminds me so much of ghouls and the scary type of ghosts. I love it.


Running up the boardwalk, trying to amuse Jim. Hope it worked.

Storm clouds leaving. Bub-bye.

Thermal and beautiful.

Luna lovin' and appreciatin' Yellowstone.

Big boy. Damn these guys are huge and kinda ugly in an awesome way.

Yellowstone Falls -- the lower falls of the Yellowstone River. Holy crap. Although I have stood and appreciated these falls many times, I had never hiked down the "the brink" of the falls. That is where the water tumbles over and down, down, down in a serious force of power and purpose. It gave me weak knees. Awesome.

We drove through Yellowstone and into Grand Teton National Park. These, my friends, are the beloved Tetons. And I do love them -- and miss them -- and I do look at them right now, from the west, from the deck, from Tetonia, ID -- and now, I raise my glass to them.

I will be back.