First forest … first park … praise the Lord! I drove into Yellowstone National Park from Cody, which took me through the Shoshone National Forest—America’s first national forest. Stopping for a snack at the Newton Springs Picnic Area, I was hit by the scent of … what? growth, freshness … life … it was wonderful!
Yellowstone, just a bit down the road, was the first national park, signed into being by President Ulysses S Grant in 1872.
Major road construction along the east entrance road, but eventually our pilot car let us go. We were packed in a line still, going perhaps 10-20 mph, windows open, having a great time … and brake lights ahead of me started flashing. Well! I know what that means at Yellowstone: ANIMALS! Sure enough, a buffalo was coming along the other lane, leading quite a line of cars, swishing his coat-tails and pretending we weren’t all taking pictures.
I saw buffalo snuggled in the warm dirt by Mud Volcano and Sulphur Cauldron … a pelican flying just above the surface of a lake … many geese … an elk with an enormous rack wading in a river … a pelican family … a group of cow elks … a buffalo family, complete with a young one, wandering across the road, expecting traffic to adjust to them (which we all did). Had lunch at Norris in a little picnic area, where Dolphin ferociously caught and ate a fly!
North to Mammoth and out the north exit, stopping to grab a picture of the Welcome Arch. Immediately I was in the town of Gardiner, and just outside was the Yellowstone RV Park. I pulled into the lot, walked into the office, and was confronted by my sign and book display. Ah, the joys of being wanted! The manager, Bill Greiner, used to be at the Westminster Family Christian store. We planned the book signings, and he suggested I sign up for the "Yellowstone in a Day"bus tour Saturday. That would be, I decided, my vacation—since the rest of the summer is marketing, you know?
So off I went at 8 a.m., in a tour bus driven by Mike, who was married a month ago, has a degree in forestry, and has driven tour buses for 12 years. gorgeous (not that we stopped—in order to do Yellowstone in a day, you drive by a lot of stuff, but it’s well worth it anyway).
We saw many bison—the largest land animal, even bigger than a polar bear, to my surprise! Many impressive elk … lots of thermal features … waterfalls … so much of God’s glory! Lunch at the Old Faithful Inn, followed by watching Old Faithful erupt, from the upper deck.
Shout to the Lord, all the earth—let it sing
Power and majesty, praise to the King!
Mountains bow down, and the seas will roar
At the sound of Your name!
I sing for joy at the work of Your hands;
Forever I’ll love You, forever I’ll stand!
(copyright Darlene Zschech)
That’s what I was singing as I looked out over Yellowstone Lake, and again at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone—what a glorious sight! What a fantastic Creator!
In Amphitheater Valley I spotted what I thought was a horse—but it couldn’t possibly have been a horse, and it had too much nose to be an elk … so it must have been a cow moose! And, at Tower/Roosevelt, we saw two black bears on the hillside, quite close (relatively speaking, anyway).
Two successful evenings of book signings, and a delightful time of worship at the Gardiner Community Church Sunday morning. And off I go, heading up the Bear Tooth Highway, which Charles Kurault claimed is the most beautiful highway in America!
Share This Blog:
|
Posts
on a rock, by the lake ...
Beagles and felines and me, oh, my!
RV Saga
Choosing
Look at my map!
“Yo ho ho, the wind blows free” in Mystic, CT
God’s whales
Ed Mathieu, moose whisperer
Trust …
Pooh Sticks in Kansas
Moose plans!
CCWC 2013
The Moose is loose!
“angels unaware”
Sacramento train station … yawn!
Pay attention to my accounts!
one last camping trip!
A Delightful Trip
Going on a bat?
My friend Shannie
morning fun!
Buffalo Wesleyan Church
Cascades National Park, homeward
“wherever I lodge”
the view
Cascades National Park
Guardian beagle?
Lewis and Clark Caverns
Beware!
Let’s get this show on the road!
Happy camper!
Israel Miracles
He is not here!
Camel riding
jet lag
Meditation
Garden of Gethsemane
Where …
The Great I AM
Abraham’s Tent
Wednesday—Jordan River
Caesarea, Zippori, Nazareth, Megiddo …
Israel—1st day
Tomorrow … tomorrow!
Beautiful feet
Wings of the morning
Countdown …
Ah-whoo and sniff!
17 more days!
Pilgrims, Elephants, Buffalo—what is real?
Israel factoids
Traveling old lady
Going to Israel
fall color?
Small world!
Where Can I Go?
Mitchell, SD
Valentine, NE
Precision Repair in Big Timber, MT
Scenic byway
hideously horrible, absolutely wonderful writing conference!
the tire guy
Friends, Truman, and books
Rescuing angels
Brown County leaves!
tune: “Fairest Lord Jesus”
Synesthesia 3
Niagara Cave, Harmony, MN
Synesthesia 2
Synesthesia
I’ll show her!
A New Toy!
Popular doggie!
New friends from Alberta
Nevada morning
Use it and pack it
Going …
Friends along the way
Idle conversations …
I’ll rest content, when my trip is done!
De Smet, SD
Red River Zoo, Fargo, ND—nice!
Whether the weather …
Prairie Dog Central RR in Manitoba
An island, just for me?
Aaron Provincial Park, Ontario
A delightful day
Sing praise!
Unexpected kindness
Emus—ah-wooooof!!!
If I were a moose …
Okopogo
Trip reading
Drive-drive-drive
Our morning elk
CCWC in Estes Park
from the Meandering Moose
May!
Writing Away, Lavinia Spalding
Northwest haven
Office picnic
Memory lane?
Visiting Camp Lake Hubert
Dolphin the Dragon
Plum Creek
Corn Palace
Ready to go!
Oh, fun!
“anti-microbial”
Home {yawn}
KOA authors
Oregon Christian Writers poetry class
What a day!
Decorating tips
Dolphin’s comments
Authors
Music at the Mug!
Go, girl!
“Where Go the Boats?”
Campgrounds and trailer parks
Highway dangers
June!
Blowin’ in the wind
DABS
Bluebonnets
Of blizzards and barking
Home!
What I Did on My Summer Vacation
Group-think
A good conference
OCW: 1st day
OCW
Surprise!
Corps of Discovery
Oregon Coast Aquarium
Sea Lion Caves
American Flyer
a sandwich day …
Cirque de Soleil
My plans
t•i•r•e•d
Headin’ out
I’m off in the morning!
Why we’re glad to be home
Döppelganger?
Little moose feet
In a mirror?
Hero
pant … pant …
Hot and windy
Sun-scorched land
Writing conference
Vacation planning
Planning, planning …
just a little NE jaunt?
Trip plans …
Beginnings
… in a strange land …
Kansas
Ha!
Use it and pack it
Wait, I’m not ready!
Drive-by Church—God’s Plan
Not a Classy Author—But I Sure Do Have Fun!
Trials and Tribulations … Plus Mercy Galore!
Of Badlands and good lands and lands along the way …
of bear teeth and beagle bladders
First forest … first park … praise the Lord!
Ridin’ the trail in the hail
My Wolf Park family
2000+ miles of boring interstate, with bright spots!
Mitchell, Canada, and the failure of Dolphin’s plot
To Mitchell SD, with a supper stop on the way
hail, the mighty hunter!
Hello world!
Trust
Trust …
|