Thank goodness we stopped at the West Yellowstone Visitor Center and spoke to Ranger Rick (whose name is really Keith). One actually needs several days to see and experience this breath-taking place of natural beauty. Ranger Keith provided the perfect route for us since we did not have several days to explore one of John Muir’s favorite stomping grounds, but also didn’t want to leave frustrated for having missed the major highlights.
What a feast for the senses! The soft, refreshing scent of myriads of pine trees counteracts the sharp sulfuric smell of the hot springs. Birds, frogs, cascading rivers, and rustling leaves sing their harmonious song to the delight of anyone who will be still and listen.
Victoria says she "shot me a bison" :-)
The majesty of the mountains under the big sky, the colors of budding early-spring flowers, the animals, the rolling rivers, and spectacular geysers compete for the attention of the eye.
We were fortunate to spend only about 20 minutes waiting for Old Faithful to erupt. Here's Old Faithful at work...
After visiting Old Faithful, we had a picnic lunch along the banks of Firehole River.
The next stop along the route Ranger Keith suggested for us was Gibbon Falls.
The last major attraction of the day was Mammoth Hot Springs.
We departed out of the north side of the park through Granier where this famous gate is located.
Our words and cameras fail, but John Muir’s pen captured it well, “Nature’s sources never fail. Like a generous host, she offers her brimming cups of endless variety, served in a grand hall, the sky its ceiling, the mountains its walls, decorated with glorious paintings and enlivened with bands of music ever playing.”
Our view is that nature indeed declares the praises of God.
After departing Yellowstone National Park we only made it as far as Livingston MT where we had another light dinner and found a quaint little hotel appropriately called the Livingston Inn.
We'll see if we can make it into North Dakota on Tuesday...
