I Love National Land, Part II

Onward to Yellowstone, one of my all-time favorite NP's. We rolled in very late - props to Mel for driving along the windy, cliffside road in the pitch black wee hours on her inaugural visit! We heard the elk bugling their wooing song throughout the night from our Indian Creek campsite, and awoke to beautiful, cool sunshine. We spent the first day driving around seeing the sights. Favorite stops included Fountain Paint Pot, Midway Geyser Basin, a lovely walk through a meadow along an ambling river, and of course Old Faithful.

The second day we awoke to extreme hail! We tried to cook on our new double-burner cookstove, but everything just became as cold as our hands as soon as it was warmed up. The sun did come out and we managed to break camp and take a little hike to Fairy Falls and Imperial Geyser. It was great to go off the beaten path where there are fewer tourists and see some of the beauty this spectacular NP has to offer! I saw a lot less wildlife than my first visit there a couple of summers ago, perhaps because of the changing seasons. But this time I saw more coyote and my frist sandhill cranes!

Imperial Geyser.

Then we drove out through the South Entrance, along the John D. Rockefeller Memorial Parkway to Grand Teton NP. Another one I've only driven through and would love to spend more time in some day!

The big ones.