Our last full day in Yellowstone, and the first time any of us have been in Montana. We grabbed breakfast at a local joint just outside of the park and a few miles into Montana. They had pancakes. They had cinnamon rolls. They had internet service. It was glorious!
You can’t visit a state for the first time and not grab a picture of the welcome sign!
It’s amazing any of us were able to survive this long without reliable internet!
After breakfast we explored the cute downtown area, where we found several things we didn’t need.
It was then time to head back to Wyoming to tackle the north loop of Yellowstone.
Our first stop was Norris Geyser Basin where we hoped to see Steamboat Geyser not erupt. It is completely unpredictable, but seems to leave the area devastated every time it goes off.
Steamboat Geyser has completely destroyed the trees and other vegetation near to it. There are signs in the parking lot warning that your car will be damaged if it is parked there when the geyser erupts. Yep, don’t want to have a front row seat for that!
Emerald pond is on the walk toward Steamboat Geyser. It is filled with yellow bacteria, which gives this blue pond a green glow!
The north loop is mostly a driving loop, except for Mammoth Springs. We stopped here for lunch and to walk around the melted marshmallow looking geysers. It seems everyone else in the park had the same idea. This place was packed!
The second half of our loop was spent driving through the mountains, meadows, rain, snow, and slushy hail!
We did stop at this scenic overlook before getting caught in a sloppy snow storm!
With a disappointing first trip to the lower loop at Grand Prismatic because of the steamy fog, some of us took a quick trip back there after we got back to our Inn.
The steam had lifted, and we were able to more clearly see all of these vibrant colors from ground level. Worth the second trip!
But maybe what made the second trip even
more spectacular were the bison parading down the road on our drive back to the Inn!
Just as the first bison passed and we thought we were in the clear, this guy came grunting through on the other side!
That was so cool!
Mason and Caleb capped off their final night in Yellowstone with a post-dark viewing of Old Faithful erupting across the starry night sky.
Favorites of the day:
Mimi: Seeing the bison walk down the road.
Caleb: Going in to West Yellowstone, Montana and having breakfast.
Morgan: Watching the bison walk down the road right past our car.
Jacob: Seeing the bison from the road.
Mason: Seeing Old Faithful at night.
Camryn: Seeing the bison walk down the road.
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