Day 72...Wednesday, September 24, 2008...Yellowstone!

I have been fortunate to visit some of the greatest National Parks/Forsts/Monuments on this trip...Denali, Olympia, Crater Lake, etc., but Yellowstone National Park is an icon...the very first National Park in history.
I was out of Bozeman early...taking I-90 west to connect with Route 89 south to the north entrance to the park. I arrived around 10:00AM and immediately checked in at the Mammouth Hot Springs Campground. I had given some thought to staying at the Mammouth Lodge, but the opportunity to actually camp in Yellowstone was too great to resist. After securing my campsite, I set off without delay to explore the park.
There are two "loop" highways in Yellowstone and, on this day, I drove the "upper loop" down to the Norris Basin...a site with a lot "thermal activity". I hiked the Norris Basin Trail, about a mile and a half but, with "side trails", more like three. It is difficult for me to describe the beauty of this hike...spouting geysers, steaming vents, shimmering pools of the bluest water I've seen outside of the Caribbean...all surrounded by a bleached white "post-apocalyptic" landscape that defies description. I was careful, very careful, to stay on the "boardwalk" through the basin. There are warning signs everywhere, in every language you can think of (see photo) but, still every year, a couple of people decide to get a little closer for a better photograph...and they step out onto, not "ground", but "crust", underneath which is 400+ degree water. Just two years ago, a ten year-old boy died from burns suffered after stepping off the boardwalk and through the crust.
After a few hours in the Norris Basin, I set off to finish the rest of the Upper Loop. Unfortunately, I did not consult my map and guidebook regarding this part of the "loop" which took me along the rim of Yellowstone's "Grand Canyon"...great...thirty-one miles of "white-knuckle" driving along the edge of canyons thousands of feet deep. I stopped at one "scenic overlook" (see "tepid" photos) but, on reaching the platform extending out over the canyon, I was swept with waves of vertigo...needing only Kim Novak at my side to complete the picture.
Back at my campsite, I bought firewood and set about pitching my tent and preparing for the night. Last night in Bozeman, it was COLD but, tonight, I'm lucky...it's much warmer here in Yellowstone. My campsite secured, I headed off to the Mammouth Springs Lodge for dinner...good, but not great...French Onion Soup, Caesar Salad and, as always, Prime Rib...a Martini, a glass of Eyrie Pinot Blanc and more Elk Cove Pinot Noir.
Back at my campsite, I built a roaring campfire and enjoyed a few beers. I had a chance to look at the stars on a very clear night...the best I've seen the sky since Alaska...Big Dipper, Little Dipper, Orion's Belt...big and bright. Then, early to bed...much exploring to do tomorrow.
I normally upload between five and ten pictures per "post" but, here in Yellowstone, I took more pictures than on any single day of my trip...so...this post, fifteen photos!