Springtime in Yellowstone!

Day 43 - May 5

We couldn't make it to visit the Grand Tetons National Park due to road closures, but we could now make it across Highway 20 through the East Entrance and all the way to the West Entrance of Yellowstone National Park. Not all roads were open yet in Yellowstone. We didn't know it, but we were going to get to experience Yellowstone in an unbelievable way!

Here's a hard to see picture of a very unexpected and never before seen animal for us in Yellowstone, and we've visited this park a lot over 45 years of marriage lol.

I had no idea that I was looking at a wolf and he was looking at me until I was going through my pictures. Otherwise, I would have zoomed in better!

We got up early because most wildlife sightings happen early in the day or in the evening. When I opened the shade in The Rambler, there was a beautiful mule deer looking back at me!  I took that as a good sign. Off to a great start! Going down the highway, The Rambler was making a curve and there's a big old male bison walking across.

He's still shedding his coat.

Just a ways down the road, we cross the Shoshone River and there are 2 big moose crossing it!  Unfortunately no place to safely pull over and snap a picture, but it's in my memory bank!

The scenery going into the park is just beautiful.

When we enter the park the Ranger told us we just missed a bear. Dang the luck.

What's interesting is that there were no tourists in line to take their photo at the entrance sign!

Spring in Yellowstone is a time of change.  We found mixed conditions weather wise. Many trails and roads are still iced over. The weather forecast was calling for wintry weather. When our kids were still growing up, we brought them here in the summertime. When I was growing up, my family brought us here in the summertime. When we became empty nesters, we loved traveling in the fall, and we visited several times in September and October. This spring time visit was a first!

The mountains still have a lot of snow.

Ron is 6' tall. That snow is deep still.

We have never seen Yellowstone Lake still iced over either!

Loved seeing it like this!

Located on the edge of the lake, the only place where some of the ice was melting.

Can you see the steam?

From Fishing Village, the road was open to Canyon Village.  Awesome!  Here are some photos from along the way.

When you think of Yellowstone pictures and documentaries, there are always the bison by the steam vents.

More bison

Here's the random stop in a snowy valley where I didn't notice the wolf looking at us.

Mud Volcano

Yellowstone River

Yellowstone River

I have several framed photos I have taken of the Lower Falls and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, but I was hoping to find a little snow for a new photo to frame! We did and it was breathtaking!

The Upper Falls. Check out the ice!

Yep, haven't seen it this way before in my life!

It's beautiful and the sound of the water crashing down!

Makes you cold!

We stopped off at the Norris Geyser Basin and started down the trail....until the rain shower pushed us back.Some more of our highlights driving through were elk in the river and of course the bison.

Steamboat geyser

Elk crossing the river

And of course, as usual, the pedestrians that don't look left or right, or stop and wait for the traffic to pass.

The drive through Yellowstone was one of the all time best I ever remember. I do have a memory tucked away from the late 60's when our family and two other families of cousins made a stop here. It was my first time to ever fish in a mountain river. We used salmon eggs for bait. I had a raincoat on. And I don't remember if we caught any, or how many, fish. But it's a memory nonetheless.

We're going to be heading west through Idaho to Oregon next. Until then......thank God for the beauty of nature that we get to experience!