Yellowstone. It is all you
imagine it to be. Picturesque snow-capped mountains, wide valleys teaming with
wildlife, marvelous thermal features and an ecosystem more diverse than you
have ever experienced.
When Congress signed into
existence the World’s First National Park in 1872, they changed the way unique
lands are preserved for future generations to enjoy. In those days the park was
home to only a few bison as they were nearly extinct and soon after wolves,
considered a nuisance, were removed from the park ecosystem. Back then it took
great lengths to even get to Yellowstone. It’s lodges and facilities something
for the very rich.
Yellowstone has evolved. The park
is still awe-inspiring. It will still
blow your mind as it did for those who came to see it back in the 19th
century. After all, you are standing in the largest supervolcano on the
continent. Today’s Yellowstone is home to 67 species of mammals, of which
include bison, black bear, grizzly, pronghorn, elk, moose, Canadian lynx and
grey wolf. Its nearly 3,500 square miles contain half of the world’s geothermal
features and is home to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the largest
remaining, nearly intact ecosystem in the earth’s northern temperate zone.
Every time we go (this is our 4th
trip) we experience something new. This year it was the hair-raising cliff
hugging road that extends from Canyon to Tower-Roosevelt and from there to
Mammoth. This route took us over Dunraven Pass (8859ft), a section of road that
is closed to traffic most of the year due to poor conditions. This was the
first opportunity we had to take the scenic route and we jumped at the chance.
The area promised a higher concentration of grizzly bears and mountain goats.
The entire stretch of this 2 lane road teeters precariously along the edges of
Observation and Prospect Peaks without the comfort of a guardrail of any kind. I
found myself pressing my foot steadily on my imaginary break pedal while
clutching white knuckled the center console and telling Paul in my most calm
voice to slow down. A glance out the window provided a dizzying drop into the
canyons and valleys below. One fowl move and we were toast. When we reached the
point of no return, it started to snow. The hairs on my neck stood up as I
pictured us with no snow tires slipping off into the abyss. Paul kept
exclaiming that he couldn’t believe this road was even open to the public. I
concur. We will not be traversing it again, which is a shame since it is the only
in park route to the Lamar Valley, the parks greatest concentration of animals.
Last year because of several avalanches Lamar Valley was the only part we were
able to see and it was well worth it.
Yellowstone in May is
unpredictable. Up until Monday it had been snowing heavily and the East
Entrance, which we had intended to use, was closed due to poor conditions.
Luckily, a little rain and some snowplowing allowed us to take this route
through the Wapiti Valley on the Theodore Roosevelt Scenic Byway, which is
considered the “50 most beautiful miles in America”. And it is.
We entered into a winter
wonderland. At our first opportunity we stopped at lovely (and frozen) Sylvan
Lake to play in the snow. We skipped the sled, snow pants and winter boots this
year thinking that there wouldn’t be enough snow. Although we didn’t need the
sled, we certainly missed the snow pants and boots. The snow was 3 feet deep
and in many spots not packed enough to stand on. As we played we frequently
found ourselves sinking up to our crotch in the wet white stuff. Fun while
you’re playing, not so much when you have to get back in the car all cold and
wet. It was the perfect kind of snow for making snowballs and snowmen. We made
a nice 4 foot snowman with pinecone eyes, a stick smile and an actual carrot
nose. Would you believe our luck when I opened a package of mini carrots to
find a nice 4 inch one? Perfect for our snowman!
Not long after we started driving
again we came across our first “Bear Jam”. If you have not had the pleasure of
going to Yellowstone, you may not know what a Bear Jam is. There is only one
way to get a traffic jam in the park. Well one main way anyway. And that is an
animal crossing the road. This could easily be a moose jam or a bison jam…but
this particular time it was a Bear Jam. A momma grizzly and her little cub were
strolling down the middle of the road rather than trudge through the snowy
drifts alongside. I can understand the desire to take the easy route, but the
cars still needed to get through the pass and so the rangers nudged them back
onto the side. We enjoyed watching them climb higher and higher through the
snow and disappear into the trees. Every now and then they look annoyingly back
at the group of gawkers who caused them to take the harder route.
The next stop on our list was
Sydney’s request: Old Faithful. She had been watching Yellowstone Podcasts on
my iPhone for months and wanted to give us a tour of the area. We arrived with
an hour to spare before the next eruption, give or take 10 minutes. A stroll
around the pools and geysers located around Geyser Hill took up the additional
time. We saw steaming bright blue pools bubbling over, their cooling
micro-organisms creating bright yellow and orange crusts at the edges. Small
geysers spewing sulfur enriched water and large geyser cones quietly awaiting
their turn to erupt. They were all interesting, but none was as impressive as
Old Faithful. We made it back to the beginning of the boardwalk just in time to
catch a spot on the edge of the massive crowd. And right on schedule, Old
Faithful spouted fourth a gush of hot water into the air.
At this point it was getting
pretty late, so we hit the road again and took that crazy path through Dunraven
Pass. I still think it was completely insane and it was my idea. I had no idea
what we were getting into. I only wish I had some pictures to show you how
alarming it was! We made it to Mammoth with no time to spare. We HAD to get
back on the interstate and fast. So we crossed into Montana with an ETA at the
hotel of 9:30pm. The kids were so awesome. No complaints, or crying as we
trudged 5 more hours! 
