Yellowstone - Canyons and Downhill Liabilities

---

Yellowstone - Canyons and Downhill Liabilities

Yellowstone National Park is huge. There is no way to even see the top sights in a day or two much less the not so crowded sites. Therefore choices have to be made - what is on the 'must do list', what is on the 'if we have time list' and what is on the 'maybe next time list'. Touch decisions, but it has to be done. We only have 2 days to tour the park and decided it best to split the park in half, devoting 1 side to each day.

Today we toured the east side of Yellowstone. We were up long before the sun, but waited until daylight to head out. I wanted to be able to actually see what I was driving by. We quickly entered the gates of Yellowstone after leaving the ranch. A stop by the infamous sign and we were on our way. The best part about being up so early is that hardly any one else is. Solitude and serenity were abundant for the first hour of our day as we found ourselves to be the only travelers out sight-seeing at most of the stops. If only that could last. But with Yellowstone being the first national park it is also one of the busiest. So we knew it was only a matter of time before the rest of the world joined us.

We stopped at 2 waterfalls along the parkway, grabbed a breakfast sandwich in Grant Village and then turned toward the right side and headed up. We stopped at a thermal area, viewed some heat vents and geysers, then moved along to Yellowstone Lake. That lake seemed to go on forever for we road along the shoreline for at least 30 minutes and only saw a fraction of it. It is huge and has a backdrop of mountain ranges to add to the beauty. After moving away from the lake we came upon Hayden Valley. An appealing landscape of rolling hills and streams that go on for miles. This area usually has an abundance of wildlife, but we only saw bison and swans today. So we kept moving along.

Before long we were at the area of "Canyon'' - and our planned hike of the day. We packed our backpacks, read instructions on how to use the bear spray and set off on foot. The first part of the hike took us through meadows then through a forest until we came upon Clear Lake. The water level was down, but it was still beautiful. We continued past the lake through a back country thermal area (which you could smell long before you got there) making sure to keep it safe by staying away from the vents. We admired a few of the steam vents and boiling pools then made our way to Lily Lake. The lake was filled with lily pads which is probably where it got its name. We then started to gain elevation and came out at a wondrous lookout of the canyon - that is where things went downhill - literally. As we approached the lookout a couple asked if I would take their picture with the canyon backdrop and then they would return the favor. I took theirs, got into position for ours and mom started walking toward the edge to join me. She then slipped and came within 3 feet of falling off the cliff some 5000+ feet down the canyon. She regained her composure but the couple taking our picture nearly had a heart attack. That fall scared mom a bit and she took it very careful for the remainder of the trail. The trail continued along the rim of the canyon giving view after view. But we had to watch our footing and not get too close for there was nothing to stop you from going over. We traveled along the edge until we reached Artist Point. The name pretty much describes it. It is where artists go to paint and be inspired. If you have ever seen a picture of a waterfall in a canyon from Yellowstone, this is the view. It is a view like no other - giving you a full backdrop of the lower falls within the canyon. It is indescribable. We met our new friends again there and all took pictures of the area along with a thousand other tourists. We made our way back down to that parking lot but it was not where our hike began so we had a bit farther to go. Our new friends met us there and inquired about where we parked. They were waiting for us to offer them a ride as we were waiting for them to offer us one. We both realized that we all parked a mile or so farther down the road so we had a good laugh and continued hiking. We continued to climb up and down along the rim again and a mile later we reached our car. Our new friends were parked even further away so we did then offer them a ride in which they gratefully accepted.

The hike itself was about 4 miles and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Most hikes I have done are destination hikes - hiking to a particular sight, feature, etc. This one was a hike that was full of great sights and features the whole way through. It kept you interested the entire time and in some ways felt shorter than 4 miles. Though we did not see any major wildlife, there was evidence of them on the trail - just to remind you that they are in the area.

After the hike we were tired and hungry so we stopped by the cafeteria in Canyon Village and refueled our bodies. Then we headed up the pass to Tower Falls and Lamar Valley. We saw several bison along the way and continued on around stopping at the falls and petrified tree. We then decided to head back for it was late in the day and we still had a long way to go. We essentially had to retrace our steps back to our cabin so we went back through the valleys, over the mountain, through another valley, through the thermal areas, back around the lake and back to the parkway. It rained pretty much the whole way back, making the drive seem even longer. We had to stop for elk sightings and for a large herd of buffalo to cross the road. The buffalo can do pretty much whatever they want, whenever they want, so you just let them. They are massive beasts and got a little too close for comfort. With the wildlife behind us, darkness upon us and the rain on top of us, we travelled as quickly as we could back to the ranch. When we finally arrived, we stopped by the dining room for a burger before calling it a night.

We saw more wildlife today, but no moose or bear. So the bear spray goes unused for another day. We have no cell reception or Internet at the cabin so we are staying at bit disconnected from the world we left back home. Not such a bad thing. My mom has become a high maintenance individual and is now a liability. She has complained about my driving, stolen my jacket, and nearly fallen to her death. Even she has said that I will not take her anywhere else. I do believe I will start looking for that new traveling companion.

---