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We started our day bright and early as Ray had to walk to pick up the rental car for 8:30. Raymond offered to take the stroll with him while I finished getting everything ready. We headed out, and were quite surprised when we approached the West Entrance to Yellowstone and saw that there were three long lines of vehicles waiting to get in. The line moved quickly however, and before we knew it we were on our way. About two miles up the road traffic came to a stand still and we wondered if perhaps there was an accident. No, it was just a herd of buffalo gathered and slowly crossing the road. There were two groups, one meandering on each side of the road so the cameras were at the ready and we got many great shots. We turned off at the Firehole Canyon drive. The Firehole River runs through the canyon, and it was quite spectacular, with falls and many rock formations along the way. From there we hopped from geyser to geyser all the way down to West Thumb. At West Thumb there are some incredible thermal pools with a back drop of Yellowstone Lake and the mountains.
The Black Hole was amazing. The water was so very clear and the colors striking. There was a sign that stated that there have been many people killed from scalding, and many more injured. These pools and geysers are extremely hot. After viewing the area, we heading back, crossing the Continental Divide along the way. We decided to have lunch at the Old Faithful Inn, an amazing log structure that was completed in 1904. The lobby area of the Inn is seven stories high with a huge fireplace in the middle. We enjoyed a fabulous lunch and headed back to the RV park where we all crashed for a bit before heading off to the downtown area. The downtown is probably a 10 minute walk from our campground, and quite small.
Ray and Tom returned the car rental then went to a lounge to have drink while Raymond and I checked out some of the gift shops. West Yellowstone is not very big, and probably has only about a dozen shops so it did not take us long to go through them all. When we arrived at the Grizzly Lounge Ray and Tom were just finishing up their first
round of drinks so we joined them. The bartender, Taylan, said that the busy season would be starting in a couple of weeks, and then it would get very busy. I'm sure the businesses are looking forward to it. Another round later and we all decided that we better head into the dinning room for dinner or we would never be able to walk back. Raymond and Ray had a meatloaf of Bison and Elk, while Tom and I decided on chicken, along with another round of drinks. We all left stuffed and slightly tipsy and made our way back to Buffalo Crossing RV park. Sorry folks, but this blog will not be as long tonight, buy there are a lot of great pictures.
I was great to have a leasurely day, with no long hauls to the next camp ground. Tomorrow we head up to Shelby, MT, our last stop before crossing into Canada. It does not look like the Alaska Highway will be re-opened soon, so we planning on heading west from Jasper, and joining the Cassier Highway that goes up the West side of Canada. It will add some time to our trip, so Ray needs
to compute our leg lengths to get back on schedule.
Mileage to date: 1198
Animal sightings: tons of Bison
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Joan
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Another great day. Tom and Raymond must really be enjoying this venture. Ray is the most perfect guide for sure. He gets the job done. Pictures are awesome