The Substitute - Yellowstone Day 3

So Lauren is feeling a bit under the weather so I am your substitute blogger for the day.

After pushing the snooze button a few too many times we got up around 7:30 and headed for breakfast. After navigating through the horde of kids waiting for the waffle machines we finally ate and got on our way.

The first thing we tackled this morning was Mammoth Hot Springs which should be renamed Mammothly Disappointingly Dry Springs. It is one of the more rapidly changing features of the park and it just so happens that it is fairly dry right now. Many of the springs were dry as a bone and the 40-50 mph gusting winds didn’t help things.

We packed up and headed north towards the towns of Mammoth, Wyoming and Gardiner, Montana. Our principle objective was to see some elk. During our time in Yellowstone we have been lucky enough to see most of the major animals – mule deer, moose, sheep, grizzly bears, and plenty of big predatory birds. We had yet to see an elk. Both Mammoth and Gardiner are infamous for being a prime spot to catch a glimpse of elk, but just like the hot springs we were sorely disappointed. While both towns were pretty cute and interesting on their own rites there were no elk to be found.

After our disappointing jaunt to the north we headed back south and aimed for the Norris Geyser Basin. Along the way we stopped at the Golden Gate. The Gate is a series of cliffs flanking a road passing through an immense canyon. In the pass the strong winds were considerably worse – and pretty fun to lean in to.

We finally made our way to Norris Geyser Basin and got to see some of the amazing thermal features of Yellowstone from steam vents to geysers, pools of the purist azure blue to sputtering pots of boiling mud, Norris had a lot to offer. We took our time and soaked it all in – including our hair which still smelled like hydrogen sulfide hours later.

Feeling upbeat we left Norris for the Artist Paint Pots and planned on stopping along the way for lunch. We ended up stopping, but not for lunch. As we were driving down a pretty average looking section of the Grand Loop, the truck in front of us started slowing and pulled off the road. As we passed the truck I saw the passengers all staring intently out the left hand windows. This particular stretch of road was passing through relatively young pine forests rising in the ashes of the huge 1988 wildfires. I followed their gaze and in a flash I saw between the trees a huge brown shape with massive antlers – we had found our elk!

I quickly pulled off the road into the shoulder telling Lauren to grab the tripod. We were one of the first people there! We quickly crossed the road and setup my camera and a long zoom lens. There just emerging from the forest was a huge male elk with even bigger antlers. We moved around in the tall grass to get a better angle and soon took more than 50 pictures of our first elk.

During this time we had attracted quite a crowd. In Yellowstone it is so hard to spot wildlife. Many times the animals are more than a few hundred yards away and are hard to see against the background. So when you see a person on the side of the road with a tripod, odds are there is some interesting wildlife and you stop. After just 15 or 20 minutes we had attracted a crowd of 30-40 cars full of people. The road was almost at a standstill in both directions.

Eventually we left the scene and had a quick bite of lunch and headed for the Artist Paint Pots. The Paint Pots are molten pools of mud that sputter and bubble like giant pans of paint. Unfortunately a fairly substantial section of the pots were closed – the wooden boardwalk that tours the area was under repairs. But all in all we saw a few pots and saw some pretty cool thermal features.

Nearing the end of our day we decided to hit the Firehole Lake Road loop. This particular area of Yellowstone features some pretty cool geysers, lakes, and even a swimming hole. We tried waiting around to catch Great Fountain Geyser but did not get to see any eruptions. Great Fountain Geyser has been very erratic for many years and proved to still be quite unpredictable. It was “supposed” to erupt at 4:30. At 6:00 we called it quits and headed for home base.

Tonight was our last night in West Yellowstone, MT so we decided to take in a more authentic Montana dining experience. We ended up eating at Beartooth BBQ which was quite delicious. Lauren got through 4 ribs and I had an entire rack (12 ribs!). And even though I warned Lauren not to drink beer and take Robitussin for her cough, she would not listen. She had to have some local Montana beer.

Which brings us back to the fact that I am substitute blogging our adventures from today and not Lauren! Hopefully she’ll feel better in the morning and we can finish up our last day in Yellowstone strong!