Oregon again...

As I drove through Idaho, I didn't even feel like taking many photos.  That was a sign that my desire to travel is waning.  There were certainly places worthy of stopping, but I just wanted to keep moving.  One month on the road is enough.  We left Salem for Indiana on August 21st.  But boy what a trip this has been!

After leaving Cody, Wyoming, I entered Yellowstone from the east side and made a stop at the Buffalo Bill Dam.  It was quite an impressive structure, and had a nice little visitors center too.  I did find the practice of charging $3.00 for the use of their bathroom a little unfriendly, but I guess the economy is hurting everyone these days.  Seriously, they were as surprised as I was when I pointed it out and quickly moved the sign.  But I still had to pay to pee.  (Not really.  I just wanted to say that.)

This was my second visit to Yellowstone.  The first one was when our kids were young and we just drove through.  I wanted to spend some quality time here this time.  The first animal I experienced was a large marmot with a mouthful of grass or something trying to hurry across the road.  It almost became a marmot pancake as I hit the brakes almost too late.  I really wanted to see a bear this time so I stopped at a beautiful meadow that was prime grizzly territory, according to the sign.  No bear appeared unfortunately, but I did spot a beautiful bull elk in the distance.  He managed to stick around long enough for me to get a few shots - photos, not guns.  I'd be in big trouble if I did that.

One of the things I soon discovered was that there were going to be lots of places to stop.  I think it took three hours just to travel about 25 miles.  When I visited here before, the big burn of 1988 was pretty fresh.   The scars are still here, but Momma Nature is doing what she does best - repairing and replenishing.  I did meet a woman who was complaining about all the burned trees.  She couldn't understand why "they" didn't come in and cut them all down.  I tried to explain that fire is a natural event and what we were seeing was exactly what we should be seeing at this stage.  The whole purpose of the park is to showcase nature and natural events.  I suspect she missed the point of the what I was saying.  Oh well.

 

I finally worked my way around the park to find a campground that still had spaces.  I was able to walk down to the shore of Yellowstone Lake to enjoy the setting sun and take some more photos.  Here are a couple.

 

In the process of the day, I met and talked to many wonderful folks from all over the world.  And that night, I went to sleep with the sound of bugling elk echoing through the forest.   On that note, I will end my tale for the night, so I can go to sleep to the sound of the creaking ceiling of my motel room as my neighbors move around.  Somehow, it's just not the same though.