Yellowstone - Day 1
Hunter started us a fire in our tent away from home and off we were in slumber.
We were meeting taylor at 6:00AM so up at 5:00AM...Hunter needs plenty of time to do his business, can't be rushed. My God it is freezing when we woke. A balmy 37F and no fire left. Hunter went to go get more firewood. Left the gate open and in came the horses. Hunter, my mountain man wanna be, can't get the fire going. So, I end up dressing under the covers but my clothes are so cold. No problem, we can do this...the toilet seat is freezing but Hunter warms that up for me.
When you go, do go out as early as you can to avoid the throng of tourist that all show up late morning. Here we go...
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| Old Faithful getting ready |
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| There she blows |
We watched Old Faithful at around 8:00AM. We were there with maybe eight other people. She blows roughly every hour and a half. There is a hot line you call to find out when she's going. We went back close to the sight for lunch and there were hundreds and hundreds of people there to watch.
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| See, we were really there |
Below is the Lone Star Geyser. It erupts roughly every three hours. We timed it perfectly.
And just like that, it's over. Not nearly as impressive as Old Faithful but still neat.
We went back to our tent for a quick nap. Uh...it had gotten up to 90F this day and was absolutely sweltering in our little abode. No nap. A dip in the arctic river nearby...that'll cool you off.
Taylor picked us up for pizza dinner, Dairy Queen, and a game of spot the American tourist (they were few and far between). Then off into the park in hopes of seeing some wildlife.
This is all I got.
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| Bald Eagle |
By now we were tired and cranky. Hunter told Tyler he wouldn't amount to much since he didn't tie his tent flaps correctly. I told Hunter he was no mountain man...GASP...since he couldn't start a fire. The water to our shower was scalding hot, no adjustment. Emily's shower would only stay on if she held the chain which made it very difficult to bathe. Tyler was now refusing to shower. There was no ice for Hunter's bourbon and my red wine was hot. We are deep into this Family Vacay!  |
Gorgeous photos! I was up north this weekend and from all of the droppings we saw on the the hiking trail I think there was plenty of wildlife though we didn't catch a glimpse, likely they were watching US from the forest.
ReplyDeleteAhhh the family vacay, great memories but hot red wine just won't cut it!
I still drank the wine! I have learned if I want a guaranteed animal I should visit the zoo.
DeleteAll of your pictures are gorgeous. I have never been to Yellowstone but would love to go. My husband is a stickler for accommodations when we travel so no AC and hot wine would probably do him in. I hope Hunter's arm is healing and that he has reclaimed his he man status!
ReplyDeleteOur guide was staying at a real dump but it had climate control and we would have loved it. Hunter is doing fine but it still hurts. Of course moving furniture didn't help. I am nesting once again.
DeleteGreat photos! I'm a geologist and so I adore geothermal features. What a great vacation, despite some of the bumps in the road! Your family will always remember the trip! :-)
ReplyDeleteI was not expecting all these geysers, hot springs, paint pots, lunar landscapes. Silly me, I just knew Old Faithful. It was amazing. And yes, the memories are plentiful.
DeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteWell, we certainly admire your pioneering spirit. We know that we could not be following in your footsteps if tents or badly functioning bathrooms are the order of the day. Hot red wine we could certainly cope with, indeed, any form of alcohol at whatever temperature would be an absolute necessity for us!
Yellowstone looks to be a most dramatic and exciting place to be. The landscape is simply wonderful and the sheer vastness of it all is impressive. Whatever, you will appreciate the creature comforts of home so much more on your return.
The wine just ended up tasting like the Boones Farm wine I purchased at the grocery store when in college...still got it down. I found everything, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, my own family, to be extremely dramatic. Beautiful.
DeleteHa! I am laughing my ass off here! Okay - a secret about me - am afraid of Old Faithful. One too many disaster films and old Sinbad tales where one of his sailors gets boiled. I am just relieved you made it!
ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting fear. Emily thought it a bit anti climactic.
DeleteLooks like you had fun,lol.
ReplyDeleteWe loved it when we went there.Would love to visit again:)
Can't believe it took me this long to go. Hope all is well.
DeleteNow as a boy one of the many tidbits of trivia I had committed to memory was that Old Faithful spouted every 66 minutes. Has that altered over the last 40+ years? If so I'm going to check and see how long it now takes our planet to orbit the sun.
ReplyDeleteIn those accommodations I'm sure I could have choked down some warm Boones Farm for breakfast.
Even with that adversity, this does sound like a fun trip!
It's not quite as regular as that. Some are a slow build up then a lengthy eruptions, others are slam bam thank you ma'am...what are we discussing?! And yes, it was a fun trip although Hunter still suffers. His arm doesn't seem to be a quick fix.
DeleteThat 8 am experience must have been amazing. I love being up early to avoid the madding crowd.
ReplyDeleteI am not used to crowds and they can be quite annoying...those damn tourists.
DeleteIs that a bald eagle?! I feel as though I should stand..The beauty you are capturing on this trip makes my heart skip a beat. It is absolutely ..awesome.
ReplyDeleteYou are a braver woman than I getting up at 5am like that. I could get up in the cold, or I could get up at 5am-but not both.
You had to laugh at the entire situation. It was a bonding experience :)
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