RV Vacation in Yellowstone and Grand Teton Parks - part 5
Monday Aug 21, 2006
Day 5
Change of plans - we paid for 2 nights at Flagg Ranch, but decided (wisely) to head into Yellowstone a day earlier. We left the campsite at 6:30am and drove (with no other traffic) to Old Faithful. There were many spots between the South entrance gate and Old Faithful that would be the most heavily travelled national park on the east coast but because it stands between the gate and the biggest attraction at the park, the area gets virtually no use.
We arrived before 8am in the empty parking lot (keep in mind that we were in the heights of the tourist season in the park). We were with about 100 folks watching the 9:30am eruption. We walked the 4 miles of wheelchair/stroller paths that made a nice, slightly crowded path in the area of the Old Faithful Lodge. My kids loved Castle Geyser. When we left around noon, we heard from a ranger that 8000-9000 folks would walk the next eruption. GO EARLY. Old Faithful was worth the effort. The fact that you can bank on the next eruption is great. Several of the geysers stated "Next projected eruption at 2pm + or - 3 hours". So at 11am, should we start the 5 mile walk given that it could erupt when we are 1/2 mile away?
Heading towards Madison Campsite, we stopped at every turnout to see some amazing geothermal displays. We stayed the night (and spent the afternoon) at what turned out to be my favorite campground of the trip, Madison. No water, electricity or sewer connections, which keep away some of the knuckleheads. We played the afternoon away in the area where the Madison and the Firehole Rivers merged. Firehole has tons of thermal areas along the banks, which warms the river nicely and the Madison is one of the top trout streams in the US.
I crossed the very quick water that was about chest deep and decided to go for a lone hike for a bit. After I left sight of Cathy and the kids, I came across a recently alive leg of an elk. Probably last used for a fine dining experience by a bear or some wolves within the past week. Seeing no further sign of the elk and knowing that bears will bury (and guard) what they can't finish, I decided to head back to camp.
|
|
|
|
