Thursday, 1 July 2011

We got up fairly early and had a hasty breakfast, hitched up and drove from Grand Teton into Yellowstone.
The idea being to arrive at a Yellowstone campground early, just after those leaving would have left
and before others would arrive and fill the campground.

Just inside the southern entrance. The road went through an area that had been burned back in the 1980s. The lodgepole pines in this area are fairly young.

The campground that seemed to have space was on the West side, so we fairly rapidly drove nonstop to the Madison campground.

The sign at the entrance of the campground said FULL
but when Mona and Joseph went to inquire they found that there were a few spaces available, and we situated ourselves in space C3.

There was another R Pod trailer near us.
After leveling and unhitching, about 11AM we headed over to the Old Faithful Geyser area.
Shortly after leaving the campground we experienced a Bison block.

It was rather like the kind of blocking of route that one does in the game of Parchesi.
Two male American Buffalo (Bison) were sauntering down the 2 lane road blocking traffic, as they were walking very slowly in a blind curve where passing them was not an option.

For over 10 minutes we were following Bison butts.

Then one wandered off to the right side and had a few mouthfulls of grass.
We passed him and continued to follow the other one who commanded the road by himself.
The one at the side realized he was being left behind and walked up past us on the shoulder of the road passing our Suburban all too close.

He gave a baleful look at Mona in the co-pilot seat as he went by then took up position with his friend in front of us.
Eventually there was a small turnout to a parking area at a trailhead and
the buffalo headed off the road into the parking area leaving us room to pass and continue on to the Old Faithful village.

Yellowstone Old Faithful village and the Old Faithful geyser basin.

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