5 Nights Yellowstone Park

June 2, 2009 Fishing Bridge Campground Yellowstone Wyoming

the last five days we have had no cell phone service and no internet access because the fishing bridge campground doesn’t have it.. we only had cell service at old faithful but that has been it, and for a wired traveler that has been a change..

today was a rain day so we decided to stay put and catchup on stuff we have put off.. backing up on external HD all the pictures we have taken with three cameras.. i am using a Nikon D2X and a Canon G9 and peg is using a Canon 990.. I have been using a tripod and shutter release cord to get as good a picture as i can.. the G9 and the 990 have vibration reduction an anti-shake feature which keeps the blurs to a minimum..

last night the rain was heavy around dinner time so peg suggested we go over to the Yellowstone Hotel and sit in the lounge and have a drink.. the hotel was built in 1891 and it still has that simple dated feeling to it inside.. outside it’s painted yellow, imagine that.. we checked the menu and decided to eat in the dining room, the rain had not stopped yet.. the service was good but the food was so so, in fact most of the meals at the yellowstone restaurants or cafeterias have been so so.. could be that the facilities have only been open a week and a half and the students and other workers are just getting up to speed..

a couple days ago we drove to Lamar Valley looking for wildlife and we found, boodles of buffalos, smatterings of elk, one black bear holding up traffic in both directions on a two way road.. and a few prong horn antelope.. it was threatening rain most of the time, but not pouring yet.. so we were pleased with this foray..

day before yesterday we drove to old faithful and we had a choice to go the 32 mile direction or the 59 mile direction and we choose the shorter and just as we are walking from the RT to old faithful it goes off.. so we picked a front row bench and sat there for an hour a 17 minutes waiting for the next eruption.. it was warm and sunny so it was not a bad wait and what the heck we had a front row seat for the next performance.. after the blow we went into the old faithful lodge and had lunch and looked around at the structure which was much more interesting than the yellowstone hotel..

yellowstone park is very large and it is somewhat of a long drive to where ever you are going, but it is made interesting because there are always surprises along the way.. either animals, vistas and overlooks.. but consequently you can’t do too many things in one day..

yesterday we saved the short drive of 17 miles to the grand canyon of the yellowstone river which for a picture taker was one of the most stunning sights we have encountered, especially artists point with the upper and lower falls and the canyon of pastel reds, oranges and other volcanic colors.. we spent quite a bit of time there and then drove to some new sights and overlooks they have recently built for viewing the falls and the river..

the altitude has been a challenge for me most of the park is between 7500 and 8800 feet high which makes it challenging to walk up and down some of the viewing points which have 300 steps down and 300 up, needless to say i avoided them.. i have discovered that by breathing deeply from my diaphragm i can over come the shortness of breath and do rather well but i am avoiding the strenuous hikes and climbs and still getting very good pictures..

tomorrow june 3 we are off to see the mineral hot springs on our way out of the park and into montana, not positive where we will end up.. Butte or Bozeman perhaps.. but once again we will have cellular service for our phones and internet where i can post this blog update with some pictures..

things are going well and we are settling into a routine of activities inside the RT, i usually get up first and make coffee.. we have brought along some Kauai Coffee beans, so i grind up a weeks worth and heat the tea pot and use a melita cone and filter and brew up a large thermos full of hawaiian coffee and i drink what is left along the drive for the day to keep me perky on the windey roads..

our sleeping accommodations in the RT is a king size bed we leave made up in the rear of the van.. it has two zip together sleeping bags with two sheets sewed together and put inside the bags.. one bag is heavy and the other is light.. so depending on the climate we use the top bag to keep us warm or cool.. it has worked well for several years like this.. it has been cold here, not freezing but pretty close, there is still snow on the ground around the park and in the campground itself, but when the sun is out it is tee shirt weather..

that’s it for now, need to hit the sack because not sure how far we are going tomorrow..
hope all are well and having as much fun as we are.. we do know how fortunate we are to be doing this trip and we are happy to share it with you and let you see some of it through our eyes and words..

our love and best wishes to all friends and relies..

Pegndon