Monday July 1, 2013- Bi-son, Get son free!

Left: Grant Village at 10:30am MST
Arrived: Grant Village at 6pm MST
Total time on road: 7 ½  hours
Miles driven today: 76.5 (our route is marked in purple with some stops we made are marked in green Xes.)
Total miles driven: 2607.7

Some Yellowstone Features Seen: West Thumb Geyser Basin, Firehole Lake Drive, Great Fountain Geyser, Gibbon Falls, Artist Paint Pots (Mudpots)

We got a much later start today. I decided to get our remaining ground beef cooked off so it could be quickly used at mealtime. We also needed to get our showers in and some days it just seems so difficult to get rolling, especially to get the kids moving. We also had some housekeeping to do. It’s a pain, but this is a small space so it goes quickly. Plus, with such a small space, it’s so important to keep everything straight.

Gibbon Falls

This day just got off to a rough start. I think the late start made Pete anxious (there is a lot of ground to cover here-no pun intended) and Isaac was just not in the mood to be anywhere near us. The day got rougher as we went. Our route would be taking us on the southwest lower half of the figure-eight loop; Keppler Falls to Great Fountain Geyser to the famous Fountain Paint Pot at Lower Geyser Basin. Well, we took Firehole Lake Drive, which, it turns out, is closed to RVs. We didn’t know that until we were ready to leave. The ranger was very kind and understanding, but a few visitors were very rude as we were driving out. Next, as we approached the Fountain Paint Pot area, it was way too full to even consider visiting. Traffic was backed up for a mile (in the opposite direction, thankfully) to get into the entrance. Bummer.



Thermal pool at Artists Paint Pots

Mudpot at Artists Paint Pots

We made our way through Madison to picturesque Gibbon Falls and then north to Artists Paint Pots, which was a real hoot. Can I just repeat that hiking the thermal areas is hard work? However, because we climbed to the highest peak in the area, we were treated to an almost private visit with the two mudpots at the top of the hill.


These mudpots provide the closest views of mudpots in all of Yellowstone. We laughed as the huge mudpots glurped and glopped sending mud so high and far that we thought we’d get splashed. In retrospect, it’s okay that we missed the Fountain Paint Pot. There were far less crowds at Artists Paint Pots. Our planned sightseeing visits ended with a stop at the North Rim of The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River. Tomorrow we will try to visit the South Rim for the most photographic vantage points.

My first bison close-up.

Our trip back to Grant Village took us through Hayden Valley. We had a buffalo sighting! We stopped to take some photographs. As I was making my way to where Pete had parked the RV, he was furiously waving his arms. Not only were the bison on the left side, across the road from the RV, but one was about 15 feet outside my passenger door and I had to pass him to get back in the RV. Pete worries when wild animals are that close, but I talked to the bison. (I really did.) “Listen,” I said to him, “I just have to get in the camper. I’m not going to bother you.” He looked unaffected.  Bison to the left of me, bison to the right, here I am, stuck in the middle with Pete. As we continued on through the valley we saw approximately 500 head of bison.

Dinner: Back early enough to whip up soft beef tacos and mango margaritas for all (no rum for kiddies!) We bought some firewood and made a small fire for S’mores. Millie made some friends at the neighboring campsite and we learned that the mosquitos in Yellowstone are vicious. Add bug spray to your list. Usually I am not a big user of bug spray, but it may prove invaluable this trip.

Birds: are somewhat tough for me to watch here partly because the soaring birds are really high, the perching birds are really quick and the forests are either dense or super-dense. When I say super-dense I mean that in the area of Artists Paint Pots, which is thermal, if I took my arms and made a ring with them, like a great big hug with my fingertips touching, there might be eight trees in that hug. Super-dense forests make for tough bird watching if you’re not sitting still for long. That’s the other issue. We don’t stay put for long. I’m convinced that if I took myself to an area and sat, I’d see much more wildlife. Well, maybe next time. Wildlife surprises are fun and will have to do for this trip.

This was the best vacation day:

Millie at the mud-splattered fence.

Because our effort climbing the steps at Artists Paint Pots paid off in listening to Millie’s laughter (photo- Her almost-10-yr.-old beauty stuns me.) Plus, I loves me some bison herds. Glorious.