We got a later start than we intended Saturday morning. After we tracked down a coffee shop and a gas station, we waited in the long line of cars at the west entrance of the park. I was driving, so Ryley and Ryan popped out for this quick picture:
When Ryan and I first visited Yellowstone in 2002, the park had recently recovered from a wildfire a couple of years before. At that time, much of the west entrance was bare, with a sea of dead trees as far as the eye could see. There was a strange sense of beauty in that, however. I had never seen anything like it, and the hills and hills of tree skeletons with the beginnings of new life poking up from beneath is fixed in my memory.
What we discovered this time around is that the landscape of a forest can change a lot in 13 years. Ryan read somewhere that forest fires open the pinecones, releasing them to re-seed the ground. The flora has indeed made a gigantic comeback, and the new generation of small- and medium-sized pine trees is thick along the sides of the roads and deep into the woods. Because of the new growth, we couldn’t see as far from the road as we could last time. But it was okay because it was so incredible to be witnessing the circle of life firsthand, the constant ebb and flow of nature. From death comes new life.
I am a sucker for waterfalls. They might just be my favorite thing in the world.
It was a little too cold to swim at Firehole Falls, though some people were. Ryley was content to get her feet wet.
It was actually quite chilly out, so I feel like the steam from the thermal pools was a little thicker than usual. We couldn’t see the colors as clearly. It was still so beautiful, though.
We arrived at Old Faithful at lunch time. We ate lunch, did a little shopping, and watched the eruption around 2:45.
Ryley took a selfie with Old Faithful. :-)
We got back on the road, knowing we were running out of time to finish the southern loop in daylight. It was so peaceful and relaxing to drive through the forest and alongside the lake, accompanied by worship music, Sufjan Stevens, and Radical Face.
We came upon some elk grazing in a field…They’re so majestic!
And now for the best part of our trip!!!!!!!!
We entered the Hayden Valley and were immediately smitten with the gorgeous views.
The combination of the sunlight and green fields under plump clouds was simply breathtaking.
Add the mountains in the distance and the Yellowstone River, and it’s heavenly.
The animals thought so, too, and we found ourselves pulling over along the side of the road with a bunch of other people to take pictures of…birds.
“There has to be something else,” Ryan said, scouring the valley for signs of life. “These people have to be looking at more than just birds.”
And then, there was movement.
One beautiful black bear came into view.
Then, there was more movement. And two babies came into view!!!
They were so playful, romping around the meadow as a threesome. It was one of the most incredible things I’ve ever witnessed.
About a half mile down the road, we spotted another bear…this one seemed bigger and browner, but it was also harder to see.
We continued down the road and found yet another group of people camped out. We parked and after failing to see anything, asked them what they were looking at.
A wolf working on a kill down by the water!
And a few yards away, a bald eagle…
Ryley was absolutely thrilled!!! The Hayden Valley had held so much wildlife…more than we could have imagined!
And we can’t forget this lonely bison. :-)
At last, we moved on.
Daylight was waning. We had forgotten how nice it is that the sun stays up later in the north. It was nearing 8:00 by this point, and we still had to cross the park to get back to our hotel.
Just before we left the park, we came across these lovely elk…
Mommy and baby. Be still my heart!
By the time we made it back to West Yellowstone, it was 9:30. We found a place to eat and pretty much crashed as soon as we got to the hotel!
Sunday morning, we knew we had a long way to go, so we packed the van and got out much earlier. We stopped by the same coffee shop, and when I told the owner we had seen five bears over our two-day visit, he confirmed that it is extremely rare to see that kind of activity in July! Ryley’s souvenir is a stuffed black bear, and she is determined to make it a little t-shirt that says “Yellowstone 2015: The Year of 5 Bears.” :-)
We drove south through the park without stopping until we got to the dramatically gorgeous Grand Tetons.
A guy from China offered to take this picture of our family below.
And off we went, meandering through Jackson Hole and down through the picturesque wilderness of Wyoming to our lovely Colorado.
The getaway may have been short and quick, but it was extremely satisfying to reconnect with God’s vast creation and enjoy His handiwork. I am still reeling with overwhelming gratitude.
Ryan’s headaches were constant throughout the trip, some days worse than others. He didn’t take any powerful painkillers because he didn’t want to take the chance of being too sedated to enjoy anything. His body is pretty susceptible to drugs. Instead, he powered through. Like a boss!
This afternoon, Ryley was reunited with Juliet, and I don’t think there has ever been such a sweet reunion in the history of girls and their dogs!
Juliet has not stopped licking Ryley’s freckles all night long. ;-)
So that was our trip (aka “Yellowstone 2015: The Year of 5 Bears”). Hopefully I will have more writing ready to post soon. In the meantime, Happy Summer!
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