Day 35 (Extra blankets)

Day 35
July 26, 2006
Yellowstone’s upper loop

At bedtime last night it was 53 degrees, ten degrees colder than the night before last. And since we were cold on the night before last, we decided to put on more clothes and cover up with extra blankets before bedding down. It was a good decision because the overnight low was 40 degrees! We have never camped in such cold conditions without using our propane furnace, but since it requires electricity to operate, and we don’t have any here, we had to tough it out. Surprisingly, we heard very little complaining, but then again, you wouldn’t expect any complaints from “cave” children.

Today we drove 162 miles within Yellowstone National Park. We began our 11-hour journey by heading counterclockwise from the 6 o’clock position on the lower loop, up the east side, to the junction of the lower and upper loops and then continued counterclockwise up the east side of the upper loop. We then completed the circumference of the upper loop and returned by the east side of the lower loop. We rated the east side of the lower loop as most impressive followed by the west side of the upper loop, but it depends what you’re looking for because the west side of the lower loop has the most geysers and active hydrothermal basins (2/3 of the world’s geysers are in Yellowstone). Yellowstone is huge, but every square inch of the place seems worthy of National Park status.

The “lower east side” is our favorite because of Yellowstone Lake and River as well as Yellowstone falls (upper and lower) and Yellowstone Canyon. All are the most beautiful examples of their kind we’ve seen anywhere. “Glorious” wouldn’t be an embellishment. Frank took 150+ pictures of them today and had to restrain himself to keep from taking twice that number.

Yellowstone Lake feeds the Yellowstone River which runs north, peacefully—flat and mirror-like—for about 15 miles, through beautiful meadows where bison, deer and elk run free before it narrows and gains velocity as it enters the mouth of a stone canyon. Soon thereafter, the river cascades over a set of two falls, the second of which is larger and more dramatic. We were surprised and impressed with the volume of water going over the falls. Upstream it’s so peaceful and appears to be moving so slowly that it betrays the volume it conveys.

Below the lower falls is Yellowstone Canyon. Although it’s not as deep as Grand Canyon, Zion and Black Canyon of the Gunnison, we agree that it has the rest beat on the beauty scale. The stone that comprises its steep walls really is yellow, giving the whole canyon an aura of warmth that is (literally) breathtaking when you first see it. We stood at the point where one first sees the canyon and people of all races and nationalities to a person walked up, took in a quick breath and said the equivalent of “Wow!”

The “Upper west side” was mountainous and forested with numerous vistas that seemed to be arranged in order of magnitude so that each topped the previous one.

During our travels today we crossed the Montana boarder, Continental Divide, 45th Parallel, and the route on which Chief Joseph led his Nez Perce people when they were attempting to evade the U.S. Army and escape to Canada in August 1877. We saw elk, deer, bison, 3 wolves, various rodents and a black bear.

Every American should make the effort to see Yellowstone. It is the crown jewel of the National Park system and after seeing it today we understand why it was America’s (and the world’s) first national park.