August 19, 2014
It was 57 degrees and mostly cloudy at 10 am when we left Idaho Falls for the 110 mile drive to West Yellowstone, MT. Located at an elevation of 6,666 feet West Yellowstone, Montana is the West entrance to Yellowstone National Park. Here tourism is the economic mainstay of the town and they have been hosting visitors since before the turn of the last century. The residents and the tourists get an amazing opportunity to enjoy the daily wonders of nature.
Arriving in West Yellowstone, MT, we checked into the Grizzly RV Park for 4 nights. After settling into our campsite, we made the short drive to the park entrance. We paid our the entrance fee and have access to the park for 7 days.
Our First stop…Old Faithful. The Old Faithful Geyser is not quite as predictable as it used to be, but it still is the most regular of all the geysers. We arrived at 4:20 PM just in time for the approximate 4:40 PM eruption. Great Timing! We walked to the viewing area and the crowds were already filling the benches surrounding the geyser area. While we waited for Old Faithful, we were surprised to view a very nice geyser further back in the Upper Geyser Basin. It was only a few minutes before Old Faithful began spurting and splashing. When the 130 foot waterspout erupted, the massive spray combined with the wind created a rainbow! Old Faithful did not disappoint us today!.
Leaving Old Faithful, we walked to the Old Faithful Inn. The structure is the largest log hotel in the world and features a multi story log lobby. One of my favorite features in the large stone fireplace with four main hearths. The stone extends all the way to the roof…85 feet! Another feature that is so cool, is the “Crows Nest” which was used by musicians to entertain the guests. Upon exiting the inn and walking towards the parking lot, we saw a neat stairway feature on the rooftop. We see something different every time we come to this spectacular place!
Inside the park today, we only saw one Buffalo! Hopefully, we will see more in the next few days!
Tomorrow – another day in Yellowstone!
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