Hello Yellowstone – Oh  We Have Missed You!

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

DSC_0237Last year when we came to Yellowstone, we came in via West Yellowstone and we were only here 3 days.  We never managed to make it all the way to the South or Northern parts of Yellowstone, so the drive in from the Tetons was all new.  I know I need to increase my vocabulary because I just can’t seem to find the words that can truly describe the beauty of this place – I will give it an attempt.

DSC_0245Grand Tetons are only 17 miles away but the scenery is very different from Yellowstone.  As you enter Yellowstone the Snake River winds through the meadows that are aglow with golden grasses of autumn, along the banks of the river the brush is silhouetted in a deep red.  There are not many Aspens in Yellowstone, but the ones that are here make their presence known as they stand with their golden and orange leaves flickering in the wind speckled here and there among the pine trees. It looks as if the mountains are on fire DSC_0318everywhere. Not too far into the park we passed Lewis Falls, we didn’t make many stops on the way in today because we were hauling the trailer and it’s difficult to find long enough pull outs to safely stop.  But we did stop at Lewis falls and I got a nice picture.

One lesson learned on this trip is that the park starts doing their major road work after the main summer season ends .. about 2 weeks after Labor Day. Yep, so we planned this trip so that we would miss the crowds, which we are; however, we are going to have to take  an 85 mile detour to get to where we need to go today.  Instead of being able to come in from the south entrance and head north and west around the loop past Old Faithful – we are being forced to go EAST all the way around the loop to the west exit and then cut all the way back across the park.  I know – how can you complain when you’re in Yellowstone, well when you planned an easy hour drive to get from the DSC_0251entrance to your campsite so you could drop your trailer and be able to go back exploring and it takes over 2 ½ hours (which also means more fuel) it’s a bit frustrating.  So yes, all parts of Yellowstone are beautiful – but hauling a trailer you can’t stop easily – so not many pictures – so not as fun.  We found out about the road closure 2 weeks before our trip and we had already booked and paid for our campsite.  So we really had no choice but to deal with the delay – now I’m wondering if we will make it back down this way to get to see the beautiful sites we passed by .. it will be another 85 – 90 mile one way trip …. I guess time will tell.

So for those of you planning to come to Yellowstone or other National parks, there are benefits to coming post season – just be prepared for possible delays, detours and not being able to see everything based on possible closures.

Oh well … we are still in Yellowstone, so a detour here is better than rush hour traffic in Dallas ANY DAY!!

Can’t wait to see our campsite, Rainbow Point here we come … full hookups, WiFi, and canoe and kayak rentals!

Thanks for following us!
Sharon

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