Yellowstone Park - Day 1

We had a slow start to the morning which involved catching up with laundry and sorting out the car, usual Sunday morning stuff…

Then, we checked out the Yellowstone map and decided today would be the day to check out the lake, do some chilling out by the beach and then some wildlife photography, maybe with a hike thrown in for exercise. Having checked out numerous books, Sherrie decided sunbathing next to the lake - prime bear territory would be a bad idea, so we changed plans and headed for the bubbling basins in the lake area instead. We could always smell them before we saw them, the rotten egg smell really is no myth. Each pool is boiling hot and as acidic as car battery acid, so again, decided a swim might not be appropriate.  

Mud pools bubbling in Yellowstone...

Then, on a short walk past another bubbling pool, we heard a yell from behind to look out and realized a full grown male bison was strolling towards us, so using our bear skills made a steady, yet swift exit out of there. 

Baby Buffalo leaping - did you know, only the females and young are in the group, while the males roam as individuals?

At this point, we decided Yellowstone isn't quite as docile as it seems… 

We still managed to get some good bison photos though, thanks to the trusty 200mm lens. 

Joke: What's the difference between a buffalo and a bison?

Answer - You can't wash your hands in a buffalo...

So, on from the acidic pools, we headed for something a little larger and more friendly, Yellowstone Lake - the highest lake in the US. We considered hiring a rowing boat, but due to a slight wind, went for a nice motor boat, top speed, 2 knots instead. Out into the main lake we went, towards Sutherland Island and out into the open water. We both decided this was the most fun part of the trip so far, partly due to it being the only wheel we could be behind in the US while drinking a beer : )

Safety first on the boat on Yellowstone Lake

Once getting back to dry land, we went on a wildlife hunt, around the lake to Pelican Creek and Indian Pond where we had heard many types of wildlife hung out - Moose, Wildfowl, Bison, Bears… we had our bear spray to hand again but only caught sight of a lone bison which are becoming as common as cows already. We briefly spotted a coyote crossing the road, but still no bears…

Back to the campsite and we got a great fire going, cooked up some tasty tacos and Joanna had a lesson in S'Mores over the fire - A Graham Cracker, Hersheys Chocolate and Toasted Marshmallow sandwich (for the uninitiated…) 

First ever S'more...

Then off for a talk on how to prevent fires in Yellowstone (after Sherrie suggesting we kept ours going til we got back ) only to learn that an unmanned campfire in the park can be deadly and this year is set to be one of the driest summers on record. (Ours got extinguished well before we left incidentally…) Then back to camp and off to bed ready for another action packed day over at Geyser-Land tomorrow!

We love Yellowstone!

Joanna and Sherrie