Yellowstone National Park and GRIZZ!

 

We got up on Sunday, May 31 and really did not have a plan. I looked out the back window of the trailer and saw this:

The west side of the lake was fully socked in with clouds and the east side was bright and sunny. The strange thing is it stayed that way for a few hours.

As I have said before, I loved this campground and was ready to stay another day or two. Kim was ready to move on. We discussed our options for a while and then we decided to go. Is that freedom or what?

We drove out of this beautiful valley and the Tetons said good bye.

We then drove north a short distance and came to the entrance of Yellowstone National Park. I love this place. We have each been here three times in our lives. I have always said that one of my bucket list items is to spend a summer in Yellowstone fishing as many of the 2600 miles of streams and rivers as I can.

We did not have reservations. Many would think that we are crazy. Go to a National Park in the summer without reservations? Yep, but we had a plan. This guy was near the entrance to greet us.

Our game plan was to see if we could get into Norris Campground, if it was full, we would go on to Mammoth Springs on the north side. When we pulled into Norris, the camp host told us they had just filled the last spot that we would fit in. Oh well, on to Mammoth. Right after we left Mammoth the road turned to dirt. There is a 5 mile section that is under complete reconstruction. It was muddy and very bumpy. Not the best for the trailer, but we took it slow and made it through. Just as we got out of the construction, we hit another area of stopped traffic. It was one of the famous Wildlife traffic jams. This time it was a Grizzly Sow and her cub. We got a great look at them and took a bunch of pictures.

Then it was on to the campground in Mammoth Hot Springs. When we arrived, the camp host told us they had the perfect spot for us. Site 6 is kind of close to the road, but we fit in easily. Things just keep working out for us. We got set up and relaxed after a 5 hour driving day. The miles were only about 175, but the slow roads took a long time.

I was sitting in my chair reading and looked up and saw this:

Well hello there! This big cow elk looked to be with child. We saw a newborn calf a couple of days later in this area and wondered if it was our welcome party friend.

Now the Yellowstone adventure begins. This will not be my dream trip, this is more about getting reacquainted with this awesome place and planning future visits. I have no idea how long we will stay, but we never do. Freedom is not gained with just money, it is gained when you can call your time your own.