Yellowstone National Park Trip

Sat, Sep 05; 4:30 AM

It was the recreational vehicle (RV) we had hired out to spend the long Labor Day long weekend. The destination- Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, about 470 miles west of Rapid City. We had a RV campground booked at the Park for Saturday and Sunday. The very idea of going in an RV was fun! It’s a huge vehicle, the ideal American family recreational vehicle. It is a complete house inside- couches, bedroom, kitchen, washroom- all powered by this 4.7 L Ford engine. Our route: 350 mi on the I 90 west, then the rest on the US 14/ US 14A highway. This is not my first trip to the YNP, but with 10 people on board, it is a huge trip. We had beer, played blackjack and had lots of fun during the 10-hour-long drive.

Sun, Sep 05; 2.42 PM

We are driving through the Park roads, the one leading to our next stop, the famous Old Faithful geyser. The route is scenic, the weather is great, and the RV is all cleaned up after last night’s beer-burger-drumstick party at the campground. The Old Faithful geyser erupts every 45 minutes. The next eruption is predicted at 3.17 PM.

4.46 PM

The Old Faithful was absolutely awesome. The eruption rose to almost 100-120 ft. The scene was spectacular. Hundreds of tourists gathered the site to view the geyser go off. We’re now headed to Yellowstone Grand Canyon after a brief stop at the Yellowstone Lake. The lake is spread over 21 sq mi. The view is breathtaking. I cannot describe how beautiful is the park and the park routes. Tall, thin trees are partially green and brown. The roads are like forest highways. The Yellowstone Lake is accompanying us since the last 21 mi. The landscape is unending and breathtaking. From rains in the last few weeks, the mountains are covered with a blanket of greenery. The bisons are all over. The hot springs present a colorful picture with algae and other organisms growing all over. At one spring, the temperature was mentioned as 75 C/ 160 F. No wonder, the Yellowstone National Park is the world’s biggest, naturally preserved, geyser-basin.

Bear Sighting

Luckily for us, while we were on our way back from the Park, we saw this huge crowd of people hastily clicking pictures of a baby grizzly bear few feet away from the shoulder. There were Park Rangers with pepper spray handy, in case of any eventualities. It was a fitting end to our trip, as we were just talking about citing a bear in the Park. But when it was finally in front of us, it was a treat to our eyes. The bear was happily grazing on the green twigs and grass; not very bothered by the crowd.

Our journey back home was as exciting as it was while going. We had lunch, dinner, played cards and stopped at scenic spots to enjoy the most of nature. Overall, it was a memorable trip with a hell ‘o a vehicle, and the company of friends!

.