After the whole getting stuck in mud and my car breaking down situation was fixed, we headed out again the next morning, (a little less enthusiastic) toward Yellowstone National Park. It was only about an hour drive to the East Entrance and then we drove for probably another hour toward the first loop (the park consists of about two "loop" drives around the park.)
Now I think I forgot to mention that when the snow came earlier in the week and the fact it was still very early in the park season, that the day after we got to Cody many of the roads and entrances of YNP were still closed. We got super lucky that by the time we got there there was only a small portion of the roads closed (from Canyon to the other loop), but other than that we were able to drive through the entire park.
For one who does not like the cold, I managed to wear shorts until 1 in the afternoon and got many people complimenting my bravery.
As we were heading toward our campsite, we stopped at Old Faithful and managed to get there just a few minutes before Beehive went off and then 20 minutes later Old Faithful erupted. Then we headed off to Norris Campground. Right before we got there, we noticed lots of flashing lights and rangers, first thought was an accident, but then realized it was probably bears. And bears it was. Two grizzles. It was only once we passed them and turned into the campground, that we realized they were a football field away (if that). And then as the rangers shooed them away from the road (because of the danger that tourists bring), it actually brought them closer to our campground. So it immediately became a no tolerance zone, but there were not issues that evening and night.
Setting up camp was actually easy, the problem came when a few neighbors came over to share the campfire and it started to drizzle. I personally would have gone in the tent, but no one wanted to leave, so we sat out in the mist for who knows how long, and because of this we got soaked. And even though we did change when it stopped, we were chilled. So E and I had a hard time going to sleep and staying asleep. Finally, around 5am, E suggested we head to the car and we stayed there for a few hours.
The next morning we headed out toward Mammoth and made a few sightseeing stops along the way. Then after driving around Mammoth, we headed for the West Entrance and into Idaho.
As we were heading toward our campsite, we stopped at Old Faithful and managed to get there just a few minutes before Beehive went off and then 20 minutes later Old Faithful erupted. Then we headed off to Norris Campground. Right before we got there, we noticed lots of flashing lights and rangers, first thought was an accident, but then realized it was probably bears. And bears it was. Two grizzles. It was only once we passed them and turned into the campground, that we realized they were a football field away (if that). And then as the rangers shooed them away from the road (because of the danger that tourists bring), it actually brought them closer to our campground. So it immediately became a no tolerance zone, but there were not issues that evening and night.
Setting up camp was actually easy, the problem came when a few neighbors came over to share the campfire and it started to drizzle. I personally would have gone in the tent, but no one wanted to leave, so we sat out in the mist for who knows how long, and because of this we got soaked. And even though we did change when it stopped, we were chilled. So E and I had a hard time going to sleep and staying asleep. Finally, around 5am, E suggested we head to the car and we stayed there for a few hours.
The next morning we headed out toward Mammoth and made a few sightseeing stops along the way. Then after driving around Mammoth, we headed for the West Entrance and into Idaho.
XOXO,
Suzanne Marie
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