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Quick beard update… It’s starting to get creepy. After I re-confirm why I never participate in no shave November, I head down to the lobby to get some breakfast and coffee. I load up my plate with a wide selection of yogurt, strangely flavorless pastries, donuts and off-brand cereal then go right back upstairs to my bed. Shit! I forgot the coffee, I realize before going back down to get the most important thing I’ll consume all morning. This time in the lobby, I make eye contact with the young host from yesterday. Standing at his post behind the counter, he gives me a devilish smirk as I’m filling up my second styrofoam cup of coffee. Why do I hate that kid so much? I think as I return the grin right back at him.
My foot is still in a lot of pain; the swelling and bruising are seemingly getting worse, so I take a trash liner and fill it with ice then (reluctantly) plop it right on my foot. In no rush to get out of this life of comfort, I lay back down on the bed, ice my foot, devour my plate of food and watch SportCenter for the next couple hours. After feeling somewhat re-energized, I pack up my bags and head back out to my car, ready and excited for the next leg of my trip.
After an uneventful four hour drive, I make it West Yellowstone; one of the four entrances to the park. It’s 3:00pm and I have nowhere to be, so I decide that I want to get touristy with it and take a long drive to catch some sites that I know I won’t be able to get to otherwise. I’m not quite sure where I’m going to sleep tonight, but know I just have to end up somewhere near the North entrance, so I can get first dibs on a backcountry permit in the morning. I plug in Mammoth Hot Springs into the GPS and see it’s over 3 HOURS away. Mad at myself for not coming in on the north side to begin with, but now immune to driving long distances at this point, I start the journey through one of the largest National Parks in the country.
My foot is still in a lot of pain; the swelling and bruising are seemingly getting worse, so I take a trash liner and fill it with ice then (reluctantly) plop it right on my foot. In no rush to get out of this life of comfort, I lay back down on the bed, ice my foot, devour my plate of food and watch SportCenter for the next couple hours. After feeling somewhat re-energized, I pack up my bags and head back out to my car, ready and excited for the next leg of my trip.
After an uneventful four hour drive, I make it West Yellowstone; one of the four entrances to the park. It’s 3:00pm and I have nowhere to be, so I decide that I want to get touristy with it and take a long drive to catch some sites that I know I won’t be able to get to otherwise. I’m not quite sure where I’m going to sleep tonight, but know I just have to end up somewhere near the North entrance, so I can get first dibs on a backcountry permit in the morning. I plug in Mammoth Hot Springs into the GPS and see it’s over 3 HOURS away. Mad at myself for not coming in on the north side to begin with, but now immune to driving long distances at this point, I start the journey through one of the largest National Parks in the country.
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I do a couple nice waterfall and geyser pull-offs which were cool, but I’m mostly enjoying the drive through such a unique landscape. Passing huge open meadows with winding streams passing through the middle and towering pines on both sides, it just feels like Yellowstone. Right as I’m thinking that, I am forced to slam on the breaks as the car in front of me is stopped in the middle of the road. That usually means one thing - wildlife. I see the family of five tumble out of their mini van all excited, then I look to my left and see four, wait for it... mule deer! Yep, I’m in Yellowstone alright, I thought as I pull around and (while keeping eye contact) shake my head in disappointment at the Dad who thought holding up traffic so his kids could see deer was a good idea.
I make it to the main entrance of the park, about 6:00pm, and roll up to Mammoth Hot Springs, which is one of the big attractions of Yellowstone. I see it’s swarmed with people, which isn’t surprising as it’s located just steps from the road, dining hall, hotel, and souvenir shops. I still have a few hours of daylight left, so I pull into the gas station to fill up the tank and ponder my next move. After contemplating it for a bit, I decide that I will save Mammoth for tomorrow morning when all the tourists are safe in sound in their rooms, and I will now venture to the area where the wild things live. Next stop: Lamar Valley.
I make it to the main entrance of the park, about 6:00pm, and roll up to Mammoth Hot Springs, which is one of the big attractions of Yellowstone. I see it’s swarmed with people, which isn’t surprising as it’s located just steps from the road, dining hall, hotel, and souvenir shops. I still have a few hours of daylight left, so I pull into the gas station to fill up the tank and ponder my next move. After contemplating it for a bit, I decide that I will save Mammoth for tomorrow morning when all the tourists are safe in sound in their rooms, and I will now venture to the area where the wild things live. Next stop: Lamar Valley.
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It’s another hazy but very pleasant evening, as I make my way east to the valley. I look up to the sky and see the sun is starting to turn orange and fighting to break through the blanket of haze before it sets. It’s a cool scene so I decide to pull off and snap a few pics. I’m at an area where the canyon is starting to level off and meet with the valley, which set the stage for a dramatic and very memorable landscape. Yellowstone is 2.2 MILLION acres, so it’s not hard to get past the tourists and once you do, it becomes magical.
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The path to the Upper Falls of the Yellowstone River is closed for renovation, so I take a quick shot of the falls from a distance before pressing on to the road which runs through the famous valley.
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