We are getting really good at packing stuff for lunch and getting equipment into the car. We ate most of breakfast in the room, but snagged a bunch of stuff for the lunch also. Bearclaws and yogurt and fruit. We had been supplementing our lunches each day with small things. I would make a large sandwich for each of us and we would have tea or coffee. I would grab fruit and desserts, but both of us decided that half a sandwich was enough. So I made one sandwich and cut it in half. Grabbed the ice blocks, chilled meds, various foods and we were pretty much ready. Trash bags- we pack it in and pack it out.
Every night Eduard off loaded his camera to my computer and then to his storage device. We were ready again before 8am. Got gas first. Then hit the road. There are no gas stations where we were going but some of the little villages had gas inside the park. Better to be full before you go in. Also it is good to know that there are some emergency services. We saw a car accident, fender bender, near a bunch of bison. There was a tow truck and an officer of some kind. There are several emergency medical stations in the park but we did not need them this time. Just good to know. Cell service is spotty or non-existent. No internet either, in the park.
We got into the park in 10 minutes and headed down the 14 mile scenic road. People were already fly fishing in the river. We turned north at the intersection toward Norris Geyser field and stopped again at the Gibbon water fall. Last look. It is beautiful and we changed drivers. I drove to the next intersection and turned east to the grand canyon area. There is a Canyon Village at the east end of the road and the north road was closed for repairs. We turned south to find the grand canyon Virginia Cascade gorge and water fall.
We first visited the North rim of the canyon. Nice parking and viewing areas. Toilets. Lots of people. And a short walk to the viewing area. This part is off the main road, which goes to Inspiration Point. Beautiful views of the gorge and canyon. Colors, landslide areas, vastness and sense of size. But not really too photograph interesting. After visiting the different parking lots we headed to the south side of the canyon. My legs had been tired so I only walked a short bit and did some viewing, but it was pretty. Not as pretty as the Grand Canyon in Arizona, but interesting and beautiful.
The south side of the Canyon was more interesting. You can see the water fall and bridge, and river, and lots of people. Eduard got lots of great shots. There is a path you can walk to the bridge. It is long and rather flat, but I didn't want to do it. I only went a short distance. It is 6 miles to the other side of the canyon, over the bridge and up the path. So people were going to make this walk. I wondered if they had a ride back to the car after they got there. No taxis here. No shuttle. 6 miles each way. One couple said it would take them all day and they would have lunch on the other side. I am about 8 years past this in my ability to hike a long way. So my mind was saying, "this is a job opportunity. Park on one side and drive people back to their cars for a fee."
Eduard took lots of pictures before we headed to Artists Point. This is down the road from the main parking lot for the south rim. It is pretty much a small parking lot with a viewing trail down to a viewing area. I stayed in the car. Eduard took pictures.
Next stop was the Mud Volcanos. We were headed toward the Yellowstone Lake and turned off to the mud volcanos. This area was easy to access but for some reason I don't have much memory of it. A bit of a hike, not much sulfur smell, but just not memorable for me. I don't think I walked very far. The bottom area near the parking is very accessible. A short ramp up to a walking platform takes you to more mud pots. One was the mud volcano and another was the Dragon breath mud pot. These are interesting features and shift with time to new areas. The walkway is nice up a bit, but kind of rough near the parking lot. Not long and worth a look. We were getting kind of ready for lunch, so it was not a really long stay.
After leaving the mud pots we found a turn out to a lake spur and had lunch near the car. We had brought a small folding table and a chair for Eduard. I used my walker/chair. We paused to enjoy the quiet and beautiful area with maybe 6 other cars well spaced apart. It was warm out and we found a shady area to pull over. Ducks were the entertainment feature. And trees. And a lapping lake. After a nice rest we decided to head back to the Hotel. We were now on the east side of the main center loop of the park. I wanted to go back doing the full loop so that we could drive past the places we had been the first day. It is about 2 hours back to the hotel. We passed wild life and Old Faithful. And it was beginning to seem like someplace we knew instead of a foreign environment. We stopped to swap drivers every hour so that we didn't get too tired. And we made it back to town. We decided to fill the gas tank before we went to the hotel. We were leaving in the morning to head back and wanted to drive through the park to the North West entrance.
There is a lot of driving in Yellowstone. If you take buses, you spend a lot of time getting on and off buses and waiting for people. Driving yourself is well worth the effort and gas. I did not see any buses with wheel chair lifts or ramps. This means that you need to have your own transportation if you are physically challenged. Buses go to the main attractions. If you are looking for some of the out of the way sights, you need a car.
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