Leaving Yellowstone

    We timed it so that we left the Old Faithful area and arrived at the East Entrance road about 8:30 p.m. It was understandable why the road was closed during the day. There was about 12 foot of snow on either side of the road in the Sylvan Pass at 8541 feet elevation. We were driving thru a narrow tunnel of snow. The scenery was beautiful. A Winter wonderland.
    Saw a black bear on our way out of the park. But never really got a good picture of him. He was up the hill a ways in some heavy pine forest. Here's one picture of a frozen lake at the higher elevations.

Yellowstone - Day 3 - Old Faithful

    We then drove on over to Old Faithful and the Visitor's Center and Old Faithful Inn. Old Faithful isn't so faithful anymore. After a couple of earthquakes, it doesn't seem to have a regular schedule like it used to. We waited an hour and a half before it went off. But had a nice chat with an older couple from Joliet, IL waiting also. And a lone Bison was wandering across the thermals giving everyone some kodak moments.
    The Old Faithful Inn is located at this site. It is a masterpiece of rustic architecture. It is a log and wood frame structure nearly 700 feet in length and seven stories high. The lobby of the hotel features a 65 foot ceiling. We heard they had a two year waiting list for reservations to stay there.
   Here's some pics of the Old Faithful area.

Yellowstone Park - Day 3

   We spent most of three days exploring Yellowstone. But you could spend a week there easily and still not see everything. The snows are a continuing problem. The road that we want to leave the park by, the East Entrance, is closed during the days because of dangers of avalanche. The officials open it at 8:00 p.m. and it stays open till dawn. The sun shining on the snow is the problem. So we plan our day to explore more and be close to the East Entrance around 8:00 that evening.
   At the recommendation of our guide the day before, Suzie, we spend most of the day exploring the thermal features in the general vicinity of Old Faithful. She was spot on as usual and this area is a must see for visitors.
   We started out at Fountain Paint Pot and then hiked 5 miles back to Fairy Falls. Here's some shots of those two excursions.

Yellowstone - Day 2 Scenery

    Now lets show some of the scenery of Yellowstone. The Northern two roads were closed because of the snow. But there was still plenty of stupendous scenery to look at. The falls and the thermal features. The pictures just don't do it justice. But I'll try.

Yellowstone - Day 2 The Bear

   Now for our encounter with a grizzly. We were in the van of course. And stayed there. Unlike some idiots who were getting out of their cars to take pictures.

Bear Butt