We drove into Yellowstone National Park today, it was about a 90 minute drive North of our hotel in Teton Village.
It was my first time here, a place I previously hadn't thought much about visiting. It is one of those places, that once you have arrived, you start planning a second trip, because there is no possible way you'll see everything the first time.
It is an overwhelmingly large National Park, larger than Delaware and Rhode Island combined. It is the country's first National Park and resides over three stay states, 96% in Wyoming, 3% in Montana and 1% in Idaho.
All I wanted to do was take in the unbelievable beauty that came at me from every direction once we were inside the park.
We began our journey waiting on Old Faithful to erupt. It entertains visitors every 60-90 minutes without fail. We sat patiently on benches surrounding the geyser with all the other onlookers. We waited with anticipation for the big eruption. It earned many ooooos and ahhhhhs.
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| Old Faithful |
We continued on to see mountains, and waterfalls, hot springs and bubbling mud holes, wildlife and caverns, peaks, valleys and lakes.
Writing about Yellowstone and sharing photos will never do it justice. However, I will do my best to share my personal experience.
If you can imagine nature at its finest, nature before man lived on earth, the most untouched beauty in the world, it has survived in Yellowstone Park. You may think you have seen nature's beauty, but the enormous size of Yellowstone Park pulls you into a alternate world. A world I had not known existed until I experienced it myself.
I felt energized with fascination, like a child traveling back in time. The wonders of life enveloping my entire being with all it's glory and grand power.
Many questions came to mind as we drove through the park. Who were the first settlers riding horseback through this area and what did they think? Did they appreciate their surroundings or was it part of their everyday existence? How has the park evolved since 1872? All the travelers passing through, are they experiencing the same awe and wonder as I am?
I grew more curious with each mile we drove, seeing new landscapes, colors and beauty. When I thought nothing could surpass what I had just seen, a new stop would blow my mind more than the last. Could it be possible? What I was seeing, was exactly what people saw hundreds of years ago.
As the day grew into evening, we headed to our new accommodations for the night. Although, we enjoyed the daylight until late in the evening, hunger and fatigue pushed us over the Montana border. We soon found our hotel/camping establishment, we would be "glamping" for the evening, short for "glamorous camping". We had a king size bed, rustic furniture and a wood burning stove inside a large canvas tent. We were truly roughing it, with a few comforts of home.
The young man who showed us our tent, also showed us how to use the bear spray, easily accessed on our dresser, just in case we had a bear encounter. I never knew how to use bear spray, never needed to until today. We were also advised, no food in the campground, especially at night. This restriction was taken seriously.
The temperature dropped to 28 degrees at night, the wood burning stove was well used and the down comforter created warmth for all of us, as we snuggled in that evening.
Glamping was a far from the comforts of our five star resort we stayed at the previous three nights, but, I loved the experience and would absolutely do it again. The boys loved it too. I couldn't compare it to anywhere else I have ever stayed.
We met the most interesting people, sitting around the campfire that evening. We stayed in Montana, with more spectacular views, making the entire experience one of my top favorite vacation destinations.
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