Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Saturday - Day 118 - Seeking out Wildlife - YNP2

I awoke in our canvas tent stinking of firewood and loving it.  There is that camping, fresh feeling, when you wake up in the cold weather and feel extremely rested, ready to start the day.  

The inside of our tent while Glamping

Although, the shared facilities were small, they were clean and private and the shower was hot with force.  I still knew I was camping, but the shower made all the difference.  There was also hot coffee in the reception tent to start our day.  Staying warm was priority one. 


James, he's all boy!
We did not encounter any bears during the night, but our bear spray was handy on our dresser, just in case.


We found a local eatery known for their excellent breakfast, filled our tanks and headed back into Wyoming to see more of Yellowstone Park. 

James fascinated with the Bear Prints outside
of "The Running Bear" restaurant


We had a map and a plan to venture back into the park with hopes of seeing much more wildlife then the day before.  

As we journeyed through the park we made all sorts of pit stops with funny names like Sheepeater Cliff and Mt. Washburn.  We drove the Blacktail Plateau Drive, and at the end was a petrified tree.  We enjoyed every minute of every mile of our trip.  

James climbed Sheepeater Cliff


James found a treasure on his climb down


My husband had dreamed of visiting Yellowstone National Park since he was a young boy.  He now had the opportunity to share his dream with our boys.  We promised we would come back in four years when Ty was older and he would remember the trip. 

This photo of Yellowstone reminds me of the beach

We chatted and contemplated our return trip, would we be driving an RV, camping and hiking, glamping or staying at one of many Yellowstone resorts?  We didn't know, but our options would remain open.  

We made an interesting observation that no large campers or RVs were allowed in many of the drive in scenic areas.  We would be certain not to take our current, large RV to Yellowstone.  We also noticed many cool retro RVs in all shapes and sizes.  I imagined what the insides looked like remodeled.  In addition, we paid attention to the types of people who were exploring YNP with us.  All ages, couples and families and everyone was smiling, happy and friendly.  Everyone! 

Retro RV 

When we were traveling the Blacktail Plateau, traffic slowed to a stop.  Our leaders had spotted something in the brush and we waited like excited children itching to get a peak.  We would soon observe a mama bear and her two cubs, scooting around and soon crossing the street below.  Growing up in New York, the only traffic jams I experienced were filled with honking horns and people cursing obscenities out their windows.  Not in Yellowstone, here people were in the mist of nature's wonder, and we were all anxious and thrilled to be a part of it.


Mamma Bear leading the way
Baby cubs crossing the street, following their Mamma
  
The Bear Family

We continued on after our bear encounter and we would see more bears, along with herds of American Bison, Mountain Goats, Elk and Pronghorn Antelope.  We climbed Mount Washburn, a chilly 10,243 feet as it began to snow flurry.  



Chipmunk

Pronghorn Antelope

Elk

American Bison

We exposed James to things he would  not have dreamed of, because he would not have known they existed.  He has now experienced Yellowstone at five, what will his dreams be as he gets older?



James at the top of Mt. Washburn



I personally found a new dream in Yellowstone, 
I am dreaming of an African Safari and I wish, one day, for my dream to come true.   




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