Wow. Yellowstone is amazing. The terrain is just so vastly different throughout the park - there's tree lined hillsides, flat forests, an amazing canyon, yellow fields, white hot springs, etc.
I entered through the Eastern gate and drove around the lake, stopping to dip my toes in, take some photos and go for a short walk. I got back in the car and drove to Fishing Bridge where some locals at the Naked Winery near Rushmore had told me to go. There was a cute little lodge there with a great store filled with souvenirs. Driving around that area, you'd frequently hit traffic and then discover the reason there was traffic was due to bison crossing or just simply standing in the street! You'd slowly drive by as the bison were a mere two feet from your car. There were even some adorable baby bison too.
I stopped at the mud volcanoes were mud is literally bubbling out of the ground. It smelled of rotten eggs thanks to the Sulfur. There are also lots of signs saying don't step on the mud or ground/stay on the wooden paths because the ground can randomly be hot and be soft so you'd sink down.
There were signs on the road I encountered warning of forest fires - and you could see and smell the smoke. At the mud volcanoes they had a ranger giving a talk warning visitors about where the fires currently are, how to avoid them, and what they are doing to control/stop them.
From fishing bridge I drove to the Canyon - another recommendation from the nice folks near Rushmore. The canyon is gorgeous! I hiked around the falls a little. Yellowstone is pretty crowded with tourists - but then again maybe that was because it was labor day. I imagine backpacking on some of the trails may be better and more isolated.
From the Canyon I drove through Norris to Mammoth where the resort and hot springs are located. It was PACKED. It was incredibly hard to find a parking spot, but I finally did and walked around the hot springs. There are some gorgeous white formations where the water is just bubbling up and steaming.
After talking to the folks at the winery near Rushmore, I decided to NOT go to Old Faithful, the geyser. They said it's really not that great and given the amount of time I was spending in the park (a day), I should skip it. So I did.
Along the road I saw tons of bison. Near the north entrance where I exited I saw more wildlife - unfortunately I'm not exactly sure what they were.... perhaps elk?
I was sad to leave Yellowstone, but decided given the number of animals in the road in Wyoming and also Montana and the dangerous roadways leaving Yellowstone, I decided I should leave before dark. However, I will be back with a tent and backpack in town next time. I think of this time simply as a preview of where I'll explore next time!
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