On this morning's drive through the lodge pole pine corridor heading toward Grant Village we had another bear sighting. Unfortunately we had no where to turn off and by the time it was spotted we were past it. So, only few folks in the rear of the coach got the view. Great for them!
Through a bit of fortuitous timing we arrived at the Old Faithful Inn in time for the 10:57 am eruption of the Old Faithful geyser. Only the eruption occurred at 11:10am. Kinda like watching a pot of water on the stove. The more you watch it the longer it takes to boil. No worries, though. The large crowd gathered around the viewing area were treated to about a three minute eruption of hot water and steam shooting some 135 feet into the air. After the eruption we headed for a bit of lunch in the cafeteria. Then we returned the viewing stands were witness to another Old Faithful eruption. Several folks took to the boardwalk trail around the many steam vents and smaller geysers in the area of Old Faithful. A 1:00 pm departure was met and we were on our way north.
Smiling faces since we got to see Old Faithful spout two times!
Gibbon Falls between Madison and Norris information centers was a nice stop for us. A walking path took us to a viewing area above the falls with great vistas of the river and canyon below.
If I'm overusing words like "magnificent" or "incredible" or "amazing", please forgive me. I'm going to have to dig out my Thesaurus to find more words to describe the scenic beauty (there's two more words) that we've seem so far on this tour. I'm sure there will be many views and vistas even more amazing as we make our way into Glacier National Park in a couple days, so I'd better improve my vocabulary.
Just passed Roaring Mountain and we can see in the distance dark, thick clouds signifying the beginning signs of our afternoon showers. Let's hope that we can get to and make the Terrace Walk at Mammoth Hot Springs before the storms begin.
Marsha may have spotted a moose! Off in the distance in some prime marsh land area she spotted what may have been our first moose sighting. Sadly, though there was no place to stop and take a better look. The road traveling north from Norris to Mammoth is quite narrow and does not offer many opportunities to pull over and gawk.
Sadly the rain has foiled our plans to walk the terraces at Mammoth. A quick stop at the Visitor Center followed by an ice cream fix for those in need of one (me) and the rain decided to let up. A few of us danced between the rain drops and walked the few hundred yards of the lower terrace. The hydrogen sulfide odor was a bit on the strong side but not enough to keep the brave ones from making the walk. The colors of the boiling hot springs along with the unique formations from the mineral deposits made the walk worthwhile.
Several elk were spotted on the drive from Yellowstone, along with deer and geese and even a few fishermen. Marsha's sighting notwithstanding, we're still looking for the elusive close-in sighting of a moose. Maybe not until we reach Glacier National Park. I can wait.
Our home for tonight is the Hampton Inn, Bozeman, Montana. At dinner time the group split, half at Famous Dave's and Half at Applebees and returned to the hotel at about 8:00 pm.
Our group gets some much needed rest, with a 9:15 am departure . . . Then onward to Glacier National Park with some fun along the way.
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