It was another cold day at the park, with a recorded temperature of 29 degrees at Yellowstone Lake overnight. The cloud layer was thicker than yesterday, and Linda and I saw a few tiny snowflakes outside the restaurant window as we ate breakfast.
We entered the park around 8 a.m. again and were driving from the entrance along the Madison River toward the Madison Junction intersection when we saw lots of cars stopped or slowed ahead. We’ve learned that likely means visible wildlife nearby. As we approached the spot, we saw five mama bison and their calves grazing in a meadow near the road. Of course we stopped and took pictures too. The babies were cute.
Then we made our way toward Yellowstone Lake, which is quite a long drive toward the southern part of the park. Along the way, we stopped at some more thermal features – roiling hot springs, mud pots, and sulfur fumeroles. We walked on the boardwalks at each site, breathing in the steamy, sulfuric air and marveling at the active, changing earth. We also made a stop along the Yellowstone River at Lehardy Rapids. There, we enjoyed seeing the lush greenery along the river and the rushing rapids. But at each stop, we were glad we had a few layers of clothes on, and we had to brace ourselves against the 20-30 mph cold wind.
At Yellowstone Lake, we viewed the stuffed bird exhibit at the visitor center, took some pictures in the wind at the lake shore, then retreated to the warm car to eat our picnic lunch. After lunch, when driving to the nearby butte that provides an overlook of the large lake, we stopped at another scene of lots of people stopped to view some wildlife. We learned it was a sow grizzly a few hundred yards off the road. Our binoculars have been really handy for these wildlife viewing opportunities. After a few minutes there, we continued on our drive up the butte for an excellent lake view.
The wind was still blowing hard by the end of our sightseeing day but the temperature had warmed up to maybe 50 degrees. We had a few rain drops fall during our 2-hour drive back to the hotel. Then a more steady rain began after we were back in our warm, cozy room.
Lori's Travels 