Yellowstone National Park

June, 2011

Yellowstone, Wyoming

Since we hadn't attended a National Rally since the two in Moab, we thought it was about time that we went to one when it was held in Colorado in the summertime. To make good use of the fuel we'd consume getting to Colorado, we thought we'd also visit Yellowstone National Park, as well as a number of Colorado towns we had heard about over the years. They were, after all, on the route we had selected.

Yellowstone is mostly in Wyoming, so to get there we would take a different route than the one we usually took to get down to Arizona in the winter. To do this, we would head east from Ellensburg, WA, instead of south, and travel through Spokane and into Idaho, Montana and finally Wyoming. Turning south at Livingston, Montana, we followed Highway 89 down to Gardiner, Montana. Before we could get there, however, we had to pass through a substantial storm. It was dark as night, with rain akin to the flow over Niagara Falls.

Surviving the deluge, we carried on south and found a KOA campground for the night. We wouldn't make it to Gardiner before dark, and this would make setting up a pain. We'd rather overnight before getting to Gardiner so we could come in the next day at a civilized hour.

Arriving in Gardiner, Montana – The North Gate Of Yellowstone

Travelling into Gardiner was so much nicer the next morning with full sunshine soothing our old bones. The countryside on the way in was picturesque, with rolling hills, wildlife and rivers.

Gardiner is a small town, but the tourism draw of the national park brings a steady supply of dollars to keep the town healthy. Our camp for the next few days was on a hill overlooking the Yellowstone River, and the town beyond.

Entering The Park

We set up in an RV park in Gardner, just outside the Yellowstone north gate, and planned to stay there a few days while we explored the park. It was still early in the summer, so the hoards of tourists hadn't yet descended on the area. Getting about to see the sights was for the most part, uninhibited.

Fort Yellowstone was the closest townsite to us in Gardner, and the home of the famous Mammoth Hot Springs. With a long history of providing spa facilities to the celebrities of the early days, it continues today with amenities for the general public, wealthy or not. The most striking thing about this area is the massive mineral structures that have formed over the years by the hot mineral rich waters emanating from the ground itself.

Exploring other areas of the Park

Although Yellowstone is a very large park, it's a very manageable drive for those of us that are used to exploring vast areas, like the wilderness areas we have in Canada. The one thing that is obvious about Yellowstone, even before you see the many geysers, is the amount of water that is present in the landscape in the form of lakes, rivers and springs upwelling from within the earth. 

The Geysers

The next stop on our circle tour of Yellowstone was the popular area of the geysers. Even before we get to the developed area around the world famous Old Faithful, we are treated to a number of geothermal experiences. Much less popular than Old Faithful, and perhaps less dramatic, these smaller geysers are just as important to see. Each has its own unique features, not unlike most works of art, and as we all know, Mother Nature is the most impressive artist on the planet.

When it comes to geysers, most people talk about Old Faithful. The reason for this is most likely because of its very reliable, and short cycle eruption schedule. Most people are willing to wait around for an hour to see the geyser do its thing. But more impressive, by several orders of magnitude, is that of the geyser called Beehive. When it erupts, it does so from a nozzle that's around four feet in diameter. The eruption is also much more ferocious than that of Old Faithful, with the speed of the fluid coming out of its jet nearing supersonic velocities. It's plume height is higher as well, approaching 200 feet, and the volume of water ejected is significantly more than Old Faithful. Beehive eruptions can last as long as five minutes.

The reason not many people talk about it is because it's event interval is much, much longer, and it's not as predictable. There is some give and take on the precise time between eruptions, ranging from eight hours up to a whole day. Fortunately there as some indicators that are watched closely so that park officials can give some guidance to visitors as to when it might erupt. We were lucky, only ten minutes after our Old Faithful eruption, Beehive went active. We got to see both.

Beyond the Geysers

As impressive as the geysers are, they are a small part of what Yellowstone has to offer visitors. The beauty and grandeur of the landscape as a whole is something to be appreciated as well. The rest of our time in the park was spent just driving and taking in all this beauty.