Chapter 2 Driving to Yellowstone National Park
We were the first ones awake in the campsite. It was very cold!
At just over 9 hours, this was the longest drive I've ever been on. Twice as long as my previous longest drive in Namibia! It was also the worst snow we've ever driven in.
Can you tell we're from Hawaii yet? Sooo not used to playing in the snow. We were fortunate that the snow plow was right in front of us.
We made it through the snowy weather to Laramie. We decided to stop by Walmart to pick up a few supplies - like bigger, better pillows, more snacks, and most importantly - bear mace. There was a Subway nearby so it was sandwiches for lunch again. Then it was back on the road.
After all the driving on this trip, I learned that if I'm not the one driving, I can't stay awake for more than two hours! We tried everything from music, podcasts, even audio books couldn't keep me awake. Something about sitting idle in a passenger seat in a vehicle just made me dose off. Sometimes if the windows were rolled down and the air was crispy, cold I could stay awake another half and hour.
But when I was awake, the scenery was beautiful.
Some 4 hours and a couple naps later, we reached the Grand Tetons. We were lucky that the tips of the Tetons were visible, so we decided to take a quick break to get some pictures and stretch our legs. It was still another hour to the Yellowstone NP entrance and then half an hour more to our actual campsite.
Now that the end was in sight, I could barely sit still in my seat. It wasn't long before we pulled up on the Yellowstone sign!
By this time, we were starving so we drove to the closest visitors center to try to get some dinner, Old Faithful Visitor center. The cafe we actually wanted to go to had already closed by the time we got there. So we ate at the gift shop instead.
We shared a flatbread pizza and some chili. It wasn't anything to write home about, but it was warm and filled our bellies.
There was a cool boardwalk around the geyser, so after dinner we did a little exploring.
Old Faithful erupts about every 45 minutes. We checked the schedule in the Old Faithful Lodge to see if it would be worth waiting around for.
Turned out we had just missed one. So we just took a quick look, then went on to Madison Campground to check in for our reservation.
On the way over we got our first experience with some wildlife!
The bison were by far the least shy animals in the park. They were always hanging out near the roads, if not on them! As a visitor, it was kind of neat when they would walk up to the cars or onto the roads because you got to see them up close. However, one of the concierges described the bison as super annoying since they often blocked the road and turned 15 minute drives into 45 minute drives. So...I guess I could see how they could be a nuisance.
When we got to the campground, we checked in no problem. It was at this time that ranger gave us a useful tip for showers. Not all of the campgrounds have showers, but all of the lodges do. And campers can use them!
Since we hadn't gotten to shower at the last campsite, the option did sound nice. So we drove back to the Old Faithful Lodge to take a hot bath.
As we drove back, the sun began to set so we couldn't help but stop along the way to take some pictures.
Every now and then we'd see a bunch of people pulled over on the side of the road. This was our cue that something was out there! The first time this happened, it was a coyote!
There were also deer everywhere too. They weren't as fun to photograph though so I don't have very many pictures of them.
When we reached the Old Faithful lodge, we checked to see if the geyser was going to erupt. I know it's a novelty, but it was Yellowstone and I really want to be able to say I saw it! We had lucked out and ended up only having to wait about 15 minutes - even though it seemed way longer because it was freezing cold!
To be honest, I thought it was going to be louder. I have a video of it, but I don't want to spoil any ones experiences, so here's a photo instead.
What really does it for me is the time of day. The colors were stunning and crisp and it was well worth the wait - and the minor frostbite in my fingers.
After watching Old Faithful, we carried on to our showers. It was just $4 a person, or something like that, to take a hot shower. So worth it! We cleaned up and then drove quickly back to the campsite to set up.
By the time we got there it was already 9:15pm and we were pooped. Everyone in our campsite had already turned in for the night. But once again, we had to have smores! Curtis made a small fire, roasted some marshmallows and smashed together a couple of smores for us while I set up the sleeping situation in the car. Then we devoured the smores, brushed our teeth and went to bed. This night was even colder than the night before!!