Yellowstone was definitely a one of a kind experience. From the rainy,cold nights to the pushing and screaming from Janna in the car, it was a lot of fun.( I will explain that part later.)We left for Yellowstone at 1:00 o'clock in the morning on Tuesday. It was a 6 hour drive, and we needed to be there before 8:00 am to have a chance of getting a good campsite. Nancy was not very happy with me for leaving that early, but we tried to be safe
and rest when we where getting sleepy. Everything went to plan until we actually arrived to the park. We headed towards Norris Campgrounds which was a 40 min. from the west entrance of Yellowstone. We arrived at the campsite at about 8:20 and the campsite of 100 sites was already full. We decided to keep driving around and hope to catch someone leaving. As we go around a corner we see that there is one open campsite for a walk only sites. We put our tags on in, and prepare to unload.Remember that I had
been driving all night, and I only had a chance for a 3 hour nap before we left that night; I was tired. I am ready to unload and fall asleep. As I give Janna the money for the site, I start walking back with the tent in one hand the bed in the other. I behind to see a ranger fixing a problem with the tent sites which include mine. As I approached I saw that my tag had been moved, and I questioned the reason for it. What had happened was there were two sites open, a walking site, and another site reserved for hikers and bikers. I had chosen the biker site but had put the other site's number on it by mistake. The Ranger asked me if I wanted the biker site and I said that I would prefer it. What happened next infuriated me. The Ranger grab my tag, crushed it in his hand and look at me and said, "Too Bad." I was shocked, and decided to hold my tongue and run back t
o the truck before Janna would pay for a Campsite that was not ours anymore. The people who got the site was a couple of guys I had flagged down, informing them that there was one campsite open. In a way, I shot myself in the foot for being a nice guy.
Well all things happen for a reason.....
We decided to head to another campground. I wanted to head east and then north, but for some reason I was disoriented and drove straight north. We hit a Campground named Indian Creek. I was lost so we just turned into it hoping to have luck. The moment we drove into the area, we both liked it. We saw a couple leaving and took their site. When we went back to pay for it, we had another unexpected surprise. The site had been paid for an extra day, and we couldn't rent it until the next day, as we head back the couple were leaving. We told them they had paid for an extra night. The couple looked at us and said, "Merry Christmas, it yours."
Norris campsite had very small sites and very crowded areas, Indian creek was more in the wilderness, with less people, and much cheaper than the Norris. I was very pleased someone had used my lack of sleep and patience to lead me where Janna and I needed to go; Janna will also attest to that.
I started to unload the things from the truck and set camp, and while I did that Janna left to the nearest lodging area to fill up the truck with gas, and get to know the area. When she returned we set the sleeping bags on the bed, and went to sleep. Mammoth Hot Springs was only about 7 miles away, and there is where we took our showers and grabbed anything we needed.
It did not matter how tired we were, at 12:00 o'clock we got up, and could not sleep any longer. We started our adventure, stopping at anything and everything that captured our attention. From Cliffs, Waterfalls, geysers, or just a simple rock, we were there.
My favorite thing we found was "The Boiling River." It was located at the bottom of the Canyon from Mammoth Hot Springs going north. That river is so hot it would boil anyone alive, but it joins a cold river. The Boiling River cascades into a much larger river, and this creates one of the best hot tubs I have ever felt. The water is full of minerals, and it cascades into the river like small waterfalls. Careful, if you got to close to the current of the Hot water, you might just feel a burning sensation. Sitting in between waterfalls was the best place to sit. Not to count the beautiful sunset in the Background, with the biggest smile I have ever seen on Janna's Face. I apologize, I did not take any pictures of this place. Maybe next year we can all go enjoy the Springs.
The Rest of the Trip, I will let Janna Finish...
First time camping, Janna? Flip flops.....I hope in there somewhere are hiking shoes? If I see a picture of Raul in sandals it's back to camping 101 for the both of you. It does look like fun, I love the picture of the falls. Post the animal's pics. And in the South we are struggling with the heat and humidity while you snuggle in your jackets in July...