Driving in Yellowstone

As I mentioned in the first post about Day Four, my first order of business for the day was getting into Yellowstone to meet Kat at noon.

Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves, too much. This map of Yellowstone will be helpful in understanding my plight!

I entered the park around 10:00am at West Yellowstone and drove to Madison Junction. There, I learned that there was road construction on the way to Norris and that there would be 30 minute delays. Figuring I had plenty of time, I decided to go the other way - down to Old Faithful, West Thumb, up to Canyon Village and then to the trailhead between Roosevelt and Canyon.

I KNOW, I KNOW!! I may have underestimated both the length of the route and the amount of time it would take to drive. In driving in the park the previous night, the roads were empty (mostly because a huge storm was coming in). What I didn't encounter were people stopping for every single animal that was on the side of the road, causing long backups.

Now don't get me wrong, I think wildlife is cool, but I'm much more of a mountain scenery sort of guy. With the first bison, I stopped and got a picture. The second one, I slowed down the car and took a picture as I drove by. By the time we stopped for a third bison between Madison Junction and Old Faithful, I was tempted to yell out, "Let's get a move on! Go watch Dances With Wolves!!"

The drive itself was amazing. Unfortunately, right around Old Faithful, I realized that I had passed the point of no return and that I wouldn't be able to turn around and still meet Kat on time. So I spent the rest of the drive frustrated that I couldn't go any faster and that I had a long way to go. It also meant that I couldn't stop to take in the sights. However, it gave me a lot to be excited for when I return.

I also saw that I made the wise decision in turning back the previous night. The road to Grant Village became more treacherous after Old Faithful, going up and over the Continental Divide and a mountain. Driving that in heavy rain on an unlit road would not have been good.

In the end, I met up with Kat about 45 minutes late. As I apologized profusely, she explained Montana Time to me and that I wasn't late since I showed up. She also mentioned that the view she had from the parking lot was amazing. This was all quite gracious of her and made me feel okay.

Here are some pictures from the drive...