We started this morning out in Montana, went into Wyoming,
then Montana, then ended up in Wyoming. But mostly, it was YELLOWSTONE!
This is our fourth trip to Yellowstone National Park, and
the first time we’ve seen the northeast corner of the part. From Red Lodge, MT,
to the Northeast Entrance is a little highway called Beartooth Highway. I read
that it was cool, a scenic drive, blah blah blah. But at this point in our
trip, our standards are pretty high.
Considered standards met. It is impressive. Jay described it
as breathtaking, spectacular, awe-inspiring. I also called it scary. “Lofty”
Jay says.
It was a steady switchback climb to an unbelievable 11,000
feet elevation. John’s hope for this trip was to stand on top of a mountain. He
got his wish. Besides the spectacular expansive views, we also some crazy,
death-defying skiing. We are talking skiing near vertical below what looked like
an avalanche snow ledge. We even stopped at the side of the road to watch three
guys go down the top of the mountain. Just insane. It put into perspective all
those random ski shows we see during the Olympics.
Then we stopped in Cooke City, just outside of Yellowstone.
I was impressed that they didn’t jack up their prices. We got our traditional
Yellowstone garb there for $10-$20 per shirt. Gas was high, but we had planned
for that.
(Did I mention how useful the GasBuddy app has been? It’s
not always 100 percent accurate, because it depends on people reporting the
price and prices change, but it’s saved us along the way.)
Finally, we made it to Yellowstone’s entrance. The journey
from Red Lodge to Yellowstone was long, but it was so beautiful, no one in our
car seemed to mind.
We knew the northeast entrance was the best spot of wildlife
spotting, which next to hiking, is the Sleichters favorite thing to do. And we
were not disappointed. In the first hour in the park, we saw MOOSE! Two moose,
in fact, the first two I have ever spotted in the wild. Then bear, buffalo,
elk, antelope, marlamet (Sp? Like a fat little squirrel), and birds. Just
awesome!
Despite the many wildlife sightings, we were brave and
walked the trail to the Trout Lake. It said a 0.2 mile hike to the lake. But it
was more like a vertical climb. Kind of challenging, but nothing we couldn’t
manage. Then a picnic lunch lakeside. Jay walked the kids to where you could
see trout spawning, while I figured out what to have for lunch, when the plan
was tortilla roll ups and I left the tortillas in the van. Refer back to the
vertical climb. So, chef salad it was!
Then back in the car to meander, look for wildlife, and make
our way to the cabin outside the southeast entrance. It took most of the rest
of the afternoon to make it to our cabin, while just a few minor stops. It felt
like home, driving past the sights we have loved before, like Mammoth Hot
Springs. But it also seems surreal, how many offices are still closed, having
the road closed from Canyon to Tower for construction, and just no tour buses.
When we got in the cabin, John threw a fit because the cabin
“only has beds and no place to play!” But the rest of us were pleasantly
surprised. We thought all the beds would be in the same room, but no, we have a
queen bed in one room, and two queens in the other. The girls prefer that
because – sorry Jay – Jay snores and they can’t sleep through it. It also means
John can sleep in our room on the floor. The staff here were very welcoming,
with an easy process for getting checked in.
Oh, and even the drive to the cabin was eventful, as we
drove through a recently extinguished forest fire! Many fire crews, a
helicopter, and some police were in the area. Pretty exciting.
We did splurge into Cody for the first Chinese buffet we’ve
gotten to eat at since February. They modified their set up by serving us as we
walked through the buffet. It was worth EVERY dime, and not just because the
sweet waitress carded me for my beer. And while we ate, Katie did her homework
for her class sitting in Walmart.
Back to the cabin, settling in for the night, get any
showers that needed, and then sit on the porch of the cabin and listen to the
Shonshone River power past. This is the point in the trip when we don’t want to
think about going home. So we will ignore it tomorrow, and just enjoy the big
big day in Yellowstone.
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