Out West 2022 (Yellowstone)
This is the continuation of our Out West 2022 summer vacation. Catch up on our first post here.
July 1, 2022 – Yellowstone National Park Day 1
After all the turmoil of the truck yesterday we unintentionally slept in late. It was nice accidental treat that we needed. Around 10 we made it to the dump station line. Only 4 in front of us. From there, the drive to Yellowstone was thankfully uneventful.
We arrived at Fishing Bridge RV park in time for a late lunch. It’s the only CG with FHU and is completely big rig friendly. It was also remodeled last year so everything is paved and new. Which was good and bad. Good in that there was a ton of space. Bad in that there was no shade and it felt like a KOA off the highway.
While eating a late lunch K got sick. She cleaned up and crawled into bed. We stayed tethered to the rig for most of the day. Around 6 she emerged feeling better. We loaded up and drove a short distance to the Mud Volcano area.
This is our first time here. It is unreal to see a total hellscape in the foreground with breathtaking mountain views in the background. It is unfathomable this is a natural place.
On the way back we hit a pull out that had a trail that went down to the Yellowstone river. The river was really moving. The river is beautiful and we watched cutthroat trout jumping up the rapids to get to their spawning sites. I wasn’t fast enough on the camera trigger to catch one jumping, but it was crazy.
We got back to the campground with kids in much better spirits. We played some cards and hit the bed.
July 2, 2022 – Yellowstone National Park Day 2
Our first stop was the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Pictures do not do justice to the canyon nor the falls. The canyon is so deep it made me dizzy/lose my bearings for a second when I looked down. It is amazing. The hike down to the “brink of the lower falls” is super steep, but worth the price of admission.
Then in the afternoon it was back to more geysers and thermal thingamajigs.
We made dinner at the camper and walked down to the Fishing Bridge General Store for some ice cream. A great day at Yellowstone.
July 3, 2022 – Yellowstone National Park Day 3
Today we focused on the southwest side of the park, mostly the Old Faithful basin. Oh did we make a mistake. We took for granted how the closures and metering of guests from the June 2022 flooding actually reduced the amount of people in the park. This area is the most popular stuff in the park and we waited until the day that a large part of the park reopened to hit this spot.
We had to contend with overstuffed parking lots, inconsiderate people left and right, and it was the first day of the vacation that I felt the urge to rush to get in line or to the next thing to beat the next guy. I didn’t like it one bit. That aside, we have the advantage of being in zero rush and being able to stay late than all the day travelers, so we just tried our best to fight those urges and ignore the clowns. It was still a great day.
After dinner we went back to Grand Prismatic overlook to avoid the crowds. Another hike worth the walk.
July 4, 2022
There weren’t any fireworks to be found. No elk or bears with roman candles. Bummer! Instead of looking for fireworks, we headed to the northern loop of the park.
The rest of the northern loop is totally different from the rest of Yellowstone. Its sweeping hills and lots of elevation. I think we climbed over 9500 feet at one point. We saw 2 bears, but they were camera shy.
Conclusion
Yellowstone was such a great stop. We just barely scratched the surface in 3 days. We can’t wait to get back and see more of the park with less urgency in the future. Thanks for reading along.
-See you out there
Part-Time Paradise
