Yellowstone Adventures 2022, Day 3

Today I got up and left the hotel earlier than everyone else (6:45 a.m.) so that I could take pictures of the main street we stayed on in West Yellowstone. I took the same picture of the hotel 12 hours apart got a much better picture the second time. This is also the same street that goes straight into the Yellowstone Park. I did see a hotel that I would not really recommend to anyone, but the sign was definitely eye-catching. AND, they had vacancies.

LET THE DAY BEGIN

We met up with the Digby’s at 7:00 in the lobby to get an earlier start on today’s adventures.  After a brief detour through McDonald’s, we were off to the park. The bison met us less than 20 minutes into our drive but they stayed on their side of the road this morning.

GIBBONS FALLS

Stop #1 was Gibbon Falls at 8:00. It was a gorgeous view and required a short walk to the overlook area. Took a few neat pictures. I am working on Becky’s picture taking skills and we are slowly getting there!!!

If you see a bathroom….. use it. Never know how long ’til you reach the next one. We were carrying water in the van, so we were staying hydrated. As you can see the morning started very bright and sunny even though it was cool enough to be a little chilly even wearing a thick flannel. After 30 minutes, we were off again to the next stop.

STANDING GUARD

As we traveled along the Grand Loop to the next stop, we passed a pond that had a dead duck floating close to the edge. Its mate was swimming close by guarding it from the bald eagle that was just hanging out a little way behind the pond. The eagle was fighting with a black crow. I guess they were both trying to get to the dead animal. This was on Tuesday morning and when we passed by late Friday night the duck’s mate was still guarding its body in the lake.

NORRIS GEYSER BASIN

Stop #2 was the Norris Geyser Basin and Museum. We arrived at 9:00 a.m. and the sun was still shining bright. Due to the summer season having not quite started, the Museum was not open. As we walked along the boardwalk through the basin, it got quite warm. We moved down into the basin and began our walk. Because the sun was so bright, I was able to capture some really good pictures. However, at 9:50 the weather began to change.

SNOWING DIPPIN DOTS !!!!!!!!!!

There looked to be rain in the distance as we were walking the boardwalk. When finishing up the loop we were on, what looked like Dippin Dots started falling out of the sky. It was the coolest thing ever. You could actually hold them in your hand. It didn’t appear to be stopping any time soon, so we made our way back to the van. It kept falling heavier and heavier. At 10:10 the temperature was back down to 39 degrees and driving was back to looking closer to Sunday night weather.

SECRET HIKE TO “LITTLE GIBBONS FALLS”

Stop #3 was our “Secret Hike” to Little Gibbons Falls. We began the hike at 10:20. The itinerary I had purchased described it as a “Secret Hike.” It is definitely less traveled than anywhere else we had been. We only saw 2 other people the whole hike. They were going in as we were coming out. Travis took his handy dandy bear spray!! Follow the orange diamonds to stay on the trail. Due to the heavy snow in some spots, the orange diamond was all we could see of the trail. The “Dippin Dots” were still falling, just not as hard.

FOUND DEEPER SNOW

The farther we went onto the trail the quieter it got. It was so serene. Becky found a walking stick to use to help her through the piles of snow that were quite deep in some areas.  Travis was in the lead most of the time so when he would fall in the snow, we went a different way or were more careful. At one point the snow was up to my knees as I walked.

MEADOW VIEWS

As we reached the open meadow that we had been warned might be a little wet in the spring after a rain…………..try the meadow that was covered in snow and ice. THEN the sun popped right back out. We were able to follow tracks of other people that had made the hike before us for direction. About one quarter of the way across the meadow we had to cross a bit of melting ice. Since it was in the sun, we were not sure what was solid and what would crack, dropping our feet into standing water. So glad I have water resistant hiking boots.

UP TO THE FALLS

We finally made it across the meadow and started up the trail to the falls. The sky was gorgeous and so BRIGHT. Made it to Little Gibbons Falls after .8 miles and turned to go back down. The trail kept going about another 6 miles to Wolfe River, but we did not have time to go any farther. Little Gibbons Falls is a 25-foot waterfall and pretty, but the hike was more fun than the view at the end. Travis and I had fun goofing off (as usual) as we made our way back to meet Kenny and Becky who had decided not to cross the wet meadow.

POTENTIALLY A LONG HIKE TO WOLF RIVER

You could spend all day on this trail. If you look at the map you can see that we only did one little bitty part of it. We completed the hike to Little Gibbons Falls at 11:45.

FROZEN LAKE

After completing the hike, Travis headed back toward the Norris Geyser Junction to turn right and then off to Mammoth Springs via the Grand Loop. On the way, we stopped to look for animals and capture a few pictures of a frozen lake. I’m glad we did because the next day it was not frozen.

BEAUTIFUL TERRAIN AND SIGHTS

Along the roadside we pulled into a turnout to see a super large waterfall and read about the construction of the bridge that wrapped around the side of the mountain. On the road you have to drive through these cool rock formations. I can only imagine that they were shaped by an earthquake.

UPPER TERRACE …TAKE 2

We missed the entrance to drive through the Upper Terrace and had to turn around and go back. That is easier to say and type than actually do on this two-lane curvy road. Mammoth Hot Springs is at an elevation of 6,239 Feet above sea level. After driving the Upper Terrace we drove into Mammoth to eat lunch at the Terrace Grill.  

MY LUNCH MISTAKE….I APOLOGIZED….MULTIPLE TIMES

Travis told me to order him a cheeseburger and fries and I wanted a “Yellowstone Hot” chicken sandwich. After going to the restroom he came back and changed his order to a hot dog with beef chili then went to the van to get water. The lines were long but moving pretty fast. When I finally got to order, the man informed me that they were out of chicken. I got so rattled I guess that I changed mine to a hamburger and ordered Travis a cheeseburger and fries. I didn’t even realize I had ordered him the wrong thing until I got to the table and he had all the fixings for his hot dog with chili. I know he was grumpy and frustrated with me but he handled it VERY WELL. Much better than I would have for sure. After lunch, I went and got him Moose Track Ice Cream for dessert. That helped…. I hope.

LOWER TERRACE

Leaving Terrace Grill, we drove back a very short bit and parked to walk the Lower Terrace. Our walk started at the 37-foot tall Liberty Cap then moved on the stairs to walk through the Lower Terrace going past Devil’s Thumb and Palette Springs. By this time, the sun was back out and it had gotten very warm. Warm enough to shed the outer layer of clothes and get a little sunburned. There were A LOT of stairs. We didn’t climb them all, but I managed talk Travis into doing more than he had intended to. He HATES stairs. You can walk as little or as much as you want in this area.

BIGHORN SHEEP

After I had finished dragging everyone around on the stairs, we headed North to Gardiner to the North Entrance of Yellowstone Park. We saw Bighorn Sheep, drove through lots of wind, and passed the 45^th Parallel of Latitude. We were halfway between the Equator and the North Pole. I took pictures of the Bighorn with my Nikon camera and zoom lens.

ROOSEVELT ARCH IN GARDINER

Upon reaching the North Entrance, we parked and took pictures at the Roosevelt Arch. The arch was completed in 1903 and adorns what was once the most important gateway into Yellowstone. It is the entrance that celebrates America’s first national park that was created “for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.” We walked up to the small town of Gardiner and bought a chai tea latte from the Yellowstone Perk. The man running the counter was very chatty and odd.  

TRAFFIC JAM

We wanted to video us driving through the Roosevelt Arch but had a slight delay getting it due to the girls standing in the road and NOT MOVING. After the video, we headed back the way we had come… still taking pictures. Travis stopped for gas and we drove a few blocks into town just to check it out. We left Gardiner at 3:30 p.m. and we arrived back in West Yellowstone at 5:30 p.m.

JUST SAY NO TO DRUGS

We had to get back today in order to get a prescription filled at the ONLY drug Store in West Yellowstone. It took me a while to find the store even after the car said, “You have Arrived” and Travis dropped me off on the sidewalk with directions to “Just go look for it.” I entered the first souvenir store that had an open door and people inside. The first man I asked said he was not local and told me if I couldn’t find it he would share some of his drugs. He then tried to hand me some and I said no thanks and walked out.

PETE’S PIZZA AND PASTA

Travis and I chose to walk back to the hotel. Kenny and Becky took the van and drove around a bit looking for places that they might remember from their first trip years ago. After meeting back up a the hotel, the decision was made to eat dinner at Pete’s Pizza and Pasta. It was a great choice. It was yummy and split between the two families, the meal and tip was only $20 per couple. We arrived at Pete’s about 6:30 and were finished by 7:00.

Summary of Day 3

My Apple watch says that I walked 6.5 miles, 16,137 steps, and climbed 16 flights of stairs.  I had 1 idle hour LOL. We left the hotel for Yellowstone at 7:23 a.m. and returned for the night to the hotel at 7:15 p.m. It was a very productive day with lots of travel!!!! We saw Bighorn Sheep, Bison, and Elk. Still looking for another bear and some moose!!!!!!