RV Tour Leg 45 – Yellowstone National Park - Bison, Boiling Springs, and the People We Miss

One thing we’ve learned on this trip: there’s a reason the famous national parks are so famous. They’re jaw-droppingly, can’t-quite-believe-it’s-real amazing. Yellowstone is no exception. This was my fourth visit, and somehow the park still feels brand new. It’s so vast you could spend a lifetime here and never see it all.

My first trip to Yellowstone was as a kid with a big family group. Uncle Al was the ultimate tour guide for children—he loved people, loved life, and had a gift for turning boredom into hilarity. When the long car drives got too dull, he’d suggest a round of “tour-I-suck-I.” We’d pull over, jump out, point excitedly at absolutely nothing, and watch as carloads of confused tourists piled out to see what they were missing. Then we’d hop back in the car and drive off. David and I were tempted to play “tour-I-suck-I” in Uncle Al’s honor, but fifty years later the roads already have more than enough congestion without us adding to the chaos.

Typical traffic jam-causing view of the beautiful park

We saw lots of wildlife from the truck, usually right after getting stuck in a traffic jam.

We had a full week here, but even so, we barely scratched the surface—mostly the south loop, with just a taste of the north. The park roads form a massive figure eight, and the two loops combined add up to 166 miles of driving. That doesn’t even count the 20+ miles from the entrances to the loops themselves, which is why staying inside the park is such a time-saver.

Eight months ago, I snagged us a campsite in the Fishing Bridge area on the north end of Yellowstone Lake. (Confession: I’ve been here four times and didn’t even remember the park had such a huge, beautiful lake!) We spent our first day exploring the lakefront trails close to camp.

Hike out to Yellowstone Lake

Exploring the shores of Yellowstone Lake

The next day we headed north for a hike up Mount Washburn—obligatory since it shares a name with David’s high school. From 10,000 feet up, we had a sweeping view of the entire park, from the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone all the way to the Tetons. Meadows, ridges, forest… it was the kind of hike where every turn is a postcard. Along the way we spotted lots of wildlife, and we met a man whose pure joy in the hike reminded me so much of Uncle Al that I got a little choked up.

View of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone from Mount Washburn

A couple of deer greeting us as we ascend Mount Washburn

Mama goat with her two babies on the way up Mount Washburn

Part of a group of 10 mountain goats on the top of Mount Washburn

Marmot on the hike from the summit of Mount Washburn

The summit of Mount Washburn

View from the top of Mount Washburn, the trail along the ridge is seen in the foreground.

The following day we tackled the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone itself. We found an awesome loop trail that felt like a Yellowstone sampler platter—meadows, gurgling steam vents, canyon overlooks, and finally, jaw-dropping views of Yellowstone Falls.

Hiking through the meadows during our Yellowstone sampler platter

Gurgling mud pot on our Yellowstone sampler hike

View of the Yellowstone Grand Canyon

View of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone with Mount Washburn in the background

Yellowstone falls and Yellowstone River carving out the canyon

Of course, no visit is complete without Old Faithful. The area has changed a lot since we were here with the kids over 20 years ago: there’s a newer visitor center (built in 2010), more boardwalks, and—unsurprisingly—more people. Still, if you’re willing to walk a few miles, you can find quieter spots. We timed things perfectly to watch the Daisy Geyser erupt with just a handful of onlookers.

Eruption of Old Faithful

The rest of the crowd watching Old Faithful! We got a front row seat!

One of many chromatic pool in the Old Faithful area

The next day we split up our adventures. In the morning we visited the West Thumb Geyser Basin, perched right on the shore of the lake. Then we headed back for our daily nap (retirement is grand) before an evening boat tour. We were surprised to see our cheerful “Uncle Al” doppelgänger from the Mount Washburn hike was also on the boat.

West Thumb Geyser Basin on the shore of Yellowstone Lake

West Thumb Geyser Basin

On the boat, getting a colorful history of the region

On the guide’s suggestion, we stopped at Lake Yellowstone Lodge afterward for drinks, appetizers, and the unexpected treat of a talented string quartet. They played everything from classical pieces to pop songs on request—we asked for “Dust in the Wind” by Kansas.

Lake Yellowstone Hotel

String Quartet playing "Dust in the Wind"

We’ve been feeling reflective lately; during this trip, we’ve lost four good friends—two to cancer, two to sudden heart attacks. The latest was an old MTS friend, and we’re cutting our trip short by a few days to attend his service. It’s a sharp reminder: tell the people you love how much you love them. Life is beautiful. Life is short.

On our final day, we took an easy bike ride to a natural bridge.

The Natural Bridge

Now, as I write this from the camper, I’m thinking about the friends we’ve lost and feeling deeply grateful for the people still in our lives.