The First of Many Bison in Yellowstone
When we decided to set off on our adventure in the Spring, we were thrilled about traveling to the desert when the temperatures were mild & the flowers were in bloom! In Big Bend & Phoenix, we managed to avoid scorching 100+ degree temperatures, finding instead mild weather in the 70s-80s.
Our plan was only half baked, though, because it failed to consider that our route had us heading northward after gallivanting through the desert. When we made the turn toward Yosemite, we realized that leaving in April may have an impact on the mountain roads we were able to traverse.
For this reason, we were only cautiously optimistic about the possibility of adding Yellowstone National Park into the itinerary.
Fortunately, our weather luck had made a significant turnaround since the time we were stranded in a parking garage during flooding in New Orleans. While in Twin Falls, we made the decision to head to Yellowstone next and booked our campsite in Billings, Montana. The roads to the national park had just opened for the season and there was no snow in sight on the forecast!
Nearly ten years to the day earlier, I had actually visited Yellowstone with my friend Shelby who was living in Billings at the time. During that visit, I was amazed by the number of animals that we found in the park! I am from Kentucky, so seeing deer somehow does not amaze me (much to my Aunt Julie’s chagrin since she still makes me take a photo with the deer in her neighborhood every time I visit her). In fact, it’s not a visit to my parents’ house without hearing my dad’s Kentucky Goodbye: Text us when you get home and watch for deer.
Even still, I had never seen thousands of deer in one field before visiting Montana.
Incredible herds of deer, bison, and elk roam free and cross the highways in droves. Shelby & I saw mountain goats hoofing it up the sides of cliffs and a black bear grazing amongst the wildflowers. I was absolutely amazed.
Over the years, I have raved about Yellowstone to Phil because, as it turns out, he is a Certified Animal Lover. In fact, he has a special tone of voice reserved exclusively for any dog passing by & he is also the National Park Service’s number one fan during Bear Week. When he falls behind on hikes, there is a 100% guarantee that it is because he has his bird app open and is busy identifying bird calls. It’s a thrilling life, but someone has to live it! I secretly love this about him, but will deny that if you send him this blog.
I knew Phil would love Yellowstone, but I did not quite anticipate how much he would love it. While only halfway through our trip, he had already exclaimed that Yellowstone was likely his favorite national park.
The gemstone-hued sulfur pools, the snow-covered mountains draped in towering evergreen trees, the herds of bison holding up traffic: Yellowstone has something for everyone. And, after 10 years, I can confirm that it is still just as awe-inspiring as ever.
I often find that places with a big hype are rarely able to fully live up to the expectations that others have set for the experience. So let me just say this…
Yellowstone lives up to the hype.
