Day 10:
Yellowstone blew us away. She was anything but serene as she let off some steam . . . a hot-headed gal by nature—beautiful, but turbulent and unpredictable.
Our date with her started a little flat . . .
We immediately saw her wild side and knew we should keep our distance . . .
But she was so bubbly and vivacious, we couldn’t help but be lured in. Cavernous aqua eyes called to us . . .
She was steamy . . .
And caustic . . .
But she gave us hope . . .
We simply couldn’t stay away and came back yet another day.
Day 12:
Whereas we saw her West Side on date one, on date two, we explored her East Side.
She drew us in as she did the day before . . .
But her toxicity puzzled us and made us curious enough to ask for some insight from a park ranger . . .
There is no sugar-coating it. Yellowstone is wild. She’s a fire-breathing dragon . . .
She is unstable . . .
But mostly, she is beautiful.
We only spent what added up to a day-and-a-half with Yellowstone. We barely scratched the surface of what she has to offer. The end result is the experience has only made us hungry for more.
As with most national parks, a few days is not enough to explore Yellowstone fully–nor is a week, nor possibly a lifetime. Our nation’s national parks are living, breathing entities that change as much as we do–rough days and calm days, bouts of death and rebirth. The rawness of the parks emulates the human experience in a visceral and often poetic way on the quintessential but unpredictable stage set of life.
To see our original trip route map, click on the first post of this mini-series:
Teardrop Trailer Summer Road Trip: 9 NW States, 8 Nat’l Parks
Happy Trails,
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Loving all you exquisite photos. Agree, Yellowstone is other worldly.
Travel safe, reading all your posts….happy teardropping. Hope to see you at next teardrop gathering. Fabienne Logan, So Cal Tearjerkers
We will be at Hurkey Creek Sept. 18
Thanks so much for following! For some odd reason, a technical issue kept me from successfully replying on your last comment. Happy to have you along for our rides and very much appreciate your support.
Regretfully, we’re tapped out on our vacation time (and money!) this year, so won’t make Hurkey Creek. Next year is open, though, so looking forward to connecting with our teardrop bruthas and sistas again. 🙂
Glad you like the photos. I’m grabbing the better camera lately, forcing myself to learn the ins and outs of the various settings. Learning curve, but I’ll get there. 🙂
Awesome photos and captions, Ms. Susan!! I’m thinking: Yellowstone on horseback!! Do they offer that or would I have to haul my equine butts way up north with my lil’ ol; Ford Explorer Sport? I doubt I’d make it through the Raton pass into Colorado!! Keep them cards and letters coming — I’m loving my staycation!
Thanks, Barbara!
Here’s some horsey information direct from the National Park Service’s Yellowstone web page:
Xanterra Parks & Resorts offers horse rides of one and two hours in length which are available at Mammoth, Tower-Roosevelt, and Canyon. Advance reservations are recommended. In addition, they also offer horseback or wagon rides which take visitors to a cookout site for a steak dinner.
Advance reservations are required; call (307) 344-7311 or 866-439-7375. TDD service (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf) is available at 307-344-5395. Online reservations are not available at this time.
Guided stock trips into the backcountry (horse or llama) may be arranged with one of the stock outfitters licensed to operate in Yellowstone.
Private stock can be brought into the park. Overnight stock use is not permitted prior to July 1, due to range readiness and/or wet trail conditions. Horses are not allowed in frontcountry campgrounds, but are permitted in certain backcountry campsites.
For information on planning a backcountry trip with stock please see the online Backcountry Trip Planner or call the Backcountry Office at (307) 344-2160.
You are living the dream, Honey! It all looks so incredible. Thanks for sharing with those of us, who can’t do that kind of trip,
right now!
It’s been amazing! Been loving every minute of it!
Finally had a chance to look at these. I knew you were a wizard with words, but at least one of you is a pro behind the camera as well. Stunning pictures that do Mother Nature justice – which is not an easy thing to do!
Thanks, Ken! I take credit for these photos. Finally broke down and had Mark show me how to use the better camera. The rest was my noble effort to capture a few good shots. Glad I’ve succeeded. 🙂