7 Aug - First Day Touring Yellowstone National Park

7 Aug
This morning about 0900 hrs we headed south to the north entrance of Yellowstone National Park and completed the "north loop".

Doreen packed us some sandwiches and drinks.   This entrance is located at Gardiner MT.  We stopped in Gardiner to fuel up the RAM and Doreen slipped over and photographed the entrance sign.

 From there we also had a clear view of the long line of vehicle waiting to get in the park entrance.  Ugh!  But by now we have become accustom to long lines and patiently waiting, or as we said regularly in the military, "Hurry up and wait!"

The park rangers processed the line quickly and after about 20 minutes we were on our way.  Just past the park entrance was a large herd of elk, grazing on the green grass near the Yellowstone River.  Unfortunately traffic was such that we could not get a picture.

Our first stop was Mammoth Hot Springs Visitor Center.  The visitor center is located in what used to be the bachelors officer's quarters in Fort Yellowstone, an Army post.  Back in 1872 Yellowstone opened but it was under serious threat  due to under-funding, poachers, souvenir hunters and developers who started to set up camps for tourists, so in 1886 Yellowstone was turned over to the US Army for help. The encampment was called Fort Yellowstone.  The Army had a military presence there for 32 years before it was turned over to the National Park Service in 1918.

We stopped by the visitor center to gather more information on the park and Doreen had some questions as to how best to view it.  There are many displays inside the visitor center and I looked them over as she waited in line there.  Yep, another line.

Display from the Army days.

I also headed over to the Yellowstone Post Office.

 Just behind it is the Administration Building which was built in 1909 and used to be the double cavalry barracks.

We departed the Fort Yellowstone complex and headed east towards our first stop, Undine Falls which is a beautiful water falls along side the road.

Next stop was the Petrified Tree, which is located about 1/4 miles off the main road by Tower.  Not far into our drive was a sign saying basically "large vehicles stay out!"  So do we or don't we?  Let's go for it.  I can back out if I have to!!

Well it was not that bad.  Yeah, motor homes and travel trailers should stay out but plenty of room for the RAM!  We parked along side the road and walked up a rock walkway to the stone tree.  It is fenced off presumably to keep tourists from pilfering parts of the tree.

Sage brush everywhere.

Trail riders passing by.

 Some scenery after the petrified tree:

Next stop down the road, Tower falls, actually due to traffic and a lack of parking this was a drive-by

As we made the turn and headed back north we came upon the Museum of the National Park Ranger.  Was a good time to stop and let Liberty out too.

This building is known as the Norris Soldier Station, named after Philetus W. Norris, an early administrator at the park.   

Inside the soldier station.  This was the living room

Much history and artifacts relating to the Park Rangers.

A display about firefighting

The sergeant's room.

The bunk room

A ways down the road we stopped at the Roaring Mountain. The "roaring" part was the sounds created by the steam exiting the ground. This is called a fumarole which is a vent in the Earth's crust. There is not as much water around fumaroles as in hot springs and geysers. Small amounts of groundwater contact the hot rocks underground and steam is created. This steam rushes up through a series of cracks and fissures and out the vent, sometimes with enough force to create a loud hiss or roar.

While we were there an identical truck as mine pulled in and of course rolled down the windows and said "Nice Truck!!"  It was a guy and his wife from Canada camping down here.  They posed for a picture!

Some more amazing scenery pictures.  This is minerals, not snow:

Further down the road we stopped at Nymph Lake.  This area is covered is considered a thermal area and off-limited to hikers.  It is covered with calcium carbonate and other minerals

On the way out the park we passed Mount Holmes in the distance and Doreen had to snap a picture of that!

Our last stop was in Gardiner MT to check into a white water rafting adventure for later in the week.  We nailed down 0900 hrs Thursday, which should be fun and before it gets really hot out.

One more picture from our drive from Gardiner to our campground.  Kind of a neat rock formation:

Tomorrow we are going back into Yellowstone and head south to see the main attractions such as Old Faithful, buffalo, elk, bear, mud pots, etc.