Yellowstone National Park — #meadadventures

Note: This is a continuation of previous post.

We spent our first night in Canyon Campground due to its proximity to Artist Point. I had previously read online that you would be treated to a rainbow at the base of the falls if you arrived around ten in the morning. We woke up early, grabbed coffee, and headed out with plenty of time to spare to catch the rainbow. We actually arrived pretty early and had time to take a few pictures and meet other really nice travelers. It was cold and windy so we felt the need to continue to move rather than stand there for the next fifteen minutes waiting. Uncle Tom's trail was close by (also another hike to test my fear of heights) and we decided to check it out. This trail caught my interest when I read about the route and its history. The trail descends down into the canyon using a series of metal stairs that are attached only to the side of the canyon wall. We reached the trail head and right away the sign "bear frequenting area" caught my eye...coupled with the known staircases ahead of me, I wasn't exactly confident with our decision to do this. (In fact we walked down a few yards and paused to contemplate turning around a few times.) A few deep breaths and some pep talks later...we were on the trail with confidence. I'm not sure if you've ever been in the woods with the knowledge that grizzly bears are present, but until you have, you will never understand that tiny fear in your gut. The fear of bears left me as soon as I reached the first metal stair. First of all these so-called "stairs" were bent in places, rusty, and had too much of an "open" feel to them. I took each step one at a time and moved at turtle speed, but Tommy was very understanding and patient with me. We reached the end and suddenly it all was worth it! We had the most amazing view of the waterfall and the rainbow. The return back up was a brutal climb, but by the time we made it back to the start we had warmed up. We walked back to Artist Point to get another picture of the rainbow, but by this point clouds had moved in and the rainbow was gone. (editor's note: before looking at the pictures below, please be aware of two things: 1. Disregard the very mature vandalism on the bear sign. 2. yes, I am aware I looked like the Hamburgular this particular day.)

Afterward, we continued to drive the North Rim where we hiked the lower falls trail. At the end of this trail we were able to be close to the top of the waterfall and were right next to the water as it dropped down the falls. From there we visited Lookout Point and Inspiration Point before heading back to the Canyon General Store for lunch. We then made the drive to Mammoth Hot Springs to explore all of the different hot springs that area had to offer...and there were plenty to see. It wasn't until spending a good chunk of time wandering through Mammoth that it really hit that Yellowstone is just a gigantic volcano. It was crazy to think that one step off of those wooden walkways and there was no telling how the ground below would react. We eventually made our way to our new campground to set up camp and went to dinner. We finished that night with a large fire under a huge full moon.

We chose our new campground (Madison Campground) due to it being close to Old Faithful, and so on this morning we made our way to catch an early view of it erupting. We grabbed our staple coffee and found a good seat long before it was actually time for it to erupt to get a good view...this was another recommendation I read before coming and trust me, it is good advice. Old Faithful may seem like some cheesy thing to check off on an American road-trip, and I have to confess it was that way for me, until I actually saw it. It was every bit as powerful, and more beautiful than any picture I could post. The rest of the day consisted of a lot of walking around a multitude of geysers. Some were so crystal clear and blue that you were tempted to jump in for a swim...that is until you walk over them and feel the heat radiating from them, and you remember they are so hot they would melt your flesh (another unsettling reminder of being on a volcano). Each geyser was different...some bubbled, some spewed, some were mucky and thick...the one thing that tied them all together was their distinct sulfur smell. We ate dinner at the Geyser grill and watched Old Faithful erupt for the third time before heading back to camp. On our way we made a detour to see one last geyser...White Mound Geyser...and as we were taking pictures of it, it began to erupt making it the perfect definition of "right place at the right time". The night was completed with our last campfire for this adventure before bed.

When morning came, we packed up camp for the last time and said goodbye to Mother Nature. We made our way out of the park and grabbed our traditional park sign photo (we forgot to take it with all of the stress when we first entered). With another swing through Montana for gas and coffee, we started making our way back to the state of Idaho. Before we completed this trip we had one more thing to see, Shoshone Falls. With a slogan such as "The Niagara of the West", how could we pass it up?! After admiring the falls (which were pretty, but having not seen Niagara yet, I can't comment on their comparison) we moved on to Boise. We checked in to our hotel, and went out to find dinner and explore the town. In true Tommy fashion, we had to check out the University. Then we admired the State Capital Building before we stopped at 10 Barrel Brewing Co. for dinner. Recharged with good food (I mean really good food...a must stop if you're in Boise), we headed back to the hotel and experienced our first shower in n-i-n-e days. In addition to being fully submersed in nature 24/7 on these trips, we are also very humbled and reminded just how awesome the little things (like washing your hair) are and how lucky we are to have them. Another amazing #meadadventures for the books!