4 June – Signal Mountain to Madison Junction

Steve got up early and went out to get photos of the lake in the early morning. We packed up and headed off towards Yellowstone National Park. It was a slow trip, as every corner was a new photo opportunity and a chance to say “WOW” again. It was truly stunning scenery. Jackson Lake reflected the soaring mountains of the Teton Range, and the blue, blue sky above.

We rounded a corner and there was a bear crossing the road! He ambled across then fed on grass and leaves just off the road. We got some fantastic photos and video (safely, through the open window). We were so excited! Our first bear!

We crossed from Grand Teton into Yellowstone and started heading up the mountains. Grand Teton is at 6500 ft and Yellowstone is a good 2000 ft higher. There was quite a bit of snow on the side of the road which surprised us, given it is summer and we have been told it was a really mild winter here.

First we stopped in at the Visitor Centre to get the approximate times of the major geyser eruptions, then headed off to Old Faithful. We were really surprised to find just how “touristy” it was. Lodges, shops, boardwalks and amphitheatre seating around the geyser. We had to hurry to get there on time, but right on cue Old Faithful went up. Just amazing to see!

We then went back to the RV for sunscreen and sensible shoes to do the Geyser Hill walk. This area had the greatest concentration of geysers in the world, and they were everywhere! A 1.5km walk took us about 2hours because there was so much to look at. Hot springs, some bubbling and boiling and some deep pools of blue, green and white. Fumaroles, or steam vents, bubbling and burping. And the geysers – some only a few feet high and others shooting water up to 50 metres into the sky. We saw Castle Geyser from a distance, it erupted 25 meters and lasted for 20 minutes, followed by 40 minutes of steam roaring out. Our favourite was Spasmodic Geyser, deep pools of coloured water, you could see huge bubbles of gas coming up to the surface and then erupting into a small geyser. There were lots of warning signs about staying on the paths, because several tourists are killed and many more badly injured each year walking off the path and falling through the thin crust of earth over the searing water below. Scary thought. Almost as scary as being eaten by bears.

We also spotted an elk grazing just off the path. Because most people were looking at Castle Geyser doing its thing, nobody was really noticing her. We got some great pics. We have now seen the big 4 – bear, moose, elk and bison.

We eventually had to prise ourselves away and head to a campsite. Everything here is first in best dressed, so we wanted to arrive early to ensure a spot. On the way we saw bison on the side of the road and many more grazing in the distance.

Into Madison Junction campsite. They have nearly 300 sites here and they struggled to find us a spot for 2 nights, so we were pleased we got here early. Time for a wine and cheese before dinner. We noticed bear claw marks on a tree not 10 feet away from our spot, and someone said that bears had been in the camp last night. Bummer if you were in a tent. Planning a couple of BIG days – so much to see and do!