6/14/07 – Missoula, MT to Yellowstone N.P.

Before we left Missoula, we prepared for what was to be a 4-day stretch of camping in Yellowstone and Grand Teton N.P. We showered at Amy’s house, bought some essential items at Ace Hardware (lawn chairs, rope to hang our bags in bear country, chapstick, etc.), and ate at Quizno’s – as ready as were ever going to be, we headed for the greatest national park of them all.

We entered Yellowstone from the North Entrance and immediately caught a glimpse of the geothermal activity that makes this place so unique. At Mammoth Hot Springs, large pools of boiling water emitted plumes of steam and stinky sulfuric gas. We would have stayed at the springs for longer, but we had our sights set on a campsite towards the southern end of the park, which translated into at least an hour of additional driving. At over 2.2 million acres, Yellowstone is the largest national park and is bigger than some states. As we drove through the park, we soon realized that it would be impossible to see everything here and that we had to pick our adventures.

Along the way to the Madison campground, we stopped periodically to view geothermal activity or wildlife along the way. We were hoping to get lucky and see the eruption of Steamboat Geyser, the tallest geyser in the world at almost 300 feet – no such luck (the last eruption was May 23, 2005). A highlight of the drive came when we saw a group of cars parked along the side of the road – a sure sign of something interesting at this park where the people seem to outnumber the wildlife. Sure enough, we were greeted by the sight of nine coyote cubs wrestling with each other on the side of a rocky hill next to the road. Later in the drive, we saw an elk with magnificent antlers. By the end of the Yellowstone trip, we would not even be fazed by bison.

We finally arrived at the Madison campsite, where we were met with the disappointment of having to pay $18 – the first time we paid for a place to stay on the trip. In what was perhaps our most comfortable camping experience, we actually set up camp with enough time to make dinner in daylight. As we ate our grilled chicken and steak salads and sat by a campfire, we were beginning to feel like camping pros. With sleeping on the ground no longer an issue for either of us, we passed out after a glass of scotch.

-Jonah