July 26th
Best Western Premier, Cody WY to Yellowstone National Park and on to Jackson WY(109 miles – 2.5 hrs, drive through the park, exit from south end of park to Jackson through Grand Teton National Park and checked in to 49er’s Inn)
Significance of the place
Yellowstone: This is one of the most famous national parks in the US, located in parts of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. Geologically it is located in the caldera of an active volcano.
Brief History:
Yellowstone National Park spans an area of 3,468.4 square miles (8,983 km2), comprising lakes, canyons, rivers and mountain ranges. Yellowstone Lake is one of the largest high-elevation lakes in North America and is centered over the Yellowstone Caldera, the largest supervolcano on the continent. The caldera is considered an active volcano. It has erupted with tremendous force several times in the last two million years. Half of the world's geysers and hydrothermal features are in Yellowstone, fueled by this ongoing volcanism. Lava flows and rocks from volcanic eruptions cover most of the land area of Yellowstone. The park is the centerpiece of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the largest remaining nearly-intact ecosystem in the Earth's northern temperate zone. In 1978, Yellowstone was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. More at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowstone_National_Park
Drive there:
Left Cody in the morning. We drove along the Shoshonee River in Bill Hickok Park on Highway 20.
What we did:
We saw the dam and the lake behind. Houses with river views dotted both sides before we reached hilly country. Saw beautiful mountains and crags of different shapes as we entered Yellowstone from the east. We drove around Yellowstone Lake (a huge lake) saw the Upper Falls of the Yellowstone River but could not see the famous Lower Falls. Went on to see Old Faithful did part of the Yellowstone Loop and exited the park at the south end. We were hit by a pretty hard hailstorm but John kept driving (no damage to the car) through Grand Teton National Park to Jackson – what should be a drive of an hour and a half took us 4 because of slow-going traffic for miles into Jackson.
Impressions:
Regrets that we could not spend a longer time here. Yellowstone is a really beautiful and magical place – lakes, hot springs, geysers, forests & the Yellowstone River- gorgeous scenery. We should plan a week at Yellowstone Lodge – maybe someday. Plenty of Buffalo (bison) roaming, deer and antelope (elk) – the song could have been composed here!
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