On The Road to Stinky Mud and Glorious Canyons
/Today was a day full of discoveries. If you’d have asked me pre-covid if I’d be interested in taking a camping vacation across the country I’d have said, well, let’s just say it was low on my list. Being forced to rethink how to take a “safe” vacation in the age of corona virus, it suddenly became quite appealing, and thus far has lived beyond my expectations!
We had a couple things we wanted to see at Yellowstone today, and the rest we’d play by ear. Glenn loves to drive down the side roads in hopes of finding hidden treasures. He’d suggested Firehole Lake Drive and we were not disappointed.
The winding road with tall pines along the mountainside quickly took us to a most scenic set of rapids and waterfall.
We got back on track to our planned destination, Mud Volcano. We were treated to a view of the majestic Yellowstone River along the way. Flowing northeast across Montana for nearly 700 miles to its junction with the Missouri River in North Dakota, the Yellowstone River is the longest free-flowing river in the lower 48 states.
As we approached the famous Mud Volcano, I could hardly believe how void of tourists the area was! When we visited eight years ago, it was so crowded we bypassed it altogether! Today, I had time to give a brief “tour!”
I know what you’re thinking…how could I eat lunch with that sulphuric stench still lingering? We were eating on the road to our next stop, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone!
According to the National Park Service, about 640,000 years ago, a huge volcanic eruption occurred in Yellowstone, emptying a large underground chamber of partially molten rock. Volcanic ash spread for thousands of miles. Scientists think the oldest Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone formed in rock and sediments about 160,000 to 140,000 years ago. We viewed this spectacular structure from several vantage points, completely awe-struck.
You’ll have to forgive me for that picture of the raven. I’ve been seeing them all around the park and can’t believe how HUGE they are - up to 26” with a wing span of 4 feet! An intelligent bird, this one must be used to humans, as he let us get pretty close, showing off for the camera!
As we began the drive back to our campsite, we spotted more wildlife. An elegant swan, and a lone elk in the river alongside the road. It looked like she was fishing, but since elk are herbivores, that certainly was not the case!
Back at our “home away from home” Glenn grilled up some chicken as we planned our adventure for tomorrow.