Friday the 13th

It dipped below blood temperature last night. The gas station attendant said his thermometer got to 14 degrees. Luckily we were cozy in our $29 hotel room in West Yellowstone.

This morning we drove into the park. It looked like a frozen Winter wonderland. And it was. Everytime we poked our noses outside, we froze. When I was young, I used to dream of being a bird. Today I think I would have to choose the buffalo for their permanent wooly coat. We passed several buffalo today and each was nonchalantly brushing his nose in the snow to expose the grass. There was not a shiver to be seen. .

Eventually one wooly beast I had been watching, tired of his grass patch and strolled across the street. This buffalo looked big from far away, but up close, he looked enormous.

It seems amazing that once, 60 million of these animals roamed North America, and that by the end of the 19th century they were hunted down to less than 1000. They are making a come back though. Their population is now close to 30,000.

After exposing our camera to the bison, We drove on to Norris and hiked the Norris Geyser Basin. There we watched the earth bubble, gurgle and spit. We bathed in The warm sulfer-smelling steam rising from each geyser before we moved on to the next. The back basin walk had marvelous views of mineral flats and crystal blue pools of near boiling water.

From there it was off to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and the yellow and gold cliffs which gave this park its name.

We hiked to the brink of the Lower Falls and along the switchback trail, I could see glimpses of the clear water slipping casually down the river. Everything seemed so peaceful. But peaceful changed and I took a startling leap backwards when I stepped to the edge of the metal railing at the bottom of the trail. Just past a row of boulders, the river broke and fell over 300 feet in a straight vertical plunge.

With one hand gripping the railing and my left foot cemented to the ground, I inched my right foot back to the edge. I drew in a quick breath and looked down. I don't think I exhaled until my right foot had rejoined my left again. To say that I was nervous looking down would be an understatement. I retreated to the wooden bench a safe distance back and chewed my lip until John left the railing and joined me. "Do you want another quick look?" he asked. "I'll pass," I muttered.

By time we hiked back up, it was time to start thinking of where we would sleep for the night. Decisions, decisions. This time of year doesn't offer many alternatives as most of the campgrounds in the park are already closed for the season. It was back out to Madison near West Yellowstone, or drive all the way down to the South entrance. Or, there was one other possibility. It was going to be another cold night, so why not. "Let's hang out in the Old Faithful Inn, until the last possible minute and then camp in the parking lot." Ah, the advantages of a Vanagon.

The Old Faithful Inn turned out to be the perfect solution. We were serenaded by piano music as we sat by the fire. And we were able to keep our toes warm well past 9:30 pm.