Day 3 - Montana RoadtripIt rained all night, so this morning was on the chilly side and heavy clouds hung on the mountains. The sun popped out about 10:00 a.m. and so did we!
Today, we headed back into West Yellowstone and into Yellowstone National Park. We were just a few miles into the park when the "Buffalo Ahead" sign started blinking, cars jamming on the breaks and crazy tourists were jumping out of their cars to take pictures of the Buffalo!
It has been 5 years since our last visit and it did feel good coming back to this unbelievable, ever changing park. We stopped in all the wide spots so Keith could scope out the mountains and the valleys for animals. We tried to stop at the Old Faithful Lodge and geyser but there were so many people there, we couldn't find a parking spot, so off we went. A park ranger said it has been their busiest season in the history of the park - 973,000 visitors in July - and I think they were still all at Old Faithful!
We were driving toward Hayden Valley and traffic was at a stop. There had to be at least 150 cars lined up trying to get through a section of the valley with 200 buffalo lounging in the road, on the hillsides and on the river bank. Park Rangers were at each end of the "Buffalo Blockade" trying to move buffalo and herd people out of the road. With a wide spot in view, Keith pulled the truck in and we pulled out the cooler and had lunch, watching the whole "rodeo" unfold. An hour later, the buffalo got bored and moved off, the people got back in their cars and we wrapped up lunch!
Today, we headed back into West Yellowstone and into Yellowstone National Park. We were just a few miles into the park when the "Buffalo Ahead" sign started blinking, cars jamming on the breaks and crazy tourists were jumping out of their cars to take pictures of the Buffalo!
It has been 5 years since our last visit and it did feel good coming back to this unbelievable, ever changing park. We stopped in all the wide spots so Keith could scope out the mountains and the valleys for animals. We tried to stop at the Old Faithful Lodge and geyser but there were so many people there, we couldn't find a parking spot, so off we went. A park ranger said it has been their busiest season in the history of the park - 973,000 visitors in July - and I think they were still all at Old Faithful!
We were driving toward Hayden Valley and traffic was at a stop. There had to be at least 150 cars lined up trying to get through a section of the valley with 200 buffalo lounging in the road, on the hillsides and on the river bank. Park Rangers were at each end of the "Buffalo Blockade" trying to move buffalo and herd people out of the road. With a wide spot in view, Keith pulled the truck in and we pulled out the cooler and had lunch, watching the whole "rodeo" unfold. An hour later, the buffalo got bored and moved off, the people got back in their cars and we wrapped up lunch!
Critter Count: Coyote, Deer, Geese, Buffalo, Great Blue Heron, Sand Hill Cranes, Elk
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