We did not know how long we would be in Missoula as we were not prepared to go any further till our brake issues were resolved. Next day we did some ringing around and could not get into an RV dealer for weeks but one dealer suggested a Les Schwab tire and brake centre. We have done over 6000 miles on the trailer and the bearings needed re packing anyway and a brake adjustment was included so either way we would resolve our problem. We phoned and they said come right in (now that's service!) so we packed and headed into town. Two hours later we had the results and we were fixed. At manufacture the bearings had been over packed, grease then made its way to three of the brakes so the brakes on three wheels were not working at all and as the fourth brake was working overtime it was down to metal. One new brake and a de greasing of the other three and we were on our way. Fantastic service and as it was a manufacturing issue Forest River have agreed to pay for all expenses. Nice!!
We arrived late at the small town of Emigrant which is just 30 miles from the north entrance to Yellowstone National Park and were greeted by a lovely and energetic owner. As anyone who has a GPS knows the direction they take you is not always right nor does it make sense sometimes. Our ever faithful Tom certainly led us up the garden path through the town of Livingston, down a narrow road which was all chopped up due to roadworks. A check on the ipad confirmed what we knew - Tom had lost the plot! Needless to say doing a three point turn in a road construction site with a 40ft trailer is no mean feat but we managed without getting stuck and were back on track soon after.
The North Entrance
We were excited to be going to Yellowstone as we had heard so much about it. We headed into the park the following day and the first stop was Mammoth Hot Springs. Mammoth Hot Springs is a large complex of hot springs on a hill of travertine. They were created over thousands of years as hot water from the spring cooled and deposited calcium carbonate (over two tons flow into Mammoth each day). We walked along the timber walkways around the huge white terraces formed by the springs. This area is in a constant state of change and some of the timber walkways lead to dried up areas where the springs once bubbled through the ground.
There were also some very tame wildlife in the area, deers mainly and they just grazed and posed for photos.
The Worlds Most Photographed Deer
The Ever Changing Cascades
Amazing How This Forms
As we headed further into the park there were several stops to make - hot springs just seem to come out of nowhere. We were also on the look out for wild life as we had been told that the park was teeming with it. We were lucky to spot a big buffalo standing by the side of the road and a couple of deer but nothing like we had been led to believe. The countryside on this side of the park was spectacular with big open fields covered with pasture so we expected to see many more buffalo but to our disappointment we didn't.
Our One Lone Buffalo
The Thermals Are All Over The Place - as are the dangers
Off the Beaten Track
As we travel the northern states of Washington, Montana and Idaho we are amazed at how popular fresh water fishing is. There does not seem to be a stream that does not have someone fly fishing in it, even in remote stretches you see people casting lines. It's nice to see these people enjoying their summer as short as it is.
Finding That "Best" Spot
We had decided to head all the way down to see "Old Faithful" which is down the southern end of the park. The speed limit through the park is set at a steady 35 mph which does make the trip rather long but none the less it gives plenty of time to look for wildlife.
At the risk of sounding rather jaded I am amazed by the things people will stop for. We came to a traffic jam and sat there for about 20 mins. I said to Rose "This had better be good?" Twenty minutes later we get to the "head" of the jam, bugger me all you could see was the rear end of a buffalo in amongst the trees! Breath in breath out Ron.
This guy pulled over and started fishing
So we headed to "Old Faithful" - I assume its called Old Faithful because it "blows" faithfully every 90 minutes or so. We were fortunate to have arrived just on time. A large crowd had gathered and were patiently waiting for the next show. Rumours were circulating amongst the crowd "The ranger said it will go at 11.52"- well he was wrong it was 11.54 and off it went. It lasted about a minute or so, lots of oooohs and ahhhhs and cameras snapping and then it was all over.
The Crowd!
This is what we all waited for!
Having travelled this far south in the park we decided to do the full loop and head towards West Thumb and up the eastern road back to the Northern entrance. As we travelled up the eastern road the forest opened up to large grassy plains and we came across a huge heard of buffalo grazing on the pasture. We pulled over in the "turnout" provided so as not to block traffic and just watched. A big bull just sauntered up towards us and as they all are "BIG" we watched him with caution. He seemed to know the traffic would stop as he just walked across the road. I bet that bloke that caused the traffic jam earlier feels pretty stupid right now?
The wild heard of buffalo
Yep he was big
The day had been long and wearily we continued around the loop road to the north entrance. By the time we got past the town of Gardiner we were 30 miles from home and I could taste that first beer!
Unfortunately that beer was going to have to wait - just outside Gardiner we came across an emergency vehicle blocking the road. A big storm had passed through the area earlier in the afternoon and there had been some flash flooding resulting in a landslide that had blocked the road. We asked the ranger what our options were and there was no good answer.
1. The road would be closed for at least 5 hours and maybe more, so we could wait it out. When they finally cleared the landslide an evaluation on the road base would have to be made. If the structure had been damaged then traffic would not be allowed to travel over it until crews could come in the following day. A very long wait.
2. Go back into the park, leave via the west entrance head up 191 to Bozeman and back down to Emigrant.
Either option was not good so we decided to take the detour back through the park. After an 187 mile detour we finally arrived home at 11-30 pm.
All up we drove some 340 miles for the day, needless to say we had a good sleep in the next day. We found out the next day that the landslide was cleared and that the road base was fine and fellow campers made it home about 15 minutes after us - without doing the extra 187 miles! Oh well!
We had heard so much about Yellowstone and we did enjoy it but in our opinion Glacier National Park has much more to offer. Yellowstone may be the oldest and most visited National Park but certainly not the best.
When ever possible we try to do a hike at each stay in a very feeble attempt at keeping our fitness up. We were directed to a popular 'locals' trail so we decided to do it.
We headed to Suce Creek and as this was still bear country we armed ourselves with our newly acquired "bear" spray (akin to a quarter scale fire extinguisher) and headed off. We covered about 6 miles for the day and enjoyed the trail, no bear encounters just locals walking and riding their horses.
Suce Creek Crossing
Note the Bear spray at the ready it sprays a capsicum mist up to 30 feet
We meet wonderful people where ever we go and Yellowstone Edge RV park was no different. We shared many stories and experiences with fellow campers around the camp fire every night and we were fortunate to be parked next to 2 great guys, Monte and David and their dog Tigger. We spent several nights sharing a few (too many) drinks with them in the comfort of their very palatial motor home. There is no doubt we will meet up with them again.
Posted by RnR on their IPad
Location:Yellowstone National Park Wyoming
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