Geezers Amongst the Geysers

 We arrived in West Yellowstone Tuesday evening and stayed at a KOA along the side of the highway. I am generally not a fan of KOA's, but I have to say this was the best one I have ever stayed in. This is in contrast to the KOA in West Winnemucca Nevada which was probably the worst place I have ever camped. The KOA in West Yellowstone was generally quiet and quite scenic. However, it appeared that only about two thirds of the spaces were full. Had the others been full, my impression may not have been quite so good. What was amazing is that we could not get a reservation to camp in the park. So we knew the drives through the park would be crowded!

  
This morning we awakened to 25° temperatures. At this point, I was happy we were in a KOA, because the site came with an electrical hookup. We have brought along a small electric heater which we ran before we went to bed and I started again after I got up. Had the heater not been running, we might've been more like the water that I poured into the coffee pot to make coffee. It was slush. Coffee took longer than usual to make. We love our little tent trailer, but there are times that it does not seem well suited to 65-year-old campers!

After breaking camp in the morning we drove to the West entrance of Yellowstone National Park. We took the obligatory photo at the entrance sign in the same place where we had taken many family photos over the years with our first ever photo in 1976. 

This was the first time that Linda and I had visited Yellowstone together. The sign has weathered the years better than I have. But I have to say, Linda and I still look pretty good. The Park still delights us!

   

                          

Today the park was even more crowded. 

Instead of Europeans and Asians we were treated to Californians and Oregonians as well as a smattering Washingtonians. It always strikes me as odd that the coastal states which often lecture Idaho, Wyoming and Montana about responsibility, then come to Idaho, Wyoming and Montana to enjoy themselves and to get a break from the current strict rules and laws of those states. There is something wrong here!

The Northern Pacific Railroad advertised the Park as a "Wonderland". It certainly is! This is not our last trip to Yellowstone National Park!

                                                   Leaving the Park via the Roosevelt Arch 

As we left Gardiner, Montana and drove North towards Livingston, we once again began to see remnants of the old Yellowstone Trail across the river. The first photo shows the Old Yellowstone Trail before it enters Yankee Jim Canyon. The second photo shows the Trail descending a grade. I understand that this is a very rough and poorly maintained road. Better suited to an old jeep than Linda's pretty blue Explorer.

As we progress through Montana, this blog may get a bit more personal. That is because Linda and I met while we were attending college at the University of Montana in 1975.. While I will not claim to be a Montanan, I do feel a special tie to this state. You might say this is where I came of age and where some of the formative events of my life took place. I will not tell all the old tales, that could prove too boring, perhaps too revealing, and I'm not sure if the statute of limitations has run on all the indiscretions of my youth. Suffice it to say that Linda has been the great civilizing influence of my life, I also don't want to incriminate any of my friends or fraternity brothers. When I tell a story, I will omit last names, but they will know who they are!

Still, any trip to Yellowstone National Park is a good trip. And our many memories of this grand Park make this trip even better.

                                                             Geezers and Geysers!