Yellowstone Some More - Part 4

We had as our goal to explore part of the east end of Yellowstone up to Canyon Village the other day and succeeded (after many many stops and many many pictures) of reaching the village.

We pulled into the village parking lot, looked around at all the very busy foot and vehicle traffic, looked at the multiple buildings and signs for campgrounds and picnic areas..........and promptly turned around.

Too much.

Too much and too hectic and too busy and too much.

These pictures were taken on the drive back the way we had come later in the afternoon.

Without preamble LC pulled the truck off the highway saying that I needed to take a picture of this valley.

Climbing out of the truck and then into the bed of the truck so I could focus over the trees I took this picture.

And then looked to my right and saw a small group of male buffalo in the pasture.

We had somehow (through all of the increasing traffic on the road) and surprisingly found ourselves alone in an unmarked parking lot off the highway and for one brief moment I was delighted that we had these bison to ourselves............

I had not even noticed that small black birds were on the back of these massive creatures until one violently shook himself, sending the little birds airborne.................

I have looked at these pre-historic creatures often since we arrived in Cody.

All of the ones we have seen have been in protected areas - at a bison farm out in Clark, in Shoshone National Forest, at Yellowstone.

I know how dangerous they can be and how much damage they can cause.

These protected, lumbering and massive creatures have a quiet arrogance about them..............

Yet one more herd seen again as we passed by the Mud Volcano area................

Baby bison...............

We continued driving for a long time on the way home and did not stop until we again reached Yellowstone Lake.

The weather had been changeable throughout our time in the park but late in the afternoon we looked across the lake and could see an approaching storm...............

I was standing along the highway when I took the pictures above of Yellowstone Lake, and then I turned around to snap a few quick pictures of the pasture behind me.

There was very little water in this pasture the last time we were in the park just a few weeks ago.

Now there were multiple very large pools surrounded by lush grass and wide spans of wildflowers.............

The rain storm heading our way and it was time to move on and get outta Dodge............

Very happily we came across the same buffalo that we had seen lumbering down the middle of the road when we came through Sylvan Pass on the way through the park earlier that day.

By this time in the afternoon he was a mile and a half from where we had initially seen him.

Very glad to see him and to realize that he had safely walked his way to the food he must have been seeking............

Rapidly approaching Sylvan Pass we came across multiple small waterfalls alongside the road - runoff from the mountains still, even in July..............

I could have stood in this one place happily for the rest of the day............

Pictures taken from a picnic area in Shoshone National Forest, not too far from the East Gate.

After a long day of exploration we still 40 miles to go before reaching Cody.

Time for the remainder of the chicken and french bread and brownie lunch we had brought with us, before heading home.

Surprisingly we had the entire place to ourselves...................

Buffalo, pelicans, elk, mountains, lakes, pine trees, rivers, waterfalls, pastures filled with flowers, volcanic mud pits, campgrounds and picnic areas.

Not such a bad way to spend a few hours...............