Hello Yellowstone!

After leaving the Craters of the Moon National Monument, Debbie and I resumed our northeasterly drive through Idaho. We came across Arco, a tiny town with large numbers written on a nearby mountain.  I correctly deduced that the 2 digits represented years.  High school graduation classes, as it turned out.

We seemed to be steadily increasing in elevation as we skirted the front range of mountains (the Pioneer Mountains, according to the information at Craters of the Moon.)

We rolled into West Yellowstone and decided to make our supper stop there. Debbie scanned some reviews and we opted for The Buffalo Bar. 

Debbie ordered the huckleberry quesadilla and I had the huckleberry BBQ chicken wings.  They were good, but I think eating that much that late caused some insomnia for me later on!

The western entrance of Yellowstone was quickly upon us.  No employee was manning the ticket booth to check our pass.  We picked up a copy of the park newsletter, but it turned out to not be as helpful as such newspapers typically are.  The map in particular left a lot to be desired.  Still, on we rolled, trying to make it to our destination of the Old Faithful Inn before dark.

On the way to Madison, we saw several cars pulled over.  We knew that was a sign to look for wildlife.  Sure enough, there were bison and elk in the vicinity.  Debbie also heard that there was a wolf, but him we did not see.  As we neared the Old Faithful area, bison were even more numerous (and closer!)

We arrived at the Old faithful Inn around 9 pm.  We checked in and were given one of the original rooms from when the Inn opened in 1903 - and you could tell, too!  Rustic would be a good word to describe the ambiance.  Still, we weren’t complaining, even if we only had a sink in our room and no commode or shower!  Those were down the hall.

A violinist was entertaining guests on our floor (the second.)  I caught an Old Faithful eruption as I was unloading our car.  It’s quite something to be able to see it go off from your hotel!

We knew that we were in for a big day on Friday, so we hit the hay. I wish I could have fallen asleep quickly, but it would be 4 am until I was truly lights out.