Yellowstone!

This blog is actually being posted in real time...no need to play catch up on this one!

Initially, we had planned on camping in or near Yellowstone; however, Wednesday's news about the fatal bear attack at a local campground made us change our idea of lodging at Yellowstone. With Aaron needing to keep his tester and sugar in the tent, we didn't want to risk anything...especially since they are still working on identifying the attacker. We realize that bear attacks are extremely uncommon; however, we did not want to take the risk.

After enjoying a picnic, we headed into the historic park. I had not been to Yellowstone in ages and never realized how it really is its own entity, complete with gas stations, restaurants and shopping centers.

While Aaron and I were enjoying a serene moment by the river, our attention was brought to 'alert' mode when two guys drove buy screaming that a bear was heading right toward us. Not knowing where the bear was, Aaron and I headed back to the car. We headed up the road and were greeted soon after by cars stopped and people running along the roadside with cameras.

We joined the madness and pulled off to see one of the greatest views ever--a grizzly bear strolling along the river, searching for grub. Although I was a little disappointed to not see one while out on a hike, I'm also relieved to know that this encounter was nearby, but we had the relative safety of a river as a buffer.

We arrived to see Old Faithful almost right on time, since it was about ready to erupt. We were surrounded by tourists eager to see one of the most popular features of the park. As it was finishing its show, the woman to the right of me commented how "amazing" Old Faithful was while the woman to my left remarked how "disappointing" it was. To me, it's somewhere in the middle, although I would not ever use "disappointing" to describe it. I would say, its a magnificent feature, but not the most spectacular.

After watching Old Faithful, we headed back to West Yellowstone to check into our hotel and grab dinner. We ate at a 1950s style diner, where I found out how difficult it is to find a restroom in a tourist town. There was one bathroom, with a code (which I didn't realize I needed to have a code to get in). After impatiently waiting, I finally decided to see if I needed a key or a code to get in. Sure enough I did need a code, but someone else beat me to it. Someone who decided to clog the toilet. The restaurant wouldn't give me the code to use the employee restroom, so across the street I went. No luck...the man just spread disinfectant all over the floor. Down the street I went, finally, a restroom. I just had to maneuver around the tourists shopping in the crowded aisles of the store. Ah...the wonders of tourist towns!

Since I'm on the note of tourist towns, another wonder is how their merchandise can be so full of (for lack of better words) stuff made in China. Another wonder is how people can feel so compelled to buy it! There are some things that do look nice, but I would much rather prefer to buy a picture taken by a local artist or a piece of jewelry made by a local jeweler.

Today, we are heading out to see more of Yellowstone and then we will slowly start meandering our way back to Wisco!