Arriving at Yellowstone

The drive from Jackson Hole to the southern entrance of Yellowstone National Park was only 79 miles, but once we got into the park it took us a total of about 5 hours in all. The terrain and view was constantly changing from high peaks to valleys with up and down winding roads; a real challenge but Debra was up to the task as usual. The challenges were increased by trying to concentrate not only on the road but watching for wandering animals. We were also trying to watch all the scenic venues such as the large Yellowstone Lake that we parallel most of the way. Yellowstone Lake is North America’s largest mountain lake and now drains into the Atlantic via the Gulf of Mexico and is 20 miles long, 14 miles wide, and 430 feet deep at its deepest point. It stays pretty cold all through the year so swimming is discouraged by the park. We also drove over the Continental Divide at one point which we weren’t expecting so soon . With all that to contend with we made it however and arrived at the Rocky Mountain RV Campground with our assigned RV site right on a cliff overlooking the small town of Gardiner, MT. The town has mostly small bars, several restaurants to serve the tour buses & tourists, the large Yellowstone Tour Company, and of course a few souvenir shops and very small casinos. Of course, we found a favorite restaurant…can’t beat those Angus beef!! We decided all you needed to have in your wardrobe here were about seven pairs of jeans, some good hiking boots or cowboy boots and a warm coat & hat as well as a truck with 4-wheel drive!! The view from the front of the RV looked out over the beautiful valley and the snow covered mountain peaks across the valley. The sun comes up early here and doesn’t get dark until after nine o’clock which gave us plenty of time for sightseeing after Debra finished work. Spring is just really beginning here with the trees starting to put out buds to augment the existing Lodgepole and Ponderosa Pines. The campground’s been busy hanging out flower baskets and planting large rock gardens. The elk & mule deer were regular visitors in the early morning and late evenings so it will be a miracle if they all survive.