Day 304. June 6, 2014. Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces

LOCATION:  Yellowstone National Park in NW Wyoming

WEATHER:  Mostly sunny.  High about 60

We are camped next to a couple from Paris.  They flew into Salt Lake City and rented a car.  They are camping in a pup tent.  This morning, I ran into the woman in the bathroom.  She looked so sophisticated....scarf tied jauntily, makeup and hair just right....all from a tent!  .  And I looked like I've been camping!  How do the French do that?  . 

 We took a park ranger-led walk around the Springs.  It was very informative.  This part of Yellowstone looks quite different from the rest.  Instead of geysers, there are streams of lava coming down the hillsides creating what are called terraces.

They change much more rapidly than geysers.  This one, as an example, is now dry after flowing many years.  Once dry, it turns to this white limestone.

Yellowstone is mostly in Wyoming, but also spans into Idaho and Montana.  We drove 5 miles to a town on the North Entrance, in Montana, to buy propane.  Then, we took a long drive around the remaining part of the park we hadn't seen before.  Each section is unique. 

We stopped for lunch at Roosevelt Lodge and ordered bison nachos.  This lodge does cowboy dinners and stagecoach rides.  It is quite rustic.

Today's wildlife sightings are:  elk, osprey, black bear, pronghorn antelope, long-horned sheep, and herds of bison. 

Back at the campground, we made a fire from logs we collected along the road.  ( instead of buying firewood!).  This is the evening view from our site.

The days are really long.  At 9:00, it seemed more like 6;00 with children playing, campfires roaring, and still very light.  

DINNER:  We cooked chicken over the grill.  Delish!  For sides, we roasted a sweet potato in the coals, and I sautéed the rest of the zucchini.  It has been great having a campfire again.