Yellowstone | Day 1

After an early wakeup in Missoula, Montana and a quick breakfast, it was back on the road again. The scenery that I had missed driving in the night before was a welcome surprise in the daylight. I'm not sure how to explain it, but the state nickname "Big Sky" certainly fits! Large hills topped with snow surrounded huge expanses of fields... the contrast in the land was unexpected.



I was never quite sure what state I was in, as I was hugging the border of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho, and often felt that I was driving in the wrong direction. Since I was no longer following a large interstate, the towns I passed through had a charm all their own.



I purchased a $25 pass that's good for a week in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. I won't be staying a week, but I plan on spending at least one more day in Yellowstone before heading to Grand Teton and then to Colorado. I spent nearly six hours in the park before realizing that I was spending more time out of my car than in, and it took me forever to get to any of the main attractions because I stopped for just about anything. I pulled onto the shoulder and got out to take a picture of a large rock formation and more than a dozen cars pulled over around me asking what I saw and what animals I had seen. If this Leadership Consultant job doesn't work out, I think I could do fine as a tour guide.





The park smelled strongly of sulfur in parts, but it was manageable when I saw what was creating the smell. Hydrothermal steam vents where all over the place, and left the ground white.



Animals were everywhere. It was common to see herds of bison, moose and elk out in the fields, and most animals were right up next to the road.