Yellowstone National Park - Day 1

WEST YELLOWSTONE

Yep, that's us and we're on rusticwagonrvandcabins.com web site.  Too funny!

Out our trailer door and onto this grassy area in a corner of the Rustic Wagon RV Park in West Yellowstone.

Passed these pines every morning on our way to Yellowstone National Park.

West entrance

MOUNT HAYNES

Scruffy looking cow elk.

If it's cool enough in the morning, steam is rising all along the Madison River highway.

FIRST MORNING ON MADISON RIVER

Not sure if those are fishermen or photographers.

Buffalo grazing along river.

Gibbon Falls

NORRIS GEYSER BASIN

Norris Geyser Basin Museum

View from museum.

Emerald Spring

Geyserite sinter ring

Eerie...

BRINK OF UPPER FALLS

Falls on the Yellowstone River

At the brink...

Yellowstone River 

LOOKOUT POINT

Lower Falls

Looking downriver, away from the Lower Falls.

Closer look at Yellowstone River.

GRAND VIEW

Yellowstone River

Absaroka Range - pulled off the highway to take photo of distant mountains.

TOWER FALLS

Tower Falls on Tower Creek.

BLACK BEAR

On Tower Falls trail, below store.

Washburn Hot Springs Overlook

Hexagonal basalt columns.

Rock fence???

Hayden Valley buffalo

MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS 

Upper Terrace Drive

BERYL SPRINGS

MOUNTAIN GOATS

Petrified tree stands 20 feet tall.

Tourists photographing wildlife were crazy at times, many people forget that these are WILD animals!  These buffalo had people with cameras following them as they grazed.  At one point an experienced photographer yelled at some of them to get back!

Elk overlooking the Madison River.

It's been a long day in Yellowstone...

Critter count at the end of Day 1:

2 black bear

2 chipmunks joined us for lunch!

5 deer

25 mountain goats

75 elk

Too many buffalo to count!