DAY 14 - YELLOWSTONE (THIRD DAY)

Today is moving day.  The plan is to move south along the road that runs down the western side of the park.  It's about 50 miles to Old Faithful so we would take our time to enjoy the scenery, make stops at a couple highlighted spots and [of course] look for wildlife.  We are still looking for that big bull elk, maybe a wolf or Carolyn's least favorite...a bear. 

Bison roll in mud or dirt to remove insects but they are also marking their territory.  There is no doubt who is in charge of this big guys territory.

Old Faithful.  Yellowstone is home to a tremendous amount of wildlife, including bears, bison and elk, wolves and more, but it was designated America's first national park because of the numerous hot springs and geysers. Old Faithful is the grand daddy of them all and is the most visited attraction in the park.  Even though there were few families here the first week of September, the viewing benches at Old Faithful were full.

While waiting, a ranger gave us a preview and answered questions. The average interval between eruptions is about 90 minutes but varies about 10 or 15 minutes.  Eruptions last from 1 1/2 minutes to five minutes and spew 4,000 to 8,000 gallons of hot water.  Water temperature has been measured at 204 degrees.

There she blows!
There is no doubt when the eruption is about to start. There is an unmistakable gurgling and spitting, then Old Faithful spews it's steam and water.  The ranger estimated this eruption about average at 150 feet.

View from the new visitor center.  Old Faithful is straight ahead so can be viewed from the warmth.

It's time to head toward Grant Campground.  Grant is on the southern end of Yellowstone Lake and will be our home for our last night in the park.   We heard rumors of large numbers of elk in the area so we had hopes of finally seeing one or more of the big bulls.

Along the route to Grant, we crossed the Continental Divide that separates the watersheds that drain to the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

 At 8,200 feet of elevation, it's chilly here today.  It was a good night to build a campfire and enjoy the warmth by cooking hot dogs and maybe melting some marshmallows.  This was a good night to test our sleeping bags, but we could always turn on the LP furnace in the Roadtrek if needed.

Even though our Roadtrek is not large, this Jucy RV takes compact to a new level. It was really pretty ingenious; lift the tailgate to reveal a tiny kitchen with drawers and a small LP stove.  The seats fold to make a bed area for two and "the Penthouse" (on top) will sleep two as well.  It was rented by young couple from Denmark who were touring the western United States.  They asked for a tour of our Roadtrek...they were impressed with all of our room and luxuries like refrigerator, microwave, and even a bathroom!

We ended another good day in Yellowstone.