Mountain West Road Trip Day 6: Cherry Creek (Hebgen) back to Yellowstone and on to Bozeman

This is written on Thursday July 26, 2018, but reflects happenings and photos of Thursday July 19, 2018. 

The highlight of this day was day 2 in Yellowstone.

We began by packing up camp at Hebgen Lake, Cherry Creek Campground in the Gallatin Forest of Montana.  The borrowed generator ran out of gas in the middle of the night.  The generator supplied power to my CPAP, and according to Samuel I did not snore.

As we did the South Entrance and the West Side of the lower loop yesterday, we were going to try to concentrate on the connectors of the two loops and yo-yo between the upper and lower loops as much as we could.

First stop on the loop connector road was Gibbon Falls.

Then on to Canyon Village.  The hope was to hike the trail on the South Rim that takes you to the brink of the upper falls and the lower falls, but that trail was closed. Darn.

We took the South Rim Drive, parked at Artists Point (?) and took a hike down the south rim on a trail whose name I have forgotten.  Before arriving, we saw some antlered elk.

The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, and the Lower Falls.

We took a side trail to see the Lilypad Pond.

And the elk were on the move on the drive back through....

Next, driving south on the east side of the lower loop, we encountered two herds of bison and major traffic slowdowns.....

Then, we made it to Yellowstone Lake, pausing at the Fishing Bridge over the Yellowstone River, and then getting to the shores of Yellowstone Lake.

Then back northbound toward Canyon Village on the lower loop.  With the day advancing, and with our prediction those bison weren't moving very far, we anticipated a worse wildlife traffic jam.  We were correct, but not by half.  There was one period where we moved less than 1 mile in 50 minutes.  I had the engine off most of the time - doing my part to decrease my carbon footprint.

The significant delay had one fringe benefit: We got to see a bison swim the Yellowstone River.  I didn't know bison could swim.  Yet, they swim quite well.

We wanted to do the North Rim Drive, but so did about 500 other people.  We settled for a drive to the Upper Falls Brink.

 Then on to Roosevelt-Tower Village.  We saw scenic vistas and the Tower Falls.

Then, another waterfall (name escapes me) on the north side of the northern (upper) loop.

Next, approaching Mammoth Hot Springs Village, we saw a 60+ sized very quiet elk herd.  I about wrote docile, then throught twice about it.  Also, historic Fort Yellowstone.

After a souvenir run through the Mammoth Hot Springs Village souvenir shop, we did the driving tour of Mammoth Hot Springs.

Next, back through Mammoth Hot Springs and Fort Yellowstone, we found quite a few elk hanging out in the streets and parks.  Again - quiet.  Again - not so docile.

Next, a few miles further north, we cross the Wyoming-Montana state line, but we're still in Yellowstone.  This is/was the Gardner or the Boiling River.  Swimming not prohibited on the Montana side, but is prohibited on the Wyoming side.  This was a nice break from the hot weather and the confining car.

Exiting on the north side through the Roosevelt Arch.

Then on to Bozeman.  This night was a quasi camping night.  We stayed at the property of a departed pathology resident Dr. Steve Smith, who offered his mother in law's travel trailer which was semi hooked up.

Dr. Smith and his wife Farica gave us an opportunity to shower, and even fed us a really hearty hamburger meal.  It was very nice Montana hospitality and a good night's sleep.

Thanks for reading.