The moment we dreaded had finally come... time to pack up and leave West Yellowstone, MT and drive eastward through the park one last time. I really enjoyed all of the Yellowstone National Park moments as well as the after-park activities near the hotel in West Yellowstone. We decided to ironically photograph the "Welcome to Montana" sign as we were leaving the state.
Wildlife sightings can bring traffic to a standstill along the roads in YNP. At first we thought the holdup was due to some elk sightings along the side of the road (near where we spotted them the evening before). This time it was a little different; the delays were caused by elk
in the road. Lucky enough to have my camera already around my neck, I snapped this picture as an elk crossed right in front of my car.
And here is the same elk,
not seen through my dirty windshield!
These steaming geysers are seen from a distance; later on in the ride through the park we were able to walk along a path that brought us within feet of these -- close enough to smell, taste, and even get "spit" on by them.
The bubbling mud pots were awesome... the pictures, however, are not. The best way to see these is with the video I shot, which I will try to figure out how to upload once we get home.
One of the many lakes in Yellowstone, and a something a-steamin' in the foreground.
One of the many places in the park where visible evidence of past wildfires can be seen.
When I went out to the car at 7:15am, I could see my breath and there was frost on my windshield. It warmed up throughout the day, but even in the distance you can still see snow on the mountains. Last shot in Yellowstone!
Bighorn Canyon in Wyoming