Mammoth Hot Springs

Tuesday afternoon, June 11, we crossed under the tall Roosevelt Arch and entered Yellowstone National Park. We pulled off to take a picture of being halfway between the Equator and North Pole, and saw a deer munching the bushes between us and the river. We had passed a similar marker sign driving on 84 near Baker City, Oregon.

Yellowstone River

We drove about 5 miles to Albright Visitor Center where we were told all the campgrounds in the park were full, so we would need to go back out the way we came for the closest camping. Oh. While we here, the girls got set up to be Junior Rangers and we looked at the stuffed & mounted animals upstairs, then walked the trails around Mammoth Hot Springs. The 'smoking' colored terraces are fascinating indeed!

So many tourists! A tour bus full of Japanese were parked here near us and they probably couldn't read the large signs that said Do Not Get Close to the Elk. This fellow had his friend taking a picture of him while he held out his hand. The elk turned and licked his fingers, then proceeded to nibble his ear! He quickly jumped away! We were hoping nothing traumatic would happen like we had seen in the orientation film of a girl getting charged, knocked down, and flipped over by a bison while taking a photo. Yikes!

couldn't resist feeling the strange creamy foam

We headed back north partway through Gardiner, then up up up the road toward Jardine a couple miles to Eagle Creek Campground in Gallatin National Forest. Before arriving at the camp, we chased a grazing buffalo out of the road! 

Settled on a nice spot right beside the rushing creek to park for a couple nights while we explored Yellowstone.