Writing at 8:20 PM but won’t be able to post this until tomorrow as NO cell service at my campground in the National Forest just 5 miles north of parks North Entrance (I came in through the west entrance). I got gas and some sandwiches just after exiting park through the Roosevelt Arch and had 4 bars of LTE so was surprised when I had zero bars in campground only 2 miles away. I guess because it was over a ridge (up a dirt road). I only saw one other camper when I arrived but in the next hour a few more people arrived, maybe 5 of the 17 spots occupied now and I am only one in my loop. Campsite offers a few metal outhouses but nothing else. Bison and Elk poop everywhere, have to watch one’s step! I had some wine with dinner (a Washington state Merlot) so I apologize for any rambling or misspellings that phone misses. Sooooo …. After I had lunch in the Van I went back into Old Faithful visitor center and really enjoyed the exhibits about geology, volcanos, etc. This visitor center is only 10 years new and has HUGE windows that overlook Old Faithful so u can even watch from inside. I bought a few pins and magnets in the gift shop and considered buying the bear spray canister kit with holster but at $80 I first asked Ranger if I would need it when camping and she said only if doing backcountry hiking so I passed. Now that I knew I would be camping at the north edge of park…. Oh wow! Just saw huge lightening out back of camper. When I parked I popped open top as it was almost 50 and it is nice to have actual headspace when arranging things for bed even though I knew I would close up at bedtime and sleep downstairs, safely enclosed from bears 🙂 It started to drizzle at dinner though so I closed top (it takes 1 minute to open and 2 to close tight) but opened all curtains so I had 360 views since no other campers in site. Now raining hard and thunder and lightening, a tent would suuuuuuuuck! Ok. Back to narrative. I knew that Grand Prismatic Spring was a must see and only 10 minutes from Old Faithful so I drove there even though a wet snow falling. Luckily there is a boardwalk that goes around the 4 amazing pools, craters in that area (the boardwalks at the thermal areas are not to make them more accessible it is to protect the delicate crusts that took centuries to form and to keep people from stepping thru crust into boiling water). It was REALLY snowing and windy by then and at first the fog from the hot springs made visibility zero but I just followed boardwalk and then it opened up and it was soooo worth going. Photos later 😉 …. I headed north and by the time I pulled off to see a waterfall it was only drizzling and then even got sunny for an hour. I saw some more Bison AND Elks but it was taking me more time than I thought to reach the Visitor center at Mammoth Lakes at north end of park so I told myself no MORE bison photos. As I drove past a lake I saw several people with HUGE cameras on tripods and realized it must be more than a Bison. Across the lake was a huge Grizzly bear. He or She was digging in the mud at edge of lake for ? Some type of food. I took several photos with my real camera (not a fancy digital SLR like Alex’s but a compact super zoom Panasonic). I am able to transfer photos wirelessly to my phone so maybe will try that later (a good activity for morning as I have no internet access anyway). As I drove the last few miles to Mammoth and park exit I realized that I had already seen Bison, Bighorn Sheep, Elk and Grizzly. I also saw several birds and i think I heard Pica near my campsite. A wolf would be the coup de graces but there are very few in the huge park so unlikely. As I have no internet access I have to rely on memory but it looked like good weather for first half of day tomorrow so will try to get an early start again.
It rained hard for several hours and then slower and then later maybe sleet but so dark I couldn’t tell. I slept well but definitely was up every hour or two. Going to sleep early I was awake at my usual 5am and as dark and cold I turned on vans heater (it runs off the gas tank and auxiliary battery, very efficient) and read my Kindle for a while. Still reading Barbarian Days-A surfing Life by William Finnegan. It was recommended by my friend Ryan and I find it amazing but their is so much surfing in there that I wonder if a never-surfer will hang in there. The book really gets better and better as he travels the world and then lives (and surfs) in San Fran as becoming a successful writer with books and articles in the New Yorker and Mother Jones. He doesn’t say but he must have kept journals over the years as no one’s memory for events 20 years in past could be so perfect. I can see why Missoula, Montana is a hotspot for famous writers and poets. It really is hard to clear one’s mind enough to be creative while dealing with the stresses and hassles of living in a big, expensive city. In my van in this isolated campsite with views of only mountains and sky out my windows AND NO internet or even phone access I am getting my Thoreau time. Good news is that it was super easy to transfer the bear photos from my camera to phone. When I have a good connection later I will try to dump the best photos into WordPress and share. I do realize that I missed whole places like Coeur d’Alaixn so will have to just save those photos for my post trip audio-visual creation. I should at least do my journal entries though before memories fade. I noticed first thing I saw when pulled off highway into CDA (abbreviated for the spelling challenged) was a Maserati/Alfa Romeo dealership so it was obviously not a typical Idaho town 😉
7:30 now. I boiled some water for oatmeal and coffee and am heading off to Mammoth Springs area and then the visitor center there where I will plan the rest of my day. It will require a little backtracking on roads I already did as the road from One area to another that looked best does not open until June as it is over 8000 ft high pass.