Yellowstone: Day 3

Today was my final day in Yellowstone and I started it by sleeping-in. Why you might ask? I needed to wait for the sun to rise to get good light for photos!

My first stop was the Mammoth Hot Springs just outside my hotel. The last two days I’ve driven past this area several times, always with something else to do. With my final morning in the park, I knew I needed to stop to take some photos.

I was trying to make good time on my way out of the park, but every time I tried to cover ground I was reminded of the photos that I missed previous days… for example, from the first day, a shot with a reflection on a lake.

I was also again driving past the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, this time with perfect light.

There were crowds building as I arrived, but I made my way to Artists Point and tried to get some clear views. I wasn’t the only photographer there trying to shoot some wide-angles, and while we waited for the crowd to clear, we had a nice conversation.

This reminds me of just how many great people I’ve met in my visit to Yellowstone. At nearly every stop there have been interesting people to share stories with. Looking for wolves I met two photographers who “shoot” Bald Eagles in the Baltimore area. Photographing pronghorn I met another shooter and shared intel on the wildlife. I even spoke with a nice old lady from Michigan as I was waiting for the G8 to warm-up.

After the Canyons I decided that I just needed to get moving or I’d never make it out of the park. After quickly stopping at Fishing Bridge visitor center for some souvenirs I headed to the exit.

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The road leading out the East entrance of the park was great; a steep descent, long sweepers, smooth pavement… too bad the speed limit was so slow. It would have really ruined my day… if I’d obeyed it (insert evil grin).

After leaving Yellowstone I made my way to Cody before stopping for lunch. When I was done eating I was surprised to find a Honda S2000 parked next to the G8, with it’s top down… keys in the ignition! In California it would have lasted all of 5 minutes… I guess things are different in Wyoming.

The last part of my drive was mostly across farmland, so wasn’t too interesting, but there were a few places with nice geological formations. I was tempted to stop to take more photos, but I kept reminding myself that they were “just rocks”… that didn’t stop me from admiring them though.

Eventually I arrived at my hotel and returned to civilization (aka. the internet). After a nice prime rib dinner (no more canned ravioli) I sat down to watch some college football and relax.