Yellowstone National Park on the Blogging A – Z Challenge

Herb’s Blog, Herbdate 23070 – 1118

Here’s the haps:

So my son’s family and my wife’s favorite cousin have both done this trip and it will, I’m hoping, be my turn sooner than later. Yellowstone National Park has the distinction of being the first national park in the world. Before you ask, I know nothing about the show named after the territory.

2.2 million acres of pretty much untouched land. I converted this to square miles and it turned out to 3437.5 square miles(8903.08413 sq km). When I read this I didn’t believe it at first but yes, it really is that big. Larger than Delaware and Rhode Island combined. 10,000 hydrothermal features like geysers, boiling mud pots, hot springs, and fumaroles. There are 500 geysers in the park which is over half the geysers in the world. The hot springs are dangerous and there are reasons they are so strict about you staying on the designated paths and boardwalks. There are places so hot and acidic that they can dissolve a human body in a day. 290 waterfalls and if you’re into hiking there are over a thousand miles of trails to choose from.

The park sprawls into 3 states, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana, and was a national park almost 20 years before any of them became official states. If you drive what is referred to as “The Grand Loop” it is 142 miles and reaching many of the things people want to see. There are 466 miles of roads total.

There were a lot of videos and photos on the internet but I am thinking this is one of those things you have to see for yourself in order to believe. One more note, wild animals are not tame. That sounds like a silly thing to say but there are several stories a year about tourists trying to take a selfie with some animal or other. Bison look slow and docile and people think they are tame as cows (which, depending on the breed are no prize to mess with, either) and get way too close and wind up getting gored. The rule of thumb that a ranger talked about in the Mount Evans video is really pretty wise. Hold your arm out at full length with your thumb up. If you can hide the animal with your thumb you’re usually at a good distance. These kind of photos are ones to invest in. Get a good zoom lens or whatever and get your shot from a safe distance.

What did the father buffalo say when his male offspring left home? Bison.

Likelihood of this happening within the next year: 0+%
Likelihood of this happening in my lifetime (Lord willing, of course): 87%
Likelihood of running into someone I know or met on the Internet: ??%

20 Comments

  1. This is one of the big ones on my list! I want it to be a road trip (which will be time consuming) and I want to camp there. There are some awesome KOAs there. The one at the west entrance appeals to me most. Hopefully sooner than later for me, too.

  2. My husband and I visited years ago when we attended a conference in Montana. Beautiful. I hope you get the chance to visit soon. Have a great day.

  3. It spreads into three states? That’s really big. I didn’t know that. I only heard that one family went there before the pandemic and they were eating an impromptu picnic with a camping style hotpot–I wonder if that was allowed inside the park, but probably nobody was keeping a watchful eye at the time. . Suddenly the wolves all came out since they smelled something good. There was even pictures posted on social media.

    • 🤣 That’s probably the last thing it needs! Except for bear food. But maybe it’s just me. Politicians leave a bad taste in my mouth.

  4. Yellowstone is my favorite national park (I admit I’ve not been to Yosemite). I’ve visited multiple times, all on motorcycle. The first in 2005 during my widowed ride around the country at age 58. I couldn’t stop taking photos. Every time I visited, it was different. My current husband and I spent several days visiting as well.

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