Before we had our eldest child, my husband and I full-time RV'ed for two years venturing across America in our Winnebago motorhome. As you can imagine, during our extensive journey, we stumbled upon breathtaking sights and experienced amazing adventures. One such worth sharing is our time spent at the World's First National Park: Yellowstone.
Located in Wyoming, this expansive park has something for everyone. It is recommended to spend three days to fully grasp all it has to offer but we spent one day in the park, beginning at sunrise and coming home at dusk.
I enjoy photography immensely and this park afforded me the opportunity to capture not only wildlife, but landscapes, geysers, hot springs - in addition to a multitude of seasons! Truly a photographer's paradise.
Part of me wishes I would have created a blog back when we were full-timer's and documented each place we visited with a post. The exact memories aren't as fresh as when I first visited but I chose to not have social media or a blog at the time because I wanted to soak up every minute of what God had afforded me. Quite honestly this trip was not only an answer to my prayers, but it was beyond comprehension; surpassing anything I could have ever imagined for myself.
I suppose I should write a post in what led to our epic journey and how we afforded to sustain ourselves alas, that is for a separate post. For today, let us continue to focus on God's handiwork on display in the beautiful Yellowstone National Park.
© All photography is my own.
Enjoy these frames I took capturing the splendor of Yellowstone as well as a walk down memory lane with me.
We hiked a steep and winding incline and were rewarded with the most breathaking view of this valley (pictured above). Directly beneath us to the bottom of this image (not pictured) was the break of a waterfall. Behind us lied a rushing creek bend with evergreen trees flocking the sides and snow capped mountains in the foreground etching the clouds in the skies with their pointy peaks. It was chilly up there, higher in the mountains, and a cutting wind was stabbing through the valley. We admired the scenery, snapped some photographs and made our way back down to the serene spring landscapes and warmer temps below.
Home, home on the range
Where the deer and the antelope play
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word
And the skies are not cloudy all day
-Neil Young
Did you know these majestic animals are not buffalo? They're actually bison. Though the terms are used interchangeably, they're two very distinct animals. While they are both in the bovidae family, they are not closely related. In fact, there aren't any true buffalo in North America; they are only found in Africa and Asia. So the next time you see one of these creatures in our homeland just know they're guaranteed to be bison.
I quite enjoyed photographing the bison and they seemed to show out for me a little. You might say the bison at Yellowstone are very "friendly" but you would be wrong. It isn't that they're willing to cuddle up or hand feed, no, do not be deceived; they're just accustomed to people around them 24/7. In fact, there was a recent bison attack at Yellowstone so it would behoove you to keep your distance from these seemingly loving animals. I made good use of my zoom feature on my camera and even captured a few of these pictures out of my passenger window while driving down the road.
I recall the welcome center at Yellowstone being an impressive log cabin with enormous glass windows overlooking the green grasslands and geysers. We had a cup of hot cocoa, talked to some fellow travelers and relaxed on the couch near the fireplace while awaiting the eruption of Old Faithful. The world's most famous geyser erupts approximately twenty times a day and we weren't going to miss it!
This was the number one sight we wanted to see while visiting Yellowstone. And while I wouldn't say that it disappoints, not at all, rather I personally enjoyed other parts of Yellowstone more but I was grateful to have seen it erupt!
Afterwards, we strolled around the meandering boardwalk peering into the most immensely rich colored pools and hot springs. With their bright bands of orange, green, blue and yellow - it was hard to not stand there absolutely mesmerized. But onward we marched and completed our tour of Yellowstone. We made the short drive back to our campsite just over the state line in Idaho where our Winnebago lied nestled against the foothills of a mountain ridge and reminisced about all of the glory seen at Yellowstone that day.
I hope you enjoyed my recollection of Yellowstone as well as my photography. If you would like to see more travel posts please let me know and I will see what I can do to post some more. Also, you can subscribe to my blog and never miss a post. You will be emailed anytime I create a new article.
Thanks for joining me and I'd like to encourage you to seek out a National Park near you. With over 63 parks across America, you're sure to find one nearby.
~Crissy
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