Last week was the first of our three weeks in Yellowstone. We spent the week at the KOA in Livingston/Paradise Valley, which is closest to the north entrance of the national park. Eric had to travel to Virginia for several days so we didn't visit the park until the end of the week, but we managed to see a lot in just one afternoon.
Our first stop in the park was Mammoth Hot Springs. When we arrived, there were several elk within just a few yards of the parking lot. Others were gathered closer to the springs, where the white minerals coating the rocks made it look like a snowy winter scene.
Park rangers were (rather forcefully) keeping everyone at a distance until the elk moved farther into their grazing area. One ranger tried to move them along faster by shaking a plastic bottle of rocks, but that backfired when a bull elk came running down the hill and charged at another bull. The chase continued into another parking lot where the crowd scattered in panic. Finally things calmed down and the rangers allowed everyone to go on their way.
From there we continued on to the other side of the hot springs, which was an even stranger landscape.
We find it remarkable how quickly the views change in this area. One minute we're passing by unusual rock formations, and the next we find ourselves in a more traditionally beautiful mountain forest or meadow.
As we continued our journey through the park, rain rolled in and the sun went down.
Lots more pictures to come as we explore the rest of the park over the next two weeks!
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