Day 10: Yellowstone National Park

We are at an altitude of 2200 meters in Canyon Village. The campground has 276 spots for tents and campers. The nights are just a few degrees above zero. Thankfully, we have a heater, otherwise I would have frozen. I feel sorry for the visitors with tents. We start our tour at 8 o'clock without breakfast. We hope to be ahead of the other visitors and especially to see animals. We drive north to Mammoth Hot Springs. The only animal we see is a buffalo on the road. In addition, there are construction works for 5 miles. The drive takes 1 1/2 hours and we park a bit outside on a spot for long cars. Then, we have breakfast. After the meal, the path leads uphill, partly with stairs, to the travertine terraces. These chalk-white travertines were created due to the interaction between water and limestone. We walk along the entire path, David sleeps on my back. The sun is shining and quickly warms up the air and us. We take off our jackets. There are two terraces with water streams. It is very exciting to see what has formed there. Then, we visit Fort Yellowstone with the visitor center. I ask about the best chance to see a bear.
Through a tip, we have the opportunity to observe deer. They are lying under trees and a cow is giving birth to her calf. We don't want to disturb them and continue walking. Actually, we wanted to eat something at the grill in town, but the line is so long that we decide against it. In the supermarket, a hot dog is supposed to cost $7. That's too expensive for us. So, Rene brings our car and we grab a quick bite to eat. We leave Mammoth Hot Springs and drive east. The park has two loops, which are perfect for separate tours. Shortly after leaving town, there are some people with binoculars and cameras at a bridge. Always a good sign for a wildlife sighting.
Rene stops and I walk over to explore the situation. At first, I only see a valley with a river and pine trees, then someone points to the meadow and there it is, a bear. I take a photo of it and quickly run back to get Rene and the kids. When we return, the bear is not visible anymore. Was that it? I see a bear and no one else does. Then suddenly, it shows up again. Rene sees it first and with a little help, Erik sees it too. It is far away, the pictures are not the best, but we have seen one. I am extremely happy about it. We think it's a grizzly bear, but a visitor said it was a black bear with brown fur. We continue driving through the area, always curious about which animal will come next. We see eagles, a red fox, ground squirrels, pronghorns, weasels, and a large herd of buffalos with their calves. I count about 40 of them. Then, we stop at the Tower Fall. The waterfall is 40 meters high and beautiful to see. It has gotten so warm that we are walking in t-shirts. It is now after 4 o'clock and we start the last leg to Canyon Village. Again, there is a crowd, but unfortunately, we are too late, the mother bear and her two cubs have just disappeared into the forest. It's a real shame. Maybe we will have better luck tomorrow. Now, we still have to refuel and empty the wastewater tanks, then we will be back in the same spot. We grill hamburgers again and enjoy some marshmallows. Another exhausting but beautiful day comes to an end.