Day 9: Yellowstone National Park

At 9 o'clock we leave the campground. Our tour lasts 1 1/2 hours to West Yellowstone and passes by green meadows and forests. Rivers and lakes also accompany us frequently. The closer we get to the national park, the busier the roads become. There are also more and more cyclists on the road. I have a lot of respect for them, I couldn't do it. There is another Smoke Jumper Fire Base at the airport. During our last visit, we couldn't see any airplanes, so we're making a new attempt. The tour here is also very informative and the guide is very nice. The system is similar. I asked if there are employees responsible for evacuation. This is the responsibility of the police here. The station covers a range of 300 miles and state borders don't matter. This time we see the airplane and are allowed to visit the interior. Not much space. Two jumpers share a box to sit in. That gives the term "economy class" a different meaning.

It's also interesting that the firefighting clothing and bags are self-made and sewn. Only the parachute is purchased.
We buy a t-shirt and a patch again.
Then we go to the West Yellowstone Visitor Center where we buy the annual pass for all national parks in the USA. Since we will be visiting several more parks, it's worth it. There are also furs from various animals in the park.
Shortly after the town, we reach the entrance. We are now leaving Montana and entering Wyoming. A sign indicates that this is bear country. We keep an eye out, but unfortunately, no bears are in sight. However, we see 4 large buffalo in a meadow. It's noon and we decide to go to Old Faithful first. Geysers are hot springs with underground water reservoirs that are connected to the surface by a channel. Due to narrowings in the channel, the hot steam, which can reach a temperature of over 93°C, cannot escape freely. There are 6 geysers in the park. This one is popular because it erupts more frequently. The spectacle can be witnessed every 51 to 120 minutes. Our drive takes 1 hour and then we reach the parking lot. There are many visitors here and it takes a while to find a suitable spot for the large camper. First, we inquire at the visitor center. We arrive just in time, as Old Faithful is supposed to erupt at 2:19 PM. There are still 10 minutes left and we make our way to the viewing area. Around half of the geyser, a wooden platform is built with 2 rows of seats. The visitors choose their seats and we manage to get one in the front row. I stay at the back because I'm carrying David and he wants to be rocked in the carrier. The specified time is approximate, it could be 10 minutes more or less. So we wait. Now it's getting more crowded. There are people who sit in the front row. Then a small group of Asians comes along, some of them sit almost in front of Erik, so he couldn't see anymore. I call out to him that he can also sit at the edge. The weather is cold, windy, and it's drizzling. There are even periods of sleet. We endure. One of the Asians wants to open her umbrella, but other tourists remind her that everyone wants to see. Unfortunately, this time the eruption is delayed. Then it happens quickly, the water gushes up several meters high, then higher and higher until it reaches about 30 to 50 meters. It takes 5 minutes, then it weakens and all you can see is smoke again. The crowd quickly disperses and we walk along a circular path of about 1.5 km. There are hydrothermal fields with hot springs. Particularly worth seeing are the different colors and the various water holes with partly boiling water and calm pools with a blue bottom. Wooden walkways have been built through the area because the ground is fragile and leaving the path could result in serious or even fatal injuries.