Second Day In The Yellowstone National Park

20 September 2014

Weather: Sunny and 21C

This morning Justin and I got up at 5:45am to leave just before 6:30am to drive to Tower - Roosevelt to meet the guide for the day.  I had booked the tour with Yellowstone Guidelines as we wanted to do the Hike and Float Tour.  Due to snow fall a week or two before our visit the company who did the whitewater rafting in the Yellowstone River had closed their business for the year.  We knew that because of the date we chose it would be iffy as to the rafting because the river level could have been too low as well.  As a backup I arranged for an animal spotting tour, which is what we had instead.  We drove in the dark for less than an hour, driving through Madison, Norris and Canyon Village then headed to an area unknown to us, Tower - Roosevelt.  

Overhanging Cliff, Grand Loop Road 

Tower Creek at Devils Den

View from Tower - Roosevelt General Store Carpark

We had breakfast at the service station and used its clean toilets.  Our guide for the day was Bryan who met us in the carpark and we went in his Ute to Slough Creek where we saw Bison and a Bald Eagle.  

Bald Eagle at Slough Creek, Yellowstone National Park

Then we continued onto the Lamar Valley where we saw lots of Pronghorns, plus another Bald Eagle and a juvenile Golden Eagle.  

Pronghorn at Lamar Valley, Yellowstone National Park

A little further up the road we saw two wolves - one black and one creamy coloured.  

Wolf in the Lamar Valley

We then drove back to Tower Junction area to walk part of the Specimen Ridge Trail, we had lunch at the picnic area and saw Chipmunks.  Armed with bear spray for Justin and Bryan we walked the specimen trail hoping to see bears but instead it gave us views over the river below and some more Pronghorns.  

Chipmunk, Specimen Ridge Trail

Yellowstone River looking across towards Devils Den

Bryan then drove us to the Petrified Tree on my request and we got a photo of the former Redwood.  

Information on the Petrified Tree, Yellowstone National Park

Petrified Tree, Yellowstone National Park

He then returned us to the carpark at Tower - Roosevelt, we had not driven far on our way back to Old Faithful Inn when we saw juvenile and female Bighorns crossing the road. 

Juvenile and Female Bighorns, Yellowstone National Park

About halfway back we saw cars stopped on the road and a lady on our right said they had watched wolves but on our left was a Mule Deer.  We again saw Bison on the drive back to the Inn.  

Once we got back we filled in an hour until dinner at the Old Faithful Inn Dining Room. Justin had the Special Western Buffet and I had the Red Trout Hash, the trout tasted like salmon.  Feed it was time to get ready for bed so we had a shower, mine was cold again even though the temperature was set to the hottest you can get.  We then had an early night.     

Inside Old Faithful Inn