Day 39: More Smelly Thermal Stuff in Yellowstone

Apparently we were all a bit tired. It was a drive day so usually that means we are up early to pack up and hit the road, but not today. Nicholas popped into our bed announcing it was already 7:45. It ended up being a sleep-in morning for everyone.

Despite the late start we were able to do and see a ton, likely related to us all being more rested. As we expected, the lines to get into the park were quite a bit longer, but the 15 minute wait went fast, and we cruised through our day after that. The plan was to find a spot to ditch the RV and explore the Norris area of Yellowstone by car.

First stop was Gibbon Falls. Though the parking lot allowed RVs, it was small, so we drove on. Wouldn’t you know it, there was a wide open pull out just past it. We were able to park and explore the falls a bit before continuing our adventure.

Next stop was Artists Paint Pots. This parking lot said no RVs, so we didn’t even try, but again there was a pullout just after that was open–what luck! To say it would have been a nightmare to park there was an understatement. We wouldn’t have even wanted to try it in the car. Cars were blocking lanes, parked on boulders, it was utter chaos. Needless to say we walked by the parking chaos and rancid smelling bathrooms with long lines and found the trailhead. This area was just as the name implies. Lots of beautiful colored “pots” that we could walk alongside. The highlight for all of us were the two mud pots at the top. We could have stayed here for hours listening to the cool noises and watching the mud shooting up.

Norris Geyser Basin was our final stop for the day. After the last parking lot, I was very hesitant to try an RV in a parking lot even if it said they could be there. We again passed the area, but had to drive a bit more for the turnout this time. Taking advantage of the nice quiet area we ate lunch in the RV before unhooking the car to tackle Norris Geyser Basin. This basin has two areas: Nicholas wanted to do the shortest part possible to just see Steamboat Geyser (only a quarter mile), and Cooper wanted to do it all (three miles). We opted to start with the longer loop of Back Basin to see Steamboat Geyser, which is the highest shooting geyser in the world at 300 ft. Today wasn’t the day for it to blow, but it was still cool to see the impact of when it does. We were able to see many more geysers, springs, and mud pots on our walk. Nicholas rallied the near two miles and was treated to seeing the Vixen Geyser erupt twice before going dormant again. It looked like a missile or water gun with its tall, narrow spray. This might be one of his favorites of the whole trip.

Rob and Nicholas headed back to the car, while Cooper and I went to tackle Porcelain and Hurricane Basins, too. Porcelain Basin is so named because everything is white, like a toilet. I wish I would have taken more pictures to share with Rob and Nicholas, but somehow I forgot. The highlight for both of us was the Crackling Lake. It gets its name from the small geysers close to the edge making a crackling sound.

Finally we were back at the RV and ready for the 45-minute drive to our new campground in Gardiner. This drive was beautiful, but also a bit intense at times. The white line of the already narrow lane was missing in places due to erosion at the edge of the road. There were some tight turns, and in one part there was this crazy dip/wave thing happening around the white line. When you take up the whole lane, you can’t avoid any of this, so it was an exciting route for sure. Fortunately, today will be the only day we take the RV through this section. We did get to see a herd of elk near the end of the park.

Once at the campground, Cooper went for a ride on his bike and found an elk just four spots down munching on some grass; we thought it was a horse like the other campsite at first. Nicholas requested some rounds of Monopoly Deal. We learned that you can’t actually play with only 2/3rds of the deck or the game runs super long (reminder to check the box better) and had a quick family game once all the cards were included.

We have one more crazy “rally day,” which we are planning for tomorrow. Rob told the boys it would be a “Zion” morning meaning super early rise. It is 9:30 p.m. and they are both still up, so wish us luck tomorrow.