day 4: trek to ak

We woke up to sunshine with temperatures below freezing. We left Cody, WY and headed to Yellowstone National Park. The snow from yesterday left a dusting on many of the Lodgepole Pine and covered mountain peaks, as well as ground cover in low spots.

We spent time at Yellowstone Lake, various look out points, boardwalks overlooking active geysers, Old Faithful and its visitor center. The wind was strong and chilly, but the sights were breathtaking. The lake was enormous and glistened in the sun, serving as a beautiful carpet surrounding the snow-capped mountains. The little ones adored running around the rocky beach. Each look-out spot we visited provided a new view from a different perspective. I won’t share how many photos I took on this trip. The geysers or hot springs were stunning in color and released warm fluffy steam. Old Faithful remains loyal with its eruptions 60-90 minutes apart. Due to the direction of the wind, we saw a majority of steam instead of the bursting geyser of water during its timely eruption.

We spotted seven bison, one coyote, flocks of  Canadian geese and common loon.

This route brought us to Bozeman, MT for the night (235 miles).  It was a long shortcut, but well worth it!