I have yearned to see Yellowstone National Park ever since we watched the “Christmas in Yellowstone” PBS documentary several years ago. Of course it was attractive to imagine seeing Yellowstone when crowds were minimal, but the best we could do was to visit in early August, one of the most popular months. Knowing we had every intention of returning someday to do the entire park, we opted for just an “appetizer” and chose to take the northernmost route through the park from west to east. Even though we did not enter the caldera where most of the exciting volcanic activity resides, including Old Faithful, there was still plenty to see.

The Roosevelt Arch is at the north entrance of National Park in Gardiner, Montana. Constructed under the supervision of the U.S. Army at Fort Yellowstone, its cornerstone was laid down by President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt in 1903.

Our first stop was at the Horace Albright Visitor Center, located where Fort Yellowstone was first established. It is named for the first Superintendent of Yellowstone. Compared to some of the rough and primitive forts that were built across the west in the late 1800s, Fort Yellowstone was considered a very comfortable and prized assignment by the officers. The buildings are all made of salmon-colored block bricks, and they have weathered the years admirably. The original fort buildings are surrounded now with hotel and shopping facilities.

It was in Yellowstone that we saw the most wildlife, notably the herds of buffalo that covered the roads from time to time. They appeared non-threatening, but numerous park service warnings forbade approaching deer, elk, and buffalo. There were also rattlesnake warnings throughout the park. As we stayed within the safety of our vehicle, the buffalo below was nearly close enough to touch. In the other picture, all the black specks extending far into the distance are buffalo. Considering the buffalo was nearly hunted into extinction, it’s a beautiful sight to see them now thriving.

Yellowstone is huge, impossible to take in in one visit. We knew this in advance, so as we left the park that afternoon we were already discussing plans to return. But in our abbreviated drive through the park we took in many beautiful mountain vistas, waterfalls, and lakes, and we followed the Yellowstone River through much of the park. All of it is incredibly beautiful.

Our trip from Yellowstone to Billings was breathtaking in a different way. Rte 212 is a collection of large hairpin turns that carry you up to 11,000 feet before taking you down to the valley again with as many turns as can be fit into the road in between. It’s a white knuckle ride with 6,000 feet drops just inches from your wheels when you’re in the outer lane. The picture below was taken holding my camera upside down out of my window. No, I wasn’t looking through the viewfinder.