Day 6: Mack's Inn, Idaho to Yellowstone National Park

Because we had unwisely left the windows in the cabin open when we went to sleep the night before, the cabin was a chilly 59 degrees--just like our apartment in winter-- when the alarm went off at 8. And just like our apartment in winter, the warm, cozy bed was entirely too tempting. Because Yellowstone was only about 30 miles away, we decided to sleep in a little. Sleeping in under a warm blanket in a cold little cabin is one of the most satisfying indulgences imaginable.
After we finally checked out, we headed toward the town of West Yellowstone, Montana. Route 20 only crosses through about 10 miles of Montana before entering Wyoming in the Park. The town of West Yellowstone, which is just outside the boundary of the park, is a little bit of 50’s motor tourist Mecca. Although there are large chain hotels there, there are also places like the Pioneer Motor Court and Trappers Family Restaurant where guests are greeted by large plastic bison at the front door. For breakfast, we stopped at the Running Bear Pancake House. Although the menu was extensive, when in a pancake house, one feels compelled to order the pancakes. I got the buckwheat pancakes and Aaron got blueberry butter milk pancake. Our waitress, with tight, dyed-red corkscrewed hair, a wide smile, and a soft Carribean accent, served the dishes with maple syrup and boysenberry syrup. She strongly encouraged us to try the boysenberry. “It’s a whole good better than the maple, I think.” She was certainly right. It was sweet and fruity with tart bite. While my buckwheat pancake was good, Aaron’s buttermilk pancake was much better, soft as a cloud with a decadent buttery flavor. This was excellent fuel for the day ahead.
Yellowstone is many things. First and foremost, it is enormous. It is far, far more than anyone could see in one day. Second, it is really more park than anything else. If Disney were to put together a national park, it would look a lot like Yellowstone. Unless you hit the hiking trails and get off of the main roads, you’re never able to ignore your fellow tourists and maintain the illusion that the place you are seeing is anything close to a wilderness.
However, once you get past the inherent corniness of the place, it is very enjoyable, and the corniness becomes part of that enjoyment. We spent most of our morning in Lower and Midway Geyser Basins, admiring the splashing water and steam and the brilliant colors created by the thermophilic bacteria in the hot pools. Yellowstone is one of those places with such astounding physical beauty that every man, woman, and child with a camera begins to believe that they are a brilliant photographer. Even you, yes you, with the broad sunhat and the pink KoolPix camera, you are capturing dazzling images that will wow your friends when you return home. And you may even be able to convince the folks back home that you hiked miles into the wilderness to capture these photos. But do not be fooled, these people are not brilliant photographers and they did no such hiking. The broad boardwalk leads the throngs of tourists into the geyser areas and allows them to get very close to the geyser but warns them in numerous languages that the area is dangerous. However, even average photographers can capture impressive photographs, particularly of the Grand Prismatic Spring which looks like a steaming rainbow of turquoise, green, yellow and red trapped in a deep hole. These areas also have many small geysers. When approached Shell Spring, one of these small geysers in Biscuit Basin, we thought that maybe it was a dead or dying spring, judging from the small bit of water jumping from one side. Then, before our eyes, the hole began to fill. The steam poured out and the water sprung violently into the air. For a moment, it seemed possible that we were watching the beginning of a geologic cataclysm. And then, cataclysm averted, the water receded back into the hole. We were so impressed by this that we watched it move through the whole cycle again.
Afterward, we went to see the granddaddy of all attractions at Yellowstone, Old Faithful. Old Faithful is not just a natural wonder, it is a whole complex with acreage of parking, a lodge, a restaurant, a gas station, a souvenir shop, and an interactive visitors center. After was made our way through these distractions, we found a crowd of several hundred visitors crowding around a little fenced off mound, belching steam into the air. Old Faithful was due to erupt within 15 minutes of 2:33, so we took a seat on a log away from the crowds and we watched and waited. Occasionally, a stir would run through the crowd as a few small spurts of water rose from the mound, but the excitement quickly subsided. We also saw one family who realized that it could blow at any minute sprint from the parking lot only to find themselves waiting with the rest of us. After about 2:40, a few visitors weak of heart and short of patience began to leave, apparently concluding that Old Faithful was either highly overrated or not so faithful as they had been lead to believe. Eventually, it did erupt, shooting a column of water and steam a hundred feet into the air in spectacular fashion. I heard stunned children shout from the crowd “that is SO COOL!” and cynical children mutter “They do it with TNT.”
Once the geyser show had ended and the exodus had left the pavilion, we drove to the Lake Yellowstone Hotel on Lake Yellowstone. The hotel, the oldest lodging in the Park, is a massive complex all painted in bright yellow. The hotel looks like a facility designed by the federal government (although it appears to now be run by a private company) it is comfortable, functional, and conveniently located but a bit institutional, lacking in imagination and individual touches, kind of like a dormitory. After we checked in, we drove north to the Canyon. On our way, we noticed traffic coming to a complete stop. On the side of the road was a large LED road construction sign, reading “Slow. Bison Crossing Ahead.” Sure enough, several cars ahead of us, there was a bison in the middle of the road. Aaron and I were stunned that they could get a warning sign out that quickly. Then we saw another bison, laying placidly in a field. And then a handful more across a river, and then dozens of them on both sides of the road. The sign had not been placed for the crossing of one bison, but because there was a whole herd crossing. While watching the bison eat, roll in the dust, and generally ignore us, the real wildlife watching was the people. People were leaning out of their windows, out of the sunroofs, and some exiting their cars in a frenzied attempt to experience the wildlife. Between the immense snorting roadblocks and the photo trigger happy looky-loos (myself included), traffic slowed to an absolute crawl. After about forty-five minutes, we gave up, turned around, and made our way back to the hotel.
We had dinner in the Hotel dining room. We initially had some problems making reservations (when we asked for reservations at 7:30, we were told that we could have 5:30 or 9:15), but we were able to get in at a reasonable time. The meal was excellent, with the standout being the bison prime rib entrée. Maybe it was the complex, gamey flavor or the fact that he really hates to be stuck in traffic, but Aaron was able to finish all of his and about a third of mine. We rolled back to the room and without internet or TV to keep us awake, promptly fell asleep.