Leaving Montana, the big decision & Yellowstone National Park

Update from yesterday!

We were going to visit the first and most incredible National Park in the US and that morning we made a big decision – at the risk of offending people - for various reasons, we decided we were going to try to hire a car and leave the tour.  (Mum, I can picture your face right now).

We spent the morning at the ranch.  We had the choice of fly fishing (although it filled up quickly and there were no spots left) or horse riding.  I like betting on horses, not riding on them.  The kids were really not keen to ride either – I would have done it for them but now I was off the hook.  I tracked down our guide Mike and told him what I was thinking.  He was really good about it and said the only chance I really had to pick up a car was when we passed through West Yellowstone, Wyoming around 2pm.  I had no time to waste!  I went to the reception at the ranch and started calling car hire companies.  I tried three companies and all of them required the car be taken back to that location.  I needed to leave the car in Denver in 6 days time.  Finally, I struck gold – Avis would do it, and just like that we had our new found freedom.   The great thing is, Terry and I can still use the tour accommodation, breakfasts, dinners and we will still see the people of the tour at the hotels.  We can just do it our way, at our pace.  As we joked Bel will once again get the dollar out of the day!

At 2pm we arrived at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Centre.  I’d arranged for someone from Avis to meet Terry there and he would have to go to the airport (only a mile away) and pick up the car.  The kids and I went through the centre and Terry picked up our brand new Madza CX9.  And just like that we were off!  The plan was for the tour was to drive straight to the lodge in Yellowstone National Park and spend the afternoon relaxing.  We are staying at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge which is right at one of the parks big attractions, Old Faithful. Old Faithful is a cone geyser that erupts every 90 minutes.  Well, no relaxing for the Marlboroughs, we downloaded Yellostone Gypsy Guide and started out own tour.

We entered the National Park and shortly after saw another elk and moose!  We then saw more elk and the huge, watchful stag (or the Bachelor as James says) Gypsy told us to take a short detour and we were rewarded with OUR first bison.  James is a great wildlife spotter and he saw the bison in the distance.  Will said we should be patient and sit and watch him approach.   The bison wandered across the open field, through the river and eventually across the road in front of our car!!  What a sight!  We then saw a squirrel sitting on a log.  Seeing these animals, in such a short time, validated our decision to go solo.  This is what we had come for. 

We visited many geysers and sights that afternoon and with the steam rising from the earth, it felt like we were in a prehistoric land.  We arrived at the lodge at 7:15pm – just in time to see Old Faithful erupt at 7:30pm!  We again did the fast walk – well the kids ran - and didn’t realise they had run 5m next to a huge bison!  Perfect timing, Old Faithful began to erupt.  We ran into the people on the tour and they were really happy to see us.  We hadn’t had time to tell a lot of the tour that we leaving and the few we had told said they would be really sad to see us go.  Now we had the best of both worlds.

We had a late dinner at he lodge and then ate the best brownie sundae we have ever had.  Thank goodness I knew I could jump in and out of the car the next day – I will need to do so to work off the sundae!  Terry and I cannot stop eating.

320 Ranch

Not really a cowgirl

Sad to leave new friends - but we will meet up through the trip

Wolves at the centre

Maccas cowboy style

Leaving the tour 

New found freedom

Welcome to Yellowstone

Elk

A moose by the river

The Bachelor

Our first bison

This is what we came for

Silex Spring at the Fountain Paint Pots

Grand Prismatic

You don't get this from a bus Mum!

Jumping baby trout

Our workhorse - strong Will

Old Faithful at dusk

Dollar out the day

Best brownie sundae ever!