Our road trip keeps rolling. The beauty and majesty of Yellowstone blew us away. Over two days, we drove slowly through the park for 12 hours total and just scratched the surface. The mountains, marsh lands, sagebrush flatlands, lakes, streams, forests, geysers, and wildlife exceeded our expectations. We didn’t see one bear. Bummer. But next time we will.

I am also amazed and so proud of the way our country has protected this national park. It is pristine. The rangers are so helpful, trained, and well-spoken about everything Yellowstone. One could spend days and days here and still want more.

The states we have seen so far have been so diverse, and the ever-changing terrain has made the trip exciting, especially for photographs. We have traveled from desert sands to snow-capped mountains.

We saw the Old Faithful geyser in a blizzard. The camera didn’t pick up the snowflakes. But we froze to death waiting for the water and steam spout to burst open and upward. It shot to about 150 yards and lasted about four minutes. We brought warmer clothing for cool not freezing. Next time we will bring winter coats and gloves and scarves if we come in late spring again.

As soon as we crossed the border between Wyoming and Colorado the terrain changed again. The name Colorado means color red, and the state is aptly named for its abundant red rock mountains and red soil. It is breathtaking, especially at certain times of day when the sun reflects off it, making the rock look dazzling, deep scarlet.

We are settled into our cabin in Estes Park. It is cozy, nestled into a beautiful area with mountain peaks all around. This is Memorial Day weekend, so the little downtown area is packed with people. I hope it thins out during the week. One thing we have enjoyed about northern California, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming was the lack of people! It has been refreshing to have the traffic-free open road with very cars and people. Isn’t that what a sabbatical should be?

Today we are on the hunt for male bighorn sheep. I have some great photos of mamas and babies, but no papas. They are so majestic with their huge curled horns. They are supposed to be abundant in this area.

More later…

Bonnie Saul Wilks