September 9, 2010 Upper Loop to Mammoth Hot Springs

While waiting for the bison jam, took a picture from Fishing Bridge. Once passed the bison jams and once we got to the Canyon junction it was smooth sailing. We stopped at a picnic area and took pictures of the ravens. They are huge birds.

Once we reached the Mammoth area we ran into another traffic jam, just volume. We stopped at the upper loop of the hot springs and walked out onto the platform and walkways. Quite beautiful, even with the cloudy weather. We drove down to the hotel and visitor center area and secured parking spaces at the general store, to eat our lunch, and then near the visitor center. The weather forecast was not good, 1-3 inches of snow overnight. We thought that would be just at Mammoth, but as we traveled back to Fishing Bridge, the same forecast followed us.

We stopped at the Canyon visitor center, where I had a nice conversation with one of the clerks about Thomas Moran. He was quite knowledgeable and gave me some references about artists painting in Yellowstone. I bought a poster of one of Moran's Grand Canyon Falls paintings.


Traveling back to Fishing Creek, we encountered no more bison jams. We did see bison in a beautiful setting as they grazed in a field away from the highway. But it was now very chilly and overcast and damp. We were hoping the battery holds out until morning.