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and then in the morning we picked up a packed lunch from a great little cafe in town. Recommend it for a packed lunch.
And set off for Madison in the park. Had to get Hunter's pic by the beautiful Madison River since it is her second name
-It was just a beautiful morning and the wind had taken away a bit of the smoke. The river was gorgeous.
We saw a blue heron down by the river too.
We went into the Firehole Falls road that we had passed by the day before, a great little by-road with stunning views of the falls.
Had a few photos by the top of the cascades
Although it doesn't look like the river is dropping away behind us it was!
And then we headed northward towards Gardiner. Our first stop was at the indian paintpots which were not up to NZ standards but ah well......
At least there was white mud
And then onward to a picnic lunch among the lodgepoles
The Indians used these to make their lodges or teepees hence the name.
These swayed hugely in the wind almost frightening and so many tres fall over that it is easy to imagine them falling on us while we ate our packed lunches.
It was a lovely site however and we survived. More scenery and we saw more elk and a bison. Gorgeous valleys and drop away scenes.
Then hit Mammoth which has beautiful white terraces
You can walk alongside them on boardwalks
And they make an eerie landscape with trees not surviving their harsh environments
There are some beautiful landscapes here
Fluid but also solid.
After a stop at Mammoth for afternoon tea and visitor centre I learned that there had been a fort here.
The museum had good displays of wildlife and Indian artefacts. On our way to Gardiner we saw some goat-like animals which were on a steep bank.
One of them was right on the road and stopped the traffic -they live dangerously in this steep country but the tourists are generally very respectful to them.
Another scooted along directly above our car.
After this we forged on to Gardiner which is also outside the Park in Montana. I love it here. I feel at home.
It is a small town in mountainous country.The Yellowstone River cuts through the valley and their are green flats farmed down to the banks.
The Yellowstone Village Inn is superb, friendly management and out in the country but still just a mile from the park entrance.
They recommended the Lighthouse
restaurant 6 mins further north and it was excellent food at good prices in a nautical setting. The staff here were very good too.
When we arrived back at the Inn the elk had moved in
and a group of five of them were eating the shrubbery around the units.
A mother mule deer had also brought her fawn in for a look around.
Fantastic! We took photos then headed upstairs to our room where we watched them for a long while from our window.
Yes thats our black car. The manager told us that bison came onto the lawn in the last big snowfall in winter. Great country!
And this landform is called the Devil's Slide - I can see why!
Tomorrow its around the top end of the park from Gardiner up to the Lamar Valley and down to the canyon home of the great waterfalls.
Hunter finished the day with a swim in the heated pool. A lovely day.
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Location:Gardiner,United States
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