I really wasn’t sure what to expect with Yellowstone National Park – I spoke to people along my trip who absolutely loved it. And I spoke to people who were very disappointed, as well, so I really didn’t know what I’d think. While I wasn’t as impressed with the geysers as I thought I’d be (still cool, don’t get me wrong), I absolutely loved being able to see the wildlife so close.

This old school/tour bus and the Old Saloon were actually right outside of Yellowstone – they take you back to an earlier time period before you even enter the Park, and I really liked this.

The Midway Geyser Basin was a great stop – there were pools that didn’t seem could possibly be that color and some smaller geysers as well. But, uh, that sulfur…

While Old Faithful is technically faithful in its regularity, it can sometimes take up to three hours between eruptions. I got really lucky and only had to wait about 20 minutes from the time I got there to see it.

While the pools and the geysers were great to see, what I was most impressed with was the wildlife. Within two minutes of entering the park I saw the elk above, and it wasn’t long after that I saw a ton of bison. There’s just something exhilarating about seeing these animals in a more natural habitat. The speed limit throughout the park is 25 mph and that’s because of the wildlife crossing — and when they want to cross, they’re going to cross — and you’re going to wait. But even that is cool to see. While in Yellowstone alone, I saw elk, bison, wolves, a moose, deer, and a bear. (One thing that was very disappointing was the way that visitors were acting — the Park and the Rangers are very clear that you are not to approach the wildlife, yet people were doing so left and right — not that I wanted to see anybody harmed, but…)

Lewis Falls were a sight to see and, located on the way out of the Park on the way to the Grand Tetons, they were a powerful way to end the visit.

Once again, the pic above gives you an idea of just how incredible the views are while driving through these areas — crossing over the Continental Divide at 8200 feet isn’t too shabby, either.