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[/slider]As the Snake River Valley of Idaho now lay most behind me, I had a choice to make. I was due in Salt Lake City in just a few days. Up here on Route 20 (This is all about following these roads, after all) outside of Idaho falls, I reminded myself that second chances come less often than I'd like them to. It was time to see Yellowstone National Park. Established in 1872, at at roughly 3,468 square miles (thanks Wikipedia), this is the granddaddy and crown jewel of the National Park System and, although I'm destined to return here with a camper-van full of yelling kids, it was time to see it on my own.
I spent the night in West Yellowstone, pretty much the main option for jumping into the park. It's certainly the most convenient and "developed", but that means you won't be alone. No, no. You, most of the touring National Lampoons vacationers, and about half the population of China are here as well. Better book ahead. Luckily, not too many people were renting tent-sites, so I was in luck when The Rustic Wagon RV/Camp ground had a plot available to me. In fact, although I'm hesitant to pay for a spot to camp in the first place, this place was fantastic. Granted, my campsite consisted of a small plot of dirt and gravel, the real winner here were the showers. When you've camped for a while, you know how precious these are. Clean, spacious public restroom with a hot, high pressured shower was just what I needed.
Next morning, I woke up bright and early, packed up, and headed to the Running Bear Pancake House. My God in Heaven it was marvelous. I'm a huge diner fan in general, and this was just the perfect dose of rustic, home-grown cookin' to get you started. Do not miss the boysenberry sauce. Alas, finally, Yellowstone.
I entered the gates at around 7am, and although I was nervous I'd already fall behind the morning rush, I still beat the crowd and drove on in. Be warned that the lack of crowds are made up for for the abundance of morning fog, so don't expect to see too many vistas right away. It made for some great photography though, so that's not a complaint.
Once the sun started beaming through, I really had a fantastic time driving around. I went right at the fork from West Yellowstone- there is essentially one large circular loop in the middle of the park that hosts most of the attractions. So, as such, I headed south along this route. I came across several elk herds, sulfur springs, geysers (some not so faithful, and some pretty old faithful), and lots of bison. There really doesn't seem to be too wrong a way to do it. I did a large counter-clockwise circle, and after repeating the first section, left the park southward by way of Grand Teton National Park.
Since this is all about following various roads and where they take you, it comes to my attention that U.S. Route 20 has become one my most travelled roads, and for good reason. The truth of the matter is that Route 20 holds a special place in my heart. It ran about 5 minutes behind my house growing up. I used to travel it on the way home from college on breaks. And, as my family has gravitated toward the city of Boston as our favorite East-coast city, we always boasted in seeing the end of it. I've already mentioned seeing the other end in Oregon, yet here I was another time. It's incredible to think that one stretch of pavement can take you past so much. Here I was, with geysers on my right, a few bison on the left, and high, snow-capped peaks in front of me. All I had to do was get back on that road and I could drive home. I never that that the road behind my house (with cows on one side and corn fields on the other) could take me so far away. Yet here I was. It's truly incredible. We're never too far from a great adventure!