We were in Yellowstone in 2014, seeing Old Faithful, Mammoth Springs, mudpots, and other sulfurous activity in the caldera. We also visited the Lamar Valley, with animals galore. This time we’re focusing on the eastern side of this vast park. Last time we were too late in the season, but this time we stayed in the pretty yellow lodge next to Yellowstone Lake.

Lovely view of Yellowstone Lake. Way too cold for swimming now and too windy even for a picnic.

We’re here in mid-September and expected sunny skies and warm weather. Instead we have snow!

This is a good view of forest regeneration. The bare standing poles are trees killed in a burn, allowing the fresh growth of new evergreens.

The valley was a bit warmer, good for spotting wildlife.

It’s easy to see how the pronghorn deer gets its name.

Mule deer grazing and people-watching.

Plenty of bison. This one is disregarding the Keep Off sign and using it as a scratching post. Note the sulfurous steam behind him.

The scenery in the park is always very impressive, probably quite similar to the inspirational views that led to its preservation as the country’s first national park, even before the National Park Service was formed.

Majestic view of the Yellowstone River with mountains beyond.

And the famous Yellowstone Falls. This is from a hike along the cliff top, where surprisingly we saw signs that bison had visited. They must like the view too.

As we left, just as in Teddy Roosevelt National Park, one of our new buddies gave us an escort.

(This post is a little out of order since it’s already November and we’re in California, but I risked my life for the bison video and wanted to share it.)