Walkabout With Wheels Blog

Monday, August 18, 2025

West Yellowstone, Montana to Butte, Montana

Yellowstone National Park is vast. One day of animal spotting included Elk, a Wild Turkey, a herd of Bison, a Trumpeter Swan, and a Grizzly Bear. Thank you, Eric, for your Eagle-eyes.

It's time to move on to Butte, Montana, just three hours to the northwest.

Our drive starts on

US Route 287 North.

Hebgen Lake

in late morning sun.

The road follows Montana's

undulating hills.

This is Cattle Country.

The fire on the mountain ridgeline is many miles away.

Snow Fencing is a necessity

for Montana's snowy winters.

The remains of a Grass Fire.

There are still hot spots

to be extinguished.

Turning onto Montana

Secondary Highway 359 North.

Hebgen Lake

in late morning sun.

Rolls of hay are lined up

next to a barn.

The last leg of today's drive

is on Interstate 90 West.

There's rain ahead...

The road hugs the side

of the mountain.

Eric & I are spending the night

at the Walmart Supercenter

in Butte.

Sunday, August 17, 2025

A Day in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming

Eric & I enter

Yellowstone National Park

shortly after 7:00 am.

In 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant signed the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act into law and created the world's first National Park.

Eric spots animals & we

slow down...

These Female Elk are part of the Madison-Firehole Herd.

Steam rises from the edge

of the Madison River.

Eagle-eyed Eric spotted a bird.

It's a Wild Turkey.

Plumes of steam rise from the ridge of a hill.

The sign for Old Faithful.

This Geyser is the Jewel of Yellowstone Park.

Eric & I toured the displays

at the Old Faithful Visitor

& Education Center.

Old Faithful got its name because it erupts on a predictable schedule, about every 65 minutes.

We join other visitors

waiting for the 9:28 am

eruption.

It's beautiful, amazing!!!

Eric & I stopped at a pull-off

to walk to Yellowstone Lake.

We walk past steaming pools

of brilliant blue water.

Kayakers enjoying a day

on the lake.

A shot of Eric & me near

the beach

Fly Fishing in the

Yellowstone River

Caution Wildlife

on Roadway

See Park Rangers

For Delays

Just five minutes up the

road, we see a Bison.

A Trumpeter Swan

Eric & I see a herd of Bison in the distance.

As we pull into the pull-off,

visitors are moving quickly

away from a Bison.

A closer shot of the scene

We stand behind our car &

take pictures of the Bison.

I use my long lens camera

to get pictures of bison

at least 100 yards away

from our car.

Closer in...

Bison wallow in dirt to

scratch their itchy hides.

A Bison on the side

of a hill

Eric spotted this Grizzly Bear

in a field on the other side

of the road.

I am fascinated by these

rock formations & ask

Eric to stop at the nearby

pull-off.

This is Columnar Basalt. The rock cooled slowly after an eruption, creating the stockade fence-looking formation at the Tower in Yellowstone National Park.

This picture shows tourists stopped

their cars on the side of the road

to take pictures of Bison.

A Park Ranger just pulled up to tell the crowd to get back into their cars. They are too close to the Bison.

The white cliffs in the distance

are the Travertine Terraces

at Mammoth Hot Springs.

Hot water stopped seeping

through the rock in this

area.

The stone turned white.

This section of the Terraces is

has active seepage from the

Hot Spring.

Minerals in the hot water add

color to the stone.

When the water seepage stops, the stone eventually turns white.

I enjoy taking photos of

the mountains as Eric &

leave the Park.

President Ulysses S. Grant was a very wise President. He set aside the land for Yellowstone National Park for public use. This is our heritage and a gift for generations to come.