FRIDAY - We are currently located just 73-miles from our next campsite in Yellowstone National Park, so there's no need to get too early of a start this morning.
That doesn't mean that Tricia wasn't up and walking around the campground at 5:30AM when she took this photo from down by the park's Entrance Station.
The rest of these photos were all taken during our 73-mile travel day.
TWO PEAS RETURN TO YELLOWSTONE
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Just 13-miles west of the campground you can spot this unique home on a hill next to the road. The Smith Mansion is well known in the small town of Wapiti Valley on the North Fork Highway.
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The next 20-miles of the route showcased some very scenic mountainsides...
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...which also included eight U.S. Forest Service campgrounds.
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The roadway was at a constant, but imperceptible climb.
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By the time we approached the National Park Entrance Station we were at nearly 7000'.
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After traveling 18-miles inside the park we finally pulled over...
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...to enjoy our lunch at the beach. Well, maybe a "Yellowstone Style" beach.
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Most of the eastern side of the park was destroyed by a wildfire back in August of 2003. No that's not a typo, nearly 22 years ago the trees burned and have still not regrown.
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We haven't even reached the campground yet and we're already spotting wildlife.
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You don't get to make site-specific reservations at this campground, so 6-months ago I gave them a list of 10 campsites I would be happy with. There are over 400 sites here and we were assigned Site #396, not on the list of my favorite 10.
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The site is plenty big and shady, perfect for tenters, but we wanted a back-in site with full sun so we can recharge our solar batteries each day. It's only 3-nights, we'll make it work!
SATURDAY - Exactly two years ago we visited Yellowstone for the first time. We camped in the southern and central western regions of the park. That is where you'll find Old Faithful and virtually all of the other geysers in the park.
In the summertime, especially during grade school summer recess, it's also where you'll find the biggest crowds. We learned that the hard way!
For this visit we are camped in the central eastern region of the park. It's where you'll find Hayden Valley, famous for frequent bison herd sightings. In the north eastern corner of the park in Lamar Valley, also famous for the best place in Yellowstone for spotting bears, wolves, bison and pronghorn.
So today we are going out to explore the entire central to north eastern regions of the park. We are guaranteed not to see a single geyser, but maybe a few steam vents. We are also not expecting to see a lot of people, but a herd of bison would be nice. A real treat would be if we spot a bear or wolf, but that's not expected.
We wanted to be out and about early in the morning, but I doubt our 8:15AM departure qualifies as early, especially when we're talking about wildlife viewing.
One other thing I should probably mention is that Tricia retrieved her Nikon Coolpix P1000 camera, with it's 125x super zoom lens, from somewhere deep in the recesses of THE POD, thinking that maybe her Samsung Galaxy S24-Ultra with it's 10x zoom lens might not be adequate for wildlife photography at 100+ yards away.
YELLOWSTONE WILDLIFE SIGHTSEEING CENTRAL AND NORTH EASTERN REGIONS
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We were only 8.5-miles from the campground when we had our first bison sighting.
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This handsome fellow even gave us a full facial view.
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On the map these are called fumaroles, caldrons, springs and even geysers. I'm just going to lump them all into one category and call them steam vents.
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This pair of bison are standing in front of the East Caldron.
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It's in the mid-40°Fs this morning and you can see the steam coming of the bisons backs.
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You can even tell when they exhale by the steam from their faces.
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The Yellowstone River showing it's typical summertime water levels.
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It almost looks like a fire smokestack, but no, it's just more steam vent action.
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CLICK anywhere in the frame to start the video!
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What does a bison do after a swim? The same thing a dog does, shake the excess water off.
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Yes we did see a few deer off in the back of a wide open field.
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We even spotted this female elk running around in the field next door.
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This bald spot on the mountain is because the ground is too hot to allow trees to grow.
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CLICK anywhere in the frame to start the video!
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This field of flowers made this pullout a popular spot today.
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Of course it could also have been the fact there was a restoom in the parking lot.
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This field of flowers is at the base of Mount Washburn (10,243').
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This section of roadway frequently experiences rockfalls every spring.
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It just looks like it's ready to crumble.
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This section is known as the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
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We are now getting close the the Lamar Valley.
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It looks like they're either constructing a new bridge or repairing an old bridge over the Yellowstone River outside of Tower Junction.
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Three years ago there was a huge flood in this area. It looks like that far shorebank may have collapsed and compromised the bridge.
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This guy is no longer able to hide in the bushes, he's now too big.
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These next few photos and videos will show what a good camera can do. This is what we saw with our naked eyes from the roadway.
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This approximates what can be seen with Tricia's 10x zoom cell phone camera.
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CLICK anywhere in the frame to start the video!
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Here you can see all the different "activities" going on among the herd.
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There are all kinds of transportation available at the Roosevelt Lodge...
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...where most, but not all, involve horses.
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I still get the jitters when driving by this "rock slide waiting to happen".
SUNDAY - Yesterday we hurried back from our sightseeing activities because we had reserved a 2:30PM scenic boat cruise out on the 410' deep Yellowstone Lake.
When we returned to the Bridge Bay area where the marina and our campground are located we saw small white caps over the entire lake. With my being prone to seasickness, we asked if we could reschedule our cruise to 9:00AM the next morning, well before the afternoon winds pick up.
Thankfully it was not a problem, but I did notice this morning that the 9:00AM cruise only had 1 available seat. I guess we just got lucky!
OUR ONE HOUR CRUISE ON YELLOWSTONE LAKE
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Can you guess which one of these fine vessels will be our ride today?
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This 40-passenger all aluminum craft would be the correct answer.
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Inside the Lake Queen II is Captian Troy counting heads before launch.
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One of the original boat barns on Yellowstone Lake.
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Lake Yellowstone Hotel opened in 1891 and is oldest operating hotel in the park. In 1903 it received a face lift to appear as it does in this photo.
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In 1929 the hotel was expanded from 50 rooms to 250 with the addition of the East Wing. If you think the addition looks more like a penitentiary than a hotel you are not alone.
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All things considered, it's still an iconic hotel.
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Next to the hotel is this modern day General Store made to look old. We enjoyed a delicious hand dipped ice cream here two years ago, but not this trip.
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Out in the middle of the lake is Stevenson Island, where you will find the wreck of the E.C. Waters, a ferry boat that operated on the lake in 1905.
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The large mountain on the right is Mount Sheridan (10,313') located here in Yellowstone, but those faded peaks near the center are the Grand Tetons (13,775'), some 70-miles away.
Looking for our Visited States Map and Data? How about our State by State Bucket Lists or Visited Campgrounds List? If so, click on the sign below to be taken to our other website.
Just 13-miles west of the campground you can spot this unique home on a hill next to the road.
The next 20-miles of the route showcased some very scenic mountainsides...
...which also included eight U.S. Forest Service campgrounds.
The roadway was at a constant, but imperceptible climb.
By the time we approached the National Park Entrance Station we were at nearly 7000'.
After traveling 18-miles inside the park we finally pulled over...
...to enjoy our lunch at the beach. Well, maybe a "Yellowstone Style" beach.
Most of the eastern side of the park was destroyed by a wildfire back in August of 2003.
We haven't even reached the campground yet and we're already spotting wildlife.
You don't get to make site-specific reservations at this campground, so 6-months ago I gave
The site is plenty big and shady, perfect for tenters, but we wanted a back-in site with full sun
We were only 8.5-miles from the campground when we had our first bison sighting.
This handsome fellow even gave us a full facial view.
On the map these are called fumaroles, caldrons, springs and even geysers.
This pair of bison are standing in front of the East Caldron.
It's in the mid-40°Fs this morning and you can see the steam coming of the bisons backs.
You can even tell when they exhale by the steam from their faces.
The Yellowstone River showing it's typical summertime water levels.
It almost looks like a fire smokestack, but no, it's just more steam vent action.
What does a bison do after a swim? The same thing a dog does, shake the excess water off.
Yes we did see a few deer off in the back of a wide open field.
We even spotted this female elk running around in the field next door.
This bald spot on the mountain is because the ground is too hot to allow trees to grow.
This field of flowers made this pullout a popular spot today.
Of course it could also have been the fact there was a restoom in the parking lot.
This field of flowers is at the base of Mount Washburn (10,243'). 
This section of roadway frequently experiences rockfalls every spring.
It just looks like it's ready to crumble.
This section is known as the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
We are now getting close the the Lamar Valley.
It looks like they're either constructing a new bridge or repairing an old bridge
Three years ago there was a huge flood in this area.
This guy is no longer able to hide in the bushes, he's now too big.
These next few photos and videos will show what a good camera can do.
This approximates what can be seen with Tricia's 10x zoom cell phone camera.
There are all kinds of transportation available at the Roosevelt Lodge...
...where most, but not all, involve horses.
I still get the jitters when driving by this "rock slide waiting to happen".
Can you guess which one of these fine vessels will be our ride today?
This 40-passenger all aluminum craft would be the correct answer.
Inside the Lake Queen II is Captian Troy counting heads before launch.
One of the original boat barns on Yellowstone Lake.
Lake Yellowstone Hotel opened in 1891 and is oldest operating hotel in the park.
In 1929 the hotel was expanded from 50 rooms to 250 with the addition of the East Wing.
All things considered, it's still an iconic hotel.
Next to the hotel is this modern day General Store made to look old.
Out in the middle of the lake is Stevenson Island, where you will find
The large mountain on the right is Mount Sheridan (10,313') located here in Yellowstone,
