8/19/2018 – Gardiner, MT – the north entrance to Yellowstone NP

First, Happy Birthday to my sister Lynn in Florida. Hope you had a great day!

Today we drove from Polson, MT, down to Gardiner, MT, which is just outside the north entrance into Yellowstone NP. The last 60 miles or so were really beautiful….the road winds alongside the Yellowstone River with the mountains in the background. However, the smoke from the fires in California and other areas of the northwest has created a lot of smoky haze here as well. However, the park attendant said it hasn’t been bad until today….so hopefully it will clear up some over the next day or two.

We went through Bozeman on the way here and it was amazing to see the growth in that city since I was there last 20 years ago. Of course, you could say that about a lot of cities but in this case, I think it has been driven by the influx of the “rich and famous”. It’s a beautiful area with lots of great outdoor adventure opportunities, including a world-class ski resort, Big Sky, which is an hour south of Bozeman. According  to Wikipedia, Big Sky has “more than 5,800 acres (2,300 ha) of terrain, a vertical drop of 4,350 ft (1,326 m), 300 degrees of skiing off of Lone Peak (11,166 feet) and some of the most consistent snowfall in the country”.  The first part of the resort was built-in the early 70’s and was the dream of Chet Huntley (remember the Huntley-Brinkley Report on NBC?), who was a native of Montana. Big Sky is also where you will find the Yellowstone Club. Again, think rich and famous. It has to be one of the most exclusive addresses in the country. Private residences and small ranches are for sale from $7 -$20M! But better hurry….the 2 that were in the $13-14M range are now under contract.

We got into Gardiner at about 4pm and pulled up a steep gravel hill (with wheels slipping a little)to the Rocky  Mountain RV Resort. We have a pretty nice site that sits on a hill above the town.  Nancy and Frisco walked into town and discovered we are only a 5 minute walk to the Yellowstone entrance. They came back and got me and we drove to town to check things out.  Unlike Bozeman, Gardiner  still has a small town feel. We ended going to the Iron Horse Bar & Grill, a very cool place with a patio overlooking the Yellowstone River.  We sat and enjoyed a beer and an appetizer while enjoying the view.

Then we made our first trip into the park……we drove  to Mammoth Hot Springs and took a walk around of the steamy and colorful hot springs. You really do get a sense that you are in a very unique geological and ecological environment here in Yellowstone. ….and this is just one of the features that makes it such a unique place on the planet. Seeing this kind of natural beauty never gets old.

Our  plan for tomorrow is to hike up to Slough Creek and do some fishing. Nancy is coming along too, so this will be the first time I have up there and had a good lunch!

Our view from the Iron Horse patio…

Mammoth Hot Springs