Day 1:
For June's big trip, we planned and meticulously prepared for a big camping adventure at Yellowstone National Park. The weather forecast called for some rain in the area, but we figured we could handle it. We're "expert campers" at this point. :) So we headed out on a sunny Saturday morning, and enjoyed quite a nice drive up to Yellowstone.
When we arrived at Beaver Creek Campground and took up residence at our home for the next five days (spot C1), it was sprinkling a tiny bit, but we were undeterred. We set up the tent, then Jac expertly built us a roaring fire:
and cooked a delicious dinner that we happily enjoyed by the fire:
When it got dark, we headed off to bed, for a damp and cold but manageable night in the tent.
Day 2:
"Okay, it's raining a bit. It'll clear up. Let's head to the park."
Bright and early, we were off to Yellowstone National Park, which was about 20 minutes from our campground. The weather was pretty good in the beginning, and we got a nice wildlife sighting fairly quickly:
But then the rain started. And it didn't stop. For the rest of the day. We went a on a hike to see some of Yellowstone's geothermal activity:
And while it was interesting to see, after just about 20 minutes of walking we were very cold and very wet! (It didn't help that we were sorely unprepared for non-stop rain. We were just wearing cheap rain ponchos. But even if we had been prepared, we'd have been soaked nonetheless.)
For the rest of the day, this is pretty much what we saw:
...stuck in the car, driving long distances, not seeing much through the misty, rainy haze. We did have a bison close encounter, but meh, at that point we just weren't "feeling it."
After a full day of driving in the rain -- it was time for a change of plans! A night camping in the pouring rain did not sound like much fun. So, once in the gateway town of West Yellowstone, I asked Jac to pull over so that I could pitch the idea of staying in a hotel. He immediately complied.... and look where he pulled over. How convenient!! The Whispering Pines -- a cute little 50s era, four cabin motel -- and look, there's a note on their door saying they had a last minute cancellation and had one room available for $100 a night!!! What luck!!!
We happily took it! And then we headed back to our campsite to pack up our tent and gear in the pouring rain. We did it in less than an hour--in true "Team JB" style--and then fully drenched, we headed back to our little cabin for a nice cozy, warm night, and then a delicious eggy breakfast in the morning:
Day 3:
So, despite original plans to stay for three more days, we headed home on day 3, resigned to return again when the weather wasn't quite so miserable. As we pulled out of town to go home that morning, we were SHOCKED to see how long the lines were to get into the park -- easily 100 cars coming from the north, 100 from the south and 100 from the west. All trying to enter the park through the western gates. If this is how crowded it gets, we thought....maybe we don't want to come back.
Several hours later while on our drive home, I saw breaking news on my phone -- "Yellowstone National Park CLOSED due to the tremendous rainfall (yep, we know) that led to HISTORIC flooding". Roads were washed out, structures had fallen into the river... It was a mess, and we happily dodged that bullet just out of dumb luck. :)
In the end, it certainly wasn't the trip we planned, but it was a fantastic trip nonetheless. Despite the bad weather, despite the need to change plans, despite a little physical discomfort...we had a great time together. Go Team JB!