Oct01

Day Four: Wild

This feels like a lifetime ago already.

After landing in Dubois, we looked at a map and realized we were only a couple of hours from 1) Yellowstone and 2) a THIRD new state for Kyler to check off his map. So of course we had to go.

With a little intel from the rest stop attendant, we headed off down a dark and dusty highway.

No really. Dark. Dusty.

Wild animals darted across the road for about an hour and we saw visions. Two large animals loomed ahead in the distance. They’re coming closer … They’re yelling … There are more … There are … Border Collies?

Yeah. Dogs came tearing toward us, barking their heads off, running straight for the tires. Three more came pouring out of a fence to the south, all growling and running right at us. We were stopped dead in the middle of the road, surrounded by Cujos. They wouldn’t budge for the car horn or us slowly moving. I opened the door and yelled, “Go home!” in my best Cesar Milan alpha growl and they left. To where, I have no idea, because there wasn’t a “home” in sight, and sight was about 50 miles in every direction.

Weirdest damned thing ever.

We made it to West Yellowstone unscathed if not a little puzzled, slept in the car in a visitor center parking lot, and headed into the park around 7am.

Is this a cry for help or a Dutch pick-up line?

Holy shit.

I’d been to Yellowstone as a kid and only remembered some logs stools in a circle around Old Faithful. And, you know, the hot water gushing out of the ground. But it was amazing. We saw bison – so many bison – geysers, hot spring pools, steaming rivers, some – uh, other kind of animal?