Yellowstone

We arrived in Gardiner, MT at the north entrance to Yellowstone just after three this afternoon. We are in a campground about four blocks from the park entrance. We are still considering tweaking schedules because two days of touring in the Jeep won't really be enough. And when are we going to come this way again? I posted one picture from last night in Sheridan, WY. There was a colorful sunset, and Durelle enjoyed the truckers silhouetted against the sunset. So I went out to shoot one. It is a neat shot. I titled it, "The Lonely Trucker".
From Sheridan we could have headed west into the east entrance of Yellowstone as Mart and Ann Grover are, but we (I) decided that instead of driving the bus through the park, we would use interstates east and north of the park and use the Jeep for driving around the park. This also allowed us to make a stop at the Little Big Horn National Monument. It is an emotional place. If you have ever been in the 7th Cav, it will not be a dry-eyed stop. Mark (Lowrey), if you decide to visit, the panoramas, time lines, analyses, artifacts and murals will give you a visceral appreciation of the time when the cavalrymen had to shoot their horses to provide breastworks behind which they could continue their doomed defense. There, in addition to the gravestones for the the fallen troopers, is a separate national cemetary (a la Arlington) for fallen horses. Don't forget...there are other memorials in the area. We WASP's are inclined to assume that the cavalry are the good guys. In this part of the country there are many who would be inclined to disagree.
When we left Sheridan this morning, the temperature was 49 degrees. (We're told that it was 36 here this morning). The wind, however, was quiet. The headwind from Rapid City to Sheridan limited us to 7.0 mpg. Also, it made for a semi-tense drive that required constant attention to the steering wheel. Today was much more relaxing. Even though we are now at 5400 feet, we averaged 7.9 mpg. Headwinds are more significant than a moderately uphill grade.
The campground has a dog-walking service. This is significant because Belle would go crazy with wildlife in the park. Her barking at bison and other fauna would upset the viewing enjoyment of other visitors.
The schedule is still being tweaked. We'll keep you posted.