We woke up and continued taking advantage of our luxuries by washing clothes, showering and researching on the internet. We quickly stopped at Jo-Anns for some necessities (a few hanging organizers and velcro for bug netting on the windows at night), washed off the coated bugs on the window, and we were on the road again. The drive was very pretty and so hot! We stopped in Helena, Montana – the state’s capital and a funny little town. The town was small, but managed to have enough space for every fast food place you’ve ever heard of (except no Starbucks in sight…the one thing we desperately needed). We saw some interesting things here: deer eating grass within 5 feet of downtown’s busiest road, a tractor driving with traffic, and a young girl with a swastika tattoo! We grabbed a few groceries and continued on our way. The scenery between Helena and Yellowstone was amazing. Rolling hills and wheat fields full of round bales. We stopped to refuel in Gardiner (a quaint, busy town just outside of the Northern entrance to Yellowstone) and crossed our fingers about securing a campsite in the park for the night. We stopped for pictures at the entrance, a place I was excited to see after learning about some of the history behind it from my new favorite documentary, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. We intended to stay at the first campsite inside the park, but it was full. Luckily, we were able to get a little rustic cabin just inside the park at the historic Mammoth Hot Springs Lodge. We went for a short bike ride to walk the boardwalks of Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces, where we braved a thunder and rainstorm. In the pictures are a few of the multicolor travertine terraces, formed by slowly escaping hot mineral water. That’s all for today – another long day in the car and anticipating about 5 hours of sleep before our early start to hopefully secure a campsite at what is called the best campground in Yellowstone!
