Road Tripping with Ozzie - 5

   It was enough to make me howl. I got to see Yellowstone’s Old Faithful geyser blow despite all the restrictions placed on us dogs.

Long, Hard Day

   Dogs are not allowed on the viewing walkways in the national park so I found a comfy spot along the edge of the trees and got to see the entire show over the heads of the hundreds of spectators lined up on the walkway.

  Old Faithful blows every 40 to 70 minutes these days. The intervals are not exact so you have to sit around with your camera focused and ready to shoot.

   Sitting back in the trees I didn’t get my usual attention from the crowd. However, later the Old Guy and I sat outside the Old Faithful store and snack bar and they lined up to pet and photograph me. The Old Guy seemed annoyed at having to answer all the same questions over and over again. What breed is he? How old is he? How much does he weigh? Is he friendly?

  There was even a Japanese translator then for a while to help all the Japanese tourists who crowded in to get my picture. I heard the Old Guy grumbling later that if he had a dollar for every question asked he could pay for this trip.

   We also visited other highlights of the geyser basin. But I wasn’t allowed to get close to the hot springs, hot mud pots, sulphur flats and other interesting sights.

   But it was a major wildlife day. We saw bison and elk. The first bison was scratching his back against a pine tree, which is one of my favourite things to do. Feels really good and that bison had a smile a yard wide.

   Then we saw two elk taking an afternoon time out in an old burn off the highway. Both were bulls with their racks in velvet.

   Now the BIG ONE. We saw a grizzly bear!! Yes, a real live grizzly bear in the wild. The Old Guy started to run out of the RV to get a picture, then realized he could get his ass bit so anchored himself in his seat and rolled up the window tight.

   The grizzly had emerged into a clearing, saw the RV and took off. Those babies can really run.

   Just after that we started down the mountains into Cody, Wyoming. What a descent. The road followed the Shoshone River and the mountain views were spectacular. It was almost like being in an airplane.

   Before the descent we crossed the Continental Divide and at altitude 8,300 feet we found some snow that I could play in. That stuff is in my blood!      

   Tomorrow we are going to head toward South Dakota and Mount Rushmore. I going to ask mom if we can talk to some of the stone carvers about getting to work on my image on the mountain. I mean four presidents and no dogs just doesn’t seem right. Most of the people who met me today would agree.

More on the trip at Mom’s blog: http://goodtogojewelry.blogspot.com/

Ozzie

Bull Elk Resting

Grizzly on the Run

Old Faithful Blows

Playing in the Snow