Back in the USA

1st July - Happy Canada Day!
Al drove from Calgary, Alberta to cross the US border some 350 klms later.  We were greeted by a big sign 'Welcome to Montana'.  ,

Yellowstone National Park
Sprawling across 3 States - Wyoming, Montana and Idaho this park covers 2 million acres of heaven.  Lakes, mountains, rivers, steaming geysers, hot springs and bubbling mud pools.  It was like landing on another planet.










The hydrothermal area near the Mud Volcano is permanently steaming and the mud pots are constantly bubbling giving off a disgusting smell of sulphur.

Bee Hive is a very volatile geyser, just ask anyone standing nearby.  You never know just how high it's going to shoot. 

Old Faithful is one of the largest geysers that erupts twice a day shooting anything up to 55m of boiling water into the air.  A spectacular sight.

Our campsite had NO electricity, water, sani-station, internet or mobile coverage but in return we got to see the most amazing animals in their natural surroundings. 





During the evening we rugged up and walked to the outdoor ampitheatre to listen to a presentation by the Park Ranger.  Young and old, in all sorts of attire, sat out under the stars and spent a very chilly night listening to stories about Yellowstone. 

Devil's Tower, Wyoming
For anyone over 30 years of age you will no doubt remember the classic Steven Spielberg movie
Close Encounters of a Third Kind.   Well this is it.

Rushmore Cave, South Dakota 
Glorious hot day so what did we do??  We explored a cold, wet, dark cave!!  The early gold miners discovered this cave in 1876.  We squeezed through passageways and climbed some pretty steep steps and eventually got to the stalactites and the rare helictite formations.  Not the most dynamic cave in the world but it was good.

Mount Rushmore, South Dakota 

The carving of the 4 great American Presidents high up on the southwest face of Mt Rushmore mountain was an incredible sight.  It was hand carved in 1927 by Gutzon Borglum and his 400 helpers.  The granite portraits represents the birth, growth, development and preservation of the nation.  I found the whole thing very emotional especially after September 11.