Rio Travelers: YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

Yellowstone was the first area to be declared a National Park in 1872 and, although it is not the largest park, it covers 2.2 million acres with the majority in Wyoming and small parts in Montana and Idaho. The wildlife is abundant and geological features are amazing. As you drive down the roads, you see the earth steaming and ponds bubbling as well as smell the sulfur from the hot springs. We saw Bee Hive geyser erupt as well as Old Faithful. Old Faithful is on an every 90 minute(+/-) schedule but Bee Hive only erupts 1-2 times/day on an irregular schedule. I won't bore you with details on the whys and hows, just keep in mind that it is a place worth a visit. A major change to the tour was the inclusion of an audio tour on a GPS that everyone got for the Yellowstone days. Each guest simple set it up in there auto and as they traversed the park the GPS would trigger and give detailed narration of the area.

We stayed in West Yellowstone, Montana where there are many restaurants, hotels and souvenir shops. While in town, the group saw a giant screen movie about Yellowstone and visited the Wolf and Grizzly Discovery Center. It is home to home to grizzlies, wolves and some birds of prey that are not able to survive in the wild.

Of course, there is always time for fun and games. This time Sue introduced us to Hula Charades. Can you picture spelling out words like Badlands and Devil's Tower using your hips and butt? It was hilarious.

ON THE WAY TO YELLOWSTONE