Yellowstone, Part II: Nature Preserved

In setting apart this chunk of the land as the world's first national park, Congress preserved a part of the west.  Things commonplace in the frontier became unique to Yellowstone as homesteaders settled and developed the land.  The southeast part of Yellowstone holds a spot in the backcountry thirty miles from any road - the most isolated place in the contiguous forty-eight states.

The park's preservation also set aside a major wildlife habitat. Yellowstone and the surrounding national forests (and Grand Teton NP) make up the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem - the largest in-tact ecosystem in the forty-eight states - full of grizzly and black bears, wolves, and plenty of bison and elk, amongst other animals.

Additionally, though not known for its mountains, Yellowstone does lie in the Rockies and sits on the Continental Divide; I have enjoyed the peaks I've reached over the summer.  Morever, the park is home to numerous beautiful waterfalls and wildflowers.  (Shown is Undine Falls.)

And of course, we have a splendid canyon - the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

Together, all of these features (thermal and other) come together to form the variety of attractions the make Yellowstone National Park great.

Last night Hilary and I safely returned to Houston (after a delay caused by President Obama arriving at the Bozeman, MT airport as we were supposed to leave).  Yellowstone was great fun, but it feels wonderful to be back in Texas.  Thank you all for reading this weblog and keeping up with our summer adventures.