Quist World Tour

On Thursday morning, we repeated our early morning safari. This morning we experienced the same fog, the same other-worldly haze keeping some things obscured, and bringing strange beauty to others. The river attracts so many different kinds of birds, and there are just as many birders lining the road to spot them all. This morning’s efforts brought us a close-up view of a bull elk, a magnificent creature. Since he was right next to our car, you could see all the fuzz covering his antlers. Of course we also saw a herd of buffalo, but the newness had worn off by then. Natalie was still really hoping to see a wolf, and I’d have liked to have seen another moose. But that is just a symptom of the human condition, to be dissatisfied with the wealth around us, just wishing we could see more, something different or better. Back to the campground, where we had breakfast and another long, hot shower. It was slightly warmer and definitely getting sunnier, so most of us sat around the fire...

Our day of driving from Custer State Park to Yellowstone was mainly uneventful. I continue to be astounded again this summer by the changes one can see in the landscape over a couple of days of driving. We drove through Bighorn National Forest, which was just beautiful, twisting and turning through a small mountain range. Finally we arrived at Yellowstone National Park, so ready to get out of the car. We had reservations at Canyon Campground. After leaving the East Entrance to the park, we saw the sign that said “Canyon: 42 miles.” Not quite there yet. But it’s hard to complain about it. Even before we entered the park, we saw two moose next to a river. Inside the park, we drove through the Hayden Valley, where we saw bison and a mama black bear and her cub. The valley runs along the Yellowstone River, and the beautiful land teeming with birds and animals makes it clear why Yellowstone is called the Serengeti of the U.S. At Canyon we checked in for our campsites. When making...