Day Four in Yellowstone held one more very cool “Sam & Sandy” adventure.
After photographing animals and meandering through the Lamar Valley, our gang detoured on the way home to Yellowstone Falls.
We could NOT miss these falls, Marla said.
So, while the opportunity was there, we pounced. As we got closer, the traffic got worse and we started seeing people taking pictures along the roadside.
A buck munches grass along the way to Yellowstone Falls.
Ruh-roh…
Animal jam!
We would not be left out of the action, mostly because the animals of Lamar Valley had left us hungry for more sightings.
The photo I’ve put atop my blog is one of the animals we spotted on our way to Yellowstone Falls. There, by a turn in the road, were a pair of mule deer. A male and a female stood munching on the tall grass and appeared totally unperturbed by the traffic jam and bystanders gawking from a few yards away.
After “shooting” our fill of deer, we followed the trail of cars toward the falls.
Animals, people and waterfalls
The crowds here were dense. We wove our way to the upper falls overlook and took in the view below. The upper fall is huge. The pool at its base was full of mist and the powerful discharge from above. Marla wondered aloud where the canyon view was. She’d seen photos of the great falls and there were amazing walls of rock on either side. We soon realized that view must be found at the lower fall.
Since the lower fall was about a mile away, we split into two groups. Marla and Michael would take the car and drive to Artist’s Point at the base of the lower fall. Sandy and I would follow Uncle Tom’s south rim trail to Artist’s Point, where we’d meet up with our chauffeur.
Along the way, we kept seeing signs to The Steps … and lots of people with red, sweaty faces.
Hmmm … intriguing.
We soon learned that the best view of the lower fall was at its base. To get there you had to down some steps.
328 steps.
328 very, very steep steps.
328 very, very steep steps BACK UP.
Signs warned people with bad hearts and generally poor health to avoid attempting this feat. After seeing the faces of people on their way up, Sandy and I stepped off the trail to ask ourselves the all-important question:
Were we up for 656 steps, plus a great view … and rainbows?!
Heck yeah!
There’s nothing like the motivation of a child to keep you moving.
Here’s our video of the great adventure. I hope you’ll spend 10 minutes watching. Sandy has a future in broadcast journalism!!
Turn the page: Sam takes a hike and we bid adieu to Yellowstone
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