JoDo Chasing Rainbows
Exploring the US and Canada from our RV
Cascade Creek Trail to Cascade Lake
The road from Canyon to Tower is closed this year. This means no one can get up to Dunraven Pass. This area is my favorite to view wildflowers. I wasn’t sure if I was going to get the wonderous views of wildflower show after wildflower show that you get on that mountain. I was pleasantly surprised that this trail which is in the valley below Dunraven is full of flowers.
We had never hiked this trail before. It starts along Cascade Creek. Be on the lookout for moose. This is a perfect habitat for moose. While we did not see one, another hiker told us to be on the lookout because they saw a female moose walking near the lake. We never saw that moose. The creek gives way to a meadow. This is where the flowers start in earnest. All the way to the lake the area is lousy with flowers of all kinds. Donna and I agreed this is one our of favorite hikes of the season.
Hayden Valley at Sunset
It seems we got another first for Yellowstone. This is our second season but we have never visited Hayden Valley during sunset. It was a magical experience. We got there right as the sun was going behind the mountains. The yellows, reds and purple highlighting the sky were magnificent. The bison rut has started. We had a good time watching a few males chase their chosen female.
We finished the night at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The best thing about getting out this late in the evening is that there was very few people on the rim. By time we finished the rim it was completely dark. We traversed our way slowly through Hayden Valley back to the campground due to bison eyes do not reflect. The coat of a bison does not reflect either. You will be right on the bison before you can see it. Luckily, the herd was in the same space as when we first entered the valley. We opened the car windows to hear the male bison continue their calls and grunts trying to excite a female. The moon started to rise by time we entered the middle of the valley. We got a great picture of the full moon.
This part of the park looks so different in the dark. We have decided that on our next day off we would do the Norris Geyser Basin at sunset.