Yellowstone – Old Faithful

Old Faithful isn’t really all that faithful, it actually erupts between 65 and 115 minutes after the previous eruption. The faithful part comes from the fact that the time until the next eruption can be estimated fairly accurately by the duration of the previous one.

Yellowstone – active steamy steam

YELLOWSTONE! COOL!

Yellowstone is amazing, I’ve never seen landscape quite like it.

Hot springs are everywhere.

These seem to steam non-stop.

Sometimes everything vents at the same time, the steam made me sneeze, a lot.

Where to?

I checked the map and have decided to go a bit further (not really all that far tho) and see Old Faithful in Yellowstone, I’ve never been to Wyoming (the state that only has 2 escalators! total!) and am already probably 80% of the way there. I stop in Bozeman, MT for the night. It’s not too late and very warm out so I sleep outdoors, how romantic. Most of the area is rolling pasture land, I drive down a couple random dirt roads and find a quiet spot, shouldn’t need tent so I setup Thermarest and sleeping bag in the grass and sleep. Not sure if this is normal or if I will get in trouble or what but all good.

Wake up wet the next morning, it is raining a bit.

Missoula

Apparently Missoula, MT has the largest Fiesta Ware dealer in the world, who knew? Picked up the hard to find white colour of my dinner plate set.

Saw this lovely three tiered serving tray, too much $$.

Idaho is small

I crossed Idaho very quickly and am in Montana, somewhere I know for sure I have been to before, lol. There is somewhere I want to see in Missoula so I headed there to find…

My favourite book is “The Sportswriter” by Richard Ford, Ford was born in the south but lived in Missoula while he was a struggling young writer working on what would turn out to be his breakthrough novel, this is the house he rented while he wrote the book, it isn’t much but there is a nice feeling of locality to see the physical place where something you love was created.

“… I’m not always sure what I believe but I do think that one thing rarely leads to another in any sort of simple way…”

Onwards?

The realization that I have actually never been to Spokane also means I have never been to Idaho, so many beliefs being shattered. Idaho isn’t far so I will keep driving.

Spokane – Remember? In Benny & Joon?

I thought I had been to Spokane before but upon arrival realized I was thinking of Kalispel. The only thing I know about Spokane is that it’s where Benny & Joon was set, I had lunch at the diner where Sam (Johnny Depp) does his Buster Keaton dinner roll bit. I asked for two rolls and two forks, they said no. Burger and fries and a chocolate malted was all really good.

Remove sunglasses before taking selfie

I like ferries!

At the far east end of the reservation you need to take the Kelly – Wilbur ferry across the widest part of the Columbia river, according to the captain it’s the oldest ferry route west of the Mississippi, having run for nearly 150 years. It was empty when it got to my side and I was the only passenger on the sailing (plus Kevin the car of course).