September 1, 2023. We relocated from Yellowstone RV Park in Gardiner, MT to Fishing Bridge RV Park at Fishing Bridge in Yellowstone NP. Above are a few pictures from our drive. I was so excited to be staying at Fishing Bridge. This prompted a flood of childhood memories from being here with my parents and my brother!
Crossing the Yellowstone River via Fishing Bridge! We are almost there!!
My dad LOVED to fish here! I remember he and Larry (AKA Montana) coming back to the trailer after an early morning of fishing and they told Mom and me that they had seen a bear on the opposite bank of the river! I can still “taste” Dad’s best tasting pan-fried trout over a campfire.
In those days you could consistently count on multiple “bear jams” along the road. We were always on alert to be the first to spot a bear! One afternoon while camping at Fishing Bridge campground, we watched from inside our trailer, a bear was tearing into a tent and cooler. Because bear “visits” were on the rise, Fishing Bridge Campground, had to resort to allowing only hard-sided, enclosed RVs there. And lucky for Barry and me, Fishing Bridge RV Campground just recently completed a wonderful renovation to accommodate large rigs! We made our reservations a year ago after hearing this would be open for the 2023 season. This reservation is what we planned our entire time on the road from May – October 2023! Barry is absolutely amazing at planning ALL our 6-7 months of full-time RVing. He spends so much time researching, planning, setting reminders months out to make specific reservations needed.
I would love to share the thrill of seeing a bear or two this trip with Barry. When we stopped at the Fishing Bridge Visitor Center to ask about any possible bear sighting, there had been none. Now is not a good time for sightings. The ranger said we would need to be here late September into October. Evidently the grizzly are quite prevalent then. Hmmm. Good to know for next time. 🙂 June into July is also a great time – which is typically when I was here with my parents, but that’s also when the park is the busiest.
NIGHTLY RANGER PRESENTATIONS at The amphitheater at Fishing Bridge
(Sept 3 is the last one of the summer season.) I came to these presentations every night with my parents. We loved them. I still remember the time a ranger told us to PLEASE remember all the animals here are WILD, and do not do stupid things just for a picture. He gave various true examples, but the one most vivid recollection is the one of a mother who put chocolate on her baby’s face because she thought it would be cute to get a picture of a bear licking it off! OMG. You just can’t cure stupidity.
What I also remember about these evening presentations was the infestation of mosquitos! They were so thick and intense that we wore safari hard hats with mosquito netting over them to cover our face and necks without being up against our skin. People were constantly swatting throughout the presentations. That happens if you are here in JULY! Even the ranger today said he would be faint from blood loss just by the time he would get set up for his presentation! The end of August they aren’t an issue! AWESOME!! I received my first and only mosquito bite so far this afternoon. There are definite pros and cons for any month you visit. That’s why multiple visits are a “must”. 🙂
OUR ADVENTURES BEGIN!
We decided to visit the Mud Volcano area, and Sulphur Caldron today, so that in the morning we can head right past those to go directly to the Hayden Valley area for expected animal activity.
LeHardys Rapids.
Beginning about mid-May cutthroat trout are plentiful and jumping here as they try to swim upstream to spawn. Bears are here for their dining pleasure! Unfortunately, since the introduction of lake trout in the 1980s there are fewer native cutthroat now. They are trying to figure out how to get rid of the non-native, invasive lake trout.
Next stop: Mud Volcano area – Didn’t take long to remember this was not a favorite area of mine due to the sulphur stench! It almost made Barry ill.
Bison Carcass?? or ??
Sulphur Caldron – super sulphur smell!! The MOST acidic in the park! It sits on the edge of the most active areas of Yellowstone’s buried volcanoes.
We decided to continue a few more miles into Hayden Valley for the heck of it. Glad we did. More Bison contact! (Barry called the guy Joe Bison. LOL)
Hayden Valley – Where the Buffalo Roam!
“The American bison symbolizes the spirit of the West. Few other animals inspire such awe and reverence. Hayden Valley with its broad expanse of grasses and sedges, has been a home to the bison for thousands of years. Nearly dried to extinction in the 1800s by homesteaders, hunters, and the United States government, bison thrive here today. Protected in Yellowstone, they stand as an imposing icon of American conservation.”
“Bison are born in Hayden Valley. They live and die here. Only the strongest, furriest, and fattest bison can survive a bitter Hayden winter. Instinct guides them every year to decide whether to stay in the valley or migrate to lower elevations in search of food. Bison that migrate will head home to Hayden in spring to begin the cycle anew.”
The ranger we talked to today told us to see bull Elk we should go to Bridge Bay near the campground and marina, or possibly in the Lake Village area. Good to know. Mating season is about to start and will run through September.
Tomorrow we will leave early for Hayden Valley