Tuesday 24/07
This was probably the worst night of the whole trip for me (and for Florence), along with the ones in the teepee at the Tsaatans of course. We were freezing the whole night. The temperature must have dropped to around 7-8°C (we are at around 2,800m). We didn’t have a sleeping bag, just sheets and a fluffy blanket. I shared my blanket with Florence (and also gave her my sweater) because she was too cold.
We get up around 7:30am.
Breakfast (cereals with cold milk; what a luxury!) around the fire that we easily relight.
We bring everything back to the car; Jules is struggling a bit.
We go to see the Grand Prismatic Pool, one of the most photographed places in the park. The parking lot is already full this morning. A bit disappointing (as is often the case for something that we have seen so many beautiful photos of); it’s not as colourful as the pictures…
We go to the General Store near the Visitors Centre, to buy our picnic lunch (bread, ham, cheese and tomatoes). We can refill our (8) water bottles and use the restrooms. We also see the eruption of the Old Faithful Geyser.
We go and eat our picnic at West Thumb geyser. At 1pm, we participate in the 10’ talk by the ranger. We walk on the boardwalk around the hot pools.
We drive in the area where the bison herds are usually. We see many but from a distance. We also see some of them much closer, including 2 crossing the road. For the second one, we literally have to move to let it pass; what an imposing creature!
We drive to our hotel. We have indeed decided to try to reach our hotel at 5pm today (to have a chance to put the kids to bed before 9pm for once…).
Despite the traffic jams due to roadworks, we arrive at the Dreamcatcher Tipi Hotel (10’ further than Gardiner) at 5:15pm. It’s not bad. There are only tipis.
Unfortunately, we arrive when it starts raining and our tipi is not really waterproof. We complain and say that we don’t want to stay. They offer to refund the first night (and even the 2 nights we had planned if we decide to stay the second night). We do a quick search on Booking, Priceline, Airbnb and Hotels but there is absolutely no more room in Gardiner (where we have to be tomorrow morning at 6:15am). So we decide to stay.
We take a shower.
We go to eat at 7pm at a nearby restaurant (‘The Lighthouse’), along the main road. Quick and not bad.
We are back at the hotel around 8:15pm. There’s a fire with marshmallows. Kids enjoy for 20’.
They are in bed by 9pm. Not as early as we wanted but not too bad (they slept in the car this afternoon).
We see a resident elk in the hotel; there are also rabbits.
Isabelle and I work in our bed until 10pm. We are tired.
