I spent two days in Yellowstone National Park, arriving early along the eastern entrance. The drive to the park entrance was spectacular in its scenery, as was the drive into the park to the southern loop.

For the first day, my traveling colleague and I followed the loop counter-clockwise, making frequent stops. The canyon and falls of the Yellowstone River are amazing. Along the way, we encountered bison and elk, but no bears.

The weather on the first day had been perfect, but the second day dawned overcast and drizzling. The rain was intermittent all day, though it insisted on raining as we waited for the 9:09 eruption of Old Faithful. The geyser decided that this eruption would come at the very end of the 20-minute window so we could get well soaked.

At the Mammoth Hot Springs Visitor Center, I was surprised to see elk along the side of the road munching on grass. No fear here.

We concluded our full loop on day 2 by arriving just in time to make our dinner reservations.