In addition to amazing wildlife and geothermal wonders, Yellowstone also has spectacular waterfalls and a gorgeous canyon—“Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.”
Yellowstone Upper Falls – view from South Rim Drive
View of Lower Falls and the Yellowstone River flowing through the canyon from “Artist Point” on South Rim Drive
It was here that I could see where the park may have gotten its name. The canyon walls looked quite yellow in the sun.
As you might imagine, Artist Point was packed with tourists taking photos. In situations like this, my policy is that I always say yes whenever anyone asks me to take a photo of them, and I never say no if someone offers to do the same for us. A nice young Japanese tourist offered to take this photo of us. She did a good job! She placed the waterfall between our heads on purpose. (She was all set with a selfie stick and didn’t want me to return the favor.)
Our selfies are not very good. I just can’t figure out how to position my arm AND take the picture. People say to hold the phone up high, but then you end up staring directly into the sun.
A word about bison.
They are a big part of the Yellowstone experience. You see both herds and loners—sometimes very close up.
Traffic frequently stops for bison crossing in Yellowstone.Bison basically eat all day long. Sometimes they’re sitting down, but they’re usually munching.
They warn you not to get within 25 yards of a bison, if you’re not in a vehicle. They can run fast and have been known to rush (and even gore) people who get too close.
I don’t like cold weather. I especially dislike snow. We have so many places in the Northeast that are spectacularly beautiful—in the summer. The Finger Lakes region (aka the Southern Tier) of upstate New York is one of them.
This area is a very long drive from Boston (about 6 hours), so I made this weekend’s graduation trip to Ithaca a “bucket list” sort of trip. I have enjoyed my many visits up here, but I doubt I’ll be back again.
Stunning glass sculpture at the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, NY
Corning Museum of Glass
The city of Ithaca, NY is on Lake Cayuga and I’ve seen it many times. This trip, I wanted to see the next Finger Lake over—Lake Seneca. It is equally beautiful and has the cute town of Watkins Glen at the bottom.
The harbor area in Watkins Glen on Lake Seneca
Watkins Glen is also home to one of New York’s most beautiful state parks.
Watkins Glen State Park
There are many wineries in the area, but I had never been to a cidery, so we stopped at South Hill Cider after graduation for a glass of hard cider and a charcuterie board. Lovely spot and their dry, sparkling Baldwin cider was great. I bought a bottle to take home.
The view at South Hill Cider in Ithaca, NY
There’s an expression you may have heard—Ithaca is Gorges. Its deep gorges and their accompanying waterfalls are truly gorgeous, and there are dozens of them all over the region. I had seen the showstopper—Taughannock Falls—on a previous trip, but wanted to check out a couple of others before we left.
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