Seconds With Steff

We woke to Pacific Northwest levels of fog, so after a quick impromptu breakfast at the Canyon Village quick-serve, Hunter and I camped out in the parking lot at the North Rim Brink for the Upper Falls of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. After about an hour, we drove over to the South Rim’s Artist Point and Upper Falls Viewpoint to see what we could see—and as it turned out, the fog was lifting, revealing absolutely gorgeous views.

Artist’s Point

Upper Falls Viewpoint

We then circled back to the Brink of the Upper Falls and continued on to Lookout Point, The Grand View, and Inspiration Point.

Lookout Point

The Grand View

Inspiration Point

With an 11 o’clock checkout, we were able to go back to our room, load the car, freshen up, and make our way over to Mammoth with stops along the way.

Emerald Spring at Norris Geyser Basin

Roaring Mountain

I have to be honest—leading up to this trip, I didn’t understand the appeal of the travertine terraces over in Mammoth, and now that I’ve seen them in person, I still don’t. After everything else we’ve experienced, they were a bit of a geological shrug. I mean, everything else has been so damn gorgeous, and these? They reminded me of gravel-crusted snow piled on the side of the road after the plows come through. I kept waiting for the magic to hit me, but nope—just crusty snow vibes.

However, I really do love a good military base (think back to my exploration of the Presidio), so Fort Yellowstone totally called to me. And I love how it’s all color – light yellow.  I mean, I get it. It’s pretty on the nose, but still, it looks so charming.

While we were out front of the visitor center, elk were casually lounging around the main square like they owned the place. Then, while we were on line inside the visitor center, two women burst in—interrupting the park ranger—to breathlessly announce that there were three bears, a mama and two cubs, over by the church. Naturally, Hunter and I sprang into action, jumped in the car, and set off on our very own bear-finding mission.  We did not find the bears.  Just a very enthusiastic detour with a lot of hopeful scanning.

We then made our way out of Yellowstone for the last time, winding through more scenic roads and eventually passing through the Roosevelt Arch (which, for the record, is nowhere near Mammoth—despite what my internal map kept insisting). Once parked and in full picture taking mode, I told Hunter to run into the middle of the road just like we did at the Hollywood sign …   Compare the pictures here. He attacked the run like a man on a mission.  He cracks me up every time.

In the little town of Gardiner, we stopped by the Chamber of Commerce and asked what we could do to kill a couple of hours between Gardiner and Bozeman — Hilary was still at work, and we didn’t want to show up too early. They suggested the Grizzly Experience, which sounded promising, so we added it to our docket and headed next door to grab a couple of slices at the local pizza place.

Hunter walked in and asked for a slice of cheese pizza. The guy behind the counter goes, “12-inch or 16-inch?” I looked at him and said, “Buddy, it’s not like home.”  In New York, you ask for a slice, and you get a slice. No math required. Hunter paused, blinked, and said, “McDonald’s?”

Hunter was navigating toward the Grizzly Experience, but the exit the girl at the Chamber gave us didn’t match the one on the sign — and then I forgot what the sign said. So I told Hunter to look it up, and he said he did… he’s great with a map… but he kept telling me to keep going. We sailed right past it. So instead of meeting a grizzly, we ended up in downtown Bozeman, which turned out to be completely adorable.

After about five minutes of circling, we snagged a parking spot—and ‘cause we live in the Matrix, it was right across the street from a company that had sent Hunter free stickers (a few months ago, I’d written to a bunch of snowboarding brands asking if they’d send some for his wall, and surprisingly, quite a few did). So of course, we popped in and grabbed a couple of T-shirts, because at this point, I had definitely not bought enough souvenirs.

We arrived at Hilary’s a little early, cleaned out the truck, and once she got home, we headed out for what we affectionately called fake-camping. About twenty minutes from her house, we found ourselves beside a gorgeous lake, roasting hot dogs over an open fire, making campfire potatoes, and assembling gooey s’mores. The campsite was stunning—panoramic lake views, crisp air, and that perfect blend of rustic and cozy. I mean, oh my God, I could not ask for more. It was absolutely wonderful.

And did I mention this was the first time we’ve actually met in person? Maybe we’ve passed each other once or twice at conferences, but this was our first real face-to-face. After hundreds of conversations via texts, FaceTime, and phone calls — Hilary is just the best. We had a fantastic time, and I can’t thank her and her boys enough for being such generous hosts!  It was the most amazing last night of a trip ever!!

Unreliable Summary – Canyon, Arch, and Fake-Camping