Yellowstone is a place that just has an incredible amount of riches — today I’ve seen hundreds of bison and elk, two bald eagles, dozens of deer, a coyote, and I’ve heard wolves howling. And all of this is in addition to the geysers, hot springs, and other scenery.
One of the nicest things about this park is that since it has been protected for so long the animals have learned both not to fear people and also how to deal with having people around. As I write this I’m watching a huge buffalo wander down the road — when a car comes he slowly makes his way to the side of the road, then wanders back out again when they’ve passed. The elk that were near Old Faithful knew where the trails were and kept about fifteen feet away from them, but otherwise completely ignored anyone who came along. And a coyote came trotting by, completely ignoring everything and everyone around him, although he did pause whenever a car started up to make sure it wasn’t going to be coming towards him. Quite a place.