A few days ago I shared a post about a little motorcycle trip my dad and I took in the mountains about 50 years ago. In that post I mentioned the fact that we had taken a lot of family trips around the western United States in my youth. So here is one of those trips recounted through my dad's 35mm slides and what few memories I can conjure up after nearly 54 years. :)

Entering the Park

Through a little Google Earth sleuthing, and lining up the background mountains, I was able to determine this shot was taken at the north entrance to Yellowstone NP near Gardiner Montana. As I was trying to figure out which entrance we used, I noticed the abundance of cars lined up at some of the entry points and the lines of cars traveling the roads. Might be a little too crowded these days for my taste. Maybe an off-season trip? It also appears from the sign that this was the 50th anniversary of the park.

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I loved this Dodge van with the pop up top. My bed was up there and I even had windows!

Mammoth Hot Springs

Heading south on HWY 89 our first stop was Mammoth Hot Springs. I have vague memories of being here so luckily I have these slides to help my old brain remember. :)

My mom and I taking in the beauty of the springs.
[//]:# (!pinmapple 44.970441 lat -110.704450 long Mammoth Hot Springs d3scr)

I really like this shot. Like an alien landscape. When I was scanning these slides in I never knew what I might get for output. This one came out pretty bland but with Lightroom I was able to enhance some of the features and colors. Not bad for a 54 year old slide. :)

Yellowstone Falls

After we left the hot springs we headed east on the Grand Loop HWY that generally follows the Yellowstone River on our way to the falls. We arrived in the early evening so the pictures my dad took that night didn't turn out too well. However, the next morning was a beautiful sunny day and he was able to capture some of the beauty of the canyon and falls!

A view of the river down below and Lower Yellowstone Falls in the distance (upper middle left).

A couple shots of the lower falls.

Little me sitting near the top of the upper falls. Notice the eagle soaring down the river. My Indian Guide (Cub scout like organization) name at the time was Black Eagle. Perhaps this was my spirit animal, a sign from the other side. :)

The Journey To Old Faithful Geyser

No trip to Yellowstone was complete with out a visit to Old Faithful. Along the way though there were still sights to see.

I am glad the tradition of feeding the bears is gone. Stupid human tricks I guess. :)

A coouple more of the colorful stops along the road to the geyser.

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My mom and I watching the geyser erupt.

While researching this post I came across some information that perhaps one of my ancestors was involved in an expedition to Yellowstone in the late 1800's. So now I have some more things to look into as I sit home in isolation. :) Stay safe and healthy everyone!

35mm slides taken by my father with an unknown camera. Scanned by me with a PowerSlide 5000 using VueScan x64 software. There is also some Lightroom editing applied by me.

Thanks for looking and enjoy your day!