We had a long drive ahead of us from North Montana to it's southern border with Wyoming. After the glorious scenery of Glacier National Park the rest of Montana seemed like it was going to be a big disappointment. A winding road twisted through freezing fog with cows in the road. The weather and scenery were uninspiring. When we hit habitations it got even worse, ramshackle buildings with makeshift fences and abandoned vehicles - are these people living the American Dream? The countryside was barren, undulating, dry fields as far the eye could see. The twists gave way to long straight roads traversing this tedious landscape. Slowly things improved, the hills grew taller, the housing stock became pretty ranch buildings and the fog cleared. We reached a major town, Helena and stopped for fuel. We popped into Safeway just for the loo and came out with southern fried chicken and wedges for lunch. There was so much for 9 dollars we hardly made a dent in it (it didn't go to waste). We planned to go into Yellowstone National park for several days so we stopped for a major grocery re-stock. We bought too much and struggled to close the fridge and cupboards. The temperature soared and we soldiered on. The further we drove the more impressive the scenery became and the ranches looked bigger and posher. Still not in Yellowstone after 9 hours of driving and shopping, we decided to stop in Gardiner just outside the park. Every RV ground was full and we were informed that the Park campgrounds were also full. We ended up parked in a layby above an RV park (with half a dozen other camper vans). For 10 Dollars each we were able to use the showers, loos, wifi and laundry at the campground just down the hill. We tried to get our moneys worth, the showers were very hot unlike some we have had, the facilities were spotless, Donna did the laundry, I did the blog and back up the hill we went to find Elk wandering near our camper. The wardens warned us that the mother had a baby Elk and would attack us if she felt threatened. Once it got dark - we stayed inside! From the chicken and wedges left from lunch we had a snack before showering and dinner later on! After a comfortable night parked up by the road we headed into Yellowstone. Where do we start in describing this amazing place. Deer by the roadside before we had passed through the gate, Elk roaming outside the first visitor centre with a stag (bull Elk) close by. It's rutting season and the Stags will charge onlookers getting in the way of their mating business. Rangers were present to keep people at a safe distance. Mammoth hot springs, not somewhere to take a dip but an almost alien landscape where water bubbles and steams out of the ground. Trees have withered as acidic springs have appeared. Amidst the green park surroundings lies this land of chalk white, and hues of gold. There are extensive boardwalks guiding you through this surreal environment, we trod them all and that's more than just a stroll. We moved south to Norris and the campground wasn't full so we bagged a spot then explored the Norris Geyser basin. We were impressed by Mammoth hot springs but this was even better. The bulk of the visitors here wander from their cars to the Porcelain basin viewpoint and back to their cars, but we use the boardwalks to visit every geyser in the porcelain and back basins which took a couple of hours and was well worth the effort. Back at the campground we cleaned off a months layer of dead insects from the front of our camper and truck before a barbeque in the sun. Pulled pork baps and ribs again, delicious. To complete our first loop and end up back at the roadside layby we headed east to the 'Grand Canyon of Yellowstone'. There is a road running along the North edge of the canyon which you can drive and park at various viewpoints, we didn't do that though. We parked up at the one end and set off on foot with lunch and liquids along the North rim trail. The trail joins all the overlooks (and car parks) up and there are several routes down to lower viewpoints getting you closer to the waterfalls and canyon. More magnificent scenery but hard work getting back up on the main trail from those lower viewing areas. After reaching the end of the trail at Inspiration point we hiked all the way back. There is also a trail on the southern side of the canyon which we expected to walk (but didn't) not realising how long the northern trail was. We drove north stopping at Tower falls which was a real let down after the canyon falls but we both had a monster ice cream half price as the gift shop / café here closes today for the year! A brief visit to the Lamar valley and we saw herds of Bison but quite a distance from the road. Back in Gardiner we paid to use the RV parks facilities again (the site was still full). More laundry for Donna whilst I go online to check our bank accounts and spending. Tomorrow we venture further into Yelowstone, we are already amazed at what we have seen just on the Northern loop of the park. Glacier overload is rapidly changing into geyser overload.