Welcome to the first National Park in the world YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK established in 1871.

About 640,000 years ago a massive volcanic eruption, at what is now know as Yellowstown National Park, spewed an immense volume of ash that covered all of the western United States, much of the Midwest, northern Mexico and some areas of the eastern Pacific and left a caldera 30 miles wide by 45 miles long.

This was one of the many processes that shaped Yellowstone National Park, a region once rumored to be "the place where hell bubbles up." Geothermal wonders, such as Old Faithful, are evidence of one of the world's largest active volcanoes.

As well as having all a some 10,000 gysers and hotsprings through out its 2,219,790.71 acres it is a haven for wildlife. A large buffalo (almost extinct earlier in the 20th Century) population, deer, elk, grizzly and brown bears, birds, squirrels, chipmunks all live here in 'harmony' with the perpetual Sunday drivers.

Driving through the park you have to be extremely careful of people just stopping to look at something that has caught their eye. They stop in the middle of the road, they do not pull off - it is scary.

We camped at Madison Campground for 5 nights (tent sites $US18.00/night bookings can be made at the Information Centre in West Yellowstone or at the camp ground, however they fill up very fast during peak season so get in quick). There are no showers but good wash rooms, bear boxes for your food and fire pits and tables for each site. You can get a shower at West Yellowstone or at Canyon Campground.

Yellowstone's geothermal activity is very colourful. The Midway Geiyser Basin is very striking with its red and blue pools.

Orange Spring Mound at Mamoth Hot Springs is beautiful and very unusual.

There are beautiful waterfalls, high mountain passes and Yellowstone Lake is surprising.

Whilst camping at Madison we met Warren and Craig from New York State. Craig was riding a Yamaha and Warren was on his 650 Suzuki V-Strom. Much discussion regarding the merits and quirks of the Suzuki took place as well as the modifications to our bike that Grant has made.

We also met Judy and Robert from Jackson Mississippi who ride a Harley and they were telling us of how they had an unfortunate incident some years ago on thier goldwing in Rapid City, however, the up shot of it was they made some very good friends there and asked us to look them up should we make it to Rapid City.

There are so many more people at Yellowstone that we met including John and John - a father and son riding a Triumph and Harley respectively and the Rhodes family from Gladstone in Queensland.... well they are living in the US until December this year.

Time to look at the map and move on again.