As we head west on 80, I think to myself how much I love these uncrowded roads with 75 mile-an-hour speed limits, but, as we approach the exit for Badlands National Park, I feel a small vibration. Jay looks back and says we may have a tire going flat. Immediately I slow down and grasp the wheel more firmly, when, BLAM! Flopflopflopflop...! We stop safely and examine a tire in two completely separate and very frayed pieces. Thank the Lord, and Jay's vigilance, that we were able to stop safely. We change the tire and discuss options: We will drive through the badlands and stop to repair the tire in Rapid City, South Dakota. After a prayer of thanks to God for our safety, we head to the Badlands.

The weather is partly cloudy and menacing to the west, yet during our lonely tour of the badlands we do get a few rays of sun to highlight the surreal landscape. Hills, banks, spires and gullies cut the plains as the ground drops precipitously for several hundred feet. Each bare earth formation is lined with colors of different compounds. The sun accents the strange but lovely patterns of color in a way that turns erosion into art. My favorites are the purple hues that seem so out of place. Few people join us this early in the morning and all the entrances and visitor centers are closed.

We meet a few intrepid motor-homers and one lone German bicyclist who is touring the west and then biking to Alaska this summer. Wow. What else is there to say? And we thought we were adventurous travelers!! No bison show themselves this morning. One lone mule deer crosses the road in front of us. Jay, Tim and I climb a hill to get a panoramic view of this lovely place, but the road and Yellowstone beckons so we exit the Badlands and head on down the road. Jay and I are worried about what the delay to come might do to our schedule. The expedition is due in Mammoth this evening!

At Rapid City, the Chevy dealer refers us to the local Tire Barn. Gee, this name really instills visions of quality! But our fears are unfounded. These wonderful people have a perfect SUV used tire for $20.00 and mount, balance and install the same for a huge $1.00 labor charge. All this in just a few minutes and the expedition is on it's way again! Nice folks.

Driving around the Black Hills of South Dakota the team is entertained by the varied rock formations and forests that decorate this corner of the open range. It seems that each corner of God's creation has it's own unique redeeming qualities and I make a mental note to try and spend some time here in the future. We catch a glimpse of Devil's Tower to the north as we turn west and head into Wyoming's rugged grasslands and sagebrush. As our vehicle approaches, thick clouds hide the Big Horn Mountain's snow capped peaks. Due to the low clouds and rain, we decide to cross the Big Horns at Buffalo, using route 16, instead of going to Sheridan and using route 14. Our fears of fog and dangerous weather give way to relief and joy as the clouds part enough to give us a dry and open view of the rugged alpine topography.

Powder River Pass is almost barren of life. It is a good place for the expedition to pause and take a break and a few pictures. The wind is tremendous and almost knocks me over. As I wander among the rocks the rain begins, quickly turns to sleet and begins to cut into my skin. I run back to the safety of the Blazer where Tim and Jay are waiting. Our band of intrepid explorers continues down through the canyon on the western side and note that it is similar to the canyon on route 14, just without Shell Falls. High red rock walls rise above the sagebrush dotted slopes that border the stream. A thousand different shades of faded dark and pale red can be found throughout the canyon. God makes even rock beautiful!

Our trio returns to open country. We stop in Worland and ask a police officer for directions. She advises us to take the scenic route along the mountains. We follow this route, pleased with the rugged rock and mountain views and soon approach Cody, Wyoming. Cody is nice, but we stop only once to pick up some groceries and hit the road. Our eyes are drawn to the vast towering wall of mountains called the Absaroka Range. This rugged range is crossed in only one place, the east entrance to Yellowstone. We head straight for the huge cleft that is Shoshone canyon leading to the East Entrance. It beckons to us like a long hidden secret door; discovered anew after eons, and begging for the discoverer to explore it's secrets.

Rock walls tower on either side and the river roars below as we approach the tunnel just before the Buffalo Bill dam. The canyon broadens on the other side of the tunnel to reveal a large reservoir with rolling hills at it's shores and tall cliffs and spires capped with snow surrounding it. The road wound along the shore and past homes and campgrounds until we join the North Fork of the Shoshone River and began to climb through the Shoshone National Forest. In the heights to our left is the Washakie Wilderness and above us on our right the North Absaroka Wilderness. We can see Yellowstone! To the left, Eagle Peak, at 11,358' the tallest in Yellowstone, stands silent and covered in snow.

As Jay, Tim and I got closer to the East Entrance, we came upon our favorite sight; a group of cars that signified something interesting was near the road! Excitement was in the air. What would this first marvel be? Two grizzlies! A pair of two-year-olds, recently separated from mother, was staying together and feeding between the road and the North Fork of the Shoshone. We grab our cameras and race to the roadside. There, below us, not 75 yards away a light brown young grizzly is wandering in the green grass in an small open area feeding on plants. Not far away his sibling, a much darker brown, also moves about ignoring the small group of irritating bipeds on the road above. The two bears wander near each other, clawing the ground and eating vegetation. The light colored griz has a shaggy appearance and a beautiful face. He also sports a tag in the right ear. The darker bear seems to have a cleaner coat. Both seem to intent on the tasty treats to be found in the grass. After 15 minutes, the bears wander a little farther away and we must get to our campsite.

With smiles on our faces and appreciation in our hearts to the creator of nature, we mount up once again. We enter the park, TAH DAH! As Horton's little friends the Who would say, We are here, we are here, we are HERE, WE ARE HERE! The Corbett-Williams Expedition of 2000 has officially arrived at it's destination. The logbook is duly noted.

The road continues to wind up along Middle Creek and Avalanche Peak, at 10,565' is just to our right but we cannot see it. It has started to snow! The snow continues all the way to Sylvan Pass. In the pass at an elevation of 8,541', the snow is heavy and beginning to lie on the rocks. There is no view to speak of, but the snow is gorgeous. Beautiful confetti to celebrate our homecoming! As the expedition descends through the clouds, we hope for our first view across Yellowstone Lake.

We get to the first lookout and are rewarding with an astounding view. Dark gray clouds spread out from just above our heads. We can see the sun shining on Yellowstone Lake, which shimmers like glowing silver just beneath the ragged cloud bottoms blowing across our view. A few pictures record the moment and then Jay, Tim and I continue our descent. Each corner reveals a new vista of shoreline and distant snow capped peaks. As we round Lava Butte and reach the shoreline we can see the substantial waves lapping at the pebble beach in the strong and steady wind.

In an open area along Mary Bay, we see that tell tale sign again: Cars on the side of the road! We jump out and a nice lady points out the sow grizzly with two cubs just beyond a log beneath a lone pine. I am sure it is a rock, but when I set up the video camera, Voila! Momma is a good size dark grizzly with her back to us. She is eating away at whatever she has found and lifts her huge head to look around every now and then. One cub stays low and near but we can see it move. The other cub gets up on a log in full view. How totally cute. Actually mom is cute too. I always smile to see Ursus Arctos Horribilis with such adorable perfectly round teddy bear ears!

Jay, Tim and I watch for about 15 minutes as momma never moves and one cub climbs around. Tim and I high-5 each other and say, "YES! Not in the park 1 hour and we have already seen 5, count 'em, 5 grizzly! Yee Haw!" Praise the mighty God who made such wondrous creatures! We thank God for the blessing, but it is time to move on or we will never get to Mammoth.

Once through the construction at Fishing Bridge we turn north and follow the Yellowstone to Stinking Springs (named by Tim in 97 and otherwise known as the Mud Volcano area) and Hayden Valley. The expedition documents the features at Mud Volcano including a small plopping and popping mud pot, the volcano and my personal favorite, the Dragon's Cauldron. A large dark crack appears in the rock with a muddy grayish water at it's mouth that forms a pool. Steam pours forth and the water bubbles and splashes. From deep within the mountain a dragon can be heard snorting and snoring, his foul breath belching from the cave. I wonder if Tolkien ever saw this spot? He would have loved it! I feel like Bilbo peering into Smaug's lair as I listen to him snore... A little further up the road the hills roll away to the left, towards the slanting sun as the lazy afternoon deepens. Bison abound and dot the hillsides. Several large beasts sit in dirt pits made for rolling around.

The sunlight is nice in the late afternoon so Jay cannot pass up a view of at least one of the falls. The short walk leads us to a tremendous view of the Upper Falls. The water roars in our ears even from this great distance. The less famous of the two major Yellowstone River falls, the Upper, at 109', has a charm all it's own as the water crashes into a pool at the base of a rock wall, swirls around a cauldron and then exits to the left heading for the Lower Falls.

The expedition heads back to the road and Canyon Junction, but are stopped again. This time a pair of young elk has decided to play right on the side of the road. They run side by side or at one another raising and lowering their heads as if practicing synchronized dance. The one breaks away and gallops by our car close enough to hear the staccato beat of the hooves on turf. The other stands with, (I swear it looked just like this), a forlorn, "where did you go!" look on his face.

We realize our light will abandon us to camp set-up in the dark, so we drive on to Norris and spot the steam rising as we pass by. Roaring Mountain is true to form and impressive in the cool afternoon as the entire hillside is emitting volumes of steam. After passing Willow Park and Swan Flats we descend the steep winding road to Mammoth. Each of us is awe struck by the varied and wondrous mountain vistas at every turn. All streaked with snow.

Bunsen Peak stands sentinel to our right, Sepulcher Mountain to our left, Mt Everts straight ahead and to the front left a great panorama of green open hill sides leads to the distant snow crowned peaks of Montana, beyond Gardiner. The expedition leaders push straight through Mammoth intent on setting up "Base Camp" for the coming weeks explorations. As we drive into the small campground below Mammoth, we note the great view of Mt Everts and Montana from every site.

Dan has left us a message and we find the site easily. What a relief! Over 2100 miles! We greet Dan, and go immediately about the task of setting up a 12x16 cabin tent without the 6-man crew usually required. Tim A arrives shortly after we do and bunks down with Dan. The light fades and flashlights are required but the job is done and our gear stowed safely inside. We relax and share Dan and Tim's company as we practice the age-old tradition of fireside banter. We sit and swap stories as I watch each one staring at the fire. The firelight plays across each face and dances in their shining eyes. Eyes filled with contentment and excitement for the days to come. A special moment with special friends I will savor for the rest of my life. After a short period the strains of the road began to be felt in our weary bones, so we call it a night. I have slept better, but I can't remember when!